The trade deadline for ESPN fantasy basketball standard leagues comes March 4 at 12 p.m. ET, so time is definitely running out to make deals. I never really understood why fantasy managers wait until the very last minute to upgrade their team(s).
It is late February and the regular season ends in roughly six weeks. Is that even enough time for your team(s) to move up in the standings? Depends on the league and your place, really.
In points-based formats, I have always found it tougher to trade. There it comes entirely down to one number and guessing which players will contribute the most.
Denver Nuggets C Nikola Jokic boasts a huge lead in ESPN standard points scoring, a cool 364 points better than Milwaukee Bucks PF/C Giannis Antetokounmpo, with San Antonio Spurs PG/SG Dejounte Murray in third place and injured Phoenix Suns PG Chris Paul at No. 4. Volume and efficiency are key in these leagues.
However, most of the leagues I follow are roto-category based, so I look for different things. For example, I have sung the praises of Spurs C Jakob Poeltl, as he carries one of my roto teams in field goal percentage, rebounds and blocked shots. Those categories may get lost in points-based formats.
Memphis Grizzlies PG Ja Morant is a clear top-20 points league option, but on the ESPN Player Rater, taking each individual statistical category into context, he is barely in the top 40, and behind other Grizzlies.
Thank you for reading the weekly trade index column this season, though it loses utility late next week, so here are my thoughts on players to trade for while you still can! Time is definitely running out!
Those in roto leagues may covet 3-pointers, blocked shots or better shooting numbers, or singular positional aid, while those in points-based formats may look for something else. Whatever the case, here are one analyst's thoughts, and I will wrap up my fantasy basketball offerings for the season in the coming weeks.