How to use an NBA fantasy trade analyzer: 9-cat, points leagues and a worked trade

An NBA fantasy trade analyzer answers one question: does this deal make my team better in the format I play? The Statz analyzer values 319 players on 2026-27 game logs and settles every trade twice, once on total value and once across the 9 categories a category league is decided by.

This guide shows how to use it in 5 steps, works through a real 2-for-1 trade with Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant and Dyson Daniels, and explains why the same deal can win in a points league and lose in a 9-cat league. Every number below comes from the Statz fantasy rankings as of 13 November 2026, when most players had 10 to 13 games played.

An NBA fantasy trade analyzer adds up each side of a deal in 9 categories and compares them. The Statz trade analyzer gives every player a z-score in each category, sums both sides, and marks a category as gained or lost when the gap is larger than 0.25.

A z-score is how far a player sits above or below the average of the 319-player pool, measured in standard deviations. A score of 0 is average, 2 is far ahead of the field and a negative score drags a team down. The 9 categories are:

1. Points (PTS)
2. Rebounds (REB)
3. Assists (AST)
4. Steals (STL)
5. Blocks (BLK)
6. Three-pointers made (3PM)
7. Field goal percentage (FG%), scored on volume-weighted impact
8. Free throw percentage (FT%), also volume-weighted
9. Turnovers (TO), where fewer is better

A player's value is the sum of his 9 z-scores. Victor Wembanyama leads the pool at 18.06, with a blocks z-score of 8.44 from 4.42 blocks a game. Luka Doncic is 2nd at 15.77 and Nikola Jokic 3rd at 12.28. A player needs at least 7 appearances in 2026-27 to be in the pool.

Using the Statz trade analyzer takes 5 steps and about 1 minute per deal:

1. Add what you give. Search each player by name on the left side. You can add 1, 2, 3 or more.
2. Add what you get. Do the same on the right side.
3. Read the totals. The 2 totals show total 9-category value on each side, and the difference.
4. Read the category rows. Each of the 9 rows shows the change in that category. A change above 0.25 is a category gained; below -0.25 is a category lost.
5. Read the verdict. The analyzer returns 1 of 5 verdicts, from "Clear win" to "Loses value and loses categories".

Before you accept, check 3 things the tool cannot see: your roster slots, the games each team plays next week and the NBA injury report.

In this 2-for-1 trade you give Anthony Davis of the Washington Wizards and get Kevin Durant of the Houston Rockets plus Dyson Daniels of the Atlanta Hawks. The package you receive adds 1.36 in total value, 10.12 against 8.76, so a totals-only view says take it.

The category rows tell a different story. The package gains only 2 categories, assists (+2.58) and steals (+3.12), and loses 6: points, rebounds, threes, FG%, FT% and turnovers. Blocks move by 0.24, inside the 0.25 band, so they count as even. The analyzer's verdict is "Adds value but loses more categories than it wins."

The reason is concentration. Daniels' value is built on 3.0 steals a game, the highest average in the 319-player pool and a z-score of 4.54 (see the NBA steals leaders), while he scores 9.8 points and shoots 57.1% from the line. Durant adds 20.9 points but 3.17 turnovers. Davis gives 25.6 points, 10.5 rebounds and 52.4% shooting in one roster slot.

If you already lead your league in steals, the 3.12 you gain wins nothing new. If you are punting free throws, the -0.49 in FT% stops mattering and the deal looks better. Open Davis's game log and the other 2 logs before deciding, then rebuild the deal in the trade analyzer with your own roster in mind.

Points leagues and 9-cat leagues disagree because 1 scoring formula rewards volume while 9 separate races reward balance. On Statz, a points league scores 1 per point, 1.2 per rebound, 1.5 per assist, 3 per steal or block and -1 per turnover, so a player's weaknesses barely cost him.

Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Miami Heat is the clearest case. He averages 27.7 points, 12.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists, which is 53.0 fantasy points a game and 4th in a points league. In 9-cat he is 31st, because a 61.6% free-throw rate on volume gives him a FT% z-score of -4.73 and 3.36 turnovers cost another 2.10.

Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors runs the other way: 4th in 9-cat at 11.31, 21st in points at 39.4 a game. He makes 4.3 threes a game and shoots 98.7% from the line, which category leagues reward and points leagues mostly ignore.

Put the 2 in one trade and you can see it. Give Giannis and get Curry: in 9-cat the Curry side adds 6.69 in value but gains 3 categories (3PM, FT%, TO) and loses 4 (REB, AST, BLK, FG%). In a points league the same swap costs you 13.6 fantasy points a game. Switch the fantasy rankings between formats to see every player's 2 ranks.

Punting a category means giving up on 1 of the 9 races so it stops counting, and it can move a player 27 places. Punt free throws on the Statz rankings and Giannis jumps from 31st to 4th, his value rising from 4.62 to 9.35, because his -4.73 FT% score no longer counts.

Doncic drops 2.90 when FT% is punted, because 86.6% shooting on volume is one of his strengths. That is the trade logic of a punt build: target players like Giannis and Walker Kessler (61.4% at the line) whose weakness you no longer care about, and offer players whose value leans on the category you dropped. The trade analyzer does not apply a punt, so ignore the FT% row yourself when you read a deal.

A small sample misleads most in the first 15 to 20 games, and on 13 November most players have 10 to 13. The minimum to enter the pool is 7 appearances, so a hot 2-week stretch can lift a player's value by several points that a full season may not keep.

Watch for 4 signs before you trade for a fast starter:

1. Shooting well above his history. Check the player page for his career percentages.
2. Minutes from an injury. If he starts because a teammate is out, see the injury report for the return date.
3. One category doing the work. Steals and blocks swing more from week to week than points or rebounds.
4. A short schedule ahead. The NBA fantasy schedule grid shows 2-game and 4-game weeks.

To compare the players in a deal side by side, use Compare Players for up to 4 at once, the NBA stats matrix for per-game numbers, and player projections for a projected stat line. For short-term pickups instead of trades, the fantasy streamers board ranks players by games next week, and our waiver wire picks for 16-22 November use it.