James

Nnaji

The Knicks and Hornets swapped some reserves in order to complete the deal that sent KAT to New York and Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo back to Minnesota. These guys help complete the deal, but there is no fantasy impact whatsoever here.

The 31st overall pick in last month’s draft, Nnaji still hasn’t come to terms on a contract with the Hornets. One of the most athletic big men in his draft class, it remains to be seen if the Hornets will look to bring him over now or look to leave Nnaji with Barcelona for another season. If he were to make the move to the NBA in the fall, he would join a lengthy list of young big men looking to establish themselves in Charlotte. While Mark Williams and Nick Richards are safely in the rotation, the same can’t be said for Kai Jones or JT Thor. Getting fantasy value from Nnaji during his rookie season will be difficult to do, even with Jones and Thor not offering much in their respective NBA careers to date.

The Pistons hold the rights to this pick, but it was traded to Boston in exchange for the 25th pick. The Celtics will move the pick on to Charlotte, with Nnaji being the player headed to the Queen City. A powerful and athletic center, Nnaji is excellent in the pick-and-roll, getting to the basket and elevating for a lob dunk. Don’t be fooled. He’s more than just a big man who can slam the ball. Nnaji can run the floor on the fast break; his court awareness is excellent. The Barcelona big has great footwork in the paint and the ability to get defenders off their feet on pump fakes. He’ll need some time to develop, but the Hornets are clearly looking to address their center rotation beyond last year’s first-round pick, Mark Williams. Boston will receive the 34th and 39th picks.