Signings
Head Coach JB Bickerstaff (Cavs) signed extension through 2026-27
Personally, I think the reason for the Cavs surprising showing this season has been the immediate impact of Evan Mobley, but Bickerstaff was there, so re-upping him probably him seems like a good move (especially if Mobley likes him!).
Alfonzo McKinnie (Bulls), Keifer Sykes (Pacers), Killian Tillie (Grizzlies), Bismack Biyombo (Suns) signed for rest of season
I thought McKinnie still had life in him. Tillie and Sykes are solid end-of-roster guys. And (Bobcat Legend) Bismack Biyombo is...well, I imagine in real life he's a real nice guy but he never did have much game to him. (Remember Adonal Foyle? Kept getting contract after contract while displaying virtually zero on-court prowess and the reason why was because he was such a nice guy; hey, man, that matters! And some of these African dudes are such upbeat, sunny disposition guys that I reckon they're just a pleasure to be around and maybe Bis is one of those guys. You're not really expecting anything from the 15th guy on your bench, so why not sign a lovable guy that gets along with everybody?)
Tyrell Terry (Grizzlies), Theo Pinson (Mavs), Gary Clark Jr (Pelicans), Brandon Goodwin (Cavs) signed to 2-way contract
These are guys that matter within the organization, might not make a difference in the end-of-night highlight package, but those roster spots matter to the teams. I assume these dudes are reliable enough to handle this part of the responsibility.
Trades
Cavs get Rajon Rondo; Lakers get the rights to Louis Labeyrie; Knicks get Denzel Valentine (who was waived), cash, and the rights to Wang Zhelin and Brad Newley
After the Cavs lost Ricky Rubio, they made the move to bolster their veteran bench by picking up Rondo; this is a tricky move: either he'll be magnificent or he'll be a total pain in the ass, it's a coin flip to see how he pans out. The rest is just paper work shuffling so the league office can pretend like something actually took place (though it would be hilarious if Wang Zhelin became a bust out star for the Knicks next year).
Thunder get Miye Oni (who was waived) and 2028 Jazz 2nd rd pick; Jazz get cash
Jazz needed to clear space, Thunder get a 2nd rd pick to throw on the pile. Nothing to see here.
Pistons get Bol Bol; Nuggets get Rodney McGruder and a 2022 2nd rd pick
Pistons get another intriguing youngster, Bol has had moments of looking like a for-real player, on the Pistons he should get minutes. It feels like the Nuggets fancy themselves in win-now mode and weren't eager to give Bol the minutes he needs to develop and would rather just get reliable garbage time minutes from a feisty vet like McGruder. The Pistons get a good look at a fine prospect, the Nuggets get an upgrade on their back-end minutes for the rest of this season (and even scored a free 2nd rd pick). This is a win-win trade.
Waivings
There have been a ton over the last 2 weeks, some of them potentially notable. But I fell asleep and with all the 10-day contracts floating around, I don't know which ones are worth mentioning, so I'll just pretend there weren't any.
Health & Safety Protocols
There have been a ton of these, too. But I can't help feeling like at this point the only reason to note these is to see who ends up there a 2nd time. The NBA (and NHL) will be vital to show the world how re-infection works, especially in the Omicron era.
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