Trade deadline fallout: Winners and losers, new roles and more

Now that the NBA trade deadline has passed, let’s look at some moves teams made that shifted the fantasy basketball landscape. Whether it’s a blockbuster trade like the Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis swap or a subtle roster tweak, every change has fantasy implications.

Our fantasy experts Andre Snellings and Eric Moody are here to break down the fantasy impact of the most notable deals.

De’Andre Hunter to Cleveland, Caris LeVert to Atlanta

Trade details: The Cavaliers acquired Hunter from Atlanta in exchange for LeVert, Georges Niang and draft considerations.

Hunter on the Cavaliers: Hunter was in the midst of the best scoring season of his career, averaging 19.0 PPG and 2.6 3PG in 28.8 MPG, largely off the bench. He will seemingly have a smaller shot share with a deep, talented Cavaliers squad than he did with the Hawks. Le’Vert was only averaging 7.8 FGA and Niang 6.8 FGA for the Cavaliers while Hunter took almost as many shots combined (13.3 FGA) with the Hawks. It isn’t clear whether Hunter will just replace LeVert as the Cavaliers’ sixth man or whether he might challenge Max Strus (7.0 FGA) for the starting wing spot. Either way, it would seem Hunter’s days of challenging for 20.0 PPG are over for this season.

If Hunter can get a shot share near what LeVert has averaged the last two seasons (11.0 FGA), he could still score in the mid-to upper-mid teens with a couple of 3-pointers per game. That level of production would border between flex start and fantasy streaming option on most days. Hunter was already worth adding in the 68.1% of ESPN leagues where he was available, and he is still worth rostering in most leagues.

LeVert on the Hawks: LeVert had been in a major slump and was sliding in the Cavaliers’ rotation since the end of 2024, averaging only 6.7 PPG on 31.3 FG% and 27.5 3FG% in his last 13 games since Dec. 30. But LeVert has traditionally been a plus scorer in around 30.0 MPG for his career, peaking with 20.2 PPG in 31.6 MPG during the 2020-21 season. It isn’t clear whether LeVert still has that kind of scoring ability in the repertoire. But on a Hawks team that has traded away both Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic today, LeVert could get as many shots and as large a role as he’s able to handle in Atlanta. Still available in 59.9% of ESPN leagues, LeVert is worth a speculative add and stash in the short term until we see what his new role will be. — Snellings

Bogdan Bogdanovic to the LA Clippers

Trade details: In a three-team deal, the Clippers acquired Bogdanovic from the Hawks for Terance Mann, Bones Hyland and three second-round picks, while Houston acquired Cody Zeller and a 2028 second-round pick.

Bogdanovic on the Clippers: Bogdanovic has been ruled out of the Hawks’ last six games as Atlanta waited to trade him, and he now gets to play for a contending team alongside James Harden and Kawhi Leonard. While he’s averaged just 10.0 PPG in 2024-25, Bogdanovic proved last season that he can be a great scorer off the bench, averaging 16.9 PPG.

The Clippers, who rank 22nd in offensive rating, have been looking for more offensive help, and Bogdanovic fills that void. He’s a solid scorer and 3-point shooter, making him a viable streaming option for fantasy managers as the Clippers aim to improve their standings in the Western Conference. — Moody

Jusuf Nurkic to Charlotte

Trade details: The Hornets acquired Nurkic and a 2026 first-round pick from Phoenix for Cody Martin, Vasilije Micic and a 2026 second-round pick.

Nurkic on the Hornets: It isn’t clear whether the Hornets, who are deep into full-on rebuilding mode, intend to keep and/or play the 30-year old Nurkic. If they do, though, it could be a boon for his fantasy hoops value that had dropped when he fell out of the rotation with the Suns. Nurkic averaged a 14.0 PPG, 10.2 RPG double-double over the six seasons between 2018-19 and 2023-24 with both the Portland Trail Blazers and the Suns. He was still near a double-double this season (8.6 PPG, 9.2 RPG) despite playing only 23.7 MPG with the Suns.

If he stays in Charlotte and gets the starting center nod for a team that just traded away their top two centers, he once again becomes a nightly double-double threat. Nurkic is only rostered in 39.8% of ESPN leagues, and is likely worth a pickup and stash until we learn for sure what the Hornets plan to do with him. — Snellings

Dennis Schroder to Detroit

Trade details: The Jazz agreed to take Schroder in the multi-team Jimmy Butler trade on Thursday, but he’s being rerouted to the Pistons.

Schroder on the Pistons: Schroder started the season with the Nets, was traded to the Warriors, and eventually ended up with the Jazz before moving on to Detroit before ever playing a game for Utah. Got all that? He averaged 18.4 PPG while shooting 45.0% from the floor with the Nets, but just 10.6 PPG on 38.0% shooting with the Warriors. The question is: Which version of Schroder will the Pistons get?

He provides Detroit with a much-needed second ball-handler following Jaden Ivey’s season-ending fibula surgery. I’d expect Schroder to back up starter Cade Cunningham, though the two could share the floor at times. — Moody

Mark Williams to the Lakers, Dalton Knecht to Charlotte

Trade details: The Lakers acquired Williams from Charlotte in exchange for Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2031 unprotected first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap to the Hornets for Williams.

Williams on the Lakers: Williams is a 23-year-old center that’s listed as 7-foot but, as ESPN’s Shams Charania points out, he is generally considered to be closer to 7-foot-2. He is a mobile lob threat with nice touch on his jumper on offense, and he is a strong rebounder and shot blocker on defense. In fact, the only other players who have averaged at least 22 points and 13 rebounds per 36 minutes this season are Domantas Sabonis and Karl-Anthony Towns. Williams was injured to start the season, but once he returned and came off his minutes restriction, he has been a borderline elite fantasy hoops contributor: 18.7 PPG (59.2 FG%, 78.5 FT%), 11.6 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.4 BPG, 0.8 SPG in 29.7 MPG in his last 15 outings.

Williams is still developing, and clearly has the upside to develop into a 20-10 big man in the near future. He has some stylistic similarities — but likely more offensive upside — than the centers Doncic had so much success next to in Dallas (Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford). The Lakers’ expectation is that Williams can fill the hole in the middle of their starting lineup for this season, and that he will grow into an elite combo with Luka in the future. The biggest issue with Williams in his pro career has been staying healthy; he only played in 84 of a possible 212 games in his first two-and-a-half seasons with the Hornets.

Over the last month, encompassing most of Williams’ healthy span this season, he has ranked 28th in the NBA in fantasy points per game, nestled between two elite big men in the 27th-ranked Jaren Jackson Jr. and the 29th-ranked Towns. Williams won’t have as much scoring upside in Los Angeles next to Luka and LeBron James, but he should still get enough looks to average in the upper-mid-teens on excellent efficiency with strong rebound and defense numbers.

Lakers now worth betting on?: Williams is a strong enough big man prospect that this trade could impact the Lakers’ futures possibilities. Trading for Doncic increased the team’s ceiling, and Williams fills their biggest resulting hole with a strong young player with upside. The Thunder (-105 to win the Western Conference, per ESPN BET) have earned the right to be the clear favorite in the West, but depending on fit and health, the Lakers (+700) may have solidified themselves as the second-best option out West when healthy — with at least a puncher’s chance against even the Thunder.

Knecht on the Hornets: Knecht may be the biggest fantasy hoops winner in this deal, and should be picked up immediately if he’s available in your league (available in 83.4% of ESPN leagues). I would project the rookie as a conservative top-80 fantasy option and clear starter for the rest of this season with the Hornets.

Knecht has shown flashes of the kind of scorer he can be with the Lakers, averaging 16.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.8 3-pointers per 36 minutes in the first 48 games of his career. He backed that up by averaging 14.3 PPG in 30.2 MPG in 12 starts. However, all of those numbers are attenuated by him trying to fit in on a veteran Lakers squad let by two future Hall of Famers that had playoff aspirations.

In Charlotte, Knecht goes to a rebuilding squad deep in the lottery that will want to funnel him the ball to see what they have in him. He’ll be slotted into the starting-scoring wing role left empty by the season-ending injuries of Brandon Miller and Tre Mann. LaMelo Ball continues to deal with injuries that keep him in and out of the lineup and, with Williams headed to the Lakers, the Hornets are down another impact scorer as well. In short, Knecht should get all the shots he can handle. He has the achievable upside to average more than 20 PPG for the rest of the season.

Suddenly a factor for Rookie of the Year: Knecht is currently sixth in the ROY race according to ESPN BET, with +1300 odds to win the award. But no rookie has separated themselves from the field this season, and I find strong value in Knecht at those long odds because he has a legitimate chance to catch the field if he becomes a major scorer in the second half of the season. — Snellings and Moody

Jimmy Butler to Golden State, Andrew Wiggins to Miami

Trade details: In a five-team deal, the Warriors acquired Butler, the Heat added Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, P.J. Tucker (via the Jazz) and a protected first-round pick (from Golden State), the Jazz got Schroder, and the Pistons added Lindy Waters III (from Golden State) and Josh Richardson (from Miami).

Click here for a full breakdown of the fantasy impact of the trade.

Brandon Ingram to Toronto

Trade details: The Raptors acquired Ingram from New Orleans in exchange for Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk and a first- and second-round pick in 2025.

Ingram on the Raptors: When healthy, Ingram would be the best scorer and offensive weapon on the team. Ingram has averaged 23.0 PPG (47.2 FG%, 84.7 FT%, 37.2 3P%), 5.2 APG and 1.9 3PG over his past six seasons. He is a better shooter and more efficient scorer overall than either RJ Barrett or Scottie Barnes, the current two leading scorers in Toronto. Ingram is also effective at being an offensive hub that can create offense for both himself and his teammates off the dribble, which now gives the Raptors two forwards capable of running the show in a given possession.

Ingram is a volume shooter, so when he’s healthy he could eat into the production of the incumbent scorers on the team. He gives the Raptors a first option, which they haven’t had and probably hurts Barrett the most, because his value is so tied to his scoring whereas Barnes is more of an across-the-boards contributor. Interestingly, the Raptors didn’t have as much firepower as the Pelicans did — when healthy. In particular, Zion Williamson was a very high-volume forward that also liked to operate off the dribble, which really ate into Ingram’s production. Thus, Ingram’s ceiling is probably higher in Toronto than it was in New Orleans.

Now, Ingram is currently injured and has missed most of the season, so it isn’t clear when he will make his debut. This matters in projecting both Ingram’s numbers and those of his teammates moving forward. Barnes ranked 25th in the NBA in fantasy points per game at the time of the trade, while Ingram and Barrett ranked 53rd and 54th, respectively. When everyone is healthy, I think Barnes stays in the top 30 in fantasy average and Ingram moves into the top 50, perhaps close to top 40, while Barrett drops down into the 60s. — Snellings

Jonas Valanciunas to Sacramento

Trade details: The Kings acquired Valanciunas from the Washington Wizards for Sidy Cissoko and two second-round picks.

Valanciunas on the Kings: Valanciunas was already coming off the bench for the Wizards, but he was playing behind rookie Alex Sarr, who only plays 26.8 MPG. This left Valanciunas with 20.0 MPG of game action, which he turned into almost a double-double (11.5 PPG, 8.2 RPG) on average. In Sacramento, though, he’ll be playing behind Domantas Sabonis, who averages 36.2 MPG and has only missed six of 213 possible games since the end of the 2021-22 season. This doesn’t bode well for Valanciunas’ playing time moving forward, and even with great efficiency it’s difficult to contribute fantasy-worthy numbers in less than 15 minutes a game.

With this move, Valanciunas becomes a player on the fringe in terms of rostering in fantasy, and that’s only for managers with a deep bench. While he will provide solid depth at center for the Kings, for fantasy hoops squads he may not be worth the roster spot. — Snellings

Kyle Kuzma to Milwaukee, Khris Middleton to Washington

Trade details: The Bucks acquired Kuzma, Patrick Baldwin Jr. and second-round compensation from the Wizards in return for Middleton, rookie AJ Johnson and a pick swap.

Kuzma on the Bucks: For the last four seasons, Kuzma was one of the leading scorers on a Wizards team with no playoff aspirations. This typically meant plenty of shots and good offensive volume. But his role with the Bucks will be more similar to the role he played when he played with the Lakers from 2019-20 through 2020-21. He will be a tertiary scoring option, this time playing off Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard instead of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and he will be expected to stretch the floor from the wing and help out on the glass.

As far as expected numbers are concerned, in 2020-21 Kuzma averaged 12.9 PPG (44.3 FG%, 36.1 FT%), 6.1 RPG and 2.0 3PG. That volume would be far short of his last couple seasons in Washington (21.7 PPG in the previous two seasons), but not far off where he has been this season in an off-year (15.2 PPG). This level of production, with the expected improved efficiency from where he has been this season (42.0 FG%, 28.1 3P%) would land Kuzma as a fringe flex/streamer option in fantasy hoops leagues moving forward.

Middleton on the Wizards: I don’t have any fantasy hoops expectations for Middleton in Washington. And even if he eventually moves on to a different contender, Middleton has a long way to go to prove he is healthy enough to be relied upon in fantasy hoops in 2025. I wouldn’t recommend rostering Middleton unless you have a deep bench and a lot of patience, and can afford the risk of potentially not getting any return on the roster spot. — Snellings

De’Aaron Fox to San Antonio, Zach LaVine to Sacramento

Trade details: In a three-team deal, the Spurs acquired Fox and Jordan McLaughlin; the Kings added LaVine, Sidy Cissoko, a 2025 first-round pick (top-14 protected; via Charlotte), a 2027 first-round pick (via San Antonio), a 2031 first-round pick (via Minnesota), a 2025 second-round pick (via Chicago), a 2028 second-round pick (via Denver) and a 2028 second-round pick; the Bulls received Zach Collins, Kevin Huerter, Tre Jones and a 2025 first-round pick (via San Antonio).

Click here for a full breakdown of the fantasy impact of the trade.

Luka Doncic to Los Angeles Lakers, Anthony Davis to Dallas

Trade details: In a three-team deal, the Lakers acquired Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris; the Mavericks added Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick (via Lakers); the Utah Jazz received Jalen Hood-Schifino, a 2025 second-round pick (via LA Clippers) and a 2025 second-round pick (via Dallas).

Click here for a full breakdown of the fantasy impact of the trade.