Five NBA Things I may or may not have Liked: Trade Deadline Addition

The Tanking Stops…in a few months

The Wizards and Jazz have been mired in the endless abyss of the tank over the past few seasons, but starting next season, they’re full steam ahead. However, there is a massive emphasis on that whole next season part because both franchises owe top-eight protected picks in the loaded 2026 draft.

Fortunately for the Wizards, the two stars they acquired over the past month, Trae Young and Anthony Davis, were injured at acquisition, which gives Washington plausible deniability if questioned about their almost assured continued and prolonged absence. Utah is not so lucky.

The Jazz have been moving heaven and Earth to sit their guys so as not to send a first-round pick to the Thunder, and they’ve only made their job more difficult. With the acquisition of Jaren Jackson Jr, the Jazz have not only made themselves better, but they also acquired a human basketball player who is currently healthy and playing well.

I’m glad that the Wizards and Jazz made sensible moves to upgrade their rosters, but the next few months are still going to be tanktastic. I doubt their fans will care thanks to the promise of 2026-27, but the media and league are guaranteed to bemoan these two for tanking their way to glory.

Pacing Around

I have no Earthly idea what the Pacers are thinking. Yes, they need a center, but the price they just paid for Ivica Zubac is exorbitant. To rehash, the Pacers sent the Clippers an unprotected 2029 first-round pick and their 2026 first, which conveys if it lands five through nine, and becomes a 2031 unprotected first if it doesn’t. Throw in Bennedict Mathurin and Isaiah Jackson, and the Pacers sent out a staggering package for a soon-to-be 29-year-old center who has taken a step back following a career year.

I’m a big fan of Zubac, and his contract, with its two years and $40.5 million across 2026-27 and 2027-28, is welcoming as well. However, the Pacers either gave up a top-ten pick in an excellent draft, along with an unprotected first, or two unprotected firsts to land him. If Tyrese Haliburton had already shown he was back to his old self following an Achilles tear, and Pascal Siakam was turning 28 in April and not 32, I’d feel differently. There is a ton of uncertainty going forward in Indianapolis, and the Pacers simply did not have to make this move now.

While I applaud the Pacers for placing sensible protections on their 2026 first-round pick, the fact that it becomes an unprotected 2031 pick is just an insane concession to make. In a world where Anthony Davis goes for two low-value firsts, and Jaren Jackson Jr. goes for two middling firsts and only one juicy future pick, Ivica Zubac, despite his excellent contract, shouldn’t garner far more valuable draft capital.

There’s every chance that next season, Haliburton is back to being an elite offensive engine, Siakam keeps on keeping off Father Time, and Zubac rediscovers his form, but there’s also a real chance that Zubac continues to be a solid to good starting center, Haliburton is a step slow, and Siakam finally takes a step back. What I hate about this deal is that even if the best-case scenario comes to fruition, I still don’t think Zubac would have been worth it.

Accounting Magic

The NBA trade deadline was dominated by accounting. According to my opinionated calculations, out of 24 trades, 17 were either fully or partially motivated by a desire to cut salary. That’s a tidy 70.8% of all trade activity functionally being an accounting exercise. While you may say I’m too low or too high on those figures, the fact remains that the trade deadline was about the money.

The NBA continues to place more stringent penalties on high-spending teams, and the result will be more deadlines like this. The question the league needs to ask itself is: Do we really want this? I, for one, don’t. I understand the value in cutting costs to gain access to roster-building tools, but it’s incredibly shitty for the players and fans. There are no world championships of accounting for a reason.

The Bulls

I applaud the Bulls for finally joining the party, while also staying true to themselves. It’s a massive step forward for the franchise to understand the concept of asset accumulation, and the nine additional second-round picks signify this revelation. However, they also managed to turn three combo guards on expiring contracts into three combo guards on expiring contracts. The Bulls finally had their come-to-Jesus moment, while continuing to live in sin. And I absolutely love it.

That being said, I think taking flyers on Jaden Ivey and Rob Dillingham were good decisions, but this roster is an absolute abomination, and second-round picks, as this deadline shows, really don’t get you much in the way of impact talent. Hopefully, this is just step one in a full-scale rebuild. The Bulls have momentum, but until they show discipline over multiple transaction cycles, I’m not going to anoint them the prestigious title of a modern NBA front office.

Conley Chronicles

Mike Conley, for good reason, appears to be overwhelmingly beloved in the Minnesota locker room. Unfortunately, due to age, his contract-to-production ratio became a problem, which necessitated a salary dump. However, thanks to the magic of arbitrary NBA rules, he was able to find his way back to the Twin Cities.

Following Conley’s trade from Minnesota to Chicago, he was then traded to the Charlotte Hornets, who waived him, and he is now set to rejoin the Timberwolves. If the Bulls had waived Conley, the Timberwolves would be off limits because they had just traded him, but thanks to his little detour in Charlotte, he can head home.

I have no idea how Conley processed deadline day, but I have the feeling that he just sat in his home, sipping a mug of hot cocoa, wearing a “Fuck ICE” shirt, knowing, “If you’re lost, you can look, and you will find me. Time after time. If you fall, I will catch you, I’ll be waiting. Time after time.”

For any inquiries about work, discussion, and the like, you can email me at nevin.l.brown@gmail.com.