With the NBA Cup creating an unusual schedule and rotations shifting daily, fantasy managers should use this downtime to reassess value and explore trade options. Staying ahead means keeping an eye on updated NBA injury reports, changing lineups, and how those shifts impact fantasy basketball rankings.
Identifying buy-low and sell-high opportunities remains essential. Below, we break down which players deserve patience, which are primed to move, and which might offer hidden upside in the weeks ahead.
Buy
Coby White, Chicago Bulls 
White has been a valuable fantasy contributor the last two seasons. In both campaigns, he averaged at least 19.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.6 three-pointers. He was also healthy, playing 79 and 74 games. The same can't be said for him this season, as he has been limited to seven games because of injuries. When he has been on the floor, he has often been on a minutes restriction. He has not topped 29 minutes in any of his last three games.
When White has been able to play, he has provided fantasy value. He is averaging 22.1 points, 5.4 assists and 2.3 three-pointers. There is room for improvement behind the arc as well, given that he is shooting a career-low 30.2% from three. As his health improves and his playing time increases, so should his production.
Donovan Clingan, Portland Trail Blazers 
Clingan is currently battling a leg contusion that has forced him to miss the last two games. He also recently missed
With the NBA Cup creating an unusual schedule and rotations shifting daily, fantasy managers should use this downtime to reassess value and explore trade options. Staying ahead means keeping an eye on updated NBA injury reports, changing lineups, and how those shifts impact fantasy basketball rankings.
Identifying buy-low and sell-high opportunities remains essential. Below, we break down which players deserve patience, which are primed to move, and which might offer hidden upside in the weeks ahead.
Buy
Coby White, Chicago Bulls
White has been a valuable fantasy contributor the last two seasons. In both campaigns, he averaged at least 19.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.6 three-pointers. He was also healthy, playing 79 and 74 games. The same can't be said for him this season, as he has been limited to seven games because of injuries. When he has been on the floor, he has often been on a minutes restriction. He has not topped 29 minutes in any of his last three games.
When White has been able to play, he has provided fantasy value. He is averaging 22.1 points, 5.4 assists and 2.3 three-pointers. There is room for improvement behind the arc as well, given that he is shooting a career-low 30.2% from three. As his health improves and his playing time increases, so should his production.
Donovan Clingan, Portland Trail Blazers
Clingan is currently battling a leg contusion that has forced him to miss the last two games. He also recently missed a game with an illness. The last time we saw him on the floor, he scored just five points and shot 2-for-8 from the field versus the Cavaliers. That marked the third time over his last five games that he scored fewer than 10 points.
Despite his recent quiet spell, Clingan is having a good season. Overall, he has averaged 10.0 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks. He is also logging 25 minutes per game, which is up from 20 minutes a night last season. He should get back on track in short order, so this might be a rare buy-low opportunity to acquire him.
Sell
Jimmy Butler, Golden State Warriors 
In his first full season with the Warriors, Butler is averaging 19.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.0 three-pointers. He has been an extremely efficient scorer, shooting 51.9% from the field, 84.8% from the free-throw line and 46.5% from behind the arc. Another encouraging stat is that he has missed only four games.
Butler is not going to continue to shoot for such a high percentage from three. He has shot higher than 38.1% from behind the arc just one other time in his career. Butler also tends to have injury issues, appearing in 65 or fewer games in each of the last eight seasons. His fantasy value is probably at its peak right now, so see what someone might be willing to offer for him via trade.
Jusuf Nurkic, Utah Jazz 
Walker Kessler made it only five games before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury. That opened up the door for Nurkic to be a viable fantasy option. Since taking over in the starting lineup, he has averaged 8.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.5 steals. A key has been him averaging 26 minutes as a starter.
The Jazz are well on their way to another losing season. They could be active on the trade market as they try to trade away veterans and continue to look towards the future. If that is the case, then Nurkic could land with a contending team that intends to use him as a backup center. Another scenario is that he loses minutes to Kyle Filipowski later in the season as the Jazz try to improve their lottery odds. There's a real chance that Nurkic isn't relevant in fantasy a couple of months from now, so see if someone in need of a center in your league is interested in him now.
Hold
Austin Reaves, Los Angeles Lakers 
It has been a breakout campaign for Reaves, who has formed a dynamic duo with Luka Doncic. His minutes per game have increased every season of his career, topping out at 37 minutes per game so far this season. He has parlayed that hefty role into averages of 28.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.9 three-pointers. Further adding to his fantasy appeal is that he is shooting 50.9% from the field and 87.4% from the free-throw line.
Reaves has played much of the season without LeBron James. With James back, Reaves has a couple of performances with fewer than 20 points lately. However, that doesn't mean that it's time to consider selling high on him. James is almost 41 years old, so the Lakers are unlikely to push him to play a ton or battle through injuries. There should be plenty of opportunities for Reaves to remain a great fantasy asset.
Brandon Miller, Charlotte Hornets 
Miller is a hold for a different reason than Reaves. While Reaves is peaking, Miller's value might be lower now than it will be at any point this season. He played 74 games during his rookie campaign, then appeared in only 27 games last season because of injury. Injuries have once again been a problem this season, leaving him to play in only eight games. When he has been on the floor, his production has been muted. Over 26 minutes per game, he has averaged 16.4 points and shot 36.7% from the field.
Kon Knueppel is having an excellent rookie season and is likely locked into a significant role moving forward. That does put a bit of a damper on Miller. However, Miller averaged at least 32 minutes in both of his first two seasons in the league. As his health situation has improved, he has played at least 30 minutes in three of his last four games. He can still provide plenty of points and three-pointers, so don't try to trade him now when he might not be all that appealing to other managers in your league.
