Darius Garland, Jonathan Kuminga Among Post-Trade Deadline Fantasy Basketball Risers

The NBA trade deadline assisted the Fantasy Basketball stock of many elite players. These are your buy-low candidates as a result.

Jan 26, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) stands on the court during a timeout in the third quarter against the Orlando Magic at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

With the NBA trade deadline now past, we have some reevaluations to make. While some players fall in Fantasy Basketball, others rise to the top. This is the primetime of the season to find buy-low candidates and waiver wire steals. When reviewing the list of trades, I see four risers that stand out. Consider adding these players to your roster sooner rather than later.

Jonathan Kuminga: Warriors to Hawks

The Warriors managed to offload Kuminga after months of trade talk. He had spent much of the season on the bench between coaches decisions and injury. In due time, he will be back from his latest injury. No sooner does that happen, Kuminga very likely will enter the starting rotation, playing over 25 minutes per game.

Of course, his playing time and usage are speculative. However, Kuminga has played like a high-end player when active. The Hawks went for Kuminga for the talent that he should now bring. He will share the frontcourt with Jalen Johnson, Jock Landale, and Onyeka Okongwu, as Kuminga is probably the 2nd-best of that bunch, at best.

Guerschon Yabusele: Knicks to Bulls

Guerschon Yabusele hours after being traded by the Knicks to the Bulls:

🧸🐂 15 points
🧸🐂 6-11 FG
🧸🐂 3-6 three
🧸🐂 11 rebounds game high
🧸🐂 4 offensive game high
🧸🐂 3 assists
🧸🐂 2 steals pic.twitter.com/PfUPKLa79Y

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) February 6, 2026

The Celtics drafted Yabusele way back in 2016 as a mid-1st round draft pick. His career never quite panned out in the NBA, so he played overseas. Back in 2024, Yabusele returned to the NBA, and after time with the 76ers and Knicks, he was traded to the Bulls.

There may be reason to doubt Yabusele, but the Bulls' depth chart is very weak in the frontcourt. In his Bulls debut, Yabusele had 33 minutes and a double-double. He played eight more minutes than any other Bulls big man. If Yabusele can maintain this volume, he is very viable in Fantasy Basketball.

Jock Landale: Grizzlies to Jazz to Hawks

Landale had quite a few days for himself. The Grizzlies traded Landale to the Jazz, who shortly thereafter traded him to the Hawks. In his debut game on Thursday, Landale played 32 minutes with a 26-point double-double.

Now, the Hawks also add Kuminga. However, he plays more like a small power forward hybrid. This should not affect Landale much, and he should still average 30 or more minutes per game. This makes him a start 'em, sit 'em option in most weeks.

Darius Garland: Cavaliers to Clippers

Garland should see a slight usage upgrade on the Clippers. Where Donovan Mitchell averaged over 30% usage, nobody will threaten that workload in this Clippers offense. This could allow Garland's 26% usage rate to exceed 30% in Los Angeles. The team is worse, but that should not affect a high-usage player. If that ever affects anyone, it affects a role player. Garland legitimately could be a top-5 guard at his absolute ceiling.