Oct 31, 2022; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) keeps the ball away from Memphis Grizzlies guard Tyus Jones (21) during the second half at Vivint Arena.
Kyrie Irving and Spencer Dinwiddie have popped up in my list of top players to buy and sell in recent weeks, and the two have now swapped teams ahead of Thursday’s NBA trade deadline. More trades and injuries seem likely to affect the fantasy basketball space in the coming days, and fantasy managers everywhere should be keeping track of developments to get steals ahead of the All-Star break. Are you unsure about who you should invest in or fork up? We’ve got you covered.
Who should managers try to buy or sell ahead of the Week 17 trade deadline? Here are four options to consider:
Two to buy
Klay Thompson: Thompson’s fresh off one of his best shooting months of his career and will play without Stephen Curry for at least the next four weeks. The Golden State Warriors shooting guard averaged 27.0 points per game in January and scored 42 points on Monday to bring his season scoring average without curry to 27.2 points. The Dubs will look for Poole to create more for others, but Thompson’s attempting four more shots per game without Curry this season. He’s scored at least 29 points in his last five games without the two-time MVP and will likely take more shots than any other Warriors through the All-Star break.
Walker Kessler: Kessler started off the year backing up Kelly Olynyk and appears poised to hold onto a starting role despite the former’s return from injury. The Utah Jazz are rumored to be shopping around Jarred Vanderbilt and Kessler should be locked into the starting center spot whether they move him or not. Kessler’s averaging 10.6 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks across 18 starts. Only four players have notched more rejections than the rookie.
Two to sell
Cam Thomas: Thomas is now rostered in 76 percent of CBS leagues after going over 40 points in two straight games following the Kyrie Irving trade. While the talented combo guard seems likely to get a shot at a rotation spot moving forward after his pair of spectacular performances in a featured role, he’ll take a back seat to Spencer Dinwiddie soon enough. I expect Thomas, who’s averaging 29.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per game as a starter, to put on a show on Tuesday, but his long-term outlook isn’t great following the return of Kevin Durant. Seth Curry’s latest hip injury could keep him in the mix to remain a short-term starter alongside Dinwiddie, but he could end up splitting time with Edmond Sumner when there’s more guard competition.
Tyrese Maxey: For whatever reason the Philadelphia 76ers have decided that they’d prefer Maxey to come off the bench moving forward. The electric combo guard is averaging a career-high 20.1 points per game in 2022-23, but has averaged 16.0 points per game across 10 appearances off the bench since the beginning of January. While Maxey’s shooting splits are still strong, fantasy managers had much higher hopes for the Kentucky product when they drafted him ahead of the season. Philly is 28-12 with Melton starting alongside James Harden in the backcourt, so I can’t see any impending changes coming for the Eastern Conference’s third-ranked team.
