This article is part of our In-Season Strategy series.
The landscape of the league may change over the next two days, with the NBA trade deadline officially Thursday at 3 p.m. ET. The seal broke Sunday, and only one member of the Nets' initial Big 3 remains after management dealt Kyrie Irving to the Mavericks for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith and picks. I'm not sure any player's value changes massively, though I can imagine more opportunities for Dinwiddie, provided Cam Thomas stops putting up 40-point games.
Some deals should continue to trickle in Tuesday and Wednesday -- Dewayne Dedmon just got dumped to the Spurs as I'm writing this -- but the bigger deals will probably happen Wednesday night into Thursday afternoon. It's hard to make deals with fantasy managers a couple of days before the deadline. Most managers prefer to wait until the dust settles. Still, there's an opportunity to swoop in with some aggressive offers and hope they work out in your favor.
It may be challenging to trade away players whose names are filling the rumor mill, especially the veterans like Jakob Poeltl and Eric Gordon. But there are some intriguing buying opportunities that rival managers may be open to. Most speculative post-deadline beneficiaries -- think Mark Williams, Zach Collins, Tari Eason -- have probably already been scooped up off the waiver wire. And if they haven't, their roster rates are too low for this article.
Of course, we're speculating about post-deadline beneficiaries here, too, but these are higher-level players for which you'll need to build a convincing trade package.
Precious Achiuwa and Scottie Barnes, Raptors
If you're already taking in a wealth of deadline content, you'll know that most reporters and analysts believe the Raptors are the key to opening up the trade market. OG Anunoby is the belle of the ball, but Fred VanVleet is also in discussion. He's on an expiring contract, and confidence is eroding that he'll re-up with the Raptors.
Just because those two are on the block doesn't necessarily mean the Raptors will blow it up entirely and tank next season. Management may work out a couple of re-tooling trades to build a new-look team around Pascal Siakam, who is quietly already turning 29 years old before the end of the season. Then again, if no win-now moves are available and Toronto is forced to take young assets and picks, Siakam himself could land on the block. It would shellshock the fans to trade those three players all at the deadline, but it would give the Raps an excellent start to a rebuild.
All of that is to say there is a possibility that Scottie Barnes and Precious Achiuwa will see real role increases after this week. Both are playing well right now, so it won't be an easy trade to pull off, but their position should only improve after the deadline. Even if Toronto trades nobody (which would be shocking), rest days could be in store for the veterans to close the season.
Lauri Markkanen and Collin Sexton, Jazz
Utah continues to hover around .500. The Jazz are too good to fall into the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes, but executive Danny Ainge is still expected to supplement a longer rebuild by moving veterans. Based on the rumors, nearly the entire roster is available outside of Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler. Even somewhat younger guys like Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt can be had.
It'll be hard to pry Markkanen away from a rival fantasy manager -- you're buying high. But the frontcourt could soon be devoid of Kelly Olynyk, Rudy Gay and Jarred Vanderbilt -- even more usage and rebounds are bound to open up for Markkanen. The same train of thought applies to Sexton. Mike Conley, Jordan Clarkson and Malik Beasley may not make it past the deadline. We've been waiting all year for the Jazz to hand Sexton more responsibilities. If given a starting role and some freedom within the offense, he should be relevant in fantasy. Two years ago, he averaged 24.3 points, 4.4 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 35.3 minutes. Depending on your league size, Sexton may be on the waiver wire, but those playing in 16-team formats will probably have to pry him away from a league mate.
Jaden Ivey and Saddiq Bey, Pistons
Admittedly, I'm getting worried by how few Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks trade rumors are out there. The Pistons may be convinced they can be competitive when Cade Cunningham returns next year. I think that's delusional.
But even if Bogdanovic and Burks remain with Detroit, expect rest days and sore backs in March and April. That should lead to more usage for both Ivey and Bey, who have already started seeing more usage as the year has gone on.
Bey's three-pointer has been working lately, and he's scored double-digit points in 12 straight games. Ivey's pivot to the starting point guard spot has boosted his assists to 5.7 per game over the past half-dozen games. What's really enticing is their stats with Bogdanovic and Burks off the court. Bey averages 24.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.4 steals in those situations. per 36 minutes. Ivey averages 25.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists per 36. That kind of potential is worth a gamble.
