The NBA never sleeps. The Oklahoma City Thunder championship parade hasn’t even happened yet and Shams Charania is already dropping offseason haymakers. The Boston Celtics traded Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Anfernee Simons and two second-round picks.
There’s some fantasy fallout here, so let’s discuss:
Anfernee Simons – PG/SG, Boston Celtics
Simons has been itching to play for a contending team and he finally got his wish, joining the Celtics on an expiring contract. Given his talent as a scorer and volume 3-point shooter, he should fit right into Joe Mazzulla’s 3-point-centric offense. While this sounds positive in real life, I have questions from a fantasy perspective.
Fantasy take: Simons goes from the primary option in Portland to a third wheel with Boston. Simons has traditionally been a player who adds value in scoring, 3-point shooting, free-throw percentage and assists, covering four of the nine categories. That’s not enough to get excited, even if Tatum misses most of the 25-26 season. Simons’ defense is also a major question mark. If the scoring drops, that is also less appealing for points leagues. He underachieved last season, finishing 101st in 9-cat formats with an average draft position (ADP) of 78. And Simons has never finished above 93rd in 9-cat. It’s a pass for me, barring further roster changes by the Celtics.
Jrue Holiday – PG/SG, Portland Trail Blazers
Holiday is coming off his worst fantasy season since his rookie year. A move to Portland doesn’t necessarily make things better. Early indications are the Blazers want to keep him. Holiday was previously traded to Portland but rerouted to Boston in the Damian Lillard trade, so it’s an interesting turn of events when considering Jrue’s age, contract length and recent decline in production. It was clear that a change was needed, and replacing a streaky, shoot-first guard with a table-setting point guard could be what Portland needs to free itself from the stench of losing.
Fantasy take: This smells of bringing in a defensive-minded facilitator with a championship pedigree to get a young team moving toward playing winning basketball. Kevin O’Connor noted that the Blazers were a top-5 defense after the All-Star break and adding Holiday’s leadership will help on both ends of the floor. Holiday’s arrival likely stifles Scoot Henderson’s fantasy value a bit, but the real winner will be Deni Avdija. He was one of the unsung heroes of the fantasy playoffs, and I’ve already received a couple of votes of confidence from beat writers that they’ll be playing through Avdija next season. So load up shares of Avdija (and Toumani Camara) if you want to roster Blazers.
The NBA never sleeps. The Oklahoma City Thunder championship parade hasn’t even happened yet and Shams Charania is already dropping offseason haymakers. The Boston Celtics traded Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Anfernee Simons and two second-round picks.
There’s some fantasy fallout here, so let’s discuss:
Simons has been itching to play for a contending team and he finally got his wish, joining the Boston Celtics on an expiring contract. Given his talent as a scorer and volume 3-point shooter, he should fit right into Joe Mazzulla’s 3-point-centric offense. While this sounds positive in real life, I have questions from a fantasy perspective.
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Fantasy take: Simons goes from the primary option in Portland to a third wheel with Boston. Simons has traditionally been a player who adds value in scoring, 3-point shooting, free-throw percentage and assists, covering four of the nine categories. That’s not enough to get excited, even if Tatum misses most of the 25-26 season. His defense is also a major question mark. If the scoring drops, that is also less appealing for points leagues. He underachieved last season, finishing 101st in 9-cat formats with an average draft position (ADP) of 78. And he’s never finished above 93rd in 9-cat. It’s a pass for me, barring further roster changes by the Celtics.
Holiday is coming off his worst fantasy season since his rookie year. A move to Portland doesn’t necessarily make things better. Early indications are the Blazers want to keep him. Holiday was previously traded to Portland but rerouted to Boston in the Damian Lillard trade, so it’s an interesting turn of events when considering Jrue’s age, contract length and recent decline in production. It was clear that a change was needed, and replacing a streaky, shoot-first guard with a table-setting point guard could be what Portland needs to free itself from the stench of losing.
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Fantasy take: This smells of bringing in a defensive-minded facilitator with a championship pedigree to get a young team moving toward playing winning basketball. Kevin O’Connor noted that the Blazers were a top-5 defense after the All-Star break and adding Holiday’s leadership will help on both ends of the floor. Holiday’s arrival likely stifles Scoot Henderson’s fantasy value a bit, but the real winner will be Deni Avdija. He was one of the unsung heroes of the fantasy playoffs, and I’ve already received a couple of votes of confidence from beat writers that they’ll be playing through Avdija next season. So load up shares of Avdija (and Toumani Camara) if you want to roster Blazers.
