The All-Star break is here. In many fantasy basketball leagues, that means the last chance to improve your roster before the stretch run. Every team has at least 57 games in the books heading into the break, so the season is closer to the end than managers realize.
Now is the time to buckle down and make those final few moves that propel you to a championship. Let us take a look at four trade targets who could help accomplish that goal.
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Buy
Here are two players fantasy managers should trade for because their value will likely keep rising for the remainder of the season.
Enes Kanter (POR – C)
Kanter decided to sign with the Blazers on Wednesday, and he expects to debut in their first game after the All-Star break. Kanter will be the backup center behind Jusuf Nurkic, who is playing 27.3 minutes per game this season. That is up from 26.4 last year. Even if he can’t cut into Nurkic’s playing time, that leaves over 20 minutes on the table for Kanter.
Back from 2015-2017, Kanter only played 21.1 minutes a night on the Thunder. He still produced 13.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 0.5 blocks per game on 56.0 percent shooting from the field while making 79.1 percent on his free throws. Kanter is going to score and rebound with outstanding percentages.
It’s also worth noting that the Blazers signed Kanter to a four-year, $70 million deal in 2015, only for the Thunder to match his offer sheet in restricted free agency. Do not be surprised to see 23-25 minutes per game from him down the stretch.
Kanter is available on plenty of waiver wires. Given Nurkic’s strong play this season, Kanter’s owners are likely doubting his production going forward. Acquire him for any player outside the top 100 and enjoy the benefits.
Lou Williams (LAC – PG/SG)
Don’t look now, but Sweet Lou is finally making his move up the fantasy rankings. The Clippers trading leading scorer Tobias Harris has opened plenty of minutes and shots in L.A. Williams is taking advantage.
In the four games since the deal, he is averaging 25.0 points, 1.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.5 three-pointers made in 25.5 minutes. Those numbers are limited by two blowout games as well.
Expect Williams to reach that 28 minutes per game threshold after the All-Star Break. That should be enough to push him to 21 points and 5.5 assists per game with enough production in steals, threes, and free-throw percentage to help your fantasy squad.
Williams had an ADP of 49 this year after a stellar 2017-2018 campaign. That was a bit high at the time, but seeing Williams push into the top 50 does not seem out of the question now. Buy him with confidence.
Sell
Look to move on from these two players who have already peaked in value this year.
Willie Cauley-Stein (SAC – PF/C)
Cauley-Stein’s value appears to have taken a hit at the trade deadline. For the season, he is averaging 28.0 minutes per game. In four games since the Kings acquired Harrison Barnes, WCS has yet to top 27 minutes.
Sacramento has plenty of options for playing time. They can roll with Marvin Bagley III at the five or play small ball with Nemanja Bjelica manning the spot. Only playing 24 minutes per game the rest of the way would push Cauley-Stein down the rankings.
He is currently 112th on the player rater for the year. Eliminating his significantly negative free-throw value would vault him up. Losing out on four minutes per game will have him on the fringe of standard-league relevancy when factoring in his struggles from the line.
Fantasy managers likely have not noticed his decrease in playing time, though. Now is the time to strike and move WCS before the rest of your league figures him out. Shoot for a top-75 player and be excited about maximizing the value from Cauley-Stein.
Serge Ibaka (TOR – PF/C)
Ibaka is having a fantastic season. A comeback year in many ways has seen him average 16.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.5 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game in 28.8 minutes a night. Ibaka is playing almost exclusively as a center this season, and that has allowed him to increase his production.
The trade deadline, however, threw a massive wrench in that plan. The Raptors acquired Marc Gasol and now have two centers accustomed to playing significant minutes. Gasol, who has just three games under his belt in Toronto, has yet to top 22 minutes. That should change after the All-Star Break. The Raptors will have him more integrated into the offense and should be more equipped to use Gasol’s supreme talent.
Ibaka’s minutes are going to decrease, or he will play more power forward for the rest of the year. Either option will harm his fantasy value. Ibaka struggled mightily last season playing the four, and losing minutes always hurts.
The fact that Ibaka is still averaging 28 minutes per game since the trade should provide an opportunity to move him. He had an ADP of 93, and drafters have received top-40 value so far. Trading him for a player in the 50-to-80 range seems both doable and wise at this moment. That could be the type of move that wins you the championship.
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Tyler Watts is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Tyler, follow him @tylerpwatts.