It was a frenzied weekend of NBA news as two blockbuster trades went down. The most prominent was a three-team deal which sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers and Anthony Davis back to the Mavericks. The Lakers also received Maxi Kleber and Markeiff Morris, while the Mavericks acquired Max Christie and the Lakers’ 2029 first round pick. We’re all still in shock.
The magnitude of the Doncic deal was such that the manifestation of a De’Aaron Fox relocation was overshadowed. This second major blockbuster seemed unimportant, yet consequential all the same. The Spurs received Fox and Jordan McLaughlin; the Kings received Zach Lavine, Sidy Cissoko, and a litany of picks; the Bulls received Zach Collins, Tre Jones, Kevin Huerter, and their own 2015 first round pick.
What does all of this mean for fantasy? There’s a lot to unpack here, but most likely the players most affected by these trades are already on a roster. And if not – let’s take a look at the streamers, who may end up holding permanent roster spots on your team.
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 streams we can consider.
Stream ’em
Matas Buzelis, SF, Chicago Bulls
With Chicago being sellers at the trade deadline, it’s glaringly obvious that they’re option to rebuild from the ashes of their failed but respectable contention experiment with Lonzo Ball, Zach LaVine, DeMar Derozan, and Nikola Vucevic. They’ve now moved both LaVine and Derozan and acquired younger pieces such as Josh Giddey, Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, and Matas Buzelis.
Buzelis played for the G League Ignite before getting drafted by the Bulls this season, and he’s played 20 minutes or more in four straight games. There’s no guarantee of Buzelis being the primary beneficiary of Lavine’s departure. In fact, I’d argue that White and Giddey have more to gain than Buzelis, but Buzelis is worth a look all the same. In his last four games, he’s averaging 11.3 PPG, 4.5 RPG, and 1 BPG on 60.7% shooting from the field. Nothing here is blowing me away, but the opportunity is too great to ignore. Pick up Buzelis this week and see where it goes. If it doesn’t pan out, back to the waiver he goes.
Ayo Dosunmu, PG/SG, Chicago Bulls
Dosunmu is also worth a shout as a primary beneficiary of LaVine’s departure. The 25-year-old is in his fourth season and hasn’t improved much thus far, posting relatively similar per-36 averages in his four seasons. He has shown a bit of improvement this season, averaging 14.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 5.4 APG on 48.3% from the field per-36 minutes. Unlike Buzelis, Ayo’s more of a known quantity and has been playing big minutes already this season. If he’s available in your league, he’s worth a pickup as well.
Precious Achiuwa, PF/C, New York Knicks
New York breathed a sigh of relief as OG Anunoby’s foot received clean X-rays. I’d be surprised if he came back this week, but him being questionable for Monday is a good sign. Josh Hart is also questionable, but he’s played through several of these tags already this season.
Achiuwa stands to benefit from either Anunoby or Hart’s absence. In his past three games, Achiuwa has posted 12.3 PPG, 7 RPG, and 2 SPG. This includes a huge 15 point, 15 rebound effort against the Lakers last game.
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