Welcome back ladies and gentlemen, friends and foes, avid Loopians and those unaware of the In The Loopus brand identity.
It has been a long time, too long in fact. For those unaware, In The Loopus was a column I ran for the entirety of the 2023-24 NBA season, producing 3,000 word article full of thoughts and ravings on the larger league universe.
We quoted Cronenberg, made former EIC and retired jersey Jack Borman go insane at the sight of some of the titles we used, and, most importantly, we took
nothing too seriously while going into depth on just about anything we could find to talk about.
I say we because it felt like there were people coming back to read it, like there was a community in place at Canis that might remember it. This is for you guys.
Every deadline and draft, we’ll run back the old times and do what we do best. I’ll do my favorite thing on the planet and write takes so convoluted they make some people’s heads pin. You can follow along and talk shit.
It is truly the greatest of NBA Twitter past times.
Today’s deadline, however, is a little different as so many major moves happened before the actual deadline day. Jaren Jackson Jr. has already been traded, as has James Harden. The question of where Anthony Davis will end up already has its answer.
So, before the deadline theatrics truly kick off, let’s get started with some thoughts on already is.
Cue the intro, run the Jaga Jazzist, and time to lock in.
A Tale of Ellis and Dennis and the King’s Hunter
This one is a pretty simple swap. The Sacramento Kings used the intrigue of oft unplaying but highly regarded guard Keon Ellis to get out of the contract of not as oft unplaying and certainly not as highly regarded guard Dennis Schröder. Their return ended up just being Deandre Hunter who is on paper a prototypical three and D wing and yet fails to inspire excitement on either end.
Starting with the Cavs, this is about as home run of a move as one can get. They saved nearly 50 million dollars in luxury tax payments and found a guard in Ellis that they will hope to keep pending his free agency this summer. The most they can pay him is around the three year/50 million mark, but he may just be a worthwhile rental for half a season.
The logic behind the Schröder contract was always to have that medium sized movable money that can both absorb a different contract or be sent out as filler in a move for a quality player. However, the Kings added a third year to that deal that is onerous to take on despite its partial guarantee.
Many will see this deal as the Cavs reloading their guard depth after they let Ty Jerome walk in the offseason — and it well could be — but to me the more likely situation is that they try to snag a below market value extension on Ellis, trade Schröder into space in the offseason, and try to keep getting cheaper to avoid staying in the second apron.
The Chicago Bulls hopped in on this one, taking on Dario Šarić’s contract (an expiring 5.4 million dollar deal) for two second rounders. After years of trying to stay competitive at the deadline, this move was finally the type of thing Bulls fans have been begging for since GarPax were in charge.
Second rounders usually don’t turn into anything but they are the WD40 of the trade world. The fact that the Kings needed to attach some to get off of two deals they intentionally gave out/acquired last summer is a terrible sign.
Which brings is to Sacramento. Scott Perry’s hiring was always a ridiculous proposition, pairing a GM that was actively terrible in his last stop in New York with a franchise that has had one year of relevancy since the iPhone was invented.
Sacramento needing to pay with Ellis and two seconds to get out of Dennis’ deal is just disgusting. The question of whether they paid more because they really like Deandre Hunter in particular haunts me.
Outside of a 30 game stretch for Atlanta last season, the idea of Hunter has always been better than the reality. He has shot over 40% from three only once in his career, (twice if you want to include only his Hawks tenure from last year) and has cratered in efficiency this year while making 23 million dollars this year and 24.5 next year.
He is also not nearly the defender his frame would suggest. Despite the long arms and strong core that made him the number four overall pick, he hasn’t turned into the lockdown defender he was invisioned as. While he’s not terrible, it seems like he’s gotten less and less consistent both in effort and execution since arriving in Cleveland.
Additionally, you had to give up Keon Ellis as a sweetener. Even if the Kings didn’t want to play the guard that once injected life into the beam team, he was still clearly intriguing enough to get a return. Instead, he was a throw in for a salary dump.
While the Cavs give up some positional size, Jaylen Tyson has excelled off the bench this year and should be taking many of Hunter’s minutes he had already been siphoning off. The Kings are… doing something I guess.
In a Sentence: Sac Town, the Bay Area, and Back Down to being the worst run team in the league
In the Words of Prince, Let’s Get Krejčí
This seems like one of the smaller moves of the deadline but it is nevertheless impactful. The Portland Trailblazers received Vit “Crunch Wears No Pants legend” Krejčí for Duop Reath and two future second rounders. The Hawks will be waiving Reath.
Let me start by saying that if this is it for Duop Reath, what a ride it has been. He was the In the Loopus player of the week once largely because his story is so cool. From the CBA to suddenly being the spot starter in Portland, and absolutely killing it, Reath has made it when no one really expected it. That’s pretty goddamn cool and I really wish Portland would’ve traded him away sooner to a team that needed a backup center. Instead, this season ending injury could leave him sailing off to the sunset.
For Portland, Vit is one of the best “big” shooters in the league this year. He has evolved from super sized playmaker to a shooter that makes 43% of his threes despite being 6’8. He does everything at a decent rate and should add some shooting and supplemental playmaking to the bench.
He won’t be expected to play a big role by any means — the strength of the Blazers’ rotation is their wing group — but you should never turn down good players and the cost of doing business for Portland was minute.
For Atlanta, this move is a little confusing, but Vit has been phased out by Corey Kispert, part of the Trae Young trade. While you shouldn’t be in the business of trading big forwards who can shoot, it makes sense to do so when you already have another better one.
In a Sentence: Vit zhis acquisition, zhe Blazers could make zhe Play-In.
Utah Goes Big, Memphis Goes Boom
I will be forthwith and say that this is my favorite deal of the deadline (so far). While there’s other moves that have a similar level of excitement, nothing comes close to how intrigued I am by the supersized lineup Utah is about to run out.
Now, as a decided Jazz hater (I got stalked to my hotel by a random mormon woman in Salt Lake City in 2023 and have hated them ever since), it’s hard for me to give them credit for a move like this. And yet I must.
The Jazz gave up only one real asset in acquiring a former Defensive Player of the Year who is still only 26. Yes, he’s probably the worst rebounding big man in the league. And yes, everything went downhill when he stopped wearing number 13. And yes, of course, they gave up two recent first rounders and three picks in a vacuum.
But let’s take a quick second to look at those draft picks.
The Jazz received the best of the Jazz’s own pick, Minnesota’s pick, or the Cavs’ pick next year. The highest that one will end up, assumedly, is very late lottery. The Jazz are probably the worst team of those three (unless something goes terribly for two teams that made the conference finals last year) and this is a commitment to being good next year.
They also received the Lakers 2027 pick, which will be mediocre unless Luka Dončić is hit with a massive injury. No, it’s the final pick that’s the only real one that matters to me.
Finally, the Grizzlies received the Phoenix Suns 2030 pick. Four years from now, the Suns, with minimal flexibility to make moves, could be in a vastly different place. They control almost none of their own picks after the Kevin Durant trade and Devin Booker leaving would leave this roster barely afloat.
That’s the only real asset going to Memphis in this deal.
The on court fit is the coolest thing I can imagine. Walker Kessler is probably the perfect center to have next to Jackson, taking the responsibility of rebounding while also contributing even more rim protection (although they both don’t seem to scare anyone from going there).
Alongside Lauri Markkanen on the wing, this is a massive lineup with shooting. The hope seems to be that the Jazz can fix their defense by doing what they did with Rudy Gobert for so many years: funneling attackers through the middle.
The Gobert Jazz were defined by their tiny lineup, often relying on Royce O’Neale or Bojan Bogdanovic for minutes at the four. This iteration is the inverse and I could not be more excited to see how it works out.
For the Grizzlies, however, I do maintain that Taylor Hendricks has some intrigue as a forward who can do a lot of different things at a decent level. He was far outclassed by Brice Sensabaugh, but should still be able to factor into Memphis’ forward rotation.
I am not a big Walter Clayton fan, but he also showed an ability to attack closeouts so far this season. However, while the eye test liked him, the efficiency numbers are dreadful. The noted increase in athleticism from college to the NBA has seen him run off his spots often, and he is struggling to make it work.
Still, you have to commend Memphis for blowing up the team when it became clear that this era of their team had come to a close. Between the trade of Desmond Bane and this one, they’ve traded pieces before their values crater.
Ja Morant is next, as long as they can find someone who is actually willing to eat that contract.
In a Sentence: Go big or go home to your house with no electricity (I love you Vernon Maxwell)
A Dump, a Deal, and a Dario
I’ll leave the Wolves side of this to our very own Ryan Eichten, who explained the Mike Conley dump in depth earlier this week.
In this deal, the Bulls received Jaden Ivey and Mike Conley, while the Pistons received the swap rights with the Timberwolves this year, Dario Šarić, and Kevin Huerter. The Wolves got back cash and the ability to duck quite a bit of luxury tax payments.
For the Bulls, taking a flier on Ivey makes some sense despite the * checks notes * EIGHT??? guards on the roster. He never really managed to make it back to the same level of prioritization and/or production he had early in his career after Cade Cunningham became an All-NBA level player.
Instead, he’ll try to figure something out for Chicago. This move is an unquestionable good move for Chicago (giving up Huerter is a near zero price at this point), but I worry they simply won’t find the space to see if any of their guards really have something worth chasing in the absence of Josh Giddey.
For the Pistons, this is what it had to be. There was no real way you could hang on to Ivey and get anything back if you waited until this offseason. It’s hard to ask top five picks to take a low usage bench role and to just stomach that change.
Some handle it well and embrace that, others don’t.
This move gives them a nice seven or so pick jump in the first round and a shooter in Huerter, who won’t play much but could still add to the platoon of players asked to fill the void still left by Malik Beasley.
In a Sentence: I’m not sure it matters much, my dear.
Another Bulls Deal… Another Point Guard
Folks, I am tired. It is just past midnight and more and more deals keep coming through. I keep writing (obviously) but we are rapidly reaching the end of how fast I can write and I am behind on all of these moves right now. I just have to hope nothing happens while (if?) I sleep.
This deal was a one for one swap of Nikola Vučević and Anfernee Simons.
In a remarkable return to headscratching form, the Bulls acquired yet another point guard. While I truly love Simons as a player, and his defense on the Celtics had taken a huge step forward — admittedly from apocalyptic to just plain bad — it made sense for Boston to trade him for A) a center and B) some tax relief.
They did both in finding Vuc.
While both players were on expiring contracts, taking on the Montenegrin big means a much smaller dollar number this year. He’ll assumedly be back on a much smaller deal this summer.
Still, even understanding all of the financial calculus, and taking into account the Celtics investment in Payton Pritchard as the guard they wish to spotlight, I wonder if giving up on the shooting and creation Simons provided in the Celtics system was a mistake.
The Bulls doing this is… uh… I guess a thing? There’s no real downside outside of the monetary cost of business. Time will tell if they reroute him, but truly just a confusing target to pursue.
Jarden Harden and the Garland of Unimaginable Avoidance
This is, without a doubt, the funniest deadline of my life.
We heard a few hours before this deal actually happened that James Harden had, despite a 16-4 stretch in the Clippers last 20 games, requested a trade. This came after reports that LA was unwilling to set the groundwork for an extension in the summer.
All that tells me is that James Harden is a pro-union king who will not be taken advantage of by the ruling class and capitalist oligarchs. Long live!!
It also tells me that the man is a comedic genius. I mean, the exits he has manufactured are hysterical.
I would have to put the rant at the Chinese youth camp at one because can you imagine going to school and your teacher brings in a guest speaker who talks about how much he hates his job? God, I love this league.
Nevertheless, the Clippers get younger and now have a real succession plan for what has been the oldest roster in the league the past few years.
There remains a real possibility that Garland’s medicals are just cooked and that his career is starting to circle the drain, but the hope for LA is that he and Zubac can keep the team afloat in their new arena without any infusion of extra talent as they are missing all of their own picks.
It also opens up a sneaky trade window for Kawhi Leonard, if teams are willing to call on him.
The timing is what truly kills any real optimism here for LA. They just dug themselves out of a massive early season hole in no small part to Harden’s play. If the hard line was no extensions beyond 2027, that makes sense, but abruptness is almost always a sign of bad process. Additionally, who knows when Garland will play next. This feels like they threw their hands in the air and said “fine, whatever man.”
That usually has been a bad set of words for the Clippers.
For the Cavs, this is equally confusing. Adding a player best known for no showing in the playoffs to a team that is fighting to get over that same hump feels like the type of thing you would do in a feel good movie starring Martin Lawrence, not in real life.
Ultimately, this deal is not about either team involved, but about Harden. He has been meticulous in creating the situation he wants most, often to the chagrin of talking heads like myself. It hasn’t worked out so far, but he has behaved the way I think every player should.
These organizations have shown again and again that they do not care about the well being of their players beyond extracting value. If they won’t pay you what you’re worth, find someone who will.
I hope it works out for the Cavs, but it feels more likely that this will blow up spectacularly in the next two years. In the next two months, however, look for Cleveland to race to the best record in the East.
In a Sentence: Know when to walk away, know when to run
The Ballad of Buster “Anthony Davis” Scruggs
Does anyone else feel really bad for AD? He was an excellent number two on a championship team, playing some of the best basketball anyone has ever played alongside LeBron James and it has seemingly all evaporated in an instant.
He didn’t ask to be traded for Luka Dončić in what very well may be the worst deal across professional sports. He didn’t ask to be heralded as the guy that would take the Mavericks to a title by Nico Harrison. He has simply just been asked to do far too much and his body has fallen apart, compounding things.
He truly deserves better, but better is not what he has gotten.
Instead, he is now a Washington Wizard.
For the low, low cost of a pupu platter of random stuff, including but not limited to a project player on his third team in two years (AJ Johnson), a washed up vet on a massive expiring (Khris Middleton), and a bunch of picks in theory only, Washington acquired someone who made an All-NBA team only two years ago.
For Washington, this is about as good as it gets. Turning CJ McCollum and Khris Middleton into Trae Young and Anthony Davis is pretty cool and you gave up nothing to get them. Who is the best player they gave up for those guys? Corey Kispert?
The question of who between Sarr and Davis will play center is still up in the air, but having Sarr learn from Davis is about as good of a mentorship duo as one can get.
This is the end of AD as a star, he has started his slow descent into role player veteran who everyone sees through the lens of the good old days, but if he can take the Marcus Camby route, he could get the praise he deserved a lot more of.
For the Mavericks, there’s something to be said about not compounding bad decisions. Holding onto Davis would’ve been a stubborn mistake, one that surely would’ve been made if Nico Harrison was still in place. Still, the return is far worse than it seems on paper.
The two picks included are a Thunder pick this year (likely in the late 20s) and a protected Warriors pick that will likely not convey unless Golden State can make some big swings with Jimmy Butler missing the rest of the season.
There’s not much to be said for Dallas. They did what they had to. They didn’t net a return on trading a guy that made the All-NBA teams in all but one of his first five years. That’s malpractice, but they figured out that out pretty fast.
I just feel terrible about the Mavs fans. The arena seems perpetually still, devoid of any excitement there once was. Cooper Flagg has been playing excellent basketball but it simply doesn’t matter.
There is so much more than basketball in fandom, and I fear the Mavericks have turned their community to stone.
In a Sentence: Fire Nico (over a spit or something, Dallas demands retribution)
This simply hurts me so much…
What is Jared McCain? For the blind, he is light. For the hungry, he is bread. For the sick, he is the cure. For the sad, he is joy. For the poor, he is the treasure; for the debtor, he is forgiveness. For the Sixers, he is expendable. For the Thunder, he is a perfect fit.
This trade fills me with such an inexplainable sadness. My For You has been filled with montages of “it’s two days into summer, and I’m three lectures behind” and I just find myself asking how we got here. The Sixers number 20 curse truly takes no prisoners.
The way it looks right now, the Sixers had stopped believing in McCain. Especially with both VJ Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey locked into the starting jobs, Quentin Grimes getting ready for a raise, and Dominic Barlow coming on in a massive way recently, there was going to be an odd man out. I just expected that to be Grimes, who is looking for a massive contract, instead of the rookie controlled McCain.
I can’t help but feel like this was a mistake for Philly. McCain had started the year poorly but was coming on well over the past couple weeks. Also, while he wouldn’t have been a starter, there’s always a role for a player of his ilk. Injuries are also inevitable and he would have been the ultimate insurance policy.
If McCain gets back to last year’s level, he will be a perennial sixth man of the year candidate. Instead of backing up Maxey, he will know be doing that for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Jared’s fit on this Thunder roster is about as perfect as it could get. They needed both spot up and off the bounce shooting alongside both their bench and starting lineups. Additionally, McCain’s defensive effort and high character should get him involved early and often when paired with the perimeter stoppers he will surely be flanked by,
It’s also worth noting that Lu Dort will likely be leaving the Thunder this offseason. Getting a cost controlled McCain means that there will still be shooting to use after that loss.
I also can’t get on board with the paltry trade return. Philly sold on Jared McCain for a marginal return on investment. Adding a handful of seconds to the middling first used on the young combo guard will aid in flexibility but why trade that guy without getting an upgrade.
This just feels like a move motivated entirely by financials.
Some have compared this to Philly selling on Michael Carter-Williams after his rookie of the year campaign, but that fails to consider skillset.
I’m just shocked by this one.
Coby Goes Home
This trade feels like it was designed in a lab to piss off a very specific brand of Wolves’ fan. Swapping Collin Sexton and Coby White while throwing together some other stuff on the side illustrates how little interest there was in either guard despite those frothing at the mouth on Twitter.
The Bulls keep stacking second round picks, making that a handful of them acquired in the past days with likely more to come. This is the lowest Coby White’s value has been since his breakout year, but at least they got something.
It’s here that I want to pause and remember the Coby White moment on this very column that has enabled me to do this sports writing thing for a living. Two years ago, I compared Coby to the Silver the Hedgehog boss fight from Sonic ‘06. So much has changed since then. Defenders are no longer subjected to hearing “you’re too slow” whenever the guard out of UNC turns the corner.
Coby has remained productive, albeit in an environment far less conducive to his talents. This feels like fair value for a score first guard. There was a time where the Bulls could get much more for him, but we do not live in that time.
Charlotte trading Sexton is a little surprising with how beloved he clearly was in that locker room, but Charlotte must be more interested in on court upgrades despite their strong stretch since the start of the new year.
The most fascinating wrinkle of this is what it means for Lamelo Ball, who has been excellent this year. If Coby White is coming in to take the Tre Mann assignment of bench guard who comes in and scores (once known as the Terry Rozier assignment, or maybe even the Nick Smith Jr. assignment), then there’s little to be said here.
But, it does feel like trying to make all three of Ball, White, and prized rookie Kon Knueppel work together will be an uphill battle. None of those players are good defenders, while Knueppel is certainly not bad. It’s also worth noting just how large Ball’s contract is. Maybe a reset is on the horizon and White will be the cost controlled option to replace him.
Either way, this feels like a fair deal for both sides, and one that helps both teams pursue exactly what they felt they needed at the deadline.
In a Sentence: The fairest, most normal deal of a very abnormal deadline
Three Bits of Housekeeping
I’m including three different trades here just because I feel they are best folded into one conversation about salary dumps. Those deals are as follows:
The Raptors dumped Ochai Agbaji’s contract to Brooklyn, giving up the Lakers’ second round pick, and receiving Chris Paul, who will be bought out.
The Utah Jazz received Lonzo Ball and a second rounder, Ball will be bought out.
And lastly, while Drew Eubanks will not be bought out and will play for the Atlanta Hawks, any time someone is acquired for cash considerations, you can probably guess that the team trading him simply did not want to deal with the person or contract.
Drew Eubanks is also the single ugliest player I’ve ever seen, which is neither here nor there, but damn.
These three moves are all made by a team looking to lower their tax payment or to get under the apron entirely. The Jazz are on either side of two of these moves, but that has more to do with the nature of their trade for Jaren Jackson Jr.
None of these moves have anything in place to discuss, outside of maybe the Cavs’ rapid reduction in cost that could get them into the first apron and enable them to trade three firsts this offseason in an attempt to lure a bigger name (Giannis anyone?)
In a Sentence: Not everything can be interesting.
PS: I am adding the Nick Richards trade to the Bucks and the Chris Boucher trade to the Jazz to this list. I will not be discussing them in any detail because they are exactly the same thing as this write up.
TJD to TOR
Maybe Trayce Jackson-Davis should go in the previous category. After all, he is a backup center that was drafted with a second round pick being traded to Toronto where he can be a backup center for the price of a second round pick.
And yet, I find myself so much more excited about this one than I have any right being. There was a time where Chris Paul and TJD made a Warriors bench unit that has long since been the weakness of that team into a real, well, not strength but it wasn’t bad anymore!!
The Warriors keep getting smaller and smaller, and still have the Kuminga thing on their plate, so I don’t have much to say to them, but I do like this quite a bit for Toronto.
Again, I know. I am aware this is a backup five, but the sooner Toronto can launch Jakob Poetl to space, the better. The contract is bad enough, but the play has also been dreadful. Removing him from the rotation, or at least minimizing the minutes he does play should certainly buoy Toronto’s hopes to earn some real playoff reps.
In a situation that has needed anything to improve it for months, the Raptors found exactly that at the lowest possible cost. That’s a good move to me, and I wanted to say as much.
In a Sentence: Flash needs substance to be good, but substance without flash is never bad.
The Worst Media Plant since Flyana Boss
Folks, you know who the biggest winner of this deadline is? Friend of the program Charlie Cummings, who now never needs to talk about Jonathan Kuminga again.
The context behind this tweet is unnecessary (I won a bet with him after the Wolves beat the Warriors in last year’s playoffs), but the man’s sheer hatred for the way the Warriors managed the asset of the “second timeline” was enough to make him stop writing about his childhood team. Still, he’s a great follow for those who want to follow more non-linear developmental stories and learn more about the game as it happens.
Back on topic though, I truly cannot overstate my joy that this Kuminga saga is over. He is being sent to Atlanta alongside Buddy Hield for Kristaps Porzingis. Just as Trayce Jackson-Davis is sent out, the Warriors bring in a new center to replace him
For Porzingis, everything has kind of gone downhill since his auto-immune disorder turned him into a part time player who struggles to stay healthy on a consistent basis. There are still inklings of the player who enabled the Celtics to become an absolute juggernaut en route to a championship, but he is certainly not the star acquisition Golden State imagined when trading their glorious young star in JK.
The Hawks have seemingly committed to playing as many wings as they possibly can, with very few of them having any real cohesive strengths. Kuminga fits that identity quite well. The read and react offense was never going to work for him as his basketball IQ just made everything half a second too late, but he had some moments as a creator and rim attacker in the playoffs last year.
Most importantly, this saga is finally over and we can move on with our lives.
The lasting impact of the Warriors’ pursuit of the two timeline approach will be that Steph Curry will likely never step foot into another Finals. One of his costars is rapidly declining. The other just tore his ACL in his mid-30s. Curry will remain a Warrior for his career, largely because there is no situation in which they allow the best player in franchise history to leave, but it’s been a complete and utter mismanagement.
Maybe that strategy was already dead in the water when Joe Lacob forced the James Wiseman pick and held onto him until he was worth nothing. Maybe it was when Draymond Green punched the only youngster that had become a quality player. Maybe it was when they told the world that the guy they refused to play was simultaneously a star in the making.
It’s a tragedy of self-fellating know it alls, who prided themselves on being “lightyear’s ahead” while completely shooting themselves in the foot.
They deserve all the reproach in the world. And I hope they don’t do the same aggrandizing approach with Podziemski that they did with Kuminga.
