Fantasy Basketball Buy Low Trade Candidates: Victor Wembanyama, LaMelo Ball and Damian Lillard

After looking at some sell high fantasy basketball trade candidates on Thursday, it’s time to now go over some buy low candidates.

San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama, Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball and Milwaukee’s Damian Lillard are the three players I want to discuss.

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Victor Wembanyama Fantasy Outlook

Wembanyma was a top-three fantasy pick this season, but hasn’t been one of the top fantasy players so far.

Wemby is averaging more points than last year, but has seen his averages for rebounds, assists and blocks all decrease. He’s averaging the same amount of steals, while turning over the ball slightly less.

He’s playing 2.5 minutes more per game than in his rookie season, and getting about 1.4 field goal attempts more. Wembanyama has seen his overall shooting percentage rise 1.5%, while his 3-point percentage is up 1.6%.

For a player listed at 7-foot-3, 9.1 3-point attempts per game seems wrong, but that’s what Wembanyama is averaging. All those extra 3-pointers has meant less free throw attempts (1.6 less than last season). I get that he’s only 210 pounds, so he’s not the average big man, but it’s hard to defend a 7-3 player.

His fantasy value is a bit down from the start of the season, and I think it’s a perfect time to go after him in a trade. He currently sits eighth on the FantasySP Trade Value Chart.

It’s not much below his draft pick average, but you might be able to move another first-round pick, or maybe even a second-rounder for him. A more proven fantasy asset might be appealing to some instead of hoping Wemby can improve. 

And it’s not like Wembanyama isn’t a great fantasy option, he just hasn’t taken the next step into the elite options yet. I’d at least see what the asking price is on Wemby, because I can’t imagine his trade value ever being lower than it is now.

LaMelo Ball Fantasy Outlook

Ball is a player I urge fantasy owners to stay away from often, but after an injury-riddled start to the season, I actually think Ball is a great buy low candidate.

Across 18 games, Ball is averaging 31.1 points, 6.9 assists, 5.4 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 0.2 blocks and 4.5 turnovers across 34.1 minutes. 

Ball is third in the league in points per game, and really fills up the stat sheet pretty well for a guard. He’s been one of the top fantasy players when healthy, and his buy low tag comes from him being out with injuries.

There’s obviously a bunch of risk involved when trading for an injury-prone player, but in this case, I like the gamble because the insane upside Ball has when on the court. That injury-prone tag should make Ball more easily acquirable in a deal, and is at least something I would look into.

Damian Lillard Fantasy Outlook

Lillard has probably exceeded fantasy expectations so far, but I’m not so sure that all fantasy owners view him the same. Lillard was drafted around pick 30 and is currently sitting 20th on our trade chart here at FantasySP. 

He’s averaging 25.8 points, 7.6 assists, 4.4 rebounds, 1 steal, 0.2 blocks and 3 turnovers across 36.3 minutes a game. Most of those averages are up from his first season in Milwaukee, and his shooting percentages are also up.

As a Bucks’ fan, it’s clear to see that Lillard has remodeled his game in order to fit alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo better. Lillard is still capable of big scoring nights, but he’s now sitting top 10 in assists per game, and that really adds a nice element to his fantasy value.

His averages could change a bit now that Khris Middleton has returned to the fold, but I personally don’t anticipate it being a negative thing for Lillard.

Antetokounmpo is clearly the best fantasy player in Milwaukee, but I think Lillard’s season is flying under the radar a bit as a result. I think you might be able to land Lillard for cheaper than you might expect.

I think his fantasy value is appropriately shown in the trade chart here, but I don’t think it would take a player ranked near him on that list to acquire him. See what it takes at the very least.

Happy trading!