Running diary of the Jimmy Butler trade during the Raptors’ loss

The Toronto Raptors lose 138-107 to the Memphis Grizzlies on 90s Night at Scotiabank Arena. So I’ve heard.

A basketball game broke out around the latest superstar trade!

For the second time this season, the Memphis Grizzlies thrashed the Toronto Raptors. Despite leading at halftime, the Raptors were outscored by 37 points in the second half en route to a 138-107 loss at Scotiabank Arena.

Newly minted All-Star, Jaren Jackson Jr. led the way with 32 points on 10-of-16 shooting, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and a block. His partner-(ahem)in-crime, Ja Morant added 26 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals.

Seven different Raptors scored in double figures, with three leading the way with 14 apiece— Ja’Kobe Walter, Jamal Shead, and Ochai Agbaji.

The last game before the trade deadline always carries a different aura. Who is playing their last game with the team? Are any of the players distracted by the rumours?

The Toronto Raptors and Memphis Grizzlies are on different ends of the trade deadline spectrum. The Raptors have been linked to several trade rumours as a facilitator AND a buyer. The Grizzlies have the assets to go Butler Ingram Durant hunting.

Toronto was without RJ Barrett (concussion protocol), Immanuel Quickley (rest management) and Jakob Poeltl (hip pointer), while Memphis was without Desmond Bane (ankle).

The Raptors were 0-5 this season without Poeltl (before this game), including the other matchup against Memphis this season when the Raptors gave up a team-record 155 points. Let’s see how the Raptors gained….and lost…..a halftime lead against their former Naismith Cup opponents, including multiple interruptions from the trade news mill.

1st Quarter

• Kelly Olynyk starts in place of the injured Poeltl. Is this Olynyk’s final game as a Raptor?
• It’s 90’s-themed night at Scotiabank Arena. With both teams rocking their classic jerseys, this is easily the best uniform matchup in the NBA.
• The return of the Sprite Zone was a nice touch.
• Toronto clearly didn’t want a repeat of the December blowout. They’re running with as much pace as the speedy Grizzlies.
• Bruce Brown checks in. Is this his final game as a Raptor?
• Marcus Smart throws a backcourt violation out of a timeout. He’s missed so many games, I wonder if he’s forgotten how to play.
• Davion Mitchell plays iso ball with Santi Aldama switched onto him. Mitchell jab-steps to create space, then nails the step-back three. Is he auditioning for his next team?

2nd Quarter

• Jonathan Mogbo nails a three. On the next possession, he airballs a three. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen that happen before.
• Jamal Shead treats Smart like a pylon, sprinting by the former DPOY into the lane. As the defense collapsed on Shead, his kickout pass ended with an open corner three for Jamison Battle. You can guess how that ended.
• It’s the Jaren Jackson Jr. show! After going scoreless in the first quarter, JJJ scores 11 points in the first 4 minutes, turning a 10-point deficit into a 2-point deficit.
• We interrupt this running diary to bring you some breaking news…

• The Warriors are back baby!!
• So are the Grizzlies. JJJ hits another three to help erase Toronto’s 10-point lead.
• Ja Morant got cheated out of a highlight reel assist on one end after Aldama blew the layup. Morant then got cheated out of a highlight reel block on the other end when he was called for a goaltend.
• Kudos to the Raptors for giving a damn on defense. It doesn’t seem like much when the opponent has 50 points with 2:35 to play in the second, but when the previous matchup ended with Memphis scoring 155 points, it matters a ton!
• Wait, Kyle Anderson is coming to Toronto?!?
• Raptors lead 59-53 at the break. Toronto leads Memphis in transition points, second chance points, and points in the paint. This is not the Raptors team that got obliterated in Memphis 6 weeks ago.

Halftime

• Everybody in media row is now trying to keep tabs on any players returning from halftime. Did Chris Boucher leave early? Was he just going to the washroom?
• I have admittedly stopped paying attention to this surprisingly good basketball game.
• Media row is in shambles as the Butler details trickle out
• Kyle Anderson is no longer a Raptor! Slo-Mo, we barely knew ye.
• Sportsnet’s Michael Grange broke the news that Anderson was no longer coming to Toronto. Everyone in media row looked over at Grange, and he was eating dinner, looking like nothing was going on. He’s so nonchalant. Michael Grange has zero chalants.
• Self-reminder #1: There is a basketball game happening. Get your sh*t together and report on the game!
• Most of the solid teamwork has disappeared as several offensive plays have devolved into isolation. Shead, Walter, and Dick all came out of halftime with no-so-hidden agendas to play hero ball.
• I spoke too soon at halftime. Toronto is starting to look like the team that was overmatched in Memphis
• Well, at least we’re getting highlights.

• Barnes had a couple of possessions trying to trade buckets with JJJ and Morant. If you think that’s a tough duo to outscore, you’d be right. During that stretch, Morant crossed Shead over and drained a three. Rajakovic calls a timeout as the Grizzlies grab their biggest lead, 76-69
• The Raptors clearly didn’t finish talking about the Butler trade because they came out of halftime with a lack of focus and a return to tanktastic basketball
• Meanwhile, Memphis has the audacity to continue playing basketball. They’re now up 89-74.
• Marcus Smart crossed over his defender and tried throwing a pass to a cutter, but the ball zipped straight through his hands…..and into the arms of a wide open Scottie Pippen Jr. in the corner. Raps now trail 96-79. It’s been that kind of quarter.

4th Quarter

• Sam Amick is reporting that Toronto and Atlanta are “neck-and-neck” in their pursuit of Brandon Ingram
• What? Why?
• I can always convince myself that the Raptors front office made the right move with adequate resources, information, and plan in mind. (I still tell people to hold judgment on the Pascal Siakam deal until Bruce Brown is dealt) But Ingram’s addition is the kind of move a buyer would make, not a lottery team with (presumably) aspirations of getting a high draft pick
• Also, his next contract would lock in Toronto’s next Big 3 era of Scottie, IQ, and Ingram. After dreaming all season long of Cooper Flagg, adding the injury-prone wing on a team full of wings seems sub-optimal
• Self-reminder #2: Oh right, there’s a game going on
• With 5:49 remaining and Memphis up 118-96, the fans head to the exits while both teams empty their benches
• Except for Ja Morant, oddly.
• Noticing Morant’s presence, a timeout was called on the next play….by Darko
• Yuki Kawamura checks into the game to a loud ovation. It may only be a handful of Japanese fans, but the arena is so empty, it sounds like the entire crowd is pro-Grizzlies.
• Despite playing a great first half and leading the second-best team in the West, the Raptors somehow lose by more points than the December matchup that seemed much more like a blowout.

Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis, Jimmy Butler, De’Aaron Fox, Zach Lavine, Khris Middleton. All former/current All-Stars. All with new homes. With 15 hours left until the trade deadline, no rumour or trade idea is too outlandish anymore.

Toronto figures to get into the trade mix. If they ultimately get into a trade or two, and how involved they are will finally be revealed. Whether or not this was the final game for some Raptors, there’s one thing I’m sure of: no sport does a trade deadline like the NBA.

Whatever happens, make sure to keep up with the latest in Chelsea’s trade post.