Trade Season Has Begun!

Alright now that we are over a month into the season you probably have a pretty decent idea about where your team stands, but the worst thing you can do in fantasy basketball is get complacent, so guess what, it is time to shake things up. Now there are two ways to go about making trades at this point in the year, if you are at the top of the league it is time to play vulture. Target the two or three worst teams in the league, they undoubtedly have a ton of underperformers and it is time to commit a little robbery. Lets say one of those teams has Brook Lopez, he is currently averaging a career low 6.1 rpg, which in all honesty is just plain pathetic for a 7-footer that gets as many minutes as he does. In his previous two seasons Lopez has averaged over 8 rpg and there is no reason that he shouldn’t end the season there again this year. It is all about pulling off the 2 for 1 in a case like this. The worst teams in your league clearly lack depth, now you will still probably have to pay close to top dollar for Lopez, but in my opinion almost any 2 for 1 is worth it when you are getting an elite guy like Lopez. Offer up your 3rd best guy and then throw in a replacement center like Emeka Okafor. Okafor is having a very nice season so far, but really, the guy is replaceable and if that is the difference between getting Lopez or not, then it is definitely worth it to pay a little extra.

On the other hand, lets say you are a team at the bottom of the league, for you it is time to play dead. Undoubtedly you are starting to get ridiculous trade requests from the vultures, and that is exactly what you want. They know you are desperate, so it is time to pit a couple owners against each other and start a bidding war. Here’s how you frame it, let both owners know that you are definitely trading one of your top guys because you need to turn the season around before it is too late. You’ll probably get a couple horrible offers from the vultures, now take those offers and embellish a little, let the other owners know you are in trade talks with another guy and he is giving a much better deal. Let’s say you have Pau Gasol, he is currently having a monster season, he is the #1 ranked player on ESPN.com’s ratings. But Bynum is going to come back in a little while, and there is no way Pau is going to continue to play huge minutes, in other words his value couldn’t be any higher right now. Target guys like Wade and Brook Lopez, these underperformers still have a great deal of value, but demand a second guy in the deal that will be a starter for you every week, maybe a guy like Eric Gordon. The best teams have depth, they can pay a little more, and if all goes well and Brook picks his numbers up while Gasol’s decline a little you’ve basically made an even trade for Gasol and gotten Eric Gordon for free.

The time is now, trade season is beginning, don’t let the other owners in the league capitalize on underperformers and leave you with the same team you had on draft day. No one drafts a perfect team, championships are won in trades like this.