NBA Trade Deadline Winners & Losers (2020-21 Fantasy Basketball)

NBA Trade Deadline Winners & Losers (2020-21 Fantasy Basketball)

It’s one of the best days of the year! No, I don’t mean Christmas, Easter, or the day the stimmy hit your bank account. I’m talking NBA Trade Deadline Day! Now that the deals are done, we can reflect on the fantasy impact, notable adds from the waiver wire, and some players whose dynasty stock is on the rise.

The Deals

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Winners

Dennis Smith/Josh Jackson/Killian Hayes
Delon Wright was moved to Sacramento for peanuts, which means the Pistons are probably confident in rookie Killian Hayes‘ timely return. In the interim, DSJ and Saben Lee can be added and rolled out, but Hayes should be the biggest beneficiary once he returns. If you can stash him, now’s the time to do so. Jackson should get a bump in scoring and facilitating, two categories he’s been useful in all season. Corey Joseph isn’t worth an add, and his addition to the Pistons is a lateral move from a fantasy perspective.

Terrence Ross
He’s one of the biggest winners of the day, as he should be a primary scoring option for the Magic who are now without Evan Fournier, Aaron Gordon, and Nikola Vucevic.

Wendell Carter/Otto Porter
Orlando is a team devoid of playmakers, and both players should see a clear and immediate boost in usage and production. Despite its poor, real-life record, Chicago has supported plenty of relevant fantasy players all season, and Porter should be a primary scoring option for his new team. Carter will be the clear usage leader for a Magic team that lacks depth at PF and C.

Dwayne Bacon
With Evan Fournier out the door, and the potential for Terrence Ross to be moved, Bacon is a deep-league add who could see low-end standard-league value thanks to new opportunities available in the Magic’s backcourt.

Daniel Gafford
Gafford will compete for playing time with Robin Lopez and Alex Len, and his value is up because of the clear decline in competition. Even if he can’t make a significant impact this season, Gafford’s dynasty value is on the rise.

Nemanja Bjelica
Bjelica should see some run as a stretch-four for Miami as the team pushes for the playoffs. Despite his struggles this season, the veteran forward has been a quality three-point shooter throughout his career.

Norman Powell
Powell should fit right in with Portland alongside Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum as an elite shooter and scorer. Powell is averaging nearly 20 points per game in what has been a career season, and if he did it on a talented Raptors roster, he can do it in Portland too. This isn’t a huge moving of the needle for Powell’s fantasy value, although it should still be considered a win.

Gary Trent
Trent was huge for Portland in relief of CJ McCollum this season, and he should play a significant role for the Raptors post-trade. With McCollum back in the lineup, Trent’s minutes have been trending down, but he could be back in the starting lineup for Toronto.

JJ Redick
Redick isn’t an add outside of deep leagues, but his value should get a slight bump in Dallas on a team that could use some additional scoring and three-point shooting.

Kevin Porter Jr.
This is the trade KPJ truthers (such as myself) have been waiting for since Porter joined the Rockets after the All-Star Break. As long as he can stay healthy, KPJ should have a leading role in the team’s offense. If John Wall is ultimately shut down for health reasons, KPJ should enjoy a primary facilitator role, too.

Robert Williams
It’s time for Time Lord! Williams has averaged 10.6 points, 8.2 boards, 2.5 blocks, and 2.4 assists while shooting 74.7% from the field. With Daniel Theis traded to Chicago, Williams should get a bump in playing time, which should lead to quality production for fantasy managers.

Chuma Okeke
He’s not a must-add, but if you have the space or play in a deeper league, you could do worse. With the Magic shipping out Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic, Okeke has a clear path to a starting role for the rest of the season. His dynasty outlook is on the rise for the rebuilding Orlando franchise.

Losers

JaVale McGee
The move is awesome for McGee in the real world, as he goes from cellar-dweller Cleveland to title-contending Denver. The Nuggets get an excellent per-minute producer they can roll out for 8-12 minutes a game, but McGee is a clear loser for fantasy purposes. He had fringe deep-league value with the Cavs, but he’ll join a loaded Nuggets frontcourt where he’ll have trouble finding meaningful stats.

Delon Wright/Tyrese Haliburton
Wright goes from being a top option in Detroit to a role player in a crowded Kings backcourt that features De’Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, and Buddy Hield. Wright will have plenty of competition for minutes and usage with his new team, and Hali could take a slight hit in value as well.

Patrick Williams/Thaddeus Young/Lauri Markkanen
All three of these guys have seen significant frontcourt run for the flailing Bulls all season thanks to various injuries and consistent play. Vucevic is a true stud and a guy who’s typically available. That’s bad news for the outlook of the trio named above who should all see a downtick in fantasy value. Williams should be the least affected by the move.

Daniel Theis
Theis joins the three mentioned above as clear fantasy losers in this deal. As a primary contributor to the Celtics’ frontcourt, Theis enjoyed back-end standard league value. That kind of value will be hard to come by in a Chicago frontcourt that’s somehow gotten even more overcrowded than it was before today’s moves.

Victor Oladipo
Dipo won’t be a big fish in a small pond now that he’s joined Miami. He should be a key part of the Heat’s championship aspirations, but obviously he won’t have quite as much opportunity playing alongside Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, and Bam Adebayo.

Nikola Vucevic
He’s still got early-round value moving forward, but it’s tough to imagine him garnering the same 30% usage rate in Chicago as he did in Orlando now that he has other capable playmakers around him. Zach LaVine should continue to be the focal point of the Bulls’ offense, and while Vuc will still get his, his fantasy value certainly takes a hit.

Marcus Smart/Evan Fournier
Fournier’s addition is great for Boston in the real world, but is this move a positive for the French wing? Not so much. Productive fantasy players depend on opportunity, and Fournier will clearly see a decline in opportunity with Boston’s talented squad. Smart will likely split time with Fournier, nicking his value, too. Smart is a defensive specialist, and Fournier is prized for his shooting and scoring. Both should see quality minutes.

Troy Brown
He’s not more than a flier in deeper leagues, but the value is way down on a Chicago team with so many reliable options.

Mo Wagner
Wagner didn’t have too much value pre-trade, and his addition to a loaded Celtics team drives that minimal value down even further.

Paul Millsap/Michael Porter/Nikola Jokic
Millsap is the biggest loser here, as Porter and Jokic should continue to start alongside Gordon, but scoring and rebounding numbers could take a hit for all three players with Gordon in the fold.

George Hill
Hill will have a tough time carving out minutes for Philly in this talented backcourt, and this is a move better for real-life hoops than fantasy.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker
NAW’s breakout seemed imminent with the likely trade of Lonzo Ball, but Ball will remain in New Orleans, making Alexander-Walker a drop candidate in standard leagues. It’s a disappointing development for those who held onto him until now.

KJ Martin Jr.
Martin Jr has played well this season since getting his call up from the G-League, but it looks like his usage may take a hit with Kelly Olynyk now in the fold.

Bol Bol
Will Bol Bol ever be a fantasy-relevant player? The Nuggets’ push to add JaVale McGee and Aaron Gordon prior to today’s deadline should tell you all you need to know.

Dynasty Risers

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Zachary Hanshew is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Zachary, check out his archive and follow him @zakthemonster.

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