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André Snellings
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André Snellings
ESPN Senior Writer
- Dr. André Snellings is a senior writer for men’s and women’s fantasy basketball and sports betting at ESPN. André has a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Michigan. He joined ESPN in 2017 after a 16-year career as a neural engineer, during which time he was also a writer and analyst for Rotowire.
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Eric Moody
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Eric Moody
ESPN Writer
- Eric Moody is a writer for fantasy football, men’s and women’s basketball, and sports betting at ESPN. Eric joined ESPN in 2021 after working as a senior fantasy analyst at Pro Football Network. Prior to that, he spent much of his career as a manager at a Fortune 100 financial services company.
Multiple Authors
When the deals go down leading up the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline, check back in as our fantasy experts Andre Snellings and Eric Moody provide their reaction.
Our NBA trade tracker is updated as each deal happens, to help you keep track of all the player movement.
So who are the players that benefit most from each deal? Who could see their fantasy value sink?
Here’s the latest following a hectic stretch leading up to Thursday’s deadline day.
Snellings: The Clippers and Cavaliers have swapped All-Star point guards, with Harden headed to Cleveland in exchange for Garland and a second-round pick. Both teams are claiming this to be a “win-win” deal, with the Cavaliers getting the 36-year-old Harden to try to “win now” and the Clippers acquiring a 26-year-old two-time All-Star to compete now and grow for the future. But how will fantasy managers be affected by this deal? Let’s explore.
Harden on Cavaliers
Harden was having one of his best fantasy seasons in recent years. He currently ranks 12th in the league in total fantasy points and 13th in fantasy points per game, and for category leagues he ranks eighth in the ESPN Player Rater. But Harden accomplished this for a Clippers team with him and Kawhi Leonard as the only true offense generators (and Leonard sat out 13 games in the first half of the season), so Harden was often a unipolar offensive threat. Harden dominated the ball with the Clippers, usually bringing it up the court and acting as one of the main decision-makers for who would shoot and when. Harden’s usage rate (percentage of possessions he ended with a shot, assist or turnover) was 31.3%, his highest mark and the first time he had a mark over 30% since his last full season with the Rockets in 2019-20.
Though Harden will still run the point for the Cavaliers, his usage should go way down since he will go from the co-main option to either No. 2 or No. 3. Donovan Mitchell is the No. 1 option for the Cavaliers and has had a usage rate over 30% every season he has played in Cleveland. Evan Mobley is the main frontcourt scoring option for the Cavaliers and will have to get his touches as well. The departed Garland had a usage rate of 25.4%, and Harden’s usage in Cleveland probably will fall somewhere in the middle of his own Clippers’ usage and Garland’s in Cleveland.
For Harden, the lower usage probably means fewer points and assists. Instead of being a borderline top-10 fantasy player as he has been all season, Harden projects to more of a top-25 player moving forward. Mitchell might also see a decrease in usage and production while sharing the backcourt with Harden, sliding from seventh in total fantasy points to more of a top-15 option. Interestingly, both Mobley and Allen could see an uptick in scoring and field goal percentage as Harden’s pick-and-roll partners. Both are excellent finishers and should be able to take advantage of the good looks Harden creates.
Garland on Clippers
Garland’s situation is the opposite of Harden’s. After sharing the backcourt with a higher-usage threat on a deep Cavaliers team, he will now get the chance to be more of a unipolar offense producer on a Clippers squad that lacks creators outside of Leonard on the wing. Garland’s career-best averages of 21.7 points and 8.6 assists came in his third season, at age 22, before Mitchell’s arrival with the Cavs. Garland has the upside to reach or surpass that level of production for the Clippers … if he can get healthy.
Garland sat out 25 of the Cavaliers’ first 51 games because of a lingering toe injury, and hasn’t played since Jan. 14. Garland ranked 83rd in fantasy scoring average this season, but his average was down more than five FP/G from last season and it was clear the injury was hampering him. Garland’s scoring average from last season (38.9 FP/G) would rank in the top 40 this season, so if he gets fully healthy, his upside is at least top 40 with a chance at top 30. But health is a big if.
Fantasy value increases: Darius Garland
Fantasy value decreases: James Harden, Donovan Mitchell
Snellings: The Jazz have acquired Jackson, John Konchar, Jock Landale and Vince Williams Jr. from the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Walter Clayton Jr., Kyle Anderson, Taylor Hendricks, Georges Niang and three first-round picks. Several of the players involved were in both teams’ rotations and could have impact on fantasy streaming options, but here we’ll focus on the fantasy implications for the main impact player in the deal, Jackson.
Jackson was second on the Grizzlies in scoring average at 19.2, just behind Ja Morant’s 19.5 and ahead of Santi Aldama (14.0), who ranks third. But since Morant has sat out 28 of 48 games this season, Jackson has been the primary scoring option for the Grizzlies for much of 2025-26. On the Jazz team as currently constructed, Jackson would move to a third option on offense behind Lauri Markkanen (27.4 PPG) and Keyonte George (24.2 PPG). Jackson is a strong shooter from outside, and he is also solid at linear drives to the rim and finishing in the paint. He operates in similar areas as Markkanen and probably will alternate with Markkanen as the pick-setter for George in the pick-and-roll/pop.
Jackson’s volume likely decreases a bit, but his percentages could increase. Before the trade, Jackson ranked around 60th in points and 30th in category leagues. After the trade, Jackson probably slides a bit to top 80 in points and top 50 in category leagues.
Fantasy value increases: Santi Aldama, Cedric Coward
Fantasy value decreases: Jaren Jackson Jr., Jusuf Nurkic
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Nikola Vucevic drains it from downtown
Nikola Vucevic hits the 3 Indiana Pacers
Moody: The Celtics and Bulls completed one of the most impactful frontcourt-backcourt swaps so far as we approach the trade deadline, with Vucevic heading to Boston and Simons moving to Chicago in a deal that also included second-round picks heading to Chicago. For Boston, the move addresses a clear need. After losing depth in recent seasons, the Celtics were searching for a reliable, floor-spacing center, and Vucevic fits that role perfectly.
The veteran big man has averaged 16.9 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists this season. Since entering the league in 2011-12, no player has recorded more double-doubles than Vucevic (578), and he is one of only three players in league history with at least 10,000 rebounds and 900 3-pointers made. Over the past five seasons, only Karl-Anthony Towns has made more 3s among centers. Vucevic’s ability to stretch the court should open up Boston’s offense while stabilizing the paint.
From Chicago’s perspective, Simons provides much-needed scoring punch. He has averaged 14.2 points off the bench this season and leads all reserves with 130 3-pointers made. His shooting efficiency gives the Bulls a reliable perimeter playmaker as they reshape their roster around younger guards and future assets. Both players are on expiring contracts, giving each team flexibility moving forward. Boston also gains significant salary relief, while Chicago secures a younger scoring option with upside.
Fantasy value increases: Anfernee Simons, Jalen Smith
Fantasy value decreases: Neemias Queta, Luka Garza
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