What is going on? Clippers fans, Welcome to another live edition of Clips
and Dip. We've been doing a whole mess of these lately because there's been
a lot of Summer League, and now we actually have some Clippers news.
Russell Westbrook has been traded from the LA Clippers. They're sending Russ and a
second round pick swap and cash to the Utah Jazz and a sign and trade
deal for Chris Dunn. Which this has been what I don't know, long
professed law. You know, it's been seen from a mile away. It
feels like there's been so many allusions to this. Uh, but that's what
happens. You know, Chris Dunn is going to slot in probably as the
second Okay, the first couple of people in the chat are very excited,
which is good. Also forgive me, I'm gonna be eating a bagel sandwich
at some point because I'm starving. We're just gonna do a quick one.
Adam Ollison's gonna pop in, ay, speak of the devil. There he
is, Adam Osland joining, WHOA not the view we need? Adam Osland
joining seemingly in his funeral. Oh I thought you were wearing all black person.
What's up, buddy, I wouldn't do that to Russ. Stop like
that some of his stands. Yeah, they're hurting today and obviously the amount
of incoming that we have taken last year over Russell Westbrook with just pointing out
the obvious that James Harden is a much better player, especially at this point.
Uh. I'm happy that he's gonna get an opportunity I guess to go
to the Denver Nuggets. That's what the buyout is going to be. He's
not playing in Utah. Second time he's been traded as Utah. They bought
him out two times now. That's so has that happened as a as a
person, ever been traded to a team, bought out, traded, and
then traded and bought out in like the two year span, Not that I
can remember. Russ not as historic as all the triple doubles, but this
is something for him. I'm excited about Chris Dunn. I'm not the fan
that Doctor shapp is, but I am. I mean, I'm not either,
but the advanced stats love Chris Dunn and he plays good defense, so
he is one of the elite perimeter defenders on ball defenders point of attack defenders
in the league that we've seen over the last you know, decade or so,
he has been really good in that area. He's not great offensively,
so he doesn't get the minutes, but in fifteen to twenty minutes per night
as a backup guard for your team, that is definitely helpful to this Clippers
team that we've talked about. They're revamping in a way where you can see
and it's not like we didn't see this coming. The reports have been out
there for a bit, and there was a snag with the Chris duntrade.
Apparently it was Utah Jazzagreen and Russell Westbrook. But we've been talking about a
more defensive oriented Clippers group this year and that seems to be where they're heading
with bringing back b toom Derek Jones junior. Again. Guys, the last
seventy games of last season, the Clippers were twenty first defensively, so bottom
nine defensive team for seventy games of last season. That's not good enough.
So we do expect them to take a step back offensively, but defensively,
if they can get around being a top ten defense this year, and if
they could stay within being a top twelve offense, they'll still be very competitive.
Yeah, I mean, and especially like this. The Chris Dunn defensive
stuff really lines up with what the quotes we've seen. I think Law got
him from from Derek Jones Junior about how he's like, I'm here to guard
the best player every night. It's exactly what I want to do. We're
building these guys around Kawhi Leonard, who's going to have those short spurts of
very good defense to help him not have to do that the whole game.
So I'm really excited for the defensive angle. We're gonna talk more about Summer
League on tomorrow's pod. But Jordan Miller's doing some things that are making me
think he's going to be lower on the rotation in a good way. But
I don't know. I hope the rest era was up and down for the
Clippers usually is I mean innately in erratic player with very volatile play, and
I wasn't saying it jokingly recently, but he's become almost we'll see what happens
endeavor, but a zero level score. He's not getting stuff to go at
the rim anymore. I do suspect that a lot of that is just mangled
hands. Over the years, he's lost his touch there and he was never
great because he goes so fast downhill. But it's just something where if you're
not scoring from the outside, if you're not getting it to go at the
rim, if you're struggling in the mid range, love Russ, love the
energy, but eight for forty two the last five games of that series against
the Dallas Mavericks. He was certainly a liability on offense, even though defensively,
especially in the Phoenix series, he had his moments as a Clipper,
no doubt. Absolutely. The non existent take foul that should have been a
take foul could have changed some things for sure. The vibe you know on
court that there was always a pop from the crowd when Russ checked in,
which was needed on some nights. We can't pretend like the Clippers team was
full of energy twenty four to seven, but hoping for the best in Denver
unless they're playing the Clippers. But you know, I mean, I think
it's worth mentioning this is someone that Paul George campaigned to be on the Clippers
to bring him in after Lawrence Frank came out after the trade deadline, said
this is the type of guard we were looking for. None of the criteria
match to Russell Westbrook is. And then Paul George came out and said,
basically, go get Russell Westbrook. He can help this team. Well,
Paul George is no longer on the Clippers, so maybe you know that friendship
there, that connection between those two. When Paul George was gone, Russell
Westbrook might have wont out even more looking for a bigger rule. So you
know, it's just it's a new phase of Clippers basketball they're entering right now.
It's gonna be a good time. Yeah, it's And again this move
is so funny. It's like that scene in Austin Powers with the steamroller,
Like that's what this move has felt like, where it's just like it there,
it's gonna be here, We're gonna get. But now begs the question
we have so many guards. Someone was asking about Tyas Jones in the chat,
like are we based on what Lawrence Frank said, it doesn't sound like
bones Hyland has much of a future on this team, which is you know,
disappointing for you know, for the skeleton keyholders. So something else has
to be coming or they're just waiting for the deadline, and we're gonna see
a bunch of weird rotations which might go into play. My brother in law
just texted me all capital letters jazz. He does not like Russell Westbrook either.
Yeah, I am preparing myself for Bones Highland to be moved. It
sounds like like with PJ. Tucker and with Russell Westbrook when Lawrence was talking
about those three players, they were looking for a better landing spot for them
if the playing time's not going to be there. With the Clippers, we
knew it wasn't gonna be there, or at least the fit wasn't there with
Russ anymore. We know it's not really there with PJ. Tucker, even
though he started Game six in a must win situation. Uh, Bones Highland
with Chris Dune on, this team was still having Norman Powell, was still
having Terrence Man borderline, he's more comfortable at the two than like a wing.
Usually if tis Jones. And by the way, that is not something
from Haynes or Sham Sharania or Adrian Wojarowski. That was a reporter for what
hoops Hype who's commenting about the ty Jones. Yes, so it's not you
know you're getting Yeah, you're getting warmer. I like that. Yeah,
it's not exactly made its way up to the most credible reporters. No offense
to this guy, but when they say something, it's almost written in stone
that you're good to go. For the most part, we'll see. I
talked about him a little bit when I was doing the live on Sunday after
the Clipper second Summer League game, and I love Tias Jones, but you
mentioned the lol jam there at the guard position right now for a team that
I do think within the front office structurally they want to get back to having
more wings, if anything, not so many guards out there. They've done
a little bit of consolidation with the guards over the years with no more John
Wall, no more Reggie Jackson, no more Luke Nard, but they still
have a few. Now. Maybe you could make the argument, okay,
bones could work playing next to Chris Done, because Chris done so much better
defensively. But then you throw a Norms to that mix, it doesn't seem
like that is a second unit unit that is built for success, and you'd
be running into three guard situations all the time, or at least one guy
just not playing, which is the situation they're trying to get away from right
now with Bones Highlands, who was obviously unhappy with that. And also it's
opening up a spot if you're able to move one of these guys for somebody
like Jordan Miller, who is thriving, who is arguably the best player right
now in Summer League him or Kobe Brown or one of these other guys.
One of these young guys needs minutes this season. It's yeah, I don't
We're getting smaller, right like we added dj we added Derek Jones. You're
like, oh great, we're kind of getting some sized up and now we
just have all these guards, so we are effectively a small team right now.
And I don't want Olive Garden again. I don't want to go back
to Olive Garden ever, especially at the moment it looks like Kawhi is stu
guarding up at the fore position is where he's going to be starting, just
like last season. What does that mean for wear and tear on the knee.
I don't know. It didn't seem like that was necessarily the reason it
happened last year at the very end of the season, after he played almost
seventy games that it was having him at the four. I don't think it's
ideal, but oh they just don't have that option yet. So are they
still looking for four breaking news from law Murray. We've been breaking some really
solid tweets here Chris Done basically out or Tias Jones basically out. For those
who believe things that made no sense. Let me also confirm that the Clippers
were never in on Tias Jones, and this transaction finally closing for Chris Dunn
ends all of that. So shout out law Murray for providing that information which
helps us. I'm gonna go ahead and update our outline for somebody else.
See bows Hyland on that depth chart there. I don't see PJ. Tucker
either, so that I mean that in this literally what we were just saying,
this makes sense. Tias Jones is very good. This isn't a knock
on Tias Jones. But that would be to put it in norcow speak,
hella guards to have on the team if they also traded for Tyas Jones.
Well maybe it's also I mean, people were talking about giving up PJ.
Tucker and norm or Man for him. Maybe it's just I think he's a
free agent, but if he wants to go to a certain destination, it
would likely be in a sign in the trade via the Washington Wizards would be
helping him out. I know Michael Winger works there now as the president of
basketball Operations, who has helped him over the past couple of seasons before this
last one. I don't know if he's helping out the Clippers so much that
he's just making PJ. Tucker to get rid of Tyas Shones, who also
could be making so much more money. It could put the Clippers into the
luxury tax. It may just be unrealistic. Yeah, and the tax thing,
so the deal for done is supposedly three years. For seventeen million dollars,
signing trade deals have to be three years. It's something that I learned
from Lucas Hahn or hand from the internet. So that's interesting. And I
believe we're still we're over the luxury tax, but under that first apron still,
I think just by a little bit. Uh, they're definitely under the
first apron because they have to be. They're hard capped after using the non
taxpayer mid level. Except how far into the luxury tax is a bit of
a question. I guess because they were slightly under at least before today.
How much of a difference does that make Because Russ was on the books for
about five million and Chris Dunn three years seventeen is just under six million per
year, they might still be under the luxury tax and not in repeater status.
Yeah, or there might be a way at least very a very easy
path to get there with another move, Yeah, for sure, which we
have to imagine is shedding salary. I don't know if they're gonna wave and
stretch PJ because that contract that's you know, that's three million and three and
a half million bucks on the books for the next three years. But that
contract could be useful. Again, I think they're setting up for the deadline.
I'm not saying they're gonna be sellers or anything like that, but they're
trying to find some kind of formidable cast around the Mac Player after this year.
So I think the deadline might be busy for the clips with what we
have contract wise, because it's not like there's championship aspirations don't come for me.
But I don't think, you know, that's going to keep them from
making moves or anything. Like that. I think a lot is going to
be determined with the health of Kawhi Leonard, availability of James Harden now at
thirty five, how much they click in defensively, how much they're getting a
visa Zoo Boss and Terrence Man, you know, more involved offensively, and
that could determine whether or not they're buyers or sellers in the trade deadline?
Maybe yeah, was it. I'm trying to find law posted like something about
Terrence's touches needing to go up this season, which I agree with, right
like we want him and Zoo Lawrence. Frank kind of mentioned, you know,
the Zoo and Terrence extensions coming up. But Man's gonna have to show
what he can do, and he's gonna have to get more touches. He's
gonna have to show what he can do when he gets him. I have
faith in Terrence Man. I don't think it's going to be superstar Max level,
but I have faith that he can be a very good guy who's going
to deserve the nineteen to twenty four million a year or whatever that the Clippers
are going to think about giving him. But him and Zoo like they have
a real opportunity to show what they can do coming up this season, and
I really hope they can do it for the Clipper's sake. Yeah, I
don't think it's out of the question or unrealistic to see Terrence Man average twelve
to fourteen points per game in a larger role on offense where he's a little
bit more utilized a Vita Zubas. I think that he should be averaging fifteen
per game this season. I really think he needs to be a focal point
if you're going to have success. I don't see a path there without getting
Zubas much more involved in the offensive bed. Yeah, and he's shown the
efficiency. It's not like he needs like a ton of touches, right.
This isn't a guy who is an inefficient post scorer or even inefficient at the
free throw line like the Zoo could be. I don't know. I think
Zoo could be at the twenty and ten level next year if Harden is going
into more of a field general type role. I think twenty and ten that
is peak, is what I'm saying. I'm not saying like let's expect it,
but I think I'm all for they do it right, And I think
Terrence all I've wanted from Terrence is though, just chunky stat lines sixteen seven
six, stuff like that. Again, not easy. I'm not pretending like
that's an easy thing, but that there's room for that with how this Clippers,
I mean, the offense is gonna be rough, the defense is gonna
be there. They're gonna reward each other after making good defensive plays on offense,
hopefully in transition now that we have DJJ able to run that too.
So there's just ways to get these guys maximized in their role for what the
Clippers could be after this season. Well, and Terrence, you know,
he's been such a good development player and it's showed so much progress through absorbing
some of the powers you could say, of guys around him, like Rogue,
playing next to some of the guys he's been with. So maybe when
you talk about those meaty full stat lines, maybe he's gonna take something from
Russell Westbrook. Maybe he can be a much better playmaker, rebounder, all
around player on the offensive end, because he's always been really good at just
being a sponge for this Clippers team and learning that way next to you know,
Hall of Fame veterans. Yeah, and now that he has a defined
role, hopefully, because he flourished in a defined role. That's been a
thing that Terrence has been, like one of those old medieval machines where they
just stretch people out. Terrence has been in that with his position on this
team since he got here. So I'm hoping for the best I can see
it. We got a question Sanina Shiks asking, uh, if we're gonna
talk about Lawrence Franks Presser, We're gonna talk about it. We're doing a
standalone episode tomorrow, so we're gonna all three talk about Lawrence Franks Presser and
the Lavigne stuff and stuff like that, and as well as the I would
say, wildly successful Clipper summer league run up to this point. I know
we're going to talk about that tomorrow, but this summer league has gone as
well as it possibly could have. I think if you wanted to see development
from two guys who can actually get rotation minutes, they have been right like,
unusually connected and well organized this Clippers summer league team. If you watch
your summer league, the Clippers look extremely competent and professional relative to summer league
with how well they're playing and developing. Really a defensive identity in Summer League
already, they're able to clamp down on teams every game. They just you
know, the vice scriptus a little bit tighters. The game goes along and
teams aren't able to score on them when they ramp up their defensive identity and
intensity. I should say yeah, and I mean credit to Dante Jones.
I mean, there's a very teams can take such weird routes for summer League.
Remember when the Blazers a couple of years ago had like Michael Beasley and
like the oldest Summer League team like of all time. It was just like,
what are you guys doing? What is this for? So it's nice
to see the Clippers in a rare move. And this isn't a knock on
the Clippers. It's just hard to do in summer league have a competent Summer
league team that has somehow an identity when you think about what summer League is,
which is guys aren't even on a sign for a team playing for a
Summer league team. That's such a weird about to be in. Do you
show out, do you do things for the team? Like it's so yeah?
Credit to Dante Jones. Credit to the whole staff, and you can
downplay it and diminish it. It's Summer League, but hey, if you're
gonna be there, you might as well play well. You might as well
play to win. You might as well try to take home the Summer League
trophy. These guys, it's a big deal to them because they're not gonna
have a chance right now at the NBA level to play for something, to
play for hardware like this. I mean, the excitement level from Clipper Nation
has been I think, I don't know, vindicated, or at least it's
it's been warranted because how well Jordan Miller has played, because of how Kobe
Okay didn't play that great the first game. The last couple of games,
he's really come around. Mussi Diabate last game was very good. For the
love of ray J Dennis has been very solid. For that man in that
shot vomiting it from distance all there. The Christy shot form, don't look
up his stats, those don't matter right now because he's eighteen. That shot
form is some good stuff. I'm hoping we get. I hope when he
makes like I mean, obviously, I hope he makes as many threes as
he takes but three threes from Cam Christy to close out before we get to
this point. Differential tournament or whatever the hell they're doing, would feel good
tonight. Yeah. I think he was only three for ten last game,
but you can see it. We talked about it when Lucas Hand was here
right after the draft. Cam Christy shot to me reminded me of Michael Porter
Junior immediately, the elevation, the high point, release point. But now
I'm thinking because of his size and just other similarities in form, it's kind
of in between Michael Porter Junior and Devin Booker. To me, that Cam
Christie shot wi, Yes, doesn't mean he's gonna be able to do it
off the bows. Does he's be as good as any of these players.
It does mean he he has an NBA level skill right now. Doesn't mean
he's gonna be playing. He has to do all the other things right that
shot. Yeah, he's got to do one thing that every Clippers draft pick
has to do. Of course, grow He has to grow a little bit.
He's got to put on some weight. He's looked more confident defensively too.
He's not you know, he's not stopping anything, but he looks.
You look at that first game where it was like, obviously they're going to
target the eighteen year old who you know that that makes sense, But he
just looks more each game he's like a little more willing to take on the
challenge. He's not winning every single battle, but he's not afraid to go
into it, which I think is such a key thing for someone so young
on a team in a weird place. No, even in the game against
Brooklyn on Sunday, I posted a few different clips of him defensively where he
either got deflection or got the steal and was hanging right with his man who
could not be shook. Like. It was low key impressive from him.
I know he's why are we strong? I guess he doesn't. He hasn't
filled out yet. He's too young. He's just about Yeah, for the
wires, you can look at some of the defensive mechanics or instincts there.
At least, even though the body hasn't matched up with it yet, it's
been good enough at times to really throw guys off. Who he is guarding
in the summer League. Yeah, and he's in We talked about Terrence Mann
being a sponge if there's any great place for an eight for a very young
draft pick to be a sponge. It's around the Slippers team, exciting,
it's a good summer league. I am being called back into work, so
I think I have to go. Adam, thank you for popping in.
I'm glad we did this. We'll talk to everybody tomorrow. Yes, we're
gonna be rob a standalone episode tomorrow. Thanks for hanging out. And a
reminder, really quick, we're not paying Elon Musk eight dollars a month to
verify our Twitter account, so thank you for watching on YouTube. We can't
stream on Twitter anymore unless we pay Twitter eight dollars a month to stream via
restream. I don't want to do that because I don't want to give you
one Moskate dollars doesn't help our bottom line. No, it's his business.
It's his business. We'll be back with you all tomorrow. I don't know
if there's gonna be an Uncle Oslin's Summer League live tonight, but maybe I
don't know. Probably not. I can't. I'm gonna be out and about.
I'm gonna be busy. But oh yeah, we're all watching him.
But yeah, we'll hang out with y'all tomorrow night, have a great rest
of your day. And here's the cam Christie hitting ten threes tonight