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5 offseason transactions with the greatest fantasy impact

Adam Glanzman / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The landscape of the NBA has changed dramatically this summer. With the fantasy basketball season right around the corner, let's take a look at which players have seen their value rise and fall because of the five biggest blockbuster moves.

The Irving-Thomas blockbuster

Kyrie Irving has the potential to expand his scoring profile with the Celtics, especially if he raises his 3-point attempts per game from 6.1 to eight or even nine per game. And without having to share ball-handing duties with LeBron James, he also has the potential to expand his assist production from 5.8 per game last season.

But without knowing how fast the redesigned Celtics offense will gel, Irving ranks as the ninth-best PG-eligible player heading into the season - a testament to how deep the position is today. If stable, high-level producers like John Wall and Damian Lillard are on the table, there's no need to reach for Irving. Look to land him toward the end of Round 2 or the beginning of Round 3.

Isaiah Thomas is another issue. Without a clear timeline for the two-time All-Star's return from his hip injury, the Cavaliers' newest star cannot be counted on to be a fantasy team's PG1 or even PG2; there's simply too much risk that he's out until the All-Star break in February. If anything, Thomas' absence gives Kevin Love an opportunity to take on more responsibility - and shot attempts.

Aim to draft Thomas between Rounds 6-8, but know that you'll be stashing him in a disabled-list slot for the foreseeable future. If you draft Thomas expecting 60-plus games at the level of production he showed last season, you'll be disappointed.

Hayward signs with Celtics

Like Irving, Gordon Hayward will also have to integrate with coach Brad Stevens' system. Luckily, he may have an advantage in that regard, as Stevens coached Hayward at Butler.

Hayward posted career highs in points (21.9), rebounds (5.4), and 3-pointers made (2.0) per game with the Utah Jazz last season. His well-balanced statistical profile should hold steady with his new team, where he'll be afforded 15-16 shots per game. His assists might suffer with Irving monopolizing on-ball duties, but the weak rebounding frontcourt of Al Horford and Marcus Morris will bolster Hayward's outlook in that area.

There's little chance of Hayward significantly elevating his production in any one area, save perhaps 3-pointers made, but he'll still be an integral part of the Celtics' offense. With a safe floor, target him after more dynamic wings like C.J. McCollum, Klay Thompson, and DeMar DeRozan are off the board.

CP3 teams up with Harden in Houston

Mike D'Antoni will look to create sublime transition magic this year, with James Harden and Chris Paul both able to rack up assists to the Rockets' various set-shot specialists and athletic rim-runner Clint Capela. The fast pace and elite passing ability of the team's stars will keep most of the Rockets' core rotation relevant in fantasy.

There's only one ball, so Harden and Paul will be hard-pressed to match last year's assist rates of 11.2 and 9.2 per game, respectively, but both will continue to rank among the league's best setup men.

Whatever Paul loses in his assist totals this year, he may very well make up by increasing his 3-point attempts, a requisite skill for D'Antoni's run-and-gun system. Landing Paul toward the end of Round 2 would be a minor coup.

Paul's presence may cut into his shot attempts, but those looks will likely become easier for the MVP runner-up. Harden should go no lower than fifth overall.

Jimmy Butler traded to T-Wolves

Butler's fantasy outlook took a hit this summer. With the Bulls, Butler was the fulcrum of the team's offense, but that likely won't be the case with the Timberwolves.

Butler joins an established core featuring Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, a wing who ostensibly already fills the role that Butler brings to the table. Jeff Teague also needs the ball in his hands to be an effective scorer. Each of those four players must improve their catch-and-shoot proficiency or risk seeing a diminished scoring outlook.

Coach Tom Thibodeau is notorious for pushing his wings to take on massive minute workloads, so expect Butler and Wiggins to still score around 20 points per game with around five rebounds and a handful of assists, but their individual ceilings are lower than they were sixth months ago.

Target Butler at the beginning of Round 3. Wiggins and Teague drop to Round 5-6 valuations. Towns, whose youth and dynamism at the center position hint at future MVP potential, could repeat his 25-12-3 averages from last season and is one of the few players with the tools to be the top player in fantasy; he is ranked No. 7 overall on my big board.

PG13, Melo join Westbrook in OKC

The injection of Paul George, a superior off-ball player to Victor Oladipo, and future Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony almost certainly closes Russell Westbrook's window for averaging a triple-double, but Westbrook's ball-dominant role will allow him to maintain top-10 fantasy player status.

Facing defensive fronts primarily focused on stopping Westbrook will grant George and Anthony easier scoring chances. For George, expect an uptick from 2.6 made threes per game last year to three or four in 2017-18. George's above-average defensive contributions will remain unchanged.

Anthony is slightly harder to project. While his looks on offense will undoubtedly be easier than when he was the primary scoring threat with the Knicks, there's a good chance he ends up taking closer to 15 shots per game than the 19.5 he's averaged for his career. If he develops his catch-and-shoot skills, Anthony's increased efficiency will mitigate the decreased volume.

Westbrook should be targeted in the middle of the first round of fantasy drafts. George follows shortly behind in the second round; don't select him over fellow forwards Kawhi Leonard or LeBron James, who both operate as their teams' main on-ball playmakers. Anthony should be targeted between picks 40-55 overall, depending on the scoring format.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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