Trade these players before it’s too late

With ESPN’s Fantasy Basketball trade deadline looming on Friday, February 17, our experts will identify players to consider trading before it’s too late.

Andre Snellings, Eric Moody, Jim McCormick, John Clegane, Steve Alexander and the players they’re eyeing.

I’m skeptical of the situation when a player is clearly good enough to start but comes off the bench for a team with a surplus in his position, playoff aspirations and other positions that could be improved with a trade. Look for situations that fill a hole. Three names that fit that bill and immediately come to mind are Russell Westbrook, Caris LeVert, and Bogdan Bogdanovic. But Westbrook has been in trade rumors for his second season in a row, and he’s actually thriving in the No. 6 role, so we’ll see more of his other two.

A combo wing of sufficient talent, LeVert was once traded as a staple of a multi-team deal and traded in exchange for Victor Oladipo’s young multiple-time All-Star. He’s only the sixth player with the Cavaliers to average 12.5 PPG behind Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland, but in three seasons from 2019-20 to 2021-22, LeVert has averaged 18.5 PPG, 4.6 APG, It was 4.1 RPG, 1.6 3PG, and 1.1. His SPG of 30.6 MPG. Still in his 20s, his LeVert has the advantage of improving those numbers if traded to a team where he can start. The Cavaliers have young stars in four of his five starting positions, and if Lebart can be the center of a deal to reclaim his block at his forward, the Smalls’ forward, officials said. It may be worth it for everyone.

With the Hawks, Bogdanovic will come off the bench behind the star backcourt of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray. The Hawks had reached the conference finals two seasons ago, but rumor has it that they are in turmoil as a team this season. If either Murray or Young are traded or Bogdanovic is traded to regain help for other positions, Bogdanovic has proven productivity and advantage. Bogdanovic has averaged over 15 PPG for four consecutive seasons, and although he typically plays the role of No. 6, his production-per-36 batting average over that span has more than offset his advantage as a starter. Represents: 18.9 PP36, 4.4 RP36, 4.0 AP36, 3.5 3P36 and 1.3 SP36. — Snellings

Even if Houston pursues lottery-winning chances as a primary goal, visionaries shouldn’t miss the rise of second-year center Alperen Sengan. Calling him “Baby Joker” might be overkill, but I think I called him that. No, he’s not a one-man offense, but he’s a major distributor in Houston and will see plenty of minutes and contacts even with more losses. Bain has been sidelined with injury for most of the season, overshadowing a huge jump in goals and assists. He can get nearly prime Klay Thompson results at a discounted price. — McCormick

For the team I’m looking for a medium risk high reward swing. Jaren Jackson Jr. is my number one target. We know his floor at this point: about 16.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.5 3 seconds, 2.0 blocks, 1.0 steals.But Jackson’s ceiling road taller than. It’s one of those vaulted buildings that requires a ladder to change a light bulb. Is it his line against the Pacers Sunday? 28 points, 8 rebounds, 3 3s, 5 blocks, a steal? that’s too expensive. In the match against Phoenix on January 16, he scored 18 points and had 8 rebounds. 6 blocks, 2 steals, 1 3. But that’s why JJJ is still intriguing…and a compelling big swing towards your trading deadline.

PS: Phoenix Suns. They are getting healthier, but they have a lot of work to do. Don’t expect much load management until a top 6 sleeper is guaranteed. — Cregan

I target players with the best playoff schedules and not too high a trade price tag. I was only asked two, but I came up with three options.

Maxxie and the Sixers have a perfect playoff schedule (4-4-3-4-4), and given the fact that they have only scored 8 and 13 points in their last two games, now is the time to offer Maxxie. It’s a good time to He is averaging 19.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.3 3-pointers in January and is officially recovering from a broken leg. It might strengthen him before the playoffs.

Tanks are on in Houston, but Martin looks like a player who can play minutes to the end. He’s had a double-double in two of his last three games, and in his 10th straight game he’s played at least 27 minutes and the Rockets are fantasy he’s 4-3-4-4 in his playoffs. I got a grade of -4. And when the Rockets start shutting them down, he really should take off.

Eason has a string of double-doubles and is only 21 years old. Once they shut down the ‘stars’ Eason should see a boost in minutes and play through to the end of the season fantasy his playoff schedule is perfect March and he will turn into a monster in April There is likely to be. He was also able to average steals, blocks and 3-pointers while scoring and rebounding for the Rockets. — alexander

Bogdanovic is one of the players that comes to mind because he’s in some bright spots offensively on the Pistons team, which ranks 29th in points per 100 possessions. This season, Bogdanovic has averaged 30.2 fantasy points per game for him and his goal completion percentage on the field was 48.7%. Just think what his fantasy ceiling would be if he played for a team that offered more quality looks. Bogdanovic is in the midst of his career year and can make an immediate impact on any team he joins. — moody