The NBA season is in full swing. The All-Star races are heating up, as the voting ends on Monday. Massive trades are likely to go down before the Feb. 7 deadline, too. That goes without mentioning the buyout market and the insane 14-team race for the Western Conference playoffs. There is no better time of the year for fans than right now.

Fantasy managers looking to improve their roster for the stretch run should consider trades involving these four players.

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Buy

Let us take a look at two players to acquire in a trade to improve your position in the standings.

Victor Oladipo (PG/SG – IND)
Oladipo had an unexpected breakout last season. It saw him average 23.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.4 steals, 2.1 3-pointers made, and 0.8 blocks per game on 47.7 percent from the field and 79.9 percent on his free throws. The fantastic performance saw Oladipo’s ADP rise to 15 this season.

Naturally, the Pacers guard has taken a step back in 2018-2019. Oladipo is averaging 19.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.7 steals, 2.1 3-pointers made, and 0.3 blocks in 32.5 minutes per game. The scoring dip has his fantasy managers a bit disappointed.

Now is the perfect time to acquire him. The minutes are on pace to surpass last season’s if you take out the Nov. 17 game in which he only played five minutes because of a knee injury. His defensive numbers should also bounce back, even if they do not reach all the way to last season’s fantastic totals. Oladipo should average over 20 points a game and five assists.

He may not quite reach that draft day value, but if you can send a player outside the top-30 to acquire Oladipo, that is a fantasy victory.

Taurean Prince (SF – ATL)
Prince’s minutes have been limited in two games since returning from an ankle injury on Jan. 13. Yet the Hawks forward’s numbers tell an interesting tale.

Prince is averaging 2.8 fewer minutes per game from last season (30.0 down to 27.2). That is in large part due to injuries and blowout games. He is scoring more points (14.3) with more threes (2.3) on improved percentages this season, though. The 24-year-old’s scoring progress means increased fantasy value.

Prince had an ADP of 86 this season, but fantasy managers acquiring him now could receive massive dividends. The 14-30 Hawks are not qualifying for the playoffs this season. That means building around young talent like Prince.

Once he gets back to full health, he should average 32 minutes per game. That could produce a stat line like 15.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.5 3-pointers made, 1.1 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game on 43.5 percent from the field and 84.0 percent on his free throws. That pushes Prince near the top 60, and he can likely be acquired for a player outside the top 100 in some leagues.

Sell

Here are two players to trade away while their value is at its apex.

Kyle Lowry (PG – TOR)
Fantasy managers should trade Lowry now. Recently returned from a back injury, the point guard has promptly played massive minutes over the last five games. He also had an ADP of 20 and is playing 34.1 minutes per game this season.

All those are reasons to move Lowry. He is 32 years old. A back injury could crop back up at any moment and force him to miss a few weeks. He is also a notoriously worse producer after the All-Star break.

The signs of decline are also present. Lowry is shooting his fewest field-goal attempts per game (11.3) since 2012-2013. He is also connecting on just 31.7 percent of his 3-pointers. Those could be adjustments to playing with Kawhi Leonard. The 9.5 assists per game (2.1 assists above his previous career-high) are propping up his value, though. Expecting those numbers to hold is not wise. They are too far over his previous career norms.

Lowry is also averaging an unsustainable career-high 0.5 blocks.

The Raptors point guard should still net a fantasy manager something in the neighborhood of his draft-day value, but Lowry will likely fall outside the top 30 for the remainder of the season.

Kyrie Irving (PG – BOS)
Irving’s story is similar to the one just discussed. He had an ADP of 17, but now appears the ideal time to sell. The Celtics point guard averages 63 games a season over his seven-year career. He has already missed a few games this year, so the injury risk is real.

His field-goal attempts, rebounds, steals, and assists are all worrisome. Irving’s 17.7 field-goal attempts per game are significantly lower than he has taken the last two seasons. Those numbers are unlikely to go up because of the plethora of mouths to feed in Boston. He has also averaged 1.1 or 1.2 steals per game for each of the last three seasons. That number currently sits at 1.6, but will likely fall back to 1.1.

The Celtics have an outstanding lineup on the floor at all times, but Irving jumped his career-high assists rate by 0.3 per game. Last season, he only averaged 5.1. The 6.4 this season are a fluke and will likely decrease as the year progresses.

The rebounds are a similar story, but Irving may keep them up. Starting center Al Horford is a dominant rebounder who opens up a few extra boards for players like Irving.

Trading Irving for near his draft day value is a massive victory. Moving him for any player inside the top 25 should be considered winning that trade. Gauge the market on Boston’s point guard.

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Tyler Watts is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Tyler, follow him @tylerpwatts.