The 2025 NBA Trade Deadline is Thursday at 3 p.m. ET, but many teams made blockbuster deals before then. Trade Deadline Day and the few days before and after can always be a challenge for daily Fantasy basketball players to form NBA DFS lineups due to the number of players in the NBA DFS player pool changing teams drastically altering typical rotations. Thursday’s six-game NBA schedule includes both the Lakers and Mavericks, who shocked the NBA world with their trade highlighted by Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis over the weekend, along with the Warriors in action after trading for Jimmy Butler on Wednesday.
Davis is questionable to make his Mavs debut on, and after multiple days of many questioning whether the Mavericks received fair value back for Doncic, Davis could be motivated to put on a huge performance to remind any doubters of his ability to be an elite option for NBA DFS picks. The Warriors play the Lakers in a matchup of two teams with shortened benches, so how should they factor into your Thursday NBA DFS strategy? Before making any NBA DFS picks, be sure to check out the NBA DFS advice, player rankings, stacks, and top daily Fantasy basketball picks from SportsLine’s Mike McClure.
McClure is a DFS professional with more than $2 million in career winnings. He’s also a predictive data engineer at SportsLine who uses a powerful prediction model that simulates every minute of every game 10,000 times, taking factors like matchups, statistical trends and injuries into account. This allows him to find the best NBA DFS values on sites like DraftKings and FanDuel and create optimal lineups that he shares only over at SportsLine. They’re a must-see for any NBA DFS player.
On Wednesday, McClure highlighted Timberwolves power forward/center Naz Reid as one of his top NBA DFS picks from the NBA DFS player pool on both sites. The result: Reid had 22 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and two blocks, returning 52.5 points on DraftKings and 51 points on FanDuel. Anybody who included him in their lineups could have been well on the way to a profitable day.
McClure has turned his attention to NBA action on Thursday and locked in his top daily Fantasy basketball picks. You can only see them by heading to SportsLine.
For Thursday, one of McClure’s top NBA DFS picks is Warriors point guard Stephen Curry ($8,200 on DraftKings and $8,500 on FanDuel). Curry had 32 points and seven assists in a 131-128 loss to the Jazz on Wednesday with the Warriors playing with a limited rotation with four players pending trades. The Warriors traded for Butler before Wednesday’ contest and sent away Andrew Wiggins, who was the team’s second-leading scorer. Butler is unlikely to play on Thursday, leaving the Warriors shorthanded again.
The Warriors play the Lakers, who will also be shorthanded following multiple trades. The Lakers acquired Mark Williams from the Hornets while losing Dalton Knecht and Cam Reddish, who both averaged more than 18 minutes per game this season. Curry scored 38 points against the Lakers on Christmas and has scored at least 30 points in four of his six games against the Lakers. Without needing to worry about Davis’ presence near the basket, Curry could have an even stronger performance for Thursday NBA DFS lineups.
Another part of McClure’s optimal NBA DFS strategy includes rostering Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, who is listed at $12,800 on DraftKings and $12,900 on FanDuel. The 29-year-old had 38 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists in a Thursday victory over the Pelicans after having a triple-double in back-to-back contests. The 6-foot-11 center has a chance to become just the third player in NBA history to average a triple-double as he’s averaging 29.7 points, 12.8 rebounds and 10.3 assists, ranking third in the league in points and rebounds and second in assists, this season.
The Nuggets play the Magic on Thursday, and although Orlando has the second-best scoring defense in the league, allowing 105.5 points, Jokic had a triple-double in their first meeting. The reigning NBA MVP had 20 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists against the Magic on Jan. 19 as he’s as matchup-proof of an offensive threat as there is in the league. See McClure’s other NBA DFS picks right here.
McClure is also targeting a player who could go off for massive numbers on Thursday because of a dream matchup. This pick could be the difference between winning your tournaments and cash games or going home with nothing. You can only see who it is here.
Who is DFS pro Mike McClure putting in his optimal NBA DFS lineups for Thursday? Visit SportsLine now to see optimal NBA DFS picks, rankings, advice, and stacks, all from a professional DFS player who has over $2 million in career winnings, and find out.
