1 00:00:15,439 --> 00:00:20,719 What is krack lacin, Fellow thermonuclear affers, I am Dan's Valley coming at 2 00:00:20,760 --> 00:00:25,519 you with my certified Fantabulous and Thermonuclear AF co host Grant Hughes, and we 3 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:33,840 are joined by the incomparably certifiably fantabulous and thermonuclear AF. Keith Smith from SPO 4 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:38,119 Track knows everything and anything about the NBA, the CBA, and of course 5 00:00:38,159 --> 00:00:41,359 the basketball games that are being played at large. Has been on this podcast 6 00:00:41,399 --> 00:00:44,560 like four or five times now, so it's officially his own fault for coming 7 00:00:44,640 --> 00:00:48,039 back. We are no longer hoodwinking him. We're excited to talk with him 8 00:00:48,039 --> 00:00:51,479 today because it's trade deadline season and who better to have on than Keith. 9 00:00:51,679 --> 00:00:55,840 Follow him on Twitter at Keith Smith NBA. That's spelled exactly as it sounds, 10 00:00:55,840 --> 00:00:59,280 which is always super fun. It'll be on the screen or in the 11 00:00:59,399 --> 00:01:03,319 podcast YouTube description as well. Keith. One, welcome back, and two, 12 00:01:03,640 --> 00:01:07,840 how the heck are you doing? I'm doing good. It's like you 13 00:01:07,879 --> 00:01:10,879 said, it's straight deadline time right where we're we're getting down to it or 14 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:15,159 what do we eight nine days away now and they we're almost there. It's 15 00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:18,400 it's a great time. I love this time of year. There's a million 16 00:01:18,480 --> 00:01:22,359 things going on. And it's funny because people are like, do you like 17 00:01:22,439 --> 00:01:26,239 it more than the off season? And my standard answer is always yes, 18 00:01:26,680 --> 00:01:30,799 because there's there's games too, and that's my even though I'm like mister salary 19 00:01:30,879 --> 00:01:34,519 cap roster guy and I love all that stuff, I love games most like 20 00:01:34,640 --> 00:01:38,280 I love the game most of all. So like this is the best of 21 00:01:38,319 --> 00:01:41,760 both ones. You actually can't like both, I'm sorry to tell you. 22 00:01:42,079 --> 00:01:45,519 Yeah, right, I know, not allow that. If you appreciate transactions, 23 00:01:45,599 --> 00:01:49,120 you hate basketball, That's what That's what the serious. Yeah, that's 24 00:01:49,120 --> 00:01:52,079 what Twitter has told me, at least Grant. How are you doing, 25 00:01:52,760 --> 00:01:56,200 I'm doing I'm doing great. I'm glad to be here. I'm I'm really 26 00:01:56,280 --> 00:01:59,640 excited for and no pressure Keith, but Keith to just kind of set us 27 00:01:59,640 --> 00:02:02,480 straight on what we should be thinking about the trade deadline and you know, 28 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:07,400 second aprons and things of that nature. Yeah, to that end, I 29 00:02:07,479 --> 00:02:12,479 wanted to start there, Keith, before we're gonna eventually exchange our most interesting 30 00:02:12,599 --> 00:02:16,439 or fascinating teams that we have leading into February eighth. But because it's topical 31 00:02:16,719 --> 00:02:22,199 and it's engendered, just a little bit of debate on the timelines. How 32 00:02:22,199 --> 00:02:24,639 do you feel about the sixty five game minimum when it comes to awards now 33 00:02:24,719 --> 00:02:30,159 that we're more than a half season into it in practice, and it's of 34 00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:32,039 course Joelle Beid's the one that's the fine, even Tyr's Halburn a little bit 35 00:02:32,199 --> 00:02:37,520 came back for Pascal Siakam's debut and then ends up missing some time. Have 36 00:02:37,639 --> 00:02:42,800 your initial thoughts on it, changed it all or evolved at all? Evolved 37 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:49,800 maybe might be the best way to put that. I think I understood where 38 00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:53,719 the league was coming from. I have no issue with the idea of there 39 00:02:53,840 --> 00:02:58,639 needed to be some incentive to get guys on the floor more. I didn't 40 00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:02,960 like from day one when it ties into anybody who's already signed or is eligible 41 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:10,919 to sign a so called supermax deal or a designated player contract. I don't 42 00:03:12,039 --> 00:03:17,000 like that because I think that's going to lead us into guys getting like coming 43 00:03:17,120 --> 00:03:22,039 back early, like Caliburton. I know that the spin has been he was 44 00:03:22,080 --> 00:03:24,800 excited to play with Siakham, and he was cleared to play. I'm guessing 45 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:29,080 there was some push of, hey, I might have forty million dollars on 46 00:03:29,159 --> 00:03:30,840 the line here. If I don't come back, you know, and get 47 00:03:31,159 --> 00:03:35,319 make sure I hit the sixty five games. So I don't love that part 48 00:03:35,360 --> 00:03:38,120 of it. I want to know more about. There's some it's embedded in 49 00:03:38,159 --> 00:03:44,439 the language. There are some like extreme cases that they'll consider guys less. 50 00:03:44,439 --> 00:03:46,560 I want to know what that means. I've been told that was more around 51 00:03:46,599 --> 00:03:51,080 the idea of like if a player had a death in the family it needed 52 00:03:51,120 --> 00:03:55,159 to miss two weeks and had already missed seven or eight, nine, ten 53 00:03:55,240 --> 00:03:59,400 games or whatever, and it pushed him past that would be something maybe they 54 00:03:59,439 --> 00:04:02,879 could look pack. But I don't know. It's a little for me. 55 00:04:03,199 --> 00:04:11,280 I think we're making a problem now that didn't necessarily need to really be fixed. 56 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:15,800 Yeah, I wonder like if, like you said, it makes sense 57 00:04:15,879 --> 00:04:20,079 that, you know, there's been a lot of changes made to incentivize the 58 00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:24,040 biggest names being on the floor as often as possible. But I wonder if 59 00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:27,680 maybe this was a little bit of an overthink just because you know, let 60 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:31,399 the voters for MVP or whatever else decide if sixty one games of this level 61 00:04:31,439 --> 00:04:35,600 of production, how that stacks up to seventy four of this level of production. 62 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:39,560 I don't feel like that's such a big ask, but it does seem 63 00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:42,879 like we are you know, it always happens, whether it's a CBA changing 64 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:46,439 or just a specific rule, there's these unintended consequences and now you know, 65 00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:48,439 like you're talking about the money that's at stake, and I feel like, 66 00:04:48,879 --> 00:04:54,360 suppose embiid sustains these averages and plays under the sixty five game threshold, which 67 00:04:54,360 --> 00:04:58,120 seems likely now it might if we didn't have a Jokic having this kind of 68 00:04:58,199 --> 00:05:00,600 season again, it might feel weird to look back at what he did and 69 00:05:00,680 --> 00:05:03,800 say like, oh, he didn't win MVP. That's bizarre, Like how 70 00:05:03,839 --> 00:05:06,319 did that happen? And it's because of we just drew a line in the 71 00:05:06,399 --> 00:05:11,240 sand. Rule wise, It's I'm fascinated to see, like you r Keith 72 00:05:11,279 --> 00:05:14,560 Flusher, like what you know, what changes we might see going forward? 73 00:05:15,079 --> 00:05:17,720 How long is this gonna you know, stick around? Because maybe you're probably 74 00:05:17,759 --> 00:05:23,000 the right person to ask about this. That lower threshold for whatever the extenuating 75 00:05:23,040 --> 00:05:26,959 circumstances are still needs. Is it like sixty two games? Is sixty three 76 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:29,720 games? Is there a number that if you're below it, we're not even 77 00:05:29,800 --> 00:05:34,879 going to consider special circumstances. Yeah, we it's it's all very vague. 78 00:05:35,560 --> 00:05:42,160 It's not specifically laid out like no matter what, you have to play sixty 79 00:05:42,240 --> 00:05:46,680 games or anything like that. There's nothing that that quite says that. So 80 00:05:46,839 --> 00:05:49,519 that's the that's part of the issue. Right where it is, Jeez, 81 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:53,839 where are we going with this? Like that? That's where I do kind 82 00:05:53,839 --> 00:05:56,360 of wonder, like, like what are we going to come up with where 83 00:05:57,000 --> 00:06:00,720 then our team's going to start to play games? Right where it is all 84 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:03,639 this player's out for personal reasons, and you know, we really shouldn't get 85 00:06:03,639 --> 00:06:08,040 into why, and and that's totally fair, like like the like I think 86 00:06:08,120 --> 00:06:12,319 back to the Andrew Wiggins stuff last year, it got, in my opinion, 87 00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:15,399 it got super gross what the people were putting out there and saying it 88 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:18,240 happened and all this stuff, and it's like, you know what, we 89 00:06:18,279 --> 00:06:23,160 don't really need to know. Like I do think there is some level of 90 00:06:23,279 --> 00:06:26,480 transparency we need to know of like, hey, he may not be back 91 00:06:26,720 --> 00:06:30,279 or maybe two months or whatever it is, and then we can always adjust 92 00:06:30,360 --> 00:06:32,319 and go from there. But I don't even know the reason every guy's out 93 00:06:32,399 --> 00:06:35,279 injuries. That's a little bit of a different thing. That's just you know, 94 00:06:35,560 --> 00:06:39,759 ingrained in sports. To your point, though, where I think it 95 00:06:39,839 --> 00:06:43,759 can't get a little weird is, Yeah, let's say what happens if you 96 00:06:43,839 --> 00:06:47,360 have a year where the top three four guys everybody's like, well, those 97 00:06:47,360 --> 00:06:50,480 are my top four MVP picks, and they're not there, and now it's 98 00:06:50,519 --> 00:06:56,959 like guy number five wins. I do think though, I'm not super worried 99 00:06:56,959 --> 00:07:00,600 about that, because I think somebody pulls up that season and basket more reference 100 00:07:00,680 --> 00:07:04,319 or the list of MVPs what happened that year, and then they're gonna dig 101 00:07:04,399 --> 00:07:08,519 into it a little bit more, and then then you have a kind of 102 00:07:08,639 --> 00:07:12,120 story behind it. So that part I don't worry about too much. I 103 00:07:12,199 --> 00:07:15,199 think we get too caught up in you know, wall you know, for 104 00:07:15,319 --> 00:07:18,079 the historical record and all these things. Yeah, I kind of get it. 105 00:07:18,399 --> 00:07:21,920 I am far more concerned when it comes down to, like I said, 106 00:07:21,959 --> 00:07:25,959 a guy like Caliburton, where it is, hey, this can really 107 00:07:25,959 --> 00:07:29,600 impact how much money this guy makes and you know, missing one more game 108 00:07:29,800 --> 00:07:32,920 to the Pacers care about that? Probably not right, They probably will because 109 00:07:32,959 --> 00:07:36,360 sure they'd love to have them for less money because that's a smaller cap hit 110 00:07:36,399 --> 00:07:40,519 and that's just gonna be you know, more flexibility for them down the line. 111 00:07:40,600 --> 00:07:46,000 But I do think it is a little less I just like I said, 112 00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:48,079 I think you're fixing a problem that I think most voters took care of 113 00:07:48,160 --> 00:07:51,160 anyway. Yep. I will be curious to see if it gets like a 114 00:07:51,279 --> 00:07:57,160 quick reconstruction or repeal after the TV deals are negotiated and then all of a 115 00:07:57,160 --> 00:08:00,399 sudden we just see it disappear. I am wondering. I'll throw it to 116 00:08:00,439 --> 00:08:03,240 you first, Keith, since you're here, though very quickly on it is 117 00:08:03,319 --> 00:08:07,319 there like a is there one of the awards whether if you're talking about all 118 00:08:07,439 --> 00:08:11,800 NBA versus MVP and we're looking at the availability, is there a point where 119 00:08:11,120 --> 00:08:16,399 it matters for one over the other where it's let's use the MVP discussion where 120 00:08:16,399 --> 00:08:20,040 I job plays in sixty one games. Isn't it fair to say that seventy 121 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:26,600 two games of Shay Gilgess Alexander, this version of Shay is more valuable than 122 00:08:26,720 --> 00:08:30,480 only getting sixty one games of this version of Joel Embiid? So is that, 123 00:08:30,639 --> 00:08:33,120 like, does it matter more in the MVP discussion because the word valuable 124 00:08:33,639 --> 00:08:37,279 is there? And then all NBA should be the straight best do you like 125 00:08:37,600 --> 00:08:39,600 find that there should be a differentiation there is it just kind of like the 126 00:08:39,679 --> 00:08:43,639 same shit different category at that point. Yeah, that's a really great question. 127 00:08:45,039 --> 00:08:48,039 I am. I do lean the way you said where it is. 128 00:08:48,399 --> 00:08:54,840 Hey, if they're pretty close and this guy should be this guy played in 129 00:08:56,000 --> 00:08:58,639 significantly more games, you know, played in ten, twelve, fifteen more 130 00:08:58,720 --> 00:09:03,480 games then the other guy did, and the numbers are not crazy far off, 131 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:07,600 the team records are not crazy far off. I'm gonna go with the 132 00:09:07,600 --> 00:09:11,639 guy who played more because that just is to me that is more valuable. 133 00:09:11,679 --> 00:09:15,320 He was there almost every night, or, in the case of an increasingly 134 00:09:15,679 --> 00:09:18,759 fewer amount of players every year, was there every single night. So yeah, 135 00:09:18,799 --> 00:09:22,440 so I am one hundred percent in on that where it is, like, 136 00:09:22,960 --> 00:09:24,720 yeah, if that's where a guy guy gets to like yeah, but 137 00:09:24,919 --> 00:09:28,399 that's let me decide that, right, Like, I don't need the league 138 00:09:28,759 --> 00:09:31,320 kind of arbitrarily saying that and then all NBA. Yeah, I think you 139 00:09:31,399 --> 00:09:35,720 can have a little bit more leadway where it is there. I also I'm 140 00:09:35,799 --> 00:09:39,879 very curious to see what happens with the whole positionless all NBA stuff, because 141 00:09:39,120 --> 00:09:43,159 you know, we keep heading down this path. We could literally be what 142 00:09:43,360 --> 00:09:48,840 two three years out from embiid Jokic, one Bin Yama, Yannis, it's 143 00:09:48,919 --> 00:09:52,440 probably still Lebron and KD A D Like, all of a sudden, is 144 00:09:52,519 --> 00:09:56,000 it gonna be? Like, man, it's really hard to make all NBA 145 00:09:56,120 --> 00:09:58,559 because it's filled with all bigs. You know, ten of the spots are 146 00:09:58,600 --> 00:10:01,840 big men. And if those ten guys are the ten best players, okay, 147 00:10:03,039 --> 00:10:05,120 I guess that that doesn't really matter. I kind of did like all 148 00:10:05,200 --> 00:10:09,440 NBA telling the story of by position. I just but that's because like I 149 00:10:09,559 --> 00:10:13,480 grew up on an NBA where the argument every year was the Keema Lajah and 150 00:10:13,559 --> 00:10:16,799 Patrick Ewing, David Robinson and then all of a sudden, here comes Shaquille 151 00:10:16,799 --> 00:10:22,000 O'Neal right, and then right on the heels of him getting shack was there 152 00:10:22,080 --> 00:10:24,080 day one, but a couple of years in now was like a Lonzo morning, 153 00:10:24,159 --> 00:10:28,039 and it was like who's gonna bump the centers out of there? Right? 154 00:10:28,120 --> 00:10:31,000 And that was that was a fun debate, and you really, you 155 00:10:31,039 --> 00:10:33,080 know, look to figure all that stuff out. I think those are the 156 00:10:33,159 --> 00:10:37,480 things we kind of miss a little because in today's world, probably all would 157 00:10:37,480 --> 00:10:39,600 have made it right. And then it's like yeah, and then you know, 158 00:10:39,639 --> 00:10:43,720 it kind of almost becomes like like the All Star Game and in a 159 00:10:43,000 --> 00:10:46,279 respect where it's like, all right, well, we got the top ten 160 00:10:46,360 --> 00:10:50,519 guys in the conference, and then the last two spots are really between five 161 00:10:50,639 --> 00:10:52,960 players, like who's gonna bump them out and that sort of stuff. So 162 00:10:54,360 --> 00:10:58,360 I would have been fine with doing that. You know, hey, we've 163 00:10:58,399 --> 00:11:03,039 got a limit on for the truly individual awards MVP, maybe Defensive Player of 164 00:11:03,080 --> 00:11:07,480 the Year, Rookie of the Year doesn't have them because that's kind of its 165 00:11:07,519 --> 00:11:11,440 own weird thing anyway. But yeah, and then all NBA all defense, 166 00:11:11,519 --> 00:11:13,759 we can have a little bit more leeway. I think that would have been 167 00:11:13,799 --> 00:11:20,519 okay with that. The trade deadline, So looking at that, are there 168 00:11:20,679 --> 00:11:26,639 any themes or unintended consequences from the new CBA that you see impacting this deadline 169 00:11:26,679 --> 00:11:30,840 or that you're curious to see whether it impacts the deadline? I gave you 170 00:11:30,879 --> 00:11:33,240 a few examples, like in the actual outline, but I'm just curious what 171 00:11:33,320 --> 00:11:37,279 you're like kind of actually monitoring or looking for as we get towards February eighth. 172 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:41,320 Yeah, I'm gonna I'm gonna do two things kind of combined here. 173 00:11:41,360 --> 00:11:43,639 If it's okay, I'm gonna combine the trade deadline and the buyout market. 174 00:11:45,440 --> 00:11:48,639 They really are They run in conjunction with each other. They really are tied 175 00:11:48,720 --> 00:11:52,679 together in a lot of ways, and I think we're gonna see changes in 176 00:11:52,759 --> 00:11:58,399 behavior on the team side and the player side. I'll talk to buyout market 177 00:11:58,480 --> 00:12:01,720 part of it first because it's it ties into the trademarket too. But say 178 00:12:01,759 --> 00:12:07,600 a guy like Kyle Lowry, I think is still very likely to get a 179 00:12:07,600 --> 00:12:09,679 buy out if he's not traded, and I don't think Charlotte will find a 180 00:12:09,759 --> 00:12:15,679 trade for him. But I think he's in a spall where even if you're 181 00:12:15,720 --> 00:12:18,639 the biggest Kyle Lowry fan in the world, one or two productive years left, 182 00:12:18,720 --> 00:12:22,480 maybe as a fifteen to twenty minute of the night backup guard. So 183 00:12:22,600 --> 00:12:26,120 I think that's where for a guy like him that makes sense, and there 184 00:12:26,159 --> 00:12:31,159 are enough good teams that can sign him that he makes sense for that he 185 00:12:31,240 --> 00:12:35,200 maybe does take a buyout, But if you look at his now teammate, 186 00:12:35,240 --> 00:12:39,960 even though they'll probably never play a game together, Gordon Hayward, I don't 187 00:12:39,960 --> 00:12:43,200 know that taking a buyout makes sense for Gordon Hayward because Gordon Hayward is probably 188 00:12:43,240 --> 00:12:46,399 looking at and saying, hey, I still have like a whole more another 189 00:12:46,440 --> 00:12:50,080 whole contract in me before you know, my career is said and done. 190 00:12:50,159 --> 00:12:52,960 Or I'm kind of a year to year kind of guy. And if I'm 191 00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:56,080 Gordon Hayward, I'm gonna look at it and say, all right, well, 192 00:12:56,080 --> 00:13:00,759 I'm gonna take a buyout. I can't go to Boston to walk Phoenix, 193 00:13:01,240 --> 00:13:05,120 the Clippers, any of those teams because they're all over the second over 194 00:13:05,519 --> 00:13:09,799 the first or second apron, so I can't go there. So that that 195 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:13,240 takes those teams off the list. That that shortens the number of teams I 196 00:13:13,320 --> 00:13:16,639 can go to, eliminates the ability to just hey, catch on with the 197 00:13:16,720 --> 00:13:20,639 contender for the last few months of the season and figure it out. And 198 00:13:20,720 --> 00:13:22,399 I think Gordon Hayward may look at it and say, my next contract, 199 00:13:24,039 --> 00:13:28,200 I using my bird rights, maybe in a sign in trade, I might 200 00:13:28,279 --> 00:13:31,759 be able to get fifteen to twenty million on the open market. I'm probably 201 00:13:31,840 --> 00:13:35,279 not getting that. I'm probably capped at the non tax payer mid level exception, 202 00:13:35,399 --> 00:13:39,559 which probably about thirteen ish million. So I think that's where I think 203 00:13:39,600 --> 00:13:43,960 that'll change the behavior in years past, Gordon Hayward would have been a no 204 00:13:43,120 --> 00:13:46,519 brainer buyo guy, because it would have been I'll take the buyout, I'll 205 00:13:46,559 --> 00:13:48,879 go catch on with the team, I'll win a ring. And if that 206 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:52,639 means I have to forfeit a little bit of money on my next contract while 207 00:13:52,679 --> 00:13:56,279 it was worth it, we'll figure all that out later. So I think 208 00:13:56,360 --> 00:14:01,120 that that in turn will change the trade market, where now you've got teams 209 00:14:01,159 --> 00:14:05,200 that I think are gonna be looking to all right, can we find a 210 00:14:05,240 --> 00:14:07,840 way to make a trade for a guy like that? Can we move off 211 00:14:07,919 --> 00:14:11,799 some of this salary for one of those teams that's more towards the bottom of 212 00:14:11,000 --> 00:14:15,559 the league. You know, we're gonna find it harder to move those big 213 00:14:15,679 --> 00:14:20,159 expiring salaries because teams maybe aren't in position to take them on. So that's 214 00:14:20,240 --> 00:14:24,440 what becomes really interesting about this one to me. And then the fact that 215 00:14:24,519 --> 00:14:28,799 you do have all these Apron teams, both first and second Apron, and 216 00:14:28,919 --> 00:14:31,600 then you've got a couple that are like right at the luxury tax line. 217 00:14:33,039 --> 00:14:37,159 What does that look like? Where are those teams gonna go? Because one, 218 00:14:37,320 --> 00:14:39,600 for some of them, it's hard to make moves, But for some 219 00:14:39,720 --> 00:14:43,000 of them, this is also like last chance saloon time, where it's like, 220 00:14:43,120 --> 00:14:46,200 if I'm the Clippers and IMPJ Tucker's contract, I could probably pair that 221 00:14:46,360 --> 00:14:50,240 with maybe one other contract on my books. You go get one big time 222 00:14:50,320 --> 00:14:54,600 player that will really push us forward, maybe all the way to the top 223 00:14:54,639 --> 00:14:58,799 of the Western Conference if they're not already there already, and that puts them 224 00:14:58,840 --> 00:15:01,720 in a spot where it is this is it, because next year everything gets 225 00:15:01,759 --> 00:15:05,600 that much harder. You're you're down to making one for one trades, can't 226 00:15:05,639 --> 00:15:11,320 take back more than you send out. You're down to And I shouldn't say 227 00:15:11,320 --> 00:15:13,279 one for one because you could always do you send out one guy and take 228 00:15:13,360 --> 00:15:18,679 back to What you can't do is kind of aggregate together combined salaries to go 229 00:15:18,840 --> 00:15:22,679 get somebody where you're in their position. So I'm very curious to see how 230 00:15:22,759 --> 00:15:26,600 those teams act just because of this is It. The way the Phoenix Suns 231 00:15:26,639 --> 00:15:31,120 treated the summer was everybody was like, all right, hey, you have 232 00:15:31,200 --> 00:15:33,080 a year, get your stuff in order. The Sun's kicked it off, 233 00:15:33,120 --> 00:15:35,720 but then you had the Bucks and the Celtics jump in and like, yeah, 234 00:15:35,759 --> 00:15:39,559 you know what, less chance, let's go, let's load up now 235 00:15:39,960 --> 00:15:43,279 and we'll let tomorrow be tomorrow. Tomorrow's problems be tomorrow's problems. We'll figure 236 00:15:43,320 --> 00:15:46,440 that all out down the line. So very curious to see how that all 237 00:15:46,519 --> 00:15:50,799 comes together. Yeah, I think that's really interesting. I was as you 238 00:15:50,840 --> 00:15:54,600 were talking, I was just thinking, you know, Phoenix and some other 239 00:15:54,639 --> 00:15:58,759 teams, and I was gonna mention Milwaukee very much like tipped and didn't tip 240 00:15:58,840 --> 00:16:03,080 that tip their hand like league wide. But if anyone was curious about is 241 00:16:03,120 --> 00:16:07,960 anybody going to view this ticking clock on you know, the rule changes coming 242 00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:11,799 in as an impetus for certain teams, Like certainly it's not a good strategy 243 00:16:11,840 --> 00:16:15,559 for everyone, but to really just say, well, we got to do 244 00:16:15,639 --> 00:16:18,679 it now because we can't do it later. So whether it's the Clippers or 245 00:16:18,720 --> 00:16:22,240 not, Dan, I thought the Clippers example in the outline was kind of 246 00:16:22,279 --> 00:16:25,919 perfect, this idea that like, we're definitely going to be in the second 247 00:16:25,919 --> 00:16:30,240 apron unless somehow we don't bring back Paul George and James Harden for whatever reason. 248 00:16:30,759 --> 00:16:33,120 So this is our shot right to aggregate because we can't do it anymore. 249 00:16:33,240 --> 00:16:37,399 I do think the fact that Phoenix and Milwaukee and some others operated as 250 00:16:37,480 --> 00:16:41,600 they did several months ago suggest that there will be teams that that's not to 251 00:16:41,639 --> 00:16:45,440 say they're going to act rashly, but might do things that you know, 252 00:16:45,639 --> 00:16:49,080 were the rules not going to change for them, they might not necessarily do 253 00:16:49,200 --> 00:16:52,000 I do. I think I think that feels likely based on what we've seen, 254 00:16:52,440 --> 00:16:57,200 you know, so far in this new CBA environment. I'm also curious 255 00:16:57,480 --> 00:17:00,879 and this doesn't apply in it so to second apron teams. But you look 256 00:17:00,879 --> 00:17:03,880 at and we've kind of already seen the Heat make a decision that they traded 257 00:17:04,240 --> 00:17:07,680 of your your first round pick. I look at the Lakers, the Mavericks, 258 00:17:07,880 --> 00:17:11,440 maybe a couple other teams, soll on there where it's well, you 259 00:17:11,519 --> 00:17:14,920 can trade a first round pick now, but like you wait until the summer 260 00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:17,920 and technically when you factor in the actual pick that you're making this year or 261 00:17:17,920 --> 00:17:19,680 whatever happens with New Orleans and LA. Well, now you can trade three 262 00:17:19,720 --> 00:17:23,480 first round picks. And so you kind of have to juggle that urgency of 263 00:17:23,640 --> 00:17:27,559 well, we have Lebron, we have Luca and Kyrie, but like all 264 00:17:27,599 --> 00:17:30,599 that, we can have extra picks in the summer and theoretically upper or turn 265 00:17:30,640 --> 00:17:33,400 there. So if it's the difference between like if you're Dallas and you can 266 00:17:33,440 --> 00:17:37,200 get Jeremy Grant. Now do you do it? Or is it like we 267 00:17:37,240 --> 00:17:41,880 should wait into the off season because maybe we can get in on a higher 268 00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:45,119 end sweepsticks, Like you're not gonna be ever have enough to get like Michale 269 00:17:45,160 --> 00:17:48,559 Bridges or Larry market In. But like three first round picks is just more 270 00:17:48,599 --> 00:17:51,680 than one. Like that's just simple math, right there. Yeah, let 271 00:17:51,720 --> 00:17:55,799 me add an additional layer to that, Dan, because I think another thing 272 00:17:56,000 --> 00:18:00,880 for certain teams, you need to be really solid in your per actions for 273 00:18:00,079 --> 00:18:07,200 where you think you're going as a franchise, because if you start trading away 274 00:18:07,440 --> 00:18:11,680 picks and then you become a second Apron team, now you're really limited to 275 00:18:11,799 --> 00:18:15,559 how you can build your roster. Phoenix is the perfect example of this, 276 00:18:17,200 --> 00:18:19,440 because what I've been saying is just to keep it simple, because all this 277 00:18:19,519 --> 00:18:23,640 stuff gets very confusing on what can teams do what can't they do? If 278 00:18:23,680 --> 00:18:30,680 you're a second Apron team starting next season, you're pretty much limited to one 279 00:18:30,759 --> 00:18:36,720 for one trades where you take back the same amount of on your less and 280 00:18:36,960 --> 00:18:41,599 you're or you're limited to signing your own draft picks or minimum contracts. Well, 281 00:18:41,640 --> 00:18:45,240 if you're the Phoenix Suns, your one for one trades are pretty limited 282 00:18:45,359 --> 00:18:51,279 because you just most of your your tradeable bigger salaries are tied up in key 283 00:18:51,400 --> 00:18:56,920 rotation guys or starters. For you, they're only non minimum contract that doesn't 284 00:18:56,960 --> 00:19:00,400 start for them is this Yere Little the other five that they their five regular 285 00:19:00,440 --> 00:19:04,920 starters of Durant, Beale, Booker, Nurkic, and Grayson Allen. So 286 00:19:06,440 --> 00:19:11,200 you're limited there in your tradeability of contracts. We all know picks wise, 287 00:19:11,359 --> 00:19:15,640 totally cow they are, how like you know, forever of picks they they 288 00:19:17,160 --> 00:19:19,640 I thought Zach Lowe has put it really well when he said they they hore 289 00:19:19,720 --> 00:19:23,160 cruxed some of their first rounders and swaps and the like to be able to 290 00:19:23,200 --> 00:19:26,160 pick up some seconds, because that's really what they did, right. It 291 00:19:26,319 --> 00:19:30,039 was like, hey, let's trade whatever we can just to get some seconds, 292 00:19:30,079 --> 00:19:33,279 so we have a couple of seconds in the door to sweeten the pot 293 00:19:33,319 --> 00:19:36,519 in the deal. And then then really, as we saw this summer, 294 00:19:36,880 --> 00:19:42,039 you're not assigning minimums. So that's where if you're the Lakers, let's say, 295 00:19:42,960 --> 00:19:47,319 and they're probably not a great example because a couple of their guys A 296 00:19:47,440 --> 00:19:51,240 D and Lebron are a little older. Who knows Lebron may never retire, 297 00:19:51,359 --> 00:19:55,279 right, it seems that way some days. But I think you look at 298 00:19:55,319 --> 00:19:57,319 it and you say, you gotta be kind of careful trading picks that are 299 00:19:57,359 --> 00:20:00,279 too far down the line, because we are the Lakers. If we can 300 00:20:00,359 --> 00:20:04,640 flip this thing very quickly, which they've done in years past, and we 301 00:20:04,759 --> 00:20:07,400 become super expensive. Now, all of a sudden, we're out those picks 302 00:20:07,839 --> 00:20:12,599 and and everybody's like, yeah, but they become frozen anyway. Yeah, 303 00:20:12,640 --> 00:20:17,559 that's true, they would become frozen, but you don't even have them. 304 00:20:18,039 --> 00:20:21,240 Never mind it's frozen as the thirtieth pick, you don't even have it. 305 00:20:21,759 --> 00:20:23,079 And then all of a sudden, it's like, well, I hope we 306 00:20:23,160 --> 00:20:27,799 can hit on seven minimum signings. And as you've seen with Phoenix, I 307 00:20:29,039 --> 00:20:32,240 liked a lot of their minimum signings over the summer, they haven't all panned 308 00:20:32,240 --> 00:20:36,200 out, and that becomes very very hard to do because your roster is super 309 00:20:36,279 --> 00:20:40,039 top heavy. So that's another thing that's gonna factor in for a handful of 310 00:20:40,119 --> 00:20:42,759 these teams. One of them I'll save because I want to talk about them 311 00:20:42,839 --> 00:20:49,160 later. But you got to be really cautious with I always used I very 312 00:20:49,240 --> 00:20:53,759 firmly believe when you're close to winning a title, go for it because tidle 313 00:20:53,799 --> 00:20:59,519 windows are never as big as people think. They close way quicker than people 314 00:20:59,559 --> 00:21:03,599 are thinking. Like Oklahoma City, everybody's like they've got the next ten years. 315 00:21:03,000 --> 00:21:08,160 They don't. I had nothing I believe in more firmly than it will 316 00:21:08,240 --> 00:21:11,279 not last ten years. For the Thunder, It'll maybe maybe to last five 317 00:21:11,400 --> 00:21:15,839 or six, but it's not gonna be ten years of this. It just 318 00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:18,640 isn't. That's just not how the league works. So you're really close, 319 00:21:18,799 --> 00:21:22,640 like, go for it now, and they're a completely different stratosphere because it's 320 00:21:23,200 --> 00:21:29,359 you could go forward all in and somehow still have chips left to play later 321 00:21:29,519 --> 00:21:33,359 just because of where they're sitting. Yeah, you would think if any franchise 322 00:21:33,480 --> 00:21:37,359 was aware of the uh of overestimating gets title when, it would be Oklahoma 323 00:21:37,400 --> 00:21:40,440 City, because in twenty twelve we were all no one could stop talking about 324 00:21:40,480 --> 00:21:42,680 how this team was going to be here forever, and it never made it 325 00:21:42,759 --> 00:21:45,839 back to the you know, it's just it's super fine at you, Dan. 326 00:21:45,880 --> 00:21:48,920 I don't want to jump on Dan if you had something to ask, 327 00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:52,200 but just talking about these draft picks. Dan and I talk about this a 328 00:21:52,279 --> 00:21:56,680 lot as we're trying to think of trade constructions or think of what team's plans 329 00:21:56,720 --> 00:22:00,880 ought to be going forward. The value of a first round pick, I 330 00:22:00,920 --> 00:22:06,119 would say probably bottomed out fairly recently when you're seeing you know, four and 331 00:22:06,279 --> 00:22:10,359 five and you know three and several swaps going really in the last like eighteen 332 00:22:10,440 --> 00:22:15,319 months, I guess, and certainly they were more highly valued, at least 333 00:22:15,359 --> 00:22:18,799 if you're looking at them as pieces of being involved in a trade in years 334 00:22:18,839 --> 00:22:22,079 past, where it was, you know, I could just distinctly remember discussing 335 00:22:22,519 --> 00:22:26,960 William Bogdanovich several years ago, probably in the context of the Washington trade, 336 00:22:26,960 --> 00:22:30,519 where it's like, is he worth a first I don't know where do you 337 00:22:30,640 --> 00:22:33,160 think we are in terms of the value of first round draft picks? And 338 00:22:33,279 --> 00:22:38,519 I think you probably can't discuss this without thinking of certain specific situations where you 339 00:22:38,640 --> 00:22:41,200 really can't give these up, because if you hit the second apron, then 340 00:22:41,240 --> 00:22:45,400 you got nothing like what where are we you know, in the EBB and 341 00:22:45,519 --> 00:22:48,640 flow of what first are worth right now? Because you just look at like 342 00:22:48,839 --> 00:22:52,480 zach levine hypotheticals or Demardo's and hypotheticals, and those are all typically pick heavy 343 00:22:52,720 --> 00:22:57,519 discussions, But it just seems like nobody's really sure what a first is, 344 00:22:59,119 --> 00:23:04,039 you know, keeping aside the fake first like you know, they're ridiculous protections, 345 00:23:04,119 --> 00:23:07,319 the lesser of this and that, and they'll convey or they won't type 346 00:23:07,359 --> 00:23:11,640 of things. Where are we on the value of first right now? Yeah, 347 00:23:11,759 --> 00:23:15,920 that's a great question. I think it is still somewhat team dependent. 348 00:23:17,599 --> 00:23:21,839 For example, to trade Miami Made with Charlotte. Yeah, I don't really 349 00:23:21,880 --> 00:23:26,279 worry about the Heat giving up a first round pick because nobody's better at plucking 350 00:23:26,319 --> 00:23:30,920 an undrafted guy out of the G league and developed developing them into a rotation 351 00:23:30,039 --> 00:23:34,039 player. The Thunder I would have no issue with them trading any kind of 352 00:23:34,079 --> 00:23:38,039 first round pick because they've got a million of them in a vacuum. Like 353 00:23:38,200 --> 00:23:41,680 if you were just to say, hey, today, you know what, 354 00:23:41,039 --> 00:23:45,400 we're going to reset and everybody gets all your own picks back and we're going 355 00:23:45,480 --> 00:23:51,119 to restart this thing, I think it would be I think then it really 356 00:23:51,160 --> 00:23:55,799 comes down to we an organization that believes in building through the draft, or 357 00:23:55,799 --> 00:24:00,480 we're gonna build through trades in free agency because it's always and it's never people 358 00:24:00,519 --> 00:24:03,920 will say, well, you're gonna build through free agency, that's not a 359 00:24:03,079 --> 00:24:07,480 viable path because just the way the NBA works, by the time you sign 360 00:24:07,759 --> 00:24:10,559 two free agents, you're kind of now we're out of cap space, and 361 00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:14,039 you know there it is. So it's really trades in free agency. So 362 00:24:14,200 --> 00:24:18,640 I think if if you believe that we can draft and develop and we can 363 00:24:18,759 --> 00:24:22,799 get there, those picks become super valuable to you. That's why you're reluctant 364 00:24:22,880 --> 00:24:29,279 to move any of them. That's also why you are so gung ho on 365 00:24:29,480 --> 00:24:33,319 getting them right, like we're gonna get them in mean in trades. Now, 366 00:24:33,440 --> 00:24:37,759 I think there becomes a tipping point in every organization where they become a 367 00:24:37,799 --> 00:24:41,079 little too precious. The Memphis Grizzlies, I think have been a little too 368 00:24:41,119 --> 00:24:44,960 precious with we drafted these guys, we can't we can't trade them, and 369 00:24:45,359 --> 00:24:48,359 and now what's happened is you you've kind of I know, they're in the 370 00:24:48,440 --> 00:24:52,119 super weird spot right now where everybody's injured and they have hardships, but just 371 00:24:52,319 --> 00:24:55,480 in a world war, they're healthy. You run out of roster spots and 372 00:24:56,359 --> 00:24:59,759 you're not no one knowing that's a thousand in the draft, right, Like 373 00:25:00,359 --> 00:25:03,160 you miss on some guys and then the next thing, you know is like, 374 00:25:03,599 --> 00:25:07,200 now we're really expensive, and now we have Jake Laavia on a rookie 375 00:25:07,200 --> 00:25:11,000 scale deal. Normally that'd be great, but do we really want to be 376 00:25:11,039 --> 00:25:15,000 paying him five million dollars to never play? You know, maybe we should 377 00:25:15,039 --> 00:25:18,319 have traded him when he was still a little bit more of a mystery box 378 00:25:18,359 --> 00:25:21,079 and he was an unknown and we could have sent him out somewhere. So 379 00:25:21,359 --> 00:25:23,880 it's between the players and the picks. But I think picks still have a 380 00:25:25,000 --> 00:25:29,559 ton of value. I think it's you know, whether it is to be 381 00:25:29,720 --> 00:25:33,079 used as currency and trades just to be used as draft picks. I think 382 00:25:33,160 --> 00:25:40,279 what's happened is you had teams that were to gober the Mitchell the KD trades. 383 00:25:40,680 --> 00:25:41,880 It was teams that were like, man, we want to be in 384 00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:45,839 it, right, we want to be in the mix, and we have 385 00:25:45,920 --> 00:25:49,720 a chance to get superstar X, who doesn't really come available all that often. 386 00:25:51,039 --> 00:25:53,000 Let's go and if that's what it takes, let's load up and go 387 00:25:53,119 --> 00:25:59,480 get that player. And then you invariably though those trades, if you win 388 00:25:59,559 --> 00:26:02,640 a title, fine, it worked, right If even if you win one 389 00:26:02,759 --> 00:26:06,759 title, it worked, But if you don't, I have yet to see 390 00:26:06,759 --> 00:26:07,880 them one where it's by the end. It's like, man, I kind 391 00:26:07,920 --> 00:26:11,920 of wish we had that one pick back right, Like like I wish we 392 00:26:11,039 --> 00:26:15,680 had that pick. So I think they're still super valuable. It's just it's 393 00:26:15,839 --> 00:26:21,599 very organizational dependent. Do you make before we get into the teams that we're 394 00:26:21,640 --> 00:26:25,920 all thinking about? Do you make anything of seeing so many? I would 395 00:26:25,920 --> 00:26:30,359 say consequential moves happen, like before deadline day, the hardened thing was its 396 00:26:30,400 --> 00:26:34,680 own, just another hard and trade demand, but like oge c Akham then 397 00:26:34,720 --> 00:26:37,559 even kind of the rosier deal getting done a few weeks before the deadline. 398 00:26:38,119 --> 00:26:41,880 Do you think that says anything about the way teams are thinking? Do you 399 00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:44,480 think it says anything about what's gonna happen like leading up to the deadline? 400 00:26:44,519 --> 00:26:47,160 Could it be quieter than usual? Does it maybe just pour ten more chaos 401 00:26:47,240 --> 00:26:51,119 than usual? What did you kind of make of just seeing four but really 402 00:26:51,240 --> 00:26:55,119 just three of these deals kind of happened within a two weeks band so far 403 00:26:55,200 --> 00:27:00,119 in advance of the deadline itself. Yeah, I love that question because that 404 00:27:00,240 --> 00:27:03,240 gets into that again a little bit more philosophy from different teams. I think 405 00:27:03,640 --> 00:27:07,960 if you are the Knicks and the Pacers, I think they both made a 406 00:27:07,039 --> 00:27:12,319 read of we're pretty good and we but we have holes. Right, we're 407 00:27:12,359 --> 00:27:18,039 good teams, we really want to be top six, ideally pushing for home 408 00:27:18,079 --> 00:27:22,160 court advantage in the first round. I think they were very realistic to understand 409 00:27:22,839 --> 00:27:26,640 we're probably behind Boston, Milwaukee and Philly, but let's be the top of 410 00:27:26,680 --> 00:27:30,400 the next tier, right, Let's get home court advantage. And I think 411 00:27:30,480 --> 00:27:34,960 what we have now seen is there's a benefit to being an early mover because 412 00:27:36,039 --> 00:27:40,400 instead of the Knicks getting og Ananobi, and this is taking the Randall injury 413 00:27:40,440 --> 00:27:42,759 and all that out, because now it's even bigger right that they have Anonobi. 414 00:27:42,839 --> 00:27:47,119 I know he's dealing with something too, but it sounds like that's pretty 415 00:27:47,200 --> 00:27:51,160 minor. But I think for the Knicks, you saw the immediate benefit of 416 00:27:52,519 --> 00:27:55,640 moving as early as they did. They went up, up, up in 417 00:27:55,680 --> 00:27:59,519 the standings. They've been playing great, and then continue to play great even 418 00:27:59,519 --> 00:28:02,799 with Randall out last night, So I think that's important. I think the 419 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:07,160 Pacers moved on Siakam because it was let's not let this get to a place 420 00:28:07,240 --> 00:28:11,279 where all right, we'll throw you two first round picks that we weren't going 421 00:28:11,319 --> 00:28:15,599 to do before, plus really good young player X that we were holding on 422 00:28:15,759 --> 00:28:21,039 to. Like we we're ready now to go in because maybe we slipped in 423 00:28:21,079 --> 00:28:23,039 the standings and things aren't where we want them to be. And then from 424 00:28:23,119 --> 00:28:29,519 Toronto side, I think Toronto, those guys have been on the market for 425 00:28:30,440 --> 00:28:33,160 years. I think we could safely say to some degree, you know that 426 00:28:33,200 --> 00:28:37,359 they hadn't traded them, and I think Missile Eu Jerry and Bobby Webster have 427 00:28:37,519 --> 00:28:41,720 a pretty good read on unless some miracle team in their eyes, get super 428 00:28:41,920 --> 00:28:47,160 desperate, it's probably not getting better than this. This is probably where we're 429 00:28:47,160 --> 00:28:49,440 at, So we might as well move now, and then we get the 430 00:28:49,519 --> 00:28:53,359 added benefit of let's kind of see what this looks like together a little bit. 431 00:28:53,680 --> 00:28:56,880 Then if we want to move Bruce Brown, they'd say let's go, 432 00:28:57,079 --> 00:29:00,720 because we just it's we don't really see him being a guy here long term. 433 00:29:02,039 --> 00:29:03,519 You have that benefit to say, hey, we got them, and 434 00:29:03,640 --> 00:29:08,720 we flipped them, and now our overall seaka return is maybe instead of what 435 00:29:08,839 --> 00:29:14,599 they get the three first rounders from Indiana, it really turns into four first 436 00:29:14,720 --> 00:29:18,200 round picks because we flipped Bruce Brown for an additional first round pick, and 437 00:29:18,319 --> 00:29:22,480 that that's why I think you're seeing those early movers. And then you have 438 00:29:22,559 --> 00:29:26,759 other teams that are I think we're okay, like let's let's wait, let's 439 00:29:26,799 --> 00:29:30,119 wait, let's wait. And then it's I know there are teams because they've 440 00:29:30,119 --> 00:29:34,839 told me direct they believe waiting until noon on trade deadline day that's sometimes where 441 00:29:34,839 --> 00:29:37,920 you can get the best values because now all of a sudden, some team 442 00:29:38,000 --> 00:29:41,640 is sitting with a guy with's like, man, we were holding out for 443 00:29:41,680 --> 00:29:45,039 a first round pick for this guy, We're not gonna get it, and 444 00:29:45,200 --> 00:29:48,319 there's only two hours to go to the deadline. All right, we'll take 445 00:29:48,359 --> 00:29:51,359 two seconds for him, and you know, let's let's move. And and 446 00:29:51,480 --> 00:29:55,920 that's that's sometimes where those those teams believe, you'll let's hold on. So 447 00:29:56,000 --> 00:29:59,799 I think it is. It's again it's very team by team specific, but 448 00:30:00,279 --> 00:30:03,359 it's that that to me makes it almost way more interesting and fun because if 449 00:30:03,480 --> 00:30:10,200 everybody waited until deadline day, you know we in It's Andrew Brandt. I 450 00:30:10,200 --> 00:30:11,559 don't know if you guys know him. He's a football guy. He's like 451 00:30:11,640 --> 00:30:18,279 the Packers GM he tweets every time there's something related to a deadline deadline spur 452 00:30:18,480 --> 00:30:22,160 action, right, And it's so true, right because everybody's like, and 453 00:30:22,319 --> 00:30:25,240 we've done nothing like where we got to go? And I think that is 454 00:30:25,400 --> 00:30:29,400 definitely true on it. But I do think you're gonna see teams now because 455 00:30:29,400 --> 00:30:33,440 we're seeing every year now somebody makes some form of early move. I think 456 00:30:33,440 --> 00:30:37,519 you're gonna see that happen more and more often, where teams like, what 457 00:30:37,599 --> 00:30:40,119 are we waiting for? Like, we know what we are. We don't 458 00:30:40,119 --> 00:30:42,440 need to wait till we played fifty games. We know what we are at 459 00:30:42,640 --> 00:30:47,400 forty games, thirty five games. Let's go make the move if it's available 460 00:30:47,440 --> 00:30:51,000 to make now, and then let's reap the benefits for an additional five, 461 00:30:51,160 --> 00:30:56,559 ten, fifteen games. Let's get into the teams that we're most fascinated by 462 00:30:56,680 --> 00:31:02,480 or think might define this deadline. You are the guests, so first licks 463 00:31:02,559 --> 00:31:04,480 go to you. Who's your first team? All right? So this is 464 00:31:04,519 --> 00:31:08,279 a team. I spend way too much time thinking. This is where I 465 00:31:08,359 --> 00:31:14,319 turned into mister salary cap guy. I think more about the Minnesota Timberwolves in 466 00:31:14,359 --> 00:31:18,440 their future than I probably factor in my own kids college plans, which is 467 00:31:18,519 --> 00:31:22,440 bad and just kind of tells you who I am and how bad I am. 468 00:31:23,359 --> 00:31:30,480 So I am endlessly fascinated by what is going to happen with the Timberwolves. 469 00:31:32,039 --> 00:31:36,559 They are they as probably everybody knows, they're in the midst of putting 470 00:31:36,599 --> 00:31:41,359 the final touches on being sold. The ownership group of Mark Laurie and Alex 471 00:31:41,480 --> 00:31:45,000 Rodriguez had to bring in additional partners to get that sale over the line. 472 00:31:45,319 --> 00:31:49,599 So that tells me they're not walking in it like matt Ishpia and like, 473 00:31:49,920 --> 00:31:53,200 ah, you know, billions of dollars to the team, plus half a 474 00:31:53,279 --> 00:31:57,240 billion dollars in payroll in taxes, let's go. I don't think they're there, 475 00:31:57,400 --> 00:32:00,160 like I think they're gonna be more of We got to be a little 476 00:32:00,200 --> 00:32:05,920 bit more cautious here. With that said, they have and I should have 477 00:32:05,960 --> 00:32:10,240 had this already prepped. They have just on the books for next year and 478 00:32:10,319 --> 00:32:16,519 guaranteed money for five players. Who are five good players. It's Rudy Gobert, 479 00:32:17,039 --> 00:32:22,039 Kyl, Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, Jade McDaniels, and Nas Reed, 480 00:32:22,240 --> 00:32:25,279 all good players. Still only five of them. One hundred and sixty 481 00:32:25,400 --> 00:32:31,079 five million dollars already on the books, the luxury tax line, and we're 482 00:32:31,200 --> 00:32:36,799 just while we've been recording, Sham's just tweeted the cap projection and official cap 483 00:32:36,839 --> 00:32:39,400 projection from the league came in a million dollars lower than it was before. 484 00:32:40,039 --> 00:32:45,160 So that is telling us the league's setting the teams up for uh, we 485 00:32:45,759 --> 00:32:49,519 may not be in as great a shape as we thought going forward. And 486 00:32:49,519 --> 00:32:52,880 I think a lot of that's related to these regional TV deals and some of 487 00:32:52,960 --> 00:32:55,400 the things the League and some other partners are doing to kind of bail teams 488 00:32:55,440 --> 00:33:00,240 out of those. So that means that the but that tax line is gonna 489 00:33:00,279 --> 00:33:06,160 come in even lower. Effectively, they're a tax team with five guys on 490 00:33:06,200 --> 00:33:08,039 the roster because you have to fill out the roster, and they've got a 491 00:33:08,079 --> 00:33:12,559 few other guys who make a little bit less money. So just with those 492 00:33:12,640 --> 00:33:15,240 five guys, the name I didn't mention there is Mike Conley, their starting 493 00:33:15,279 --> 00:33:21,039 point guard, and anybody watches the Wolves knows anytime Mike Conley's not on the 494 00:33:21,079 --> 00:33:24,039 floor, it kind of all goes to crap. They just they don't function 495 00:33:24,240 --> 00:33:29,839 as well. And even Mike Conley, you know, at his advanced stage, 496 00:33:29,880 --> 00:33:31,680 and everything else. I think they're gonna do what they need to do 497 00:33:31,799 --> 00:33:36,079 to re sign him. Unless he's like I'm good, I'm retiring, or 498 00:33:36,319 --> 00:33:39,440 I really want to play my last year somewhere else or whatever. I think 499 00:33:39,440 --> 00:33:44,039 they're gonna do what they need to do to bring him back. That's probably 500 00:33:44,079 --> 00:33:47,920 gonna be fifteen to twenty million dollars. They're gonna be so deep into the 501 00:33:49,039 --> 00:33:52,680 tax without making a move, And I gotta wonder either, I kind of 502 00:33:52,759 --> 00:33:58,359 have them on a clock of now through the next six months. What are 503 00:33:58,400 --> 00:34:01,519 they gonna do between now and the start of the offseason to maybe mitigate that 504 00:34:01,680 --> 00:34:05,599 a little bit? Do they move off of a deal? Because this is 505 00:34:05,599 --> 00:34:07,920 also a team that's not perfect. They could use another bench scorer, they 506 00:34:07,960 --> 00:34:12,159 could use a backup point guard, they could use somebody else to come in 507 00:34:12,280 --> 00:34:15,239 to help lift them. But bore, they locked in. And the last 508 00:34:15,280 --> 00:34:19,719 thing I'll say, even with this new art, the cap and everything's gonna 509 00:34:19,760 --> 00:34:23,239 go down a little. They are also in a position where Anthony Edwards and 510 00:34:23,280 --> 00:34:27,960 Karl Anthony Towns, if they make all NBA, they both jump a salary 511 00:34:28,039 --> 00:34:30,760 tier up. So that number I told you that may that's on the low 512 00:34:30,880 --> 00:34:35,480 side, Like, we estimate that on the low side. So if that 513 00:34:35,639 --> 00:34:38,719 number goes up, yeah, not Now we're already well over the tax line 514 00:34:39,079 --> 00:34:44,519 with only you know, five guys under contract plus a handful of other guys 515 00:34:44,559 --> 00:34:49,360 that are closer to minimum deals. Just I just I think about it all 516 00:34:49,440 --> 00:34:52,639 the time of where is this team going? Because the last thing I'll say, 517 00:34:52,880 --> 00:34:54,239 I don't even have the draft picks to like trade to get out of 518 00:34:54,320 --> 00:34:58,320 a deal if they need to, not that they should need to. Those 519 00:34:58,360 --> 00:35:00,760 guys are all good, they want to. One of those guys, I 520 00:35:00,800 --> 00:35:02,639 should be able to do it without having to give up draft capital. But 521 00:35:02,760 --> 00:35:06,239 even if we're a year or two down the line, it's like, yeah, 522 00:35:06,280 --> 00:35:10,719 this is crazy and towns age poorly and his deals now turned sour. 523 00:35:12,239 --> 00:35:14,800 They don't have the draft picks to even get out of it. So I 524 00:35:15,000 --> 00:35:19,159 am just endlessly fascinated about what happens with them. Yeah. I think one 525 00:35:19,199 --> 00:35:22,119 of the most interesting things about them is the line when someone raises the alarm, 526 00:35:22,280 --> 00:35:25,400 which correctly I think you did, they'll say, well, you know 527 00:35:25,519 --> 00:35:29,119 you have until the end of next year, right if you want to try 528 00:35:29,159 --> 00:35:30,440 to get out of the tax So it's like, oh, the urgency for 529 00:35:30,559 --> 00:35:34,800 this offseason is not really there. We're making too much of this. But 530 00:35:34,880 --> 00:35:38,559 it's like, so, then in this hypothetical, the Timberwolves are probably a 531 00:35:38,679 --> 00:35:42,519 first or second or third seed in the West next year at some point, 532 00:35:43,159 --> 00:35:45,199 and so at that deadline is when they're going to try to dump Carl Anthony 533 00:35:45,280 --> 00:35:50,719 Towns, and like, there's no's that's not a solution and that I mean, 534 00:35:50,880 --> 00:35:53,480 there's no scenario where they do that. So it really is this offseason, 535 00:35:53,559 --> 00:35:57,760 right and Towns probably Towns is the guy that always gets mentioned. But 536 00:35:58,320 --> 00:36:01,400 in terms of the timeline, it's not really true that they have until the 537 00:36:01,519 --> 00:36:07,000 end of next year to make this decision, because it's just so unrealistic to 538 00:36:07,119 --> 00:36:10,039 imagine that they would start trimming massive salary in the middle of next year when 539 00:36:10,039 --> 00:36:15,679 they're probably contending. Right, Yeah, I would be stunned if it is 540 00:36:15,840 --> 00:36:19,920 a hey, we gotta move. Maybe at that point, if let's say 541 00:36:20,000 --> 00:36:23,239 we're we're we're at next year's trade deadline, we're a year from now, 542 00:36:23,639 --> 00:36:28,199 and they're like, man, we we like we can really get by without 543 00:36:28,280 --> 00:36:31,599 doas Red for some reason, and moving dos Reed for a guy who even 544 00:36:31,679 --> 00:36:36,639 makes five million less gets us out of the out of maybe at least out 545 00:36:36,679 --> 00:36:39,519 of the aprons, and we're just like a normal tax team. Maybe Dan, 546 00:36:39,599 --> 00:36:43,280 you could see something like that. But I think it's just gonna have 547 00:36:43,320 --> 00:36:47,039 to be a bigger decision later or they're just gonna have to really say or 548 00:36:47,119 --> 00:36:51,079 you know what, we'll pay it. We'll we'll figure it out. We're 549 00:36:51,119 --> 00:36:55,119 gonna pay pay the taxes. Because I gotta believe someone's having a conversation at 550 00:36:55,199 --> 00:36:59,840 least I hope with the new owners saying, hey, this is the best 551 00:37:00,159 --> 00:37:05,960 literally it's ever been here outside of maybe a couple of age years. You 552 00:37:06,119 --> 00:37:09,079 cannot make your first decision coming in, Hey, we gotta start breaking the 553 00:37:09,119 --> 00:37:14,320 team up because it's too expensive, because you'll you'll lose them. They will 554 00:37:14,400 --> 00:37:17,320 turn on on that ownership group before they've even you know, watched their first 555 00:37:17,360 --> 00:37:22,000 game from from the owners suite. Right. It'll get, you know, 556 00:37:22,280 --> 00:37:25,880 really messy with that. So you gotta be really really careful looking at them 557 00:37:25,920 --> 00:37:30,320 in the context of this deadline. Do you think the impact is if they 558 00:37:30,440 --> 00:37:34,360 actually can acquire someone to upgrade their bench, like a ball handler, shooter 559 00:37:34,400 --> 00:37:37,760 or a point guard, and it's oh no, Javon Carter has money on 560 00:37:37,840 --> 00:37:39,039 the books for next season, so that's a no. But we'll go after 561 00:37:39,159 --> 00:37:43,280 now Burks because he comes off the books after this year. Is that like 562 00:37:43,599 --> 00:37:45,960 the extent of what it might impact. Maybe they do nothing or they're just 563 00:37:45,039 --> 00:37:49,400 not willing to take on anyone. But John Carter doesn't make a lot of 564 00:37:49,440 --> 00:37:51,800 money, he'd probably work on this roster. But no, No, he's 565 00:37:51,840 --> 00:37:52,679 on the books for next year, and like, we just can't. We 566 00:37:52,760 --> 00:37:57,320 can't have that right now. Yeah, it might be you may be looking 567 00:37:57,360 --> 00:38:01,840 at that. I personally think that's where everybody has Kyle Lowry peg to Philadelphia. 568 00:38:02,559 --> 00:38:07,119 I don't know that Philadelphia needs him quite quite Frankly, I think they've 569 00:38:07,239 --> 00:38:12,079 got enough at the guard spot already between Maxie Melton and Beverly. Like, 570 00:38:12,239 --> 00:38:15,000 I just I don't see it, like why they would need Kyle lower Bey 571 00:38:15,079 --> 00:38:17,199 on. It's a cool story, right, He's a Philly guy, so 572 00:38:17,559 --> 00:38:22,880 going home, I think he would fit way better in Minnesota and be a 573 00:38:22,000 --> 00:38:27,719 way more important piece there because now Conley figure, by the time he gets 574 00:38:27,719 --> 00:38:30,119 a playoff, time you split the forty eight minutes between those two guys. 575 00:38:30,760 --> 00:38:34,880 If I'm Chris Finch, I'm like, all right, good, that's I 576 00:38:35,039 --> 00:38:37,440 never need to think about that position, right, I'm good. I have 577 00:38:37,559 --> 00:38:42,880 got my minutes and lowery in a fifteen minute a night, twenty minute a 578 00:38:42,960 --> 00:38:46,320 night, backup role on a playoff team, probably mostly against second units. 579 00:38:46,480 --> 00:38:50,519 You're probably fine, right, Like, like, let him kind of do 580 00:38:50,599 --> 00:38:52,159 his thing. He's over matched as a starter now. He slipped too much 581 00:38:52,239 --> 00:38:55,800 defensively, I think to really have an impact there. But just somebody, 582 00:38:55,960 --> 00:39:00,719 just a steady hand who can be like, whoa chilln thirty foot jumpers with 583 00:39:01,119 --> 00:39:05,760 sixteen seconds on the shot clock. Next play, we're gonna actually run something, 584 00:39:05,800 --> 00:39:07,880 get it inside, Like that's what you need. When Conley's out of 585 00:39:07,880 --> 00:39:10,079 the game and they just don't have it, it gets too messy. I 586 00:39:10,159 --> 00:39:15,519 love Jordan McLoughlin for what he is, but Jordan McLoughlin's not telling Anthony Edwards 587 00:39:15,119 --> 00:39:19,519 breathe, man, give me the ball and go like this play you spot 588 00:39:19,599 --> 00:39:22,039 up Like we got to get the biggest touch go. Bears are on the 589 00:39:22,079 --> 00:39:24,960 floor twelve times in a row without touching it, Like that's what Conley does 590 00:39:25,039 --> 00:39:29,119 for them. Getting one more guy so and that would be the benefit of 591 00:39:29,360 --> 00:39:31,119 your signing him as a buyout guy for the rest of the year and then 592 00:39:31,159 --> 00:39:36,199 you kind of rolled that decision into next year that that's perfectly fine. So 593 00:39:36,320 --> 00:39:39,599 yeah, it's a very interesting spot for how they treat the trade deadline because 594 00:39:39,599 --> 00:39:43,519 they just don't I just don't know that they're gonna be in a spot where, 595 00:39:43,760 --> 00:39:45,079 to your point, like Davon Carter would be really good for them. 596 00:39:45,360 --> 00:39:47,960 I just don't know that they're gonna want to take on seven million dollars on 597 00:39:49,079 --> 00:39:54,679 next year's books if they don't have to grant who's your first team? Well 598 00:39:55,000 --> 00:39:59,719 that was I like that starting with the Wolves as a macro concern, I'm 599 00:39:59,760 --> 00:40:02,880 going Atlanta and sort of more of a micro sense, and that's focusing specifically 600 00:40:02,920 --> 00:40:07,440 on de Jonte Murray, who I just it seems to me and I've gone 601 00:40:07,440 --> 00:40:08,559 back and forth on this, Dan, you and I have talked about it. 602 00:40:09,679 --> 00:40:15,079 It seems like he is sort of the you know, should be the 603 00:40:15,159 --> 00:40:19,559 most likely big name to be traded, just because of all the ridiculous adjectives 604 00:40:19,599 --> 00:40:24,440 we keep hearing describing Zach Lavine's level of trade interest around the league. Baron 605 00:40:24,760 --> 00:40:31,360 Bridge, we like to add our own desolate healthscape that. But so Murray 606 00:40:31,480 --> 00:40:36,159 just profiles, I mean, is a cleaner fit almost anywhere. He can 607 00:40:36,239 --> 00:40:38,079 play the one, he can play the two. I think it's difficult to 608 00:40:38,199 --> 00:40:42,239 judge, like how well he'll fit with certain other guards based on how he 609 00:40:42,280 --> 00:40:45,239 fits with Trey Young, because that's just a that's a big ask and it's 610 00:40:45,280 --> 00:40:49,639 a strange fit in general. Four years, one hundred and fourteen million extension 611 00:40:49,679 --> 00:40:54,800 starts next year. So he seems like someone that there should be several suitors 612 00:40:54,840 --> 00:40:59,320 for because of his sort of plug and play status, because of his reasonable 613 00:40:59,320 --> 00:41:04,159 deal, because Atlanta seems very very likely to move him and maybe some other 614 00:41:04,199 --> 00:41:07,320 guys we can talk about as we get further into the Hawks. And I 615 00:41:07,480 --> 00:41:10,039 thought initially that, well, that means that Atlanta is going to be able 616 00:41:10,119 --> 00:41:15,000 to just haul in a mint for him, because you'll have multiple suitors, 617 00:41:15,079 --> 00:41:16,320 you can, you know, play them against each other. You're going to 618 00:41:16,400 --> 00:41:20,400 drive up offers. The fact that he hasn't moved and the fact that we 619 00:41:20,519 --> 00:41:23,280 haven't heard reports of such and such team as in discussions with you know, 620 00:41:23,559 --> 00:41:28,599 involving two firsts and something else, makes me think I was wrong about that 621 00:41:29,119 --> 00:41:32,079 because I just I can't I just don't understand how, because what seems to 622 00:41:32,119 --> 00:41:36,280 be happening is teams are maybe low balling Atlanta, and I didn't see that 623 00:41:36,400 --> 00:41:39,239 as as like even remotely possible, just based on the market circumstances. So 624 00:41:39,840 --> 00:41:44,159 what the what the Hawks do with Murray and to a lesser extent, guys 625 00:41:44,239 --> 00:41:47,840 like DeAndre Hunter, Clink Cappella, Boga, Bogdanovich, AJ Griffin even, 626 00:41:49,079 --> 00:41:52,159 you know, what they do with those guys is really interesting to me and 627 00:41:52,239 --> 00:41:54,800 could kind of dictate the deadline to some extent, because all those guys could 628 00:41:54,840 --> 00:41:59,079 be fits and help out someplace. But Murray, to me, is most 629 00:41:59,159 --> 00:42:02,440 fascinating because I was just dead certain that this guy was gonna maybe you wouldn't 630 00:42:02,440 --> 00:42:06,360 get the Hawks back everything they gave up to get him in terms of pick 631 00:42:06,519 --> 00:42:08,880 equity and things like that. But I thought for sure that the Hawks were 632 00:42:08,960 --> 00:42:13,880 just in a really strong negotiating precision, lots of leverage. We don't have 633 00:42:14,039 --> 00:42:17,760 to do anything because he's under contract, so you let's let's hear it. 634 00:42:17,840 --> 00:42:21,159 What's your best offer? And I thought they'd get pretty good ones, and 635 00:42:21,239 --> 00:42:22,960 so far it doesn't seem like that's happening. So that's just maybe the most 636 00:42:23,039 --> 00:42:27,239 interesting. I don't know that that's what I'm kind of watching for just to 637 00:42:27,320 --> 00:42:30,320 see, like how off was I engaging to John stay Murray's market and what 638 00:42:30,400 --> 00:42:34,360 does that mean for the rest of the trade deadline. So the Hawks are 639 00:42:34,360 --> 00:42:37,159 really an interesting teams even though there's no question about are they buying are they 640 00:42:37,239 --> 00:42:43,159 selling that they seem very clearly ready to sell. I just I'm curious how 641 00:42:43,199 --> 00:42:46,119 they go about that and what they get in that sales process. Because I 642 00:42:46,159 --> 00:42:51,880 was typing a minute ago, everybody's now reacting to this whole salary cap is 643 00:42:51,960 --> 00:42:57,280 coming in lower stuff. It's funny how a million dollars than the NBA Twitter 644 00:42:59,559 --> 00:43:04,559 Miami just not but like it's spat track. That's that's a lot of work 645 00:43:04,639 --> 00:43:08,320 for us to do. You'd be surprised. I think grant for you the 646 00:43:09,119 --> 00:43:13,840 I don't know that you're is off as you maybe are feeling like you might 647 00:43:13,920 --> 00:43:17,239 be on on Mariy's trade value. I think what it is is a week, 648 00:43:17,360 --> 00:43:21,000 two weeks, three weeks out from the deadline. I don't need to 649 00:43:21,039 --> 00:43:25,840 give you two first round picks. Maybe maybe desperation increases, Maybe the Lakers 650 00:43:27,039 --> 00:43:30,199 lose a couple more games and they find a way to get something else to 651 00:43:30,679 --> 00:43:34,480 Atlanta. Maybe another team is like, all right, you're holding firm, 652 00:43:34,679 --> 00:43:37,719 right, we'll throw in that other pick. Uh. There. They're certainly 653 00:43:37,800 --> 00:43:42,159 not they had this these designs on. We'll get back what we gave up 654 00:43:42,239 --> 00:43:45,079 for him. That's I don't think that's going to happen. I think that's 655 00:43:45,679 --> 00:43:49,840 gone out the window now. I think there is still the chance of, 656 00:43:50,199 --> 00:43:54,199 hey, give us a balancing trade where maybe we get somebody who's much more 657 00:43:54,239 --> 00:43:59,280 of a two that can come in here and playoff ball, and we get 658 00:43:59,320 --> 00:44:01,639 a couple of picks that we can at least sell. Hey, we got 659 00:44:01,719 --> 00:44:05,360 two first round picks, even if one of those is a little bit more. 660 00:44:05,440 --> 00:44:08,000 One of those that's yeah, it's a first, but is it really 661 00:44:08,039 --> 00:44:10,119 going to be a first? You're ever going to see it as a first? 662 00:44:10,480 --> 00:44:14,119 Is it? It's almost kind of like the ones in Deannas and Toronto 663 00:44:14,480 --> 00:44:16,400 where it's like, yeah, it's a first, but like it's probably gonna 664 00:44:16,400 --> 00:44:20,679 be like the twenty eighth. Yeah, if they get it, it'll be 665 00:44:20,719 --> 00:44:23,400 in the twenties. Yeah. So that's where I think maybe that's the way 666 00:44:23,480 --> 00:44:28,519 this kind of goes for Atlanta. But I think the Hawks are being smart 667 00:44:28,599 --> 00:44:34,000 on they are holding the approach of we don't have to trade him, like 668 00:44:34,199 --> 00:44:37,599 we can still turn around and trade him this summer if we want to, 669 00:44:37,679 --> 00:44:39,400 if we want to do that instead, like we we don't need to do 670 00:44:39,480 --> 00:44:44,760 anything today. So I think they they're taking the right approach of we don't 671 00:44:44,760 --> 00:44:46,239 need to take a bad deal just because we have to get him out of 672 00:44:46,280 --> 00:44:50,599 the building. And I'm going to keep using them as example. This is 673 00:44:50,679 --> 00:44:54,039 not Pascal Siakam, where he is a understricted free agent next summer. N'sy 674 00:44:54,239 --> 00:44:59,360 very likely he's gonna walk had Marii not extended his contract day, I think 675 00:44:59,400 --> 00:45:02,119 they'd before more motivated to make a deal because we don't want to lose them 676 00:45:02,119 --> 00:45:05,800 for nothing. But as the stands right now, I think Atlanta rightly so 677 00:45:05,880 --> 00:45:08,400 it was like, hey, you may want a trade. And this probably 678 00:45:08,440 --> 00:45:13,119 spills into the zach Lavine territory a little bit too. We don't need to 679 00:45:13,159 --> 00:45:15,360 make a deal, We don't have to do anything. We have the control 680 00:45:15,480 --> 00:45:20,639 here. You you don't have the control. Into Murray's credit, he's shown 681 00:45:20,719 --> 00:45:22,760 up and he just plays right. He hasn't made a big deal out of 682 00:45:22,800 --> 00:45:27,320 this. I think it was almost like shortly after he had two game winners 683 00:45:27,360 --> 00:45:30,519 in a row, So it's like, clearly the guy's still out there doing 684 00:45:30,559 --> 00:45:32,760 this thing and trying. So I think that's important to note in all this 685 00:45:32,920 --> 00:45:37,039 too, is you know, everybody's acting, you know, shocking for the 686 00:45:37,199 --> 00:45:40,320 NBA. Everybody's acting like reasonable adults here, not being morons where it's like 687 00:45:40,519 --> 00:45:44,800 I'm openly quitting on you, so now you have to trade me or not 688 00:45:44,920 --> 00:45:49,400 play me. They're also interesting because it's so what's the extent to which they 689 00:45:49,480 --> 00:45:52,920 will sell? Because everyone's talking about Murray? But what does this mean for 690 00:45:52,960 --> 00:45:55,320 blud Back Magdanovich? What does it mean for Grant mentioned DeAndre Hunter? What 691 00:45:55,440 --> 00:45:59,400 even is his market? Can you find someone who likes Clink Capella? You 692 00:45:59,440 --> 00:46:04,639 have Sadig who they valued pretty highly based off the second round equity that that 693 00:46:04,960 --> 00:46:07,800 entire like eighty team trade or whatever it ended up being cost. So it's 694 00:46:07,880 --> 00:46:10,199 just like what who else on this roster could go? And it seems like 695 00:46:10,280 --> 00:46:14,960 Trey Young and Jalen Johnson are are off limits, which I guess makes some 696 00:46:15,119 --> 00:46:17,239 sense. I'd probably be more callous and be like, what's your best offer 697 00:46:17,280 --> 00:46:20,280 for Trey Young? And maybe they don't want to do that because they be 698 00:46:21,079 --> 00:46:23,000 embarrassed, like what the best offer for Trey Young might be it at this 699 00:46:23,079 --> 00:46:25,440 point, so I'm with them. I'm just curious to see what's the even 700 00:46:25,440 --> 00:46:30,199 if they don't move Murray. They're a team that pretends like they don't care 701 00:46:30,239 --> 00:46:32,480 about how much their payroll is, but they care about how much their payroll 702 00:46:32,599 --> 00:46:36,119 is, and so they're gonna do something even if it's not Murray. And 703 00:46:36,199 --> 00:46:38,039 so even if it is Murray's, well, who are the other dominoes that 704 00:46:38,119 --> 00:46:42,000 are gonna fall and what can they get? Like as DeAndre Hunter worth a 705 00:46:42,039 --> 00:46:44,639 first round pick to one team, there are people who think is contract terrible. 706 00:46:44,639 --> 00:46:47,199 There are people who think he's undervalued. They have so many divisive players, 707 00:46:47,280 --> 00:46:51,719 like even right down to Clint Capella right now, like when Yakakungu's kind 708 00:46:51,760 --> 00:46:54,280 of trickled his way into like the speculation factory, And that's like kind of 709 00:46:54,280 --> 00:46:58,519 another question where normally these guys who signed extensions, it's, oh, they're 710 00:46:58,559 --> 00:47:00,639 not gonna be moved, But when their extensions are so reasonable, like him 711 00:47:00,679 --> 00:47:05,159 and Denny Avvida, and there's the more flexible salary matching rules for teams below 712 00:47:05,599 --> 00:47:07,840 Vapri, and it's like, well, I could someone come in there, 713 00:47:07,920 --> 00:47:09,800 and see what they could do. So that's what I'm also curious about with 714 00:47:09,880 --> 00:47:13,960 Atlanta. It's like, does anything happen beyond Murray and what is it? 715 00:47:14,840 --> 00:47:16,920 Yeah, and you've also got like, in the case of Washington, they're 716 00:47:16,960 --> 00:47:22,000 sitting on a couple of pretty good sized trade exceptions too, so they if 717 00:47:22,440 --> 00:47:25,760 even in the the imbalanced type of trade that it causes in a poison pill 718 00:47:25,840 --> 00:47:30,400 situation, when you're sitting on a trade exception or in the old world, 719 00:47:30,440 --> 00:47:34,360 if you were sitting on cap space, you could make the imbalanced trades one 720 00:47:34,440 --> 00:47:37,000 way and the other way because it was easier to take back more money because 721 00:47:37,000 --> 00:47:40,360 you were just you had the adat ability. Atlanta, it's a little harder 722 00:47:40,480 --> 00:47:45,800 to just take back more money just because of where they're sitting. But yeah, 723 00:47:45,880 --> 00:47:50,039 I mean they've made it pretty clear, don't call on Tray Young, 724 00:47:50,519 --> 00:47:53,280 at least publicly. You better not tell people you called, because we're just 725 00:47:53,360 --> 00:47:57,440 gonna say we shot it down and then we don't want it. We have 726 00:47:57,519 --> 00:48:00,119 no interest in moving Jalen Johnson and we don't really of any really interest in 727 00:48:00,159 --> 00:48:04,519 moving on Yaka kong Wu. But for me, I'd also be like, 728 00:48:04,599 --> 00:48:07,840 but you also seemingly have no interest in starting on Yaka kong Wu. So 729 00:48:07,239 --> 00:48:12,679 we're going on with this conversation. My guess is what we're gonna hear is 730 00:48:13,599 --> 00:48:17,599 I think I don't know that Tree Young is like franchise Lifetime Atlanta Hawk. 731 00:48:19,079 --> 00:48:22,800 I think there's a chance he gets moved sometime within the next year or two. 732 00:48:22,800 --> 00:48:24,079 It's not gonna be in the next week and a half before the trade 733 00:48:24,079 --> 00:48:28,559 deadline. I feel very confident in that. But I think let's say he 734 00:48:28,679 --> 00:48:32,079 gets moved this summer. By next deadline, I bet you this story comes 735 00:48:32,119 --> 00:48:36,199 out. Hey, at the twenty twenty four trade deadline, that's when the 736 00:48:36,280 --> 00:48:38,840 idea was planted. You know, a team called and said, hey, 737 00:48:38,880 --> 00:48:43,599 we really like trade Tree Young and maybe maybe it is a situation you talked 738 00:48:43,599 --> 00:48:46,320 about it before. We don't have the picks today, but in June July, 739 00:48:46,599 --> 00:48:51,719 we'll have three picks we can offer, we'll have four picks. We 740 00:48:51,840 --> 00:48:54,400 have this that we can offer instead. And I think that's what we're gonna 741 00:48:54,440 --> 00:48:59,239 hear. Is every so often you get one of those where it's yeah, 742 00:48:59,280 --> 00:49:01,760 the team's talk, it just wasn't the right time then, But that was 743 00:49:01,800 --> 00:49:07,119 where the discussion started and whether that's like this summer or next summer. I 744 00:49:07,239 --> 00:49:13,239 bet it'll be written like the conversation started way earlier than anybody thought it was 745 00:49:14,039 --> 00:49:17,000 started, just because I think that's where Atlanta's eventually enough to go with this. 746 00:49:17,679 --> 00:49:22,000 If they if they can't find the right mix, my guess is they're 747 00:49:22,039 --> 00:49:24,800 gonna give it one more go, Like, let's rebalance this roster a little 748 00:49:24,800 --> 00:49:28,280 bit of trade a few guys and try to get the right guys around Tree 749 00:49:28,360 --> 00:49:30,480 Young and move forward, and then we'll just kind of see where it is 750 00:49:30,559 --> 00:49:35,480 from there. Since we just spent so much time on to glamour markets like 751 00:49:35,519 --> 00:49:38,039 Minnesota and Atlanta, I'm I'm gonna take us to a smaller one in New 752 00:49:38,119 --> 00:49:43,960 York. The Knicks were fascinating to me for obvious reasons beforehands because of their 753 00:49:44,000 --> 00:49:46,079 assets, and they've also been just dating back a few years. Some of 754 00:49:46,239 --> 00:49:50,000 one of the teams this front office, which probably hasn't gotten enough credit for 755 00:49:50,079 --> 00:49:53,320 it, that are championing the rolling over these salary slots so that we can 756 00:49:53,440 --> 00:49:57,280 use them in future trades. How do we upgrade? Yeah, Evanfornia can 757 00:49:57,320 --> 00:49:59,000 be on the books next year if we want them, But he has no 758 00:49:59,119 --> 00:50:01,360 trade value, and so I was interested in that to begin with. But 759 00:50:01,480 --> 00:50:06,440 now the Julius Randall shoulder injury gonna miss probably at least a month, and 760 00:50:06,519 --> 00:50:08,679 we're never gonna know the real timeline until he's back. We've kind of they're 761 00:50:08,679 --> 00:50:13,960 just gonna obtuscate it like they have with Mitchell Robinson. Does that increase their 762 00:50:14,159 --> 00:50:17,559 urgency when they already had a need for like some extra guard or ball handling 763 00:50:17,599 --> 00:50:22,239 depth after losing a manual quickly? And then what are they prepared to do? 764 00:50:22,840 --> 00:50:25,239 Because like you know, to go back to de Jontay Murray, they've 765 00:50:25,360 --> 00:50:30,519 been linked to him. And when you're talking about a package of well, 766 00:50:30,800 --> 00:50:32,239 two picks, maybe one of them is not great, and you get another 767 00:50:32,280 --> 00:50:36,400 guy who could play off the ball you just described, like the Knicks picks 768 00:50:36,519 --> 00:50:39,559 and Quenton Grimes and then Salary and you're there. I know people aren't crazy 769 00:50:39,599 --> 00:50:43,280 about that fit, but for them specifically, they're one of the teams. 770 00:50:43,320 --> 00:50:45,280 That leads me into the question of, well, even if Jontay Murray's not 771 00:50:45,320 --> 00:50:49,840 the perfect fit, given what you need right now and given what his value 772 00:50:49,920 --> 00:50:52,320 might be in a subsequent trade, does it actually make sense to have him 773 00:50:52,480 --> 00:50:58,119 rather than let's say Quenton Grimes and one of these good first round picks, 774 00:50:58,159 --> 00:51:00,559 and then like another one of the whatever, whether it's Washington or Detroit which 775 00:51:00,599 --> 00:51:05,639 may may never convey, or are they gonna try, Like I don't see 776 00:51:05,679 --> 00:51:07,960 the player who's out there. They're not gonna be a zach Lavine team, 777 00:51:07,039 --> 00:51:12,519 and by all accounts, it doesn't look like Lowry market In or McHale Bridges, 778 00:51:12,800 --> 00:51:15,400 who I love in New York and basically everywhere else, would actually be 779 00:51:15,400 --> 00:51:19,440 available. But does this injury for Randall, coupled with the Robinson stuff, 780 00:51:19,440 --> 00:51:22,159 coupled with how good they've been playing, push them to be more aggressive than 781 00:51:22,199 --> 00:51:25,880 we were kind of thinking. They just feel kind of like a wild card 782 00:51:27,239 --> 00:51:29,679 that we know they're not gonna sell, but they could go in a bunch 783 00:51:29,719 --> 00:51:31,880 of different directions. And it does feel like even though they already maybe if 784 00:51:31,920 --> 00:51:36,199 they made their biggest trade already okay, fine, like they're still gonna do 785 00:51:36,360 --> 00:51:40,119 something that has an impact one on this season, but two on the blockbuster. 786 00:51:40,320 --> 00:51:45,840 Everybody is waiting for them to pull off over the summer or in future 787 00:51:45,920 --> 00:51:50,119 seasons or off seasons to upgrade that Evan Fournier salary slot. And so I'm 788 00:51:50,159 --> 00:51:52,920 so very curious to see what type of player they target there, who's it 789 00:51:53,039 --> 00:51:57,519 gonna be, and how high do they ultimately aim, because I do think 790 00:51:57,920 --> 00:52:00,199 the Randall injury specifically, even though they expect to be back, shoulders are 791 00:52:00,599 --> 00:52:04,519 those are fickle. The dislocated shoulder, that's a fickle injury to come back 792 00:52:04,519 --> 00:52:06,760 from. We don't know what his mobility he's gonna look like a range of 793 00:52:06,840 --> 00:52:09,760 motion from there. I'm just so curious to see how they handle this deadline. 794 00:52:10,280 --> 00:52:14,000 Yeah, I mean those shoulder things too, can be something where he's 795 00:52:14,079 --> 00:52:16,119 fine and then all of a sudden it's out again, and then you're you're 796 00:52:16,280 --> 00:52:21,840 hurting with that, right, So I think that becomes kind of one one 797 00:52:21,920 --> 00:52:23,679 issue there. I think you brought up a lot of things with the knicks 798 00:52:23,719 --> 00:52:27,880 have become interesting. I threw out to a friend of mine and I said, 799 00:52:27,920 --> 00:52:31,760 would you think about doing something like forty eight grimes and maybe a pick 800 00:52:32,000 --> 00:52:36,440 or two picks or whatever it needs to be to go get Jeante Murray? 801 00:52:36,719 --> 00:52:39,000 But say, hey, now we need Sadiq be too, because we got 802 00:52:39,119 --> 00:52:43,400 to get through the next three weeks, month or whatever. We need one 803 00:52:43,440 --> 00:52:45,880 more forward in the rotation. We just need to need one other bigger guy 804 00:52:45,920 --> 00:52:51,119 because I also am very curious, like it sounds like this ogn and Obi 805 00:52:51,159 --> 00:52:53,039 elbow thing is not a big deal, but if that becomes a big deal, 806 00:52:53,599 --> 00:52:55,760 all right, what are we doing here? I know they signed TODJ. 807 00:52:55,840 --> 00:52:59,800 Gibson again to another ten day contract, but like, come on, 808 00:53:00,280 --> 00:53:05,400 like like let's get serious here right, Like by the way, when Woes 809 00:53:05,480 --> 00:53:09,159 includes an explanation point in the in the news, yeah, yeah, it's 810 00:53:09,519 --> 00:53:15,000 it is like, are we really gonna play Isaiah Heart and Stein and four 811 00:53:15,079 --> 00:53:17,280 guards like all the time? Like like Josh Hart, I mean he openedly 812 00:53:17,400 --> 00:53:20,800 like I'm not I'm not making it up. It was funny the way you 813 00:53:20,840 --> 00:53:22,199 put it. But he's like, yeah, unless I can gain forty five 814 00:53:22,280 --> 00:53:25,880 pounds of muscle, like right, So it's like it's totally true. So 815 00:53:27,039 --> 00:53:30,000 I think there is a point where I think priorities maybe have changed now, 816 00:53:30,119 --> 00:53:34,079 right, instead of a are we going to get another wing ball handl or 817 00:53:34,199 --> 00:53:37,039 creator in here? We maybe now it is all right, now we're in 818 00:53:37,079 --> 00:53:39,880 the forward market. Who's available? You know it is a guy like well 819 00:53:40,159 --> 00:53:45,280 Magdonovitch Now way more interesting because we could use somebody like that just to kind 820 00:53:45,280 --> 00:53:50,280 of plug in, there's a guy like PJ. Washington who's on an extremely 821 00:53:50,360 --> 00:53:53,400 acquireable contract. Could we go there? The Miles Bridge stuff is just so 822 00:53:53,519 --> 00:53:58,079 weird. I don't. It just doesn't seem like a move they'd make. 823 00:53:58,199 --> 00:54:01,840 But could that be a way you go just get another forward sized player in 824 00:54:01,960 --> 00:54:07,480 the mix there, because to me, it's they can get by if in 825 00:54:07,559 --> 00:54:09,719 and nobody's okay, they're gonna be okay to get by for the next three 826 00:54:09,880 --> 00:54:14,880 four weeks whatever it is. But then my question becomes, if this becomes 827 00:54:14,920 --> 00:54:19,000 a thing like Paul George's did, where it is like always okay, oh 828 00:54:19,039 --> 00:54:22,320 it's out again, and now he's out again for another if that becomes a 829 00:54:22,400 --> 00:54:24,519 thing now all of a sudden, it's like if this happens in game three 830 00:54:24,559 --> 00:54:28,719 of a playoff series, like where you're going, you know, and now 831 00:54:28,800 --> 00:54:30,639 that's where you start to run out of options and it gets really messy. 832 00:54:30,760 --> 00:54:34,599 So I think if you could get somebody who's either on a really good, 833 00:54:34,719 --> 00:54:37,800 good, friendly contract, maybe you go that way. But yeah, I 834 00:54:37,880 --> 00:54:42,199 mean, the Knicks are people say this to me all the time. With 835 00:54:42,320 --> 00:54:45,000 Fournia, they well, they got to do something right because because otherwise they're 836 00:54:45,079 --> 00:54:49,519 no way they're gonna pick up his option if they trade them. I think 837 00:54:49,559 --> 00:54:52,239 they are picking up his option and then you roll them into a trade asset 838 00:54:52,280 --> 00:54:55,320 all the way a three year from now, So you're really on a one 839 00:54:55,400 --> 00:55:00,039 year o'clock with fourty eight, right like you're you're through now through next next 840 00:55:00,400 --> 00:55:06,400 trade deadline. That that's the way I'd be thinking about his uh specific contract, 841 00:55:06,440 --> 00:55:08,599 and that that feels tough to me because I'd like to see Evan Fortier 842 00:55:08,719 --> 00:55:14,320 go somewhere and get a chance again because I just don't believe he's completely done 843 00:55:14,320 --> 00:55:16,559 as a basketball player. I just find that hard to believe. And it's 844 00:55:16,639 --> 00:55:21,639 clearly it's never gonna happen in New York for him. So that becomes like, 845 00:55:21,880 --> 00:55:23,599 yo, yeah, where do we go you know with this stuff? 846 00:55:23,639 --> 00:55:28,320 So yeah, the next again, another team, really really interesting team there 847 00:55:28,400 --> 00:55:31,480 because I think the Knicks, the Calves, the Pacers, the Heat, 848 00:55:31,719 --> 00:55:37,360 the leaving somebody out in the east in that discussion. Sure, yeah, 849 00:55:37,440 --> 00:55:40,360 yeah, I like that. And uh, you know, as my dad 850 00:55:40,480 --> 00:55:44,480 taught me a lot as a kid, wishing one hand and uh crap in 851 00:55:44,559 --> 00:55:49,719 the other and see which fills up faster. Yeah, they can like whatever 852 00:55:49,760 --> 00:55:52,320 they like the good luck on that one. So I think it's you know, 853 00:55:52,519 --> 00:55:55,920 for me, it becomes you know, where, where are we going? 854 00:55:57,159 --> 00:55:59,440 You know what with this? You know what? What are we kind 855 00:55:59,519 --> 00:56:01,360 of to do them with a couple of these teams, because I just think 856 00:56:01,440 --> 00:56:07,039 it's a you know, a spot where they're all really close and I know 857 00:56:07,119 --> 00:56:09,079 everybody's like, yeah, but are they close enough to be Orlando? Of 858 00:56:09,159 --> 00:56:14,599 course, my adopted hometown team is the one I left out. It is 859 00:56:15,159 --> 00:56:17,920 the uh everybody's like, yeah, what are they gonna beat Boston? They're 860 00:56:17,920 --> 00:56:22,800 gonna beat Milwaukee? Can they really be Philadelphia? Well, Philly? Who 861 00:56:22,880 --> 00:56:25,920 knows where they'll be at health wise by the time we get to the playoffs 862 00:56:27,199 --> 00:56:30,760 And then all you are is Joela or not joelan me. But if Giannis 863 00:56:30,800 --> 00:56:34,800 has an injury, or Middleton or Dame come playoff time, or Porzingis is 864 00:56:34,880 --> 00:56:37,000 down, all of a sudden, now it's a much more winnable series than 865 00:56:37,039 --> 00:56:42,320 you were in. And you kind of it yourselves too, without getting crazy, 866 00:56:43,280 --> 00:56:45,599 kind of put yourself in the best position to beat one of those teams. 867 00:56:45,599 --> 00:56:49,880 If you can't, Keith, who's your second team? Oh sorry, 868 00:56:49,920 --> 00:56:52,079 Grant, no, go ahead, that's enough Nicks. I want to hear 869 00:56:52,119 --> 00:56:55,400 Keith's second team. It was actually a oddly enough even though I forgot him. 870 00:56:55,599 --> 00:57:00,000 It is Orlando, because I think for the Magic we're at a very 871 00:57:00,159 --> 00:57:06,000 interesting point for them franchise wise where it is. I tweeted this after they 872 00:57:06,440 --> 00:57:09,320 lost the game to the Grizzlies a few nights ago. Then they had a 873 00:57:09,360 --> 00:57:14,159 good win over the Heat, I believe it was, and then they had 874 00:57:14,159 --> 00:57:16,599 a bad not a bad loss, but a loss the last sight to Dallas, 875 00:57:16,679 --> 00:57:20,760 where they just they fell apart, and they fell apart in the most 876 00:57:20,800 --> 00:57:23,599 predictable way, which is the MAVs are able to kind of clamp down and 877 00:57:23,639 --> 00:57:28,400 get stops when they needed against Polo and Franz, and everything's just so hard 878 00:57:28,440 --> 00:57:30,719 for them otherwise. So I think the Magic need to have a very honest 879 00:57:30,760 --> 00:57:35,400 conversation, which I assume they have had, of what are we trying to 880 00:57:35,480 --> 00:57:38,480 be? Are we content enough to have made our step forward? We're a 881 00:57:38,559 --> 00:57:43,320 playing team, and maybe we win in the playing tournament. We get knocked 882 00:57:43,320 --> 00:57:45,960 out in the first round of the playoffs, and that was enough of the 883 00:57:45,000 --> 00:57:50,000 step forward for us this year. We'll do our bigger stuff this summer and 884 00:57:50,079 --> 00:57:52,119 we'll figure it out. Orre they a team that says we want more. 885 00:57:52,639 --> 00:57:57,000 We can be as good as the Knicks, the Calves, the Pacers. 886 00:57:57,079 --> 00:58:00,360 We can be in that group that's competing, you know, in the four 887 00:58:00,480 --> 00:58:06,280 to you know six range, in the assured playoff spots and maybe put ourselves 888 00:58:06,280 --> 00:58:08,599 in a position to win a first round playoff series. Because if they want 889 00:58:08,639 --> 00:58:12,880 to do that, they have every tool imaginable to go make that happen. 890 00:58:13,239 --> 00:58:15,679 And I'm not saying this is the guy, because they don't think this is 891 00:58:15,719 --> 00:58:17,840 the right guy for them, But if they're like, go get Zach Levine, 892 00:58:19,320 --> 00:58:22,079 they can match the salary really easy with pretty much whatever way the Bulls 893 00:58:22,159 --> 00:58:25,679 want to match the salary. And they've got draft picks that they could send 894 00:58:25,760 --> 00:58:29,719 that way to say, hey, here's a pick or two and let's make 895 00:58:29,760 --> 00:58:32,280 it happening. Off we go. Or if some other guy becomes available, 896 00:58:32,639 --> 00:58:37,440 like de Jeante Marie guy they should be going after. Just give them one 897 00:58:37,519 --> 00:58:42,760 more on ball creator, ideally a playmaker versus just a pure scorer who can 898 00:58:42,920 --> 00:58:46,039 just make life easier on following fronds instead of them having to run everything where 899 00:58:46,039 --> 00:58:50,960 they set themselves up or they set each other up one more guy who can 900 00:58:51,039 --> 00:58:52,920 take the reps of all right, hey, I got you, Like you're 901 00:58:52,960 --> 00:58:57,880 gonna set the screen and roll versus you have to be the pick and roll 902 00:58:58,000 --> 00:59:01,639 ball handler and then choot a contest jumper or work really hard, lay clock, 903 00:59:01,840 --> 00:59:06,119 plow into the paint kind of plays. I think Orlando is just in 904 00:59:06,199 --> 00:59:09,400 a really interesting spot because you've got Marco Folts on an expiring deal. You've 905 00:59:09,440 --> 00:59:15,440 got Jonathan Isaac on a pseudo expiring contract because he's not guaranteed for next year. 906 00:59:15,480 --> 00:59:19,400 You have Gary Harris on an expiring contract. There's a lot of directions 907 00:59:19,480 --> 00:59:22,880 this team could go, and they could even get involved on a team like 908 00:59:22,440 --> 00:59:27,079 Chicago, where it is, hey, we want this guy, and we're 909 00:59:27,079 --> 00:59:30,400 gonna send you guys who can still help you this year, Like we could 910 00:59:30,480 --> 00:59:34,599 send you Gary Harris and Marco Foltz who could Folts is a little different because 911 00:59:34,599 --> 00:59:37,199 the Bulls have a ton of other ball handlers, but like, we can 912 00:59:37,280 --> 00:59:39,119 send you guys who could help you this year. Be a good team, 913 00:59:39,239 --> 00:59:43,840 and you give us a guy who can really help help us moving forward. 914 00:59:43,920 --> 00:59:46,400 So that's I just think Orlando again one of those teams where it's like, 915 00:59:46,800 --> 00:59:51,440 where are they gonna go with this because it's if it's not now, it's 916 00:59:51,480 --> 00:59:53,960 gonna be this summer. Because if it's not, you're gonna be starting to 917 00:59:54,000 --> 00:59:58,440 get really expensive with retaining your own guys pretty soon. And then all of 918 00:59:58,440 --> 01:00:00,159 a sudden, you might have missed your window to be to add to this 919 01:00:00,360 --> 01:00:04,760 roster and pull yourself in a different place. And then Naple comes a tricky 920 01:00:04,880 --> 01:00:07,880 question. You really have to have your what's kind of our three year plan 921 01:00:07,000 --> 01:00:13,239 in mind right starting today all the way through the next few years. Yeah, 922 01:00:13,239 --> 01:00:15,079 it does feel like a timing question for them, and you you alluded 923 01:00:15,119 --> 01:00:19,440 to this like you could. It's not an asset question. If you want 924 01:00:19,480 --> 01:00:22,880 Dedonte Murray and you're the magic, you can do that. That's that's easy. 925 01:00:22,039 --> 01:00:27,400 The question I think for them is one, is there something better for 926 01:00:27,599 --> 01:00:30,000 us out there if we wait until the summer? And two, like, 927 01:00:30,639 --> 01:00:34,159 what is the value add in addition to just like we'd like to level up 928 01:00:34,199 --> 01:00:37,840 of having Murray in the fold for the balance of this year to sort of 929 01:00:37,880 --> 01:00:42,000 see what that looks like with their you know, their forward driven offense otherwise, 930 01:00:42,679 --> 01:00:45,400 So that that is actually a theme I think that comes up a lot 931 01:00:45,519 --> 01:00:46,840 for you know, We'll get to some of these teams, I'm sure, 932 01:00:46,880 --> 01:00:50,960 but it's just like is now the right time. It's not a question of 933 01:00:51,320 --> 01:00:53,280 can we do this or can't we or like do we have the assets? 934 01:00:53,360 --> 01:00:57,159 It's if you're the thunder, do we do we do it now and we 935 01:00:57,199 --> 01:00:59,880 should probably just get to them next. That was gonna be my next team 936 01:01:00,000 --> 01:01:04,920 anyway, but you know it's always and the Lakers in Dallas are actually kind 937 01:01:04,920 --> 01:01:07,960 of weird flip sides of this, where it's like do we do it now 938 01:01:08,039 --> 01:01:10,320 or do we wait until we have up to three first to trade in the 939 01:01:10,400 --> 01:01:14,239 summer? And what's the cost of not doing it now? Does that mean 940 01:01:14,360 --> 01:01:16,320 Lebron? You know, we lose this is the last year of Lebron finally, 941 01:01:16,360 --> 01:01:20,440 and then we waited and now we can't anchor a team anymore. Like 942 01:01:21,239 --> 01:01:23,920 that's that's a real through line of this deadline to me is there's several teams, 943 01:01:24,400 --> 01:01:28,920 and several of them are young teams that have the ability to get better 944 01:01:28,960 --> 01:01:30,039 if they want to. I mean, just throw Utah in there too, 945 01:01:30,079 --> 01:01:32,960 if you want their five hundred team that could get way better if they wanted 946 01:01:34,000 --> 01:01:37,440 to. Is it is now the time? And that gets into like a 947 01:01:37,519 --> 01:01:40,639 deep philosophical question about like how like how are you, like, what's your 948 01:01:40,679 --> 01:01:44,199 plan for this team? Like what when do you want to be good? 949 01:01:44,320 --> 01:01:46,880 Do you think it's worth trying to be good now because tomorrow's not guaranteed? 950 01:01:47,079 --> 01:01:51,719 Like I just I think that's a real you know, a real theme. 951 01:01:51,800 --> 01:01:53,559 And so I guess that's just to jump to the thunder Dan, unless you 952 01:01:53,639 --> 01:01:59,039 had magic thoughts, they should absolutely trade for Dejontay Murray. That is my 953 01:01:59,239 --> 01:02:01,320 that's my Orlando. Yeah, why not. I think I think it makes 954 01:02:01,360 --> 01:02:07,079 sense and give up several high end assets so that I'm justified in thinking that. 955 01:02:07,159 --> 01:02:12,000 That's what Atlanta, That's what the deadline's about, is just making sure 956 01:02:12,039 --> 01:02:15,760 you're correct, right, That's what That's what we're in it for the Thunder 957 01:02:15,800 --> 01:02:17,880 though, Like you know, if you follow the league at all, it's 958 01:02:17,920 --> 01:02:22,199 like they've got this treasure trove of assets they've you know, already they sort 959 01:02:22,199 --> 01:02:25,119 of have too many picks and young players because they came into this season with 960 01:02:25,239 --> 01:02:29,280 like twenty five guys on the active roster and had to just start trimming, 961 01:02:29,719 --> 01:02:32,840 so you can't use all those first. They have a fairly clear need to 962 01:02:32,960 --> 01:02:37,280 me for you know, a bruising four or five that can play with chet 963 01:02:37,360 --> 01:02:40,599 that you might have in your eight man playoff rotation might finish games for you 964 01:02:42,039 --> 01:02:45,360 potentially. And it's just and you've got the Giddy, you know, if 965 01:02:45,400 --> 01:02:49,440 you if there's a team out there that's more convinced that Josh Giddy is a 966 01:02:49,559 --> 01:02:55,840 cornerstone piece than the thunder are, can I for a second, please Josh 967 01:02:55,920 --> 01:03:00,840 Giddy. The way that teams are defending him like to have to worry about 968 01:03:00,840 --> 01:03:02,199 the playoffs, right and a lot of thunder Fens think they don't need anything 969 01:03:02,280 --> 01:03:06,519 and they could win the title right now. The fact that you're just comfortable 970 01:03:06,559 --> 01:03:09,079 putting bigs on him, letting him do whatever, that's gonna be a problem 971 01:03:09,119 --> 01:03:12,480 in the playoffs where you mentioned kind of this bruising four or five, I'm 972 01:03:12,559 --> 01:03:15,719 like, they need to upgrade the Josh Giddy spot, to have that another 973 01:03:15,800 --> 01:03:19,519 playoff ball handler that gives them some jiggle and joggle that'll be defended. And 974 01:03:19,599 --> 01:03:22,760 maybe that's Case and Wallace long term, but it's not necessarily Case Wallace right 975 01:03:22,800 --> 01:03:27,599 now. I'm just I know he's had on the court like better stretches of 976 01:03:27,719 --> 01:03:31,039 late. I'm just they need to move on from the Josh maybe not Josh 977 01:03:31,079 --> 01:03:35,760 Giddy himself, Like they need to upgrade the Josh Giddy spot if they're going 978 01:03:35,800 --> 01:03:37,000 to make the most is just where I'm at with this window. I'm not 979 01:03:37,039 --> 01:03:40,280 saying it this season, but that's I guess that's like I tend not to 980 01:03:40,320 --> 01:03:44,360 be too inflammatory, but that's like a hill I'm prepared to get stabbed on. 981 01:03:44,840 --> 01:03:45,920 It's the wrong team for him, it's not. I mean, that's 982 01:03:45,960 --> 01:03:50,039 what that's why. I mean, there's another team that could justify giving him 983 01:03:50,079 --> 01:03:52,760 the ball just a lot more, and that negates some of the you know, 984 01:03:52,880 --> 01:03:58,000 the detriment of his non shooting and and it makes his poor defense hurt 985 01:03:58,039 --> 01:04:00,440 a little less because oh, he's on the ball and he's doing stuff that 986 01:04:00,519 --> 01:04:02,119 we need him to do as a facilitator, which I think, like there's 987 01:04:02,159 --> 01:04:05,119 a world where he succeeds. You know, he's just like a bigger Ricky 988 01:04:05,199 --> 01:04:09,559 Rubio or something like he he can be something like that for someone, but 989 01:04:09,639 --> 01:04:12,840 it will not happen for the Thunder. And so like that's what they're not 990 01:04:12,960 --> 01:04:15,840 only pick wise, are the Thunder asset rich? They do have a young 991 01:04:15,079 --> 01:04:18,239 he's so young still you forget because he's been in the league a little while. 992 01:04:18,599 --> 01:04:21,679 There's another team out there that could say, like, this guy was 993 01:04:21,719 --> 01:04:26,119 a high lottery pick that has been productive box score wise, and we can 994 01:04:26,199 --> 01:04:29,039 see the outlines of what kind of player he could be. So the Thunder 995 01:04:29,239 --> 01:04:31,480 just, you know, other than having like a huge salary to trade that 996 01:04:31,559 --> 01:04:38,480 they don't care about, like they have everything they need. Sure, yeah, 997 01:04:39,280 --> 01:04:43,559 that's another thing they've got money to get off of. So the question 998 01:04:43,679 --> 01:04:45,760 really just is for them, like do we do it now right? Because 999 01:04:46,079 --> 01:04:49,000 and that ties into well, what does that even mean? Is that Lori 1000 01:04:49,159 --> 01:04:53,360 Markinen, who's probably not available, but like the Thunder could make it, 1001 01:04:53,639 --> 01:04:56,760 could make him available if they wanted. The Thunder have the assets to make 1002 01:04:56,840 --> 01:05:01,320 anyone wanted. So I don't have an answer. I think I'm probably if 1003 01:05:01,599 --> 01:05:04,800 someone called about Giddy and I could move him for a piece that made more 1004 01:05:04,880 --> 01:05:08,440 sense, I would do that in a heartbeat. But I don't know if 1005 01:05:08,519 --> 01:05:12,119 it's the time. Even though we just talked about like tidle windows, which 1006 01:05:12,159 --> 01:05:15,280 the Thunders seems open at least open ish, they're not gonna last, you 1007 01:05:15,360 --> 01:05:18,119 know, it's not gonna be twenty twenty nine. And we're saying like Oh, 1008 01:05:18,440 --> 01:05:21,039 we're just getting into it, you know, Like that's not how it 1009 01:05:21,159 --> 01:05:26,239 works. So I'm just really curious about what they do because they've been hoarding 1010 01:05:26,320 --> 01:05:29,320 these picks for something, and it's not to just draft a bunch of guys 1011 01:05:29,320 --> 01:05:30,840 because you sort of that's not a real way to build a team. You 1012 01:05:30,960 --> 01:05:34,239 can't sort of do that. Yeah, you're on it, great, you 1013 01:05:34,480 --> 01:05:40,000 you can't. Right, you're running out of ross response like that. That's 1014 01:05:40,039 --> 01:05:43,679 the thing, And that's the thing some teams are they're waiting the thunder out 1015 01:05:43,760 --> 01:05:45,239 on a little bit where it is, you know, let's go. And 1016 01:05:45,599 --> 01:05:50,800 they had a challenge when they tried to make trades in a few pass drafts. 1017 01:05:50,840 --> 01:05:55,239 Now they've been able to do it in others as other teams have moved 1018 01:05:55,280 --> 01:05:57,800 off picks and have been like, okay, yeah, we could use some 1019 01:05:57,960 --> 01:06:01,440 extras where they try the bowl teams over with offers and teams are like, 1020 01:06:01,920 --> 01:06:04,320 then we're just gonna be in the same spot you're in, Like, we 1021 01:06:04,440 --> 01:06:11,000 don't need your seven first round picks for to move up five spots because then 1022 01:06:11,320 --> 01:06:14,920 why what are we gonna do with them? So that's one challenge. But 1023 01:06:15,039 --> 01:06:17,239 now I think you have enough teams where it is like, holy cow, 1024 01:06:17,360 --> 01:06:21,559 we're we're pick poor, like we could use a couple of picks back For 1025 01:06:21,679 --> 01:06:25,599 me, it's I know you guys focused on Josh Gideon, and I'm not. 1026 01:06:25,679 --> 01:06:28,360 I'm not against that because I think you're absolutely right, like the way 1027 01:06:28,440 --> 01:06:31,920 Boston guarded him with Porzengis, or better put, didn't guard him and just 1028 01:06:32,039 --> 01:06:35,440 let Porzengis float. Yeah, Giddy shot well and was a big part of 1029 01:06:35,480 --> 01:06:40,199 them winning that game. But they think if you're a playoff team, you're 1030 01:06:40,199 --> 01:06:43,639 gonna say, okay, do it, do it three more times and be 1031 01:06:44,039 --> 01:06:45,920 right like like do it that way, and I think teams are like, 1032 01:06:46,000 --> 01:06:49,920 it's just not gonna happen. I'm also a little bit there with lou Dort 1033 01:06:50,159 --> 01:06:54,679 too. I don't both those guys, by the way, weren't really closing. 1034 01:06:54,840 --> 01:06:58,480 They weren't there for closing come against Minnesota on that night, and that's 1035 01:06:58,480 --> 01:07:00,840 why I'm a little bit there with him. I think, you know, 1036 01:07:00,960 --> 01:07:03,679 one of the two is the spot you upgrade on. That doesn't mean one 1037 01:07:03,719 --> 01:07:06,920 of the two is traded to me. I think you have other spots, 1038 01:07:06,960 --> 01:07:10,840 and you move the other one to a bench role where they could thrive in 1039 01:07:10,880 --> 01:07:13,519 a lot of ways. I think if you move Giddy to a bench role, 1040 01:07:14,559 --> 01:07:15,599 I think then now all of a sudden, now we have that extra 1041 01:07:15,679 --> 01:07:19,719 ball handler on the bench. We've got somebody who could come in play behind 1042 01:07:19,800 --> 01:07:25,119 Shay and j Dubb and we're good. Right, We're set. There is 1043 01:07:25,159 --> 01:07:29,079 our three ball handler rotation. We could kind of leave caseon Wallace in the 1044 01:07:29,480 --> 01:07:33,360 secondary creator role that he's more pretty comfortable with a man instead of force fitting 1045 01:07:33,440 --> 01:07:38,760 him into something or over extending. Shay gives us Alexander. So I think 1046 01:07:38,840 --> 01:07:42,800 you're in a good place there. I still hold go get another big, 1047 01:07:43,159 --> 01:07:45,559 but for me, it has to be a four or five that can play 1048 01:07:45,840 --> 01:07:49,679 with Chet and back him up. The guy I'm kind of looking at for 1049 01:07:49,800 --> 01:07:55,159 them. And it sounds weird because he finally get traded after like seven years 1050 01:07:55,199 --> 01:07:59,679 of trade speculation. Is John Collins. John Collins is shooting the ball well 1051 01:07:59,719 --> 01:08:03,159 again. Whatever was going on with his finger seems to be solved, or 1052 01:08:03,199 --> 01:08:05,519 he's at least figured out, all right, this is how I now have 1053 01:08:05,639 --> 01:08:11,480 to shoot. It's making shots. He's been playing the five almost exclusively for 1054 01:08:11,719 --> 01:08:15,199 Utah, but we know we can play the four. You slot him in 1055 01:08:15,280 --> 01:08:19,680 there. You could go get him. I would assume relatively easily Berton's and 1056 01:08:19,760 --> 01:08:26,239 a pick or two to Danny Ainge and you're good, and then slought him 1057 01:08:26,279 --> 01:08:30,199 in whether you make him your starter or you play him as a high minutes 1058 01:08:30,399 --> 01:08:32,920 backup guy there. But he can play with Holme Grin, he could play 1059 01:08:33,239 --> 01:08:36,319 behind home Grin. And I think you're in a really good, good space 1060 01:08:36,439 --> 01:08:40,399 if that's what it is. I think marketing, I just think that's that's 1061 01:08:40,439 --> 01:08:42,800 a little too pie in the sky. I don't know that you're getting to 1062 01:08:43,720 --> 01:08:47,000 where the jazz. I think the jazz are. They're right on the tipping 1063 01:08:47,039 --> 01:08:50,560 point of I We've got a lot of draft at Equity already, Like we 1064 01:08:50,840 --> 01:08:56,239 would have to get Case and Wallace plus somebody else. You know, I 1065 01:08:56,319 --> 01:09:00,439 would be saying I need Wallace Giddy and Jalen Williams is the big one, 1066 01:09:00,880 --> 01:09:03,880 Like I need those three guys. And then in the end we could talk 1067 01:09:04,039 --> 01:09:08,920 matching salary and draft picks. And if I'm the thunder, I'm saying then 1068 01:09:09,159 --> 01:09:11,920 no, right, that starts to get too far the other way. So 1069 01:09:12,239 --> 01:09:15,199 I don't know for marketing, but I feel like for Collins that would make 1070 01:09:15,239 --> 01:09:19,079 a lot of sense. Yeah, And also then you roll over the Breton 1071 01:09:19,199 --> 01:09:24,600 salary slot and to a player who's more compelling theoretically in future offers at least, 1072 01:09:24,640 --> 01:09:26,800 like John Collins is just not gonna have a ton of trade value, 1073 01:09:26,800 --> 01:09:30,760 but he's gonna be viewed as more valuable than Burton's. Speaking of John Collins's 1074 01:09:30,840 --> 01:09:34,720 current team, I have the Jazz on here because there, I mean, 1075 01:09:34,760 --> 01:09:39,439 you talk about a team that could do anything. And I mean I do 1076 01:09:39,880 --> 01:09:43,239 sometimes feel not to call out all jazz fans, but I do feel like 1077 01:09:43,399 --> 01:09:47,399 some or many Utah Jazz fans underestimate the degree to which Danny Ainge does not 1078 01:09:47,520 --> 01:09:51,359 give a fuck. And just like we saw it kind of last year where 1079 01:09:51,359 --> 01:09:56,600 they were his plucky team and he tore it down anyway near the trade deadline, 1080 01:09:56,600 --> 01:09:59,560 and some people would argue in retrospect he didn't do it soon enough because 1081 01:10:00,039 --> 01:10:01,479 kind of took you out of like the super you know, I love who 1082 01:10:01,520 --> 01:10:04,279 they ended up with in the draft, and Tayler Hendrix and also Cante George, 1083 01:10:04,319 --> 01:10:08,640 but like you kind of exited the Victor Wambyama sweepstakes and lowy marketing is 1084 01:10:08,680 --> 01:10:11,680 great, but he's not Victor one Miyama, And so no, I do 1085 01:10:11,840 --> 01:10:14,479 not expect them to trade lowry market in. I think just because of how 1086 01:10:14,520 --> 01:10:16,640 good of a story it's been, I would not trade lowry market in. 1087 01:10:17,079 --> 01:10:20,479 To me, that's not often. He wants to be there. That's something 1088 01:10:20,560 --> 01:10:24,800 you have to factor in too. He's very happy there, especially there. 1089 01:10:24,920 --> 01:10:27,560 Right, it's not like Utah is gonna, Oh we got all this cap 1090 01:10:27,640 --> 01:10:30,119 space down the line, we're gonna be free agent players, like I will 1091 01:10:30,199 --> 01:10:35,079 say. I will say Utah is a more desirable free agent destination than a 1092 01:10:35,119 --> 01:10:40,800 lot of people think for two reasons. One, when they're in Utah, 1093 01:10:41,439 --> 01:10:44,760 people leave them alone, like it's a it's a smaller place, it's pretty 1094 01:10:44,840 --> 01:10:46,560 quiet. If you're the kind of guy who's like, hey, when i'm 1095 01:10:46,600 --> 01:10:49,079 home, I want to be home and not being bothered. I want to 1096 01:10:49,079 --> 01:10:51,800 be able to go out to eat and not get bothered every two seconds. 1097 01:10:53,199 --> 01:10:56,359 People like that. It's also for the guys who are like, yeah, 1098 01:10:56,479 --> 01:10:59,520 but it's Utah has nothing to do. The minute they find out, oh 1099 01:10:59,640 --> 01:11:02,680 it's like a thirty minute plane or helicopter ride to Las Vegas. Yeah, 1100 01:11:02,760 --> 01:11:06,479 let's go like we're fine, Like let's you know, let's make it happen. 1101 01:11:06,600 --> 01:11:10,319 Like because trust me, if you go back. I'm not going to 1102 01:11:10,399 --> 01:11:13,279 name names. You could go back and look through some of the free agents 1103 01:11:13,359 --> 01:11:16,239 the Jazz are signed and it's like, surprise that guy went there. And 1104 01:11:16,319 --> 01:11:19,600 then when you factor in, oh Las Vegas is very close, there's a 1105 01:11:19,680 --> 01:11:23,520 few guys you'd be like, Okay, I get it now, I kind 1106 01:11:23,520 --> 01:11:29,199 of understand. James just controlled my brain for the next two hours. Back 1107 01:11:29,279 --> 01:11:33,359 about Jazz signings, You'll you'll figure them out pretty much. So what I 1108 01:11:33,399 --> 01:11:39,199 would say, though, is with this with with with the Jazz to Dan 1109 01:11:39,359 --> 01:11:44,439 to your point about Danny Ainge doesn't care at all. They could be in 1110 01:11:44,560 --> 01:11:46,640 the play in tournament. And if what he believes is the right thing to 1111 01:11:46,840 --> 01:11:51,680 put the Jazz closer to a title is to trade a guy, he will 1112 01:11:51,720 --> 01:11:57,560 trade the guy and they kick You'll punt on this year and say it is 1113 01:11:57,640 --> 01:12:00,720 what it is, Hey, we made the best move for the Jazz to 1114 01:12:00,880 --> 01:12:04,479 win a title at some point like that is his sole goal. Like it's 1115 01:12:04,720 --> 01:12:10,760 People laugh about the whole Danny Ainge because part of it is he loved to 1116 01:12:10,840 --> 01:12:14,000 tell the media directly, and then I think by the end of his Celtics 1117 01:12:14,079 --> 01:12:16,439 tenure he was leaning into the jokes of all, we got really close, 1118 01:12:16,720 --> 01:12:19,600 right, but then it was like we got really close, but he wasn't 1119 01:12:19,600 --> 01:12:23,560 even saying names. It was just like we got really close on some stuff 1120 01:12:23,880 --> 01:12:26,560 and it was like, oh, okay, he's now he knows like he's 1121 01:12:26,760 --> 01:12:30,439 he's a pretty self aware guy. He knows the joke of that. But 1122 01:12:30,600 --> 01:12:32,800 it was I think it was for a while there was, but it wasn't 1123 01:12:32,800 --> 01:12:38,279 gonna make it. It wasn't trading this player, this player in three draft 1124 01:12:38,359 --> 01:12:41,199 picks wasn't gonna put us closer to a title. Yeah, might have made 1125 01:12:41,239 --> 01:12:43,439 us a playoff team, but that's not what we want to be. And 1126 01:12:43,800 --> 01:12:47,359 quite frankly, I think he's been proven to be right. Celtics are title 1127 01:12:47,399 --> 01:12:53,520 contenders every year because he didn't trade Jason Tatum Jaylen Brown. Everything else is 1128 01:12:53,560 --> 01:12:57,800 ancillary to that, like Brad Stevens is built on that with other really good 1129 01:12:57,880 --> 01:13:02,359 moves for guys and really flush out the roster. But it was ages steadfastness 1130 01:13:02,479 --> 01:13:06,319 to say not trading the picks that became Tatum and Brown, Nor am I 1131 01:13:06,399 --> 01:13:11,399 trading Tatum and Brown the players that that's what's really launched Boston and the title 1132 01:13:11,439 --> 01:13:15,239 contention more than anything else. And they've been there now for what we run 1133 01:13:15,319 --> 01:13:18,199 like year four or five of them sitting there. They've broken through yet, 1134 01:13:18,399 --> 01:13:23,399 No, they haven't, but it's still something to be said for you're right 1135 01:13:23,479 --> 01:13:27,359 there every single year, and that leads. You know, we've mentioned marketing 1136 01:13:27,399 --> 01:13:29,359 is really the only player. We mentioned it in Collins, but like this 1137 01:13:29,439 --> 01:13:33,399 whole discussion we're having is Chris Dunn, Fontechio, Colin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson, 1138 01:13:33,439 --> 01:13:35,640 Like those are the names the Jazz were going. And look, they 1139 01:13:35,680 --> 01:13:39,439 haven't necessarily made it easy to figure out what they're doing because they go through 1140 01:13:39,479 --> 01:13:43,800 this scorching hot stretch and now they've lost what is it four of four or 1141 01:13:43,880 --> 01:13:46,119 five or yeah, four six, and so like they've come back down to 1142 01:13:46,159 --> 01:13:49,159 earth a little bit and the West is still a bear. But you could 1143 01:13:49,199 --> 01:13:53,159 also kind of see them. I think people would expect them to sell, 1144 01:13:53,760 --> 01:13:56,279 but I could also kind of see them. They have all these assets where 1145 01:13:56,800 --> 01:13:59,760 if they rolled some of them into a Dejonte Murray because they have so many 1146 01:13:59,800 --> 01:14:01,000 picks, and they said, well, he's gonna be more valuable to us, 1147 01:14:01,000 --> 01:14:03,439 both on the court and as a trade asset than maybe some of these 1148 01:14:03,520 --> 01:14:08,560 picks that we have it's something that helps us now and maybe we go after 1149 01:14:08,600 --> 01:14:11,119 the plane and we don't really care about this draft anyway, since so many 1150 01:14:11,119 --> 01:14:14,159 people seem so low on it, it feels like even I wouldn't predict it. 1151 01:14:14,560 --> 01:14:17,560 But they are a team that has been at least shown enough glimpses where 1152 01:14:17,880 --> 01:14:20,600 oh, could they make kind of like a you know, aim for like 1153 01:14:20,680 --> 01:14:25,319 a smallish or medium sized buy now play that they think still sets them up 1154 01:14:25,359 --> 01:14:29,720 well for future trades without harshing their their rebuild or their reset. And so 1155 01:14:29,800 --> 01:14:32,399 that's why they're so fascinating to me is that they literally everyone could just expect, 1156 01:14:32,399 --> 01:14:34,680 Oh, Danny Age is gonna, you know, trade all the guys 1157 01:14:34,720 --> 01:14:36,720 that I just named her a few of them. What if he just goes 1158 01:14:36,760 --> 01:14:40,920 out there and consolidates a little bit like that is something that's on the table 1159 01:14:40,960 --> 01:14:45,640 for them. Yep, yep, yeah, I yeah, there's it. 1160 01:14:46,039 --> 01:14:48,319 There are things they would do where I, like, holy COLI did not 1161 01:14:48,439 --> 01:14:51,960 expect it. But it would also not be surprised. I know that maybe 1162 01:14:53,159 --> 01:14:57,039 sounds like it's contradictory, but it wouldn't be surprised if if we got the 1163 01:14:57,119 --> 01:15:00,760 WOJ bomb in the next ten minutes, that they traded Laurie Mark. I'm 1164 01:15:00,800 --> 01:15:02,560 not gonna be like, well, I never saw that coming, Like it's 1165 01:15:02,640 --> 01:15:06,560 any age, like if he believes whatever he got for him is better, 1166 01:15:08,119 --> 01:15:11,319 Like, yeah, it's it's it's surprising, but I'm not gonna be shocked 1167 01:15:11,399 --> 01:15:14,039 by it. I'm not gonna be like, well, that is completely like 1168 01:15:14,199 --> 01:15:17,800 came out of nowhere, just because it's that's what he does. Let's each 1169 01:15:17,800 --> 01:15:20,239 see if we could do one more team, if you don't mind sticking around 1170 01:15:20,279 --> 01:15:23,920 with us Keith and who would that be for you? Your third team? 1171 01:15:24,880 --> 01:15:28,600 Yeah? I think so. I I played, you know, in the 1172 01:15:28,680 --> 01:15:31,359 small market sandbox here and with my first couple, I'll go a big one. 1173 01:15:31,960 --> 01:15:36,239 It's the Warriors, Like, what are they gonna do? I just 1174 01:15:36,399 --> 01:15:42,000 are they gonna try to load up and try to salvage this and make a 1175 01:15:42,079 --> 01:15:47,880 run. Are they going to trade guys away to try to clear up the 1176 01:15:48,239 --> 01:15:53,399 books a little bit down the line? Can can you get off Wiggins contract? 1177 01:15:53,920 --> 01:15:56,159 You know? Is that? Is that something they might be able to 1178 01:15:56,199 --> 01:16:00,840 figure out? Uh? Chris Paul, It's always seemed highly unlikely to me. 1179 01:16:00,279 --> 01:16:04,479 Chris Paul made it through the trade deadline in d If he does he's 1180 01:16:04,520 --> 01:16:09,439 gonna get moved this summer, if not just flat out waved. So those 1181 01:16:09,600 --> 01:16:13,680 become the things where I look like, where are they going with that? 1182 01:16:14,199 --> 01:16:18,720 And like nobody is out and out said they're open to trading Klay Thompson. 1183 01:16:19,239 --> 01:16:25,479 But every time one of the like insiders talks about the Warriors, they always 1184 01:16:25,680 --> 01:16:30,039 throw in at the end and maybe they could look at trading Klay Thompson or 1185 01:16:30,079 --> 01:16:32,239 some version of that. I still find that hard to believe. I just 1186 01:16:32,359 --> 01:16:38,239 I don't I don't think Curry, Green and Thompson get broken up yet. 1187 01:16:38,640 --> 01:16:42,479 I think you almost kind of let them decide one that's gonna happen. Draymond's 1188 01:16:42,520 --> 01:16:45,119 probably the one where maybe they do it. Let's say, is another incident. 1189 01:16:46,159 --> 01:16:48,800 Maybe then they're like, car, we're done now. But by then 1190 01:16:48,840 --> 01:16:54,520 maybe the league like now we're done. Like that's how it sends, but 1191 01:16:54,760 --> 01:16:59,560 it is I think, you know, I said this ad nauseum. The 1192 01:16:59,640 --> 01:17:01,640 only you ever trade Stephen curryes if he walks on the door and says I 1193 01:17:01,680 --> 01:17:04,960 want to trade, like that never happens. Like I don't care if you 1194 01:17:05,439 --> 01:17:10,000 win twenty five games for the next three seasons, you you just see it 1195 01:17:10,079 --> 01:17:13,039 out as you know, here's what it is. It's just you know, 1196 01:17:13,119 --> 01:17:15,359 I would never do that. Now. I also do believe if he came 1197 01:17:15,399 --> 01:17:18,239 in and said, hey, I want to trade, I think he kind 1198 01:17:18,239 --> 01:17:21,359 of owe it to him to at least see right, like a right, 1199 01:17:21,399 --> 01:17:26,439 can we find something that works because of everything he's meant to the franchise. 1200 01:17:26,600 --> 01:17:30,720 But I just it feels like something's gonna happen there, like like something. 1201 01:17:30,760 --> 01:17:34,840 I just I just can't see them going through the trade deadline saying well, 1202 01:17:35,199 --> 01:17:39,079 yeah, let's just play it out with this group the rest of the way. 1203 01:17:39,119 --> 01:17:43,760 I feel like something's gonna happen with the Warriors. Grant No, I 1204 01:17:43,840 --> 01:17:46,600 mean I feel like I've talked about it. Just I think it's I think 1205 01:17:46,640 --> 01:17:49,640 you're right, Keith. I think it does feel like something has to happen. 1206 01:17:50,119 --> 01:17:55,760 If it's anything beyond Chris Paul moving and like maybe Moses Moody or someone 1207 01:17:55,920 --> 01:18:00,359 like that far down the depth chart, I'd be surprised, just because all 1208 01:18:00,439 --> 01:18:03,279 these guys, like the Thompson thing, I would be so stunned for so 1209 01:18:03,359 --> 01:18:06,199 many reasons if he were traded. One, he makes forty three million dollars, 1210 01:18:06,720 --> 01:18:10,199 and like, who's looking to get that on the books. You know, 1211 01:18:10,279 --> 01:18:13,319 even if it is expiring, who's got the money to send back that 1212 01:18:13,439 --> 01:18:15,720 the Warriors would want to take on for that? And you've got the sentimental 1213 01:18:15,800 --> 01:18:18,840 side of things. The Wiggins thing is like, if you trade Wiggins, 1214 01:18:18,880 --> 01:18:21,720 all you're doing is trying to trade him for someone who's as good as Andrew 1215 01:18:21,760 --> 01:18:27,159 Wiggins was two years ago, Like, and good luck doing that for a 1216 01:18:27,319 --> 01:18:30,399 number that is close to his salary number, which, like at the time 1217 01:18:30,439 --> 01:18:32,800 he signed that extension, everybody thought, what a deal this guy was. 1218 01:18:32,960 --> 01:18:35,720 You know, this guy was just the second best player in the finals. 1219 01:18:35,800 --> 01:18:41,640 Like that's phenomenal, So I think, and I also really like, at 1220 01:18:41,680 --> 01:18:44,760 the very bottom of it all, there's not a trade out there that gets 1221 01:18:44,800 --> 01:18:48,279 the Warriors, who are nineteen and twenty four into like upper tier title contention. 1222 01:18:48,840 --> 01:18:53,039 So what's the point? Like what that? That's the thing for me 1223 01:18:53,239 --> 01:18:58,399 is there's if circumstances change and some crazy name becomes available, and you know 1224 01:18:58,479 --> 01:19:00,840 there's a pathway to do to a big trade for them. Okay, sure, 1225 01:19:01,399 --> 01:19:04,399 but like zech if you could put Zach Levine on this roster and give 1226 01:19:04,479 --> 01:19:09,079 nothing else up, you are still not in that conversation as a like True 1227 01:19:09,119 --> 01:19:13,279 Blue title contender, and ditto for anyone else that's available. So for them 1228 01:19:13,359 --> 01:19:16,760 to you know, consider moving someone like Jonathan kaminga who Dan, I've been 1229 01:19:16,840 --> 01:19:23,000 vindicated, he's on fire these last several games. Like that's just not that's 1230 01:19:23,039 --> 01:19:27,239 a non starter at this point. They're confusing, specifically because of what both 1231 01:19:27,239 --> 01:19:30,079 of you is mentioned, you know, keep talking about like the salary implications 1232 01:19:30,119 --> 01:19:31,920 and some of the players that you know they're kind of fading and what do 1233 01:19:31,960 --> 01:19:33,960 they look like long term? And then you're mentioning, well, there's no 1234 01:19:34,000 --> 01:19:38,680 one on the market that's just going to resurrect their title window anyway. And 1235 01:19:38,720 --> 01:19:41,000 then even if there was, they're not gonna have the best offer, and 1236 01:19:41,079 --> 01:19:44,199 so it kind of behooves them to their offer doesn't get a ton better in 1237 01:19:44,239 --> 01:19:45,800 the summer. But you could at least play around with a twenty thirty one 1238 01:19:45,920 --> 01:19:49,079 swap since they TechEd or and also you have the twenty thirty pick that's like 1239 01:19:49,159 --> 01:19:53,600 fake to Washington. You could trade the you know, the second two thirds 1240 01:19:53,640 --> 01:19:56,720 of that whatever it works, that one a little bit. It could work. 1241 01:19:56,880 --> 01:19:58,600 Yeah, that's what we need to that's what we need to call it 1242 01:19:58,640 --> 01:20:00,760 now, Keith. It is right, So I don't know what very close 1243 01:20:00,880 --> 01:20:05,079 term let's be the credit where credits do uh? And so like I don't 1244 01:20:05,079 --> 01:20:09,520 know what they do beyond like if they make a move like Keith, like 1245 01:20:09,680 --> 01:20:11,720 what is it to do? And the other thing is like I think they're 1246 01:20:12,079 --> 01:20:15,479 they probably still believe internally, you know Grant's point about Kamingo being on fire. 1247 01:20:15,920 --> 01:20:17,520 Our whole thing has been, well, you can't play Wiggins and Kminga 1248 01:20:17,560 --> 01:20:20,720 together, but when you play Wiggins and Kminga together with Draymond Green, it's 1249 01:20:20,720 --> 01:20:25,479 a small sample size. They're blasting opponents right now, So there's probably this 1250 01:20:25,600 --> 01:20:28,479 internal belief like, well, what are we gonna go out? Who are 1251 01:20:28,520 --> 01:20:30,680 we gonna go out? Like even at de Jonte Murray, I actually think 1252 01:20:30,760 --> 01:20:33,520 we've mentioned like eighty times he does intrigue me for this roster, especially if 1253 01:20:33,520 --> 01:20:38,359 you can attach one of like the others in Atlanta of his Bogdanovitch or even 1254 01:20:38,800 --> 01:20:41,560 Hunter, of who I'm higher on than most, But like, what is 1255 01:20:41,640 --> 01:20:45,399 that gonna realistically do for them? It just feels like is there one if 1256 01:20:45,439 --> 01:20:46,520 they're actually making a move, Keith, what would you expect it to be? 1257 01:20:46,640 --> 01:20:49,279 I know it's Chris Paul but is it just kind of cleaning up their 1258 01:20:49,319 --> 01:20:53,000 cap sheet? And but two is it like do we kind of just expect 1259 01:20:53,039 --> 01:20:57,239 them to do nothing at this point? Yeah, So I think there's there's 1260 01:20:57,600 --> 01:21:00,920 lots unpack there. I'll try to do it really quickly. I think the 1261 01:21:00,039 --> 01:21:06,880 runs the Lakers and the Heat made last year have people's like whole like perception 1262 01:21:08,079 --> 01:21:11,359 is just off. Like I just think people are in a weird spot now 1263 01:21:11,399 --> 01:21:14,600 where it's like, well, they did it, so why not us? 1264 01:21:14,920 --> 01:21:17,800 And for me it's like, all right, that happened, Like that's not 1265 01:21:17,880 --> 01:21:21,239 gonna happen every year, Like what are we doing? So that's part one 1266 01:21:21,319 --> 01:21:26,560 of that. I think part two is I do think the more likely trade 1267 01:21:26,760 --> 01:21:30,800 is clean up the books trade, like Chris Paul's coming off the books pretty 1268 01:21:30,880 --> 01:21:35,199 much no matter what next year Wiggins. If we can get out of Wiggins 1269 01:21:35,319 --> 01:21:39,479 deal, let's do it, Like if we can do it without having to 1270 01:21:39,520 --> 01:21:43,520 get crazy, like, let's get out of that that contract. Maybe there 1271 01:21:43,600 --> 01:21:45,199 is a team that's like, you know what, we actually think he could 1272 01:21:45,239 --> 01:21:48,479 come in here, help us and help us get to be where we want 1273 01:21:48,520 --> 01:21:51,439 to be, and we'll give you back a deal that even if it runs 1274 01:21:53,119 --> 01:21:57,039 two years shorter like then then we're good. So I think those are the 1275 01:21:57,800 --> 01:22:00,800 kind of two moves under no circle ccumstances at this point, would I trade 1276 01:22:01,079 --> 01:22:05,560 Kamenga or pad Jemski in any kind of deal that's chasing a win now move 1277 01:22:05,640 --> 01:22:10,760 for the rest of this Seasonmoses Moody though, please just freed him. Yeah, 1278 01:22:10,920 --> 01:22:13,680 Moses Moody, I'm fine with it. I'm kind of the point with 1279 01:22:13,800 --> 01:22:16,359 Moses mood It's just never gonna happen there. Like, It's just there's now 1280 01:22:16,760 --> 01:22:24,880 too much history of it's just hasn't happened, and it's not going to. 1281 01:22:25,039 --> 01:22:28,479 He's behind too many other guys in the rotation, and I just think there's 1282 01:22:28,520 --> 01:22:31,439 been plenty of opportunity. It hasn't happened in those opportunities. So it's not 1283 01:22:31,560 --> 01:22:34,319 gonna be a thing. So now you you know, yeah, if you 1284 01:22:34,359 --> 01:22:39,000 can move him in a deal, fine, but I think it becomes I 1285 01:22:39,039 --> 01:22:42,359 wouldn't be chasing upgrades for the rest of this season just because I think you're 1286 01:22:42,640 --> 01:22:45,159 you're chasing after a dream there, right, You're chasing after we get some 1287 01:22:45,239 --> 01:22:47,600 problem? Could they win in the playing tournament? Get in it's the eight 1288 01:22:47,680 --> 01:22:53,640 seed? Sure? Are they beating Denver, a healthy Clippers team that you 1289 01:22:53,720 --> 01:22:57,479 know, they the Wolves of the Thunder. I mean, maybe they could 1290 01:22:57,479 --> 01:22:59,760 beat the Wolves of the Thunder. They don't have any kind of track, 1291 01:23:00,720 --> 01:23:03,279 But I just I find it hard to believe they're going to be able to 1292 01:23:03,359 --> 01:23:06,680 do that and win on the road three times in a row to get to 1293 01:23:08,159 --> 01:23:12,359 where taking on like like Grant said, Zach Levine, taking on somebody like 1294 01:23:12,479 --> 01:23:15,000 Levine would make sense. I just don't see that being being a thing that 1295 01:23:15,319 --> 01:23:20,079 I would do. And I think they're smarter than that as a front office, 1296 01:23:20,439 --> 01:23:25,680 and I think hopefully their guys also understand, Hey, being down for 1297 01:23:25,720 --> 01:23:29,199 a year or two, it is not the end of the world. Now 1298 01:23:29,279 --> 01:23:31,359 it's harder to bounce back. All those guys are older, so it's not 1299 01:23:31,439 --> 01:23:34,159 going to be as easy as bouncing back like they did this last time. 1300 01:23:34,640 --> 01:23:38,920 But maybe that's you know, where their processes is, all right, fine, 1301 01:23:38,960 --> 01:23:42,319 we fall a little bit, we fall out, but what we'll be 1302 01:23:42,439 --> 01:23:45,760 back. And again, I just think it's imperative if they can get out 1303 01:23:45,760 --> 01:23:48,960 of the aprons for next year somehow free up the ability to use you know, 1304 01:23:49,119 --> 01:23:53,279 exceptions and that to kind of flush out the roster a little bit differently. 1305 01:23:53,840 --> 01:23:58,000 The base is there of a team that can be pretty good still. 1306 01:23:58,279 --> 01:24:01,199 I truly believe that, So I just I wouldn't go crazy trying to make 1307 01:24:01,239 --> 01:24:06,920 it better right now, Grant, who's your third and final team? I'll 1308 01:24:08,039 --> 01:24:12,159 talk sixers real quick? I think you know all along. Once the once 1309 01:24:12,239 --> 01:24:15,920 the sort of roster revamp happened where they get a bunch of expiring salary back 1310 01:24:15,960 --> 01:24:17,439 and they get a couple of picks to add so they can trade I think 1311 01:24:17,520 --> 01:24:23,880 up the three firsts right now post hard and trade. Their path forward has 1312 01:24:24,119 --> 01:24:27,840 just been really confusing to me because there's this and Daryl Morey has talked about 1313 01:24:27,840 --> 01:24:30,479 it like where if there's someone out there now, we'll do it. We've 1314 01:24:30,520 --> 01:24:31,840 got the assets to do it. But if not, we've got you know, 1315 01:24:31,840 --> 01:24:34,880 one hundred million dollars in expiring contracts, we could have all this cap 1316 01:24:34,920 --> 01:24:39,159 space, we'll play the free agent game. And it's just sort of how 1317 01:24:39,359 --> 01:24:44,439 how do they go forward? Knowing Joel Embiid is as good as he's ever 1318 01:24:44,520 --> 01:24:46,079 going to be right now, and we should be pushing for a title. 1319 01:24:46,680 --> 01:24:50,520 The market sucks, like there's nobody that we really need to go out, 1320 01:24:50,600 --> 01:24:55,039 and you know, there's no no brainer acquisition to them that I think meaningfully 1321 01:24:55,159 --> 01:25:00,000 levels them up necessarily, but the ones that might probably eat into their capspace 1322 01:25:00,239 --> 01:25:02,560 next summer. So it's kind of like, how do they thread this needle? 1323 01:25:02,600 --> 01:25:05,600 That's really just the underlying question for me, for the Sixers, and 1324 01:25:05,800 --> 01:25:11,560 because it does seem like they're so clearly positioned to do something with all their 1325 01:25:11,600 --> 01:25:15,640 expiring salaries and the picks they can move, and they should be feeling some 1326 01:25:15,800 --> 01:25:17,920 urgency to do something, but then there's this sort of like, well, 1327 01:25:17,920 --> 01:25:20,439 we've got plan B where we could just like I don't know, I guess 1328 01:25:20,560 --> 01:25:25,720 re sign Tobias Harris next, you know, next summer, or somebody else 1329 01:25:25,800 --> 01:25:29,560 like DeRozan, all these guys that they might DeRozan's example, someone they could 1330 01:25:29,600 --> 01:25:33,520 trade for, but like why, you know. So they're just interesting in 1331 01:25:33,600 --> 01:25:38,199 that they've got a couple of pathways to improve the team, one short term, 1332 01:25:38,279 --> 01:25:41,319 one long term, and all these assets to do it. It just 1333 01:25:41,439 --> 01:25:44,520 there's no clean fit, there's no easy fix, there's no The market is 1334 01:25:44,600 --> 01:25:49,079 not their friend. I don't feel like at this particular deadline they kind of 1335 01:25:49,119 --> 01:25:51,840 got a raw deal in some ways, because in past deadlines there might be 1336 01:25:53,119 --> 01:25:56,199 a half dozen guys that they could be targeting. Now there's like two or 1337 01:25:56,239 --> 01:26:00,039 three that really would be like even average different. I guess if that's a 1338 01:26:00,119 --> 01:26:02,680 term. So got my eye on them. They're just kind of interesting because 1339 01:26:02,680 --> 01:26:11,680 of their situation. Yeah, I'm with you, they're interesting into Daryl Morey's 1340 01:26:11,720 --> 01:26:15,439 gonna do something even if it's not a big move. I like to say 1341 01:26:15,520 --> 01:26:18,840 he's like the tinkerer, right, He's always tinkering with the roster throughout the 1342 01:26:18,920 --> 01:26:21,520 year, and I think he'll do something even if it's a smaller move. 1343 01:26:21,920 --> 01:26:26,359 I just don't know that the big move comes. It Also wouln't surprise me 1344 01:26:26,399 --> 01:26:29,279 if a big move does come, because I think Daryl Mory may look at 1345 01:26:29,279 --> 01:26:33,159 it and say, hey, it's there's nothing we can do in the summer 1346 01:26:33,520 --> 01:26:38,279 that we can't do right now. And again we get the added benefit of 1347 01:26:38,840 --> 01:26:42,239 we'll get to see what a playoff run looks like with player X in here 1348 01:26:42,680 --> 01:26:45,319 in place. But is that guy Zach Levine? I don't think so. 1349 01:26:45,520 --> 01:26:50,199 They've seemed indicated. Isn't they indicated? It wasn't Pascal Siakam. I've heard 1350 01:26:50,239 --> 01:26:55,800 some people say they're dreaming of Paul George and maybe other guys that seems like, 1351 01:26:56,279 --> 01:26:59,159 Okay, we'll keep dreaming, because I don't think he's leaving the Clippers 1352 01:26:59,199 --> 01:27:02,479 after I extended with how well they're playing, so that becomes like where are 1353 01:27:02,479 --> 01:27:05,760 we going? Like like what is you know, the they're dream target? 1354 01:27:05,920 --> 01:27:11,199 Sure, like what is the real plan target? What's our realistic place we're 1355 01:27:11,279 --> 01:27:13,880 going to? And that's where I think, you know, maybe that sends 1356 01:27:13,920 --> 01:27:16,479 them down a slightly different path of maybe it's not one guy, maybe it's 1357 01:27:16,520 --> 01:27:19,880 like two three guys that make twenty million dollars a piece, and you're like, 1358 01:27:20,199 --> 01:27:23,760 hey, that's how we're gonna do this. We're we've got our two 1359 01:27:23,880 --> 01:27:28,239 Max guys with embat in MAXI moving forward at you, especially in the next 1360 01:27:28,319 --> 01:27:30,640 season, and we feel like the best way is to have a bunch of 1361 01:27:30,680 --> 01:27:34,880 guys that are on mid range contracts that can then be flipped somewhere else instead 1362 01:27:34,880 --> 01:27:39,039 of loading it up and go and getting that one other expensive guys. I 1363 01:27:39,159 --> 01:27:41,680 think some teams are starting to look at and say that is not the way 1364 01:27:41,720 --> 01:27:46,279 to build forward. My final team, I wanted to be like Detroit, 1365 01:27:46,520 --> 01:27:49,840 but I'm more terrified at what they could do than interested. I wanted to 1366 01:27:49,880 --> 01:27:55,399 be Chicago, but I don't trust them to actually do you actually tear it 1367 01:27:55,520 --> 01:27:58,520 down. They're just addicted to the sub middle. I want it to be 1368 01:27:58,600 --> 01:28:00,319 the Pelicans, but I feel like the move they need to make is just 1369 01:28:00,439 --> 01:28:03,319 too big for it to happen mid season for it to matter. So the 1370 01:28:03,359 --> 01:28:10,439 team I'm settling on is the Houston Rockets are a curiosity for me. They 1371 01:28:10,520 --> 01:28:13,439 have some contracts that are like many contracts that are easily to be moved, 1372 01:28:13,479 --> 01:28:15,399 but just looking at you know, the Jock Landale, the way that whole 1373 01:28:15,439 --> 01:28:19,199 deal is set up, and then they owe their pick to Oklahoma City this 1374 01:28:19,319 --> 01:28:24,680 year it's top four protected and like as of now, they'd be sending the 1375 01:28:24,800 --> 01:28:28,079 eighth pick, and so it's counterintuitive to say, well, this team should 1376 01:28:28,079 --> 01:28:30,359 be buying. But it's also like, because they're outside the plane right now. 1377 01:28:30,560 --> 01:28:33,560 But they have a top five defense, and there's some noise there because 1378 01:28:33,880 --> 01:28:36,880 they have the best opponent three point shooting, but they do a relatively good 1379 01:28:36,960 --> 01:28:41,640 job of limiting wide open jumpers. Like the defense feels there's noise there. 1380 01:28:41,680 --> 01:28:45,239 Maybe it's not top five, but they're a better defensive team, Like they're 1381 01:28:45,279 --> 01:28:47,279 way above average, and so you're looking at some of the teams in front 1382 01:28:47,279 --> 01:28:49,920 of them when it's Utah and you're you know, you're trying to fit. 1383 01:28:50,039 --> 01:28:54,560 You're looking at the Lakers feel like a house of cards and sometimes the magic 1384 01:28:54,880 --> 01:28:58,199 the Mavericks, excuse me, and the Suns are there. You have all 1385 01:28:58,239 --> 01:29:00,399 of these other future picks, not all of your own, but like you 1386 01:29:00,479 --> 01:29:02,159 have some of these nets picks. Could you do something like you could do 1387 01:29:02,479 --> 01:29:05,560 they could do anything? To be clear, like do you do something of 1388 01:29:05,920 --> 01:29:09,960 well, we need some offense, and I know people have mentioned ball handlers, 1389 01:29:10,000 --> 01:29:12,720 but even on the scale of like a boyan Boidanovitch, if the price 1390 01:29:12,840 --> 01:29:15,479 drops low enough for him, could come in give you some shooting, another 1391 01:29:15,560 --> 01:29:18,399 score that you can play it the three or the four, depending on the 1392 01:29:18,479 --> 01:29:23,560 defensive personnel you have. And like you have Fred van Fleet, you have 1393 01:29:23,720 --> 01:29:28,520 Dylan Brooks, you have Alprin Shang gunflirting with All star consideration right now that 1394 01:29:28,800 --> 01:29:31,760 on top of your pick amm into Okac. Is there any just underlying urgency 1395 01:29:31,840 --> 01:29:34,600 that we all kind of talked about it in the offseason and now it's just 1396 01:29:34,720 --> 01:29:38,960 kind of faded because all this other stuff is happening. But they're a team 1397 01:29:39,000 --> 01:29:43,560 that I feel like could be extremely active because they have the assets and internally 1398 01:29:43,640 --> 01:29:49,840 the motivation to do so. Yeah, I'm with you. I don't have 1399 01:29:49,920 --> 01:29:56,399 a great read on what they're looking to do, but I think they are 1400 01:29:57,159 --> 01:30:01,520 very focused on let's keep this moving forward. I thought it was reported recently. 1401 01:30:02,079 --> 01:30:06,560 Chris Haynes was the first one I heard reported that Robert Williams could be 1402 01:30:06,600 --> 01:30:10,720 in play for them. Now that's a future move, right, that does 1403 01:30:10,840 --> 01:30:14,479 nothing for the rest of this season, But that's the kind of smart move 1404 01:30:14,560 --> 01:30:17,439 where, hey, maybe we could get him cheap. Is we're ever gonna 1405 01:30:17,439 --> 01:30:21,680 get him right now, then we can benefit. And I think Imodoka better 1406 01:30:21,720 --> 01:30:27,039 than most knows this guy's probably best role is as a fifteen to twenty minute 1407 01:30:27,079 --> 01:30:30,720 a big, a night big off the bench. You start him and you 1408 01:30:30,800 --> 01:30:32,520 start playing them thirty minutes. He's just never gonna hold up. He's gonna 1409 01:30:32,520 --> 01:30:36,239 get injured. So if I can play a game man as a complete what 1410 01:30:36,399 --> 01:30:42,079 a talk about a change up to a fastball from Alpern Changoon, right, 1411 01:30:42,159 --> 01:30:45,359 couldn't be two more different bigs is Shangoon moves like he's you know, walking 1412 01:30:45,439 --> 01:30:50,319 in molasses. That's you know, hip deep and is super effective with what 1413 01:30:50,439 --> 01:30:54,359 he does. And then Williams comes in and it's like, now this dude's 1414 01:30:54,439 --> 01:30:58,159 jumping over my head right right, And that's and that's not a criticism on 1415 01:30:58,239 --> 01:31:01,560 Shangoon because Jokicha's move very fast and he's you'll, arguably the best player on 1416 01:31:01,640 --> 01:31:05,199 the planet. So Embid doesn't even move all that fast. And if you'll 1417 01:31:05,239 --> 01:31:09,920 kitches in its embiid Right. So we're we're in a spall where as long 1418 01:31:09,960 --> 01:31:12,840 as you you're effective, I don't really care. But it just when you 1419 01:31:12,960 --> 01:31:15,359 get throw a completely different look at a team that's huge. So think they 1420 01:31:15,439 --> 01:31:18,000 could do that, or they may look at it and say, hey, 1421 01:31:18,239 --> 01:31:23,720 why not us? What why can't we beat out Utah? Or maybe Utah 1422 01:31:23,800 --> 01:31:26,840 makes a move where it is hey, they're going kind of step back a 1423 01:31:26,880 --> 01:31:30,279 little bit. I think we're in a small where we could definitely see the 1424 01:31:30,399 --> 01:31:34,359 Rockets make a move. It's just it's like I've seen some people say, 1425 01:31:34,600 --> 01:31:40,479 should they trade Jalen Green and draft picks and go all in on Zach Levine. 1426 01:31:40,680 --> 01:31:45,199 That doesn't make sense to me, Not now, not today, Yeah, 1427 01:31:45,279 --> 01:31:48,760 exactly right, maybe in the summer, Like I would rather let's see 1428 01:31:48,800 --> 01:31:53,680 what else comes available. But if there's a small move or too that really 1429 01:31:53,720 --> 01:31:58,119 stabilizes the rest a way for this team, that that's great. But as 1430 01:31:58,159 --> 01:32:00,840 it stands right now, I think, just hey, we're playing competitive games. 1431 01:32:01,199 --> 01:32:04,000 We're in a position where it looks like we'll probably play competitive games all 1432 01:32:04,000 --> 01:32:09,039 the way through. That's enough. You took your step forward. What next 1433 01:32:09,039 --> 01:32:11,920 summer could be your add on move. But if the right moves there, 1434 01:32:11,960 --> 01:32:14,800 now, go ahead and make it now, because again you benefit and you 1435 01:32:14,880 --> 01:32:17,079 get the added benefit of all right, we see how it looked. It 1436 01:32:17,239 --> 01:32:19,880 maybe didn't look the way we wanted. We got to move something out, 1437 01:32:19,960 --> 01:32:24,960 so it doesn't look good with player X instead, So maybe that player becomes 1438 01:32:25,199 --> 01:32:29,319 available or something along those lines. I think the Rockets are really set up 1439 01:32:29,399 --> 01:32:31,640 nicely. They go a lot of different ways here at the trade deadline and 1440 01:32:31,760 --> 01:32:38,520 all the way into the summer, and just the presence of those Oladipos expiring 1441 01:32:39,159 --> 01:32:43,039 nine almost nine and a half million, Jock Landale's non guarantee for a little 1442 01:32:43,079 --> 01:32:45,399 less than that next year, and even Jeff Green nine million nine point six 1443 01:32:45,439 --> 01:32:48,359 this year of the club option next year, Like you're just you know, 1444 01:32:48,439 --> 01:32:53,279 you're twenty six twenty seven million dollars right there with from I mean, Green 1445 01:32:53,359 --> 01:32:55,880 is a little different than those two because he actually still plays a role there. 1446 01:32:55,920 --> 01:32:59,840 But you know that's money going to guys that you are just not you 1447 01:33:00,439 --> 01:33:03,119 and don't have any future intentions about that. You can you can make that 1448 01:33:03,199 --> 01:33:06,640 smaller or midtier move. You're talking about Keith without you know, going going 1449 01:33:06,720 --> 01:33:11,359 nuclear or talking about Jalen Green or anything else like even close to that. 1450 01:33:11,920 --> 01:33:15,760 Yeah, yeah, yeah, they You don't need to push everything in right 1451 01:33:15,800 --> 01:33:18,239 now. You're not there, You're you're nowhere near there, Like it's it's 1452 01:33:18,319 --> 01:33:24,159 a better place to just be smart, be cautious, like be You'll play 1453 01:33:24,199 --> 01:33:26,840 the long game a little bit here, you think, I think you've already 1454 01:33:26,880 --> 01:33:30,439 shown more than enough improvement that everybody feels good about this season. You don't 1455 01:33:30,439 --> 01:33:33,359 need to make them feel extra good bye. Hey, we were the ten 1456 01:33:33,479 --> 01:33:36,920 seed and the play and then lost like they you know that's I mean, 1457 01:33:36,960 --> 01:33:41,640 that's fine if that's where it ends for the Rockets, But you don't I 1458 01:33:41,640 --> 01:33:45,199 wouldn't be chasing that by saying, oh, we gotta go get you'll play 1459 01:33:45,199 --> 01:33:47,119 your X like now, if player X is yeah, we like him. 1460 01:33:47,600 --> 01:33:51,279 For the next three seasons, sure go, you know, make the move. 1461 01:33:51,399 --> 01:33:55,199 So yeah, I think that's a great place to be in honestly, 1462 01:33:55,239 --> 01:33:58,600 And it kind of goes back to your grant you mentioned related to the thunder 1463 01:33:59,399 --> 01:34:03,640 like this is kind of like my overall thought is as I've followed this and 1464 01:34:03,760 --> 01:34:08,680 followed the roster building stuff and talked to a lot of front office executives over 1465 01:34:08,760 --> 01:34:16,560 the years, they will say the hardest decision publicly is breaking up a formerly 1466 01:34:17,159 --> 01:34:21,439 special team to a city. So the example I gets used is when the 1467 01:34:21,520 --> 01:34:29,239 Celtics traded Paul Pierce Kevin Garnett away. It was telling the Celtics fans it's 1468 01:34:29,319 --> 01:34:32,960 over right, like it's done they but they all say privately, the hardest 1469 01:34:33,000 --> 01:34:38,000 decision is when do we go for it? Right? It is a young 1470 01:34:38,119 --> 01:34:41,199 team that's building up, when is the time to go all in? Because 1471 01:34:41,199 --> 01:34:45,000 if you do it too early, now you lost all your stuff to do 1472 01:34:45,119 --> 01:34:47,680 it later. And if you wait too long, maybe the windows already closed 1473 01:34:47,680 --> 01:34:54,479 on you before you even knew. So that is that becomes super fascinating to 1474 01:34:54,560 --> 01:34:58,479 watch because there are feels like seven or eight teams that are in that boat 1475 01:34:58,520 --> 01:35:02,520 of is now the right time? And it feels like for some of them, 1476 01:35:03,119 --> 01:35:06,439 that window is like now or this summer, and that's it. Like 1477 01:35:06,600 --> 01:35:11,159 then the window's gone and you don't have that ability. And that's something I'm 1478 01:35:11,359 --> 01:35:15,399 very, very curious to keep watching with those teams, what do they do 1479 01:35:16,079 --> 01:35:20,279 between now and I kind of it's almost like this is an extended trade window, 1480 01:35:20,760 --> 01:35:25,479 where really for me it is for some teams it is today, in 1481 01:35:25,600 --> 01:35:28,880 the next week and a half till the trade deadline, all the way through 1482 01:35:29,119 --> 01:35:31,720 till you know, next July. For a handful of these teams. There 1483 01:35:31,760 --> 01:35:34,079 are some teams it's it's now or never, right, you got to do 1484 01:35:34,199 --> 01:35:38,439 it, But it feels like, you know, for a lot of teams 1485 01:35:38,680 --> 01:35:41,079 it is, you know, when is the right time that you're looking to 1486 01:35:41,159 --> 01:35:45,680 make those moves. Keith, you gave us basically one hundred minutes of your 1487 01:35:45,760 --> 01:35:48,239 time. We are super appreciative of always and grateful that you came out and 1488 01:35:48,319 --> 01:35:51,279 spent so much time talking to us. We're able just to tell our listeners 1489 01:35:51,319 --> 01:35:54,880 where they can find you and all the fantastic work that you do. If 1490 01:35:54,880 --> 01:35:58,159 they're not following you already, Yeah, you can find my written workover on 1491 01:35:58,239 --> 01:36:00,680 spot track. A lot of stuff up about the trade deadline. We have 1492 01:36:01,279 --> 01:36:05,239 buyers and sellers up for both the Eastern Western Conference. I take a little 1493 01:36:05,239 --> 01:36:09,119 bit of a different approach. I put like where they are from what we 1494 01:36:09,359 --> 01:36:12,079 know, and then I put where I think they should be, like like 1495 01:36:12,199 --> 01:36:15,800 what their focus should be. Sometimes I'm in agreement, like teams are in 1496 01:36:15,880 --> 01:36:17,359 the right right frame of mind, and then there's other times I'm like, 1497 01:36:18,000 --> 01:36:21,359 I maybe think about it differently. We also have like a trade primer up 1498 01:36:21,359 --> 01:36:26,079 there, and then every time a trade goes down, sometime hopefully within a 1499 01:36:26,119 --> 01:36:29,720 couple hours, I'll have a written reaction. No matter if it's a small 1500 01:36:29,800 --> 01:36:32,800 salary dump for a top fifty five protected second round pick, or it is 1501 01:36:32,880 --> 01:36:38,119 a real, you know trade, you know, a blockbuster trade that came 1502 01:36:38,159 --> 01:36:41,199 out of nowhere and you know there's a lot to break down. I'm gonna 1503 01:36:41,199 --> 01:36:44,279 have a reaction up to every single one. And if you like this kind 1504 01:36:44,319 --> 01:36:47,119 of stuff, like really getting into the salary cap and roster stuff. NBA 1505 01:36:47,199 --> 01:36:51,800 Front Office Show with me and Trevor Lane Monday through Friday. We do the 1506 01:36:51,880 --> 01:36:56,159 show Monday through Thursday, will record, and then every Friday we do what 1507 01:36:56,239 --> 01:36:59,800 we call Front Office Friday, which is for our fans and we let them 1508 01:37:00,039 --> 01:37:02,680 submit questions and ask things in the chat and we have a lot of fun 1509 01:37:02,760 --> 01:37:06,920 with it. Sometimes it gets completely sideways and we end up talking about movies 1510 01:37:08,000 --> 01:37:13,159 and all this other stuff, but it's it's ostensibly ninety percent about basketball. 1511 01:37:13,319 --> 01:37:15,880 But we have a lot of fun on those Friday live shows, and I'll 1512 01:37:15,920 --> 01:37:19,479 pump it here. Trade deadline Day, we will be live probably for about 1513 01:37:19,479 --> 01:37:23,680 a four hour window, a couple hours ahead of the deadline till a couple 1514 01:37:23,760 --> 01:37:28,479 of hours after breaking down everything. Hopefully that happens that there's a lot going 1515 01:37:28,520 --> 01:37:31,000 on and we get a lot of stuff to get into our Our hope every 1516 01:37:31,079 --> 01:37:36,279 year is when the deadline kind of bell rings at three pm Eastern, that 1517 01:37:36,399 --> 01:37:41,399 it's followed like it was a one year by Woad tweeting oh lord, you 1518 01:37:41,479 --> 01:37:45,439 know after, because that means it was a pretty good trade deadline. I 1519 01:37:45,520 --> 01:37:48,439 would like to request Humbley that they do a better job of getting the pick 1520 01:37:48,479 --> 01:37:51,720 protections to us in these deals. I hate that on trade deadline day where 1521 01:37:51,760 --> 01:37:56,720 it's just so and so going to Charlotte for a first round pick in two 1522 01:37:56,800 --> 01:37:59,960 seconds and we have no idea what those picks are for like seven hours later, 1523 01:38:00,199 --> 01:38:03,479 Yeah, it comes out or the following like Friday, Zach Lowe tucks 1524 01:38:03,560 --> 01:38:06,079 it in a column somewhere He's like, oh, by the way, those 1525 01:38:06,119 --> 01:38:10,439 picks were this, like yeah, yeah, I'm I'm with you a pick 1526 01:38:11,000 --> 01:38:14,399 or even where it is like for me, I'm like, all right, 1527 01:38:14,479 --> 01:38:18,239 this trade is not legal like someone else has. It's a three for one. 1528 01:38:18,399 --> 01:38:21,439 Somebody has to be waved, like who's getting waved? Like, please 1529 01:38:21,479 --> 01:38:26,039 tell me because because otherwise, like I get super like stressed, because I'm 1530 01:38:26,039 --> 01:38:28,439 like, it's not gonna be right on the site. We're gonna have too 1531 01:38:28,439 --> 01:38:31,199 many guys on spot Track under the roster and people are gonna get upset with 1532 01:38:31,319 --> 01:38:34,319 us. And I'll pump one other thing if I can very quickly. Yeah, 1533 01:38:34,399 --> 01:38:38,760 but we launched our trade machine on spot Track. We even have any 1534 01:38:38,880 --> 01:38:42,840 trade machine that is up now. We think it is the most accurate and 1535 01:38:42,960 --> 01:38:47,119 most extensive trade machine that's out there. I can assure you the rosters one 1536 01:38:47,199 --> 01:38:50,399 are accurate. You're not gonna find a guy who's not on the team anymore 1537 01:38:50,439 --> 01:38:54,720 on any of the rosters. And the salaries are accurate too. I know 1538 01:38:54,840 --> 01:38:59,319 that's missing components. I'll just say of a couple other options that are out 1539 01:38:59,359 --> 01:39:02,079 there that people like to use. I've had a lot of people screenshot me 1540 01:39:02,159 --> 01:39:04,840 and send me examples of hey, this is wrong, and I'm like, 1541 01:39:05,079 --> 01:39:10,319 that's great, but that that's not our trade machine. I can't fix that. 1542 01:39:11,079 --> 01:39:13,359 So now we do have our own trade machine. So now I just 1543 01:39:13,439 --> 01:39:15,600 reply with the link to ours, and I'm like, here, you use 1544 01:39:15,640 --> 01:39:18,279 this one instead. We're working through the draft pick logic on trades, but 1545 01:39:18,560 --> 01:39:20,920 we kind of wanted to get it out there so people could play with it, 1546 01:39:21,279 --> 01:39:24,399 give us a bunch of feedback, and then we'll launch. The other 1547 01:39:24,479 --> 01:39:28,279 thing that I know we have that nobody else has is you can toggle the 1548 01:39:28,359 --> 01:39:31,000 restrictions on and off, so you can do no trade restrictions on. You 1549 01:39:31,039 --> 01:39:34,840 can do trade deadline mode, so it's trade like where it'd be. This 1550 01:39:35,039 --> 01:39:39,800 is what it would be on trade deadline day there and then that'll be really 1551 01:39:39,840 --> 01:39:42,680 helpful in the off season. I think for people if it's like, man, 1552 01:39:42,720 --> 01:39:45,439 I want to trade this guy to see what it looks like when we 1553 01:39:45,520 --> 01:39:48,079 flip to next year's salaries, you'll be able to shut the restrictions off and 1554 01:39:48,760 --> 01:39:53,439 make a trade. If it's like his trade restriction lifts on July fifteenth, 1555 01:39:53,920 --> 01:39:56,520 you know of next year, like you can shut those off and go. 1556 01:39:56,720 --> 01:39:59,760 So we're really excited. That's out there and it's right on the home page. 1557 01:40:00,079 --> 01:40:01,960 You just go to spot track dot com. You'll find it and you'll 1558 01:40:02,479 --> 01:40:05,279 enjoy it, play with it and send feedback because we know there's things that 1559 01:40:05,399 --> 01:40:09,560 can be improved. I'll link to it in the podcast and YouTube description and 1560 01:40:09,720 --> 01:40:12,000 you were kind enough I got to play around with it before you guys put 1561 01:40:12,039 --> 01:40:14,760 it live, so it's it's it's great. It's the best one out there, 1562 01:40:14,840 --> 01:40:17,000 So go go check it out. Grant, are you ready to take 1563 01:40:17,079 --> 01:40:20,000 us out of here? Sure? Yeah, First and foremost thanks to Keith 1564 01:40:20,039 --> 01:40:23,159 for coming on with us. I know this is this is the time of 1565 01:40:23,239 --> 01:40:26,119 year where time is precious for you and for everybody that's in this business. 1566 01:40:26,159 --> 01:40:30,840 So extra thanks for that. Everyone followed at Keith Smith NBA. Check out 1567 01:40:30,880 --> 01:40:34,359 spot track. I personally will be using spat track every single day for well, 1568 01:40:34,560 --> 01:40:39,159 I do it all year, but especially the next what is it nine 1569 01:40:39,239 --> 01:40:44,479 days? Ten days? It is an invaluable resource. You must be familiar 1570 01:40:44,560 --> 01:40:46,760 with it if you want to know about the salary cap and follow the league 1571 01:40:46,880 --> 01:40:51,720 correctly, and make sure that you don't try to trade uh you know Mobamba 1572 01:40:51,840 --> 01:40:56,680 from the Magic for zach lavine because some other places still have him on the 1573 01:40:56,800 --> 01:41:00,319 roster. Uh so, and might let you do that even though the salaries 1574 01:41:00,359 --> 01:41:02,800 are different. Follow Keith, follow us. All the socials are up on 1575 01:41:02,880 --> 01:41:06,520 the screen, rate review, subscribe, thumbs up everywhere. Tell your friends, 1576 01:41:06,520 --> 01:41:10,359 Tell your enemies. We'll close this podcast as we close all of them 1577 01:41:10,399 --> 01:41:13,319 by thanking Keith again, by giving a shout out to Frank Mila Kina, 1578 01:41:13,439 --> 01:41:14,800 and by apologizing for charity