Fantasy Basketball: The Jeff Green Trade
Here we are again as it’s time to analyze another NBA trade in the fantasy basketball realm. They just keep coming and coming and coming. The main factor in this one features the Memphis Grizzlies getting Jeff Green and how the leftover pieces with the Boston Celtics will be impacted.
Jeff Green averaged 17.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.4 threes in 33 minutes per game with a 23.7 usage rate in Boston. It’s hard to imagine any of that keeps up as he goes to Memphis where the offense revolves around Mike Conley, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. Green’s fantasy status takes a big hit as he falls back into being a role player compared to one of the featured guys.
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It’s hard to get a read on how the Memphis wings will be impacted. Courtney Lee and Vince Carter are playing 32 minutes and 17 minutes per game, respectively, but they’ve sent out 43 minutes a night in Tayshaun Prince and Quincy Pondexter. Best-case scenario for people using Lee/Carter for threes in deeper leagues there will be no drop-off and maybe even a slight increase.
Worst-case scenario has Green taking on a much bigger role than I anticipate and he becomes the main small forward.
From the Celtics’ perspective this is much like the New York Knicks dumping J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert. Despite Boston sitting just three games out of a playoff spot in the top heavy Eastern Conference, this season is going to be about developing players for the future.
In Saturday’s game without Green against the Toronto Raptors, head coach Brad Stevens gave Jae Crowder 22 minutes, Marcus Smart 29, Avert Bradley 34, Evan Turner 27, Marcus Thornton 10 and James Young six. Young is a guy I’m keeping tabs on because of his potential down the stretch. He can end up being a good source of points and threes if given enough run.
Bradley continues to be playable and Crowder is middling, but better than he was in Dallas. I could see there coming a point when Crowder can be useful in extremely deep 12-team leagues or 14 team leagues.
Some quick notes from Sunday night’s action:
- Lakers guard Kobe Bryant sat out again due to rest. He’s done this twice in the last three games and five times in the last 10. Since taking three games off the most run he’s accumulated in a single game is 33. Bryant is still valuable when he plays, but he’s now becoming Spurs-like on the Lakers. That’s annoying.
- In a win against the Lakers, Chris Kaman played over 30 minutes for the first time this season and responded with nine points and 12 rebounds. One night or a sign of things to come with Robin Lopez still on the shelf?
- Hello there, DeMarcus Cousins. After a couple of slightly down games to start the month he’s gone on an absolute tear. Cousins went off for 26 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and four steals in a win versus the Cavaliers on Sunday. In his last three games he has 10 blocks. He’s averaging four assists per game in five games during the month of January. Just a beast of a human.
- It took one game for the Cavs to put Timofey Mozgov in the starting lineup. He responded with 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting with 12 rebounds and two blocks in 33 minutes. Tristan Thompson saw only 23 minutes off the bench and posted six points and three boards.