It was rather anticlimactic, but James Harden was finally traded. Future draft picks aside, let’s break this trade down from a fantasy basketball perspective, starting with Harden’s new team:

Los Angeles Clippers

Let’s get to the question everyone is wondering here: how is this going to work? The Clippers’ big three now becomes a big four, but there’s still just one ball. Combined, this quartet has made 32 All-Star games, scored over 78,000 points, grabbed over 22,000 rebounds, and dished out over 21,000 assists. So who is going to make the most sacrifices?

If I had to guess, I’d say that Westbrook is the biggest fantasy loser here, as he wasn’t scoring many points to begin with, and there’s no chance of him continuing to dish out seven assists per game with Harden now running point. It’d be fun to see Westbrook try to wreak more havoc on the defensive end however, so perhaps his steals and blocks will improve.

Leonard and George are likely to see a decline in overall fantasy value as well. For Leonard especially, he’s used to taking multiple dribbles to create his own shots, which will be tougher to do now with Harden being so ball-dominant. And George has started this season being ultra-aggressive on offense, but he’ll have to pick and choose his spots a little bit more moving forward. Nonetheless, both players should stay locked in your starting lineups when healthy.

The big winners here are all of the people who drafted Harden at a discount due to his uncertainties. They are surely grateful for this deal to get done in the second week of the season, rather than the second month. That doesn’t mean it’s an ideal landing spot for putting up big numbers. Harden will have to adapt his game by playing less isolation ball and keeping the ball moving on offense, as best he can.

Continuing the negative theme, if either Powell or Hyland are currently on your team, you may want to start searching for a replacement, as there will be fewer shot attempts for them moving forward. The one player who I could see being helped by this trade is Mann, but he’s still nursing an ankle injury. Once healthy, he could eat up most of the minutes that Robert Covington, KJ Martin and Nic Batum were getting, minus P.J. Tucker’s minutes. And perhaps Zubac will get more point-blank looks now, thanks to Harden’s pick-and-roll abilities.

Maxey and Melton are definitely big winners from this trade due to the 76ers not receiving any guards in return for Harden… not yet at least. The assumption is they’ll try to parlay some of their new draft picks into a proven guard before the trade deadline, but for now they’ll simply play the waiting game to see which teams are going to become sellers as we get closer to February.

I don’t expect Maxey to continue shooting 50% from the field and 56% from 3-point range, but I do expect him to continue flirting with Top 25 value in all formats. As for Melton, he’s struggled to make shots early in the season, but the rock solid steals and assists are there, and more threes will start falling soon, meaning he should be rostered in all competitive leagues. And let’s not forget how Embiid can now breathe a giant sigh of relief, as he won’t have to deal with any more Harden questions from the media. It should pave the way for him to set a career-high in assists as well.

As for a fantasy loser, I believe that Oubre’s value is going to take a slight hit now. He’s been playing major minutes off the bench for Philly, but this trade gives them an improved bench, with several veterans coming in who will compete with Oubre for playing time.

The situation to watch here is in the frontcourt, now that Tucker’s starting job is vacant. Paul Reed has been a major disappointment thus far, receiving mostly backup center minutes and garbage time thus far, rather than having the breakout season that many of us were expecting. Will it happen now that Tucker has been traded, or will Nick Nurse favor one of his incoming players — Covington, Martin or Batum?

I would still love to see Reed get an increased role since he has the highest fantasy upside, but his shaky 3-point shot seems to be hindering him. Alas, for better floor spacing and defensive versatility, Covington may have the inside track on being Philly’s new fifth starter. The dark horse here is KJ Martin, as his ability to fly up and down the court in transition would mesh really well with Maxey. Keep a close eye on this situation…

Sell high or hold?

Cam Thomas, BKN — Sell

You don’t need me to tell you that 33 points per game on 61% shooting from the field is not sustainable for Thomas. Not only will he start cooling off soon, but the eventual return of Cameron Johnson will cut into his minutes and shot attempts. Since no one is going to trade you a Top 40 player for him, I suggest packaging Thomas with a more proven player to try and get an upgrade.

Scottie Barnes, TOR — Hold

Did you not read my last article?! I am all-in on Barnes this season, and I’m not even sure I’d trade him away for LaMelo Ball at this point.

Marcus Smart, MEM — Sell

After four games as a Grizzly, Smart is scoring 17.3 points per game on 53% shooting from the field. If you know who Marcus Smart is, you know that those two numbers are an anomaly, as he scored just 12.4 points per game on 40% FG shooting over his past four seasons. You have all of November to try selling high on Smart, but I don’t suggest waiting until December, when Ja Morant’s return will put a damper on things.

Jalen Duren, DET — Hold

I expected Duren to have a strong season, but I didn’t expect him to be downright dominant. From his Shaq-like dunks to his huge, soft catcher mitts for hands, there’s no reason to think that Duren is playing over his head. If you have him, pat yourself on the back and enjoy the ride.

Ultra-deep league pickups

Last week, Stan Son hit on players like Jalen Johnson and Jalen Suggs, who should definitely be on more rosters than they currently are. This week I’d like to dig deeper, meaning players who are currently rostered in less than 10% of Yahoo leagues.

Drew Eubanks, PHO — 9% rostered

There are many new faces in Phoenix, but I don’t think any of them are fitting in better than Eubanks. The high-energy yet cerebral big man has yet to play 20 minutes in a single game, but he’s doing his best to stuff the stat sheet. As far as backup centers go, you can definitely do worse.

Corey Kispert, WAS — 9% rostered

After three games, he’s 9-of-21 from 3-point range, and is quietly becoming one of the most accurate and dependable shooters in the league.

Josh Green, DAL — 6% rostered

With Kyrie Irving nursing a foot injury, Green should be on your radar if you play in deeper leagues. He’s had fine performances in back-to-back games now.

Christian Braun, DEN — 5% rostered

After a quiet first couple of games, Braun has now amassed 22 points, 15 boards, 9 assists, 2 steals and 1 block over his past two games, stepping up as Denver’s top bench option.

Royce O’Neale, BKN — 5% rostered

With the news of Cam Johnson being out another 10 days or more, O’Neale should continue to get plenty of run off the bench for Brooklyn. Sometimes his stat lines are ugly, but every few games he impresses.

Isaiah Hartenstein, NYK — 4% rostered

Hartenstein was the Eubanks before Eubanks. His performance on Tuesday was an example of how he can shine: 13 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block in 23 minutes off the bench.

David Roddy, MEM — 2% rostered

Thrust into a larger role due to injuries, Roddy has stepped up and played well early on. He’s a jack-of-all trades type player, who I would be trying to add if you’re in a super deep dynasty league. Big body Roddy!

(Photo of James Harden, Kawhi Leonard: David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)