Fantasy Basketball Trade Targets for Stretch Run: Tyrese Maxey, Jusuf Nurkic, Tyus Jones, Kyrie Irving, Rudy Gobert and More
Discussing some of the best fantasy basketball players since the All-Star break that you could target in trades.
Every fantasy basketball league’s trade deadline should be coming up shortly (if it hasn’t already passed). With that in mind, I wanted to point out some of the best fantasy players since the All-Star break that you could target for the stretch run.
I used stats from NBA.com, filtering things to per game averages since the All-Star break.
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Top Scorers
There’s some obvious big names leading the way in each stat since the break - Luka Doncic, Giannis Anteotokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander among others - but I want to focus on some more easily available fantasy options.
Tyrese Maxey is a player that makes some sense, especially with Joel Embiid out, which could increase the asking price for Maxey. Maxey is averaging 28.7 points per game since the break, which is fourth in the league. He currently ranks 41st on the FantasySP Trade Value Chart (TVC) and is dealing with a concussion right now.
De'Aaron Fox is another intriguing name to me. He’s averaging 27 points since the break, which is the seventh most in the league. I feel like Fox flies under the radar a bit, so even though he’s ranked 17th on the TVC, he’s probably more attainable than most of the guys ranked that high.
Kyrie Irving also falls under that same category, but because Doncic dominates the headlines, some fantasy owners might be willing to part with Irving. Irving is averaging 26.7 points since the break, the eighth most in the NBA.
Jaylen Brown falls under a similar category to Fox because he plays second fiddle to Jayson Tatum. Since the break though, Brown averages just 0.1 points less per game. See if you can land Brown, ranked 31st on the TVC, for a reasonable price.
Jimmy Butler is another possible trade asset. He’s a bigger name, but ranks 26th on the TVC. He’s averaging 25.8 points per game since the break and will need to carry the Heat into the playoffs, so those numbers could increase as the season winds down.
One final name I wanted to point out for the scoring section is Kyle Kuzma, who ranks 43rd on the TVC. He’s averaging 24.9 points per game, tied for 16th-most since the break. Being on a bad team allows Kuzma to rack up plenty of attempts, and most nights, he’s scoring a bunch of points. He’s probably the most attainable fantasy player I mentioned in this section.
Top Rebounders
Jusuf Nurkic is leading the league with 15.5 rebounds per game since the All-Star break. He’s not just a rebounder, also averaging 11.2 points, 4.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.5 blocks per game over that span. He ranks 38th on the TVC and probably is quite a bit more attainable than that number might indicate.
Rudy Gobert is at 15.3 rebounds since the break, while also averaging 14.3 points, 2.8 blocks and 1.2 assists per game. Gobert ranks 22nd on the trade chart, but is a fantastic fantasy piece to add for the stretch run if you can make it happen.
Josh Hart isn’t a name that you probably expected to see in this section, but he’s eighth in the NBA in rebounds since the break at 11.9 per game. He also averages 16.1 points, 6.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.9 blocks per game. He was a waiver wire option in a decent amount of leagues just a few weeks ago, but now ranks 83rd on the TVC. Scoop him up if he’s still available in your league, and see if you can swing a fairly cheap trade for him if he’s not.
Another name I want to mention here is Alperen Sengun, who is averaging 10.4 rebounds, 21.9 points, 3.3 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.9 blocks since the break. He ranks 29th on the TVC, but isn’t quite the big name that a lot of these possible trade assets are, so you might be able to get him for a more reasonable price.
Top Assisters
Tyus Jones is another Washington player who goes mostly unnoticed. He’s averaging 10.6 assists since the break, which complements his 9.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1 steal. Jones ranks 47th on the TVC, but is probably cheaper than that because of his point totals - see if you can swing a deal for him.
I was surprised to see James Harden as the 18th ranked player on the trade chart. He’s averaging 7.6 assists, 18.6 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block and 0.4 steals since the All-Star break. It’s not that Harden still isn’t a good fantasy option, I was just surprised he was that high on the TVC with only 18.6 points per game (which is above his season average of 17.6 points). That makes me wonder if you can get Harden for significantly cheaper than that.
Zion Williamson was a surprise name to me on the top assist list. He’s at 7.3 assists since the break, which goes along with his 19.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1 block and 0.6 steals per game. He currently ranks 40th on the TVC, but could possibly cost a touch more based on his big name alone. At those averages though, he’s a great fantasy player to add for the rest of the season.
