With the trade deadline and All Star break nearing, NBA teams might start to commit to tanking, which can lower the appeal of certain fantasy stars. It doesn’t hurt to begin moving players on struggling teams, given they could be shut down if they were to get injured. Below are a few players who are worth buying low and selling high, based on their performances over their last few games.

 

If you are in a favorable position in your league standings, now is a great time to take advantage of teams who are desperate to win now, instead of focusing on games later on in the season. If you are struggling in the standings, it doesn’t hurt to look to buy some of these players at a discount while their value is lower than usual.

 

 

Buy Low

 

Paolo Banchero

(Orlando Magic F)

 

Paolo Banchero has struggled recently as he’s averaging 18.3 PPG, 6 RPG, and 4.3 APG on 39% from the field and 23% from deep over his past four games. Banchero put up 22.6 PPG, 6.9 RPG, and 5.4 APG last season, so once he gets in a rhythm, Banchero should be able to get back on track for Orlando.

 

Banchero will have less upside once Wagner returns to the lineup, but it should take some offensive pressure away from him, which should allow Paolo to improve his efficiency.

 

Franz Wagner

(Orlando Magic F)

 

Franz Wagner has been out for an extended period of time with a torn oblique, but he’s expected to return within the next week or two, which makes him a viable buy low option. Wagner is having a career year as he’s put up 24.4 PPG, 5.7 APG, 5.6 RPG, and 1.7 SPG on 46/32/88 shooting splits through 25 games this season.

 

Franz’s volume will probably fall as he was seeing a much larger workload with Paolo Banchero out, but he should still have a prominent role as a secondary on-ball option for Orlando.

 

 

Derrick White

(Boston Celtics G)

 

Derrick White has been in an offensive rut as he’s shot the ball poorly for Boston. White is averaging 9.6 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and 1 BPG on 29% from the field and 19% from 3PT range over his last five contests. Derrick is accumulating 16.2 PPG, 4.4 RPG, and 4.1 APG on 43/37/83 shooting splits to begin his 2024-25 campaign. White has shown he is a viable all around player so he is fully capable of bouncing back in the coming weeks.

 

Kawhi Leonard

(Los Angeles Clippers)

 

Kawhi Leonard has been on a minutes restriction (21.8 MPG) since returning to LA’s lineup, which has limited his fantasy appeal. Leonard has averaged 13.6 PPG, 2.6 RPG, and 1.2 SPG on 49/35/80 shooting splits over his first five games this season. Leonard put up 23.7 PPG, 6.1 RPG, and 1.6 SPG on 52/42/88 splits last year, so he’s proven that he can perform more reliably in future contests. There’s some risk with Leonard given he’ll sit in back to back games but has increased fantasy appeal once his minutes restriction is lifted.

 

 

Jimmy Butler

(Miami Heat G/F)

 

Jimmy Butler hasn’t been amazing since his return from suspension, as he’s accumulated 13 PPG, 4.5 APG, and 3 RPG on 45% from the field over his past two games. Despite his initial lack of assertion, Butler still possesses all around upside due to his physicality and playmaking.

 

Butler is averaging 17.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 4.6 APG on 55% shooting, so he’s definitely able to turn around his gameplay in the coming weeks.

 

Sell High

 

Jalen Green

(Houston Rockets G)

 

Jalen Green continues to dominate for the Rockets, as he’s gone for 30.8 PPG and 4.1 RPG on 54/51/94 shooting splits over his last eight games. Green is shooting out of this world recently given he’s only shot 43% from the field and 36% from deep this year.

 

Green hasn’t shown long term shot consistency which is why it’s unlikely for him to sustain his shooting success for the remainder of the year. Overall, this might be the highest value Green will be this season, which is why it’s a perfect time to trade him.

 

 

Desmond Bane

(Memphis Grizzlies G)

 

Desmond Bane has been shooting lights out, as he’s averaging 21 PPG, 5.4 APG, and 2.2 SPG on 61/50/90 shooting splits over his last five games. Bane is still serving as the third offensive option behind Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. Bane is shooting 49% from the field and 37% from deep this season, which means he’ll presumably cool off offensively.

 

Bane isn’t a must sell player given he’s still seeing a sizable role for a competitive Memphis squad, but his overall fantasy value will drop assuming his shooting regresses.

 

Zion Williamson

(New Orleans Pelicans F)

 

Zion Williamson has been consistent since returning, as he’s put up 20.3 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 6 APG, and 1.7 SPG on 52% from the field over his last three games. Williamson is on a struggling Pelicans team, which could lead to the organization having less urgency to play him heavily in future games. Due to his past injury history, Zion will be treated with safety gloves moving forward, meaning there’s a strong chance he won’t play back to back games and could miss an extended period of time if he were to suffer from a less severe injury.

 

Another potential factor working against Williamson would be the eventual return of Brandon Ingram (ankle injury). While there currently isn’t a timeline for Ingram’s return, Williamson will have less upside with BI back as there will be less on-ball possessions available for him.

 

 

Mark Williams

(Charlotte Hornets C)

 

Mark Williams has been a beast down low as he has averaged 24.7 PPG, 16 RPG, and 1.3 BPG on 69.8% from the field through his last three contests. While it’s nice to see Mark fully unleashed onto the league, this current scoring and rebounding pace is most likely unsustainable long term.

 

Couple that with the fact that the Hornets are a team struggling to win, it doesn’t hurt to look to move Williams while his value is super high as Charlotte could start tanking post NBA All Star break.

 

Jamal Murray

(Denver Nuggets G)

 

Jamal Murray has been scorching hot lately, as he’s averaging 29 PPG, 5.8 APG, and 1.5 SPG on 58/44/100 splits through his past four games. Murray is currently shooting 45% from the field and 38% from 3PT range to begin his 2024-25 campaign. Jamal isn’t a must sell player but there’s a strong chance he doesn’t play this well for the remainder of the season as his field goal percentages are unsustainable long term.

 

Other Buy Lows 

 

Jimmy Butler, Michael Porter Jr

Bam Adebayo, Jalen Johnson

 

 

Injured Buy Lows

 

Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Chet Holmgren

Franz Wagner, Brandon Ingram, Jonathan Kuminga,

Cam Thomas, Cam Johnson, Lauri Markkanen,

John Collins, Immanuel Quickley

 

Other Sell Highs

 

Malik Monk, Keyonte George

D’Angelo Russell, Trey Murphy

 

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