ESPN Fantasy's Joe Kaiser is here to break down the fantasy impact of every notable trade that took place prior to the NBA's Feb. 23 deadline, including Nerlens Noel, P.J. Tucker, Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott.
Nerlens Noel to Dallas Mavericks
Noel moves from the crowded frontcourt of Philadelphia, where he started only seven games this season and averaged just 19.4 minutes per game while battling Jahlil Okafor for minutes behind Joel Embiid, to a Dallas frontcourt desperately seeking to get younger and more athletic.
In return, the Mavericks shipped Andrew Bogut, Justin Anderson and a conditional first-round pick to the 76ers.
This is reason to celebrate if you have Noel on your roster, because the move to Dallas provides him with a chance to get out of the shadows of Embiid and Okafor and become the starter he was in his first two years in the league. Given that the rebuilding Mavs will want to see what they have in their new-look frontcourt with Noel, there's a good chance the 22-year-old will see his minutes increase significantly, probably somewhere around the 30-minutes-per-game range.
The additional playing time is huge for a rare talent like Noel, who will probably never be a great scorer or 3-point shooter like many of today's bigs, but who can be counted on to rack up blocks and steals while averaging right around 10 to 11 points and seven to eight rebounds per game. Even after the move to the bench in Philadelphia, Noel still was averaging 1.7 steals and 1.6 blocks in his first 171 games in the league.
Any value the oft-injured Bogut might have had as the primary center in Dallas is gone on his new team in Philly once Embiid returns to the court, which could be soon, while Anderson is likely to be a deep bench option behind Gerald Henderson, Nik Stauskas and Robert Covington.
The loss of Anderson does shorten Dallas' bench some, which could force the Mavs to rely more heavily on emerging shooting guard Seth Curry over the final months of the season.
P.J. Tucker traded to Toronto Raptors
Seeking more depth and help at the small forward position, the Raptors acquired Tucker in a trade deadline deal with the Phoenix Suns on Thursday.
In a lot of ways, Tucker is similar to DeMarre Carroll; a gritty veteran forward who can serve as a glue player on a team that already addressed its frontcourt issues earlier this month by swapping Terrence Ross for Serge Ibaka.
Tucker, who turns 32 in May, is a year older than Carroll and provides more rebounding and less scoring/3-point shooting than Carroll, who has started all 52 games he's appeared in for Toronto this season.
Both Tucker and Carroll were merely streaming options in season-long fantasy leagues prior to this trade, and now that both are going to carve into each other's minutes they become slightly less valuable. Expect each of the veterans to be on the court for fewer than 25 minutes per game going forward.
The Suns received Jared Sullinger in the deal. He should remain a nonfactor in standard leagues.
Taj Gibson, Doug McDermott traded to Oklahoma City Thunder
Needing to add more pieces to complement Russell Westbrook, the Thunder did just that by acquiring Gibson and McDermott on Thursday for three backups: Cameron Payne, Joffrey Lauvergne and Anthony Morrow.
Gibson gives the Thunder a veteran upgrade at power forward over rookie Domantas Sabonis, whose 6.66 PER stands out like a sore thumb on a team that's aiming to contend with the powers of the Western Conference. Look for Sabonis, who has started all 57 games for the Thunder this season, to immediately take a back seat to Gibson.
The 31-year-old Gibson adds value on both ends of the court after averaging 11.6 points, 7 rebounds, 0.9 blocks and 27.3 minutes per game with the Bulls this season. He, along with McDermott, will relieve some of the pressure off of Westbrook to score 30-plus points a night and give the Thunder two proven and capable scorers.
McDermott should see a bump in playing time while providing desperately needed 3-point shooting for the Thunder. It wouldn't be surprising if he takes a lot of Andre Roberson and Jerami Grant's minutes, either as a starter or sixth man. The 25-year-old McDermott, drafted 11th overall in 2014 after an illustrious college career at Creighton, shot 37 percent from long range in 44 games with the Bulls this season, making 1.3 3-pointers per game. He has a good chance to thrive as a floor spacer in OKC and will benefit from Westbrook's ability to attract defenders by driving the lane.
Payne, Lauvergne and Morrow remain off the fantasy radar on their new team in Chicago.
Bobby Portis emerges in Chicago's frontcourt as a points and rebounds guy, but those are two of the easiest categories to account for on a nightly and weekly basis. He's allergic to steals and blocks and isn't more than a streaming option, even if he plays 25-plus minutes a night going forward.