The Bulls, Hornets, Suns and Blazers are heavily involved in trade talks as the NBA Trade Deadline quickly approaches. Looking at depth charts is more critical than ever at this point because once a trade occurs, everyone will be running to the waiver wire to grab the short-term solutions from the teams who were impacted from the trade. Looking at backups who are very close to having that 20-minute rotation commitment will likely see a bump in minutes because of the familiarity factor. That backup knows and has experienced the offense and can keep the team playing consistently.

OWNERSHIP PERCENTAGES: Yahoo! Sports

Wesley Johnson SG/SF LAC – 12% Ownership: HE’S BACK! Johnson was a hot pickup earlier this season and then fell off the face of the Earth. Johnson scored in double figures in six of his last seven games and hit multiple three-pointers in five of them. Blake Griffin setting up in the post allows Johnson to be the true perimeter bailout option and he’ll see a lot of high-percentage shots. Johnson has been rebounding better as well. He’s grabbed at least four boards in four of his last five games. Johnson is not just a three-point shooter, as he’ll take advantage when the opposite side of the lane is open and cut to the basket. The playing time commitment is there as well as Danilo Gallinari continues to recover. Johnson has played 30-plus minutes in three of his last five games. He’s coming off of a four-block game and had another one a few games before. He’ll be a big help with steals on the perimeter. Johnson is a very safe add as the Clippers haven’t been able to shake the injury bug.

Bobby Portis PF/C CHI – 33% Ownership: As much as Portis’ playing time doesn’t show a true rotation commitment lately, with Nikola Mirotic being up for grabs, Portis should ultimately benefit if Mirotic is traded. Lately, Portis has been a volume producer and the trust factor has temporarily grown. He’s been rebounding the ball better and is coming off of a double-double. He has quick hands and has swiped balls in six of his last seven games and has two multi-steal games in his last three. The scoring has stood out for Portis as well as he hit double figures in three of his last four games. Portis does have a small long-range game and has been hitting three’s every other game lately. The Bulls forwards have been handling more of the offense with Kris Dunn out and Portis has become a primary scorer with the Bulls second unit. Watch his minutes and see if his recent production can secure him more playing time. Portis can also rotate to the Center spot. Add him for scoring, boards and steals and the Bulls rotation is certainly open for change.

Dillon Brooks SG/SF MEM – 12% Ownership: Brooks is another player who was hot at the start of the season and faded into the mist for a while. He’s risen! Brooks has hit double-digits in scoring in five of his last six games. The Grizzlies are another team who’s been hurt all season and with their Forwards currently banged up, Brooks has been able to shine. Brooks has grabbed four or more rebounds in five of his last six games. The defensive commitment and long rebounding has been there when he’s on the court. Brooks also has three multi-steal games in his last five. He’s good at leading the offense on transition and can score from inside and outside the arc. He doesn’t need much time to shoot and because Tyreke Evans drives the lane a lot, Brooks is often open for the kick out pass and takes open long-range jumpers. Brooks also benefits when Marc Gasol sets up in the post because he requires the double-team in the lane. Brooks has been seeing more 30-minute games and if his scoring stays consistent, even when Mike Conley returns, Brooks will have a scoring role with the Grizzlies second unit.

Jonathon Simmons SG/SF ORL – 31% Ownership: Simmons is essentially an “add-low” option right now because the rotation commitment is there, but the consistent scoring and three-point shooting hasn’t been there. Simmons helps out enough in other categories to save his value. Simmons is good at rotating the ball and forcing it inside. Once Nikola Vucevic returns, Simmons will see better shots and he’ll have a more skilled big man to hit in the lane. Bismack Biyombo is not as good of a Center as Vucevic. Simmons dished four or more assists in four of his last five games. He recorded steals and blocks in two of his last three games and is still playing in the 30’s in a lot of games. Despite the shooting struggles, Simmons has scored in double figures in three of his last five games. The Magic don’t get a lot of production out of their SG spot and that’s how Simmons will keep his spot in the rotation for the duration of the season. Team’s will double Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier and not pay too much attention to Simmons, at least until he gets his groove back. Grab him now before his scoring picks back up.

Trey Lyles PF DEN – 33% Ownership: Yes, Paul Millsap is returning, but Lyles owners will have at least a month of solid production and even when Millsap returns, he will need a couple of weeks to get back into rhythm with the offense. Lyles has scored in double figures in three of his last four games. The rebounding has been consistent and he’s been a consistent three-point shooter. Big men who shoot from long-range tend to have an easier time rebounding if they follow up their shots because they have a better chance at grabbing long rebounds. Lyles will provide inconsistent, but tangible block and steals help. Lyles playing time continues to remain in the mid-20’s for the most part and he’ll benefit even more when Nikola Jokic sets up in the lane because of his long-range shooting ability. Once the reports circulate that Millsap’s return is imminent, Lyles enters a huge competition against Mason Plumlee for playing time. Remember, Millsap will need time once he returns and Lyles would serve as a primary bailout option with the Nuggets second unit as their second unit struggles to find consistency on offense.

Bojan Bogdanovic SG/SF IND – 37% Ownership: The rebounding has been better and his playing time has been rewarded because of consistent efforts on defense. Bogdanovic has been more helpful with rebounding since Myles Turner got hurt and has grabbed four or more boards in four of his last five games. Bogdanovic has also been helpful with steals and has two multi-steal games in his last three. Bogdanovic continues to be solid long-range shooter and he scored in double figures in five of his last six games. Bogdanovic will attack the lane and fight for boards inside and he’s been setting up more on the elbow and rolling to the basket off of screens. Once Turner comes back, Bogdanovic will likely be hovering around the paint but not setting up in it as much, but he should still see open jumpers as the primary bailout jump shooter. Bogdanovic should still see about eight to 10 shots per game when Turner comes back. 

Luke Kennard SG DET – 3% Ownership: As much as Kennard’s stats scream SHORT-TERM ADD, his three-point shooting and free-throw shooting percentages will provide a boost. Kennard is a sharp-shooter from beyond the arc and has scored in double figures in his last three games. Kennard is coming off of a double-double, but will mainly provide inconsistent rebounding. Kennard’s defense has improved throughout the season and as his defense improves, he’ll continue to see playing time in the mid-20’s. He’s helped with steals in spurts and even though he hasn’t helped at all over his last few games, expect his steals numbers to improve over the next few weeks. If Kennard can keep the scoring consistent, he should still see playing time and a lot of shots with the second unit even when Reggie Jackson returns. His quickness helps out with Pistons offense. He keeps up on transition while other players such as Andre Drummond are allergic to transition offense because of how slow he is. Kennard serves as a primary bailout option on transition, but will attack the lane if it’s open. Ride out Kennard’s scoring and shooting percentages. His playing time is safe.

Alex Len PF/C PHX – 18% Ownership: Len is dealing with Ankle soreness, but that shouldn’t stop you from touting him because the Suns are likely to make a trade sending away either Tyson Chandler or Greg Monroe and Len will be the beneficiary of a lot of minutes. The Suns have Alan Williams who could return in a couple of months, but that’s about it in terms of depth because Marquese Chriss and Dragan Bender are better at the PF spot. Len has grabbed over eight boards per game this season and with more playing time coming, his chances to score from right under the basket improve as well. He’s hovering around that 20-minute mark and he’ll block shots every other game. If you’re not ready to add him, keep him on close watch and focus on reports coming from the Suns in regards to who is likely to get dealt because the chances are high that they make a move over the next couple of weeks. Len barrels his way to the basket and draws contact. He’s good at keeping plays alive and takes advantage of second-chance scoring opportunities.

Darius Miller SG/SF NO – 2% Ownership: Miller has been a multi-category producer over the last week and he’s been playing deep into games. Miller has hit multiple three-pointers in his last four games and has scored in double figures in three of them. Miller has also grabbed at least six boards in two of his last three games. Miller looked strong at the start of the season and then once Rajon Rondo returned, he got buried and is in a major time-share for shots with E’Twaun Moore. Miller’s defense has clearly kept him in games longer and he’s recorded steals in three of his last four games. Miller has played in 30-plus minutes over his last four games. The commitment to Miler is there and he’ll score in the Pelicans second unit. Miller has slashing ability, but when his long-range game is clicking, he mainly stays at the arc. He has a role on this team, but the offense will continue to mainly focus on Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins. Both require a ton of attention and Miller should be able to have space to shoot and drive.

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Troy Daniels G PHX – 3% Ownership: Daniels has emerged as a consistent scoring booster over the last couple of weeks. Daniels scores primarily from the perimeter and he’s been seeing playing time over 20 minutes in three of his last four games. Daniels is quick and can rotate to both Guard spots and has good ball-handling abilities. The Suns have gone with the hot-hand when it comes to the Guard spot opposite Devin Booker. Daniels will provide some help with steals, but owners should mainly expect three-pointers with everything else he does as an added bonus. The Suns don’t have a solidified third scoring option and if Daniels can stay hot, he’ll get more minutes. The Suns have completely punted on defense this season and every game will be a race to 115. The Suns will need hot shooters to keep the pace with other offenses. Daniels is a short-term option and will get at least a few more games of consistent minutes if his three’s are falling.