December 12 Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire: Herbert Jones, Max Strus, Keon Ellis and Tim Hardaway Jr.
NBA players who had good games this week and are widely available in fantasy leagues.
There have only been six games played this week due to the NBA Cup. Each provided valuable insight for fantasy basketball owners.
Let's hop straight into the top performances that caught my eye from waiver wire players.
Waiver Wire Options
New Orleans Pelicans guard Herbert Jones has had a tumultuous start to the 2025 season. It hasn't been all bad or all good for him, just very erratic.
Practically the whole Pelicans roster experienced some form of injury to start this season, but now Jones is finally back and healthy. Though Jones is a top-three perimeter defender in the NBA today, many people around the league and within the Pelicans organization wanted him to make some type of offensive jump. He had already worked his way into being a consistent shooter; now the next step would be something like attacking closeouts or more self-creation buckets.
Since returning from injury, Jones has scored 48 total points in his last three games combined. That’s a great sign for his rhythm considering that he missed a good little portion of the season already. On the season, Jones is averaging 10.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2 assists on 51% shooting.
He is an excellent waiver option because even if he is not scoring effectively, he will generate stocks; he is currently averaging 2.5 on the season. Jones, however, has seen a +2.30 own increase since the week has started. He is a priority waiver addition, so he won’t be available for long, so get him while his value is the lowest.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Max Strus is set to make his season debut soon. The veteran suffered a brutal ankle injury at the end of the preseason that held him out to start the season. Then he suffered another setback while trying to do a workout, which pushed his process even further down the road. He is finally healthy and ready to contribute to a red-hot Cavs team.
He was a significant part of the Cavs' rotation last year, so I expect him to have a big role this season as well - though they do have a new coach in Kenny Atkinson, so he could have different ideologies. Nonetheless, the only thing to worry about is if he slowly integrated back into the lineup or if he’s fully ready to hit the ground running.
Last year, Strus averaged 12.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4 assists in 32 minutes per game. All of those stats were career-high marks for Strus up to that point. He will bring an element of shooting and wing defense that the Cavs have sorely missed against some contenders.
I'm excited to see how he thrives in the Cavs new system and how he forces teams to adjust the way they play the Cavs. Stus is only owned in 17% of leagues, so he should be an easy waiver addition.
Sacramento Kings guard Keon Ellis has been a steady role player for the Kings this year. He has been a great dirty guy on defense while also being a consistent connector on offense, doing anything that’s asked of him.
Right now, he’s averaging a career high in points at 6.5. The only thing that could potentially scare me away from Ellis is his inconsistent minutes. He sits at 20 per game right now, but it should honestly be higher with the significant injuries the Kings have suffered this year.
Many Kings fans have pleaded for Ellis to get an uptick in minutes to help with their struggling defense; Mike Brown just hasn’t pulled the trigger yet. He doesn't seem to trust him for whatever reason yet fully.
I still think that Ellis is a great deep-league sleeper waiver wire choice, though. He comes in, and he is productive with however many minutes are thrown his way. He currently is only owned in 4% of leagues, so he should be very easy to acquire. He has seen a +1.87 own increase; owners are banking on his potential early.
Detroit Pistons guard Tim Hardaway Jr. has had a bit of a renaissance season this year. After essentially being a salary dump for the Dallas Mavericks during the offseason, he has been productive in making the Pistons respectable.
His shooting and veteran leadership have been beyond valuable for them, and both parties are reaping the rewards. This season Hardaway is averaging 9.8 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists across 27 minutes per game.
I only really see Hardaway as a deep league waiver wire acquisition. Though he gets enough minutes to be productive, his role and playstyle hinder him. He has a great floor for what he can produce from game to game, but his ceiling is very limited in the same sense. He is only owned in 6% of leagues, so if you need someone easy to acquire, grab him.
