Top NBA waiver wire pickups heading into Week 19

We’ve made it to Week 19 of the NBA season and we’re post-All-Star Break, so this is pretty much the home stretch here. Depending on your league settings, we’ve also got the fantasy basketball trade deadline approaching on Feb. 28th at Noon on ESPN. With that in mind, it’s important to keep an eye on the waiver wire if you’re considering any 2-for-1 or 3-for-1 deals to pick up a stud player. If you see a player on the wire who could step into your lineup, it’s not a bad idea to consider shipping off a few pieces to add another big name player for your playoff run. Here are some names to consider adding on the waiver wire for Week 19.

Naz Reid, C, MIN (17.3 percent owned on ESPN)

The Timberwolves are without Karl-Anthony Towns and they traded away Gorgui Dieng at the deadline. That’s effectively left Reid as the starting center for Minnesota. He played big minutes in the first game back from the break Friday vs. the Celtics, scoring 19 points with nine rebounds and three steals in 33 minutes for 23 fantasy points. That was in mostly a blowout against a good team. Imagine what Reid could do with some good matchups. The schedule doesn’t get easy for Minnesota, but wait a week on Reid and he could be thriving even more. With KAT’s status the rest of the season uncertain, we could be snagging a starting center for the rest of the year.

Cam Reddish, SG/SF, ATL (14.6 percent)

In two games since returning from the break, the Hawks have played Reddish 37 and 39 minutes, respectively. It’s clear that Atlanta wants to get Reddish as much playing time as possible, one of its core pieces in the rebuild moving forward. Reddish has come through with back-to-back games of 19 fantasy points, scoring a combined 36 points with 10 rebounds and five steals in that stretch. If Reddish is going to start and see north of 30 minutes, I think he needs to be owned in more formats. He’s readily available in most fantasy basketball season-long leagues right now. I also like Reddish as a keeper league option if that’s something you need to take into account heading into the playoffs.

Bruce Brown, PG/SG, DET (27.3 percent)

Brown is listed as a guard, but his box scores would indicated he’s playing much bigger than that. Counting the two games prior to the break, Brown has a three-game double-double streak going, which is weird for a 6-foot-4 guard. I’d say its a statistical anomaly, but he did it the past two games against the Bucks and Magic, who are both top 10 in defensive rebounding percentage this season. The Pistons just lack depth in general all around the roster, so Brown should continue to see 30+ minutes on most nights. So long as Luke Kennard remains without a timetable for a return, Brown will be useful in fantasy. It’s hard to find guards who are strong rebounders.