While it has not yet been finalized, media outlets are reporting that the Denver Nuggets guard Earl Boykins has been traded (along with recent gun shot victim, Julius Hodge) to the Milwaukee Bucks for guard Steve Blake.  Just when you thought that Milwaukee was simply the land of injured players, and Denver was that of free-wheeling shooters, everything changes.

As with most trades in the Association, this one has some nice fantasy implications.

We’ll break this one down by players…

Earl Boykins, PG

Big Earl went from sixth man to feature player after the “brawl” between his Nugget teammates and the New York Knicks.  Once Allen Iverson was brought on board, Boykins’ role diminished a bit, as Iverson has been known to take a few shots from time to time.  Now that JR Smith has finished up his suspension, this made Boykins somewhat expendable – and like a fantasy owner in their own right, the Nuggets not only sell Boykins at a high value, but also gain financial relief by sending him to Milwaukee.

Fortunately for Boykins owners, they not only received a huge bump in production with the suspensions, but will likely continue to benefit with the trade to the Bucks.  Milwaukee has been the victim of several huge injuries this season to key players like Michael Redd, Bobby Simmons, Charlie Villanueva, and most recently Mo Williams.

Boykins will be asked to run the point for the Bucks as soon as his plane lands.  This will likely bump Charlie Bell to shooting guard, and keep Reuben Patterson, Brian Skinner and Andrew Bogut in the front court.  All players not named “Skinner” should have decent fantasy value until Villanueva and Redd are completely healthy. 

However, if you’re really desperate, consider Skinner along with Turkish forward Ersan Ilyasova.  Ilyasova has seen minutes in the mid 20s over the last two games, and has recorded back-to-back decent nights. 

Steve Blake, PG

Blake will now go from default starter in Milwaukee to sporadic relief for Allen Iverson in Denver.  With JR Smith back in uniform, I’m hard pressed to think of any other starting backcourt besides those two.  If Smith is moved to the small forward spot until Carmelo Anthony returns, Blake and Iverson would then likely share backcourt duties.

Regardless, I’m not counting on Blake to produce much as The Answer and Mr. Smith should be good for a combined 35 shots an evening. 

Julius Hodge, SG

When the biggest (read: only) news about a player is that he was shot, odds are he’s not really going to be a fantasy factor.  While both scenarios are unfortunate, Hodge was only a part of this deal so that Denver could receive a $3 million trade exception. 

That’s about it, guys.  Feel free to comment below if you have any questions.  If you held onto Boykins, well done.