Things have quieted down after a chaotic trade deadline as we head into the NBA All-Star weekend. Perhaps the most shocking post-deadline news has been the cancellation of the Mark Williams deal, on account of his failed physical with the Lakers. Dalton Knecht and Cam Reddish will head back to LA and Williams to Charlotte. Now we’re all curious about Williams’ health; was Charlotte hiding something? Presumably, Williams’ health was one of the main reasons why the Hornets were eager to let him go in the first place.
In other news, the Western Conference has some new faces on top. The Grizzlies sit at second seed with the Nuggets closely behind, while the Rockets have dropped to fourth. Three teams are 26-26 between the ninth and eleventh seeds, illustrating the parity of this conference.
The languishing Wizards still sit at the basement of the East with a league-worst 9-43 record. The Hornets are five games ahead at 13-37. One of the more surprising teams is the Pistons, who are the sixth seed with a 27-26 record and have overtaken the once-mighty Orlando Magic.
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
Immanuel Quickley, PG, Toronto Raptors
Immanuel Quickley’s had a frustrating season, to say the least. The 25-year-old dazzled in the second half of last season on the Raptors. He has unfortunately not rewarded managers for his middling draft price this season, having only appeared in 14 games thus far and averaging 14.7 PPG and 5.8 APG. He’s been battling some health issues but has recently been more active. He should hopefully be finding a groove soon, and you can get him at a discount right now if his manager is tired of his unavailability. Quickley is ranked 147 in the past two weeks, averaging 12 PPG and 5.2 APG in his previous five games.
Draymond Green, PF/C, Golden State Warriors
It feels like Draymond Green’s been having the same season for the past few years, averaging single digit PPG alongside nice peripheral numbers. He’s much more useful in category leagues than in points leagues, due to his ability to stuff the stat sheet in multiple ways. This season, Green is averaging 8.3 PPG, 5.9 RPG, and 5.6 APG alongside 1.1 SPG and 1.1 BPG. He’s a true jack-of-all-trades player for fantasy basketball and his only real concern is availability. When the Warriors are good, Green is active and is an integral part of their team on both offense and defense. Now that the Dubs have Jimmy Butler and are in contention for a title, those who have Green rostered can breathe a sigh of relief. I fully expect Green to do his thing for the rest of the season, and now’s a good time to capitalize on acquiring him for his very fantasy-friendly game.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, PF/C, Milwaukee Bucks
Antetokounmpo’s calf strain will sideline him through All-Star break, and he may be acquired at a discount as well right now. He will be especially cheap if the team that has Antetokounmpo rostered is on the verge of playoffs and desperately needs wins now. Giannis is having another MVP-level season, anchoring the Bucks to the 5th seed in the East with a 28-23 record and stellar individual stats. The Greek Freak is averaging a career-high 31.8 PPG alongside 12.2 RPG and 5.9 APG. We’re hardly batting an eye; this is what we expect from him.
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
