Mo Williams Trade – Fantasy Basketball Impact

Mo Williams was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a three-team trade between the Cavs, Milwaukee Bucks and the Oklahoma City Supersonics. Williams is the biggest name involved in the trade, but he’s far from the only player to switch teams. Here is a list of the players who are switching teams and the fantasy football impact of each aspect of this trade:

Mo Williams, Cleveland Cavaliers
Williams should be a very good next to LeBron James on the Cavs. He can pass, shoot and score the ball effectively. While he’s not the purest point guard, his scoring ability should fit very well next to LeBron. LeBron will be able to take some of the point guard slack, while Williams can concentrate on putting the ball in the basket. In terms of his fantasy value, expect Williams assists to go down but the rest of his stats to remain the same.

Luke Ridnour, Milwaukee Bucks
Ridnour used to be a solid fantasy basketball player, then he fell off the map. He split time the last few years at point guard and that hurt his value. On the Bucks, his fantasy value will be determined by how many minutes he plays. If he can win a starting spot, he could see his fantasy value bounce back. However, the Bucks have a lot of point guards and it will be difficult for Ridnour to win the starting gig.

Desmond Mason, Oklahoma City’s NBA team
Mason is going back to his roots. Mason played in Oklahoma during his college days. His addition to the Oklahoma City team should be good both for him and the fans. While he’ll likely be backing up Kevin Durant and Jeff Green, he could see a solid amount of minutes off the bench as a sixth man.

Joe Smith, Oklahoma City Barons
Like Mason, Smith will bring a solid veteran presence to the Oklahoma City team. He’s be deceptively solid in the last few years. If he can win a starting spot, he could be decent as a backup big in fantasy basketball. The more likely outcome, however, is that Smith is traded to a contender around the trade deadline.

Damon Jones and Adrian Griffin, Milwaukee Bucks
Neither Jones nor Griffin will have much fantasy value this upcoming season. Jones is strictly a spot-up shooter at this point of his career, while Griffin is strictly a defensive specialist. Neither skill translates will to fantasy basketball.

Photo: Newscom