NBA Trade Tracker: 7 Trades You May Have Missed

Written by

Updated on June 28, 2015 3:07PM EST

For hardcore NBA fans, the draft is one of the best days of the year, in part because it's an ideal environment for teams to complete trades. This year, 11 non-rookie players were traded on or around the day of the NBA draft. We'll be breaking down all the key rookies over the course of the summer, but here's a rundown of how each veteran player who was part of a trade had their fantasy value change in kind with their area code:

Nicolas Batum

Batum had a disappointing 2014-15 fantasy season, finishing as just the 74th most valuable player, after back-to-back seasons in the top-35. He struggled in part because he was hampered by a wrist injury, and if healthy, Batum was already primed for a bounce-back season in 2015-16 before the trade happened.

Lots of players find themselves re-energized on a new team, and given the Hornets' need for scoring and shot creation, Batum is in line to reclaim his spot in the top-50 of fantasy players next season. Assuming he plays 34 minutes per game, a hair below the level coach Steve Clifford has played Kemba Walker the past two seasons, Batum should be a solid-to-good contributor in assists, steals, blocks, and three-pointers, with a stat line that will look something like this:

Batum	FG%	FT%	3PM	REB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS
2015-16 Proj	43%	83%	1.7	6.0	4.7	1.0	0.8	11.4

The projection above would have ranked Batum 38th overall last season, right in line with his fantasy value prior to the wrist injury that resulted in his tumble down the rankings. In addition, it's possible Batum finishes even higher if he's asked to take on a larger scoring role in Charlotte. However, after watching Lance Stephenson struggle to fit in with this Hornets group last season, it's probably unwise to project Batum for more than 11.4 points per game until we see how things play out in the preseason.

Jeremy Lamb

In addition to Batum, Charlotte also added another wing player the day before the draft, former lottery pick Jeremy Lamb. Although Charlotte already traded Lance Stephenson and Gerald Henderson, not to mention Matt Barnes, it's hard to imagine Lamb getting much more than the 12 mpg that he got last year in Oklahoma City as long as Batum and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist are on the team and starting at two of the wing positions. At 12 minutes of playing time, Lamb would project to have the following stat line:

Lamb	FG%	FT%	3PM	REB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS
2015-16 Proj	40%	92%	0.7	1.6	0.7	0.3	0.2	5.4

The projection above obviously ranks well outside the top-250 players in fantasy. Unless the Hornets decide to go super small with Kidd-Gilchrist or Batum at power forward a lot, it's hard to see how Lamb would be able to get enough minutes to be a consistent option in fantasy.

Mason Plumlee

One of the most exciting moments of the draft was when Plumlee broke the news of his trade on Twitter:

Thanks to Brooklyn for a great two years !
— Mason Plumlee (@masonplumlee) June 26, 2015

Plumlee had an uneven sophomore campaign. He was both completely unownable at times and the most popular pickup at other points in the season. On the whole, Plumlee finished outside the top-200 players in fantasy largely due to his 50 percent free-throw rate, which a bit of an outlier after he shot 66 percent from the line as a rookie.

On the positive side for Plumlee, he'll likely get his best opportunity to play starter level minutes in Portland next season as LaMarcus Aldridge and Robin Lopez seem poised to leave the team in free agency this summer. If we assume that Plumlee can carve out 27 mpg, his projection for next season would look something like this:

Plumlee	FG%	FT%	3PM	REB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS
2015-16 Proj	60%	54%	0.0	7.6	1.2	1.0	1.1	11.3

The projection above would have had Plumlee in the top-100 last season, mainly due to his elite field goal percentage (61% career) and positive contributions in rebounds, steals, and blocks. If he can return to the 66 percent free-throw rate he shot as a rookie, Plumlee will have a chance to break into the top-75.

Gerald Henderson

Despite playing starter minutes during the past two seasons, Henderson failed to finish in the fantasy top-150 in either season. While it's true that Portland suddenly has more openings in their rotation than most playoff teams, it seems unlikely that they'll consider the 28-year-old Henderson to be part of the team's long term future. As a result, 26 mpg seems like a fair expectation until we have a better idea of what the Blazers' rotation will look like next season. At that level of playing time, Henderson can be expected to put up the following stat line in Portland:

Henderson	FG%	FT%	3PM	REB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS
2015-16 Proj	44%	81%	0.4	3.2	2.2	0.7	0.3	11.9

There's little to get excited about in the projection above, which would value Henderson right around the 200th fantasy player.

Noah Vonleh

Presumably the reason Portland traded Batum to Charlotte was for the chance to acquire the 19-year-old former lottery pick. Despite receiving limited playing time in his rookie season, it's easy to see why Portland is interested in taking a chance on the young power forward. Vonleh averaged 12.0 rebounds, 1.3 blocks, and 0.7 three-pointers per 36 minutes last season. While it's unreasonable to expect Vonleh to play 36 mpg after only playing 10.3 mpg in 25 contests as a rookie last season, it's quite possible that he could bump up to the 20-mpg range which would put him just outside the top-200 with the following projection:

Vonleh	FG%	FT%	3PM	REB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS
2015-16 Proj	46%	69%	0.4	6.7	0.3	0.3	0.7	6.5

If Portland is even more aggressive in their rebuilding efforts and they choose to give Vonleh 24 mpg, that would put him in the top-170. He would need to play about 26 mpg to get in the top-150. Depending on how the Blazers roster looks heading into next season, Vonleh may be someone to keep an eye on this offseason in case he gets a bigger role than is currently expected.

Tim Hardaway

Despite Hardaway's lack of effectiveness during his first two years in New York, the Knicks were able to acquire a first-round draft pick for the guard. With DeMarre Carroll entering free agency in a few days, Hardaway's role on the Hawks is fairly up in the air at this point, but it's hard to believe that a team that won 60+ games last season will head into next season with Hardaway as a starter. We projected Hardaway as a key reserve, with 22 mpg, and that gave us the following projection:

Hardaway	FG%	FT%	3PM	REB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS
2015-16 Proj	40%	81%	1.6	1.9	1.4	0.3	0.1	10.6

Hardaway's only positive fantasy contribution would be in three-pointers, and he would be outside the top-200 at this level of production. Even if Hardaway plays 28 mpg next season, he still projects to finish outside the top-150, which means he's a player to stay away from in standard leagues.

Matt Barnes

Matt Barnes started the offseason with the Clippers, but he was traded to the Hornets for a few days before seemingly finding a new home in Memphis. If he plays the same 24 mpg as Tayshaun Prince did when he was with the team last season, Barnes' projection would look like this:

Barnes	FG%	FT%	3PM	REB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS
2015-16 Proj	45%	75%	1.3	3.8	1.4	0.8	0.5	8.6

Barnes still has some fantasy value because of his steals and three-pointers. The projection above would have ranked Barnes as the 167th ranked player last season.

Greivis Vasquez

Coach Jason Kidd ran a fairly deep rotation last season as veterans O.J. Mayo, Jared Dudley, Zaza Pachulia, Ersan Ilyasova, and Jerryd Bayless all played between 22-24 mpg last season. Assuming Vasquez fits into a similar veteran role, his projection for next season would look like this:

Vasquez	FG%	FT%	3PM	REB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS
2015-16 Proj	42%	83%	1.2	2.6	4.7	0.5	0.1	9.5

Due mostly to the assists and three-pointers, the projection above would have ranked Vasquez as the 173rd ranked player last season.

Jon Leuer

If Leuer fills a similar role in Phoenix as he did in Memphis, about 12 mpg, his projection for next season would look like this:

Leuer	FG%	FT%	3PM	REB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS
2015-16 Proj	52%	66%	0.2	3.2	0.5	0.4	0.1	5.0

The projection above would have been well outside top-250 last season. Leuer's ability to rebound and score efficiently would have some fantasy value on the off chance that he's able to carve out a bigger role in Phoenix. If he plays 27-28 mpg, he'd have a chance to sneak into the top-120.

Steve Blake

Blake played 19 mpg last season, and despite having Deron Williams and Jarrett Jack still on the Nets' roster, Blake's track record suggests he'll be able to carve out a similar role wherever he goes. Assuming he plays 15 mpg, his projection next season would look like this:

Blake	FG%	FT%	3PM	REB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS
2015-16 Proj	39%	77%	0.8	1.5	2.6	0.5	0.1	3.7

The projection above would obviously be well outside the top-250.

Luke Ridnour

Its uncertain whether or not Ridnour will stay with the Thunder, as his contract for next season is non-guaranteed. Even if he stays on the team, he projects to be a poor man's Steve Blake:

Ridnour	FG%	FT%	3PM	REB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS
2015-16 Proj	40%	78%	0.4	1.1	1.8	0.3	0.1	3.3