The second half is when NBA management begins to make “business decisions.” Here are five players I’m worried about in fantasy basketball as their teams finish last in the 2026 draft.
Trae Young, Washington Wizards
Young wasn’t reevaluated until after the All-Star break. The Wizards are now on 10 wins and have seen an increase in second-year point guard Bub Carrington’s playing time in Trae’s absence. At this point, prioritizing the development of the young core of Keshawn George, Bilal Koulibaly, Trae Johnson and Alex Sarr is paramount. But equally important is securing a top-eight protected pick. To do that, they need to finish the season with at least the fourth-worst record. As of Wednesday, they were on track, which lessened the need to rush Young back.
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Before the trade, Trae was averaging 19.3 and 8.9 points per game – not bad, but nowhere near the peak of Trae. Even if he’s back, you’ll be watching off games every other week and feeling that mysterious “soreness” whenever they play back-to-back games. There’s no reason for Washington to let him play until late in the season. Love the ceiling though, hate everything else about this situation. I’ll try to sell every time he comes back to the court.
Pascal Siakam, Indiana Pacers
The Pacers were also in a 10-win deficit as of Wednesday. In the absence of Tyrese Haliburton, Siakam averaged 23.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Over his past 10 games, though, he’s given fantasy managers a reason to sell high, raising those numbers to 25/8/5. The unfortunate news is that Siakam is 31 years old and playing for a team determined to win more lottery picks.
Benedict Maturin could be moved; the Pacers lost Turner over the summer, so Maturin and Andre Nembhard are the main pieces left to make this team remotely competitive. Siakam playing heavy minutes in late March would do Indiana no good, aside from the possible injury to one of their cornerstones in a lost year. I’ll be out of the Siakam business until the unofficial injury story begins.
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Michael Porter Jr., Brooklyn Nets
MPJ became a true All-Star, averaging 25.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 3.8 three-pointers and 1.1 steals per game, all career bests. Brooklyn said it wants him to stay long-term. Cool. Also near the basement, trying to lose. Porter was one of the most popular sharpshooters heading into the February trade deadline, and Brooklyn would be foolish not to consider trading him for his peak value.
A trade to a potential contender could hurt his production and output. Then again, staying in Brooklyn until the end of the year also runs the risk of being shut down as April approaches. Don’t be surprised when random days off start popping up. As good as MPJ has been, there’s good reason to be wary of his prospects for the remainder of the season.
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Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
The last thing New Orleans should do is tanks. Barring a playoff appearance, it will lose its No. 1 pick to Atlanta in the Derrick Quinn trade. Well, with 10 wins as of January 22nd, that’s not happening. The Pelicans shut down Zion last March, so why do you think they won’t do it again? Zion averaged 21/6/3 per game and shot 58% from the field. Was a good fantasy player in points leagues and performed well in 9-cats with the right size. But between his soft tissue injuries, illness, off-court interference and the Pelicans’ poor record, no fantasy coach can trust him to play meaningful basketball in the fantasy playoffs if he stays in New Orleans.
Here’s the thing, after leaving Wednesday’s game due to illness, I’ll use his next game to make a trade offer.
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Jusuf Nurkic, Utah Jazz
The weirdest situation on this list. When talking about the Jazz, most people probably assume I’ll be leading the team with Lauri Markkanen. But no, this is Nurk. He’s had a surprisingly good year — a double-double, elite passing for a big man; the whole deal. But these random DNPs don’t work very well. The Utah Jazz are currently 15-29, and according to ESPN’s Kevin Pelton, his expiring $19 million contract will likely not be moved, which could put him on the buyout market. That means either riding the pine elsewhere or watching Utah’s young men make the difference on him. Choose your poison.
There’s no indication the Utah Jazz want to move any of their core players, so expecting them to let the 31-year-old free agent veteran play deep into the season feels like wishful thinking.
