Shake

Milton

Simmons may not provide much value as a scorer, but the ability to facilitate has been key in the aftermath of the Nets trading Dennis Schroder to the Warriors. Thursday’s game is the first of a back-to-back for Brooklyn, so fantasy managers should expect Simmons to sit either then or Friday against the Spurs. Shake Milton will figure more prominently in the rotation if Simmons cannot play.

Even with Brooklyn’s surprising start to the season, this has been one of the teams many expected to be sellers between December 15 and the trade deadline. The Nets have begun the clearout, dealing Dennis Schroder and a second-round pick to Golden State in exchange for Melton and three future seconds. Melton will not play again this season after undergoing surgery in November to repair a sprained left ACL. With him due to be a free agent this summer, the trade will clear up cap space if the Nets do not re-sign Melton in July. Shake Milton should play more minutes in the short term, but fantasy managers should not rush to add him.

Not even an afterthought in fantasy basketball during the preseason, Milton has been a pleasant surprise recently. Having reached double figures in five of his last seven games, the Nets guard has averaged 11.7 points per game during this stretch. That hasn’t been enough to make Milton a must-add player, but he’s worthy of consideration in extremely deep leagues while the Nets continue without Cam Thomas (hamstring).

Simmons is back in the Nets lineup after sitting out Monday’s loss to the Bulls. His return likely results in fewer minutes for Shake Milton, who played 35 on Monday. The few who streamed Milton can afford to drop him onto the waiver wire.

Injured during Sunday’s loss to the Magic, Simmons did not play in Chicago on Monday. Shake Milton played 35 minutes off the bench against the Bulls and offered solid value. However, the body of work isn’t significant enough to make him a player worth streaming if Simmons remains out.

Simmons, DFS and Williams will join Cam Thomas on the sidelines Monday. Cam Johnson is questionable, which means guys like Jalen Wilson, Trendon Watford and Shake Milton should see increased run.

Milton hadn’t scored more than 13 points in any game this year, but went off for a season-high 22 points as he also played a season-high 34 minutes as the Nets lost by 23 to the Magic Friday. Milton’s game is an outlier and not the start of a larger trend. It was a good game, but he doesn’t have any fantasy value going forward.

Williams played 28 minutes off the bench in Friday’s loss to New York, and he was one of the players entrusted with guarding Jalen Brunson. If Williams cannot play in the rematch, fellow reserves Keon Johnson and Shake Milton may pick up additional minutes. However, neither would be worth the risk in most fantasy leagues.

Milton inked a three-year, $9 million contract (the final two years non-guaranteed) and was sent to Brooklyn as part of the Mikal Bridges deal. Keita Bates-Diop was also sent to New York in the process. Milton should have plenty of opportunities for a rebuilding Nets team, making Milton a name to monitor at the end of 2024-25 fantasy drafts. In his final season with Philly in 2022-23, Milton averaged 20.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 7.2 dimes across 11 starts.

Milton agreed to a buyout with Detroit on Friday, and now he’ll sign to be a depth piece in New York. Miles McBride has been the only point guard option behind Jalen Brunson, which has forced McBride to play massive minutes when Brunson is out. Milton will provide them with depth, but he won’t make much of an impact in fantasy.