We’ve got a nine-game featured NBA slate tonight on DraftKings, yet this isn’t your typical Wednesday.
Yes, there’s the usual headaches that come with a slate this size — there’s six teams on the second night of a back-to-back set — but this Wednesday is unique in it’s proximity to the league’s trade deadline. Heck, there’s already been reported trades this morning as I write this intro. It’s going to be an adventure.
But, trades mean inactive players. Inactive players mean holes in rotations. Holes in rotations need to be filled by assets that have lower salaries. That’s value. Let’s dive in and find some, shall we?
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C Zach Edey, Memphis Grizzlies at Toronto Raptors, $4,800
This pick is one third recency bias, one third matchup-based and one third narrative street. That seems legit, right? Let’s start with Edey’s hot streak. The big man has exceeded 35 FPTS in four of his last six starts, culminating with a massive 44-FPTS performance on Monday against the Spurs. It’s a stretch where the rookie is averaging a team-high 1.45 FPTS per minute played. That’s pretty good! Edey is always going to be an imposing physical force and a difficult cover for opposing centers, but that might be even more amplified than usual on Wednesday. The Raptors are on the second night of a back-to-back and Jakob Poeltl ($6,300; hip) did not start the second half of Tuesday’s loss to the Knicks due to injury. If Poeltl is unable to go, Toronto will be woefully undersized. That should open the door for Edey, who will be looking to make an impression at Scotiabank Arena. The Toronto native did play in the city while in college at Purdue, yet this will be Edey’s first professional game in his hometown. There will be family and friends in the crowd, to be sure. I think he’ll do something special.
PF Matas Buzelis, Chicago Bulls at Minnesota Timberwolves, $4,000
Let’s keep digging into the much-maligned 2024 NBA Draft class. It took awhile for Buzelis to crack a large role in Chicago’s rotation, but things are starting to look very promising for the rookie wing. Obviously not every game is going to look like the one Buzelis put together on Tuesday — dropping a career-high 24 points on 10-for-10 shooting — but the 20-year-old is clearly on the rise. Buzelis has logged at least 20 minutes in each of the Bulls’ past four games, a stretch where he’s registered double-digit points in every contest. Heck, since the beginning of January, Buzelis is hitting 45.2% of his three-pointers and 92.3% of his free throws. The kid is athletic and he can certainly shoot. It’s hard to ask for much more at this point in his NBA journey. With Zach LaVine traded out of town and Kevin Huerter not yet available, I can’t see any reason why Billy Donovan doesn’t continue to lean on Buzelis and see what he has in the first-year talent.
PG/SG Malcolm Brogdon, Washington Wizards at Brooklyn Nets, $5,100
Look, I’m just going to say right off the top that this is a situation to monitor as we get closer to tip-off. I mean, it wouldn’t shock me if Brogdon is the Wizards’ second trade of the day, after the team reportedly moved Kyle Kuzma to Milwaukee on Wednesday morning. But, as things currently stand, the veteran guard is in an appealing spot. Brodgon returned from nearly a month-long absence last week and has served as Washington’s sixth man in his first two games back, including Monday’s victory over the Hornets, where he racked up 16 points, seven assists, four rebounds and 30.5 FPTS. Brodgon also sported a 28.6% usage rate in the win, the second-highest mark on the team, trailing only — you guessed it — Kyle Kuzma. I feel it’s unlikely that Brogdon starts in place of Kuzma this evening, so keep an eye on that news, as well. Justin Champagnie ($3,200) has made 13 prior starts in 2024-25 and his modest salary would make him intriguing.
