Fantasy Hoops: Noel, Saric, Valentine

Hoops Rumors is examining the fantasy basketball landscape in order to help you dominate the competition. Check back weekly for more analysis.

Breaking Down The Trades: Part 3

Mavericks acquire Nerlens Noel; Sixers acquire Justin Anderson, Andrew Bogut, and Mavericks’ 2017 first-round pick (top-18 protected).

• Trending upward: Jahlil Okafor. Between this trade and the latest Joel Embiid news, Okafor is free to own the paint AND crash the glass. We should see more outings like his recent 28 point, 10 rebound game against the Knicks.
• Trending downward: Andrew Bogut. The center position on the waiver-wire is always shallow, but don’t be tempted to pick up Bogut once he signs with the Cavs. He likely won’t get enough opportunity to be on the fantasy radar.
• Extra dribble: Nerlens Noel could fit into the trending upward spot. In his first two games with the Mavs, he only scored a total of 15 points in 55 minutes of action, but he’s added 16 rebounds, two blocks, and two steals. Expect him to see even more playing time as he gets acclimated to his new team.

Hawks acquire Ersan Ilyasova; Sixers acquire Tiago Splitter, Heat’s 2017 second-round pick (top-40 protected), and the right to swap Warriors’ 2017 second-round pick for Hawks’ second-round pick.

• Trending upward: Dario Saric. He was a must-own before the trade, but since moving into the starting lineup, he’s scoring 20.0 points per game while adding 11.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 35.9 minutes per contest. The Homie is on his way to winning the Rookie of the Year award (a feat that becomes easier if Embiid misses the rest of the season). In addition to taking home the league hardware, I image Saric is going to be on many championship rosters in fantasy this season.
• Trending downward: Ersan Ilyasova. He was very involved in the offense in Philly, but that won’t be the case on his new team. In three games with the Hawks, he’s seen just 19.3 minutes per game (compared to 27.3 before the trade). His points and 3-pointers made per game have been cut in half and he’s droppable in season-long leagues.
• Extra dribble: Robert Covington could see a slight boost in value. He’s a must-own in all season-long formats and with the frontcourt clearing up, he could see some time at power forward in a small-ball lineup.

Wizards acquire Bojan Bogdanovic and Chris McCullough; Nets acquire Andrew Nicholson, Marcus Thornton, and Wizards’ 2017 first-round pick (top-14 protected).

• Trending upward: It’s hard to find a player who benefits substantially from the transaction. Joe Harris should see more opportunity with Bojan Bogdanovic out of the picture. He’s seen 25.3 minutes per game since the trade, but he hasn’t played well. Sean Kilpatrick saw 29 minutes against the Warriors on Saturday and recorded a double-double, but made only one of his five 3-point attempts. If I had to bet on one of the two players, it would Kilpatrick, but neither is consistent enough to warrant a roster spot in season-long leagues.
• Trending downward: Bogdanovic. His value takes a massive hit. He’s seeing nearly as many minutes per game in Washington as he did in Brooklyn, but his usage has dropped over six percentage points and he’s averaging 4.6 fewer shot attempts per game
• Extra dribble: Ancillary parts on the Nets hold value because the team leads the league in pace. That, coupled with the team’s porous defense, makes Brooklyn’s rotation important down the stretch. Spencer Dinwiddie is a player to keep an eye on. He averaged 14.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game while added a steal and nearly two 3-pointers per contest over his last four games.

Raptors acquire P.J. Tucker; Suns acquire Jared Sullinger, Raptors’ 2017 second-round pick, Raptors’ 2018 second-round pick, and cash ($1MM).

• Trending upward: T.J. Warren. I know! You’ve seen T.J. Warren‘s name in earlier editions of Fantasy Hoops, but this time, he should actually back up my recommendation. Warren has seen 38.7 minutes per game since P.J. Tucker left Phoenix and he’s averaging 20.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per contest. He’s a streaky player, so expect off nights, but the opportunity is there on a team that ranks third in the league in pace.
• Trending downward: P.J. Tucker. The 35-year-old can help your fantasy team in the steals category, but other than that and rebounds, there are not many reasons to roster Tucker in season-long leagues.
• Extra dribble: Keep an eye on Alan Williams. The power forward has played sporadically this season, but in the two games since the trade, he scored a total of 33 points while adding 18 rebounds and three steals.

Thunder acquire Taj Gibson, Doug McDermott, and Bulls’ 2018 second-round pick; Bulls acquire Cameron Payne, Joffrey Lauvergne, and Anthony Morrow.

• Trending upward: Denzel Valentine. In two games since the trade, Valentine has seen 27.1 minutes per contest. He nearly doubled his shots per game and he’s making 60% of his attempts. He’s averaging 3.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 6.5 3-point attempts per contest since being given more playing time and his diverse stat line makes him useful in daily fantasy, as well as season-long leagues.
• Trending downward: Enes Kanter. The big man returned from a broken hand last week and while he put up a decent stat line over his first couple games back, the presence of Gibson hurts his value.
• Extra dribble: Nikola Mirotic belongs in the trending upward section as well. Since Gibson left town, Mirotic is seeing over 10 more minutes per contest and he’s averaging eight more points and nearly four more rebounds per game.

[RELATED: Breaking Down The Trades Part 1 & Part 2]

Deals Without Much Fantasy Impact

Nuggets acquire Roy Hibbert; Bucks acquire Nuggets’ 2019 second-round pick (top-55 protected).

Nets acquire K.J. McDaniels; Rockets acquire cash ($75K).

Lakers acquire Tyler Ennis and draft rights to Brad Newley; Rockets acquire Marcelo Huertas.

Suns acquire Mike Scott, draft rights to Cenk Akyol, and cash ($500K). Hawks acquire Suns’ 2017 second-round pick (top-55 protected).

There’s not much fantasy news out of these four trades. If K.J. McDaniels makes his way into the rotation in Brooklyn, he’d put himself on the fantasy radar. As of this writing, he’s not. Tyler Ennis could see opportunity down the stretch, but he only saw eight minutes in his debut with the Lakers.

Outside of the fantasy realm, it’s interesting to see Cenk Akyol‘s name in another team press release. Akyol was a draft-and-stash prospect who was selected by the Hawks in the 2005, but he never made the leap to the NBA and he likely never will. His rights have been traded five times over the last 12 years, including twice this season. His rights have been traded for Antawn Jamison and JaVale McGee among other players and prospects.

Fantasy questions? Take to the comment section below or tweet me at @CW_Crouse.

Statistics are current through Tuesday afternoon.