NBA Waiver Watch - Wednesday Edition
Here's a look at three players to target on waivers in season-long fantasy basketball:
PF/C David Lee, Mavericks
"Wait, David Lee plays for the Mavericks now?" is a thing most fantasy basketball players only discovered over the last month. Those that had forgotten about the lightly-used bench big when he was averaging 7.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per game in Boston should reacquaint themselves with him.
Through his first 10 games in Dallas, Lee has averaged 10.7 points and 8.1 rebounds. He is owned in just over 50 percent of leagues and where available, he is arguably one of the better rebounders available this late in the season.
Owners of big men with unclear statuses (Memphis' Zach Randolph comes to mind) should weigh the possibility of swapping in Lee, who will maintain similar rebounding rates with some blocks and 3-pointers on the side. What you'd likely lose in points you would gain back in day-to-day stability.
SG/SF Josh Richardson, Heat
You have to give Richardson credit; on a roster packed with well-known, veteran talent, the rookie has carved out a substantial niche for himself for a team that is headed to the playoffs.
He has now played 23 or more minutes in 11 straight games and frequently plays more than 30 minutes. As a result, his month-by-month scoring has increased from 2.4 points per game in January to 11.1 so far in March.
Richardson is decidedly a distant secondary scoring option no matter who he shares the court with, but he still has the go-ahead to take 3-pointers -- and why wouldn't he while he's shooting 65.4 percent from beyond the arc in March?
His shooting will regress but he has a defined role and should maintain this level of production through the fantasy playoffs, something that no one could have predicted a month ago.
PG/SG E'twaun Moore, Bulls
Just as autumn turns to winter, and winter to spring, Derrick Rose is dealing with lingering injuries late in an NBA season. Moore has stepped in admirably as a nominal starting point guard and has enjoyed a big boost in stats, though SG Jimmy Butler will still run the offense when healthy.
In his last four games, Moore has averaged 14.8 points, five assists and 3.3 rebounds, comparable to what we've come to expect from second-tier PGs like Mike Conley and Jeff Teague. As long as Rose is unable to start with consistency, Moore deserves to be owned across all leagues.
There aren't many options on the wire that provide five assists per game. Fill-ins like Memphis' Briante Weber can produce the assists and rebounds but don't have a shooting touch approaching Moore's. As far as widely available PG talent goes, Moore's outlook over the next week is unmatched.