Top NBA waiver wire pickups heading into Week 15

The NBA Trade Deadline is fast approaching and with every day we get more and more player news. Last week, we saw one decent-sized move go down with the Mavericks trading for Warriors C Willie Cauley-Stein. This was mostly a move to add depth with Dwight Powell sidelined the rest of the season. WCS is below 50 percent owned on ESPN in standard leagues at 49.6 percent and in my eyes is a player you’d want to add if you need help at center. He’s also not bad Kristaps Porzingis insurance.

With a few weeks to go until the Trade Deadline, let’s go over some players to consider adding on the fantasy basketball waiver wire heading into Week 15.

Reggie Jackson, PG, Detroit Pistons (32.3 percent owned on ESPN)

Jackson has only played four games this season and was held out Saturday against the Nets. He’s still working his way back from a back injury and may not see much playing time in the interim. Jackson is also likely to rest on back-to-back sets.

Still, once Jackson is back to 100 percent he’s going to be someone you’ll want on your roster in deep leagues. In limited minutes in two games back, Jackson has a combined 36 points and 10 assists in 42 minutes. We can expect the Pistons to make a few moves prior to the deadline, one of which should be trading Derrick Rose for assets. If that happens, and Jackson gets healthy, he’ll likely start the rest of the season and play around 25-30 minutes a game.

Trevor Ariza, SF, Portland Trail Blazers (25.1 percent)

Ariza was shipped to the Trail Blazers in a trade featuring Kent Bazemore on Jan. 18. The idea surrounding the trade was mostly salary cap motivated, but it should benefit Ariza the most in fantasy basketball. The veteran swingman started in his Portland debut, playing 36 minutes while scoring a season-high 21 points with seven boards, two assists and two steals. He posted 26 fantasy points on ESPN, draining four 3-pointers in the debut.

This was a very heavy stat line. Ariza is a great floor spacer at the 3 and should fit in nicely even when CJ McCollum (ankle) returns to the lineup. Same goes for Jusuf Nurkic (leg), who is close to returning. I think coach Terry Stotts will keep giving Ariza minutes because he’s one of the premier 3-and-D small forwards in the NBA. If you need help in 3-pointers and have a bench slot open for Ariza, take a chance.

Dorian Finney-Smith, SF/PF, Dallas Mavericks (15 percent)

If you’re in need of another replacement for Powell on the Mavs and WCS is off the wire, DFS is your guy. Finney-Smith continues to start ahead of Maxi Kleber (21.7 percent). Kleber is more of the trendy pickup here, but I think Finney-Smith has been the more productive and consistent player. Over the past two games with Powell out, Finney-Smith has 30 points and 20 rebounds in 60 minutes — not bad. DFS is also a guy who can play both the 3 and the 4 and has some size and shooting ability in smaller lineups. It also helps he’s playing with an all-world talent in Luka Doncic. Those are the types of players I’d want on my bench.

Landry Shamet, SG, Los Angeles Clippers (8.9 percent)

For a player this low-owned on a team with high expectations and talent, Shamet seems like a steal. I know Patrick Beverley (groin) and Paul George (hamstring) are still out, but Shamet is seeing BIG minutes in the back court. He’s played at least 36 minutes in three straight and at least 30 in the past five. Shamet is coming off 22 points and six assists with six 3-pointers against the Heat on Friday, good for 21 fantasy points. That was double-digit FPTs in five of the past six games.

I think Shamet will maintain some value even when Pat Bev and PG-13 return. Shamet is a crucial floor spacer and has been the Clips best 3-point shooter over this recent stretch. Really his only negative is he’s very reliant on scoring for FPTs, but with that many minutes per game, he should bring back a handful of rebounds and a few assists.