With the NBA trade deadline roughly two weeks away, fantasy basketball owners must brace themselves for potential roster shakeups on the horizon.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are reportedly “progressing in conversations on a deal” for Sacramento Kings point guard George Hill, according to ESPN.com’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Brian Windhorst. They’re “discussing a package centered on” Iman Shumpert and Channing Frye, Woj and Windhorst reported, and while “no trade is imminent,” both teams “are motivated to find a final pathway to a deal.”
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Let these ongoing negotiations serve as a reminder of how drastically a player’s rest-of-season fantasy outlook can rise or fall overnight. If Hill comes to Cleveland, he’ll suddenly be competing with the likes of Isaiah Thomas, Derrick Rose, Jose Calderon, J.R. Smith and Kyle Korver for backcourt minutes. That isn’t to say Hill couldn’t make a fantasy impact despite those unfavorable circumstances, but owners would have to temporarily lower their rest-of-season outlook for him.
Until all hell breaks loose at the trade deadline, here’s an updated look at rest-of-season fantasy basketball rankings for owners in nine-category leagues. Below, read about some of the notable risers and fallers from the past week.
2017 Fantasy Basketball Rankings powered by FantasyProsECR ™ – Expert Consensus Rankings
Rudy Gobert, C, Utah Jazz: Injuries forced Gobert to miss 26 of Utah’s first 47 games, but he appears poised for a monster stretch run. Upon making his return Friday from a 15-game layoff, the Stifle Tower erupted for 23 points on 7-of-10 shooting, 14 rebounds, three blocks and an assist in 30 minutes during a two-point loss to the New York Knicks. Even more encouragingly, he played on the second half of a back-to-back the next night, finishing with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting, seven boards and three more blocks in a 12-point win over the Los Angeles Clippers. With Derrick Favors floating around on the trade block, the buy-low window on Gobert is slamming shut, as he once again looks like a top-30 rest-of-season option.
Serge Ibaka, PF/C, Toronto Raptors: Ibaka’s disappointing 2017-18 campaign has taken a turn for the worse as of late, as he has only one 20-point outing and one double-double in his last 10 games. Over that stretch, he averaged a disappointing 11.3 points on 42.0 percent shooting, 6.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 28.7 minutes, putting him outside of the top 100 on a per-game basis in nine-category leagues. The Raptors’ unexpected frontcourt depth is enabling head coach Dwane Casey to keep minutes in check for all of his big men, which is making life difficult for those who plunged a sixth- or seventh-round pick into Ibaka. At this point, you have to treat him as a fringe top-100 value moving forward.
Dennis Smith Jr., PG, Dallas Mavericks: After an up-and-down start to his NBA career, the light may be coming on for Smith, who’s been sizzling since the start of 2018. Over his past nine outings, the rookie floor general has cooked opponents to the tune of 17.9 points on 43.8 percent shooting, 5.4 assists, 3.2 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.4 triples in 30.8 minutes, putting him just outside of the top 80 on a per-game basis in nine-category leagues. Patience is paying off for those who stuck by Smith during his earlier inconsistency, as the lottery-bound Mavericks figure to prioritize his development even more after the All-Star break. He’s looking like a potential top-75 rest-of-season option.
Rajon Rondo, PG, New Orleans Pelicans: The Pelicans remain in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race, but the same soon won’t be true for those relying upon Rondo as an integral part of their fantasy rosters. Over his past six games, the veteran point guard averaged only 4.8 points on 38.7 percent shooting, 4.7 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 0.7 steals in 22.5 minutes, putting him well outside of the top 175 on a per-game basis during that span. He’s liable to erupt for double-digit assists on any given night — including his absurd 25-assist outing against the Brooklyn Nets at the end of December — but he’s just as likely to post a dud both as a scorer and a passer with Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins and Jrue Holiday dominating touches. Rondo is by no means a must-own in 10-team leagues.
Willie Cauley-Stein, PF/C, Sacramento Kings: With Kings head coach Dave Joerger beginning to regularly rest veterans, Cauley-Stein’s breakout is finally here. Since the big man’s mid-December appearance in our weekly waiver wire watch, he had churned out 15.2 points on 51.2 percent shooting, 8.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.4 blocks in 30.3 minutes heading into Tuesday. In Sacramento’s six-point win over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday, WCS then churned out 21 points on 9-of-18 shooting, nine rebounds, five blocks, four assists and a steal in 33 minutes. With Zach Randolph now receiving frequent nights off, Cauley-Stein is cleared for takeoff heading into the fantasy playoffs, making him a potential top-75 rest-of-season option.
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Kris Dunn, PG, Chicago Bulls: Zach LaVine’s recent return from a torn ACL is great news for the Bulls, but it isn’t so much for those with Dunn on their fantasy rosters. As LaVine’s minutes restriction grows lighter over the coming weeks, it appears as though he’ll be absorbing some of the ball-handling duties Dunn dominated since seizing the starting point guard gig, which slightly affects the second-year guard’s upside. Dunn also suffered a concussion Wednesday against the Golden State Warriors and has missed Chicago’s past two games, which isn’t helping matters when it comes to his short-term upside. He didn’t slide precipitously, but his rest-of-season outlook is gloomier than it was a week ago.
All ownership percentages via ESPN.com. All average draft position info via FantasyPros. All rankings via Basketball Monster are based on nine-category leagues and are current heading into Wednesday, Jan. 24.