Dr. A's Fantasy Basketball Weekend Recap: Kyrie to Dallas, Warriors Lose Curry + More Notes and Observations

The annual frenzy ahead of the trade deadline (Thursday afternoon) kicked off in a big way on Sunday when Shams Charania announced to the world that Kyrie Irving was heading to Dallas to play with Luka Doncic.

Everything you need to know about that, plus all the injury news you might have missed over a busy weekend in The Association, is included below. 

Luka gets help... or does he?

The Nets are sending Kyrie Irving and Markieff Morris to the Mavericks in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a 2029 first-round pick, and 2027 and 2029 second-round picks. 

The deal immediately gives the Mavs one of the best backcourts in the league, along with some hope that they can get to the Finals, assuming Irving plays every night, Luka and Christian Wood stay healthy and the two guards can co-exist happily. Dallas' defense is going to take a hit though, as DFS was one of their toughest defenders and Irving isn't exactly known as a defensive specialist. The Mavs are going to have to score a ton of points for this to work. 

And then there's the whole "Kyrie in the locker room" piece of this. He's left a trail of headaches and heartache wherever he's been over the past five years or so with Kevin Durant and the Nets as his latest victims. Josh Green is the Maverick who might benefit the most from this move and I'm all for picking him up and seeing what happens. There is a path to minutes and production for him going forward and he just needs to walk it.

Reggie Bullock also gets a bit of a boost and he'll be the Mavs' three-point specialist the rest of the way. Wood (thumb) is nearing a return and we might finally get a look at the new Mavs' lineup on Wednesday night. Wood has missed eight straight games with the injury but has a chance to play on Monday at Utah. 

The Nets got better defensively and it should be fun to watch DFS play alongside Nic Claxton, while Dinwiddie had a resurgence in Dallas and will have a solid workload in his return to Brooklyn. The big questions now become: When will we see Kevin Durant again? And, is he's the next player to be moved by the Nets?

If Durant is on the move, the Suns have already indicated they are prepared to go after him. KD and Irving only played in 74 games together and won one playoff series, meaning the entire plan of pairing them together was a disaster. And if KD ends up leaving they'll basically have to start over. But with Dinwiddie, Claxton, Ben Simmons (knee) and Durant (knee), the Nets should still have enough firepower to make a run in the East if they keep the gang together. 

It will be very interesting to see how Luka and Irving play together and I'm guessing the Mavs are going to try to sign Irving to an extension so he doesn't walk this summer. And while there's a decent chance this pairing will backfire, the Mavs felt like these were desperate times in an effort to get Luka help and keep him happy. While I don't know what pieces they still have to get another perimeter player back in return, they may not be done dealing yet. Add Green and then sit back and watch the new-look show in Dallas.

Kyrie will get his physical on Monday and plans on making his Dallas debut on Wednesday at the Clippers. Luka (heel) has also been ruled out for Monday's game in Utah but could also play on Wednesday. With Luka and Kyrie out tonight, a guy named McKinley Wright IV (or Frank Ntilikina) could start at point guard, while Jaden Hardy or Bullock will likely start at shooting guard. There will be some interesting streaming options for the Mavs on Monday, as Wright, Hardy, Ntilikina, Tim Hardaway, Bullock and Dwight Powell will all be forced into heavy minutes. 

In other Nets news, with Kyrie sitting out on Saturday both Cam Thomas and Edmond Sumner went off in a win over the Wizards. Sumner started and had 29 points, a steal, a block and hit 9-of-19 shots and two 3-pointers in that one, while Thomas came off the bench to hit 16-of-33 shots and four triples for a career-high 44 points, five rebounds and five assists. Both players are worth grabbing until we see how this all shakes out and it's even possible they both hold some fantasy value going forward. But with Dinwiddie expected to start at point guard and Durant being about a week away, it's also possible that both players end up fizzling out. 

In the end, I think the Nets got about as much as they could for Irving and Nets fans have to be relieved that the drama is over. At least as long as KD comes back and the Nets continue to make a run at winning the East this season. Seth Curry (adductor) has already been ruled out for Monday against the Clippers and Simmons (knee) is iffy after missing his last four games. The trade and all these injuries further the case for Sumner and Thomas in fantasy. T.J. Warren (shin) is likely to return to action on Monday after missing four straight games. 

Rockets Watch

The Rockets were rolled by the Thunder on Saturday night and Josh Christopher and TyTy Washington both scored 20 points off the bench. The Rockets have a great playoff schedule and Jabari Smith, Kenyon Martin Jr., Tari Eason, Christopher and Washington may all be worth stashing in preparations for your fantasy postseason. Especially if the Rockets start shutting guys down. Eric Gordon and Jae'Sean Tate were rested on Sunday and Kevin Porter Jr. remains out with his foot injury, helping to clear the way for Christopher and Washington to play well. 

Weekend Injury Roundup

• Stephen Curry has been diagnosed with partial tears to several left leg ligaments and is likely going to miss several weeks, although Steve Kerr says he'll play again in the regular season. Jordan Poole and Donte DiVincenzo are both going to see a significant boost with Curry out indefinitely. 
• Ja Morant (wrist) sat on Sunday for the Grizzlies against the Raptors but he'll hopefully be ready to go for the upcoming week. Any time Ja is out, Tyus Jones is the answer. Dillon Brooks was also out for Memphis on Sunday due to a suspension but should be good to go this week. 
• Brandon Ingram scored a season-high 35 points on Saturday and then sat out Sunday's back-to-back set to give his gimpy toe a rest.
  • Jonas Valanciunas (quad) also sat on Sunday after going for 18 points, 14 rebounds and five dimes in Saturday's win over the Lakers, which snapped a 10-game losing streak. The Pelicans also waxed the Kings on Sunday night to extend their new winning streak to two games.
  • They're still waiting for Zion Williamson's (hamstring) return and he should be re-evaluated soon. Once Williamson is back the No. 10 Pelicans will re-start their run at the playoffs. Trey Murphy, C.J. McCollum, Naji Marshall, Larry Nance and Willy Hernangomez all played well for the injured Pelicans on Sunday, while the Kings proved they can't do much without De'Aaron Fox (personal).
    • Fox has missed two straight games and if he's going to miss more, Malik Monk is the guy I'd recommend streaming. 
• Kyle Anderson (back spasms) got hurt on Sunday night and Matt Ryan started in his place for the second half against the Nuggets. Be sure to watch for news on Anderson's back on Monday and Tuesday ahead of Tuesday's game against the Nuggets. 
• Nikola Jokic missed Sunday's game with a hamstring injury and is day-to-day after the Nuggets were blown out by the Wolves without their star. Jamal Murray (knee), Aaron Gordon (ankle), and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (ankle) all joined Jokic on the sidelines on Sunday and are all day-to-day.
• Jusuf Nurkic will sit through the All-Star break with his left calf strain. Drew Eubanks and Trendon Watford are both worth a streaming look right now, but neither player is a must-add.
• Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee) is probable for Monday and should be good to go for the Bucks. 
• RJ Barrett (illness) was a very late scratch for the Knicks on Sunday, which burned me in DFS. He should be fine for the upcoming week, I'd think. 
• Bradley Beal (foot) was out again over the weekend and is questionable for Monday's game against the Cavs. If he's out, Corey Kispert should start and Deni Avdija will remain relevant. 
  • Avdija balled out again on Saturday with 23 points, six boards, three dimes, four assists and four three-pointers and I think he's worth grabbing everywhere. Kyle Kuzma (ankle) has already been ruled out for Monday, which is more good news for Avdija.
• OG Anunoby (wrist) missed the week for the Raptors and could return on Feb. 8 against the Spurs, but his name is being floated in a lot of trade rumors so he may be done playing for the Raptors. Precious Achiuwa and Chris Boucher are both worth a look with the open minutes in Toronto. 
• Devin Booker (groin) is targeting a return on Tuesday against the Nets. In other Suns' news, it was reported by Chris Haynes on Sunday that the Suns were prepared to trade Chris Paul in an Irving deal, which is interesting. 
• Keldon Johnson (ankle) is questionable for the Spurs on Monday against the Bulls. Doug McDermott and Josh Richardson will both see a boost if Johnson can't go. Tre Jones (foot) is also iffy for Monday and Malaki Branham could be worth a stream if he misses another game.
• Jeremy Sochan (back) has already been ruled out for Monday, which is a shame. He was really heating up but it's probably worth grabbing a healthy free agent in his absence (like Richardson). 
• Caris LeVert (hamstring) was out on Sunday for the second straight game and Cedi Osman will get most of his minutes. Osman hit just 3-of-12 shots in that one and, as usual, is a tough fantasy pill to swallow on most nights.
  • Isaac Okoro had 20 points, two steals and three three-pointers against the Pacers on Sunday and is usually a safer bet than Osman.
• Kyle Lowry was out with a sore left knee for the Heat on Saturday and Gabe Vincent is the play on nights when he's out. And no, I don't understand why the Heat don't just give the starting gig to Vincent regardless of Lowry's health.
  • Victor Oladipo (ankle) missed his second straight game on Saturday and Max Strus is the guy to grab on nights when 'Dipo is sitting. 
• Marcus Smart (ankle) may be out through the All-Star break, giving Derrick White and Malcolm Brogdon a boost for the Celtics. 
• Isaiah Stewart (hip) is questionable for the Pistons on Monday against the Celtics. Jalen Duren is the pickup here, while Isaiah Livers should also get a bit of a boost if he's out. 
• Jarred Vanderbilt (back) is iffy for the Jazz tonight and Walker Kessler and Kelly Olynyk get a spark if Vando can't go. 
• Patrick Williams (ankle) is probable for the Bulls on Monday against the Spurs so he should be fine to put into lineups for the week. 
• Trae Young missed Saturday's Hawks' game against the Nuggets with an illness, but you have to think he'll be ready to go on Tuesday at New Orleans. 

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