SuperCoach NBL experts reveal their trades for round 2

Now it’s time to have some fun in SuperCoach NBL. With four teams playing twice in round 2, see how the experts – and some wannabe experts – are changing their teams.

Round 1 of the SuperCoach NBL season was big – and that’s just the start.

Coaches now have two trades per week (three if you activate a Trade Boost, as two of our experts are) to change our teams and gun for the highest possible score.

Most moves revolve around the schedule, trying to stack squads with as many players as we can from teams that play twice in the upcoming round. This week that’s Melbourne United, Sydney Kings, Illawarra Hawks and South East Melbourne Phoenix.

So, which players are our basketball experts trading in? And who is making way? Scroll down to see all their moves this week – plus some of our regular SuperCoach gurus who are new to the NBL.

Note: All moves are subject to change before lockout!

MATT HICKEY

IN: Cam Oliver, Keli Leaupepe

OUT: Will Magnay, Rocco Zikarsky

Some pretty simple moves from me heading into the second round: single-game players out, double-game players in.

Will Magnay was solid in the opening round and I’m sure will be a big scorer this year, but Cam Oliver from the Sydney Kings comes in and will have two opportunities to put some points on the board. Meanwhile, through the magic of DPP, Rocco Zikarsky makes way for the mulleted marvel Keli Leaupepe. Both trades save some cash, leaving $78k in the bank for future moves.

Sydney’s Keli Leaupepe is a popular target at just $69,000. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images

MICHAEL RANDALL

IN: Matt Hurt, Keli Leaupepe

OUT: Tyrell Harrison, Casey Prather

Bought stocks in Brisbane’s hot pre-season firm and positive rhetoric and paid the price with big man Tyrell Harrison tanking after so much promise.

I’ve dumped him and cheapie teammate Casey Prather for Sydney strong man cash cow Keli Leaupepe, and I’m fading Illawarra’s boom import Darius Days in favour of SEM sharpshooting big Matt Hurt after his double-double in round 1, purely because of the ownership gulf – and I like to roll the dice.

SEM's Matt Hurt ($277K, CTR/FWD) is this week's POD of the Round.

He's coming off a 38-point SuperCoach outing and has a double-game week in Round Two 🤔#SuperCoach#NBLpic.twitter.com/hjPNV61gnA

— SuperCoach NBL (@supercoachnbl) September 25, 2024

BRAD ROSEN

IN: Derrick Walton Jr and Matt Hurt

OUT: Parker Jackson-Cartwright and Tyler Harrison

PETER HOOLEY

IN: Marcus Lee

OUT: Sam Waardenburg

SUPERCOACH PLEB

IN: Derrick Walton Jr and Rob Loe

OUT: Bryce Cotton and Keli Leaupepe

Starting with Cotton did and didn’t pay off as I was hoping for a score upwards of the 50s for the price! The recency bias trade-in would be to bring in Jaylen Adams. However, he played a near perfect game that I can’t see happening again anytime soon (round 1 was the first time he scored 40-plus in SuperCoach without committing a turnover!).

I think Kell outscores DWJ, but I need DWJ in my side to free up my next trade. if I can get 30-35 points each game from DWJ, I am happy. Playing United then flying over to NZL is a tough ask, so fingers crossed.

I usually don’t do trades like the second move as Keli had a fine game – one or two of those threes drop and his score looks much better. But this week’s match-ups scare me off a little and I think I can make more money off Loe. Also, I can hold him for an extra week with the round 3 double.

These trades leave with me $21,900 in the bank.

Jack White has only scored 30+ SC in nine games.

6/9 of those, he had 2+ blocks (2.6 Average across all 9)

Now, considering Hurt, Wieskamp and DWJ all got blocked in RD1, I like White's chances to boost his SC production this Thursday with 2+ blocks. #NBL#NBL25

— Pleb (@SuperCoachPleb) September 24, 2024

JESS ROBINSON

IN: Darius Days, Lachlan Olbrich, Angus Glover

OUT: Kendric Davis, Lat Mayen, Rocco Zikarsky

Have gone all in on the trades for round two, have even activated my first boost of the season.

Kendric Davis and Lat Mayen have been booted purely on the basis that Adelaide only play once this round, but it feels like Rocco Zikarsky will need a couple of weeks to get into the rhythm of the season. Will likely be bringing him back into the team soon enough.

Darius Days’ round one showing was too good to overlook - and he’s so much cheaper than the likes of Cottons, Cooks etc - so I’m hoping he’ll continue that hot form. I’m giving Cam Oliver another chance as he really got going in the second half of his first professional game back after three years away, and Lachlan Olbrich is also giving us a bang for our buck.

JAYMZ CLEMENTS

IN: Darius Days

OUT: Sam Froling

There’s a moment at the end of seminal ’80s movie The Goonies where nominal bad guy-turned-good guy Sloth famously saves the day and screams, ‘Hey, youuuu guyyyyys’ and slides down the sail of One Eyed Willie’s pirate ship to the rescue.

That’s what Illawarra Hawk Darius Days feels like for my team.

With four teams – Sydney, Melbourne, Illawarra and South East Melbourne – playing two games this week, my team is set up to take full advantage of the double-ups over the next few rounds (four starters on doubles this week and Kendric Davis primed for the weeks after), and I’m not convinced I need to burn unnecessary trades to move the likes of Jack White.

So, it comes down to a potential awkward Hawks frontcourt side-swap and how confident I am in Froling’s ability to hit his pointscoring ceiling versus that of Days. With Froling’s Break Even already up at 61 (despite a solid 28 in his opening tilt) and Days looking like a SuperCoach jet in week one, this will be the move I look to make before lockout. If it hits, maybe I’ll reward myself with a Baby Ruth.

Darius Days scored 43 points in round 1, and he could double that in round 2. Picture: James Worsfold/Getty Images

AL PATON (Still aspiring to expert status)

No trades

A risky move considering trades are unlimited in this game and I have only four starters on the double this week. My issue is the fifth – Adelaide’s Kendric Davis – has doubles in rounds 3 and 4, when I will definitely want him in my side. I could trade him out this round and back in again next week, but I can’t afford a big dog like Jaylen Adams and I’m $10k short of Matthew Dellavedova. Hopefully Davis can torch Cairns and at least go close to matching a similarly priced player with an extra game – and give me a head-start on the pack next week.

Clearly the best option at Davis’s price is Darius Days but I’ve already got him, and he’ll be my captain in round 2.

TIM MICHELL (Not an expert)

IN: Derrick Walton Jr or Jaylen Adams and Keli Leaupepe.

OUT: Rob Loe and Kendrick Davis

I am not going to pretend I am an expert, and trading out someone on a double who started the season with a score of 25 (Rob Loe) probably isn’t smart. But SuperCoach NBL is all about playing the schedule and that means I need money to turn Davis into one of the fast-starting point guards with a double – Jaylen Adams or Derrick Walton Jr. Whoever I pick will be a one-round buy before I turn them into Bryce Cotton for round 3, so it’s going to come down to who I think can make more money (as well as score big points as captain).

Leaupepe played 17 minutes in round 1 and if he had shot better, he would have scored 15-plus. I’m backing the points I get from going Davis to Walton Jr/Adams to offset any loss from downgrading Loe. My gut tells me with a glut of games coming up and being a 33-year-old, Melbourne United might manage the big man’s minutes.

Jaylen Adams was enormous for the Kings in round 1. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images

PATCH (a SuperCoach NBL enthusiast at best)

IN: Jaylen Adams, Nick Marshall and Keli Leaupepe

OUT: Milton Doyle, Izan Almansa and Rocco Zikarsky

The key to any SuperCoach is the rookies, and I’m using a boost straight off the bat to boot Izan Almansa and Rocco Zikarsky for Nick Marshall and Keli Leaupepe (via DPPs) – who early doors it looks like have slightly more scoring potential, and more importantly had more minutes on the floor. Milton Doyle was a star in round 1 who put up a whopping 41 points, but that’s fantasy sports, baby. You gotta play the fixture and Milton makes way for 54-point monster Jaylen Adams to give me three Kings and two Uniteds on the court for round 2, plus two Hawks on the pine. (Apologies to the Phoenix).

Adams could become Delly if I decide I want more than $12k in the bank for next week. Also all this may change pending what experts Mick Randall, Matt Hickey and Jess Robinson all do as I copy thei.... I mean take inspiration from their moves.

Originally published as SuperCoach NBL experts reveal their trades for round 2