The Philadelphia 76ers and Sacramento Kings kicked off what is likely to be an exciting offseason of transactions and free-agent signings with a three-player trade. The trade was a swap of disgruntled players who longed to be elsewhere, as the 76ers traded their starting center Samuel Dalembert to the Kings in exchange for Andres Nocioni and Spencer Hawes.

The acquisition of Dalembert adds some much needed rebounding and shot-blocking to the Kings, who haven’t had a legitimate center since Brad Miller. Dalembert’s ability to block shots should pay some dividends for the Kings as they will be able to find more opportunities to push the ball and get out in transition.  Dalembert also is a nice addition Kings’ steadily improving front line. Along with Carl Landry and Jason Thompson, the Kings now have a compelling and versatile trio of bigs, all with different skill sets – allowing them to tinker a bit to get an edge in their matchups or needs in any given game. While Dalembert has a hefty contract (over $13 mil), he is in his final year, so the Kings aren’t locked in longterm if he doesn’t pan out in their system.

The 76ers get back two serviceable players in Nocioni and Hawes. Nocioni will bring more toughness, experience and veteran experience to the Sixers frontcourt. While he hasn’t been happy in Sacramento, often losing playing time to their younger, developing players, he still might not find his dream role in Philadelphia. Andre Iguodala and Thaddeous Young will both see the court before Nocioni, but he could also see some time backing up Elton Brand at the power-forward spot as well.

In Hawes the Sixers get a young and versatile seven-footer, with a sweet outside shot for a big man. He was also the leading shot-blocker for the Kings last season, so they will get some of the inside presence they lost by trading Dalembert back. Still, Hawes struggles when matching up with stronger players (which is frequently the case), and he has struggled with maintaining consistency. He is a player who still has a great deal of room to develop, and he should play an integral role for the Sixers next season.

While I think that the Kings received the best player this deal, change can be a very healthy thing for any team who has a player who doesn’t want to be there.

Looking for a spark for your fantasy team? Here are a few players making some unexpected noise:

Beno Udrih – You never know what Paul Westphal is going to do with his lineups. You could be in the starting lineup one day and out of it the next: as is the case with Donte Greene. However, these lineup changes mean opportunities for other players, and Beno Udrih appears to be the most recent beneficiary of Westphal’s changes. Udrih started in the backcourt alongside Tyreke Evans in Friday’s win over the Utah Jazz, and was a key part to their success. He dropped a season-high 25 points on an impressive 11-16 shooting. With Kevin Martin now out of the equation in Sacramento, their is certainly more time to go around in the backcourt. And while Westphal can be fickle about his lineups, you can be sure he’ll continue to keep Udrih involved as long as he keeps having big games.

John Salmons – With Michael Redd out for the season, and inconsistent play from Brandon Jennings, the  Bucks offense has frequently sputtered. The Milwaukee Bucks then took action by making a move for John Salmons at the trading deadline. Not only did this trade help to stabilize the Bucks’ backcourt, it also brought winning ways to Milwaukee. Since acquiring Salmons, the Bucks have won six straight games…and it’s no coincidence. Salmons has averaged 18 points, three assists and 2.5 rebounds per game. He’s also started the last four games and will continue to be a key rotation player for the Bucks for the foreseeable future.

Robin Lopez – What’s gotten into Robin Lopez? 19 games ago, Lopez replaced the three-point-happy Channing Frye in Phoenix’s starting lineup. Since then, the Suns’ new physical presence in the paint has helped Phoenix win 14 of those 19 games. He has been a consistent shot-blocker, solid rebounder and efficient low-post scorer. In his 19 starts, Lopez has averaged 13 points, 6.5 rebounds and one block per game. Lopez had a career night against the Clippers on Friday, pouring in 30 points and snagging 12 boards. While Lopez’ game is still raw, he will continue to improve as he gains more experience on the floor. Being the fiery competitor that he is, you always know that Lopez will be bringing his best effort on any given night so he is definitely worth grabbing on your fantasy squad if available.

T.J. Ford – The most-frequent resident in Pacers’ coach Jim O’Brien’s doghouse this season has definitely been T.J. Ford. Although he started this season as Indiana’s starting point guard, his lackluster play at the end of December resulted in his demotion to the bench while Earl Watson would take his spot in the starting lineup. Not only did Ford’s role just get reduced, he collected one DNP-CD after another. Supposedly, he even danced at the possibility of getting traded away from Indiana, but the deadline came and went with Ford still a Pacer. A few strong performances off the bench this month have catapulted Ford back into the starting lineup. Interestingly, he is replacing center Roy Hibbert in the starting lineup and is playing alongside Watson in the backcourt. Ford has been aggressive on offense and seems hell-bent on forcing O’Brien to keep him on the floor. While Ford struggles with inconsistency (and injuries), he’s worth a look on your fantasy team while he is seeing big minutes for the Pacers.

The trading frenzy continues tonight, as the Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings have agreed upon a seven-player deal that will send Tracy McGrady to the Kings and Kevin Martin to the Rockets.

As part of the deal, the Kings will also be trading Hilton Armstrong, Kenny Thomas and Sergio Rodriguez to Houston in exchange for Carl Landry, Joey Dorsey and an undisclosed amount of cash. While the Rockets will likely retain these new players, rumors are still swirling about New York still being the final destination for Tracy McGrady.

According to NBA analyst David Aldridge’s Twitter feed, there is still a “decent” chance that McGrady ends up in New York before the end of the trade deadline despite tonight’s trade to the Kings. He also notes that if the Kings trade McGrady to the Knicks, it would be the same package that New York offered Houston: Jared Jeffries, Jordan Hill, Larry Hughes and picks. If I’m the Kings, I take that deal in a heartbeat and continue to build around the positive momentum that the current roster has already begun to develop.

While this trade can’t fully be assessed from the Kings’ perspective until the McGrady issue is officially settled, they can be pleased with this trade if only for the fact that they acquired Carl Landry. As a front-runner for this year’s sixth-man award (and a scrappy scorer and rebounder to boot), I think Houston will regret ever letting Landry go. Landry will get a great opportunity to lead this young Sacramento team, get meaningful minutes, and most importantly – provide the Kings with some toughness. Sure, the Kings lose Martin, but it seemed as though they grew accustomed to having him out of the lineup when he missed several weeks due to a fractured wrist. Tyreke Evans also blossomed as their primary scorer. While Martin’s surprisingly accurate (and consistently awkward) shot will be missed by Kings fans, his often-lackadaisical defensive effort will not.

The Rockets certainly added firepower to their roster with Martin, but again, defense in the backcourt could be an issue especially when Martin is on the floor alongside Aaron Brooks. Now, weak perimeter defense can often be cloaked when a team has a solid shot-blocker down low to clean up the garbage, but Houston’s Chuck Hayes and now Armstrong don’t really fit that bill. Still, the Rockets have been consistently operating without a go-to perimeter scorer for essentially the last two seasons (no, Trevor Ariza doesn’t count). Martin gives them a player who can score buckets in a hurry when called upon, and he also is relatively effective in creating his own shot opportunities. While the post T-Mac (and Yao) Rockets have prided themselves on gritty, defensive performances, they may want to push the tempo a bit more and look to light up the scoreboards with their new personnel.

Who do you think got the better end of this trade? Where do you think T-Mac will end up?

Amar’e Stoudemire is one of the names most frequently thrown around in trade rumors and speculation these days, and it might be getting under his skin a bit. Here’s what Stoudemire had to say about how the recent trade chatter has affected him (Arizona Republic):

“I feel like the confidence in me is not quite there with them, for them to want to shop me around so much…It’s the nature of the beast. It’s the way the business has always been played. I really try not to be too involved in it. I let the front office handle it with my agent, and the decision is made from there.”

Back when Memphis traded Pau Gasol to the Lakers for a box of Red Vines and a car wash certificate, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich deemed the trade to be “beyond comprehension.” Given the Grizzlies recent success and obvious ascent to relevance, Popovich has changed his tune (The Commercial Appeal):

“They gave up a great player but it helped them extend the franchise’s success into the future. It’s shown that they’ve done a good job. Whatever they were thinking a couple of iterations ahead at the time has paid off for them.”

With Carlos Boozer out of last night’s game against the Kings with a strained calf muscle, the Jazz turned to their trusty backup Paul Millsap. Last year he was a solid 20-10 guy as a starter, but he went OFF last night against the kings – dropping a 32 point, 14 rebound and 7 assist effort. Needless to say, Sacramento’s Tyreke Evans was impressed (Salt Lake Tribune)

“He can be a starter anywhere on anybody’s team…He pretty much looked like Boozer . . . probably a little better. He was playing together, passing, getting and-1s and he did it all game. He was there to win tonight. He did a good job.”

This year’s All-Star game will likely be a bit more dull without Shaquille O’Neal in the game. O’Neal, a 15-time All-Star, was less dissappointed for himself than he was for others who missed the cut (Newsday):

“I’m more disappointed in a guy like David Lee. I was on the great end of the bureaucracy. Now I’m on the other end of the bureaucracy.”

We keep hearing rumblings of big names to be dealt before February’s trading deadline, but haven’t seen any action yet. While today didn’t bring any updates of Al Jefferson, Chris Bosh, Tracy McGrady or Antawn Jamison on the move, we did see a couple of minor deals go down.

The most notable trade occured between the New Jersey Nets and Dallas Mavericks. The Nets have agreed to send Eduardo Najera to the Mavs in exchange for forwards Kris Humphries and Shawne Williams. The Nets also waived the troubled Sean Williams, best known for his off-court antics (including this gem) than anything done on the hardwood, to make room for their two new additions.

When the Nets originally acquired Najera, they hoped he would provide toughness and veteran leadership. Unfortunately, much of his time in New Jersey has been stunted by injuries – limiting to only 40 games as a Net in over the past two seasons. Najera should welcome the trade to Dallas with open arms. Not only is he fortunate to be fleeing one of the worst teams in NBA history, Najera had some of his best NBA moments with the Mavericks. He spent the first five seasons of his career in Dallas and even appeared in 39 playoff games for them. While he’ll be a familiar face in Big D, I wouldn’t expect him to be much of a contributor for Dallas as they already have Drew Gooden and Tim Thomas coming off of the bench. As he has his whole career, he’ll play in spurts when hustle or defensive effort is particularly in need.

The key piece for the Nets in this trade is Kris Humphries. Although Humphries has been relatively inconsistent throughout his career, I think he is an upgrade for the Nets. First off, he’s healthy and can contribute immediately. The Nets also are relatively thin up front. Yi Jianlian has been getting tons of run lately (and playing quite well I might add) but it will nice to have a player like Humphries coming off the bench to give him a breather. Humphries is athletic, has good size, and is a decent rebounder. His rebounding, in particular, will be a welcome addition for the Nets. While the Nets haven’t made a decision yet, they have discussed waiving Shawne Williams, so he might have just been a pawn in helping to push this trade through.

The other trade of the day was even more yawn-worthy. The New Orleans Hornets traded Hilton Armstrong to the Sacramento Kings for, get this, a conditional 2016 draft pick and cash considerations. Deals that are money-motivated are never sexy, and this certainly fits the bill. The trade brings the Hornets to within $530,611 of the league’s luxury-tax line. Don’t be surprised if they make another move or waive an underutilized player to get under the luxury-tax line this season.

The Kings, on the other hand, had more than $4 million in available cap space and could afford to take on Armstrong’s contract. Armstrong will bring versatility to an unproven Kings frontcourt, and should see time at both power forward an center. He’ll definitely be a nice insurance policy for them, and should be an upgrade over players like Jon Brockman who have been getting minutes for Sacto lately. Also, Jason Thompson has often struggled with foul trouble and Spencer Hawes is the epitome of inconsistency. Armstrong will get minutes with the Kings for those reasons alone.

Still, given that Armstrong has career averages of just 3.6 points and 2.7 rebounds per game, one has to wonder if the Kings could have used this cap space more effectively. One has to wonder a bit about a player who is having his minutes cut into by players like Darius Songaila and Sean Marks. Still, most NBA caliber players just need an opportunity in the right system to elevate their game. Maybe the trade to an up-and-coming Kings team that is still establishing their identity is that opportunity for Armstrong.

Who do you think came out on top in today’s trades?

This Week’s Fantasy Sleepers:

Marreese Speights, Philadelphia 76ers - Speights is back in the lineup after missing 14 games due to a partially torn MCL. Although the 76ers were planning on bringing him along gradually, he has been just too good to keep off of the court. In his three games back he has averaged nearly 20 points and 8 rebounds per game, including a season-high 28-point performance Saturday night against the Clippers. Although Speights still isn’t in the starting lineup, he is playing solid minutes off of the bench and is occasionally seeing minutes late in the game in lieu of Samuel Dalembert or Elton Brand. As he works him back into playing shape, he should be playing at an even higher level. Dalembert’s numbers have dropped considerably since Speights returned to action so his fantasy value is certainly in question at this point. If you had to choose between these two for frontcourt help right now, go with Speights.

Omri Casspi, Sacramento Kings - The Kings continue to tinker with their starting lineup in the absence of Kevin Martin. While Donte Greene had received his shot as the starter for most of December, the Kings have recently replaced him in the starting lineup with Casspi. Although just a rookie, Casspi has shown that he is an aggressive player on both ends of the floor, and has been an impressively reliable three-point shooter. Casspi has started the past three games for the Kings, logging over 30 minutes in each of those games and eclipsing the 20-point mark twice. The Kings also won two of these three games, which should play into Casspi’s continued inclusion in the starting unit. As long as Kevin Martin is out of action, Casspi should be a legitimate fantasy option.

Jerryd Bayless, Portland Trail Blazers - Bayless had a career high 29 points last Thursday against the Phoenix Suns. While he followed it up with a lackluster 10-point performance against the Magic, it should be noted that he did play more than 30 minutes in the game. Coach Nate McMillan loves the energy and intensity that Bayless brings to the game, and often relies on him to change the tempo of the game. The play of Andre Miller and Steve Blake has been inconsistent, and with several key players going down with injuries this season, Bayless is now getting his chance. Bayless’ job when he comes in the game is to look to score, which he does efficiently by taking it hard to the rack and knocking down mid-range jumpers. It  is important to note that he generally won’t get you more than three or four assists or rebounds on any given night, but if you need a scoring boost in your backcourt then take a good look at Bayless.

Rasual Butler, Los Angeles Clippers – Need a three-point shooting threat on your team? Butler should be available amongst free-agents in your league. In the past four games, Butler has nailed 10 three-pointers, including a five-trey game last week against the Timberwolves. While he isn’t starting, he is getting major minutes for the Clip-show and routinely gets more than 30 minutes of floor time. Like Bayless, Butler is a bit one-dimensional, but the three-point shot is not a category that should be undervalued in your league.
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Fantasy Question from A Stern Warning: If Tracy McGrady found himself traded to New York, how do you see his fantasy value in D’Antoni’s system?

NBA Noise: With Tracy McGrady, I think it all comes down to minutes and conditioning. In his four games back in action this season, McGrady has never played more than eight minutes a game. Putting all Rick Adelman conspiracy theories aside, I don’t think that McGrady is close to his old self physically. He doesn’t have the same lateral quickness that we’re accustomed to seeing from him, and he’ll need to work on his overall conditioning to have the wind to be an effective player again. Given the Knicks’ up-tempo style of play and McGrady’s current physical status, I don’t think he’d be a major fantasy option for the Knicks right away. A healthy McGrady in D’Antoni’s system, under the bright lights of the Garden, would likely translate into some impressive fantasy numbers, but he just isn’t ready yet. If McGrady works himself into legitimate playing shape, he’ll be a contributor on any team he’s on. I just wouldn’t think about adding him to my team until he is playing at least 25 minutes a game. There are just too many good options that are deserving a spot on your fantasy roster before adding T-Mac.

Need fantasy hoops advice? Have a fantasy hoops question? Send me an email at sholdren@gmail.com and your question could be featured on NBA Noise!