Chrome dev tools logs a pointer to the object, so if the object is mutated after logging, but before you view/expand it (especially for nested structures), it can be very confusing! JSON.parse(JSON.stringify()) usually is good enough for this :)
But yes, generally speaking I think a deep clone is a sign of a smell elsewhere. That doesn't mean it never has a place in any code, but just that if I find myself reaching for it, I usually see if there's a mistake being made elsewhere.