The trade deadline has finally come and gone.
Thursday afternoon saw a flurry of moves as NBA teams looked to position themselves for the final few months of the regular season. Post-deadline, it looks like the Houston Rockets and Memphis Grizzlies are comfortable keeping on their current path and the San Antonio Spurs, who pulled off a blockbuster deal, are looking to join the pack. Let’s empty the notebook after a busy day of player trades, second-round pick swaps and international rights to players you might never see in the NBA. Shout out to Alpha Kaba!
• For months, Rockets officials have expressed confidence in their roster, preferring to keep things intact. Hypothetical moves for playoff-tested veterans such as Jimmy Butler and Kevin Durant, while potentially addressing Houston’s desperate need for a half-court fulcrum and a closer, would have come at the cost of key young players and draft assets — considered unfeasible by Rockets brass. Even amid a five-game losing streak, featuring two losses to the mediocre Brooklyn Nets, Houston’s decision-makers opted against a panic fix.
“We like what we have,” head coach Ime Udoka said following Thursday’s 127-114 loss to Minnesota. “We’ve been doing OK and feel we can do a lot better. (We) want to continue to grow as a group, watch our young guys develop, play in big situations and see what we have.”
Their only desirable business was adding to their flexibility and draft capital, engaging with teams that were either looking to a) escape the luxury tax altogether or b) lessen a future tax bill. By Thursday afternoon, the Rockets had done that, completing separate trades with Boston and Atlanta that netted two additional second-round picks (Houston’s own selection in 2028 and Boston’s in 2030). The players involved are secondary — Jaden Springer (incoming from Boston) will be waived, according to a team source, to make room for journeyman big Cody Zeller (from Atlanta) — but the Hawks were able to escape the luxury tax and the Celtics shed about $15 million off of their tax bill. Zeller has yet to play a game this season due to personal reasons and it is unclear if he’ll stay in Houston, but the Rockets are on the hook for $3.5 million this season (the next two years are non-guaranteed and Zeller will hit unrestricted free agency in 2028).
• Per team and league sources, a few teams placed calls over the last 72 hours about Jae’Sean Tate, Jock Landale, Aaron Holiday and Steven Adams — with Tate generating the bulk of interest among the veteran group — but the Rockets, who have dealt with injuries recently, couldn’t afford to lose more depth. Houston’s coaching staff continues to monitor the minutes and health of both third-year forward Tari Eason and Adams, and they have leaned on Tate and Landale to fill spot minutes when called upon.
The biggest addition for the Rockets will be the return of Jabari Smith Jr. from injury. (Alex Slitz / Getty Images)
• Jabari Smith Jr., who hasn’t played since Jan. 1 after fracturing his left hand during a team shootaround, should be Houston’s biggest midseason addition. The Rockets have sorely missed Smith’s two-way versatility, especially on the defensive end. This group has taken great pride in its ability to defend at a high level since October, but the overall intensity and focus have slipped over the last two weeks, falling to 19th in defensive rating (Houston’s offense is 15th). When healthy, Smith has proved to be a key cog in Udoka’s half-court scheme, showcasing an ability to toggle matchups while also being a plus rebounder at his position (since Smith’s absence, Houston has slipped from first to 10th in rebounding).
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Amen Thompson has excelled since becoming a starter — averaging 17.6 points, 10.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.4 blocks per game, while also winning Western Conference Defensive Player of the Month — but when Smith returns after the All-Star break, will Udoka return to his original starting lineup? Thompson was already thought of as a leading candidate for Sixth Man of the Year in his previous role, and Udoka isn’t one for drastically changing a lineup that has largely worked for a good portion of the season. But it’s certainly worth a conversation.
• While on the topic of big men, I was surprised San Antonio didn’t make a more aggressive move for a backup center, especially after sending Zach Collins to Chicago as part of the De’Aaron Fox trade. We’ll get to Fox’s debut later, but I’m not sure if rolling with Charles Bassey (who recently sprained his MCL) for the remainder of the season is the answer. The counter to this point is interim head coach Mitch Johnson has been experimenting with Jeremy Sochan at backup big, a move that has long intrigued me. It’s still a work in progress, but Sochan has the physicality and switchability to play the five for stretches. He’s improved as a ballhandler and remains one of the league’s underrated rebounders — Sochan cleans up nearly 10 percent of his teammates’ misses, 98th percentile among his peers.
• Moving on from Tre Jones (also involved in the Fox trade) clears the runway for rookie Stephon Castle. Not in the sense that Jones was impeding Castle’s development — it was clear Jones wasn’t in San Antonio’s long-term plans — but Castle can now thrive in a hybrid role. We’ve seen him in both the starting lineup and in the second unit, but because of Castle’s growing defensive responsibilities, Johnson has entrusted the rookie with more second-half minutes. In terms of how Castle can benefit from Fox (I think he’s more like Fox than Chris Paul), both are super athletic, quick and powerful, so you couldn’t ask for a better pair of veteran point guards to learn from. Castle is also shooting around 36 percent from 3 this month on nearly four attempts per game, his best mark since entering the league. Progress.
• Jordan McLaughlin, who will remain with the Spurs following the passing of the deadline, is quick and takes care of the ball — his assist-to-usage ratio has been in the 96th or better percentile in five of his six seasons — but barring injuries to Blake Wesley or even Malaki Branham, expect to see McLaughlin only in garbage time.
• Marcus Smart, who was traded to Washington along with a 2025 first-round pick, was always a head-scratching move for Memphis, which finally had to cut its losses after injuries kept Smart to just 19 appearances this season and 39 in total since arriving from Boston. A few things led to this decision. For starters, the Grizzlies’ depth is strong and will serve them well in the playoffs. But how much is too much? Head coach Taylor Jenkins has rolled with 12 or even 13 players on some nights. Scotty Pippen Jr. has made quick work of assuming backup point guard duties, a somewhat surprising move that suddenly made Smart and his $20.2 million salary expendable.
But Memphis gave up two first-round picks to acquire Smart from Boston and now coughs up its own 2025 selection to move on from him. Losing the 2025 first might come back to haunt the Grizzlies. It’s a bit of a panic move and they could have easily resumed their chase for a third star this offseason and used that pick as a sweetener.
• Reports suggesting the Grizzlies had made inquiries about Butler, Durant and Cam Johnson indicated that Memphis is still on the hunt for a wing scorer to pair with Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. (The injured Desmond Bane, averaging under 18 points a game, hasn’t been able to build on last year’s leap consistently.) Even if that’s the case and the Grizzlies weren’t able to bring in additional scoring help, I’m not sure why they would be open to letting Jake LaRavia walk. The writing was on the wall when Memphis declined to pick up LaRavia’s fourth-year option, but Jenkins prides himself on having a slew of combo forwards outside of the core who can make plays and LaRavia, an 83rd-percentile playmaker, fits perfectly. LaRavia also shot over 40 percent from 3, is a tough defender and doesn’t waste possessions, ranking in the 96th percentile in assist-to-usage ratio. Underrated loss for Memphis.
• Perhaps the Grizzlies looked at GG Jackson II’s recent production (44 points, 10 rebounds on 5-for-12 shooting from 3 in his last two games) since returning from injury as insurance against LaRavia’s departure. Vince Williams Jr. is also now healthy, giving Memphis a deep bench along with Santi Aldama and Brandon Clarke (we haven’t even gotten to John Konchar, Jay Huff or pseudo-starter Luke Kennard!). The Grizzlies had too many players on their roster and had to consolidate at some point — I just assumed it would have been in an aggressive, forward-thinking move with the Western Conference wide-open and the playoffs less than three months out.
(Top photo: Patrick Smith / Getty Images)
