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 sell-highs we can consider.
Sell ’em
Jaylen Brown, SG, Boston Celtics
Jaylen Brown is on a heater across his last four, averaging 33.3 PPG alongside 6.3 RPG and 4.3 APG. He’s shooting 13.5/24.3 from the floor, good for 55.7%. You don’t need me to tell you that this isn’t sustainable. To be fair, on this Celtics roster, Brown is one of maybe three people I can trust to consistently produce, but Brown’s game can be a tough pill to swallow for categories players. His free throw hurts; he gets to the line a good amount and he’s not knocking them down at a good rate; he’s only shooting 72.1% from the line in his career.
Deandre Ayton, C, Portland Trail Blazers
I was going to say some mean things about Ayton, but I feel like he’s gotten enough flak generally. Just kidding. Ayton’s NBA career has been marred by his lack of urgency on the court and lack of accolades. He’s in his seventh season and has yet to sniff an All-Star award. He was selected first overall in 2018 ahead of Luka Doncic, Jaren Jackson Jr., Trae Young, Mikal Bridges, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Jalen Brunson.
I just don’t see much happening for Ayton on the Trail Blazers. Sure, he’s a nice source of boards with a smattering of blocks, but not good for much else. I’d be looking to move on from him, and the Trail Blazers should, too.
Jonas Valanciunas, C, Washington Wizards
I was one of those who thought that this would be the bounce-back year for the veteran Valanciunas, and boy was I wrong. He’s been playing well recently, averaging 11.3 PPG and 12 RPG across his last three games, but it’s clear that Washington is focused on developing their lottery pick Alex Sarr, who’s been impressive on the defensive end.
Valanciunas’ future on this team is one that involves mentorship and low-minutes. AKA we can disregard his fantasy value for the most part, and use this recent stretch to sell him while we can.
All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information
