yahoo - 1/22/2026 5:51:50 PM - GMT (+2 )
The second half is when NBA front offices start making "business decisions." Here are five players I'm worried about in fantasy basketball as their teams race to the bottom for the 2026 draft.
Trae Young, Washington WizardsYoung's not getting re-evaluated until after the All-Star break. The Wizards are at 10 wins and are getting more reps for second-year PG Bub Carrington while Trae is out. At this point, prioritizing the development of the young core of Kyshawn George, Bilal Coulibaly, Tre Johnson and Alex Sarr is paramount. But just as vital is securing that top-eight protected pick. To do that, they need to finish with at least the fourth-worst record at the end of the season. As of Wednesday, they're right on track, which reduces the need to rush Young back.
Before the trade, Trae was averaging 19.3 and 8.9 — decent, but nothing like peak Trae. Even if he comes back, you're looking at rest games every other week and mysterious "soreness" whenever they hit a back-to-back. Washington's got no reason to play him deep into the season. Love the ceiling, hate everything else about this situation, though. I'd try to sell whenever he makes it back to the court.
Pascal Siakam, Indiana PacersThe Pacers are also stuck at 10 wins through Wednesday. Without Tyrese Haliburton, Siakam's putting up 23.8 points, 7.0 boards, 4.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Over his last 10 games, though, he's giving fantasy managers a reason to sell-high, bumping those numbers up to 25/8/5. The unfortunate news is that Siakam is 31, playing for a team that is firmly playing for more lottery balls.
Benedict Mathurin's probably getting moved; the Pacers lost Turner over the summer, so Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard are the main guys left to make this team remotely competitive. Playing Siakam heavy minutes late into March does nothing for Indiana except risk injury to one of their building blocks in a lost year. I'd get out of the Siakam business before the unofficial official injury antics begin.
Michael Porter Jr., Brooklyn NetsMPJ morphed into a legitimate All-Star, with 25.7 points, 7.4 boards, 3.2 assists, 3.8 3s and 1.1 steals per game, all career bests. Brooklyn says it wants him long-term. Cool. It’s also near the basement, trying to lose. Porter is one of the most sought-after sharpshooters ahead of February's trade deadline and Brooklyn would be foolish not to consider trading him at his peak value.
A trade to a potential contender would likely hurt his volume and production. Then again, staying with Brooklyn until the end of this year also runs the risk of him getting shut down as we get closer to April. Don't be surprised when the random rest days start popping up. As good as MPJ has been, there are valid reasons to be wary of his rest-of-season outlook.
Zion Williamson, New Orleans PelicansThe last thing New Orleans should be doing is tanking. It’s going to lose its top pick to Atlanta via the Derik Queen trade unless it makes the playoffs. Well, with 10 wins as of Jan 22, it's not happening. The Pelicans shut down Zion last March, so what makes you think they won't do it again? Zion’s averaging a respectable 21/6/3 on 58% shooting. A good fantasy player in points leagues and solid in 9-cat with the right build. But between his soft tissue injuries, illnesses, off-the-court distractions and the Pelicans' sorry record, no fantasy manager can trust him to play meaningful basketball by the fantasy playoffs if he remains with New Orleans.
It is what it is, and after leaving Wednesday's game with an illness, I'd use his next blow-up game to send out trade offers.
Jusuf Nurkić, Utah JazzThe weirdest situation on this list. And when talking about the Jazz, most probably assumed I'd lead with Lauri Markkanen. But nope, it's Nurk. He's been surprisingly good this year — double-doubles, elite passing for a big man; the whole deal. But those random DNPs, however, are not great. Utah's sitting at 15-29, and according to ESPN's Kevin Pelton, his $19 million expiring contract likely won't be moved, potentially putting him in the buyout market. That means either riding the pine somewhere else or watching Utah play their young guys over him. Pick your poison.
There's been no indication that Utah wants to move any of their core, so expecting them to play their 31-year-old veteran free-agent-to-be deep into the season feels like wishful thinking.
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