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Within the last 24 hours, there have been no less than 3 major trades in the NBA involving some major fantasy contributors. Add this to the fact that one of the deepest NBA drafts has just been completed, and you get the perfect recipe for a fantasy analysis. I have broken down each of the trades and important picks of yesterday's draft, complete with fantasy value implications and insider tips on when you should target these movers and shakers in your upcoming NBA fantasy draft. All draft spot suggestions are based on a 12 team, 12 round draft for a head-to-head format league. Let's do this.

1. Portland Drafts Oden
Analysis: The big man's talent is no secret. The most anticipated player since LeBron James, Greg Oden doesn't figure to disappoint. He will be the anchor on a strong Blazer's front line, providing ample scoring, boards, and the elusive block. The center position is not as weak as it used to be, but Oden is strong enough to emerge as a top 5 center option this next year.
Suggested Draft Spot: Early to mid rounds

2. Seattle Drafts Durant
Analysis: This consensus number two pick is probably the third-most anticipated player in since LeBron and Oden. Kevin Durant has the tools to be an incredible scorer and slasher, but is big and athletic enough to grab a good share of rebounds and assists. Look for him to take a little while to get his feet wet and adjust to NBA-level defense, but Durant is definitely worth taking a chance on in his rookie year. Just don't make the mistake of taking him while proven scorers are still on the board.
Suggested Draft Spot: Mid to late rounds

3. Seattle-Boston Trade
Sonics get: Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West, No. 5 pick in the draft (Jeff Green)
Celtics get: Ray Allen, No. 35 pick in the draft (Glen Davis)

Wally Szczerbiak: UP
Analysis: In an offense that has experienced a certain amount of success with 2 perimeter studs, Wally steps into the spot vacated by 3-ball extraordinaire Ray Allen. While in Boston, he was plagued by injury and a crowded roster. Combine that with a fickle coach in Doc Rivers, and you get a player that did more harm on your active roster than good. Now, with his new home and solid place in a lineup, look for Szczerbiak's numbers and minutes to increase from last year. It remains to be seen how he will be used with Kevin Durant on the squad. If you need a 3-point specialist, he might just be your man.
Suggested Draft Spot: Mid to late rounds

Delonte West: DOWN
Analysis: I can think of two teams that were unrealistically bogged down with too many point guards last year: Seattle and Boston. The Celtics balanced the point guard position between West, Rajon Rondo, and Sebastian Telfair during the '06-'07 season. Delonte now goes to a team where Luke Ridnour and Earl Watson split the starting PG duties last year, leaving either very little chance to get time at the point or a possibility of sliding him over to the 2 spot to back up Wally Szczerbiak. Either way, it doesn't look like Delonte will be starting next year unless the Sonics have another trade up their sleeves that will move a point guard or two. If that is the case, West will have some significant fantasy value. Until then, don't count on him for much.
Suggested Draft Spot: Late rounds

Jeff Green: N/A
Analysis: This do-it-all swingman comes to the league with high expectations. In college, he left Georgetown ranked 17th in scoring, 16th in rebounding and 12th in assists on the all-time lists. He has a ton of potential, and will likely become a fantasy stud in years to come. It's just hard to see him making enough of an impact on the same team as Kevin Durant, at least his first year, to justify a draft pick on him.
Suggested Draft Spot: Very late rounds to none

Ray Allen: SAME
Analysis: Ray Allen was already a first round pick (or maybe early second if someone got lucky) at last year's fantasy draft. By moving to Boston, I don't really see his value dropping or increasing. The main reason for this consistency in value is the interchangeability of Rashard Lewis left behind in Seattle and Paul Pierce that Allen joins in Beantown. Both Lewis and Pierce are SFs that can shoot the lights out from inside and beyond the arch, pull down boards, and get a good amount of steals. Allen was averaging over 40 minutes per game in Seattle, and I don't see that changing on the Celtics squad. All signs point toward Ray being the same fantasy stud we've become used to drafting in recent years.
Suggested Draft Spot: Late first, early second round

Glen "Big Baby" Davis: N/A
Analysis: This big man doesn't figure to make a significant dent in the already-stacked front line of the Celtics. The likes of Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, and Kendrick Perkins will get a majority of the minutes in the post, with Michael Olowokandi and a healthy Theo Ratliff providing most of the relief. Davis will likely be part of the back-up committee and won't produce more stats than other players available at the end of your draft will be able to.
Suggested Draft Spot: None

Additional Players Affected:
Luke Ridnour: DOWN
Earl Watson: DOWN
Rajon Rondo: UP

4. Portland-New York Trade
Trail Blazers get: Steve Francis, Channing Frye
Knicks get: Zach Randolph, Dan Dickau, Fred Jones

Steve Francis: UP
Analysis: Simply put, Steve Francis' value would have gone up no matter where he got traded away from New York. If he is able to shake off the any lingering effects of last year's injuries, he has the remaining potential to become an elite point guard once again. However, there is talk of Portland buying out Stevie's contract and simply letting him go, which would bring his fantasy value back down to where it was last season: nothing. He is being traded to a place that has plenty of assist facilitators, and is quick enough to pick up a good amount of steals. You'll have to monitor his situation as the draft approaches, but if he's still on the Blazers come October, he's worth taking a flier on.
Suggested Draft Spot: Late rounds if he's still on a roster

Channing Frye: SAME
Analysis: Second-year PF Channing Frye is coming off a solid year at New York. He joins a well-equipped post staff in Portland, but figures to contribute in a tangible way off their bench. The reason he will be able to maintain his value despite being demoted from a starter last year to a back-up this year lies in the hands of his coach. Last season, Channing had to endure being yanked around on coach Isaiah Thomas' chain of volatility. Blazer's coach Nate MacMillan should provide Frye with enough playing time and stability to maximize his potential as a non-starter. I would confidently draft him expecting a 10 and 10 post man that can reject the occasional lazy layup.
Suggested Draft Spot: Mid to late rounds

Zach Randolph: DOWN
Analysis: Zach is coming off a pretty successful year with Portland, leading the team in scoring and rebounds. He also shot a great percentage from the line for a big man (82%). Now that he's in the Big Apple, his production is bound to take a hit playing alongside coach's pet Eddy Curry. Their games are very simliar, both possessing a low-post game and a mid-range jump-shot. This combination of two nearly-identical players (save their percentages) has been attempted in New York before, and everyone knows how successful that was. Isaiah Thomas isn't going go and I just don't see either Curry or Randolph being able to put out the same numbers their fantasy owners enjoyed last year.
Suggested Draft Spot: Mid rounds

Dan Dickau: UP
Analysis: Dan was plagued by injury last year, and looks to spend less time behind Stephon Marbury and Nate Robinson and more time backing up Knicks starting SG Jamal Crawford along with Fred Jones. Given Crawford's shaky health history, Dickau could have some value later in the season. As it stands now, he can contribute in only a minimal way, as Isaiah has traditionally played Jamal more than 40 minutes a night when he has been healthy.
Suggested Draft Spot: Very late rounds or none

Fred Jones: UP
Analysis: This forgotten former Slam Dunk Contest champion showed potential while on Indiana a few years ago, and could come into his own with the Knicks. He faces the same problem as Dan Dickau, however. Unless he gets a chance to perform, he obviously won't. The success of both Jones and Dickau depend on the demise of Jamal Crawford.
Suggested Draft Spot: Very late rounds or none

Additional Players Affected:

Nate Robinson: UP

5. Golden State-Charlotte Trade
Warriors get: No. 8 pick in the draft (Brandan Wright), $10 million trade expection
Bobcats get: Jason Richardson, No. 36 pick in the draft (Jermareo Davidson)

Brandan Wright: N/A
Analysis: Wright is a big explosive freshman out of North Carolina that will bolster Golden State's lacking front line. He can get to the rim and is known for his defense, which will help the Warriors immensly in the tough Western Conference. Like teammate Andris Biedrins, he could stand to hit the weights and gain some muscle power. He's worth taking a shot at in your draft, just don't expect all-star numbers out of a 19-year-old rook.
Suggested Draft Spot: Late rounds

Jason Richardson: UP
Analysis: J-Rich is brough into Charlotte as their go-to scorer, so this move will do nothin but improve his value. I think Golden State viewed Richardson's trade value as much higher than the value he showed in last year's playoffs, where he virtually failed to factor into any of the deciding games. Paired with Gerald Wallace, Jason has a chance to become one of the leagues leading scorers in Charlotte, although it will be interesting to see how the Bobcats decide to play both of the SF's together.
Suggested Draft Spot: Between early and mid rounds

For those of you not as acquainted with Zach Randolph's reputation, I'm going to forgo a narrative of his past discrepancies and just lay it out for you with the aid of my good friend and long-time fantasy facilitator, Yahoo! When you type a phrase into Yahoo! search with the auto-suggestion feature enabled (showing the most popular related searches), you get the following results:

I type: Zach Randolph (with an extra space at the end to imply continuance)
Yahoo! suggests: zach randolph arrest

No joke. Naysayers can try it at home. If this doesn't put his whole life in a text box, I don't know what does. The guy was, is, and always will be a cancerous thug who provides talent at the cost of team disunity, instability, and distrust. He is the last of a batch of bad apples that have plagued the Portland organization for years.

I suppose that categorizing the importance of Portland's priorities is a matter of choosing the lesser of two evils. Lack of talent is one kind of poison. But it is a poison that has antidotes: trade for guys that can ball, hire coaches capable of developing raw players, etc... Lack of character, on the other hand, is a different type of toxin. It has no antidote! Lack of talent doesn't rub off on and infect other players; lack of character does. Lack of talent doesn't yield fines, suspensions and ejections; lack of character does.

This all said, he did have an above-average season last year, and carries some significant trade value. I think their weakest position in their starting lineup has to be their 3 spot, where they currently list Ime Udoka as their starter. Since they drafted Oden just a little over an hour ago, Portland will have solid talent at the other starting positions (Jarrett Jack, Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Greg Oden). If they can manage to trade Randolph for an experienced, playoff-tested, well-respected swingman, I think they have a roster ready to compete with nearly any team in the league. Richard Jefferson of the New Jersey Nets seems to fit this description perfectly in my mind. The lawless disregard for authority and ethics exuded by Randolph's presence would be replaced with a solid, silent-but-deadly leader who has seen his share of post-season action and could be an example on and of the court for not only the rest of the team, but to the city of Portland as well.

Now at this point you may be asking why it is necessary to trade for an G/F when you had the chance to draft one in Kevin Durant. The answer is simple: scorers need more experience in the league to develop an effective game. The Blazers are far better off having drafted a big body that can jump through the roof and dominate the paint on both ends of the floor and bringing in an already-established scorer/slasher than they would have had waiting for their potential star to develop with the current front line they already have.

Plus, drafting Oden makes it necessary to trade Randolph. And that's the best thing that could ever happen to that franchise.

As the 2007 NBA draft approaches, I'm kinda surprised at the hoopla being raised over this draft class. I'm all for hype and expectations, but the thing that floors me is that these draft picks are being used as cornerstones of trade deals in the works for MAJOR superstars in the NBA. I can understand the 1 and 2 pick being viable trade bait; Oden and Durant seem to be capable of contributing immediately in a big way. But these trade rumors that have Garnett going to Boston contingent on whether the Celtics include their number 5 pick just seems ridiculous to me.

This infatuation with draft day prodigies seems to have been sparked by the recent coming-of-age of LeBron, Carmelo, Wade, Bosh, and other members of that '03 draft class (sorry, Darko. Not gonna mention you here). I understand teams' enthusiasm about this draft class; but for every LeBron there are about 50 Kwame Browns.

As a team owner or GM, you have to be reasonable about what you're going to get out of a player who has only competed against a bunch of college teams, against college defense, under college coaches. Could the risk pay off? Maybe. But is it worth banking on that one pick to fill the gap left by the superstar you dealt to get him? I say no.