It’s been an ugly 2025 so far for the Miami Heat as they wrestle with the Jimmy Butler drama. The good times were good: two Finals appearances, a strong relationship with the Heat’s other prominent players, and excellent two-way play that embodied what the Heat stand for.
But good times don’t last forever. They’re now experiencing the lows of Butler, who took a similar approach when dramatically forcing his way off the Timberwolves. He’s not quite storming into the practice gym to assemble the third-teamers yet, but we may be nearing that territory soon. The Heat are now shopping him around the league outside of his preferred destinations. It behooves them to move Butler as quickly as possible before things get ugly.
In the West, the Thunder (30-5) are still firing on all cylinders and have ripped off 15 wins in a row even without Chet Holmgren. Uh oh. They’re seven games ahead of the second seed Rockets (23-12), who just lost Jabari Smith Jr. for an extended period of time due to a freak incident prior to tip-off; he now has a broken hand.
In the East, the Cavaliers still maintain a lead over the second-seed Celtics and have almost the same record (31-4) as OKC. These two powerhouses will face off on Wednesday the 8th in a huge matchup between the league’s two strongest teams.
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
Trey Murphy, SF/PF, New Orleans Pelicans
Trey Murphy has seriously stepped up in Zion Williamson’s absence. On the season, he’s averaging 20.7 PPG, and 4.7 RPG on 44.5% FG and 36.4% from three. He’s playing a career-high 34 minutes per game and is taking a ton of threes. I’d be looking for someone who might be willing to overpay for the sharpshooter wing. It’s not that I’d expect Murphy role to diminish if/when Williamson or Brandon Ingram return, it’s just that I have a hard time trusting the Pelicans due to their record. I’m having some doubts about their late-season relevance.
CJ McCollum, PG/SG, New Orleans Pelicans
Similar to Murphy, McCollum is handling an immense offense load even with Dejounte Murray active. McCollum is on an absolute heater, averaging 32.4 PPG in his past five games on 55.6% FG, including one monster career-high tying 50 point effort against the Washington Wizards in which McCollum delivered 10 triples in just 30 minutes.
Joel Embiid, C, Philadelphia 76ers
Joel Embiid’s having a storied season but not for good reasons. He’s been battling a multitude of injuries but has finally strung together a solid couple of weeks, to put it lightly. In his past six games, the Sixers are 5-1 as a result of his dominance, which looks like 26.8 PPG, 8.7 RPG, and 2 stocks.
It’s tough to sell someone who you likely drafted very early, especially in the midst of a strong stretch of play, but that’s exactly why it’s the right time to do so. I have very little confidence in Embiid’s health sustaining him throughout the season, and he will likely sit every back to back set as the 76ers preserve him for a playoff run. In fantasy, the golden currency is minutes and games played. Embiid, while possessing monstrous upside, is unfortunately just too unhealthy for me to feel confident about rostering him long term. I’d get off before everything crashes and burns.
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
