It is late January. The sky in Toronto is the color of a wet sidewalk, and the trade deadline is approaching like a slow moving bus you are not sure you want to board. Everyone is talking about what we might do, which usually means we will do something moderately confusing that involves a second round pick from 2029.
Michael Grange is out there sharing thoughts on our options. It feels like we are standing in a grocery store aisle looking at twenty types of mustard. They all look fine, but you only really need one, and you cannot remember if you already have a full jar at home.
The Center of the Room
There is a lot of chatter about Jakob Poeltl and the Sacramento Kings. People are wondering if the Kings would take an injured Jakob in a deal for Domantas Sabonis. My uncle used to say you should never trade a car while the check engine light is on, but basketball is different.
The Kings might be having what people call a fire sale. I do not know why it is called a fire sale, because fire usually destroys the inventory, but here we are. Dealing a newly extended center who is currently sidelined feels like trying to return a sweater you already spilled coffee on.
The Backcourt and the Future
Immanuel Quickley is doing things that make sense, then things that do not, then things that make sense again. He dropped forty points on the Warriors, which was very efficient. Then he scored nine points. It is like when you find a great song on the radio, but the next three stations are just playing laundry detergent commercials.
He recently hit a game winner against Charlotte. Winning against Charlotte feels good, I suppose, in the same way that finding a five dollar bill in an old pair of jeans feels good. It does not change your life, but you might buy a fancy coffee.
Watching the Ladder
Scottie Barnes is currently top fifteen in the MVP ladder. It is nice to see his name there. Being fifteenth in an MVP race is like being the fifteenth best architect in the city; you are clearly very good at building things, but nobody is naming a bridge after you just yet.
Then there is Ochai Agbaji. Some people think he is the key to our entire trade deadline. It is funny how someone can become a key. I have a lot of keys on my keychain that I do not recognize anymore, but I am too afraid to throw them away because they might belong to something important.
Final Thoughts
We are mid road trip now. The team is moving around, sleeping in different hotels, and eating room service club sandwiches. Everything feels like it is waiting for a phone call to happen.
Maybe we trade for Sabonis. Maybe we keep the keys we have. Just like the weather in Scarborough, it will probably stay gray for a while, and we will just have to deal with it until the sun decides to show up.