Notable injuries
Alex Caruso (Bulls) out indefinitely (fracture right wrist)
Cheap shot from Grayson Allen (Bucks) looks likely to cut short a fine season from Caruso. Yeah, if I was Caruso, I'd be hating Allen for the rest of my days--and they play in the same division! Feels like some old Norris division kinda shit might be going on btw Chi-town and Milwaukee for the next few years, goon on goon action might get outta control.
Didi Louzada (Pelicans/Blazers) out indefinitely (torn meniscus in left knee)
Traded while injured? I thought that wasn't allowed by the league nor prudent practice by any team. This really just highlights how badly the Blazers are eager to tank.
Cam Payne (Suns) out indefinitely (sprained right wrist)
The Suns are masterfully working time off for their rotation guys. They've studied the Popovic method for using rest to go deeper into the post-season. This may well net the Suns an extra W in the playoffs.
Cody Zeller (Blazers/free agent) out indefinitely (right knee surgery)
Zeller probably won't be back this season. If his price tag is low, he'll have plenty of offers, he's still big and reasonably skilled.
Terence Davis (Kings) out indefinitely (right wrist)
Haven't really seen much of Davis this year.
Tim Hardaway Jr (Mavs) out indefinitely (fractured left foot)
That contract is overpriced but not wildly so; at its longest right now, but declining so not an onerous deal. He meshes pretty well with Luka but he's probably movable. The Mavs are kinda always in flux around Luka, not sure how much longer Hardaway is in the mix.
Usman Garuba (Rockets) out indefinitely (surgery on left wrist)
Nice young rookie. Kinda like what (little) I've seen of him.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder) out indefinitely (sprained right ankle)
Well, the Thunder aren't interested in W's right now anyway, just as well to let Shai get some rest.
Joe Ingles (Jazz/Blazers) out for season (torn ACL in left knee)
Damn. Feels like the next time we see Ingles, it'll be signing a 1-day contract so he can retire with the Jazz. At 34, a year long knee injury is gonna be tough to come back from. As a free agent cut loose (presumably) by the Blazers, he'll be free to move right back into the Jazz system, right? Maybe there's a chance he comes back, but I suspect he'd be better as a coach or a player personnel kinda guy than as a 3-and-D guy. (Also I felt like they could've traded him to Atlanta for Gallinari, would've been a better fit) They brought in Ingles back in the day to be the Dante Exum whisperer, then he turned out to have much longer and more productive career than Exum ever did. Ingles must be a fan favorite and how many guys nowadays actually wanna live in SLC? (Pretty much just Joe Ingles) I fully expect Jingles to be part of the Utah front office or at least a regular part of Jazz lore for at least the next decade. Guys like Joe Ingles are rare and I'm glad I got to see him. Always liked that guy, good shooter, good defender, fun player to watch, unique style. I'm rooting for him but it's hard to imagine he'll be back.
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (Thunder) out indefinitely (fractured right foot)
Rookie who has had some decently promising moments this season. I hope he gets back for summer league.
Bradley Beal (Wizards) out for the season (left wrist surgery)
The Wizards spent so many seasons just sucking, then got really weird this season, seemed like they might be buyers at the deadline or like they might completely up-end the franchise, instead they kinda whimpered away some dudes and outta nowhere ended up with Porzingis....I have absolutely no idea what this team is now. I'm not sure if they suck, never know, man: KP and Beal might be money together and getting 'Trez and Dinwddie out might make all the difference...or maybe not....maybe not even close...who knows? As for Beal, I'm sure he's fine. Gets to go to Cancun a little earlier than usual this summer but I reckon he'll be ready to ball in the Fall.
Jay Scrubb (Clippers) out for the season (right foot surgery)
I don't know who that is.
Larry Nance (Pelicans) out indefinitely (right knee surgery)
They just got Nance. Is the plan to bring him back this year to play with Zion? Or are we waiting til next season for both of them?
Chris Silva (Heat) placed on ineligible IL
Silva was waived, re-signed and placed on IL in a matter of hours. This smells like roster/cap manipulation more than a meaningful basketball move.
Front office moves
James Jones (Suns) given contract extension as GM
A trip to the Finals in his first year...what took so long on the extension?
Sashi Brown (Wizards) resigns as President
Hmmmm....no idea what's going on here. So he had nothing to do with this year's trade deadline moves?
Trades
Nuggets get Bryn Forbes; Spurs get Juancho Hernangomez, 2028 Nuggets 2nd rd pick, cash; Celtics get Bol Bol, PJ Dozier
Nuggets get a reliable energetic perimeter vet off the bench and give up two dudes that weren't playing anyway. Celtics ended up moving Bol and Dozier (and a 2nd rd pick) for a 2nd rd pick (one of those moves that seems utterly meaningless on paper but probably saves the state of Massachusetts a billion dollars or something, its some weird sacrifice to ancient gods or something), so they move on from Hernangomez (who also got moved by the Spurs). So...basically the Nuggets got Bryn Forbes for...a series of magic tricks and a 2nd rd pick.
Blazers get Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, Keon Johnson, 2025 Clippers 2nd rd pick; Clippers get Norman Powell, Robert Covington
From the Blazers' perspective this was just a salary dump, so getting a nice young prospect (Johnson), a veteran that will give you minutes (Winslow) and an expiring contract (Bledsoe), and a 2nd rounder is a nice haul. I think Johnson becomes a focus for them this summer, I think Winslow is now ready to settle into the wiley veteran mode (might take a while but I still haven't given up on him), I think he's got good years in him and hell even Bledsoe will score some points, so while he's not a long term fixture he's not detrimental to the team.
As for the Clippers, picking up Powell is actually a clever move: I think he's a good fit with PG and Kawhi and there's still room for Morris and/Kenard and/or Reggie Jax and maybe even Covington (a free agent this summer, I could see the Clippers trying to keep him). This was a build for next year (when Kawhi and PG come back healthy) move and I like it, one of those deals that works for both teams (Blazers get more diverse and flexible, Clippers get more usable talent ready to play now (er, well, next year)).
Cavs get Caris LeVert, 2022 Pacers 2nd rd pick; Pacers get Ricky Rubio, 2022 Cavs 1st rd pick, 2022 2nd rd pick, 2027 2nd rd pick
Rubio is out for the year (and, am I wrong: he's retiring this year, right?), so he's just a contract in this deal (which is too bad because I always dug Rubio and he was ballin' out this year). So for the Pacers this all about the draft picks. They get Cavs 1st rd pick (btw 20-24, I'd guess) this year and the Cavs 2nd rd pick (around 50 or so) and a 2027 2nd rd pick (a 2nd rd pick 5 years from now is literally the smallest possible object of value in the NBA, less like a penny and more like a stamp). And they also sent out their own 2nd rd pick (which should be around #35, which is a pretty good pick). So the Pacers traded LaVert and the #35 pick to move up a little bit in the draft and get back a coupla meaningless 2nd rounders. Meh. I guess that's okay, feels like they could've done better for LaVert but this is weird year and grabbing anything you can is not a bad way to go, I reckon.
For the Cavs, it strengthens their bench heading into the post-season and with the roster they have, I'd rather have the #34 pick than #20 and I couldn't care less about #50, so nothing but ups for the Cavs. Not merely free improvement, it was really convenient free improvement. So yeah, clear W for the Cavs.
Kings get Domantas Sabonis, Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb, 2023 2nd rd pick; Pacers get Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, Tristan Thompson
I like Sabonis as much as the next guy, but what does he do for Sacramento? How does he make them better? And how is playing with Richaun Holmes gonna be any different than playing with Myles Turner? How does this move solve any of Sabonis's problems or the Kings' problems? And why did the Kings trade away Halliburton for any reason? (*sigh*) You know, I always keep trying to like the Kings but it's like they are specifically designed to do the wrong thing every time. I like Sabonis and they'll actually play Holiday and Lamb but getting them for Halliburton (the best player in the deal) and Hield and Thompson is not really an upgrade, just a re-arrangement. No matter what the Kings do, they'll always be the Kings.
I love the move for the Pacers. Halliburton is the best player and though I like Sabonis a lot, he wasn't a great fit with what the Pacers do, so they definitely got the better player on a better contract at a better position at a better place in his career. Good move for the Pacers. Getting Hield gives them perimeter scoring that is an upgrade on Lamb (and they have already waived Thompson). The Pacers got a lot younger at the deadline and they'll probably look to trade at least one of the vets (Hield and/or Brogdon) and add two 1st rounders next year.
Blazers get Josh Hart, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Tomas Satoransky, Didi Louzada Silva, 2022 Pelicans 1st rd pick, 2026 2nd rd pick, 2027 2nd rd pick; Pelicans get CJ McCollum, Larry Nance, Tony Snell
The Blazers are emptying their payroll (though I have yet to see any kind of "plan" at work), and getting back a good Pelicans draft pick, Hart and Louzada (NAW and Satoransky have already been moved again), gives them a little something. The pick is nice and Hart is a reliable guy (does he fit with Anfrenee Simons? Probably) but trading away McCollum is a big ol' white flag on the future.
The Pelicans got a good veteran to go with Zion and Ingram and that makes them, well, more fun to watch, not sure it puts them into the post-season, though. They'll need Zion for that and I don't see him coming back any time soon. So....not sure what this trade actually does for them.
Blazers get Joe Ingles, Elijah Hughes, 2022 Jazz 2nd rd pick; Jazz get Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Juancho Hernangomez; Spurs get Tomas Satoransky, 2022 Jazz 2nd rd pick
Blazers end up with Elijah Hughes, a nice role player (do they actually want him?).
Jazz end up with Alexander-Walker and a Hernangomez (the much maligned one, I think) to go in their rotation, which is not as good as Ingles, but he was no longer going to help them, so I guess this is sort of an upgrade.
Spurs get Satoransky, who seems like the perfect Spur....ten years ago. I like Satorasnky as much as the next guy but I doubt he'll be in the NBA next season. So this was all a deckchair-shuffling exercise, with some 2nd round picks thrown in, right?
Celtics get a 2023 Magic 2nd rd pick; Magic get Bol Bol, PJ Dozier, undisclosed 2nd rd pick
The Celtics had to add a 2nd rd pick just to get a 2nd rd pick back? What kinda paperwork nightmare is this? Do the Magic actually want Bol (promising but injury prone) or Dozier (playable vet but so-so at best)? The only significance of this deal is if Bol turns into something--which he might! We'll see but I suspect history will little note nor long remember that this deal ever happened.
Raptors get Thad Young, Drew Eubanks, 2022 Spurs 2nd rd pick; Spurs get Goran Dragic, 2022 Raptors 1st rd pick
Goran Dragic is the perfect Spur....ten years ago. And they've already released him, so for Thad Young and a 2nd rd pick (something in the low 30's, I'd say), they got a 1st rd pick (something in the low 20's, I'd say). Was the move up in the draft worth it? Hmmmm.....I doubt it. I'd rather have the early 2nd rounder than the late 1st rounder this far out from draft day.
Raptors gave up their 1st rounder and their Dragic-in-the-hole for a Thad Young rental....meh. They should've just worked harder at convincing Dragic to play out his deal in Toronto.
Suns get Aaron Holiday; Wizards get cash
(So does this mean the Suns don't want Goran Dragic?) is what I wrote before Dragic signed with the Nets. I'm just sayin'....if CP is gonna be out for a while, why not give Dragic a spin off the bench?
Pacers get Jalen Smith, 2022 Suns 2n rd pick; Suns get Torrey Craig, cash
Pacers get to kick the tires on the #10 pick in last year's draft simply because the Suns have a payroll logjam and can't afford to pay their next guy; so, the Pacers move on from an 1-dimensional vet for an extra lottery ticket (that already looks at least okay). Free money for the Pacers (and nifty accounting work for the Suns).
Hornets get Montrezl Harrell; Wizards get Vernon Carey Jr, Ish Smith, 2023 2nd rd pick
I like Montrezl and I think he's kinda perfect for this Hornets squad. Does he push them deep into the playoffs? Well, we'll have to see about that. The Hornets are (for the first time in ages) a downright interesting team and if they can gel over the next six weeks, then they can be a sneaky pain in the ass team come playoff time.
The Wizards were just looking to move on from a player they're not bringing back next year, so getting a flyer on a nice young big man is a fine return, I suppose. (I would think there might be teams out there that would rather have Ish Smith than the Wizards, will he be getting released soon?)
Bucks get Serge Ibaka, two undisclosed 2nd rd picks, cash; Clippers get Rodney Hood, Semi Ojeleye, rights to Vanja Markovic; Kings gets Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Jackson, Trey Lyles, rights to David Michineau, 2nd rd pick; Pistons get Marvin Bagley
Not exactly sure why the Bucks were so gung-ho on getting rid of DiVincenzo (I understand perfectly wanting to get rid of Hood and Ojeleye). But Ibaka is a sensible vet than can do a lot, so its nice to have him around, I suppose.
Not exactly sure why the Clippers were so gung-ho on getting rid of Ibaka--and I have no idea why taking back Hood and Ojeleye is thought of as a plus for them. Clippers are buying and selling at the same time, which suggests they're setting up for next season, not this one. (Maybe Vanja Markovic is the secret sauce of this deal....)
Not exactly sure why the Kings were so gung-ho to get rid of Marvin Bagley. I understand that he had not been their ideal, but did they ever really try to make it work? Frankly, Bagley is exactly what they need right now and rather than giving him away, I still don't understand why they didn't just play him and make it work. Josh Jackson is not helping anyone and Trey Lyles was better off in Detroit. I like DiVincenzo and if you're not gonna work with Bagley, then I guess trading for DiVincenzo is better but....really?
Not exactly sure what the Pistons are gonna do with Bagley, but they've got a youth movement going and perhaps he just needed a change of scenery. We'll see.
Celtics get Daniel Theis; Rockets get Dennis Schroder, Enes Kanter Freedom, Bruno Fernando
The Celtics are in addition-by-subtraction mode and getting back Theis (for more money than the Celtics originally wanted to pay him--funny world we live in! Hey, Avery Bradley is probably available, too! Why not get the whole band back together?), is just a mild little bonus for getting rid of Shroder (more trouble than he was worth) and Kanter (contributing more to the social media page than to the court).
The Rockets have already waived Kanter--not sure why they haven't yet waived Shroder--and pick up Fernando, still young enough to be promising, to throw into their rotation (that Theis had already played himself out of). Yeah, good move for the Rockets, they turned not much into a little bit.
Celtics get Derrick White; Spurs get Josh Richardson, Romeo Langford, 2022 Celtics 1st rd pick, 2028 1st rd pick swap (Celtics)
Great deal for the Celtics! I think White is a great fit with Tatum and Brown and makes for a nice platoon with Marcus Smart, meaning the real Celtic core wasn't touched and, indeed, was added to. Richardson was expendable, Langford now gets a second chance in a new town and that 1st rd pick was not getting anyone excited, this was a good deal.
The Spurs unclutter their back court (this is Dejounte Murray's team), get back some scoring (right? Langford is gonna score, right?), give Richardson a defensive showcase for his next contract, a 1st rd pick and a far off pick swap (that might come in handy). White was a reliable part of their rotation but he wasn't the future of the Spurs, so this is the right move for them.
Mavs get Spencer Dinwiddie, Davis Bertans; Wizards get Kristaps Porzingis, 2022 Mavs 2nd rd pick
Okay. I get moving on from Porzingis, having a nice year but wildly overpriced, much too injury-prone and not exactly pals with Luka, but Dinwiddie doesn't seem like the right fit for Luka, either, and Bertans has been a bit of a bust (though I think he'll fit better with Luka than he did with the Wizards). I think these are two different deals and I think the Mavs would've been better served by holding on to KP.
The Wizards get a "star" (well, he's paid like one) to go with Beal, which now clearly forms their nucleus for the foreseeable future. Moving on from Bertans is a godsend and Dinwiddie was never the guy in DC, so basically they're getting Porzingis for free. Good deal.
Sixers get James Harden, Paul Millsap; Nets get Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, 2022 Sixers 1st rd pick, another 1st rd pick
I think this trade works for both teams. The Sixers get a for-real scorer to pair with Embiid and the Nets get younger, cheaper and more hungry.
I think Harden is still the most boring big star I've ever seen and I've been telling ya since day one that Ben Simmons's inability to make FT's is a SERIOUS PROBLEM. But I really do think Harden is a better fit than Simmons in Philly and that Simmons and Curry are going to do more for the Nets rotation than Harden was going to. Thumbs up for both teams--now, let's see 'em match up in the playoffs!
Extensions/Signings
Patrick Beverley (Wolves) signed a 1-year/$13m extension
Okay. Nice trade chip if the Wolves wanna pull off some big deal this summer or need to sell at next year's deadline. And if the Wolves are good (50/50, I'd say, should be on the upswing next season), then he fits their rotation at a reasonable price. Good signing, I'm into this.
Daishen Nix (Rockets) signed a 4-year extension
Nix is a 2nd rd pick, so signing him long term at the first hint of promise is the way to go.
Aaron Wiggins (Thunder) signed a 4-year/$6.4m extension
Wiggins has played 34 games in his rookie season. His raw numbers are not particularly impressive but they're fine for his age. A contract like this is about guaranteeing a bit of money for the player while maximizing the years of control for the team (like a baseball deal). My guess is teams offer contracts like this all the time and most guys think they can do better (whether they can or not).
Caleb Martin (Heat), Ryan Arcidiacano (Knicks), Deandre Bembry (Bucks), Danuel House (Jazz), Luke Kornet (Celtics), Sam Hauser (Celtics) sign for the rest of the season
I kinda love both of the Martin twins, those dudes ball out, perfect for Heat Culture (I expect they'll give him more money, more years this summer). Arcidiacano will get minutes (especially if they're without Rose for long). Bembry will likely play til April then I wouldn't expect him to get playoff minutes. The Jazz go deep rotation from time to time, I can see House getting some fringe minutes. I don't see either of the Celtics dudes getting much time (short of major injury).
Xavier Sneed (Jazz), JaVonte Smart (Heat) signed to 2-way contracts
Don't know Sneed or Smart, could be a roster move or maybe they love him, no idea.
Haywood Highsmith (Heat) signed to a 10-day contract
Highsmith is a kina fun watch, big crazy big guy. 2-way contract is a great place to stash a weird young prospect.
Waived/Relinquished
Olivier Sarr (Thunder), Solomon Hill (Knicks), Denzel Valentine (Jazz), James Ennis (Nuggets), Wenyen Gabriel (Clippers), Zylan Cheatham (Jazz), Paris Bass (Suns), Xavier Moon (Clippers), Dakota Mathias (Grizzlies), Cassius Stanley (Pistons), Cody Zeller (Blazers), Mamade Diakite (Thunder), Chris Silva (Heat), E'Twaun Moore (Magic), Michael Carter-Williams (Magic), PJ Dozier (Magic), DeAndre Bembry (Nets), Drew Eubanks (Raptors), Armoni Brooks (Rockets), Enes Kanter Freedom (Rockets), Justin Jackson (Suns), Paul Watson (Thunder), DJ Augustine (Rockets), KZ Okpala (Thunder), Jahmi'us Ramsey (Kings), Robert Woodard (Kings), Moses Brown (Mavs), Abdel Nader (Suns), Reggie Perry (Pacers), Tristan Thompson (Pacers), Louis King (Kings), Greg Monroe (Bucks), Goran Dragic (Spurs),
Tristan Thompson is rumored to be signing with the Bulls any day now. (And hasn't he already announced that he's retiring this year?)
Dragic is (right?) headed to the Nets. Man, why didn't he just play for the Raptors? He'd be fine in their system and they're exactly the kinda edge playoff team that just needs a boost from a crafty veteran--he was a perfect fit! Anyway, I would've thought Denver, Dallas and Phoenix would've been in the mix (is he eligible to return to Miami?).
The rest are mostly just roster/cap casualties, has virtually nothing to do with their play on the court. These are the deadline orphans, a handful will find their way back to rosters.
Health & Safety Protocols
Daniel Gafford (Wizards) as of February 6 seems destined to be the answer to the trivia question "Who was the last NBA player to miss games because of Covid?" (well, unless you count Kyrie Irving being stuck in a city that still fetishizes civic power trips and phony "health" measures over common sense).
I'm done with this segment because the world is finally done with Covid-19 (hey, planet Earth: take a tip from the NBA and move on with your lives!). I'll bring it back if need be but in the age of Omicron, why would it need to be? Remember: it was SXSW, the NCAA and the NBA that ushered in the lockdown--not the gov't--so when these organizations (like Coachella) announce they're done with Covid, then it is now time for the gov't to follow suit.
(*) Fell off of this blog for a while because of a sick cat. I love this cat and I really thought he was going to die. But I'm pleased to report he's starting to get annoying again! 'Yo, dude, laying in bed all day while I bring you food is not a long term plan!' He still has some muscle atrophy in his haunches, but he's mostly back to full health. Good to have him back (though, to be honest, if not for the injury, he might've been moved at the trade deadline).
