NBA Trade Deadline: The Chicago “Value Bomb” Explodes

Navigating the Trade Deadline Minefield

The Trade Deadline is over. The dust has settled. And if you look closely at the slate, one thing is screaming at you: The Chicago Bulls have opened the floodgates.

We aren’t here to discuss “feelings” or “team chemistry.” We are here to exploit the mispriced salaries left behind by the trades. The algorithm has crunched the new rotations, and the value is undeniable.

Here is your attack plan for tonight.

The “Must-Have” Value: Tre Jones (CHI)

Salary: 8.5M

Projection: 33.9 FP

Value Score: 3.98 (The highest on the slate)

Ownership: Only 8.0%?!

This is the lock of the night. With the Bulls clearing house, Tre Jones has been handed the keys. The model projects him for nearly 4x value. At 8% ownership, this is robbery. If you fade him, you are betting against math. Lock him in.

🏒 The Stack: “The Chicago Fire Sale

It’s not just Tre. The entire Bulls rotation is underpriced for their new usage rates.

  • Jalen Smith (PF – 9.8M): 3.61 Value.
  • Matas Buzelis (SF – 10.7M): 3.57 Value.

You can legitimately run a Jones-Smith-Buzelis stack, save a fortune, and spend the rest on the studs. Speaking of which…

πŸ‘‘ The “Spend-Up”: Luka vs. Jalen

You have the salary savings from Chicago. Now, where do you spend it?

  1. Luka Doncic (LAL – 19.8M):
    • Proj: 55.7 FP
    • He is the highest scorer on the slate. Now on the Lakers (in this simulation), he runs the show. 25% ownership is high, but he is the safest floor.
  2. Jalen Johnson (ATL – 17.5M):
    • Proj: 53.8 FP
    • Better Value (3.07) than Luka. If you need the extra $2M to upgrade a center, pivot to Jalen. He is nearly matching Luka’s production for a discount.

Don’t Forget To Check Our NBA Projections Page

πŸ“‰ The GPP Pivot: Cooper Flagg (DAL)

  • Salary: 14.5M
  • Proj: 40.9 FP
  • Ownership: 11.7%

While everyone chases the big names, Cooper Flagg is sitting there with a massive ceiling. The rookie is putting up veteran numbers. If the field ignores him, this is your leverage play to win a tournament.

Summary Lineup Construction:

  1. PG: Tre Jones (Lock)
  2. PF: Jalen Smith (Value)
  3. SF: Matas Buzelis (Value)
  4. Spend: Luka Doncic OR Jalen Johnson
  5. Fill: High-floor plays like Isaiah Collier (UTA) or Jusuf Nurkic (UTA).

Get the Chicago value in, pay up for Luka, and print the ticket.

Good luck.

Full Projections & Data

Below are the full sortable tables for tonight’s slate. Use the search bar to find specific players.

Fanteam Projections

NamePosTeamSalaryProjValueFT-PrefOwn%FormFloorCeilStd DevBoomStatusIds
Cade CunninghamPGDET18.253.92.965.50.0%52.738.969.511.75.1%expected4431021
Shai Gilgeous-AlexanderPGOKC16.849.42.945.10.0%43.137.161.99.72.8%expected4434905
LeBron JamesSFLAL15.744.82.864.614.9%42.731.259.911.14.5%expected4434587
Donovan MitchellSGCLE14.542.92.964.631.7%39.429.956.010.24.6%expected4430977
James HardenPGCLE13.839.72.884.331.9%36.526.951.79.71.5%expected4434559
Austin ReavesSGLAL13.439.22.924.33.0%32.327.052.010.24.6%expected4434588
Evan MobleyPFCLE12.538.33.064.425.8%35.527.149.49.03.2%expected4430972
Chet HolmgrenCOKC12.936.22.813.90.0%42.125.047.48.81.7%expected4434907
Jalen DurenCDET12.135.52.944.00.0%27.724.946.88.43.0%expected4431016
Tobias HarrisSFDET11.832.92.793.60.0%38.521.745.59.33.3%expected4431019
Jarrett AllenCCLE10.230.73.013.718.2%33.321.040.57.52.0%expected4430967
Ausar ThompsonSGDET10.630.12.843.40.0%29.820.040.78.11.8%expected4431027
Ajay MitchellPGOKC11.228.82.573.00.0%34.619.039.17.70.8%expected4434916
Isaiah HartensteinCOKC9.828.22.883.30.0%28.618.836.77.10.5%expected4434913
Rui HachimuraPFLAL8.825.52.903.10.3%29.715.735.28.02.5%expected4434590
Marcus SmartPGLAL9.125.32.783.00.1%25.514.534.78.11.6%expected4434586
Deandre AytonCLAL8.623.22.692.76.3%28.113.531.87.31.1%expected4434578
Duncan RobinsonSGDET8.221.12.572.40.0%31.011.930.67.91.0%expected4431034
Daniss JenkinsPGDET6.819.42.862.50.0%22.111.027.46.60.8%possible4431024
Luke KennardSGLAL7.218.82.612.20.0%16.510.627.06.60.8%possible4430864
Max StrusSGCLE7.518.42.452.15.7%22.99.127.17.00.1%possible4430978
Cason WallacePGOKC7.018.02.572.10.0%22.110.026.16.10.4%possible4434919
Alex CarusoSGOKC6.517.82.742.30.0%19.59.426.36.51.7%possible4434903
Dennis SchroderPGCLE5.516.53.002.31.1%12.78.324.66.62.1%possible4435377
Luguentz DortSFOKC6.214.22.281.60.0%13.67.421.05.60.0%expected4434906
Jaylon TysonSFCLE6.012.92.141.44.9%14.35.620.36.20.1%possible4430970
Dean WadePFCLE5.812.82.221.40.5%12.66.119.85.50.0%expected4430965
Jaylin WilliamsPFOKC5.712.72.231.40.0%13.74.820.96.30.3%possible4434909
Isaiah JoeSGOKC5.512.32.231.40.0%12.94.320.46.30.2%possible4434904
Caris LeVertSFDET5.612.22.181.40.0%8.05.419.25.30.0%possible4431029
Jared McCainPGOKC5.210.52.031.10.0%11.52.818.86.50.2%possible4435077
Sam MerrillSGCLE5.310.51.991.10.4%10.33.718.15.70.1%possible4430964
Jaxson HayesCLAL5.210.01.921.00.2%8.64.315.64.60.0%possible4434584
Isaiah StewartCDET5.49.11.690.80.0%4.43.215.04.70.0%possible4431030
Paul ReedPFDET5.26.91.330.50.0%8.71.612.74.50.0%possible4431023
Adou ThieroSFLAL5.46.01.110.40.0%4.70.512.75.30.0%possible4434576
Maxi KleberPFLAL4.75.61.190.40.0%5.01.210.84.10.0%possible4434585
Jarred VanderbiltPFLAL5.05.51.090.40.0%9.20.810.74.40.0%possible4434577
Javonte GreenSGDET5.05.11.010.30.0%3.60.99.63.80.0%possible4431032
Jake LaRaviaPFLAL4.94.40.900.30.0%8.91.28.02.80.0%possible4434581
Ronald Holland IISFDET4.63.90.850.20.0%5.10.58.33.50.0%possible4431028
Aaron WigginsSGOKC4.52.90.650.10.0%3.50.08.03.90.0%possible4434921

DraftKings Projections

PositionNameIDPosSalaryGame InfoTeamAvgProjValueOwn%FloorCeilStd DevSlate
PGCade Cunningham43031114PG/G/UTIL10900DET@CLE 05/11/2026 08:00PM ETDET49.82 53.55 4.91 26.85 38.52 69.61 11.69 main
PGShai Gilgeous-Alexander43031117PG/G/UTIL10100OKC@LAL 05/11/2026 10:30PM ETOKC50.14 49.24 4.88 28.74 37.39 62.01 9.74 main
PFLeBron James43031120PF/F/UTIL9200OKC@LAL 05/11/2026 10:30PM ETLAL42.06 45.11 4.90 37.43 31.45 58.82 11.10 main
SGDonovan Mitchell43031123SG/G/UTIL8700DET@CLE 05/11/2026 08:00PM ETCLE44.03 42.06 4.83 28.98 29.55 55.73 10.19 main
PGJames Harden43031126PG/G/UTIL8000DET@CLE 05/11/2026 08:00PM ETCLE44.12 39.34 4.92 35.51 27.80 50.93 9.69 main
PG/SGAustin Reaves43031129PG/SG/G/UTIL7900OKC@LAL 05/11/2026 10:30PM ETLAL39.51 38.69 4.90 35.51 26.34 52.65 10.15 main
PF/CEvan Mobley43031136PF/C/F/UTIL7500DET@CLE 05/11/2026 08:00PM ETCLE39.4 36.81 4.91 42.02 27.06 50.29 9.05 main
PFChet Holmgren43031133PF/F/UTIL7700OKC@LAL 05/11/2026 10:30PM ETOKC35.73 35.85 4.66 25.36 25.49 47.50 8.80 main
CJalen Duren43031146C/UTIL6900DET@CLE 05/11/2026 08:00PM ETDET36.79 34.98 5.07 29.92 25.24 46.60 8.39 main
PFTobias Harris43031143PF/F/UTIL7100DET@CLE 05/11/2026 08:00PM ETDET27.84 33.05 4.65 34.08 20.82 44.67 9.28 main
SFAusar Thompson43031152SF/F/UTIL6400DET@CLE 05/11/2026 08:00PM ETDET27.49 30.09 4.70 29.71 19.59 40.34 8.14 main
PG/SGAjay Mitchell43031148PG/SG/G/UTIL6700OKC@LAL 05/11/2026 10:30PM ETOKC26.85 29.24 4.36 22.59 18.59 38.56 7.69 main
CJarrett Allen43031155C/UTIL5700DET@CLE 05/11/2026 08:00PM ETCLE31.65 28.89 5.07 33.66 21.01 40.14 7.50 main
CIsaiah Hartenstein43031157C/UTIL5500OKC@LAL 05/11/2026 10:30PM ETOKC29.2 27.18 4.94 31.81 18.94 37.12 7.07 main
SG/SFMarcus Smart43031159SG/SF/F/G/UTIL5400OKC@LAL 05/11/2026 10:30PM ETLAL22.4 24.63 4.56 35.21 14.77 35.46 8.06 main
SF/PFRui Hachimura43031164SF/PF/F/UTIL5300OKC@LAL 05/11/2026 10:30PM ETLAL20.27 24.42 4.61 35.53 15.59 34.85 7.95 main
CDeandre Ayton43031168C/UTIL5200OKC@LAL 05/11/2026 10:30PM ETLAL26.66 24.16 4.65 37.97 13.19 32.54 7.30 main
SGDuncan Robinson43031170SG/G/UTIL4900DET@CLE 05/11/2026 08:00PM ETDET21.78 21.60 4.41 26.73 11.30 30.66 7.91 main
SG/SFMax Strus43031173SG/SF/F/G/UTIL4500DET@CLE 05/11/2026 08:00PM ETCLE22.02 18.94 4.21 27.03 9.91 27.25 7.00 main
PGDaniss Jenkins43031187PG/G/UTIL4200DET@CLE 05/11/2026 08:00PM ETDET19.55 18.53 4.41 22.98 11.09 27.68 6.58 main
SG/SFCason Wallace43031182SG/SF/F/G/UTIL4300OKC@LAL 05/11/2026 10:30PM ETOKC21.12 17.79 4.14 17.04 9.70 25.65 6.11 main
PG/SGLuke Kennard43031178PG/SG/G/UTIL4400OKC@LAL 05/11/2026 10:30PM ETLAL17.26 17.76 4.04 8.70 10.41 26.94 6.59 main
SF/PFAlex Caruso43031190SF/PF/F/UTIL4000OKC@LAL 05/11/2026 10:30PM ETOKC16.06 17.35 4.34 25.78 9.91 26.47 6.47 main
PGDennis Schroder43031215PG/G/UTIL3300DET@CLE 05/11/2026 08:00PM ETCLE21.78 14.95 4.53 36.76 8.07 24.94 6.55 main
SGLuguentz Dort43031194SG/G/UTIL3700OKC@LAL 05/11/2026 10:30PM ETOKC17.42 14.16 3.83 10.64 7.41 21.64 5.57 main
SF/PFJaylon Tyson43031197SF/PF/F/UTIL3600DET@CLE 05/11/2026 08:00PM ETCLE24.25 13.71 3.81 9.60 5.30 21.14 6.17 main
SF/PFDean Wade43031201SF/PF/F/UTIL3500DET@CLE 05/11/2026 08:00PM ETCLE15.66 13.19 3.77 11.11 6.18 20.30 5.51 main
SG/SFIsaiah Joe43031205SG/SF/F/G/UTIL3300OKC@LAL 05/11/2026 10:30PM ETOKC18.48 12.46 3.77 15.81 4.44 19.66 6.25 main
CJaylin Williams43031218C/UTIL3400OKC@LAL 05/11/2026 10:30PM ETOKC19.72 12.30 3.62 6.78 4.41 20.92 6.33 main
SGSam Merrill43031228SG/G/UTIL3200DET@CLE 05/11/2026 08:00PM ETCLE20.58 11.07 3.46 6.34 3.28 18.42 5.67 main
SG/SFCaris LeVert43031210SG/SF/F/G/UTIL3400DET@CLE 05/11/2026 08:00PM ETDET15.58 10.84 3.19 5.63 5.92 18.98 5.34 main
CJaxson Hayes43031224C/UTIL3100OKC@LAL 05/11/2026 10:30PM ETLAL15.61 10.18 3.29 1.50 4.09 15.61 4.58 main
PGJared McCain43031235PG/G/UTIL3100OKC@LAL 05/11/2026 10:30PM ETOKC13.9 10.08 3.25 10.30 2.73 18.75 6.50 main
PF/CIsaiah Stewart43031220PF/C/F/UTIL3300DET@CLE 05/11/2026 08:00PM ETDET19.91 9.46 2.87 1.75 3.23 15.14 4.70 main
CPaul Reed43031226C/UTIL3200DET@CLE 05/11/2026 08:00PM ETDET17.87 6.50 2.03 0.12 1.41 12.45 4.50 main
SF/PFJavonte Green43031231SF/PF/F/UTIL3100DET@CLE 05/11/2026 08:00PM ETDET14.17 6.43 2.07 0.53 0.78 9.93 3.82 main
PFJarred Vanderbilt43031260PF/F/UTIL3000OKC@LAL 05/11/2026 10:30PM ETLAL13.67 5.68 1.89 0.29 0.61 10.99 4.37 main
SG/SFJake LaRavia43031242SG/SF/F/G/UTIL3000OKC@LAL 05/11/2026 10:30PM ETLAL18.35 5.59 1.86 0.89 1.01 7.88 2.76 main
SF/PFAdou Thiero43031238SF/PF/F/UTIL3200OKC@LAL 05/11/2026 10:30PM ETLAL4.48 5.46 1.71 0.76 0.74 12.78 5.34 main
SF/PFAaron Wiggins43031263SF/PF/F/UTIL3000OKC@LAL 05/11/2026 10:30PM ETOKC17.32 4.70 1.57 0.27 0.00 7.81 3.95 main
PF/CMaxi Kleber43031292PF/C/F/UTIL3000OKC@LAL 05/11/2026 10:30PM ETLAL6.66 4.53 1.51 0.46 1.09 10.92 4.09 main
PFRonald Holland II43031247PF/F/UTIL3000DET@CLE 05/11/2026 08:00PM ETDET16.98 3.25 1.08 0.21 0.44 8.29 3.47 main

Fanduel Projections

IdPositionNicknameSalaryGameTeamOpponentFptsValueOwn%FloorCeilStdDev
129617-188414C/PFVictor Wembanyama12300POR@SASAPOR58.1 4.72 10.64 49.68 65.74 11.99
129617-80808PF/SFJayson Tatum9900PHI@BOSBOSPHI47.9 4.84 22.21 41.29 54.96 10.27
129617-157833PF/SFJalen Johnson8900ATL@NYATLNY44.8 5.03 19.83 35.02 49.36 10.76
129617-49111CJoel Embiid9700PHI@BOSPHIBOS44.7 4.60 26.64 34.00 49.16 11.15
129617-145331PGTyrese Maxey9500PHI@BOSPHIBOS43.6 4.59 13.87 31.28 46.02 10.82
129617-58462C/PFKarl-Anthony Towns8600ATL@NYNYATL43.1 5.01 18.11 35.26 47.94 9.48
129617-67026SF/SGJaylen Brown9000PHI@BOSBOSPHI42.3 4.71 19.95 35.58 48.56 9.55
129617-145539SF/PFDeni Avdija8800POR@SAPORSA42.0 4.77 14.62 31.22 45.54 10.49
129617-84690PGJalen Brunson8300ATL@NYNYATL41.8 5.04 24.64 32.70 45.42 9.54
129617-203723SG/PGStephon Castle7700POR@SASAPOR37.3 4.85 20.76 29.96 41.96 8.83
129617-80810PGDe’Aaron Fox7200POR@SASAPOR34.9 4.84 19.21 30.34 42.50 9.15
129617-9663PGJrue Holiday6800POR@SAPORSA34.6 5.09 29.73 28.14 41.30 9.69
129617-68090SF/PFOG Anunoby6800ATL@NYNYATL33.6 4.94 30.23 26.80 38.76 8.97
129617-19067SG/PGCJ McCollum7100ATL@NYATLNY33.2 4.67 26.54 25.04 38.00 9.47
129617-40562SF/PFJosh Hart6500ATL@NYNYATL32.3 4.97 19.20 26.58 37.50 8.13
129617-12341SF/PFPaul George6900PHI@BOSPHIBOS31.7 4.59 17.01 22.64 35.16 9.25
129617-110356SG/PGNickeil Alexander-Walker6300ATL@NYATLNY31.4 4.99 26.43 24.23 37.34 9.68
129617-145304C/PFOnyeka Okongwu6100ATL@NYATLNY30.7 5.03 27.52 26.68 39.81 9.75
129617-171784SG/PGDyson Daniels6600ATL@NYATLNY30.6 4.64 19.58 23.76 35.00 8.22
129617-49675SG/PGDerrick White5800PHI@BOSBOSPHI29.5 5.09 21.42 23.38 34.84 8.50
129617-228133SG/PGVJ Edgecombe6700PHI@BOSPHIBOS29.1 4.34 5.22 20.22 31.78 8.39
129617-58153SF/PFKelly Oubre5200PHI@BOSPHIBOS27.4 5.26
129617-145335PG/SGPayton Pritchard5400PHI@BOSBOSPHI27.1 5.02 11.04 19.04 29.36 7.59
129617-84708C/PFRobert Williams5300POR@SAPORSA26.1 4.92 38.23 19.78 29.44 7.24
129617-145324SF/SGDevin Vassell5600POR@SASAPOR24.8 4.43 21.86 20.24 31.26 8.08
129617-157904SF/PFJonathan Kuminga5100ATL@NYATLNY24.3 4.77 18.21 18.54 28.42 7.28
129617-188428PGScoot Henderson5000POR@SAPORSA24.2 4.84 23.97 19.02 31.04 8.97
129617-203714CDonovan Clingan4900POR@SAPORSA22.3 4.56 3.02 19.62 29.82 7.64
129617-188447SF/PFToumani Camara4400POR@SAPORSA22.3 5.07 12.82 15.34 25.64 7.65
129617-157811CNeemias Queta4400PHI@BOSBOSPHI22.2 5.04 1.72 15.96 26.18 7.82
129617-228126SG/PGDylan Harper4800POR@SASAPOR21.2 4.42 34.21 17.16 27.92 8.07
129617-84670SG/SFMikal Bridges4200ATL@NYNYATL20.7 4.92 5.35 14.58 24.64 7.33
129617-23831PF/SFJerami Grant4500POR@SAPORSA20.6 4.58 18.50 13.06 22.58 7.12
129617-172098SG/SFJulian Champagnie4100POR@SASAPOR19.8 4.83 27.15 14.98 25.02 7.40
129617-14514CNikola Vucevic4000PHI@BOSBOSPHI18.7 4.67 18.51 17.22 27.50 7.54
129617-157824PG/SGMiles McBride3800ATL@NYNYATL17.4 4.58 18.80 11.26 20.14 6.63
129617-84709CMitchell Robinson3700ATL@NYNYATL16.0 4.33 6.95 12.58 22.00 7.12
129617-158854SF/PFSam Hauser3800PHI@BOSBOSPHI15.7 4.12 9.55 10.64 18.90 6.12
129617-110347SF/PFKeldon Johnson3800POR@SASAPOR15.4 4.07 19.44 11.60 20.58 6.78
129617-41083CLuke Kornet3900POR@SASAPOR14.8 3.79 0.31 9.66 18.58 6.70
129617-157826SG/SFQuentin Grimes3900PHI@BOSPHIBOS14.2 3.65 0.57 7.84 15.26 5.52
129617-171804SG/PGShaedon Sharpe3700POR@SAPORSA12.9 3.48 5.01 9.03 16.92 5.98
129617-20640SG/PGJordan Clarkson3600ATL@NYNYATL11.3 3.14 15.83 8.78 17.12 6.24
129617-203715SGBaylor Scheierman3600PHI@BOSBOSPHI9.4 2.62 1.53 4.91 11.82 5.23
129617-188457SFJordan Walsh3500PHI@BOSBOSPHI8.4 2.41 0.15 4.44 11.22 5.31
129617-101387SG/PGGabe Vincent3500ATL@NYATLNY8.1 2.30 0.39 6.00 12.64 4.99
129617-188454PF/CMouhamed Gueye3500ATL@NYATLNY8.0 2.29 0.65 5.18 11.80 4.91
129617-203772SFJustin Edwards3500PHI@BOSPHIBOS7.1 2.02 0.50 4.12 9.92 4.39
129617-158373PGJose Alvarado3500ATL@NYNYATL7.1 2.02 0.71 5.20 12.18 5.55
129617-228125SF/PFCarter Bryant3500POR@SASAPOR6.9 1.97 0.52 3.92 11.00 5.56
129617-171925PFDominick Barlow3500PHI@BOSPHIBOS6.9 1.97 2.20 4.28 10.00 4.32
129617-15557CAndre Drummond4300PHI@BOSPHIBOS6.7 1.56 0.04 3.52 9.97 5.10
129617-15946PFHarrison Barnes3500POR@SASAPOR6.4 1.83 0.11 3.66 9.66 4.66
129617-110320SF/SGMatisse Thybulle3500POR@SAPORSA4.9 1.41 0.12 1.20 4.32 2.39
129617-157819SF/SGCorey Kispert3500ATL@NYATLNY4.8 1.38 0.19 1.52 6.12 3.54
129617-188429SFKris Murray3500POR@SAPORSA4.7 1.33 0.18 2.76 8.16 4.14
129617-157807CLuka Garza3500PHI@BOSBOSPHI4.3 1.23 0.05 2.64 9.34 5.30
129617-84724SG/SFLandry Shamet3500ATL@NYNYATL3.0 0.86 0.10 0.12 3.24 2.17
129617-80823CTony Bradley3500ATL@NYATLNY2.2 0.63 0.04 0.90 4.02 2.46
129617-203771CAdem Bona3700PHI@BOSPHIBOS2.0 0.55 0.02 1.52 6.08 3.62

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