We’re still a whole day away from the 2026 NBA Trade Deadline, but that hasn’t stopped the association from going nuclear with trades this week…

Let’s catch you up on what the league’s been cookin. 🔥

Today’s Lineup

🎉 Happy birthday Malik Monk, DaJaun Wagner, and Jason Kapono! 🎉

Game Recaps

Isaiah Collier goes off for 22 assists in Utah’s 131-122 win over the Pacers

Tuesday was quite the day for the Utah Jazz.

First, they acquire All-Star big Jaren Jackson Jr, and just hours later pick up a W on the road that featured some insane performances.

Isaiah Collier put together his best John Stockton impression in the victory, going for 17 points and dishing out an absurd 22 dimes, while playing all 48 minutes. With the way Collier was dishing the rock in this one, JJJ has to be one happy guy knowing his new teammate can get him the ball like this…

Utah pulled off this victory with just seven active players, who all scored in double figures. Lauri Markkanen lead the way with 27 points, Bryce Sensabaugh went for 20 of his own, and rookie Ace Bailey shot 7/10 from the field on his way to 19 points along with three blocks.

Tuesday was already a big day for Utah regardless of the outcome of the game, but winning in the fashion they did was just the cherry on top. 🍒

Hornets complete huge comeback, defeat Pelicans 102-95 for seventh straight win

The Buzz in Charlotte just keeps growing louder and louder. 🗣️

Charlotte, the hottest team in the association right now, kept the good vibes rolling in Monday’s win over the Pelicans. In the first half, the Hornets league-leading win streak appeared to be in jeopardy, as the Pels jumped out to a 15 point halftime lead and led by as many as 22 points.

Then, thanks to plays like this from Brandon Miller (16 PTS), the Hornets came storming back:

With a dominant 53-31 second half, the Hornets pull off the epic comeback and extend their win streak to seven games. LaMelo Ball dropped 24 points to go along with eight assists, Kon Knueppel knocked down four treys and finished with 17, along with huge boost off the bench from Grant Williams (17 PTS in 19 mins). 🔥

Charlotte is now remarkably just 0.5 games back from a play-in spot. If they keep playing like this though, they might be vying for a top six seed come April…

Elsewhere around the NBA:

• The East’s top team picked up a big win over the West’s number three team, defeating the Nuggets 124-121 on Tuesday. Denver was down 19 at half and made a late rally thanks to 32 points from Jamal Murray, but in the end it was Cade Cunningham (29 PTS, 10 AST) and the Pistons narrowly escaping with the W.

• No KD, no problem! Alperen Sengun put on an offensive clinic (39 PTS, 16 REB) in Houston’s narrow 118-114 victory over the Pacers. Sengun put the team on the back in the fourth, shooting a ridiculous 8/12 from the field in just the fourth alone, staving off a late Pacers rally led by Pascal Siakam (27 PTS) and Benedict Mathurin (25 PTS). The Rockets big man definitely had some extra fuel for this one after not being selected to the All-Star team, and his huge game may have put some doubt in the voters’ heads…..

• There’s not many more relieving feelings in basketball than ending a losing streak. Memphis got to experience that relief on Monday after beating the Wolves 137-128, snapping their six game losing skid. Jaren Jackson Jr dropped 30 points in his last game as a Grizzly, but perhaps the bigger story for Memphis has been the play of Ty Jerome (19 PTS) since his return from injury earlier this week. It’ll be interesting to see how the new look Grizz will look after their big trade this week…

NBA Trade Deadline

Thanks to the madness that is the NBA trade deadline, the landscape of the association looks MUCH different than it did 24 hours ago. Let’s break down which players are changing teams: 👀

• Grizzlies trade Jaren Jackson Jr., John Konchar, Jock Landale and Vince Williams Jr. to the Jazz for Walter Clayton Jr., Kyle Anderson, Taylor Hendricks, Georges Niang and three future first-round picks.

• Three-team trade between the Bulls, Timberwolves, and Pistons that sends Mike Conley jr and Jaden Ivey to the Bulls, and Kevin Huerter/Dario Saric to the Pistons.

• Cavaliers trade Darius Garland and a second round pick to the Clippers for James Harden.

• Bulls trade Nikola Vucevic and a second-round pick to the Celtics for Anfernee Simons and a second-round pick.

Phewww. As you can see, there were some big names moved on Tuesday, with the players traded having a combined 18 All-Star appearances and 10 All-NBA appearances. Let’s talk about each deal:

• For the Grizz, the team is pointing towards a full rebuild with the JJJ trade, acquiring draft capital and younger players such as Clayton Jr. As for the Jazz, this deal gives them a scary future frontcourt of Markkanen-JJJ-Kessler, and are now adding an All-Star to their already promising young core. One thing’s clear after this move, the future is looking bright in Utah.

• The three-teamer brings a fresh start for Jaden Ivey in Chicago, and Detroit gets to add a shooter to the contending roster in Kevin Huerter. Mike Conley is moving on from Minnesota after three successful seasons, and for the Wolves, this was strictly a salary dump in a potential effort to save room to add a certain superstar that’s on the trade block (cough cough, Giannis)….. 👀

• What started as a rumor on Monday turned into a reality on Tuesday. James Harden is now a Cavalier and Darius Garland is now a Clipper. The Clips get about a decade younger by swapping Harden for DG, and the Cavs make a switch-up in their backcourt after somewhat of an inconsistent season so far. And now, Donovan Mitchell now has the chance to make a deep playoff run with one of the greatest guards in NBA history. We’ll see how far that backcourt can take Cleveland come playoff time…

• After six seasons, the Nikola Vucevic era in Chicago is finally over. The Bulls appear to finally be tearing down their core that did not lead to much success, after moving on from Zach Lavine last deadline and now Vuc. Boston now has their center for their potential deep playoff run, and Anfernee Simons will have the ability to get a whole lot of buckets in Chicago.

Oh, and shoutout our guy Kenny for being the one to break the Vuc trade! 🗣️

Three in the Key

Signing Off

That’s all for today, Enjoyers! Thanks for making us a part of your day. If it fits, let the trade deadline be a sign for your own life. Sometimes, a change of scenery might be exactly what we need if we’re going through a rut. We can always start over!

See you on Friday!

Bobby Kasmire