There was no shortage of impact trades leading up to Thursday's NBA trade deadline. Superstars who changed teams this season included Anthony Davis, James Harden, Jaren Jackson, Ivica Zubac and Darius Garland. Let's sift through the aftermath and discuss five players to consider adding who are still available in the majority of CBS leagues.
Week 17 Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire
Kyle Filipowski, Utah Jazz
(44% rostered)
The Jazz have been a tanking team in recent seasons. They made their first big trade to improve their roster immediately by acquiring Jaren Jackson Jr. from the Grizzlies. In the deal, they sent three first-round picks to Memphis. They have the potential to enter next season with an excellent starting lineup of Jackson, Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler, Keyonte George and Ace Bailey.
Despite the addition of Jackson, the Jazz are still in line to try to improve their lottery odds down the stretch. They are 7.5 games back of the final play-in spot in the West and would need to overtake three teams to get there. The likelihood of that happening is slim. That means that Jackson, Markkanen and Jusuf Nurkic should continue to see rest days. That's good news for Filipowski, who has averaged 11.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.1 three-pointers over his last 13 games.
Jaden Ivey, Chicago Bulls
(41% rostered)
The Bulls were one of the most active teams at the deadline. They traded away four key
There was no shortage of impact trades leading up to Thursday's NBA trade deadline. Superstars who changed teams this season included Anthony Davis, James Harden, Jaren Jackson, Ivica Zubac and Darius Garland. Let's sift through the aftermath and discuss five players to consider adding who are still available in the majority of CBS leagues.
Week 17 Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire
Kyle Filipowski, Utah Jazz (44% rostered)
The Jazz have been a tanking team in recent seasons. They made their first big trade to improve their roster immediately by acquiring Jaren Jackson Jr. from the Grizzlies. In the deal, they sent three first-round picks to Memphis. They have the potential to enter next season with an excellent starting lineup of Jackson, Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler, Keyonte George and Ace Bailey.
Despite the addition of Jackson, the Jazz are still in line to try to improve their lottery odds down the stretch. They are 7.5 games back of the final play-in spot in the West and would need to overtake three teams to get there. The likelihood of that happening is slim. That means that Jackson, Markkanen and Jusuf Nurkic should continue to see rest days. That's good news for Filipowski, who has averaged 11.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.1 three-pointers over his last 13 games.
Jaden Ivey, Chicago Bulls (41% rostered)
The Bulls were one of the most active teams at the deadline. They traded away four key players in Nikola Vucevic, Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu and Kevin Huerter. However, they aren't short on guards. In addition to holdovers Josh Giddey and Tre Jones, the Bulls acquired Ivey, Anfernee Simons and Collin Sexton in various trades.
Simons and Sexton are free agents after the season and likely aren't in the Bulls' rebuilding plans. Ivey is a restricted free agent, and the Bulls might be more inclined to try to keep him long term. The former fifth overall pick played limited minutes for the Pistons in his return from a leg injury but still shot 45.0% from the field and 37.2% from behind the arc. He started in his Bulls debut Thursday, providing 13 points, four rebounds, six assists, three steals and three three-pointers over 33 minutes. It appears he is lined up to play a lot down the stretch, which makes him a viable fantasy option in 12-team and deeper leagues.
Jarace Walker, Indiana Pacers
(34% rostered)
The Pacers addressed their void at center by acquiring Ivica Zubac from the Clippers. They lost Bennedict Mathurin as part of the trade, but their future is bright. When they get Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles) back for next season, they will have a stellar core of him, Zubac, Pascal Siakam and Andrew Nembhard.
With their eyes already on next season, the Pacers are likely to continue to try to improve their lottery odds down the stretch. They only lose their 2026 first-round pick to the Clippers if it falls between 5-9. However, if they can add a top-four selection to their already excellent starting lineup, they could easily vault right back to the top of the Eastern Conference. That means we should continue to see more minutes for some of their young players, one of whom is Walker. While averaging 26 minutes over their last 13 games, Walker has averaged 14.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.1 three-pointers.
De'Anthony Melton, Golden State Warriors
(21% rostered)
The Warriors reportedly tried to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Bucks, but the former MVP ultimately stayed in Milwaukee. The Warriors did finally move Jonathan Kuminga, sending him and Buddy Hield to the Hawks for Kristaps Porzingis. Porzingis is a big name, but injuries and illness have limited him to only 17 games this season. He has played at least 60 games in a season just three times in his career.
Expecting Porzingis to all of a sudden be healthy and play a lot is not realistic. The Warriors will continue to need added production from some of their role players, one of whom is Melton. He has battled his own injury issues, but Melton has averaged 13.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.7 three-pointers across his last 18 games. He likely won't be playing 30 minutes a game on a regular basis, but he can certainly play around 25 minutes a night. That's enough to warrant rostering him in many formats.
GG Jackson, Memphis Grizzlies
(25% rostered)
The Grizzlies have already had frontcourt issues this season with Zach Edey (ankle) and Brandon Clarke (calf) playing a total of just 13 games. Neither player is expected back soon, so the trade of Jackson leaves the team with very little size. Outside of Santi Aldama, they don't have many proven frontcourt options.
GG Jackson figures to benefit from the Grizzlies' trade with the Jazz. He had already been playing more lately, averaging 24 minutes over the last seven games. With more opportunities, he provided 13.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 three-pointers. After shooting only 37.2% from the field last season, Jackson is shooting 48.5% this season. He has the potential to play around 25 minutes a game from here on out, making him worth taking a chance on in fantasy.
