From Deep: These 3 players dropped their 2024-25 fantasy basketball draft stock in the NBA Playoffs

The NBA Finals begin on Thursday, so with a couple of days in between, let’s discuss a few players who caught my attention in the postseason. Rather than pull from the teams competing for the Championship, I revisited players from the 14 teams eliminated and assessed whose stock was up. Now, it’s time to cover the fallers.

Here are three players who lowered their draft stock ahead of next season.

A classic case of having one foot out the door, Harris, an unrestricted free agent, put up the worst numbers of his postseason career. With Joel Embiid playing on one leg, it was surprising to see Harris become a statue on the wing.

Harris was one of the best draft values at his position this year, so it was a significant letdown to see a guy who averaged 17 points per game in the regular season attempt just nine shots per game, especially with Joel Embiid playing on one leg.

The sheer lack of aggression on the offensive end is concerning, especially since he is likely headed elsewhere this summer.

We know who Tobias Harris is — a boring player who gets it done on occasion type-of-player. There’s nothing wrong with a floor of 15 points, six rebounds, two assists and strong shooting splits. Still, I expect his stock to fall after checking out against the Knicks in the opening round.

It’s one thing to get benched in crunch time — it’s another thing to get benched for the first time in your career — 218 consecutive games —during the Western Conference Finals. Giddey was a late-season hero for some, but his role is looking suspect following a disappointing postseason.

Giddey’s minutes dropped considerably in the playoffs, a trend we have seen all season long. After averaging over 31 minutes in his first two seasons, his minutes dipped to 25 per contest this year. His playoff minutes fell even further to 18 minutes a night. When assessing Giddey’s current situation with the limited output, it’s evident that his stock is tumbling.

Trading Giddey would be the ideal outcome in real life and fantasy. Although, OKC doesn’t have to do anything. He’s eligible for a rookie extension, and up until now, he’s been a fixture of a young team that evolved into one of the best squads in the league. But is he essential? No.

Should he stay on the roster, his production is capped, playing alongside two All-Star caliber guys and a perennial MVP candidate. Knowing this, gone are the days when Giddey would be a fifth-to-sixth-round pick.

Another player rumored to be on the move is Brandon Ingram. The Pelicans weren’t competitive in the series and got bounced in four games. They lost the series by an average of 15 points with two blowouts of 21+ points. While the result wasn’t all on Ingram, he didn’t do nearly enough to help them win.

Ingram shot an atrocious 36% on two-point field goals and 25% on threes. He also didn’t make his usual impact in other areas, registering just 4.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists in the series. One encouraging note was that Ingram racked up nine stocks in four games, but history tells us it likely won’t carry over into the regular season.

BI’s production has remained steady if you’re expecting a 20/5/5-ish line. However, if the rumors are true, his eventual destination will drive his fantasy stock. Still, I wouldn’t expect Ingram to go higher than the sixth round after another solid season meshed with an abysmal postseason.