The Brooklyn Nets, just before New Year’s day, unwrapped a late Christmas present from the Los Angeles Lakers. In this case, the present is like an ugly sweater they used to wear but gave away in a garage sale. And it was given right back because nobody wanted it. Sorry, D’Angelo Russell, welcome back to Brooklyn. The Lakers acquired Shake Milton and Dorian Finney-Smith from the Nets in exchange for Russell, Maxwell Lewis, and three future second-round picks. The Lakers will have plenty of use for Finney-Smith, a veteran 3 and D player in his ninth season who’s hitting a career-high 43.5% from three. His ability to stretch the floor will do wonders for Los Angeles’ spacing. D’Angelo Russell will be reunited with the Nets and will presumably slot into a high-usage role temporarily. He may get bought out or moved again, because on a rebuilding Nets squad, he’s not very useful.
The Cleveland Cavaliers now hold a larger lead over the second-place Boston Celtics with a 4.5 game advantage, solidifying their dominance in the East. And very sneakily, the Philadelphia 76ers only sit two games behind the 8th seed as they have gone 7-3 in their last 10 games. Joel Embiid has played in six of these last 10, and has won five of those six games.
In the West, things are tight. Their first seed, the Oklahoma City Thunder, hold a 5 game advantage over the second seed Memphis Grizzlies, and are cruising with a perfect record in their past 10 games as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander seeks his first MVP award. The Sacramento Kings let go of Mike Brown in a shocking twist – just one year after he won Coach of the Year. Things move fast in the NBA.
We’re shooting the Three Lists of Threes today for your weekly dose of fantasy tips: Buy-lows, sell-highs, and streams.
Here are some buy-lows we can consider.
Buy ’em
Nic Claxton, C, Brooklyn Nets
It chokes me up that this is what it’s come to regarding Claxton, who once led the league in FG% in 2022-23 shooting 70.5% from the floor while playing 76 games and looking like an MIP candidate and a promising rim-running center of the future. He’s regressed every season since then, particularly in his block numbers (from 2.5 to 2.1 to 1.2 this season).
However, I am a Nic Claxton truther. Now that the Nets have an actual point guard on their roster (no, Cam Thomas does not count), Claxton should be able to find more success in rolling to the rim. He won’t get spoon fed easy buckets like he did when Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were in town, but he’s now got a guy who can create offense for others, at least. Nic Claxton is averaging 9.4 PPG, 7.4 RPG, and 1.2 BPG while shooting 56% from the floor. I can see all of these stats going up.
Jimmy Butler, SF/PF, Miami Heat
Butler has been out for the past five games and I’m not expecting him to be back particularly soon. It seems every season there’s a disgruntled star who’s vocal about getting moved to the destination he wants so that he can compete, and this season, it’s Jimmy’s turn.
Butler, despite his wear-and-tear, is still a star player who’s capable of massive impact on both sides of the ball when he cares. He put this on full display in 44 minutes against Detroit on the 16th with a massive 35 points, 19 rebounds, 10 assists, and four steals game with zero turnovers.
Paul George, SF/PF, Philadelphia 76ers
George has been woeful in his past three games, shooting 33.4% from the floor and 75% from the line. In these past three games he’s averaged 14.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 3.3 APG with 2.7 SPG. Despite his individual struggles, the 76ers are on a three-game winning streak. George, even when his shot is not falling, is able to contribute defensively; he’s +5 in +/- in these past three games and is part of the 76ers’ recent resurgence alongside Joel Embiid’s availability.
All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
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