Fantasy Basketball Weekend Takeaways: Ausar Thompson, Cam Whitmore, Grizzlies' Rotation + Changes Coming in LA?

Here are some key storylines that you might have missed over the weekend as well as a look at what some of the impacts may be as we enter Week 14 of the NBA season.

Victor Wembanyama, D'Angelo Russell, GG Jackson, Ausar Thompson, Ayo Dosunmu and Cam Whitmore all made the list this week, among others. 

Did D'Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura get traded on Sunday night?

Video clips show Rui Hachimura and D'Angelo Russell getting emotional on the Lakers' bench during the game, Russell's post-game interview sounded like a sad goodbye and multiple posts on Twitter reported that the Lakers' locker room and post-game environment have never been so quiet after a win.

Russell certainly didn't look like a guy who had just played a great game and scored 34 points, nor did the Lakers look like a team that had just won a basketball game when it was over. 

Lakers coach Darvin Ham has caught a lot of heat this season and it looked like he might be about done a few weeks ago when reports began surfacing that the players wanted him out, but the Lakers are standing behind the embattled coach. 

I don't know if they were officially told they were being traded during the game or what exactly is going on with the Lakers but they crushed the Blazers and now sit at 22-22 on the season. I do hope that whatever trades they end up making free up some room for Austin Reaves to do his thing, as he's been pretty disappointing this season. 

Clippers pull off 18-point comeback to beat Nets

Kawhi Leonard scored 14 of his 21 points in the final five minutes and the Clippers ended the game on a 22-0 run to stun the Nets 125-114 on Sunday. The Clippers clearly weren't ready for the 3:30 p.m. east coast tip time, falling behind 16-0 before finally waking up in time for the fourth quarter. Paul George and Leonard looked sluggish for most of the game and while James Harden did a nice job with 24 points and 10 dimes, it was Russell Westbrook who provided the big spark off the bench for the Clippers with 23 points, nine boards and six assists in 31 minutes on 10-of-16 shooting. 

As far as fantasy fallout from this one, Mason Plumlee got the start at center but played just 15 minutes and finished with seven points and eight rebounds. Daniel Theis played 17 minutes off the bench and added eight points, three boards and two blocks, and if you could add their stats together and make them one fantasy center we'd be cooking. But it's been a little rough in the middle without Ivica Zubac so far and he's out for several more weeks with a right calf strain. I still think Plumlee is the guy to get here, but keep in mind the Clippers only play three times this week. 

GG Jackson plummets back to earth

After going off for at least 20 points, six rebounds, two blocks and two three-pointers in two straight games and becoming one of the hottest pickups off waiver wires, Memphis' GG Jackson played just 10 minutes on Thursday, missed all three of his shots and finished with one point and three rebounds. He backed that up with 10 points and one rebound in 19 minutes on Saturday and now we're at a crossroads with a player who could still be sent back to the G League at any second.

He wasn't all that great at South Carolina and fell in the draft despite being one of the top recruits out of high school. He won over hearts with that two-game run and a post-game interview with the TNT crew, but reality came back and slapped everyone involved in the face over the weekend. 

Memphis has four games this week and I'm guessing Jackson will have at least one big stat line in the next seven days, simply because his team is completely decimated sans Jaren Jackson Jr. If games played matter in your league (I'm aware they don't matter in many leagues) you might as well hang onto him and see what happens. 

But given the state of the Grizzlies, Vince Williams Jr., Jackson, Santi Aldama, Xavier Tillman (knee), Luke Kennard, David Roddy, Jacob Gilyard and even John Konchar are all worth a look right now in fantasy leagues. Tillman missed Saturday's game but has a chance to play this week. I put them in the same order for priority as I have them listed above. 

Is Ausar Thompson happening in Detroit? 

Ausar Thompson scored a career-high 22 points with nine rebounds, a block and two three-pointers on Saturday and is now quietly averaging 14.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 0.7 blocks over his last three games. Those are the only categories he'll help you in and while Alec Burks still looks like a safer fantasy play right now, Thompson is at least back in the game.

The Pistons play four times this week and both Thompson and Burks are probably going to be popular pickups for the week until we see how things shake out. Just keep in mind that before this three-game hot streak, Thompson was nearly invisible for the Pistons. 

New starters in Orlando making noise

Wendell Carter and Markelle Fultz started for the Magic on Sunday and WCJ stayed hot with 17 points and nine rebounds in 34 minutes. He's averaged 19.3 points and 7.0 rebounds over his last four games since returning from a knee injury and looks like a strong three-game play for the week after sending Goga Bitadze back to the bench for a DNP. Fultz hit 6-of-8 shots for 12 points, four assists, two steals and two blocks in 29 minutes on Sunday and it's not a coincidence that Jalen Suggs and Cole Anthony were quiet in a win over the Heat.

I don't think Fultz is a must-add player, as the point guard position is still way too crowded in Orlando, but Futlz is at least worth a look off the waiver wire if you have a player you're wanting to drop. As a side note, Franz Wagner was also back on Sunday and finished with 19 points and five assists after missing eight games with an ankle injury. 

Marvin Bagley cools off with return of Daniel Gafford

Wizards' starter Daniel Gafford returned from a concussion on Sunday and hit 7-of-10 shots for 15 points, seven boards, two steals and a block in another loss. Marvin Bagley, who was on fire while Gafford was out, played just 18 minutes off the bench but still managed 14 points and seven rebounds.

Bagley might still be good for a solid game or two each week as long as Gafford is healthy, but does lose a lot of fantasy appeal as a result. If you picked Bagley up, you might as well roll him out there and see what happens in his three games this week, but don't count on him to go for back-to-back 20-and-10 games like he did on Thursday and Saturday. Sunday's modest line is more realistic as long as Gafford can play. 

Derrick Jones Jr. worth a look in Dallas

Derrick Jones had scored in double figures in four of five games before posting an eight-point dud last Wednesday against the Lakers. He scored 24 points with four rebounds and three triples last Saturday, and the Mavericks play four times this week. They haven't played a game since Wednesday, Jan. 17, which probably gave Luka Doncic time to get healthy, but Jones and Tim Hardaway Jr. are both worth adds in leagues that reward games played.

Dallas plays a back-to-back on Friday (at Atlanta) and Saturday (vs. Sacramento), which could mean Luka might sit out one of them, but otherwise, I think he'll be back on Monday night against the Celtics. 

Cam Whitmore gets a start for Rockets on Sunday

Cam Whitmore is averaging 10.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 1.6 three-pointers in January and is hitting nearly 48 percent of his shots for the month. He's had some nice games along the way and things were looking up on Sunday when he got the starting nod with Jabari Smith (ankle) and Fred VanVleet (back) both sitting out, but was a bust with just five points and four rebounds on 2-of-7 shooting in 27 minutes. The Rockets only play three times this week but Whitmore has been making noise all month, meaning he's at least worth monitoring in your league going forward. 

Dejounte Murray bangs in game-winning shots

Despite all the swirling trade winds around Dejounte Murray he managed to hit back-to-back, buzzer-beating game-winners for the Hawks on Wednesday and Friday, and racked up 24 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two triples in an ugly loss to the Cavaliers on Saturday night. He's cooking right now and Trae Young is in the concussion protocol, meaning Murray should be going out with a bang if he's leaving Atlanta.

The trade deadline is Feb. 8 so Murray still has a couple more weeks to ball out for the Hawks, and should be a monster as long as Young is out with the concussion. On a side note, Saddiq Bey did his best Mecole Hardman impression on Saturday, going 0-for-12 from the floor and failing to score a point in the loss. It's all Jalen Johnson, all the time, in Atlanta until further notice. 

Ayo Dosunmu making noise for Bulls

Dosunmu has been on a four-game hot streak with Zach LaVine (foot) once again on the shelf. Dosunmu is averaging 15.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.2 three-pointers over that stretch and could keep it going with three more games this week. Starter Alex Caruso is also playing well, averaging 9.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.8 steals, 1.3 blocks and 1.9 triples in the month of January. If you don't care about the three-game schedule, both players are worth picking up right now. 

Victor Wembanyama gets four more games - or does he? 

The Spurs play four times this week and fantasy managers of Victor Wembanyama have to be hoping that he might play in all four of them. He hasn't played in a back-to-back set since injuring his ankle on Dec. 23 and the Spurs are saying he's not been medically cleared to play in them. "No, it's not rest, it's doctor's orders," Gregg Popovich said recently. "He's been working on his body and he has got a minutes restriction and is not allowed to play back-to-backs right now. It will probably change very soon, but for now we have to abide by that restriction."

They've got another one this week when they host the Blazers on Friday and the Timberwolves on Saturday, and the 'it will probably change very soon' part of that quote has to give us some hope that this might be the week they'll finally let the kid play. But as it stands for now, we should only count on seeing him in three of those four games.

He looks like a go for a visit to Philly on Monday and a home meeting with the Thunder on Wednesday, but the last two games of the week are a bit of a mystery. Then again, maybe it's time for the Spurs to finally let him have a four-game week. I know my fantasy teams could use that, so I'm sure yours could too.