The NBA trade deadline is next Thursday, February 8, and some NBA teams are making moves that are precautionary or perhaps even preparatory in nature that should be of interest to fantasy managers. Let's look at some of the more interesting of these potential precursors to a deal.
The Memphis Grizzlies have temporarily shut down Tyreke Evans in anticipation of trading him. Evans is having a throwback/breakout season thanks to the extra opportunity he has received for injury-depleted Memphis, but the team is going nowhere and they don't see Evans in their future. In the meantime, with Evans "on a break" and Mario Chalmers out with a hamstring injury, the Grizzlies are giving big minutes to Andrew Harrison (98.6 percent available), Wayne Selden (99.6 percent available) and possibly even Ben McLemore. On Wednesday, Selden starred with 24 points (8-14 FG, 2-2 FT), 6 3-pointers, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot. Harrison was strong as well, with 13 points (4-8 FG, 5-5 FT), 6 assists and 5 rebounds -- although he did also commit 6 turnovers.
The Chicago Bulls have also shut down Nikola Mirotic for the "immediate future" for similar reasons. The rumor mill says that Mirotic was very close to having been traded to the New Orleans Pelicans earlier this week, and he is clearly still on the block. Lauri Markkanen also missed Wednesday's game for personal reasons so, for at least one night, Paul Zipser started and produced 9 points (3-5 FG), 3 3-pointers, 2 rebounds and 1 assist in 20 minutes. Bobby Portis (76.6 percent available) played 28 minutes off the bench and scored 8 points (4-15 FG) with 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block and 1 steal.
The Phoenix Suns cut Greg Monroe on Wednesday, which frees him up to sign with a team that might actually see him in their future plans. Meanwhile, in Phoenix, Tyson Chandler was back in the starting center slot with Marquese Chriss (85.7 percent available) as the primary contributor in the middle with 15 points (5-7 FG, 4-5 FT), 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block in 28 minutes as the starting power forward. The Suns seemingly are embracing the youth movement, as Josh Jackson (88.9 percent available) started -- even with Devin Booker's return from injury -- and produced a team-high 21 points in just 28 minutes.
Wednesday recap
Box scores
Highlights:
CJ McCollum, Portland Trail Blazers: 50 points (18-25 FG, 8-8 FT), 6 3-pointers, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 3 TO
Terry Rozier, Boston Celtics: 17 points (6-14 FG, 2-4 FT), 11 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 2 TO, +32
Nicolas Batum, Charlotte Hornets: 10 points (4-9 FG, 1-1 FT), 11 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals, 1 3-pointer, 4 TO
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers: 29 points (8-19 FG, 12-14 FT), 14 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 3-pointer, 1 block, 3 TO
Lowlights:
Tim Hardaway Jr., New York Knicks: 4 points (1-10 FG, 2-2 FT), 1 rebound, 1 assist, 27 minutes
James Johnson, Miami Heat: 8 points (4-9 FG), 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 TO
Tristan Thompson, Cleveland Cavaliers: 0 points (0-5 FG), 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 assist, 2 TO
Taurean Prince, Atlanta Hawks: 0 points (0-2 FT), 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 TO
Wednesday takeaways
On Wednesday, Embiid returned to action after sitting out Monday's second half of a back-to-back. He performed to normal levels against a weak Brooklyn Nets defense. Embiid is expected to play in both halves of the back-to-back set that begins on Friday. Ben Simmons had another strong game on Wednesday (24 points, 11-16 FG, 2-2 FT, 7 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 TO) and JJ Redick returned from injury with a solid 20 points (4-10 FG, 9-10 FT), 3 3-pointers, 2 rebounds and 1 steal.
The Nets were led on Wednesday by Spencer Dinwiddie (27 points, 6-13 FG, 13-15 FT, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 3 TO), but got several other noteworthy fantasy performances. Jarrett Allen started again at center, turning in 16 points (5-6 FG, 6-6 FT) with 12 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks in 26 minutes. The biggest news was the performance of D'Angelo Russell, who looked like his old self with 22 points (8-15 FG, 4-5 FT), 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 3-pointers, 1 block and 1 steal (1 TO) in only 17 minutes off the bench.
Enes Kanter has been the most impressive player on the Knicks in the last week, and he followed up last outing's 20-20 with 17 points (7-10 FG, 3-3 FT), 17 rebounds and 1 blocked shot in 27 minutes on Wednesday, albeit in a 30-point loss to the Celtics.
The Celtics were dominant without Kyrie Irving on Wednesday, led by Rozier (87.3 percent available) -- who became only the second player in NBA history to turn in a triple-double in his first start. Tony Wroten did it for the 76ers in November, 2013.
Myles Turner was back in the starting lineup on Wednesday, posting 15 points (3-6 FG, 8-12 FT), 11 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 steals and 1 3-pointer in 33 minutes. This sent Domantas Sabonis back to the bench, but he still flirted with a triple-double scoring 10 points (4-5 FG, 2-3 FT) with 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in his 21 minutes.
Zach LaVine turned in a strong game for Chicago with 23 points (8-13 FG, 4-7 FT), 3 3-pointers, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot in 22 minutes as the starting shooting guard.
Injuries of note
Dennis Schroder injured himself in the first half of Wednesday's game, although he continued to play through the pain, wrapping his shoulder on the bench during timeouts. There is no word yet as to whether this will cause him to miss time moving forward, starting with Atlanta's next game, on Friday against the Celtics.
Speaking of Boston, Marcus Morris bruised his left hip by falling after a dunk attempt in the third quarter. He was helped to the locker room and didn't return. If he misses time, Jayson Tatum is the first player that could see an uptick in minutes.
Jusuf Nurkic limped to the locker room late in the third quarter of Wednesday's game with a left quad contusion, and he didn't return. He is questionable for Portland's game on Friday against the Raptors.
Isaiah Canaan fractured his left ankle on Wednesday, and the initial expectation is that he may be done for the season. In the short term, Tyler Ulis (98.6 percent available) looks to be the beneficiary of extra minutes for the Suns.
Analytics advantage for Thursday
The Grizzlies have traditionally been one of the best defenses in the NBA, but they have struggled this season with a gaggle of injury absences and currently rank No. 21 in defensive rating with 109.2 points allowed per 100 possessions. One of the ways in which they have struggled is defending the 3-pointer, as they rank 25th in the NBA in 3-point percentage allowed at 37.3 percent. Their Thursday opponents, the Detroit Pistons, have a new post-trade lineup overflowing with 3-point shooters like Stanley Johnson (94.6 percent available), Anthony Tolliver (99 percent available) and Reggie Bullock (91.2 percent available).
Top players to watch tonight
Will Blake Griffin make his debut for the Pistons on Thursday? He is available to play, but is currently being listed as questionable. If he does take the court, it's worth watching to see the start of the "Griffin Era" in Detroit. If he sits, it's still worth watching, if only to see if the Pistons role-player wings can replicate their huge games from Tuesday.
What does James Harden do for an encore to his 60-point triple-double, against a tough San Antonio Spurs defense?
The Washington Wizards played well and upset a hot Oklahoma City Thunder team in their first game since John Wall opted for knee surgery. It was a solid team effort, but can they replicate it on Thursday against another tough opponent, the Raptors? Or will their secondary players turn out to be hit-or-miss types that are unreliable from game-to-game?
