It’s another edition of Trade Spin, where we try to sort out the fantasy implications of yesterday’s deadline deals. Tomorrow, the Spin will return to our usual around-the-league format as we catch up on who’s hot and who’s not.
The biggest news of a busy Thursday was the three-way swap that sends JaVale McGee to Denver, Nene to Washington and Nick Young to the Clippers. It’s a homecoming of sorts for Young, the former USC star, and means Randy Foye has been marginalized.
Both ex-Wizards must be thrilled to join playoff-bound teams, but it remains to be seen if George Karl can get through to McGee, who has frustrated a few coaches. Ronny Turiaf was included to balance the contracts; he will be no more relevant in Denver than he was in DC. The same goes for Brian Cook, who will shift from the L.A. bench to the Washington bench.
Blazers Blowup
Coach Nate McMillan was fired, and so were several players. Marcus Camby is now a Houston Rocket, with Hasheem Thabeet and Jonny Flynn headed to Portland. Gerald Wallace was sent to New Jersey, for a first round pick, the injured Shawne Williams and Mehmet Okur, also sidelined. Crash will get plenty of touches, especially while Brook Lopez is out, and should help the Nets next year as well.
The deal apparently puts Wesley Matthews back into the starting lineup at SG and moves Nicolas Batum to SF, but Portland could find no takers for Raymond Felton or Jamal Crawford. Interim coach Kaleb Canales also lacks options in the middle, where Joel Pryzbilla and the still-raw Thabeet will have to play.
Laker Shuffle
Derek Fisher is out, Ramon Sessions is in. While Sessions, acquired from the Cavs for a first-round pick, is a much better scorer than Fish, he won’t be a “traditional” PG in a system that gives Kobe Bryant so many touches.
What L.A. did not do was trade Pau Gasol, who might be able to focus now and play his best basketball. They did get Jordan Hill, who has a chance for minutes off the bench.
Off to See the Wizards
Jordan Crawford is a huge winner for fantasy owners; he’s no longer sharing time and touches with Young. Nene might be disappointed, but he still has that $67 million contract for consolation and should be a focal point of the Wiz attack.
Most Popular
Stephen Jackson didn’t even have to unpack in California; briefly a Warrior after the Monta Ellis trade on Wednesday, he’s off to San Antonio in a deal for Richard Jefferson. Jax gets along great with Gregg Popovich and will be glad to escape from Milwaukee, where he rarely played. A recommended pickup if he’s been dropped in your league.
Pacers Tweak
The addition of Leandro Barbosa, an electric bench scorer, gives Frank Vogel the option of replacing the struggling Darren Collison with George Hill. One Indianapolis beat writer has been touting that scenario off and on all year. The Raptors settle for a second-round pick, and presumably Linas Kleiza will get more touches and shots as the top bench option.
Rocket Science
Houston got a Laker starter, but it was Derek Fisher, not Pau Gasol. Fish will be the backup PG while Kyle Lowry recovers from a serious illness. The addition of Marcus Camby can’t be good news for owners of Samuel Dalembert, whose minutes have varied all year at the whim of coach McHale. Camby can stretch the floor and plays good D; getting out of a dysfunctional situation in Portland may rejuvenate him.
Cleveland Rocks
The backup PG position is now wide open, with Daniel Gibson the best candidate for extra minutes and increased production. Boobie is a good pickup in mid-sized leagues.
Standing Pat
Even with Chris Wilcox (heart) out for the year, Boston did not make a move, which was quite surprising. Greg Steimsma is still the only big man off the bench.
Michael Beasley must be shocked, and not particularly thrilled, to find himself still in Minnesota; he’d been linked to more than one playoff contender. The Timberwolves were rumored to be after Jamal Crawford as well, but didn’t make a move.
The Utah Jazz, also expected to be active, did nothing. Of course, the biggest non-news of all concerns Dwight Howard, who remains in Orlando after months of speculation.
Other Stuff
I was so sure Chris Kaman would be dealt, becoming a backup for a contender, I cut him a week ago in one league. Instead, he’s still a Hornet, scoring a team-high 20 last night. D’oh!
In an important non-trade note, Wilson Chandler could sign with Denver as soon as today. I picked him up last night in a couple of leagues, just in case.
The Spin is here every day, no later than 8:00 Eastern, except Sundays when we post the big weekly feature by noon. Follow me on Twitter anytime.
Draft Street Boogie
| Sure Things | Over $14,000 |
| D. Howard | $22,091 |
| A. Bynum | $19,287 |
| Jo. Smith | $18,981 |
| C. Anthony | $14,064 |
| Bargains | Under $9,000 |
| K. Hinrich | $6,359 |
| G. Green | $5,385 |
| Jo. Crawford | $8,788 |
| C. Watson | $8,607 |
| Hunches | $9,000 to $14,000 |
| R. Anderson | $13,177 |
| Jo. Johnson | $13,034 |
| Da. West | $11,573 |
| Ge. Hill | $9,238 |
I experimented last night by picking the maximum three teams in the same $2 Salary Cap league. Theoretically, one team would have outperformed the others and give me a better chance to win, but if the core players common to all three don’t play up to expectations, you lose three times. Closest I got was 65th out of 275.
This week’s $100 bankroll is now down to $51, but I have an overall profit of $160 in the first ten days. Tonight, with 11 games in the NBA, there’s a much deeper player pool. Not sure if that makes it easier or harder to win, only that there are more choices than last night’s 5-game slate. I’m entering my usual $5 GPP, and will probably join a $5 Snake-Draft. That’s a lot of fun, and doesn’t take nearly as much time as you might think.
There’s also a Sheridan Hoops exclusive tonight, the Friday Freeroll. Click here to register for this exciting contest on Draft Street — it is absolutely free — and you could win real cash from the $350 prize pool; the winner gets $125 and valuable bragging rights.