Fantasy Trade Analysis: Chris Paul To The Clippers

Finally, Chris Paul is dealt away from the Hornets. On Wednesday night, the Clippers agreed to a deal where L.A. gets Paul and two future second-round picks, while New Orleans gets Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu and Minnesota’s unprotected 2012 first-round pick. Here’s a quick list of the fantasy implications:

Winners

– Though Paul was a surefire top four pick before the trade, he’s going from playing point guard for an anemic Hornets squad that lost David West to lobbing alley-oops to Blake Griffin and company, which can only help his fantasy value. CP3 remains worthy of a No. 3 or No. 4 pick, but this trade is good for him, mentally and for – wait for it – basketball reasons.
– Griffin should benefit a bit from having Paul feed him the rock.
DeAndre Jordan is finally set free. Without any competition for the starting center gig around, Jordan should have no trouble holding onto starter’s minutes. He should average close to a double-double along with about two blocks a night. Bump him up on your draft charts.
Randy Foye should be faintly blipping on your sleeper radar. Remember that in 16 starts last season, he averaged 16.1 points, 2.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.5 blocks, 2.3 turnovers and 1.9 threes per game, while shooting 41.4 percent from the field and 94.4 percent from the free-throw line. His value is tied to what happens with Chauncey Billups and Mo Williams, but without Gordon around, he looks more appealing. There’s a chance Foye will be dealt away, so monitor how this story ends for him.
– Gordon looks more appealing now, since he lands on a squad in desperate need of a leader on offense. He’s no longer a second fiddle and should have no problem asserting himself as the Hornets’ go-to guy. I’ll go out on a limb and say Gordon is a top 20 fantasy player now.
Jarrett Jack may have lost a good buddy in CP3, but he gains a starting PG job for the Hornets. In 15 starts last season, Jack averaged 12.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.1 steals, 2.7 turnovers and 0.3 threes, along with 40.0 percent from the field and 87.9 percent from the free-throw line in just 28:53 a game. Assuming the Hornets don’t make any moves to add a capable point guard to their roster, Jack is the big winner of this deal. He’s a solid sleeper for now.

Losers

– This is bad news for Billups, who is now relegated to CP3’s backup or his team’s starting SG. Either way, Billups’ fantasy appeal isn’t where we’re used to seeing it.
– Williams’ future is murky. He doesn’t seem to fit in this rotation. If Billups plays SG, Williams could be a backup PG. But with $17 million owed him this season and next season (player option), Williams could be an amnesty candidate. See how this plays out.
– Kaman’s situation is also unclear. Does he back up Emeka Okafor? Or does he start at center and push Okafor to PF, or vice versa? If Carl Landry is re-signed, a timeshare with Okafor at the center spot is likely. If Landry signs elsewhere, a Kaman/Okafor/Trevor Ariza frontcourt isn’t out of the question.
– Okafor looks less appealing now, but he’ll still give you the meat-and-potatoes stats you want from a big man.
– Aminu will play backup to Ariza, and a timeshare could be in the cards. Even if Ariza plays the majority of minutes at SF for the Hornets, he’ll be in Gordon’s shadow.
Marco Belinelli‘s once-intriguing fantasy appeal takes a nosedive with the arrival of Gordon.

Throughout the season, be sure to leave your questions, comments, concerns, trade offers, roster problems and more in the comments below.

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