The 2022 trade deadline was as eventful as ever, headlined by the Ben Simmons and James Harden swap. Plenty of teams were active the whole week, and the action really began with the Trail Blazers sending Norman Powell and Robert Covington to the Clippers on Feb. 4.
Below is a comprehensive summary of all the trades that went down, plus Fantasy analysis to help you make important roster decisions. Your league's upcoming waiver period might be one of the most important of the season, as a few high-leverage pickups could propel you up the standings during the final weeks of the Fantasy season.
Blazers dump Powell, Covington to Clippers
Clippers receive: Norman Powell, Robert Covington
Trail Blazers receive: Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, Keon Johnson, 2025 second-round pick (via Pistons)
Fantasy implications: This was the deal, which broke on Friday, Feb. 4, that set the entire trade deadline into motion. We know now that Portland would ship CJ McCollum to the Pelicans a few days later, but this deal was the first indication that the Blazers were preparing for a full teardown. What remains in Portland is covered in more detail below, but as of now it looks like it will be the Jusuf Nurkic-Anfernee Simons-Josh Hart show for the rest of 2021-22.
Outside of that trio, several young players – Trendon Watford, Greg Brown, CJ Elleby, Keon Johnson, Dennis Smith – will contend for secondary roles. As the only true big man remaining on the roster outside of Nurkic, Watford is particularly appealing, though it's very possible Portland will cycle in some other options, via the G League or 10-day contracts, at center. Justise Winslow is also worth keeping an eye on. He's started both of his games since arriving in Portland, averaging 11.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 3.0 steals and 1.0 blocks in 33.0 minutes.
For the Clippers, Powell represents a massive upgrade over Amir Coffey at shooting guard, while Covington is a nice, versatile option any team would love to have. Powell is the better Fantasy option of the two, and he's already grabbed hold of a starting spot. Covington played 29 minutes off the bench against Memphis on Tuesday, finishing with 14 points, six boards, one assist, one steal and two blocks. Both players' values should remain about the same, provided at least one of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard remains sidelined.
Cleveland builds on success, acquiring LeVert
Cavaliers receive: Caris LeVert, 2022 second-round pick (via Heat)
Pacers receive: Ricky Rubio, lottery protected 2022 first-round pick, 2022 second-round pick (via Rockets), 2027 second-round pick (via Jazz)
Fantasy implications: While the move to Cleveland puts LeVert in a vastly better basketball situation, it's tough to view it as anything but a downgrade, Fantasy-wise. With Domantas Sabonis and Malcolm Brogdon both missing chunks of time recently due to injury, LeVert was essentially the No. 1 option for the Pacers for the past few weeks. In Cleveland, he'll fall in line next to All-Star Darius Garland and a talented frontcourt featuring Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley, Kevin Love and Lauri Markkanen.
LeVert averaged 18.7 points, 4.4 assists and 3.8 rebounds in 31.1 minutes with the Pacers this season. He'll certainly cede some shots to Garland, in particular, but LeVert should have an opportunity to trend close to those numbers with the Cavs, especially if he's utilized often as a leader of the second unit along with Kevin Love. He came off the bench in his Cavs debut Wednesday night, finishing with 11 points on 11 shots, two assists, one rebound and one steal in 28 minutes.
Indiana made another deal Tuesday, acquiring Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield from Sacramento for Domantas Sabonis. With LeVert out of the picture, Chris Duarte becomes a more valuable Fantasy option, especially with Malcolm Brogdon (Achilles) having only played in two games since Christmas. Realistically, the upside of Haliburton, Hield and Duarte is all tied to Brogdon. If he continues to miss time after the break, all three players could be in highly appealing situations. Hield could be looking at a starting job after coming off the bench for 49 of his 55 appearances in a Kings uniform.
Pelicans go win-now, add McCollum and Nance
Pelicans receive: C.J. McCollum, Larry Nance, Tony Snell
Trail Blazers receive: Josh Hart, Tomas Satoransky*, Nickeil Alexander-Walker*, Didi Louzada, 2022 protected first-round pick, two second-round picks
*Note: Satoransky was traded to the Spurs and Alexander-Walker was traded to the Jazz in a separate, three-team deal Wednesday.
Fantasy implications: The Blazers are officially dropping out of the race for a play-in spot out West and have successfully gutted the roster. With Jusuf Nurkic as the only real holdover, it's safe to assume that Damian Lillard likely won't be back this season. Portland should be squarely focused on improving its own draft pick to go with the protected pick it acquired from New Orleans (the Blazers get the pick if it falls between 5th and 14th).
Outside of Nurkic, Anfernee Simons will remain an appealing Fantasy option the rest of the way, especially with McCollum now out of the picture. Hart should function as the de facto third option, while Justise Winslow, who came over from LA in the Norman Powell/Robert Covington deal, could also have some upside. Trendon Watford, CJ Elleby and Greg Brown will be among the Blazers young players to keep a cursory eye on. Alexander-Walker would've been at the top of that list before he was unexpectedly dealt to Utah.
In New Orleans, McCollum's Fantasy value figures to take at least a slight hit. By the end of his tenure in Portland, he was serving as the No. 1 offensive option with Lillard out. That won't be the case on a Pelicans roster featuring Brandon Ingram, Jonas Valanciunas, Devonte Graham and (eventually? maybe?) Zion Williamson. McCollum should remain a rock-solid source of scoring, 3s and lower-end counting stats, but both he and Ingram could see their value regress.
Sabonis swapped for Haliburton, Hield
Pacers receive: Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield
Kings receive: Domantas Sabonis, Jeremy Lamb, Justin Holiday, 2027 second-round pick
Fantasy implications: We saw Sabonis make his Kings debut Wednesday in a win over the Timberwolves, where he played 33 minutes as the starting center and posted 22 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and one steal – very typical numbers. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect a big change from Sabonis' production going forward, as he'll be option 1B next to De'Aaron Fox. Concerningly, Richaun Holmes came off the bench and played just 12 minutes. If that continues, he's clearly a drop.
Interestingly, Jeremy Lamb saw 31 minutes and posted 14 points, six rebounds, five assists and two blocks. His workload may trend downward from here with the Kings also acquiring Donte DiVincenzo, but Lamb has shown Fantasy upside in the past when the minutes are there. It's worth monitoring. Holiday played 30 minutes as well, but he's a relatively low-usage player who is mostly worth rostering if you're in desperate need of 3s and steals.
Haliburton joins a Pacers team depleted of talent after Sabonis and Caris LeVert were dealt. Plus, Malcolm Brogdon has a persistent Achilles issue and Myles Turner remains out indefinitely. Haliburton figures to be the Pacers' No. 1 option on many nights, and that will definitely be the case when Brogdon is sidelined. Hield should also see plenty of run given how thin Indiana is now. It's possible he starts seeing over 30 minutes per game consistently, which would be a great boost to his Fantasy value since he averaged 16.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists last season in 34.3 minutes. He also made 4.0 3s per game.
Alexander-Walker moved to Jazz
Jazz receive: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Juancho Hernangomez
Trail Blazers receive: Joe Ingles, Elijah Hughes, second-round pick
Spurs receive: Tomas Satoransky, second-round pick
Fantasy implications: Looking at Portland's depth chart after this trade is quite the experience. The Blazers have stripped the roster to its bones. Trading Alexander-Walker was surprising since it seems like the Blazers are tanking, and he's a second-year player on a cheap deal, but it's possible they're valuing flexibility over players with fringe-starter upside. In Utah, Alexander-Walker's value will likely remain neutral, or perhaps even decrease, given the Jazz have no shortage of backcourt scoring options in Mike Conley, Donovan Mitchell and Jordan Clarkson – plus, Bojan Bogdanovic takes a fair amount of shots.
It's a longshot to expect Hughes or Satoransky to hold any Fantasy value going forward. Neither player was showing much this season and their new situations aren't promising, though Hughes could get pity minutes from the tanking Blazers.
Okpala dealt from Heat to Thunder
Thunder receive: KZ Okpala, amendment to previously-traded first-round pick
Heat receive: 2026 second-round pick
Fantasy implications: Okpala has been sidelined with a wrist injury since early January, and it's not clear when he'll return. When he does, he has a good chance at slotting into the Thunder's rotation given the team's rebuilding status. He's shown some upside, but Fantasy managers shouldn't get too excited since he's a former second-round pick that's played 63 games since he was drafted in 2019. Per 36 minutes for his career, Okpala is averaging 8.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.0 blocks.
DiVincenzo, Ibaka, Bagley in four-team deal
Kings receive: Donte DiVincenzo, Trey Lyles, Josh Jackson
Bucks receive: Serge Ibaka, two future second-round picks, cash
Clippers receive: Rodney Hood, Semi Ojeleye
Pistons receive: Marvin Bagley
Fantasy implications: The Kings finally acquired DiVincenzo, who they tried to trade for prior to last season before the league stepped in and canceled the trade due to tampering. It's not immediately clear if he'll start for the new-look Kings, but he should see plenty of minutes on the wing either way. He's struggled this year, but last season with the Bucks, he averaged 10.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.1 steals in 27.5 minutes.
The Bucks have been surviving all season without a true backup center, and this trade solves that problem. Ibaka and Portis can also operate in the frontcourt together, which gives Milwaukee some interesting lineup combinations. Over his past 24 appearances, Ibaka averaged 7.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 16.1 minutes while shooting 38.1 percent from 3 on 1.8 attempts per game. It wouldn't be surprising if he saw slightly more run with the Bucks.
Bagley finally got out of town after it was clear Sacramento had no interest in retaining him past his rookie deal – the final nail in the coffin being the trade for Domantas Sabonis. Bagley now gets a few months to rehabilitate his value on a rebuilding Pistons team that shouldn't hesitate to give him minutes. Bagley has only played 30-plus minutes in a game 31 times in his career – a number that figures to increase in Detroit. In those games, he averaged 19.9 points and 10.2 rebounds while shooting 52.9 percent from the field. He's clearly worth a speculative pickup in this new situation.
Hood and Ojeleye will not be Fantasy-relevant on the Clippers.
Dragic headed for buyout after trade for Thad Young
Raptors receive: Thaddeus Young, Drew Eubanks (to be waived), 2022 second-round pick (via Pistons)
Spurs receive: Goran Dragic (to be bought out), 2022 protected first-round pick
Fantasy implications: There's not much to see here. It's possible the Raptors will utilize Young more than the Spurs, so he could be worth a speculative pickup in very deep leagues. We have to wait for Dragic to find a new team.
Harden for Simmons blockbuster
76ers receive: James Harden, Paul Millsap
Nets receive: Ben Simmons, Andre Drummond, Seth Curry, two first-round picks
Fantasy implications: The biggest Fantasy implication of this deal is Simmons stepping on a basketball court again. Fantasy managers who have been desperately hanging onto him throughout this mess are finally going to get rewarded with production. Whether his numbers reach previous highs is a fair question. But with Kevin Durant's timetable for a return murky and Kyrie Irving still unable to play home games, there will be plenty of nights where Simmons is the No. 1 option for Brooklyn. With that qualification, it seems fair to expect Simmons' typical 15/8/8 with some defensive stats thrown in.
The fit between Harden and Embiid is intriguing. Both seem to thrive in isolation, but they also theoretically make up one of the best pick-and-roll/pop duos of all time. It seems possible they both take a slight usage hit while teaming up, but Fantasy managers shouldn't be concerned about significant regression. They'll still both be elite options.
The significance of the Simmons piece cast a shadow over Drummond and Curry joining him in Brooklyn, but that may have Fantasy impact as well. Curry slots into a team that will actually need his offense more than Philly did on many nights. Drummond may actually be in competition for a starting center spot, though it seems unlikely that it would come with 30 minutes per game, as the organization is seemingly still committed to Nicolas Claxton and LaMarcus Aldridge. Blake Griffin and James Johnson are around as well, and Simmons could find himself at center here and there.
Celtics find point guard in Derrick White
Celtics receive: Derrick White
Spurs receive: Josh Richardson, Romeo Langford, 2022 first-round pick (top-4 protected), 2028 pick swap option (top-1 protected)
Fantasy implications: White comes into replace minutes vacated by Dennis Schroder, who was dealt to the Rockets later in the day. It's not entirely clear if White will start or come off the bench in a sixth-man role, but he gives the Celtics more of a pure point guard option than either Schroder or Marcus Smart, who is still on the team. White is having a down year shooting the ball from 3 but has notably been able to provide 5.6 assists and 1.9 combined steals-plus-blocks with just 1.8 turnovers in 30.3 minutes per game. The Celtics' roster is so thin, it's hard to imagine his workload taking a significant hit.
Richardson and Langford join a rebuilding Spurs team without much to play for down the stretch. It seems unlikely either player will find themselves in a role conducive to Fantasy production.
Torrey Craig, Jalen Smith swapped
Pacers receive: Jalen Smith
Suns receive: Torrey Craig, future second-round pick
Fantasy implications: Very few, if any. This is the Suns admitting defeat on Smith, whom they selected with the 10th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft – two picks ahead of Tyrese Haliburton. The pick was a disaster from the start, and it was telling that Smith needed injuries to both Deandre Ayton and JaVale McGee to even sniff the rotation. Even when that happened, he found himself playing behind Bismack Biyombo.
The change of scenery could give Smith a boost, but the Pacers already have a glut of young big men on the roster. Indiana's incumbent talent – Goga Bitadze, Isaiah Jackson, Oshae Brissett – figures to get first crack at the minutes vacated by Domantas Sabonis.
Hornets add center depth with Montrezl Harrell
Hornets receive: Montrezl Harrell
Wizards receive: Ish Smith, Vernon Carey
Fantasy implications: This is the rare trade that may negatively impact several players' values. The Hornets bring in an accomplished veteran in Harrell, but they really didn't have to give up anything of value. Smith was seeing a few minutes off the bench behind LaMelo Ball, but Carey was not in the rotation. So Charlotte is essentially dropping Harrell into a frontcourt mix that already includes Mason Plumlee, Miles Bridges, P.J. Washington and Jalen McDaniels.
The boost in talent is nice, but all of those players could end up seeing slightly fewer minutes. Bridges is the safest of that group, with Washington and Plumlee most likely to lose minutes to Harrell on a nightly basis. Harrell, himself, got off to a hot start back in October and November, but he's since cooled off considerably and currently ranks outside the top-120 in 8-cat leagues.
Suns acquire Aaron Holiday
Suns receive: Aaron Holiday
Wizards receive: Cash considerations
Fantasy implications: Holiday will simply provide guard depth for Phoenix. The Suns aren't super-deep in the backcourt, so Holiday could push Cam Payne, Elfrid Payton and/or Landry Shamet for some reserve minutes.
Porzingis traded for Dinwiddie, Bertans
Wizards receive: Kristaps Porzingis, second-round pick
Mavericks receive: Spencer Dinwiddie, Davis Bertans
Fantasy implications: Yikes. Not sure what the Mavs' plan is here. While they did get off of the Porzingis contract, they brought back a pair of slightly less-bad deals that essentially equate to what they were set to pay Porzingis. The Mavs are in fifth place in the West and they have Luka Doncic, so they're not going in the tank, but it's hard to get fired up about this move.
Fantasy-wise, Dinwiddie should see regular minutes as one of the first guards off the bench, but he's been borderline-unplayable of late. Bertans simply hasn't been the guy Washington thought it was getting when it signed him to a five-year, $80 million extension in November of 2020. This season, he's shooting just 31.9 percent from 3 – by far a career-worst. Prior to the trade, he'd only appeared in five of the Wizards' last 12 games.
For Porzingis, his value hinges entirely on whether or not he can stay healthy, per usual. He's missed five straight games with a knee injury, and the tanking Wizards certainly won't rush him back. He should play when healthy, but it's easy to imagine a scenario where Washington encourages the big man to take some time off when it matters most for Fantasy managers.
Schroder sent to Rockets for Theis
Rockets receive: Dennis Schroder, Bruno Fernando, Enes Freedom (waived)
Celtics receive: Daniel Theis
Fantasy implications: The Rockets signing Theis in free agency never made any sense, so it was no surprise when he dropped out of the rotation around Thanksgiving. His return to Boston is a nice story, and while he should find a consistent role, it likely won't be substantial enough to warrant Fantasy consideration.
Schroder had fallen out of favor in Boston of late, and it's unclear if he'll remain with Houston or be bought out. Given the Rockets' situation, a buyout would make sense, but Schroder is unlikely to land in a spot where he'd be in position for 25-to-30 minutes per night.
Fernando and Freedom are simply throw-ins, the latter of whom was waived almost immediately after the deal was completed.
