The 2017-2018 NBA Trade Deadline has passed and for teams such as the Cleveland Cavaliers, it was life changing. After being rumored in trades for a while DeAndre Jordan, Tyreke Evans and Lou Williams (signed to a brand new extension) all stood pat. Expect Evans usage to grow tremendously over the next few games. Of the players who will undergo an immediate change of scenery, what kind of fantasy impact will their new destinations have on their production? These trade breakdowns break it all down from the fantasy basketball perspective.

Cavaliers trade Isaiah Thomas and Channing Frye and a 2018 1st round draft pick to the Lakers for Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr.

It came as no surprise that the Cavs made a trade, but three? Wow! The Cavs have completely transformed their team and they’re going all-in. Fantasy owners of Isaiah Thomas waited forever to see him play on the court with LeBron James. Thomas joins the Lakers that are now without Jordan Clarkson and Lonzo Ball (Injury). Thomas is a rental for now as he’ll be a free agent in the offseason. Thomas usage will remain high and he shares top scoring responsibilities with Brandon Ingram. It’s very possible that Thomas becomes the Lakers top scoring option for the rest of the season. Thomas has proven before that he can reclaim the top spot. His scoring should improve, while he has enough big men to feed, keeping his assists at a consistent number. What about Ball?

Ball has missed almost a month of action and his Sprained MCL isn’t healing quickly. Now that the Lakers have Thomas and rookie Josh Hart (who should see more playing time), they may slow play Ball’s return. They won’t rush him back and he could be shutdown for the rest of the season if his health doesn’t improve and the Lakers fall out of the Playoff race. Frye sits down the depth chart of Lakers big men and he won’t see a lot of playing time unless injuries occur. For the new-look Cavs, it looked early like Clarkson was going to start, but then they made the trade below and now it’s still undetermined whether or not Clarkson will start. The Cavs could send JR Smith or Rodney Hood to the bench, or they can have a very effective offensive second unit led by Clarkson. Either way, he’s going to be needed as the Cavs second scoring option behind LeBron until at least Kevin Love comes back.

Clarkson should not only see a good amount of shots and an increase in scoring, but expect him to also get long rebounds and kick the ball back out to open shooters. The Cavs have a lot of reliable long-range shooters (including Love when he returns) and that’ll help keep his assists consistent. Nance will play a very similar role in Cleveland as he did in L.A. and he’ll set up on the low-block and toggle between the PF and C spots for the rest of the season. He’ll need to attack the paint and he’ll have the room to do it with not too much depth behind him. Tristan Thompson and Jeff Green will be Nance’s main competition for minutes, and being that there’s not as much of a logjam of big men in Cleveland, Nance will have a much longer leash. Expect boards over scoring, but he should do both consistently. Expect him to play more minutes due to the Cavs lack of depth and being that he’ll be spending a lot of time right under the basket, expect blocks and steals to improve a bit. Nance can hit baby jumpers, but he’s mainly an attacker who will draw a lot of contact. When Love comes back, the Cavs will have to make a decision regarding whether or not to send Nance to the bench. Tristan Thompson’s usage drops even further from this trade. Having said all of this, the Cavs will still have their games in which they struggle to score and to stop opponents from scoring. Regardless though, all three players landed in spots in which they can see an uptick overall in their production. Nance’s minutes will standout in the short term.

Cavaliers trade Jae Crowder (Jazz), Derrick Rose (Jazz), Iman Shumpert (Kings) and a 2020 2nd round draft pick (Kings). Kings trade George Hill (Cavaliers). Jazz trade Rodney Hood (Cavaliers) and Joe Johnson (Kings).

The Cavs weren’t done. Jae Crowder was having one of the most disappointing fantasy seasons of any player in the league. He was very inconsistent and lost his starting spot. The Jazz pick up another tough defender (normally) and he’ll back up Derrick Favors. He’ll have to earn his way into the Jazz rotation unless for some reason they decide to play him at SF. It wouldn’t be the craziest idea, but they have quicker wings. When Crowder is at his best, he’ll grab boards, hit long-range jumpers, attack the basket, and draw contact. The trade gives the Jazz even more of a defensive boost and Crowder can still hit that 20-minute threshold per game. It’ll be interesting to see if he plays more inspired, but this change was definitely needed for Crowder. Reports are saying that the Jazz are likely to release Derrick Rose. We’ll count him out for now. The Jazz also trade Joe Johnson and Rodney Hood meaning Joe Ingles and Alec Burks should be seeing more playing time moving forward. Ingles is a very reliable long-range shooter and when Burks filled in for the injured Hood earlier this season, he had some high-scoring nights.

Just when you thought Clarkson was a lock to start, in comes George Hill and Rodney Hood. The veteran Hill will likely start and he’ll be asked to hit the knockdown jumper and playing with James trumps any Kings player and his assist numbers should rise. Hill will see a ton of open jumpers because of the attention James and Love command. The Cavs will have to make a decision whether or not to start Hood. Hood is a consistent arc shooter and he’ll also benefit from seeing open jumpers. Hood has battled leg injuries all season. He rotates the ball nicely on the arc and he plays excellent perimeter defense. Hood should start over Smith because he brings more to the table. Smith can work well with Clarkson in the second unit and he’ll still get shots. With Love out, Hood will be a priority scorer and he’ll get steals and be able to feed James on the drive. Hood should pick up a few more assists. Johnson and Shumpert could both be bought out. Shumpert is still hurt with a Foot injury and Johnson battled injuries earlier this season. Their stay in Sacramento looks like it’ll be brief.

Cavaliers trade Dwayne Wade to the Heat for a 2024 2nd round draft pick.

Miami has once again become Wade County and with Dion Waiters out for the season and Rodney McGruder still injured, Wade will see playing time in the Heat’s rotation. Wayne Ellington being banged up could give Wade more opportunities to shine early. Let’s not forget, this is Dwyane Wade. He’ll take games off and he’ll barely play in others because Grandpa needs his rest. Especially now, Wade should hit that 20-minute threshold in most games. His biggest competition for minutes and shots will be Tyler Johnson, Wayne Ellington, Josh Richardson and even newly acquired Luke Babbitt. Babbitt will play on the other side of the arc with Wade in the second unit. Is there a chance that Wade can start? Absolutely! The timing couldn’t be better and he’s still a huge draw in Miami and from a marketing standpoint, starting Wade makes a lot of sense. If you own Wayne Ellington or Tyler Johnson, expect a production hit. Ellington can hit shot after shot from deep, but Wade is still an ultra-consistent mid-range shooter who often fakes his shot and hits the cutter inside. Expect scoring and assists to go along with long rebounding. Don’t expect anything extreme as his minutes will be watched, but he should see an uptick in production moving forward.

Magic trade Elfrid Payton to the Suns for a 2018 2nd round draft pick

Payton battled a lot of inconsistency in Orlando, mainly because players kept getting hurt. Payton is a good passer and floor runner, but is much more beneficial with a skilled big-man. Are Tyson Chandler and Alex Len going to help Payton’s assist total? Expect the Suns offense to run quicker and if Payton gets to spend a lot of time with Josh Jackson and they can learn to work the give and go, Payton’s assist total will be safe. Payton has long-range options in Devin Booker and TJ Warren to feed and he’ll become the third scoring option. Marquese Chriss can also shoot from long-range and Payton can fake the drive and hit him open at the arc. Payton’s 6.3 assists per game should be safe. Even Isaiah Canaan saw success in this offense before he got hurt. Payton’s numbers should stay consistent in this situation. For the Magic, D.J. Augustin and Jonathon Simmons will see an uptick in production and Augustin should see starts moving forward. Both are better DFS options than seasonal normally, but with Aaron Gordon hurt, both are better drivers than Evan Fournier and we should expect to see both of them attack the rim more. Augustin could turn into a reliable short-term solution for points and dimes. Shelvin Mack should also see more playing time for the rest of the season and could be a sneaky DFS play from time to time.

Nuggets trade Emmanuel Mudiay (Knicks) and a 2018 2nd round draft pick (Knicks). Mavericks trade Devin Harris (Nuggets). Knicks trade Doug McDermott (Mavericks) and a 2018 2nd round draft pick (Nuggets).

Of the three players dealt in this deal, Mudiay has the highest ceiling because he could potentially start for the Knicks. They’ve been rolling with Jarrett Jack while using Frank Ntilikina and Trey Burke as back ups. Mudiay has excellent speed and can run the floor. His three-point shooting has been miserable in previous seasons and even though he’s a bit improved, he’s still inconsistent. He wasn’t given a true minutes commitment from the Nuggets and Ntilikina needs more time to develop and Jack needs relief. Mudiay should be able to see 20 minutes per game in this rotation and expect scoring and assists to improve little by little. It’s very possible for Mudiay to start for this team and with the wing shooters the Knicks have, Mudiay should be able to focus on attacking. McDermott to the Mavs makes sense because Harrison Barnes (their top scoring option) is a much better attacker than shooter and McDermott is a good compliment to Barnes and McDermott can turn into an interesting DFS option for quick scoring and the Mavs have had a difficult time scoring this season. McDermott should be able to see shots in the second unit, but it’s tough to determine how many minutes he’ll play. His main competition for minutes and shots is Wesley Matthews. Harris takes over as backup to Jamal Murray, but it will be tough to determine early on how many minutes he will play. Both McDermott and Harris aren’t viable fantasy options from this trade. Both have proven to be volume scorers this year at best without a rotation commitment. Both could be looking at minutes in the teens for the rest of the season. With Harris gone, Yogi Ferrell’s minutes are safe.

Grizzlies trade James Ennis III to the Pistons for Brice Johnson and a 2022 2nd round draft pick.

Ennis joins the Pistons and his fantasy value will drop a minute because he’s playing behind minutes eaters in Stanley Johnson and Reggie Bullock and once Reggie Jackson comes back, he’ll be even in more competition for playing time because it’ll shift the other guards. Ennis has proven to be a good wing and gives Johnson and Bullock relief. His ability to bring the ball up the floor is a plus. With Jackson still out of action, Ennis – who has been in and out of the lineup with injuries – will have a chance to prove himself and could carve a role out on both sides of the ball. He has the upside to see a decent amount of shots with the Pistons second unit. Ennis is known more for his defense and we can continue to expect steals and boards, but his seasonal value is currently shot until he earns more minutes. For the Grizzlies, it’s not about Brice Johnson as much as it’s about Ennis being out of the way so that Wayne Selden and Dillon Brooks get more playing time. Both Selden and Brooks will be safe in the rotation. Tyreke Evans will be activated and he’ll be a priority offensive weapon. Selden should share responsibilities with Evans at SG and Brooks should be seeing less competition for playing time working mainly out of the SF spot. He would be the ideal player to add if you were looking to make a pick up from this trade. Selden’s current value will drop a bit with the return of Evans. If the Grizzlies decide to start Evans at PG, Andrew Harrison’s minutes and usage will certainly be impacted. Harrison has been good lately, and at least to start, expect to see Evans operate mainly out of the SG spot. 

Bulls trade Jameer Nelson and a 2022 2nd round draft pick to the Pistons for Willie Reed and a 2022 2nd round draft pick.

Nelson has been a hot potato this season as he continues his tour around the Country. Nelson will look to grab playing time away from Ish Smith and Langston Galloway. Smith will remain the starting PG until Reggie Jackson gets back and Galloway will likely lose minutes to Nelson, who’s shown that he can still run the point. Nelson still isn’t a good pick up at this point because Jackson is getting closer to returning. Nelson still has his speed and he can still work through screens. His playing time should be in the teens to start. As for Willie Reed, he’s serving a six game suspension, but with the departure of Nikola Mirotic, he could earn some playing time operating from the C spot. Robin Lopez doesn’t always log a lot of minutes and if Reed can clean the garbage inside and grab a lot of boards, he will earn minutes. When DeAndre Jordan got hurt, he did have impressive stat-lines while filling in. Reed should be seeing more minutes in Chicago than he would have in Detroit. For now, leave him on the waiver wire, but if his minutes surpass 20 after his suspension is over, we can look to pick him up. We need to see multiple games of Reed playing over 20 minutes while contributing consistent points and boards. He will be battling Noah Vonleh as well for minutes at PF/C.

Nets trade Tyler Zeller to the Bucks for Rashad Vaughn and a 2018 2nd round draft pick

Zeller was able to earn minutes at Center as we all know Timofey Mozgov is a liability when on the court and Jarrett Allen needed time to learn the ropes. With Jabari Parker back, the only way Zeller earns minutes is exclusively at the center spot. John Henson will remain the starting center and he’ll be in a minutes battle with Thon Maker. Either way, Zeller is not a player to look to add in seasonal leagues as he’ll mainly play a limited role as a back up. Henson’s value should stay safe and Jarrett Allen’s value goes up the most. Allen should be able to see a lot of minutes at center down the stretch. He’s already made a huge impact over the last few weeks while Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has been hurt and expect him to be a priority scorer inside for the rest of the way. Even when RHJ returns, expect Allen to be heavily involved from right under the basket and he’ll score off of second chance opportunities as well. Allen wins this trade. ADD HIM IMMEDIATELY IF HE’S ON YOUR WAIVER WIRE!

Pelicans trade Dante Cunningham to the Nets for Rashad Vaughn

Cunningham will be a backup forward in the long-term, but he could start if the Nets decide to move DeMarre Carroll back to the SF spot. Cunningham is likely to see close to a full rotation commitment down the stretch. He’ll be in competition with Quincy Acy for backup minutes and the only way he’s going to get more playing time is if he’s more aggressive in the paint. Earlier this season, he showed some double-double potential and then he faded. He can hit long-range jumpers and Cunningham will draw contact inside when set up on the low block. He’s a much better set-shooter than creator in the post. Cunningham has more post moves than Acy, but Acy is grittier inside and the Nets will want that toughness inside. Cunningham is going to have to prove himself to earn more time in this rotation. Vaughn won’t be seeing the court much.

Knicks trade Willy Hernangomez to the Hornets for Johnny O’Bryant and a 2020 and 2021 2nd round draft pick

Hernangomez was an All-Rookie Center last season and showed a lot of potential not only in the post, but also as a jump-shooter. He has good range on his shot, but we wouldn’t know this season because he played a very limited amount of minutes for the Knicks. He has strong offensive ability inside but his defense did not impress the Knicks coaches as he was buried on the bench. The situation in Charlotte doesn’t get much better for Hernangomez because he’ll be playing behind Dwight Howard, Cody Zeller and even Frank Kaminsky, who will rotate to center every now and then. His playing time will be up in the air, but with his quick post moves and with Zeller battling health issues all season, Hernangomez could see a rotation commitment in the next few weeks. Fantasy players should watch him and if he starts getting 20-plus minutes and grabbing over seven boards per game, pick him up. If he gets double-digit minutes, he’ll have an easy time scoring in volume. He’s a player to watch for now and shouldn’t be a priority add at this point. All signs are pointing to the Knicks waiving Johnny O’Bryant.

Blazers trade Noah Vonleh to the Bulls for the rights to Milocan Rakovic

The Blazers were able to shed salary by making this move and Vonleh wasn’t even able to crack the rotation and the Blazers frontcourt isn’t anything to write home about. Vonleh has a decent long-range game, but doesn’t always use his size to grab boards and even on the Bulls he’ll be in a major battle for playing time against Willie Reed, Bobby Portis, Omer Asik and Cristiano Felicio. Vonleh will earn minutes if he can grab steals on the block and box out and do the dirty work and grab boards, but he’s likely on the outside looking in when it comes to the Bulls rotation.

Hawks trade Luke Babbitt to the Heat for Okaro White

Babbitt got booted from the rotation early on the leagues worst team. He’s mainly a three-point shooting threat, but he was able to turn heads when he was previously in Miami. He was more committed to rebounding and as much as it will be difficult for him to get minutes in Miami, if he steps inside the arc and grabs long rebounds, he could etch out some playing time at small forward. At this point, he will need to do a lot to get a rotation commitment and he’s running out of time this season. Leave him on the waiver wire. White is still dealing with a fractured foot and there isn’t a set return date in mind.

Kings trade Malachi Richardson to the Raptors for Bruno Caboclo

Richardson was barely able to get playing time in Sacramento. Don’t expect him to see the floor much as the Raptors have a ton of guards. Richardson had games in which his shot was falling, but he really doesn’t help in other categories. Caboclo will have to impress in the G-league first before getting to see any action. For this trade to have a fantasy impact at this point, Toronto will need to lose multiple players. Expect Richardson to be buried on the bench.