Fantasy Basketball Impact of Trade Deadline Day Deals: De'Andre Hunter, Davion Mitchell, Jusuf Nurkic, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Marcus Smart, Jake LaRavia and More

The NBA trade deadline has passed, and wow was it fun!

After taking a look at several trades over the past week or so, let's discuss the deals that went through on Thursday.

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Cavaliers Land De'Andre Hunter

The big deal on deadline day was the Cleveland Cavaliers getting De'Andre Hunter from the Atlanta Hawks. Atlanta got Caris LeVert, Georges Niang and several draft picks in return.

Cleveland has the most wins in the NBA and didn't have many weak spots. They filled one of the weak spots at small forward by getting Hunter. He should slot into the starting lineup alongside Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.

With all the talent Cleveland already has on its team, it's fair to expect Hunter to see some of his averages drop. He was averaging 19 points per game with the Hawks, and I think that has a good chance of dropping. If he averages over 30 minutes a game (he was at 28.8 with Atlanta), there's a chance Hunter adds to his averages in other stats and doesn't drop as much fantasy value.

Hunter is available in about 23% of fantasy leagues, and I can imagine he'll be a waiver wire pickup for many over the next few days. At the very least, he's worth watching to see if the trade boosts his fantasy value a bit. If I had a roster spot to play with, I wouldn't mind adding and stashing Hunter. You can see how things shake out over the next couple weeks and then decide if he's worth keeping or not.

The trade might ever so slightly hurt the fantasy outlooks for Mitchell, Allen, Garland and Mobley, but definitely not enough to make any of them droppable in any leagues.

The players who will see bigger hits to their fantasy outlooks are Max Strus and Isaac Okoro, among others.

This deal isn't likely to change all that much in Atlanta. Trae Young is going to still lead the offense, while Dyson Daniels starts at the other guard. Daniels could take on a bit more scoring with Hunter not around, but it won't likely be a massive increase.

Zaccharie Risacher will probably see the biggest increase in usage and fantasy production. He's owned in 47% of leagues, and I expect that number to skyrocket in the coming days and weeks. Add him now if you think Risacher is going to be a bigger part of things moving forward.

Onyeka Okongwu and Clint Capela shouldn't see big increases to their fantasy values, even if they play a couple more minutes a game. Niang has a good chance of starting, so he might be worth adding in some deeper leagues.

LeVert is likely to come off the bench, but he might end up playing enough minutes per game to be a decent fantasy asset and stay around 35% owned, like he is now.

I don't see much else changing from a fantasy perspective in Atlanta.

Wizards Trade for Reggie Jackson

In a bit of a weird deal, the Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers swapped Reggie Jackson and Jared Butler. Along with Jackson landing in Washington, the Wizards got a first-round pick. Philly got four second-round picks in the deal.

I don't see a ton of available minutes for Butler in Philly, unless another player is moved. This deal doesn't do much for the 76ers in my eyes. Guards like Kyle Lowry, Eric Gordon and wing Quentin Grimes should soak up most of the backup minutes when the team is at full health.

I'm not sure it makes sense for Washington to roster and play a veteran like Jackson a lot, but the team also came out and said it was going to be keeping Khris Middleton, so Jackson might actually stick around.

I don't see much playing time available for Jackson, especially because this wasn't the only deal Washington made. 

Raptors, Heat Swap Veteran for Youngster

The Toronto Raptors traded Davion Mitchell for P.J. Tucker, a second-round pick and cash.

I really like this move for the Heat. Mitchell doesn't have the clearest path to playing time behind Tyler Herro, Terry Rozier, Duncan Robinson and others, but in the long run, Mitchell could become a big part of the Heat's plans.

The trade might decrease the value of Robinson and Rozier, but it won't be easy for Mitchell to crack the rotation. He's a player to keep tabs on, and the Heat are a team to watch carefully over the next few days to see how their moves affect the team.

I don't see Tucker sticking in Toronto. If he does, I don't think he'll get enough playing time to be a big fantasy asset.

The trade more affects the guards on the team. Backups like Jamal Shead and Gradey Dick (when Brandon Ingram returns from injury) should soak up most of the minutes and production. Ja'Kobe Walter and Ochai Agbaji are two more players to keep close eyes on.

Hornets Nab Jusuf Nurkic

In another surprising move, the Charlotte Hornets landed Jusuf Nurkic and a first-round pick for Cody Martin, Vasilije Micic and a second-round pick from the Phoenix Suns.

If Nurkic sticks in Charlotte, I'd expect him and Moussa Diabate to be the team's top centers. I was really excited to see Diabate get more run and possibly become a big fantasy asset, but this trade could really limit what he does.

Moving Micic and Martin keeps the guard and forward spots open for the likes of Dalton Knecht, Josh Green, Josh Okogie, Nick Smith Jr., and others. Knecht and Smith are the waiver wire players I'd be targeting, while Green and Okogie are more deep-league options.

Micic and Martin are likely going to have hard times cracking the rotation in Phoenix with all the star power and current talent on the team. I don't think this will impact much at all for the Suns, at the guard, forward or center spots.

Clippers Obtain Bogdan Bogdanovic

The Los Angeles Clippers made a big move to get Bogdan Bogdanovic. They traded Terance Mann, Bones Hyland and three second-round picks for Bogdanovic.

Adding Bogdanovic gives the Clippers more reason to think they can come out of the loaded Western Conference. He's likely to come off the bench, but should play enough minutes to be a decent fantasy asset. He's rostered in 34% of leagues, and I'd expect him to top out at 50% if the Clippers are healthy.

This trade shouldn't affect James Harden, Norman Powell, Kawhi Leonard, Derrick Jones Jr. or Ivica Zubac much. This deal has a better chance to affect some backups, like Amir Coffey and Kris Dunn. 

Keep an eye on the team's box scores over the next few weeks to see how the rotation might shake out and what changes happen.

Dennis Schroder Traded Again

Dennis Schroder was traded for a third time in a day span when the Detroit Pistons landed him from the Utah Jazz. Detroit sent Utah Kenyon Martin Jr., Josh Richardson and a second-round pick.

Schroder should be able to carve out a decent role, but behind Cade Cunningham and Tim Hardaway Jr., I'm not sure Schroder will log enough minutes to retain his current fantasy value.

This move might keep Marcus Sasser out of the rotation. Aside from that, I don't see much else in Detroit changing.

I'm not sure Richardson is going to be able to crack the rotation in Utah. Martin, on the other hand, has a decent chance of increasing his fantasy value, even if he's coming off the bench every night. He's a player to keep an eye on for sure.

Wizards Get Marcus Smart in Three-Team Deal

In the other Washington deal I was referencing earlier, the Wizards got Marcus Smart from the Memphis Grizzlies. Washington got Sacramento Kings' Colby Jones and Alex Len, along with a first-round pick in the deal too.

Memphis landed Marvin Bagley III, Johnny Davis and two second-round picks. The Kings got Jake LaRavia in the deal.

I'm curious to see how much Smart ends up playing in Washington, if he stays there at all. It won't be easy with all the guards and forward the Wizards have. Len has a chance to play a little role, but it likely won't be significant. I don't see Jones playing much, if at all, there.

Smart not being in Memphis gives more opportunities to Luke Kennard, Scotty Pippen Jr. Jaylen Wells, Vince Williams Jr., GG Jackson II and others. Not having LaRavia there is good news for Santi Aldama, Zach Edey, Brandon Clarke and maybe Jay Huff.

I don't anticipate Davis or Bagley doing much in Memphis.

LaRavia is a sneaky good add for the Kings. He should come off the bench, but might be able to log enough minutes as a backup forward to be a decent fantasy asset. I'd keep a close eye on him.

Other Deals

There were a few other minor deals that happened.

The Houston Rockets landed Cody Zeller and a second-round pick from the Hawks for the draft rights to Alpha Kaba. If Zeller sticks on the roster, I don't see him contributing much behind Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams, among other centers.

The Raptors got James Wiseman and cash from the Indiana Pacers in exchange for a second-round pick. Wiseman barely played in Indiana, so this won't affect them. I don't think Wiseman will play in Toronto either, so this was all about a second-round pick and clearing roster space and cash.

The Milwaukee Bucks got Kevin Porter Jr. from the Clippers for MarJon Beauchamp. Porter has a way bigger chance of carving out a role on his new team. AJ Green, Ryan Rollins and Gary Trent Jr. could lose minutes with Porter around. If Beauchamp remains in LA, I doubt he plays much behind all the guards and forwards the Clippers have.