The best- and worst-case trade scenarios for Giannis Antetokounmpo’s fantasy value

giannis antetokounmpo is synonymous with milwaukee bucks. But it’s written in big letters on the wall that his time with the Bucks may end. Additionally, Giannis is dealing with a calf injury that has him out “indefinitely,” which practically translates to a four to six week range that could keep him out until March.

If Giannis were to be traded by this season’s NBA trade deadline on Feb. 5, what would it mean for fantasy squads? And what are the best and worst case scenarios for trading sites from a hypothetical perspective?

If Giannis is on your team, would a trade change his fantasy value? And if Giannis isn’t on your fantasy team, should you trade for him?

let’s explore.

How fantasy managers should anticipate a Giannis trade

Giannis is the most traded player in fantasy hoops over the past week Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Michael Porter Jr.., Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Jalen Brunson And carl-anthony town.

This is especially interesting given Giannis’ injury situation. Based on his uncertain prognosis, it’s possible Giannis may not play again before the fantasy playoffs in March.

On the other hand, last season’s major in-season trade involved Jimmy Butler IIIwho also battled an injury before joining the trade golden stateBut Butler returned to the court immediately after the trade. Given Giannis’s popularity in fantasy trades, perhaps some believe he will be moved from Milwaukee and may be able to return to action soon.

Another factor in his fantasy trade popularity may be his currently dropped value. Giannis is a top-five producer in the fantasy rankings, but his fantasy value is as low as ever due to injuries and trade speculation.

Therefore, teams willing to speculate on Giannis, even given the uncertainty, could agree to split the difference between Giannis’ typical top-five ranking and his current top-40 ranking in deals. And fantasy managers may be concerned enough about Giannis’ status to make a deal.

If Giannis is traded, what are the most likely destinations? Bobby Marks wrote a detailed description of potential trade market for itWhich highlights what all 29 teams have to offer and the 11 teams that have the best to offer.

best case scenario

From a fantasy hoops perspective, the best of the article’s 11 trade destinations for Giannis would likely be the Warriors. This is an ironic twist because the Warriors also ranked this very spot as the best potential landing spot for Butler last season. After Butler was traded there, he was a perfect fit from an NBA and fantasy standpoint.

But Butler recently tore an ACL and is out for the season. The Warriors still have experienced guys. Stephen Curry And draymond green As their core and hence the need to win now.

The article did not include any specific proposed trade package but did mention that the deal would have to include Butler and his $54 million salary. This also suggests the Warriors will likely trade Jonathan Kuminga and maybe Brandin PodziemskiBoth talented young players who could become players as the Bucks rebuild and up to four first-round picks. To make salaries equal, the Bucks would have to include one of bobby portis Or kyle kuzma.

This would be the perfect fantasy landing spot for Giannis as we would see him playing next to the greatest shooter in NBA history. No player in the league can dismantle defenses like Giannis, and no player creates and takes advantage of space more than Curry. Additionally, Curry is one of the best at moving without the ball and shooting from close.

giannis and a part of the reason damian lillard It never seemed like their synergy was maximized as Lillard liked to create his shots off the dribble and Giannis never looked completely comfortable with him creating his shots for him. The Warriors’ entire offense, including much of Curry’s coordination with Green, is based on Green finding Curry for spot-up jumpers. This will be even more lethal with Giannis as he will collapse the defense and get even better looks.

With Giannis and Curry on the same team, opponents will have no defensive strategy to cover that one-two punch. Apart from Curry and the first Butler, the Warriors do not have any other high-usage shot creator. On the Warriors, Giannis will be able to maintain his maximum usage but against much softer defensive coverages. This could result in increased volume and efficiency for Giannis and even more 3-point production from Curry and other Warriors.

worst case scenario

From a fantasy hoops perspective, the worst-case scenario would be Giannis being traded to a contending team with multiple high-usage shot creators that will take the ball out of his hands or an equal opportunity offense where Giannis can’t feature to the same extent.

Among the teams deemed to be in the best position to make a deal for Giannis are Houston Rockets (Assuming they kept Durant and alperen sengun), The new York Knicks (If, as mentioned in the article, they simply replace Giannis with Towns), the oklahoma city thunder (Next to Gilgeous-Alexander and potentially jalen williams and/or Chet Holmgren) and this San Antonio Spurs (Near Victor Wembanyama And De’Aaron Fox) are all teams that would become championship favorites with Giannis but that would reduce his fantasy value.

And adding Giannis to any of those teams would likely reduce the fantasy values ​​of those teams’ other star players.

What to do

If Giannis is on your fantasy team

• Explore his trade value in your league. If you can get a top 10 to 15 player in value in return then you should strongly consider dealing him to avoid the uncertainty of injury and an unknown potential trade destination.

• Even if you can only get top 20 to 25 value, it could be worth it, especially because injury could keep him sidelined for the remainder of the fantasy season.

If Giannis is not on your fantasy team

• Find out how much Giannis’ manager wants for him. The ideal profile of a team that should trade for him is a team already near the top of the league that has a chance of making the playoffs, even if Giannis doesn’t play out until the fantasy playoffs.

• For a team like this, making a deal for Giannis now at around top-25 player value could add a top-five caliber player in time for their playoff run. If you make the deal for Giannis, you know you’re taking a risk, so use your mouthpiece to try to get the deal done at as low a price as possible.