One of the best ways to improve your fantasy basketball team at this stage of the season, as the calendar is close to flipping to 2025, is by making a trade.
So which players should you be thinking about dealing? And who are the guys around the NBA that you should be looking to acquire?
Here are fantasy basketball experts Andre Snellings, Eric Moody, Eric Karabell, Jim McCormick and Steve Alexander with the names at the top of their mind.
Players to trade for
Stephen Curry, PG, Golden State Warriors: Curry hasn’t exactly thrived in December, including a recent game in which he missed all attempted field goals, but better times are pending. Curry is seeing ample shots and piling on the assists, and with an offense so dependent on him, Curry could easily average better than 25 PPG and close to 50 ESPN fantasy PPG the rest of the season. Invest at a perceived discount rate before it is too late. — Karabell
Paolo Banchero, PF, Orlando Magic: With his extended injury absence, some fantasy hoops managers may be getting antsy and willing to move on from him. But, before his injury, Banchero was off to an outstanding start to the season. And in his absence, Franz Wagner was putting up monster numbers until his own injury. The Magic will need for Banchero to produce in a big way on a nightly basis, making him good long-term value. — Snellings
Fred VanVleet, PG, Houston Rockets: VanVleet is in a shooting slump, hitting just 32.8% on 15.2 attempts per game. Despite that, the Rockets are 7-3, thriving on defense. VanVleet still contributes rebounds, assists and steals, showing his all-around value. He averaged 17.4 PPG and 8.1 APG last season while shooting 41.6% from the field, so his shooting should bounce back. Now’s the perfect time to trade for him in fantasy leagues before he regains his form. — Moody
Desmond Bane, SG/SF, Memphis Grizzlies: The amazing upward trend in Bane’s first few seasons came to a troubling stop amid last season’s injury issues and this winter’s cold start. The thing with players who establish an elite skill at this level over several seasons is that I give them more grace when struggling. I don’t think we’ll see the mid-20s efficient scoring from 18 months ago suddenly reemerge, but I do buy a middle ground where Bane becomes a top fantasy option into the deeper stages of the season. — McCormick
Giannis Antetokounmpo, PF, Milwaukee Bucks: He’s not for everyone due to his poor free throw percentage (career-low 61.4%) and there’s a decent chance his fantasy manager is tired of losing that category every week, as he shoots more than 11 of them a night. He’s scoring a career-best 32.7 points per game and will help teams dominate in scoring, rebounding, assists and blocks, as well as field goal percentage. If you’re in a category league and your team is already poor in free throw percentage, adding Antetokounmpo could be a league-winning move. — Alexander
Players to trade away
Joel Embiid, C, Philadelphia 76ers: Hate to keep harping on this theme, but just because Embiid is playing this week it hardly assumes it will be the case in a few weeks or months. Arguably the biggest, most important injury risk in the sport is at least back playing at a high level, and now is a wise time to see if you can swap him for a more reliable top 50 player. Even the most optimistic among us realize there will be myriad missed games in Embiid’s future. — Karabell
James Harden, PG/SG, LA Clippers: I’d trade Harden while his value is at its highest point. His volume has been higher this season with Kawhi Leonard out, up 5.5 PPG and 1.3 RPG from last season. But Kawhi is getting closer to a potential return, able to play in a 5-on-5 contact scrimmage last week, and when he does it moves Harden back into a secondary role in the Clippers’ offense. — Snellings
RJ Barrett, SF/PF, Toronto Raptors: Barrett is having a stellar season, averaging 23.5 PPG, 6.8 RPG, and 6.1 APG with a 29.3% usage rate, making him a strong “Most Improved Player” candidate. However, with Immanuel Quickley set to return, Barrett’s usage and production are likely to dip. For fantasy managers, now might be the ideal time to trade him at peak value. — Moody
Cameron Johnson, SF/PF, Brooklyn Nets: He’s been a special shooter for the first few months and while that appears real, his role is inflated by injuries around him on the roster. The most fragile part is that he could be moved to a destination that suits him as a specialist and not this primary scoring threat that Brooklyn demands. — McCormick
LaMelo Ball, PG, Charlotte Hornets: When is a good time to trade Ball? Any time he is actually healthy and playing, which is right now. He had 23 points, eight assists and five 3-pointers on Monday night. However, he has already missed nine games. Add to it the fact that the Hornets only have seven wins, and Charlotte has no incentive to play him down the stretch. More missed games are coming and a shutdown is possible, so moving LaMelo whenever you can find the right taker makes a lot of sense. — Alexander
