We lack clarity on when the Brooklyn Nets will play their next game and which players will be available to play in it, as the COVID-19 surge continues to affect the team and, for that matter, the entire population. However, there was a bit of good news recently, as the team announced its intention to permit point guard/shooting guard Kyrie Irving to rejoin the team for road games.
Yep, Kyrie Irving ... rostered in nearly 80% of ESPN standard leagues and a potential Hall of Famer someday, might become a part-time player! Rejoice!
There is fantasy relevance here, of course, but my first relevant thought here for fantasy purposes is that while this is better than the current deal, this is simply not good enough, and if one can still trade Irving away for a reasonable return, like another top-75 player who might play all the games, then do it.
Just the road games? The talented Irving, with career averages of 22.8 points and 5.7 assists per game, cannot play in New York proper until he complies with vaccine mandates -- and that might or might not happen -- but outside of New York, sure. I have no shares of Irving on any fantasy team, but if I had, I would have dealt him months ago, and now I vote to double down before reality sets in.
Too harsh? To be fair, Irving playing at all is better than what we have had the past few months, and we should point out there are a pair of January weeks in which the Nets play nothing but road games. Perhaps he is even ready to play by then! Still, for the other weeks, assuming you participate in a weekly format, it is going to be a challenge to rely on him.
Volume is critical. Irving playing one or two games most weeks might be enough for his real team, especially as it needs to cut back on volume for potential MVP Kevin Durant, but not for our teams. For daily formats, or in DFS, ignore everything I say on this topic. Vastly different strategy there.
Irving, by the way, has never been the most durable player in the sport and this has been an issue in the fantasy world for years, but now -- unless he gets the vaccine -- we already know he is missing roughly half the games, and that is before the risk of injury or, well, whatever. Reread that last part. Half the games as a baseline.
Perhaps it works out. I get why he leads ESPN's "most added" list. He should. He is so talented. If Irving sticks to his career averages, one or two games per week might eclipse what a fantasy manager's worst-activated player would do over three or four games, so maybe I should reassess. It just seems like this could end up frustrating Irving's fantasy investors even more, but in a different way.
I thought about leading this weekly column not with the impulse to trade Irving but focusing more on moving Durant, for the Nets pretty clearly made this surprise declaration in concert with his current elevated workload. Durant is averaging a hefty 37 minutes per game, second in the league to Toronto Raptors PG/SG Fred VanVleet, who is six years his junior.
Durant, 33, missed the 2019-20 season after tearing an Achilles. There is reason to worry. The Nets want to keep him healthy for the playoffs, not get him the regular-season MVP award. Adding Irving, even half the time, aids the important, big-picture pursuit, but it also hurts fantasy managers if they cut back his minutes and/or randomly sit him. Who knows, perhaps Durant plays only the home games. I am only half-serious.
OK, here is the latest edition of the Trade Index, and an early Merry Christmas to everyone! It may be tough to make trades with so many players and teams out of action, but do your best. We hope we can help.
Trade for
Julius Randle, PF, New York Knicks: Sure, I am a bit concerned about the Randle field goal percentage, but did you know Randle is shooting 42.8% from the field in December, and that is his best month? Much of the problem is on 3-pointers, and it should improve. Randle shot 41% from range a season ago. Now he is at 33%. This remains a fantastic fantasy option, so well rounded statistically, and a brief rejuvenation from Kemba Walker from the weekend alters nothing. If anything, if Randle got some consistent help around him (Alec Burks, Evan Fournier, anyone!), perhaps he would shoot better, not try to do everything. Whatever. Get Randle if still possible.
John Collins, PF, Atlanta Hawks: Some people may still complain about him being far from a 20-point, 10-rebound fellow, but there is something to be said about consistency. Collins is doing exactly what he did a season ago, and it is very good, so valuable. Collins is No. 20 on the full-season player rater, but I bet he would not cost near that in a trade.
Trade away
Isaiah Thomas, PG, Los Angeles Lakers: Wow, Eric, where is your holiday spirit? Thomas, 32, triumphantly returns to the league after years of hip troubles, plays a few games with his new team (his sixth in six years) and we rip him! Well, not exactly. This is about reality and fantasy value. Thomas used to be a score-first point guard, but it was a long time ago. There is short-term value as a 3-point option, until teammates return to health, but that is about it. He offers nearly no aid in boards and assists, and he is a big field goal percentage risk. Root for Thomas: It is fine to do so for this former relevant fantasy option, but chances are, he goes from our most added list to the other side rather quickly.
Kevin Love, PF, Cleveland Cavaliers: Again, it is a great story that Love, who used to be one of the top players in the sport, is putting up nice numbers again. The Cavaliers hope by keeping Love's minutes in check -- only 20 per night -- he can stay healthy, and so far, so good. Love is No. 64 on the 30-day player rater. It just seems unrealistic to expect someone, at 33 and having not eclipsed 60 games played since the Reagan administration (OK, since 2016!), to keep doing this.
More information needed
Chris Boucher, PF/C, Toronto Raptors: Not his first time in this section, but his situation has changed. Boucher has been a starter lately and the numbers are positive: 11.7 points, 6.4 rebounds per game and excellent shooting in December. For deep leaguers, with the blocked shots, Boucher matters. Can he sustain this when Precious Achiuwa returns to health? I really do not know and that is why we need to see more!