Luka Doncic tallied his third career triple-double last night and is now just one triple-double shy of tying Jason Kidd's rookie franchise record. While Doncic put on a playmaking show in overcoming Kemba Walker's 30-point effort, the compelling takeaway was that despite playing 26 minutes in the win, Dallas forward Harrison Barnes was dealt to the Sacramento Kings during the game.
The Kings sent over promising young wing Justin Jackson and the expiring contract of Zach Randolph to Dallas for Barnes, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon. Z-Bo is expected to accept a buyout from Dallas, while Jackson will compete for minutes at the wing with Dallas' Dorian Finney-Smith, conveniently referred to as DFS. Jackson and DFS claim very similar scoring and shooting profiles, but for now, I'm more intrigued with Finney-Smith's stronger defensive rates (1.5 combined blocks and steals per game). Both are worth considering only in deeper leagues and for daily fantasy lineups.
The 26-year-old Barnes, who led the Mavs in scoring the previous two seasons, is averaging 17.7 points per game this season yet is shooting just 41 percent from the field, the second-worst mark of his seven-year career. The Kings have had success running with smaller lineups that include Bogdan Bogdanovic at small forward, but they've reportedly had a zeal for more size and versatility between both forward spots to make a real run at the playoffs. If anything, Barnes' stock rises heading to a Kings team that is second in the league in pace and should accommodate a healthy usage rate for the veteran wing who was among the league leaders in direct isolation scoring last season.
Sacramento also dealt defensive-minded wing Iman Shumpert to the Rockets where the veteran shooting guard becomes a fun fantasy flier (rostered in just 1.2 percent of ESPN leagues). Shumpert has averaged 1.6 combined blocks and steals and 1.8 3PG for the Kings and could attempt to mimic the valuable 3-and-D role Trevor Ariza served in Houston in recent seasons.
Wednesday recap
Highlights
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks: 43 points (17-21 FG), 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 4 TO
Thomas Bryant, Washington Wizards: 26 points (12-19 FG), 14 rebounds, 4 assists 2 blocks
Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks: 19 points (5-20 FG), 10 rebounds, 11 assists, 3 TO
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets: 25 points (8-13 FG), 14 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 TO
Lowlights
Willie Cauley-Stein, Sacramento Kings: 3 points (1-5 FG), 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 TO
De'Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings: 6 points (3-8 FG), 2 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 TO
Will Barton, Denver Nuggets: 3 points (1-6 FG), 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 TO
Wednesday takeaways
A flurry of other NBA transactions unfolded yesterday, namely with the Wizards purging contracts to get under the luxury tax. On Wednesday, Washington traded forward Otto Porter Jr. to the Chicago Bulls for forwards Bobby Portis and Jabari Parker and a protected 2023 second-round draft pick. Porter's stock rises heading to a Chicago roster likely to afford him gobs of minutes, touches and shots. Even if this deal doesn't make the most "real" sense for a Chicago team best served pursuing draft capital, the fantasy impact for Porter is almost entirely positive, given the lack of offensive upside in his role with the Wiz. As for Parker and Portis, I'd like to see how their roles play out in Washington to properly assess respective fantasy stock. Portis appears to have the clearer role with Washington if you're apt to speculate, especially since the Wizards also traded forward Markieff Morris to the New Orleans Pelicans for forward Wesley Johnson, the teams announced Wednesday night. Morris averaged 11.5 points and 5.1 rebounds for the Wizards and is likely a buyout candidate for New Orleans. If I'm chasing any player on Washington in the wake of these moves, it's Bryant, who delivered another big double-double last night and is available in free agency in roughly 80 percent of leagues.
Cleaning up some other lower-wattage, but still key, transactions from yesterday, the Miami Heat traded guards Tyler Johnson and Wayne Ellington to the Phoenix Suns for veteran forward Ryan Anderson on Wednesday. Johnson could see great opportunity rates as a combo guard for the Suns, a team badly in need of distribution help from the backcourt. Ellington, a shooting specialist who hasn't been able to get off the bench in Miami much, is likely to be bought out in the coming days.
Amid all the Anthony Davis drama, the Lakers dealt guard Sviatoslav "Svi" Mykhailiuk, and a second-round draft pick to the Detroit Pistons for guard Reggie Bullock. With the Pistons, Bullock averaged 12 points and shooting 38 percent on 6.6 3-point attempts per game and could emerge as a worthy specialist if the Lakers find steady minutes for him.
The Milwaukee Bucks possibly made their key trades earlier in the season when acquiring George Hill. The team did net Stanley Johnson from the Pistons yesterday in exchange for Thon Maker, but it's unlikely either becomes fantasy relevant on their new teams. With the league's best record and the first team to 40 wins already, the Bucks likely don't need much outside help, especially since on Wednesday they scored the most points in a game since Nov. 1989. The Bucks joined the Warriors this season as not only the two teams to have scored 50 points in the first quarter of a game this seaosn, but it's the first time any team has done so since 1990. The Bucks' 85 points on a porous Wizards defense marked the most they have scored in a first half in franchise history. Antetokounmpo, meanwhile, finished one point off his career high.
We saw a whopping 265 points scored in Brooklyn last night in a shootout between the Nets and Nuggets. Jokic and D'Angelo Russell were both excellent on offense, but it was veteran wing DeMarre Carroll who broke out, as his 49 fantasy points using DraftKings' scoring key saw him finish fifth among small forwards in such production last night. Once viewed as a buyout candidate, Carroll produced 18 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals last for a team-best net rating of plus-24. Shabazz Napier, meanwhile, continues to shine in the Spencer Dinwiddie role for the Nets, posting 10 points and 11 dimes in the win on Wednesday.
The Suns are enduring a season-high 12-game losing streak and have lost 19 of their past 21 games. The franchise's longest losing streak in history is 15 straight (2017-18 season). Countering this decidedly negative trend is the emergent play of second-year combo forward Josh Jackson, who tied his season-high with 27 points last night and could be an interesting flier while surging on offense.
James Harden tallied 36 points last night in a win over the Kings, extending his streak of consecutive games with at least 30 points to 28 games, just three shy of Wilt Chamberlain for the second-longest streak in NBA history (Chamberlain also claims the longest streak).
Injuries of note
The Spurs list both LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan as probable in Portland tonight after resting against the Warriors on Wednesday.
Kyle Kuzma is listed as probable for the Lakers' visit to Boston tonight, while the Celtics' Kyrie Irving is similarly listed as probable and expected to play.
Analytics advantage for Thursday
Memphis' Marc Gasol has been ruled out for tonight's game against the Thunder amid trade talks. ESPN's Brian Windhorst has mentioned a deal has been brewing to send Gasol to the Hornets that could enter the final stages of negotiations on Thursday. With Gasol off the floor this season, gifted rookie Jaren Jackson Jr. scores nearly four more fantasy points per 36 minutes using DraftKings' scoring model. Available in free agency in roughly a third of ESPN leagues and affordable in DFS play, JJJ is a savvy target to consider tonight.
Top players to watch tonight
With so much meaningful movement the past few days, it's essential to check in on these new-look rosters around the league. The Clippers, for instance, play in Indiana tonight without Tobias Harris, who was shipped to the 76ers in a surprising blockbuster that unfolded early on Wednesday.
I'm intrigued to see just how Harris' offensive workload splinters throughout the Clippers' rotation, namely with rookie Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and veteran scoring guard Lou Williams, who both stand to inherit sizable upticks in opportunity rates. The trade deadline will create new roles around the league, and it's incumbent upon fantasy investors to quickly reassess the marketplace.
