This article is part of our Charlie's NBAngle series.
Two more big trades hit the wires this week. The Cavs started a collection of ex-Knicks, bringing in JR Smith, Iman Shumpert and Timofey Mozgov. Oklahoma City muddied their shooting guard situation with the addition of Dion Waiters. And the Knicks out-Sixered the Sixers, trading two of the top six players in Derek Fisher's rotation for some non-guaranteed deals that were waived immediately. This seems as good a time as any to discuss my general theory of in-season trades and how they are most likely to impact fantasy values.
Trades mean opportunity... but that opportunity comes from outside the trade itself.
Was that a little too Yoda? Let me explain. Generally speaking, players that are traded mid-season don't have a major impact immediately. They need some time to establish themselves in new roles and with new teammates. Evan Turner - Indiana Pacers edition - is an example (and a fairly extreme case). Josh Smith is a more recent case. He's still finding his way as a Rocket, he's been fairly awful as a starter - but coming off the bench he's been excellent.
On the other hand, players that are "left behind" often have immediate value. Check out Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond's recent box scores... or Evan Turner's post-Rondo numbers. And those are the guys that are usually available on a waiver wire, just there for the taking.
So who was left behind after this week's deals?
Tim Hardaway Jr. (21% owned) - The departures of Smith and Shumpert left Hardaway Jr. as the last two on New York's roster. And with Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire hurting, Hardaway is probably the Knicks' top scoring threat. (Yes, that's one of the reasons that the Knicks have the league's worst record currently.)
Langston Galloway (0%) - In his first game after being called up from the D-League, Galloway scored 19 points with four boards and three assists. He could become the Knicks' primary bench scorer over the next few weeks.
Jusuf Nurkic (18.4%) - The rookie center moved into Mozgov's spot and posted eight points (3-9 FG, 2-2 FT) four rebounds, three assists, one steal and two blocks in 22 minutes against the Magic. JaVale McGee could cut into his playing time at some point, but McGee is also notoriously unreliable.
Now the tricky part: who will get left behind in the next batch of trades?
Marcus Smart (6.1%) - The Celtics and Grizzlies are reportedly discussing a deal that would send Jeff Green to Memphis. Such a move might force the Cs to move Evan Turner - who has been starting as their nominal point guard - to the wing and open up backcourt minutes for Smart.
Jarrett Jack (36.7%) - Deron Williams' name keeps surfacing in trade rumors as the Nets look to get out from under some bad contracts and start rebuilding. Of course, Jack is a good get even without a trade, as D-Will is sidelined indefinitely due to a rib injury.
Mason Plumlee (49.4%) - is in the same boat. If the Nets move Brook Lopez, Plumee would officially move up on the depth chart, but given Lopez' injury history, Plumlee is a decent pick either way.
Gary Neal (2.4%) - The Lance Stephenson experience has been a major disappointment in Charlotte, leading many to suggest that Michael Jordan will cut his losses and ship "Born Ready" out at the deadline. That could create a more significant role for veteran shooter Neal, a quality three-point specialist.
Ed Davis (18.3%) - Davis' solid all-around play has been overshadowed by the Lakers' general crappiness, and with Jordan Hill's name coming up in a number of rumors lately, his role could expand.
Shane Larkin (2%) - The next Knick to be purged for cap reasons could be Jose Calderon, which would move Larkin up in the pecking order. He could become a sneaky-good source of steals; he's averaging 1.4 in just under 24 minutes per game this year.
John Henson (5.7%) - I'm not going to begin to guess what's going on with Larry Sanders at this point, other than to say that I hope he's OK and that, if he needs some help, he gets it. That said, it seems Bucks coach Jason Kidd has found the ideal role for Henson, deploying the pterodactyl-armed big man as a pick-and-roll finisher to devastating effect in recent games. (Check out Zach Lowe's breakdown on Grantland.com for more on this.
Of course, there are exceptions to the "left behind" rule. Sometimes, a trade is just the thing to jump-start a player's production. For example:
Reggie Jackson (64.8%) - The acquisition of Waiters is a pretty good indication that the Thunder don't think they'll be able to re-sign Jackson - a pending restricted free agent - this summer. If he's moved somewhere that he isn't blocked by Russell Westbrook, he'll be the biggest must-add of the season. (The Knicks are reportedly very interested, though it's hard to see how they'd match up with OKC in trade talks.)
Maurice Harkless (0%) - Has basically fallen out of Orlando's rotation completely, but he's pretty highly regarded by other teams as a wing defender.
Brandan Wright (5.1%) and Kosta Koufos (0%) - The haul Denver got for Mozgov has every other lottery-bound GM shopping their spare bigs. Wright is more likely to be moved - Memphis may not want to break up one of the league's top frontcourts - but either of these guys could hold down a much more significant role if given the chance. Utah's Enes Kanter (33%) might be also be expendable given the emergence of Rudy Gobert.
