Fantasy Trade Analysis: Gerald Wallace, Aaron Brooks & More

The minutes leading up to the 3:00pm EST trade deadline Thursday didn’t disappoint. There was a flurry of last-minute swaps around the NBA, a league whose GMs appear to have caught some kind of bloodlust for transactions akin to the fever teenage girls have for Bieber. This means that there’s a whole lot to digest today. Let’s wade through the aftermath and assess the effects of the last-minute trading frenzy for fantasy basketball owners.

1) Houston Rockets get Hasheem Thabeet; Memphis Grizzlies get Shane Battier

Battier will serve as a serviceable replacement for the injured Rudy Gay, who may or may not return before the regular season’s over. We know Battier’s deal by now: He’s solid across the board, save for his vulnerable free-throw shooting. Expect more of the same now that he’s back in Memphis.

Thabeet isn’t going to suddenly become a relevant fantasy asset overnight, but given the Rockets’ lack of depth at the center position, he could be worth owning in deeper leagues for his blocks.

Chase Budinger, fresh off of his 30-point outburst on Wednesday, should own the starting job at small forward for the Rockets now, boosting his value and making him a solid pickup in many leagues.

Terrence Williams has yet to play a single second for in February, but he could be pushed into some playing time now. He’s not worth an add just yet, but keep an eye on him.

Chuck Hayes shouldn’t be too affected by Thabeet’s arrival, so his appeal should remain strong.

2) Houston Rockets get Goran Dragic; Phoenix Suns get Aaron Brooks

Brooks has been one of the biggest disappointments of the season, but he should experience a slight resurgence in Phoenix. He’ll still be a backup point guard, which keeps his ceiling quite low, but Brooks could emerge with decent value should Steve Nash or even Vince Carter go down with an injury.

Dragic remains unappealing in all but the deepest of leagues, but could have some value if Kevin Martin ever goes down with an injury.

Kyle Lowry is now locked into that starting point guard job that seemed so vulnerable earlier this season. He should finish the season strong.

3) Boston Celtics get Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic; Oklahoma City Thunder get Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson

Green loses some value, as he’ll back up Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and maybe even Ray Allen at times. If either of those guys gets rest down the stretch, Green could have a few nice games late in the season. Green might also see minutes at power forward while Garnett plays some center, given the Celtics’ shallowness at the five spot now.

Krstic’s fantasy appeal remains unchanged. He’s decent to own in deeper leagues but doesn’t offer much beyond that, especially once Shaquille O’Neal returns.

Perkins should see plenty of run at center for the Thunder, once his knee heals up, of course. He should be a solid source of rebounds and blocks the rest of the way.

Robinson goes from backing up Rajon Rondo to backing up Russell Westbrook. His appeal remains weak.

Glen Davis should get some extra tick for the Celtics, but he’s not much more than a solid bench guy in most leagues.

Delonte West and Von Wafer will take over the backup point guard duties Robinson has left behind, but neither guy has much appeal.

James Harden should get more run with Green out of the picture and looks like a sneaky-good pickup in many leagues. He’s already putting up solid all-around numbers and should be even better going forward.

Serge Ibaka also looks like a winner here, as he’ll likely take over the starting power forward position for the Thunder. He’s averaged 11 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.7 blocks in nine games as a starting power forward this season.

4) Portland Trail Blazers get Gerald Wallace; Charlotte Bobcats get Joel Przybilla, Dante Cunningham and Sean Marks

Wallace will have a smaller role in Portland, which means he’ll score less and play less than the 39 minutes a game he’s averaging so far this season. With less pressure to score, Wallace could be a steadier source of rebounds, steals and blocks, though that’s not a certainty by any means. He’ll still be a worthy starter in fantasy leagues, but will have a lower ceiling.

Przybilla and Cunningham remain marginally appealing guys in deep leagues, while Marks remains a nonfactor.

Boris Diaw should benefit from this deal, but we thought that when Tyrus Thomas went down. Expect Diaw to see a slight boost in production across the board, but don’t expect it on a consistent basis.

Gerald Henderson becomes a very intriguing player now, and with coach Paul Silas saying his young player will get heavy minutes, Henderson is a great pickup right now. Add him if you can reasonably spare a spot.

Nicolas Batum seems like the biggest loser here. He’ll lose plenty of minutes to Wallace and could be waiver-wire fodder soon enough.

5) Oklahoma City Thunder get Nazr Mohammed; Charlotte Bobcats get D.J. White and Morris Peterson

Mohammed’s value remains muted, but he could be a factor for however long Perkins is out.

White and Peterson remain unimportant.

6) Cleveland Cavaliers get Semih Erden and Luke Harangody; Boston Celtics get a 2013 second-round draft pick

Erden could be a minor factor on some nights, but he should be left alone for now. He was planning on having surgery in the offseason and could opt to accelerate those plans now that he doesn’t have much to play for on the lowly Cavs. Keep an eye on his situation.

Harangody remains negligible.

7) Sacramento Kings get Marquis Daniels; Boston Celtics get cash considerations

Daniels is already done for the season, with surgery to repair his spinal cord likely to be in his future.

Throughout the season, be sure to leave your questions, comments, concerns, trade offers, roster problems and more in the comments below.

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