The NBA trade deadline has officially come and gone and we had one of the most active deadlines in recent memory with some big stars being dealt. Kyrie, KD, and Westbrook are all heading to new teams and we have been covering those trades and their fantasy impacts here at RotoBaller.But there were plenty of other lesser-known players who were dealt in the last few days and I wanted to go through and make sure we don't overlook some of these trades as some of those deals may even have more fantasy impact than the big moves.So here are some other trades that went down and my two cents on the increase or decrease in value that we should expect from the players involved for the remainder of the 2022-2023 fantasy basketball season. 

Moves That Matter

These are very much in order of how much they matter. Let's start with the Spurs sending their starting center back up North where he started his career.Jakob Poeltl to the RaptorsI am a huge Poeltl fan and was close to acquiring him on multiple teams before the deadline. It was a curious move by Toronto to be buyers instead of sellers at the deadline, but Poeltl gives them the presence at the five they have been lacking all season and allows Siakam to shift over and play PF where he belongs.Poeltl is no longer a shutdown candidate and has legit top-50 upside with his multi-category abilities. His departure also makes ... [More]

As reported by The Athletic's Shams Charania, Darius Bazley has been traded to the Phoenix Suns for Dario Saric. Bazley, currently in his fourth year in the league, has fallen out of the starting rotation for the Oklahoma City Thunder and gives the Suns another option off of the bench after losing Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson. The 22-year-old hasn't been much of a factor in any fantasy format, but might be able to carve out a role that would help some teams in deeper leagues.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard/forward Josh Giddey (illness) and forward Darius Bazley (illness) have been upgraded to questionable for Wednesday's game against Portland. Both players were ruled out for the contest on Tuesday, but they took part in the shootaround and appear to have a decent chance of returning to the lineup. Bazley has missed three games while Giddey has been out for the last two. Aaron Wiggins has been starting in Giddey's absence and Isaiah Joe has seen more minutes. Both players have done well, but their fantasy value will be limited if Giddey is able to return. Bazley has been mostly a bench player this season and hasn't been much of a factor in fantasy hoops.

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Darius Bazley (illness) will sit against the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday. Bazley is dealing with a lingering illness and will miss his fourth straight game. Aleksej Pokusevski and Kenrich Williams should continue to get extra run while Bazley sits. Pokusevski holds high upside, but his minutes remain volatile so it is hard to predict when he has a good night.

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Darius Bazley (illness) will miss his seventh game of the season on Friday as he watches from the sidelines with a non-COVID illness. The 22-year-old must have picked this up in between Friday and their last game on Wednesday. He was able to turn in a solid game against the Miami Heat with 12 points, five rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block. His value only shines in much deeper fantasy leagues, but while he's out Jaylin Williams could be worth a look if any managers are in those types of leagues.

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Darius Bazley (ankle) is available for Monday's game against the New York Knicks. This is the first time that Bazley will be active since November 9th. However, fantasy managers shouldn't rush to pick him up with Jalen Williams playing so well. The rebuilding Thunder are likely to continue giving Williams significant playing time. That means, Bazley is more of a deep league option right now with Aleksej Pokusevski (ankle) still on the sideline.

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Darius Bazley (ankle) was forced to leave their last game on Thursday night due to a sprained ankle. It looks as though he'll be forced to miss at least one game as he was officially listed as out for their game on Friday against the Toronto Raptors. Aleksej Pokusevski will likely see a higher usage rate and Kenrich Williams will probably see some more minutes. Williams would only be a streaming option in very deep leagues, while Pokusevski would be the better option to start in all formats if he's available.

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Darius Bazley (ankle) was forced to exit early during Wednesday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks. The young forward suffered a sprained right ankle, so he'll sit out the rest of this contest. Fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day right now. Aleksej Pokusevski is having a strong game on Wednesday and is in line for more playing time. He should be on the radar for fantasy managers with Bazley going down in this game.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have ruled out forward Darius Bazley (knee) for the remainder of the 2021-22 season. The third-year pro has a non-displaced tibial plateau fracture in his right knee, so it's not surprising to hear that the team will opt to shut him down. Bazley started in 53 of the 69 games he played in this year. He logged 27.9 minutes per contest while averaging 10.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.2 three-pointers and 1.0 blocks per game. Bazley's absence should lead to more minutes for Isaiah Roby, Aleksej Pokusevski and Lindy Waters III. While Poku and Roby should be rostered in a good amount of leagues at this point, Waters is someone worth monitoring if you need to get creative on the waiver wire down the stretch.

Oklahoma City Thunder power forward Darius Bazley (knee) has been deemed doubtful to take the floor for Monday's game vs. Portland due to a sprained right knee. The ailment forced Bazley from Saturday's outing after just 14 minutes, funneling more minutes in the direction of Aleksej Pokusevski and Lindy Waters III. It's unclear how the Thunder will reshuffle their starting five without Bazley, but with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (ankle) still sidelined, any and all OKC starters stand to see sizable DFS appeal. Bazley has found his offense rhythm during March, averaging 15.3 points on 50.3% shooting overall across 13 outings. His next chance to return to action comes Wednesday against the Hawks.

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Darius Bazley (illness) will suit up for Monday's game against the Boston Celtics. Bazley is battling an illness, but will look to top his 18-point performance from Sunday. Aleksej Pokusevski won't have as big of a role with Bazley active in this game. Bazley has been a strong fantasy option lately for the shorthanded Thunder. That should remain the case for Monday's game, assuming he can play through the illness.

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Darius Bazley won't be available on Sunday against New Orleans. He's the only Thunder play in the league's COVID-19 health and safety protocols. Aleksej Pokusevski and Kenrich Williams are set to get extra minutes, with the latter a better option for fantasy managers. Pokusevski is a highly regarded talent, but his sophomore campaign has been pretty rough. Williams' recent efforts have been underwhelming, to say the least, so fantasy managers shouldn't expect him to perform any miracles either.

Oklahoma City Thunder power forward Darius Bazley came through with his first double-double in 21 games on Wednesday, producing 17 points and 11 rebounds in a 108-94 win over the Nuggets. He also had one assist and two blocks in 28 minutes of action with 7-for-11 shooting. Bazley has taken a step back offensively in 2021-22, with his shooting at a horrible 39 percent for the season, but his performances have improved over the last couple of weeks and his defensive work has been impressive. The third-year player is averaging a career-high 1.3 blocks per game after having previously averaged just 0.6 swats for his career. He's also doubled his career average in steals to 0.8 per game.

Oklahoma City Thunder forwards Darius Bazley and Aaron Wiggins are not locked into the starting five, according to head coach Mark Daigneault. It sounds like the Thunder want to continue taking things game-by-game. They've considered both big and small lineups, but it doesn't seem like they plan on sticking with one. That being said, Bazley and Wiggins are going to have inconsistent value going forward. It sounds like their roles in the rotation are uncertain, which makes them tough to trust on a nightly basis.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma City Thunder finally can move on from the strangest of seasons. A franchise that had missed the playoffs just once in the previous 11 seasons finds itself in the draft lottery with a 22-50 record. It was the Thunder's worst finish since 2008-09, its first season after the move from Seattle. It was a revolving door full of trades, G-League call-ups and late-season additions -- which created quite a set of challenges for first-year coach Mark Daigneault. Chesapeake Energy Arena, known as one of the loudest venues in the league, did not allow fans because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Daigneault said he didn’t have set expectations going into the season -- just an idea of what general manager Sam Presti wanted. “You’ve got to be where your feet are, and you’ve got to be fully in the moment that you’re in,” he said. “That’s the only way that you’re going to maximize that moment, and ultimately it’s the only way you’re going to put yourself in position to accomplish... [More]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Some Thunder fans believe tanking to get higher draft picks is the way back to contention. Apparently, the team disagrees. Oklahoma City was expected by experts to be one of the NBA’s worst teams this season -- just like last season, when they shocked the league and made the playoffs. Once again, the Thunder are defying the odds. Oklahoma City is off to a 6-7 start, despite five of its top seven scorers having been in the league three years or fewer and 35-year-old Mark Daigneault taking on his first NBA head coaching assignment. Last year, the Thunder had veterans Chris Paul, Dennis Schroder, Steven Adams and Danilo Gallinari to help them through the tough times. This year, young holdovers Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, Darius Bazley and Hamidou Diallo carry more of the load. And they clearly are out to win, even with losses offering a potentially greater return on the slew of draft picks general manager Sam Presti has collected through trades in recent years. “We’re... [More]

Pelicans first-year coach Stan Van Gundy was hired less than two months before the Pelicans first preseason game earlier this week. Never mind that he's taking over a roster that is loaded with young players and has been entirely overhauled since New Orleans hired David Griffin as executive vice president of basketball operations in 2019. So when Van Gundy was asked whether he expected to have a clear vision for individual players' roles and minutes during the preseason, he didn't hesitate to say he did not even expect to know that when New Orleans' regular season slate opens on Dec. 23. “I’m not sure I’ll be there on Jan. 15 either. It’s going to take some time," Van Gundy continued. "I want these guys in a mindset of competing and having to produce for minutes.” While coaches with overhauled rosters face similar challenges trying to navigate a compressed timeline that is loaded with uncertainty, it's even more difficult for Van Gundy and the eight other NBA teams with new coaches this... [More]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the man for Oklahoma City in just his third year in the NBA. The Thunder surprised the league last season by making the playoffs, but veterans Chris Paul, Danilo Gallinari, Dennis Schroder and Steven Adams are no longer with the team. Even with all of those established players on the roster, Gilgeous-Alexander was the team’s leading scorer. He averaged 19.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. Now, the franchise expects the 22-year-old swingman to carry more of the load. “It’s something I’m excited about,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I think I’ve worked hard enough to deserve that responsibility and trust from Sam (Presti) and the rest of the front office and the rest of the coaching staff. But really, I’m just ready to take advantage of the opportunity I’ve been given.” Gilgeous-Alexander joins Lu Dort and Darius Bazley as the key holdovers from a young core that helped push Houston to seven games in the playoffs last season. Dort... [More]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Much of the credit for Mark Daigneault's quick ascent to NBA head coach goes to the man he is replacing. The Oklahoma City Thunder promoted Daigneault to head coach on Wednesday, handing the team to the 35-year-old former coach of its G League team. He replaces Billy Donovan, who now is coaching the Chicago Bulls. “The thing Billy did for me here with the Thunder is opened the door to the Thunder to our Blue staff and gave us unprecedented access to the Thunder team, and certainly, those experiences put me in this position to be able to take this position on," Daigneault said. Daigneault coached the Thunder’s G League team for five years. He had a .572 winning percentage, won three division titles and made four playoff appearances. He spent last season as a Thunder assistant. “He had, I felt, like the rare traits of someone that had high potential,” Thunder general manager Sam Presti said. “He’s a curious learner, a diligent worker, a creative thinker and has the utmost... [More]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma City Thunder promoted assistant Mark Daigneault to head coach on Wednesday, handing the team over to the 35-year-old former coach of its G League team. Daigneault replaces Billy Donovan, who now is coaching the Chicago Bulls. Daigneault coached the Thunder’s G League team for five years. He had a .572 winning percentage, won three division titles and made four playoff appearances. “We are thrilled to have Mark assume the role of head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder,” Thunder general manager Sam Presti said in a statement. “He has been a selfless and effective leader within our organization since his arrival." Presti sees Daigneault’s youth as a strength. “The amount of head coaching experience and diverse experiences through his tenure with the Blue is rare for someone his age,” Presti said. “He has also shown the ability to empower both the players and staff he works with, and we are confident that he will help us continue to modernize our approach... [More]