The NBA trade deadline has passed and a lot of players have changed teams over the last few days and that gives other players that normally get limited minutes a chance to shine for a few games until the new players these teams acquired are all settled into the rotation. The Phoenix Suns and Brooklyn Nets traded a few players away and that should create more opportunities for some of their players further down the bench to get on the basketball court. These next two weeks will be tricky because of the NBA All-Star break in which we’ll have games through Thursday this week and then we won’t have another regular-season game played until the following Thursday. Here are a few players to look to add from the fantasy basketball waiver wire. 

 

 

Malaki Branham, San Antonio Spurs (SG, SF)

17% Rostered

Branham has seen his playing time jump over the last few games because the Spurs are very injured. He’s hit the 30-minute mark four times in his last six outings. He’s taking a lot of shots and setting up a ton from downtown. He’s scored in double figures in five of his last six and he’s been helping keep plays alive by cleaning the glass. Tre Jones, Devin Vassell and Romeo Langford have been hurt and Josh Richardson was traded away. Even the Spurs forwards have been hurting and then they traded their center Jakob Poeltl. There are certainly open shots to go around, and Branham has taken no fewer than 13 in five of his last six battles. He’s pulled down at least five boards in each of his last four contests and he certainly does have staying power in the rotation even when Jones returns to action. The Spurs can use all the scoring help they can get at this point and the rookie Branham can certainly use the reps now that the rotation is cleared out a bit. 

Dennis Schroder, Los Angeles Lakers (PG)

36% Rostered

The minutes continue to be there for Schroder who benefits with the departures of Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley. LeBron James will spend a decent amount of the game bringing up the ball, but Schroder is the Lakers primary point guard and he’s shot at least 50 percent from the floor in four of his last six contests. He’s even shot about 39 percent from downtown over his last five games and if James needs a night off, Schroder will take more shots. He’s shot the ball 12 or more times in both of his last two outings, and he doesn’t fully rely on his play at the arc. He’ll get physical and attack the lane with force. He’ll even sneak in from the side and grab a rebound under the basket. He’s even dropped 10 or more dimes in two of his last four battles and has grabbed steals in three of his last five matchups. Schroder has good quickness and he’ll especially benefit when the Lakers, one of the fastest moving teams in the league, are in transition. 

Josh Green, Dallas Mavericks (SG, SF)

37% Rostered

With Dorian Finney-Smith off the team, Green has had to shift up in the rotation and play minutes at both small and power forward. Green has played a major role and has given the Mavericks more secondary scoring. He’s put up 14 points or more in six straight games and shot the ball at least 12 times in five of those games. He’s hit 58 percent of his field goals or more in four straight games. He’s provided offense from mid and long-range. He’s been helpful on the glass grabbing long rebounds and has played deep into contests. He’s played 40 minutes twice in his last four matchups and has shot 57 percent from the field this year. Green has also hit 43 percent of his three-pointers and looks to be a focal point in the Mavericks mid-court for the rest of the way and with Christian Wood being their primary inside scorer and Maxi Kleber still hurt, there’s plenty of volume for Green to get. He’s swiped the ball in five of his last seven outings. 

Devonte’ Graham, San Antonio Spurs (G)

24% Rostered

Graham’s ceiling could be raised for a limited amount of time until Tre Jones comes back, but the Spurs traded for him with the intention of playing him and after averaging fewer than 16 minutes per game in New Orleans, Graham has played at least 24 minutes in both games with the Spurs. Graham has good speed, but his shot has been problematic throughout his career. He’s always been a good driver weaving his way through the lane, but over the last couple of years, he’s settled more on jump-shooting. Graham shoots over 35 percent from downtown and has hit around 40 percent of his three-pointers over his last three games. Graham should see his assists jump a bit until Jones comes back being that he’ll be bringing up the ball a good amount. He’s dropped three or more dimes in four of his last five battles. Dating back to the last few games he played with the Pelicans, Graham posted swipes in five of his last seven contests.

Josh Okogie, Phoenix Suns (SG, SF)

11% Rostered

With new Suns acquisition Kevin Durant hurt and Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson and Dario Saric off the team, Okogie should continue seeing a major boost in minutes and starts. The Suns can start both Torrey Craig and Okogie if they want to bring T.J. Warren in off the bench. In the two games since the Suns made their trades, Okogie has taken double-digit shots and scored 17-plus points in both contests. On the defensive end, he pulled down four or more rebounds and even stole the ball three times in both games. Okogie will spend part of the time setting up the Suns offense when Chris Paul sits and that could end up boosting his assists a bit. Okogie grabs at least three rebounds per game this season. He should continue playing 30 minutes per game and it would be surprising seeing ousted from the Suns’ rotation even when Durant is ready to roll.

Larry Nance Jr., New Orleans Pelicans (PF, C)

30% Rostered

Now that we know Zion Williamson is out for at least another month, Nance could be used as a power forward at times if the Pelicans want more size on the floor. Both he and Jonas Valanciunas can co-exist on the floor and Nance can set up more at the elbow and take mid-range jumpers drawing out bigger defenders from the low block in the process. Nance has been scoring more lately, hitting double figures in six of his last seven games. He grabbed nine rebounds or more in five games during that span and posted three double-doubles. He’s been helping repel shots on the defensive end blocking field goal attempts in three of his last five outings. Nance doesn’t even need a lot of minutes to put up production and he’s locked into the Pelicans rotation as they don’t fully trust Valanciunas to play heavy minutes. Even if Nance plays 20-22 minutes, he’s proven that he can still be productive throughout the season.

Talen Horton-Tucker, Utah Jazz (SG, SF)

19% Rostered

The Jazz are another team that traded away multiple players including Malik Beasley and Mike Conley and Horton-Tucker is walking into a bigger role in the rotation. We don’t know what the future holds for Russell Westbrook regarding whether he even makes an appearance in a Jazz uniform or if he’s ultimately released. If Westbrook isn’t involved in the rotation, Horton-Tucker should play consistently between 25-30 minutes. He’s scored 12 or more points in three of his last four matchups. He's been helping run the point a bit as well. He’s dished six assists or more in four of his last five contests. We should expect him to take a good number of shots with the Jazz second unit and he’s shot the ball 11 or more times in three straight outings. He’s even swatted away shots in each of his last three contests. Horton-Tucker can play multiple positions and the Jazz don’t have as many mid-court players as they used to have after the moves they made at the trade deadline. 

 


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