By the end of Week 15 in the 2025-26 NBA season, the calendar will have flipped to February. And that means one thing: the trade deadline (February 5) is right around the corner. For some fantasy managers, now is the time to ramp up the activity via trades or scouring the waiver wire for players who may have added value after the deadline. Waiting until the week of the deadline to make moves may be too late.
Of course, none of that matters if your team can’t get into the playoffs, which is why Week 15 is an important one in fantasy basketball. With this being the last week before the trade deadline, there may not be much movement in the NBA, if any. That should help from an availability standpoint, as things can get tricky in the immediate aftermath of the deadline, since traded players aren’t available to their new teams right away.
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Like Week 14, games are pretty evenly distributed in Week 15. There are no fewer than six games on any day, with Sunday (ten games) being the busiest, since it is also the week between the NFL conference championship games and the Super Bowl. Let’s look at the Week 15 schedule breakdown and a few of its key storylines.
Week 15 Games Played
5 Games: CHI
4 Games: ATL, BKN, BOS, CHA, CLE, DEN, DET, HOU, LAL, MEM, MIA, MIN, NYK, ORL, PHI, PHX, POR, SAS, UTA, WAS
3 Games: DAL, GSW, IND, LAC, MIL, NOR, OKC, SAS, TOR
NBA: Washington Wizards at Los Angeles Clippers
Fantasy Basketball Stock Up Stock Down: Jordan Miller answering the call for Clippers
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Miller has impressed in recent days while Jordan Poole continues to prove inconsistent with the Pelicans.
Week 15 Back-to-backs
Sunday (Week 14)-Monday: GSW, MEM, MIN
Monday-Tuesday: PHI, POR
Tuesday-Wednesday: NYK, UTA
Wednesday-Thursday: ATL, CHA, CHI, DAL, HOU, MIA, MIN
Thursday-Friday: BKN, DEN, DET, PHX, SAC, WAS
Friday-Saturday: MEM, NOR
Saturday-Sunday: CHI, MIA, SAS
Sunday-Monday (Week 16): LAC
Week 15 Storylines of Note
– Bucks move forward without Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf).
Already reeling, the Milwaukee Bucks lost Giannis Antetokounmpo to a strained right calf during Friday’s loss to the Nuggets. While the team has not offered a diagnosis, Antetokounmpo told the media he expects to miss four to six weeks. Already without Kevin Porter Jr. (oblique), the Bucks will have to navigate a three-game Week 15 without their two most valuable options in terms of fantasy basketball. Can a low-rostered player besides Ryan Rollins or Bobby Portis step up for fantasy managers? Or should they look elsewhere for value? The Bucks play on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, all days with at least seven games scheduled. That’s not the best from a streaming standpoint, but given who the Bucks won’t have, rolling the dice on someone like Kyle Kuzma would be understandable, even if their fantasy value hasn’t been good overall.
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– Grizzlies play a four-game week without Ja Morant (elbow).
Morant suffered a sprained UCL in his left elbow and will be re-evaluated in three weeks. He’s already missed at least four consecutive games on three separate occasions this season, and the latest injury will cause a fourth extended absence unless something drastic happens regarding the guard’s availability. Cam Spencer has been the best streaming option when Morant sits, and now would be a good time to add the second-year guard if he’s sitting on the waiver wire. The Grizzlies’ four-game Week 15 ends with a Friday/Saturday back-to-back, and games against the Hornets (Wednesday) and Pelicans (Friday) could be good ones for those interested in adding a player like Spencer or Cedric Coward.
– The Bulls have the league’s busiest Week 15 schedule, including a run of four games in five days.
No team plays fewer than three games in Week 15, and Chicago is the only one that will play five. This was initially supposed to be a four-game week for the Bulls, but the January 8 meeting with the Heat, postponed due to condensation on the United Center court, was rescheduled for January 29. That gives the Bulls two back-to-backs over five days during a five-game week. Also, the final three games will be against the same team, as the Bulls visit the Heat on Saturday and Sunday. With Josh Giddey and Coby White recently returning from injury, Week 15 could be a challenging one for them and for fantasy managers from an availability standpoint.
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– The Warriors are the lone team that doesn’t play after Friday.
Not having Jimmy Butler III (knee) for the rest of the season has opened up opportunities for some of the other Warriors. Unfortunately, Jonathan Kuminga went down with ankle and knee injuries during Thursday’s loss to the Mavericks. Ruled out for the Warriors’ final game of Week 14 on Sunday against the Timberwolves, it’s unknown how much time he’ll miss. Monday’s rematch with Minnesota is the first of three games the Warriors will play during Week 15, and their schedule wraps up on Friday against the Pistons. Should fantasy managers move on from a Brandin Podziemski or De’Anthony Melton following Friday’s games simply because of the schedule? Probably not. But a player like Buddy Hield may not be worth holding onto if you decide to stream them to begin the week.
– The Heat, Spurs and Raptors won’t play their first games of Week 15 until Wednesday.
The low-rostered players on these teams won’t do fantasy managers any good during the first two days of Week 15, but Miami could be especially valuable from Wednesday onward. Due to the rescheduled game with the Bulls, the Heat play four games over the final five days of Week 15, starting with a home game against the Magic on Wednesday. Tyler Herro (ribs) and Kel’el Ware (hamstring) are both out, with the former likely looking at an extended absence. Add in Davion Mitchell’s recent shoulder injury, and the Heat may have to navigate Week 15 without three rotation players. Nikola Jović has played backup center minutes, but Saturday’s win over the Jazz was the first in which he truly took advantage of the new role after struggling two nights prior against Portland.
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While the Heat play four games in Week 15, the Spurs and Raptors will only play three. San Antonio’s slate concludes with a back-to-back on Saturday and Sunday. We’ll see how that affects Devin Vassell, who will make his return from an adductor injury in San Antonio’s final game of Week 14 against the Pelicans. His availability affects Julian Champagnie, who has performed well as the fifth starter.