As we prepare to enter the month of March, we've reached crunch time in fantasy basketball. It's important to try and fortify your roster for the stretch run, and one way to do so is via trades. Let's highlight some players to consider buying low on, selling high on or who are worth holding onto at this time.
Buy
Brook Lopez, Milwaukee Bucks
Lopez doesn't have gaudy stats this season, but he continues to maintain fantasy value. He is logging 32 minutes per game, averaging 12.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.9 three-pointers along the way. He also helps with his percentages, shooting 48.0% from the field and 83.1% from the charity stripe.
The Bucks will likely need to rely even more on Lopez down the stretch with Bobby Portis serving a 25-game suspension. Since Portis began his suspension, Lopez has averaged 17.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.8 blocks and 2.3 three-pointers across four games. With Jericho Sims serving as Lopez's primary backup, Lopez is primed for a great finish to the regular season.
Michael Porter Jr., Denver Nuggets
Porter recently missed three games with a hamstring injury. Across three games since making his return, he has averaged just 12.7 points, 0.7 three-pointers and shot 39.0% from the field. Despite having a favorable matchup against the Hornets in his first game back from injury, Porter scored only six points on 2-for-11 shooting from the field. He then shot 5-for-14 from the field the following game against the Lakers.
Porter is
As we prepare to enter the month of March, we've reached crunch time in fantasy basketball. It's important to try and fortify your roster for the stretch run, and one way to do so is via trades. Let's highlight some players to consider buying low on, selling high on or who are worth holding onto at this time.
Buy
Brook Lopez, Milwaukee Bucks
Lopez doesn't have gaudy stats this season, but he continues to maintain fantasy value. He is logging 32 minutes per game, averaging 12.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.9 three-pointers along the way. He also helps with his percentages, shooting 48.0% from the field and 83.1% from the charity stripe.
The Bucks will likely need to rely even more on Lopez down the stretch with Bobby Portis serving a 25-game suspension. Since Portis began his suspension, Lopez has averaged 17.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.8 blocks and 2.3 three-pointers across four games. With Jericho Sims serving as Lopez's primary backup, Lopez is primed for a great finish to the regular season.
Michael Porter Jr., Denver Nuggets
Porter recently missed three games with a hamstring injury. Across three games since making his return, he has averaged just 12.7 points, 0.7 three-pointers and shot 39.0% from the field. Despite having a favorable matchup against the Hornets in his first game back from injury, Porter scored only six points on 2-for-11 shooting from the field. He then shot 5-for-14 from the field the following game against the Lakers.
Porter is shooting 51.6% from the field for the season, so don't read too much into his recent struggles. He also averaged 10.0 rebounds over those three games, so he still found a way to contribute in other areas. The Nuggets are in a tight race for the second seed in the Western Conference, so don't expect to see many rest days for Porter down the stretch. Once his efficiency normalizes, he should once again provide plenty of points and three-pointers.
Sell
LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets
Ball is back with the Hornets after his most recent ankle injury sidelined him for just one game. He was aided by the All-Star break, which ended up giving him a total of nine days to heal. He has appeared in three of the last five games for the Hornets. The two that he missed were both part of back-to-back sets.
When Ball is healthy, he can put up monster numbers. However, injuries have limited him to just 36 games this season. The last two seasons, he appeared in a total of just 58 games. The Hornets are well on their way to one of the worst records in the league, so not only will Ball probably not play both games of a back-to-back set again this season, but he could also receive other rest days. If he suffers any sort of injury, the Hornets will certainly be cautious with him. Try to trade him now while he is healthy and playing games.
Naz Reid, Minnesota Timberwolves
Reid has started each of the last 11 games for the Timberwolves, logging 36 minutes per game. He has dominated in the role, averaging 20.3 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.5 blocks and 2.7 three-pointers. He is averaging 11.5 shot attempts per game for the season, but he has averaged 16.5 shot attempts per game since becoming a starter.
The reason why Reid is starting is that Julius Randle (groin) has missed each of the last 11 games. Even Rudy Gobert (back) has sat out the last four games. Randle has been cleared for contact in practice, so his return likely isn't too far away. Gobert is dealing with back spasms, so he's more day-to-day than anything else. Once both players return, Reid should shift back to the second unit. He has averaged 14.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 0.9 blocks this season while mostly serving in that role. The sell-high window on Reid might close soon.
Hold
Josh Giddey, Chicago Bulls
When the Bulls traded Alex Caruso for Giddey, it further signaled their move towards getting younger. Giddey will be a restricted free agent this offseason, so it made sense for the Bulls to play him a lot to see what they have in him and decide if they want to sign him to an extension. However, they have a lot of options at guard, which has contributed to Giddey logging a modest 29 minutes per game. With his minutes somewhat limited, Giddey is averaging 12.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.4 three-pointers per game.
Injuries and the trade of Zach LaVine has helped Giddey average 32 minutes over their last 15 games. He parlayed the increase in playing time into averages of 17.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.2 three-pointers during that span. Patrick Williams (quadriceps) is out for at least two weeks, so the Bulls should continue to roll with more guard-heavy lineups. As the Bulls push for a spot in the Play-In Tournament, Giddey could continue to play more down the stretch. There is no reason to try and sell high on him right now.
Mikal Bridges, New York Knicks
It has been a rough stretch for Bridges, who is only averaging 13.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists over his last 10 games. Playing time hasn't been a problem, as he logged 36 minutes per game during that stretch. He wasn't efficient, though, shooting 44.4% from the field and 34.1% from behind the arc. For the season, he has shot 48.9% from the field and 35.7% from deep.
While Bridges hasn't provided much in the way of rebounds this season, he is averaging 17.5 points, 3.3 assists and 2.3 three-pointers. He has not missed a single game and is averaging 38 minutes per game. Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau relies heavily on his starters and Bridges has never missed a game during his career, so don't expect him to get any rest days. While he has been a bit of a disappointment, he does at least provide a reliable floor for fantasy managers.
