NBA Trade Deadline Chaos: Don’t Miss These Streaming Opportunities Today
Streaming players from two NBA teams with good matchups on Thursday.
Today is trade deadline day; keep your notifications on. Most of the biggest moves have probably already happened, but there is more to come, including possible superstars.
No one is going to become a contender simply from one move, but those teams who are among the best can solidify their rotation and improve at their weakest spots. Every team near the top of the standings is hoping for their own 2004 Rasheed Wallace.
Moving to fantasy, let's look at streaming players from two NBA teams with good matchups on Thursday. We'll focus on the guys who get on the court and are widely available in fantasy leagues. Most stats are from NBA.com.
Use FantasySP's defensive rankings to find the teams and players with the best matchups each day!
Atlanta Hawks vs. Utah Jazz
Utah plays at the third-fastest pace and has the worst defensive rating in the league. There is no better fantasy target than the Jazz; take advantage of this futility while we can in case the trade deadline helps them look more formidable on defense.
The Hawks were the first team to get a major jump on trade season, sending Trae Young to the Wizards about a month ago. Young was dealing with an injury (and still hasn't played for Washington), but his departure let's Atlanta see what the future might look like after building things around their former star for close to a decade.
Guard
Atlanta's three top guards are all heavily owned in fantasy leagues, leaving slim pickings at the position for streamers. Kennard is a shooter, making nearly 50% of his 3-pointers, but he does it at a low volume and doesn't add enough else to be a fantasy option.
Forward
Risacher missed about three weeks in January but has now been back for two games. His most notable stat is his 11 points per game; the 2024 top overall pick has work to do to find the fantasy radar. Kispert came back in the Young trade; his production in Atlanta has been inconsistent, but he has played at least 20 minutes and scored more than 10 points in each of the past four games.
Center
Onyeka Okongwu hasn't played since January 28 and Kristaps Porzingis January 7, leaving the center minutes to be filled by these three (who also do a lot at power forward). Koloko is questionable and Porzingis was traded away last night, and their status directly affects the three listed.
Even if Okongwu misses the game, none of Koloko, Gueye, or Newell does enough statistically to be on our radar. If you are in a deep league and desperate, Koloko is probably your best option, but you can probably find better elsewhere.
Detroit Pistons vs. Washington Wizards
Washington plays at sixth-fastest pace and has the second-worst defensive rating, settling in nicely as our second-best target behind Utah. The Wiz already acquired Young, and they are in position to bring in more assets using cap space and their will to tank (big note: Washington acquired Anthony Davis after this writing).
The Pistons shook things up with their own pre-deadline trade, sending out Jaden Ivey and bringing back Kevin Huerter. While Ivey has the bigger upside as a former top-five pick, he didn't break out at all in Detroit, and Huerter is the better player right now (including 3-point shooting, which the Pistons desperately needed).
Guard
Ivey's departure cleans up the guard rotation a little bit. Huerter will factor in here as well, but LeVert will likely keep much the same role while Jenkins gets more of Ivey's old minutes. Jenkins has some intrigue, but he's a deeper streamer right now; LeVert doesn't do enough to be on our radar.
Robinson is the best option from this group, but all he offers is scoring and shooting (12 points, 2.9 3-pointers per game) without much else, limiting his fantasy impact.
Forward
- Tobias Harris
- Kevin Huerter
- Ron Holland II
Huerter hasn't played for the Pistons yet and could make his debut here. It's risky trusting a role player on a new team to put up numbers; I recommend waiting until we see how things go unless you're desperate for shooting.
Harris is the best option from this group, owned in about 40% of fantasy leagues and still fitting our definition of streamer. Harris averages 13.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists, nothing great, but enough to make him an OK streamer when the matchup is right. Huerter's presence could impact Harris as time goes on. Holland doesn't do enough to be on the fantasy radar right now.
Center
Stewart is averaging 10.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game. He has been consistent throughout the season, with his monthly averages all coming in near those numbers in each category. He's a fine lower-level streamer if you need help at center.
