Ah, March, what a month for hoops. Both the Men’s and Women’s NCAA tournaments kick-off, races for NBA playoff positioning heat up and the fantasy basketball playoffs begin for many.
Hopefully, you’re in a position to compete for fantasy basketball glory. If not, this edition of the trade advice column is here to help you get there.
Check out the latest fantasy basketball expert consensus rankings
Fantasy Basketball Trade Advice (Week 19)
Trade For
Remember when the Grizzlies had their season from hell last year? Maybe you don’t because the Mavs have taken up a lot of room in the historically miserable season discourse lately. Regardless, Memphis missed 577 games due to injury last season, according to Spotrac. No team has come even remotely close to that number in the last decade.
So far this season the Grizzlies have missed 266 games due to injury, good for third-most in the league. Desmond Bane, though, has remained relatively healthy this season. He’s played in 80% of Memphis’ 62 games played this year. He also leads the team in minutes per game.
Jaren Jackson Jr. is set to miss some time with an ankle sprain, so Bane will be relied on more as the last month of the season begins.
Players to Trade Him For Who Are Ranked Higher: Darius Garland (G – CLE)
Trade Away
The reasoning behind trading Darius Garland has less to do with his ability as a player and more to do with his situation.
Cleveland clinched a playoff spot on Wednesday and the odds of the Cavaliers losing out on the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference are low. They spend so little time building insurmountable leads that Donovan Mitchell is their only player who ranks in the top 70 in the league in minutes.
The Cavs may not coast through the rest of the season, but there isn’t any reason for them not to prioritize their postseason health. If that means fewer minutes or rest for Garland — who already doesn’t have a high fantasy ceiling — then he’s a trade candidate.
Players to Trade Him For Who Are Ranked Lower: Jaylen Brown (G – BOS), Amen Thompson (G – HOU), Josh Giddey (G – CH)
Trade For
The arrival of Jimmy Butler has only meant good things for Draymond Green, who’s averaging 11.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 2.8 stocks (steals plus blocks) in his last 10 outings.
Green’s short-term outlook is positive as the Warriors play seven sub-.500 teams in their next 12 games. Because his floor is so high, Green will still perform well when Butler’s numbers inevitably improve and Jonathan Kuminga returns later down the road.
If you need consistent, balanced play, Green is a great get.
Players to Trade Him For Who Are Ranked Higher: Alex Sarr (F – WHS) (WSH), Bradley Beal (G – PHO), Kyle Kuzma (F – MIL)
Trade Away
Payton Pritchard seems to have the Sixth Man of the Year award locked up after his historic 43-point performance off the bench on Wednesday night. This makes a trade easier to facilitate.
Pritchard has been great this season, but raw scoring numbers only get you so far in fantasy. The guard is averaging fewer fantasy points than Day’Ron Sharpe, Khris Middleton and Brandin Podziemski over the last two weeks.
The lack of versatility doesn’t do Pritchard any favors.
Players to Trade Him For Who Are Ranked Lower: Shaedon Sharpe (G – POR)
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