What is krack alacking hardwknocks listeners. I am Dan Valley coming at you without
my fantabulous pilmost a promo this time, not even supposed to be having a
podcast at the moment we were are we were supposed to, and they're still
going to come at you Thursday night in the Friday morning with our trade deadline
winners and losers. But so much stuff happened Monday into Tuesday and on Sunday,
I thought it made sense to sort of get to all of those moves.
Already talked about the carasel Our trade and Norman Palle trades, and we're
talking about the King's Pacers trade and also the Blazers Pelicans trade specifically before we
We'll also have a trademail back too as I step on over what I say,
and I'll be doing these off the cuffs. Since this was on planned,
I've not done a ton of research for most of these. There was
one that I thought about a lot, which was very thought provoking questions when
I saw it, so I gave it some prethought, some prep before this,
but this will mostly just be stream of conscious thoughts, aside from I've
actually written about the moves that happened on Tuesday, So if you want to
go check those out there, please report dot com or my Twitter profile at
damp Valley at avalle But I'll get into a lot of those thoughts here before
we really get started and dig into this. Please please pretty please with sugars
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the way I'm gonna break this down is, we have a lot of overarching
questions about these trades specifically, so as I tackled them in kind, I'm
gonna try and get to any questions that pertained to them, and so I'll
scroll through. I think we actually just had the most about the King's Pacers
trade. But let's start with the first trade that happened, and it was
the Pelicans acquiring CJ. McCollum from the Blazers, who continue to tear their
roster down. The rumor is that they're not really rebuilding. They intend to
reload around Damian Lillard. That'll be part of the calculus. Let's get to
the details very quickly. The Blazers are sending CJ. McCollum, Larry Nance
Junior, and Tony Snell to the New Orleans Pelicans for Josh hart Nikkil,
Alexander Walker, Thomas Sadaranski, D. D. Lozada, twenty twenty two
first round pick and two second rounders. The first rounder that New Orleans is
sending to Portland is will only convey if it lands between numbers five and fourteen.
That pick was originally lottery protected oh de Charlotte. They reworked the protections
on it, so now if it lands five to fourteen, it will go
to Portland. However, if it doesn't, if it lands one, two,
three, four, or if it lands fifteen through thirty, it will
not go to Portland. And it's been phrased as that first round commitment will
still be a first round commitment and it kicks in to the future. I've
yet to see the pick details on this, and I was going through it.
This is, you know, four am on Wednesday morning at this point,
and I haven't seen anything. If I missed it, you can get
at me. But the Pelicans have a treasure trove of picks here, so
they can offer a lot of different things to Portland. Let's start with so
that I can timestamp this properly. Let's start with the Pelican side of this.
I think there are negative connotations when you see a team that's not a
contender give up a first round and I just don't feel that way here.
I was listening to and this wasn't actually the basis of what I wrote when
I gave the Pelicans some favorable thoughts. I was listening to the in The
No Podcast, another Blue Ire podcast hosted by Schmittdwan Mason Ginsburg. Check it
out if you were interested in hearing more about the Pelicans, and they noted
that people killed the Pelicans for prioritizing cap space and then missing out on Kyle
Lowry this past summer as an example. And so now the Pelicans go out
and just get a guy in CJ. McCollum who addresses a need and people
are worried about the luxury tax implications because they have inside of six million dollars
of room now below the luxury tax inside of eight million I think next year
if the sheet I have is correct, And so that's just like a big
deal because the Pelicans aren't gonna win a championship in one of the next two
seasons. I don't care. I understand that TJ. McCollum is expensive two
years and based at least seventy million dollars left on his deal, but he
addresses a big need for the Pelicans, who have quietly their their defense has
outperformed their offense this season. A large part of that is Zion Williamson being
out. An even bigger part of that is the fact that their backcourt rotation
has been banged up and buying large just absolute shit. They are twenty eight
their guards and combined three point percentage, and no backcourt is less efficient when
it comes to off the dribble jumpers this season. Those numbers are per NBA
dot Com And so, yeah, CJ is gonna come in. I don't
know if he helps a defense that's been roughly league average for more for over
their past thirty games. At least when you look at the numbers. They
still struggle to get stops in the half court. That's been a little bit
better since the new year. CJ's not going to help you control the glass.
He's not going to help you. You know, he's going to be
a risk if you're getting screen. He's not going to help you prevent ponents
from getting out in transition. But you know, and Josh Hart, you
know, let's not lose sight of them giving him up here. He wasn't
important to how the pell Plans were defending in the way that they were defending.
I just can't bring myself to care because the offense was the bigger need
right now, and this CJ McComb contract one they still have wiggle room under
the tax, and two he comes off the books when Zion Williams's next deal
is going to kick in. And so I'm not going to get into the
logistics of all will Zion even be there. I'll just believe it if he
wants out when I see it, because we've just never seen someone walk away
from the type of money from which he would have to walk away in essence,
so and just the injury this season to his foot and not having played,
not knowing if he's going to play, it doesn't really have a ton
of leverage to just be like, yeah, I'm gonna let this ride.
I'll play out on my qualifying offer and then enter unrestricted free agency. I
just doubt that happens. And also, if that is something the Pelicans are
worried about, you make a trade like this to try to maximize what's going
on around him. I think McCollum is going to be a good fit next
to Zion. He's played off the ball a ton in Portland his whole career.
Next to Dame, he is shooting better than thirty six point five percent
on off the dribble threes over each of the past two seasons. He's been
amid range Maestro. I don't concern myself with the way he's going to age
as much. I guess as others. He's a bucket getter, for one,
but thirty years is not necessarily ancient. And we're talking about a guy
who doesn't necessarily have to adjust his game as he ages, because it's not
pride and on explosion or playing above the rim. It's basically just the opposite.
It's smoothness, fluidity, craft. So he gives the Pelican some of
that. Those in between shops he can work is sort of a secondary setup
man. He's improved with that over the years. I don't know if you
necessarily want him running units on your own. I think it depends on the
defensive personnel that you're going to have around him here. As the guys on
the Indo podcast did point out, there could be some overlap with brandon Ingram
Offensively, that was just not give a ton of consideration too. When I
was thinking about this trade in the moment, I just ultimately think, especially
with Zion out for now, his experience, CJ's playing in Portland next to
Damian Lillard, but also having Anthony Simons there, seeing some of the guard
rotations that they ran out. I don't. I just don't think he's gonna
have an issue fitting in here, and he fills this this huge need.
And I ended up liking this deal for the Pelicans because they didn't give up
a prime time asset. I was a huge n kill Alexander Walker fan.
But he's just like chaotically erratic at this point. And unless he's gonna learn
to be more of a complimentary player who doesn't need the ball in his hands,
they've gotten a player who can now do that in CJ. Josh Hart
is a loss to be sure, and he was on a friendly contract,
a non guaranteed salary for next season before a player option the following season after
that. One of the weirdest deals, by the way that I could remember.
Well, there's only one season guaranteed, but the second is team control,
in the third is a player option. Interesting structure there. I was
surprised that he didn't get like multi year guaranteed money worth more than that on
the market this past summer. Neither here nor there. He's not a player
that necessarily quibble about losing, and he's all he's He's one of those guys
where you think in theory he is shooting better from three point range than he
actually is without fail every single season, and so there's a real upgrade here.
And unless I find out that the pick that Portland gave up is like
I don't even like an unprotected pick next season, just like there's I'm not
going to be able to hate this deal. In fact, I like it.
I know people have mentioned that maybe they'll reroute Larry Nance junior given that
Jackson Hayes has played a lot better. They have you on his sound junis
and then Zion Williamson long term. I just I wrote about this, the
front line lineup packages they can now roll out there. I love them,
and I would keep Larry NaNs junior and alleged me is someone will give you
a first round pick for him, or blow you away with an offer that
continues to upgrade your back quarter deep in your your wing rotation, then maybe
consider it. But I don't have a problem with them just keeping Larry NaN's
junior. He's been banged up again, as he's want to be, as
he tends to be. You could also try moving him over the off season
or in the next season when Zion comes back. You have a better feel
for what this team is. There's still another year at sub ten million dollars
at sub mid level money at this point on his contract, and so that
was another huge part of this is this is not a throwaway player. The
Blazers gave up a first round pick to get Larry Nashtnor over the summer,
a trade again that I liked for them, because there's gonna be some criticism
or at least confusion with the Blazers coming up, and so I just don't
I don't understand what the actual problem is with this deal. The opportunity cost
wasn't too high. Yes, they're paying CJ. But like your books,
just become flexible again and in two years there are extensions that can happen in
things. But we're talking about the first year of Zion williams Is next deal,
which also just happens to be the final season of Brandon Ingram's. Excuse
me, CJ McCullum is excuse me, I'm miss speaking. She mculloms off
the books the year after Zion Williams's deal kicks in, and the year after
with two years left on brand Ingram's contract. So just to clarify, some
someing through that. McCollum the final year of his contract will also be the
first of Zion's big deal, So you do have a year where you could
be incredibly expensive, but there's wiggle room to deal with next season. And
look, you worry just about that when the time comes. You have DeVante
Graham the year that we're talking about twenty twenty three twenty twenty four, again
that projects to be the first year of Zion's next deal. You have DeVante
Graham at twelve point one million, Valentcutist fifteen point four, brandon Ingram at
thirty three point eight, and CJ. McCollum at thirty five point eight.
The McCollum one is egregious. The brandon Ingram one is very high on Zion
on a max. Presumably none of those deals are removable. McCollum will be
in his age thirty two season, but unless he sucks as an expiring contract,
you could still probably break him up in your smaller ones, or there
are something you can do there. Brand Ingram is going to be young enough
to where, if he's continuing to play it at this level, you're gonna
be able to move him when he has two years left on his deal,
including that one and then Valancunis and DeVante Graham. That's technically the final year
of Graham's deal. There's a non guarantee in his fourth year. Those are
both expiring contracts that you can move there. Well. Jonas will definitely be
a quality player. Graham shot making his suffered. I'm interested to see if
he's maybe the person who benefits a lot from CJ being here just to sort
of clean up his shot quality. I also don't know why you would play
those two together that often, certainly starting them for now, but just if
you have the option, I would probably want DeVante Graham leaving the second unit.
You could use it as CJ. Which he's just making so much money.
That doesn't really track with me. And that will be even concern is
how do they sort of defend like this? They don't have a ton of
great options. Herb Jones is an absolute monster, and is it might be
candidate. I'm not talking about just like rookie an all rookie team. He
might be just an all defensive candidate period. Again, I haven't gone through
that yet though, And you still do have Trey Murphy on this roster,
who gives you some positional malluability. It's not outside the realm of possibility where
if you actually start playing him heavy minutes, yeah, he can log some
time for you at the two. And so they'd have a lot of options
here, And I don't think they tethered themselves to anything too restrictive. Just
to be honest with you, if you have a problem with them with the
opportunity costs here, I honestly don't know what to tell you. Cashpas isn't
gonna mean as much in a market like New Orleans. We just saw it
this past summer and they went out. They got a higher quality player who's
been a proven performer through a lot of postseason games. If he's healthy.
The Pelicans who project to make to play in at this point when you kind
of look at how the rest of the Western Conference is settled below them,
they might be able to cause some problems. I mean, just an offense,
what if we get to see a lineup of McCullum, Ingram, Valan
Tunis and Zion Williamson and then I'd rather see Herb Jones in there. But
like if DeVante Graham's on the court for those minutes, like that lineup is
going to be absolutely bonkers when it comes to scoring. Good luck keeping keeping
up with them there, and you now have this variety of ways that you
can close games if you do, in fact keep lionar NaN's junior could maybe
see some small ball five from him where no, you don't want to put
you want to sound Tunis on the bench necessarily, but Zion comes back.
Then nan Zion front court with maybe Herb Jones on there as well as something
I desperately would want to see. I like this trade for the Pelicans.
It's an acceleration, I guess, but it's not an egregious one. I
don't view it as David Griffin making this panic move. I know people believe
he's on the hot seat, and he probably is. I just again,
what was the prime time asset they gave up here? Is it Josh Hart?
Is it Niki Alexander Walker? Like? Do you think he's gonna blow
up? Is it? I suppose if they send a lottery pick like that,
that is something thinking about a lottery pick for Shiji McCullum. But you
also got larn Nis Junior as part of this equation, so we romanticize picks
the Pelicans have a ton of them. They were built for sort of a
consolidation trade, and this is just like that in miniature. It's nothing that's
too much of a home run swing, but it's better than a needless single
here. So I really liked the deal for them. I struggled to love
it for Portland, I think. And I mentioned this on our last podcast,
Terribone. Biggs from We Have a Take does a fantastic job covering the
Blazers and talking about so many elements of the NBA, including some just more
offbeat and fun light angles that I really that really provide a nice break for
me. In addition to again just solid hoops announces if you listen to this
podcast, you know who Tara is. She just pointed out that they have
chosen a direction and there is value in that. I agree. They were
sort of We've mentioned this in the podcast before too, just tottering in this
weird area in which they were hitting singles and doubles when ever going for triples
and home runs. This is not a triple or a home run. But
set you up to make that move. You could have more than sixty million
dollars in cap space. This summer, you have this big gass trade exception.
Now there. Look when you're listening to this, maybe it's stayed it
already, like you just have expiring contracts the lore at this point. Also
in Eric Bletsoe Thomas Saduranski, you have an extra first round pick in your
clip two beats interprete when it conveys that that you can move so they can
continue to do things, and rumor has it per I think with multiple reports
that they're still looking to kind of compete around Dame next season, making this
a one year tank. They'll keep their pick the lottery protected to Chicago at
the moment, there's real thought behind that. I just think where I ultimately
landed with the Blazers on this is it may be the right direction that they're
headed, or maybe this was necessary and the new found flexibility is valuable,
but I just feel like they're carving out a less than efficient path to try
getting where they're going. I kind of feel like they didn't need to do
both of these Powell and mccollumn trades where they're not getting just a ton of
value outside of that flexibility. Back again, you really have to fall in
love with Josh Hard ri Kill, Alexander Walker, Keyan Johnson or or that
first round pick that New Orleans ascending. And it's more of a hodgepodge than
something that's like this central asset. That may say more about the market or
the length of Norman Powell's deal, just because he had four years on it
after this one and CJ. McCollum is thirty and he's on the smaller end
for someone who's more of an two guard, off guard, whatever you want
to call him, and was just so expensive in general, I you could
you could have ducked the tacks this season and sort of reevaluated in the off
season when there would have been more roster flexibility around the NBA and perhaps more
suitors willing to certainly go after Norman Powells. This was the CJ trade.
You can sign yourself too. I know Norman Powell's game is predicated. I'm
more explosion, but I'm not necessarily worried about the way he ages, especially
when we've seen the way that Eric Gordon has aged. They're been injuries,
but he's still able to put legit pressure on the rim. I know those
are two different players, but like they play sort of the same style where
you don't know, you don't necessarily want them creating, but he puts pressure
on the rim and can hit hit threes. So I'm more optimistic there than
most people. And maybe it just turns out that this was the necessary path,
that this was the correct path. And right now, though, it
feels sort of underwhelming, and I don't like necessarily zooming out to look back
at Oh, these are what the assets were, and these are what the
Blazers turned into them. But the window that we're looking at here is so
truncated that I can't help but think that way. And so, dating back
to the twenty twenty offseason when they first traded for Robert Covington, these are
the original assets. They've now effectively turned CJ McCollum, Gary Trent Jr.
And three first round picks into Josh Hart Keyon Johnson. They kill Alexander Walker,
d d Lozada, Jessie Selinslow, Eric Blesow, Thomas Aderanski, a
first round pick, three second round picks, that big ass trade exception which
maybe they'll use to get Jeremy Grant, and then more than fifty million dollars
in cap space this summer as my friend and colleague Bryant to Porrek likes to
say, if the Blazers are lucky, they might be able to parlay that
cap space or that pick or that huge trade exception into players who were just
as good. Is CJ. McCollum or Gary Trent Junior so or some of
the players that became part of this trade tree a Norman Powell for instance,
Larry nag Junior for instance. That is, it's underwhelming in some right now,
and we can wait until after Thursday to look at the bigger picture.
I'm not even shitting on the thought process here, because the Blazers were maybe
they got frisky if Dame ever came back and was healthy, or if they
were ever at full strength, they saw an up to can play from Robert
Covington off the bench before they traded him. User nurkicch is. You know,
when you look at his numbers, he's been really good for this past
recent portion of the season as well. Were they a contender? No,
And I liked a lot of the moves they made on an individual scale,
But now that they're sort of just divesting them, I'm confused, and it
felt it feels like the kindest thing I can say is they might want too
far, or we need to fast forward to really see what these deals are
going to become. And you can say that about any trade, and it's
fair that maybe we'll look back and this is a terrible take. I also
recognize that Joe Cronin is inheriting a lot of the gistical obstacles here. That's
not going to change how I feel about the value he's gotten in tearing down
the Blazers. Again, the direction itself, as Tara's has stutely reminded me,
is valuable when she's one hundred percent right, and that's not something that
I necessarily gave enough crans to in the beginning before speaking with her. However,
the means by which they're getting there, they just feel too slap dash,
too haphazard, too confusing, too uncertain, too ambiguous, and I
need to have more clarity the other element of this, if you want to
look that way, as they now are going to pay Anthony Simons, He's
had a spectacularly year. He's hitting more of his off the dribble threes in
recent weeks. He's shown that he can knock down stuff off the catch.
He's really, I think he's really improved his passing. He's deferring on a
higher percentage of his drives, He's assist percentage is higher. He has benefited
from playing alongside guys like a use of Nurkis or Norman Powell or c j
or Dame who can take the one dribbles and hit shots and then he gets
credit for the assist. They're not these super complicated passes. But this is
also not the same player we saw in previous years who was pretty limited there.
That's fine, and that the plazers wanted to plan around this. They
could have kept him anyway, and then you figure out your tax situation if
you needed to. Then it is pretty clear, though I would think that
they're I would be shocked if they don't resign him this summer. If they're
looking at sign and trades and earios because of Detroit, maybe comes calling and
likes the idea of him next to Kag Cunningham, which you know, frankly
I don't hate. Depending depending on the cost there, even in Indiana.
Now, well they were teamed with cap Space before they took on Buddy Heals,
so never mind. But yeah, there's just not going to be like
a ton of teams with cap space at the moment, and I would just
be surprised if signed. The entire point of these moves feels like they needed
The Blazers wanted to reset. That's what Joe Cronin wanted to do. But
also they're planning around Anthony Simon's next contract, and so I'd be floored if
if he's not there. I know people are just gonna assume that this makes
day more available. We gotta get the jokes are fine. Honestly, they
could be disingenuous. That's not gonna bother me. They'll probably piss off some
Blazers fans if it's really all in good jests and you're not taking it too
seriously. But if you actually believe the Blazers weren't in constant contact with David
Lollard throughout this process, I don't really know what to tell you, and
that to me signals a couple of things. He's either on board with this,
which is not hard to envision if they're selling him on this sort of
one year tank while he's recovering from abdominal surgery, and then also they're planning
on giving him the two year max extension that he wants over the offseason.
That's a very believable route. Or they've now given him an out. I'm
not going to predict that he requests a trade imminently, but now he gets
to leave and there's just there's zero criticism. It's a guilt free path towards
the exit. And he was probably always going to be absolved of more blame
than most to have asked for out, just because of the connection he's had
with the team and how much we know that he's valued at as a teammate,
although as a decide. There was an interview the Raptors podcast and I
think it showed on TSN was talking to Gary Trent Junior's dad and he was
lamenting the lack of joy g TJ was playing with in Portland towards the end,
which just makes me want to say, fuck you and you old shit.
I don't know what you did, sorry quick quick tangent there, but
yeah, like there still would have been oh you dame, ran from the
grind or whatever said and tweet that stuff will still be out there, but
we'll hold less weight now because Damian Lillard has stuck around like past CJ McCullum,
it's it's a tear down. Are the Blazers kind of forcing him out?
That's how it could be viewed. I honestly don't think they are.
I think they truly believe that they can rebuild this thing quickly, or reset
it, reinvent it, whatever the hell, restructure it, whatever the hell
it's called these days. I don't know that they're right. I need to
see what they turn all this newfound flexibility into first, But I do think
that Dame's like sort of a low key winner here that he's either gonna get
paid this Offsea Sason. He's either going to be on a different team,
a team that's angling for something bigger, even if it takes and you know,
not just this season but next season, or now he's just can request
a trade without feeling bad the Blazers decided to go this route. You look
at his age, the point at which he is in his career, and
you wouldn't be able to blame him for saying, hey, I'd rather plan
a team better fit to contend or even flirt with contending for for a title.
And so I think that's an interesting element of all this and something we
will need to watch. I'll go through really quick. I don't think we
had any specific questions on this trade, actually, so I was just going
to talk about it. We have a ton of questions on this King's Pacers
trade, though, so let's get to the details of the King's Pacers trade.
The Pacers are sending Domasa Bonus Justin Holiday, Jeremy lamb At a twenty
twenty seven second round pick to the Sacramental Kings for Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Healed,
and Tristan Thompson. Another side know this deals Indiana has created a ten
point five million dollar traded player exception the questions, let's look at the general
runs. Luke Street ask, can we just force the King's owner, the
Vecrana DVA, to sell and move the team to Seattle really quickly? There.
I'm not a proponent of relocation. I want expansion, get Seattle team.
I don't want it to come at the expense of any current NBA market,
and I think there's enough talent for expansion. But we'll get to the
crux of Luke's question. Of course, we also have a question from burb
but why are the Kings just setting their franchise back years with this move who
not a lot of love for the not a lot of love for the Kings
in this And I believe we have a couple of other questions from Discord as
well. There's another plug for the for the Discord, so blah blah blah.
Maybe we don't have any King's question. We do have one from Salamander
the Fourth, but it's a ranking king's mistakes question. If anyone else asked
a general question on the Kings, I'm looping yours into here. So we'll
get to Salamander the fourth question at the end of this segment, and I
guess we'll begin with the Kings, and we do have a Pacers question on
this as well, so let's work through it that way. I gave the
Kings a two B determined to grade on this. There's an immediate inclination to
scribble Kangs and just move on. I get it. They are trading no
worse than their second most important building block for a two time All Star who
portends is a questionable fit alongside Daron Fox that feels painfully on brand and stupid
in so many ways at the same time. This is the Kings in some
respects finally doing or at least attempting to do what's been demanded of them for
approximately forever at this point. And that's and I wrote this or made them
something anything literally at all that implies disdained toward contending for only tenth place finishes
and still coming up short by that low bar. They're getting the best player
in this deal. Domaso Bonus is twenty five. He's a two time All
Star. He wanted to be in California for multiple reports. It can be
the central nervous system of an offense like this is someone there's I think people
don't understand how physical he is sometimes how much of a good screen setter he
is. But he can navigate the floor with the ball in his hands from
from pretty much anywhere. And then there's also just like his passing, he
can devastate from stand still. That's the best way I could describe his passing.
All this being said, also, he's under contract for another two years
at just like a very reasonable cost, So he was the best player in
this deal. The Kings went after the higher end talent, and I get
that, but the fit is also questionable. Alongside Daron Fox, I caught
a lot of ship from not a lot of ship. But some Kings fans
on Twitter are saying that I was overestimating the struggles that Fox and some oonas
would go through together. Maybe I am, But the best way to optimize
the bonus is to surround him with shooting and cutting. You're bringing some of
that over in justin holiday maybe Jeremy Lamb depend depending on the day or if
the King's play him. But like, there isn't a whole lot else you
can picture, like dearon Fox, you know, just blurring around away from
the ball. But do the Kings have the half courts facing for him to
do that? They traded away They're two leaders and three point makes in Buddy
Healed and Tyrese Haliburton. I'm not I'm not Lamb pooting that decision. I'm
sure getting rid of Buddy Healed was a side benefit for them, just given
his body language, and over the course of the past couple of seasons,
it just seemed like this was faded complete for divorce. They tried to trade
him to the Lakers of the offseason, but LA pivoted into that disastrous Russell
Westbrook created just so many other decisions at front office in La. My fucking
god. Anyway, the talent play the Kings are making without surrendering future draft
pick is bold and it is arguably necessary. To me, though this is
not totally clarifying, and that's really the main problem there. I think there's
gonna be a struggle with Sabonis, who he is shooting roughly like thirty one
percent from deep over the past three seasons, and those common just two attempts
per game. He's only shot about forty percent from mid range twice in his
career and not since twenty nineteen twenty, and mid range looks have never just
accounted for the huge volume of his offense. His floor game will help them
there, but you do still need space to operate, and oh Rashaun Holmes
is still there as of this recording. Maybe they reroute him, but that's
going to be an even clunkier fit than Sibonis and Turner, who were,
like, yeah, they tried to sometimes occupy the same spaces on offense,
but they were two very different players who still worked sort of well together.
And that did feel a lot like Miles Turner felt like he wasn't being maximized
or at least featured enough so that would be an even tougher fit if Sacramental
plans on playing Zabonus and Homes together the rest of the season. You're also
now left with just two players on the Kings shooting above average clips from three,
so above thirty four point nine percent from deep for the season, not
at least one per tempt one attempts per name, Harrison Barnes and Justin Hollid
necomer Justin Hollie. That is not enough shooting. And you're still to me,
you're still light on wings. You have Justin Holliday, I don't consider
Jeremy Lamb and Wing. I don't consider Harrison Borrow wing be Honestly, I
think it's more of this like fringe big someone who should play before you can
even argue that Justin Holliday is like more of a swing man. But he
had he had at times locked back up four minutes with Indie and he can
definitely play some three. So I won't, you know, crucify the Kings
for that. There are still voids on this roster and we need to see
what they do from here. And there's also the element of this probably just
dips like too far into what the pacers are and I will get to them
in a second. Halibert was really fucking good and it's just interesting that Monty
McNair and crew made this decision now when they're responsible for finding Sorry Salibert at
number twelve. He is one of the most efficient author dribble shooters this season.
I think it's fair to say that he doesn't look for his own shot
enough, but he can still run an offense with his passing. He throws
good lobs, he can hit guys on dives. We've seen him just for
good chemistry. I feel like with every single one in Sacramental's Biggs, based
off what I've I've seen from him, just offloading him age twenty one,
two more years left on his rookie scale, that is it's a it's an
interesting decision. It's a ball decision. That's the word we use before.
And now you're tethered to like are you paying the Aaron Fox and Davidan Mitchell
together and definitely on Fox just returned from I think it was an ankle injury.
That's not You're not getting enough shooting from them. How does this even
impact the Aaron Fox? Is he going to be displaced from the ball because
they want to run through as a bonus. I just don't know that Sacramental
has the half courts basing to maximize that. Are you staggering their minutes more
heavily. That sort of defeats the purpose of having too what the King clearly
consider all star caliber players. I don't know whether this trade was more about
the opportunity to get Si Bonus or if it was Sacramento picking Fox over Haliburton.
I'm just gonna assume it's the former, because they didn't need to make
the latter decision. Haliburton and Fox can work, but that was not among
the many problems that the Kings have. That was not one of them.
This trade. Also, I don't think it helps or hurts their defense.
SI Bonus is I don't know if I can call him an underrated defender,
but he's not like nailed to the floor when he's trying to move, and
especially if he gets to play like at the five, he should be fine.
Now that you don't have Miles Turner, should you want to pair him
with another big and that big as Ractron Holmes, that's going to get a
little bit dice here. But I think the Kings are probably a net neutral
on defense, which is to say they're still gonna suck. Maybe they'll be
a little bit better just because they have some bonuses rebounding. Now, that
might be something to consider, But I don't know what to make of this
trade. I'm not I I'm going to default. Let me be clear to
skepticism. The Kings gave up a lot, and I love Tyrus Halibert.
I don't think he has a defined peak in sort of the best possible way,
like this is someone who I still believe it can be a star.
I've seeing people think that he just doesn't have that killer mode on the ball
to reach out level, and maybe they're right, But my god, what
we've seen from him so far promising enough for me to think that it's at
least a still possibility and to punt on that now. When sabonus, I
don't know if he helps you, like re enter the play in discussion this
year, and I don't really know what he sets you up floor moving forward.
However, he is a higher end talent and you've now committed to like
an all in Ish type play, or you've made a bigger picture decision that
people push you to make. It wasn't Fox or Haliburton type deal, but
it was this team needs to do something anything's eyes make to just prove that
the status quo isn't good enough. We'll just have to see how they react
to this, and I give them a to be determined. But I am
skeptical. The way I phrased it was, I haven't open yet cautious mind
with this. I wouldn't have made this deal follow Sacramento, but that certainly
this applies to everything, but in this case, specifically, where many people
are killing the Kings, that doesn't mean that it wasn't necessarily the wrong move.
It needs to really play out. Speaking of which, Salamander of the
fourth in discord ask can you rank Sacramento Kings mistakes? And the ones he
listed are trading Hallie, not drafting don Chich first round pick Thompson, Landry
and sauce Castio salary, dumb for cap space, firing Malone when Boogie was
sick, not drafting Lillard as we didn't know if we had the money to
resign Jason Thompson's or had to pick a forward and then six letting Bogdan Macdonovitch
walk for nothing. So the biggest mistake is not drafting Luka Doncich. It
was clear among many draft knicks and even those just like who only crash study
for the draft leading up to that, Luka Doncic was the highest end and
probably best player in that after You even could have gone the Trey Young route,
but you go with Marvin Bagley. That was a huge blunder on a
lot of Dvox's mistake and potentially set the King's back, like years and years
and years. Has it put them in a hole from which they can't climb
out of. We'll have to wait and see. Done could have fit alongside
the Aaron Fox. You think the Bonus can fit alongside d Aaron Fox.
Luca Nancharch certainly could have as well. I think number two was definitely.
I think that was the twenty fifteen off season where they went to great lengths
to create cap space thinking that they were going to end up with all these
great players, and the Rondo was their crowning acquisition of that off season.
That's definitely number two for me. I'm gonna say number three is firing Mike
Malone. Like that was a team that had an identity and someone who had
like built a real relationship with your franchise player at the time of Bookie Cousins,
and you just got rid of him because the roster was banged up and
you were still within sniffing different sniffing distance of five hundred at the time from
not taking that was fucking stupid. If you want to put that at number
two, I'm with you. I'm going to conservatively just put the Tyrese Haliburton
trade here. Three might be high without seeing how this plays out, but
I think that speaks more to how I view Tyrese Haliburton. It's just it's
tough because Sabonus is so good that I don't want to diminish what he's able
to do on the court. I just don't love the fit. And you
had someone who was not only fit for the roster, but it's a fit
for any roster. You traded him at age twenty one, and so you
got a little bit older at the top end of this trade. I know,
buddy heals like eighty or whatever he is now, so maybe he got
a little younger with getting Jeremy Lamb and justin the holiday and giving up Christan
Thompson in the process, but it might be a net Newgro's age. I
have not calculated that. But I'm putting Haliburton here because I think he's going
to be He has the chance to become the type of player that makes the
King's regret this trade for an incredibly long time. I'm then going to say
letting Bogdanovitch walk for nothing. I just don't that's from to me. And
the last I'm not putting it last because I think you have to put Lillard
there because if I'm not mistaken, he just was. He was even viewed
as sort of like a risk when the Blazers took him at number ten.
I believe it was. Yeah. I'm doing these off the cuff and from
memory. So if it wasn't number ten, he was drafted twenty twelve.
Oh, he was drafted pick number six. I'm an idiot. I don't
know. I still remember people thinking like him coming out of Weber State,
a four year player. Was that too high? If you want to put
that at number five, I just don't. I just don't know that he
was the obvious picking. Maybe I'm misremembering because I only just started covering the
League at that point, and it's easy to just look back and say,
oh wow, taking Thomas Robinson over Damian Lillard. I don't know if the
Warriors would have taken him if they were in the King's position, like they
still maybe would have drafted Harrison Barnes. Bradley Beale was definitely someone, you
know, I think Davison Bradley Beale that was just noticed that draft and everyone
was tripping over themselves or beyond waiters, and I remember everyone falling in love
with Thomas Robinson. I'm just I'm more forgiving on that type of a miss
when I don't think Damian Lillard was the consensus pick there. That's more of
a what if type of moment, and I just I'm not sure how much
I'm prepared to ding the Kings for it. Although I thought Damie Lillard was
drafted tenth for a second, which was I guess making me think that he's
Austin Rivers. So and look, there are a lot of landmines in this
draft. I mean the Kings could have ended up with, like, you
know, what if they had taken Andre Grummond and he ended up carving out
a better career than Thomas Robinson, but that might have been more dangerous to
them just knowing that they had another quality player. I also believe, if
I'm not you know, Harrison Barnes would been a fine pick there for them,
Like what would Terrence Ross have done for them? He was the eighth
pick in that traft. Maybe that's about an average outcome as a player.
Could they have taken Austin Rivers. I don't remember him being in the conver
station at the top. They could have, you know, maybe Cleveland doesn't
think Deon Waders and they end up with him. That wouldn't have done anything.
This was the Davis Beale Lillard draft, and that's no disrespect to Harrison
Barnes, and I just of Davis and Beale being obvious picks. Damian Lillard
was not as obvious. It's not the level of Oh, Draymond Green when
at number thirty five, I totally understand that. But or Will Barton dropping
to number forty or Middleton was in this shrift too, right, he was
you know, a second round of that too. So like Damian Lillard was
clearly closer to the top of those boards than not. I don't remember him
being the consensus decision there, So that was an interesting question. It was
also a reminder that the Kings have made an awful lot of fucking mistakes the
Pacers. End of this though, and we'll have we have a question on
the Bakers pacer. Oh actually another King's question from comeback Orlando vouch As it
seems the Kings want to start running now, does it still make sense for
them to move Barnes to where? And what's the return they'll be asking for.
I don't think that it's the It's the right move to move Harrison Barnes
if you want to win, He's just like he makes a lot of sense
alongside to bonus if you're using him at the five, he is like their
best three point shooter now at this point, So I don't know why you
get rid of him. You're also probably need is his defense more. I
mean, you have Justin Holliday now. So I don't think the King's got
worse defensively, much worse, if at all worse as part of this trade.
Maybe they even again, maybe they even improved a little bit. If
you are going to move Harrison Barnes like first round pick and player that you're
willing to keep. It's like Minnesota willing to do a first and Jade McDaniels
for Harrison Barnes. I know that they're really high and Jade McDaniels, but
it's become pretty clear that he's not like this efficient, high volume three point
shooter, So maybe they're more willing to make a deal like that. But
that if you get an offer for Barnes such as that, or if the
mixer willing to, you know, give you salary and like consolidate some of
the picks that they still have leftover. They got rid of Charlotte, but
they have Dallas Is in twenty twenty three and then all of their own and
they have a couple enticing seconds as well. So if it's like sort of
that type of a trade, or maybe are they willing to get like it?
I would say if you're leading into a rebuild again, maybe you're intrigued
by it will be topping, but to play alongsides a bonus, but you're
not and you're trying to win, So I would definitely keep Harrison Barnes.
That's a great question though, because this effectively takes Harrison Barnes off the board.
Then and you have to imagine that between he and Jeremy Grant were just
considered like the top at like prizes, I hate calling players prizes, but
like the top potential gets additions at those like bigger wing spots or the guys
who can play the three four and maybe Grant even thought could be a five
and can even take on guarding some twos. Barns is not going to do
either of those things. And now he's off the board, and so I
wonder if that drums up they ask price for Jeremy Grant, or maybe the
market is just sort of that stale, But yeah, I would be pretty
surprised if Sacramento ended up moving Harrison Barnes at this point. So and look
to address Luke's question, if we didn't already, like, I just don't
think the move can we build? Is that much of a blunder at this
point? And I don't know that this doesn't I don't know that this is
Vivek's call. I would assume it's Monty McNair as I know Ran and DBA
has to sign off on it, but like McNair is like, this is
a victory lap for him. Then Tyrese Halibert and draft picks this monstrous victory
lap and so either front office would always fall on the sword anyway. But
yeah, it's for Kings fans. They were broken up about Lucy calibert and
I don't blame them, and I hope that their fortune has changed soon,
because there is you know, they're that fan base. There are something that
will talk themselves in any King moves, but I would care any move the
King's make. Sorry, but I would categorize the King's fan base is just
one of the more collectively self aware ones that tries to find like the bright
spots where they can. But they understand that this organization is really fucked up
time and again, and so that sort of just blows for them. The
Pacers end of this, I think this was more of a no brainer from
them, even if you didn't think that's a bonus. Was the most likely
core player to go if they were able to get the value that they did
from him, which is I know, buddy Heel makes a lot of money
over the next few years, but if you're gonna overpay for something, overpay
for functional shooting, he you know, I think on this season he is
what is he shooting? He's in the sem like in the he's above average
when he's shooting coming around screens. I think he's in like the sixties something
percentile. So he gives you reliable theres it's just functional shooting. He can
take some off the dribble in transition and then of course just like really down
them off the catch, so that seems like that didn't seem like an egregious
take on for them. And now you have Halibern who just fits so seamlessly
to the point that maybe you don't move Miles Turner. Now maybe you don't
even move Malcolm Brockden. I know people have talked about you have Christa warn't
ay is it a matter of just getting a little bit younger. Even though
Brockden and men Brockdon is sort of like aged out of that rebuild type thing.
We probably forget how young Turner is. He likes Abonus is only twenty
five. I just the Pacers have now set themselves up to maybe have a
top five pick this season, and then you just go into the off season
and next year you can keep this roster and type maybe bring back TJ.
Warren should he be healthy. He's going to be a free agent and you
just have a ton of talent to where maybe you can make some noise in
the East. They have that extra first round pick from Cleveland, not to
mention a pick in the thirties now from the Rockets by way of Cleveland.
There are a lot of different ways they can pas. They can also continue
the full on rebuild. Yes, you move Rockton over the summer. He
can't be over the off season. He can't be traded now because the extension
that he signed. Maybe move Turner at that point. I ultimately think that
this move is a blow to Miles Turner suitors, just because he was in
here to begin with, and so unless the Pacers we're gonna settle, I
don't know that they would have moved him anyway. But also he is the
primary center. Will just said he's excited to be that now. So he
comes back from his foot injury this season. I'm really hoping to get to
see him play with Tyrese Halibert. And there's just so much spacing on this
roster now where in Miles Turner lineups anyway where That could have always have been
the case, but now you're not playing with Sabonis, who's not as much
of a three point threat when you're having him fan out to the corner or
whatever he's doing when he's not on the ball, him in turn of wanting
to occupy the same spaces even though the turner cannot do like what the Domas
Sabonus can do with the ball in his hands, then you just get a
lot clearer in indeed, and I would phrase it this way when you view
this on top of the two top thirty five picks they got for caris lavert.
The choice of how they want to play this sort of a one year
tank and then go right back to competing like they've traditionally done under Herb Simon
mightus the one year tank, of course, or if you want to go
the longer term route. The choice is Indiana's and I just don't know that
there was a wrong answer at this point for them. And just to illustrate
how good Tyres Haliburton is off the dribble, He's shooting forty point one percent
on off the bounce threes. Among everyone who's attempted at least one hundred of
those shots, only Mike Conley is knocking him down at a higher clip forty
three point five percent By the way. That's fucking incredible for someone at his
age. He's been low key monsters. Maybe not low key, but he's
been a monster this season. And look, maybe Indiana's not done. The
question that we have from Strops in our discord, what can the Pacers flip
Buddy Healed for anything? I'm gonna die on this hill and say that,
yeah, they could get stuff for Buddy Healed. I know that his contract
is on the larger side. It's seas in the middle of an extension that
guaranteed him ninety four million dollars. But it's, like I said before,
overpay. Excuse me, I'm wanting for shooting. If you overpay for anything.
He's downing more than thirty nine percent of a spot up three's thirty eight
plus percent. I'm pull up threes and he's gonna consist torture defense is coming
around screens. I don't mind Indiana keeping him There's they're probably reticent to play
a lot of minutes with Duarte or Healed at the three. You put either
one of those guys doing next to Brogden and Halibert, and then you just
have such a dynamic offense. Assuming that Miles Turners on the floor. I
almost don't care who you're playing at the floor, though it'd be interesting to
see teaching Warren in that situation. There could be suitors for him, though,
does a Memphis if Indiana's will who accept just like expiring contracts and none
like no first round compensation. If the Pacers are still sort of interested in
being ultra flexible with cops based over the summer, I think Memphis could use
someone like him as they gear up for the playoff run, where it's they're
making sort of the The King's Play, but it's less drastic. You're not
going all in, but you're taking a bigger swing. Yeah, it's not
the Kings play whatsoever. It's the Pelicans play. Excuse me, without giving
up any core assets, you're trying to make a significant or semi significant addition.
I think it seemed like Oklahoma City. I know that they're in the
throes of a not the throws, it's a designed rebuild, but they really
need shooting, and he's not going to go ruin a tank. He just
opens the floor for everybody else and allows their ball handlers to do more stuff.
When you look at Josh Giddy or or Tray man, even even like
Darius Baisley and Poku. So like those are teams over I'm just always going
to say that they you should be willing to take on functional shooting. It's
why I don't think Duncan Robinson's trade values plummeted. He's on the come up,
of course, but like these players sign these deals. Even at Davis
Berton's, I do think he's more overvalue than not. But like Washington,
Alsoways been playing him a ton of minutes because their roster isn't built for it.
They can't handle his defensive transgressions, and they're just sort of like clunky
at the four in the five. Just so many different options from which to
choose, like those deals, because these players can shoot from ultra deep range,
but of course they can shoot coming around screens and Buddy Heel's case,
they can do a little bit of off the dribble shooting. They have value,
and so look at teams that could really stand to juice up their offense.
I suggested this, and they want to duck the tax and they're very
close to doing so, so maybe they wouldn't look at a Buddy Healed.
But is there something to be worked out with with Boston here, they're a
team that the offense is perked up while the defense has suffered. But there's
still eighteams on the year and they're below mediocre when it comes to three point
shooting. A lot of that has to do the level level of difficulty on
their looks, where it's you know, Jason Tatum taking a lot of your
threes and you're not stocked with knockdown shooters. Buddy Healed sort of give you
that element. And so could there be a team like that interested in them?
Yes, absolutely, And I would if you told me the over under
on the number of teams that are willing to acquire Buddy Healed without demanding the
Pacers give them an asset and while sending something back, whether it's expiring contracts
as the value or just low end draft equity or just sort of a distressed
prospect. Let's set the over under at five four point five, and I
think I would take the over on that. I might even go as high
as five point five. So the shooting is always going to have a spot
in the NBA. And it doesn't concern me that the Pacers took on his
deal. Some people might look at this and say, you normally get some
draft equity as part of a trade for a two time All Star who's also
only twenty five. Those guys who not crop up on the market that often.
That being said, you also don't get a guy like calibert not often,
just not even two years into his rookie contract and already showing so much
not just promise, but real impact. He's already making the team that he
was on a better player in just so many comprehensive modes. And you know,
maybe you could quibble that, okay, but the Pacers are still rolling
the dice, and they are taking on Buddy Heeled, who is maybe on
a negative contract they gave up Justin Holiday, who isn't nothing to their rotation.
Howard Burton is that good in that high end of a prospect. I
would say he's worth like two point five first round picks slash prospects on his
own, because having entrenched performers means that much, and especially to a team
like the Pacers. So I liked this deal for them on equivocally. I
don't hate it for the Kings, or at least open minded to it.
But I'm still on the more confused skeptical and let's see if we can blaze
through. We have a ton of questions, last minute questions about the trade
deadline. Estey Rivera in discord, Join our discord, as is Julius Randol
good fit for any contender who? The answer to this is overwhelmingly know Before
the Clippers traded for Norman Powell, if he thought they were going to go
for it this year and even considered them a contender, I thought just having
another on ball option like him could really help. Since it again, since
it seems unlikely that they're going to be able to acquire like more of a
conventional floor general, he could have helped them. They have Norman Powell now
though, and they still do need someone to play make. But just getting
to Julius Randall's money is so tough without you know, you're replacing effectively Eric
Bletzo with Norman Powell, who you're not trading for Julius Randall. They wanted
to give up Cuffington and Kennard for Julius Randall. Is that something that's going
to peak the Knicks's interest? Is it Serge Baca and Kennard for Julius r
I don't even think that's enough money actually to get Randall out of New York
because he's making I know he's making twenty one point eight, but you are
increasing your tax bill at that point. Isn't worth it when he has yet
to take yet to play on his four year, one hundred and seventeen million
dollars extension. If I were the Knicks, I do that, Diana Heartbeat.
I've also suggested on the pod before the Lakers, I would take back
Russell Westbrook to get off Randall, Randall, Fournier and Kema Walker for Westbrook.
And if the Lakers need this and pick compensation back to New York,
all the better. That's something I would absolutely consider. Whether you view the
Lakers as contenders as your own progative right now, I don't know how you
think that they would be. But when you look at just like the top
contenders in the league, Memphis, Miami, How's that Memphis was the first
team to come out of my mouth because I'm looking at a list of teams,
but Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee. Do you throw in Lanta in there?
If you want to definitely Golden State Phoenix, that's a no no across
the board there. Brooklyn no, Chicago. No, he's not a fit
for any contenders. I don't know. I don't know if this was like
a serious question, but I appreciate it, Essay Rivera. I always want
to talk from Julius Randall retro Braydon asked which team shouldn't trade for Kendricks Williams.
The answer is, there isn't a team that shouldn't trade for Kendrick Williams.
I know he's very low volume on offense, but this is someone who
is basically positionless on defense. I can cover your tough Nurst assignment, and
he shown that he can put some situational like off ball pressure on the rim
or straight line pressure on the rim, and it's hit his threes on modest
volume at a good enough clip. He's extremely plug in play getting him out
of Oklahoma City. All the reports six teams that they want a first round
pick, I doubt that they actually would get one without taking back bead salary.
I don't think that's a problem for them because they have like a trillion
dollars in cap space. He is, however, to them, just so
valuable because he's only owe two million dollars next year. So this is someone
that's not just a rental. He's on a bargain deal through at least next
season. Every team should want him, though I don't know if there's a
team that should give up a first round pick. You'd be looking at teams
that have like their pick this season. The Warriors want of them because you
know they're gonna end up with number twenty nine. Sure if you want,
if you want to go that route, but yeah, I'm going to be
curious to see whether he gets moved and what the value is on there are
to expect to be as part of just a bigger trade with three or four
teams where maybe you know the primary team in that deal is getting someone else,
it's an addition to a Kendrick Williams, or they're using other teams to
get off different types of money, or okay, se he's taking on different
types of money to up the compensation they could get. But Brandon, yes,
everybody should want ken Rich Williams. Joki MVP asked, is there any
way Utah and retool on the fly before the deadline ends? Who? That's
a question We've tried to answer a bunch of times on this podcast. The
latest deal I came up with was Jordan Clarkson and Joe Ingles and a twenty
twenty six first for Eric Gordon and Jay Shawn Tate. I do think the
Jazz all of a sudden find themselves in need of backup playmaking without Joe Ingles,
for one, and that was also kind of a need in addition to
getting more mobile and athletic. When it comes to their defensive hierarchy, people
point out that they could also just use like a really good help rim protector
so that Gobert has more freedom to move away from the basket, in which
case, I know people just say, one than Robert Covington. Isn't that
one on one type guy that they need? That would be true. But
if you want somebody who's just gonna be on point with his rotations, do
you look at Robert Covington. Should the Clippers be able to move them,
the Clippers even willing to help a conference rival, My guess would be that's
not something that would hold them back, just because this season, whatever they're
trying to do is not their season. I still stand by, like,
is there a deal to be had at this point involving Josh Richardson and Dennis
Shrewder. Maybe don't want them on the Jazz as your backup point guard,
but you need you need one at this point, like Joe Ingles is the
backup playmaker is is gone. They Boston looking to get out of the tax
does sort of complicate that package you could use by mcdonovitch to the primary bait.
I absolutely would not do that, but you have the similar structure of
Jordan Clarkson and Joe Ingles. So can you take back other money Dennis Shrewder,
Josh Richardson. That's going to get you to about, you know,
nineteen million dollars this season? So can you take back who else my boss
did not want? Just in the mid end salaries. It's a little bit
tough there. I think it's more bulbul Let's just say, like the salaries
come closer to evening out in a three for two scenario. I just don't
think that they're gonna be looking to dump Romeo Langford or Aaroni Smith there.
Maybe you just get involved the third or fourth team, but Boston isn't you
know, maybe they want to get off Al Horford, but that's you're not
just sending Al Horford somewhere. I know people have mentioned Mark, and I
don't know if you're giving up a first round pick for that, like giving
up a twenty twenty six first for Josh Richardson and Dennis Shrewder. I've been
higher on Josh Richardson's season this year than most, but I don't know that
would be tough. Is Boston in love with Jared Butler at all? Do
they actually like the idea of having Jordan Carson because they can kind of use
another shock creator who's not the Dennis Shrewder type. Clarkson's not trying to set
people up and the downhill pressure. He's gonna stall out before the basket more,
but he's kind of more of us stabilizing offensive force. I feel like
perhaps the bars like not super high there, but that's another player that they
could target. Josh Richardson primarily, but they do need sort of a backup
playmaker at this point. I don't really know where else to go with them.
They've been mentioned in the I don't think there's a Harrison barn sweep stakes
anymore. They've mentioned the Jeremy Grant sweep stakes. I don't know how they
beat out offers unless you know no one's giving good offers for Grant, in
which case I wonder if de Georitch just holds onto him, they could do
the twenty twenty six and twenty twenty eight picks of their own. That is
so risky, and you are better believe that you're not only so win now,
which is easy to buy into because the Jazz are that good at full
strength. You have to believe that you're going to be able to pick up
the pieces should anything go wrong. And a lot of people are running whether
they'll be major changes should this team flame out in the playoffs once more,
so there are bigger needs. It feels like on this roster, I just
don't know that they're readily addressable again. Josh Richardson or the Eric Gordon Jashn
Tate scenarios feel like the at least some realistic possibilities. I know people have
mentioned Marcus Smart. I just don't know that Utah has the juice to get
him. I understand that he's about to go on the four year, seventy
seven million dollars extension or whatever it is, but like that dude is a
ridiculously good defender. This is it's a fortune's turning defender. In all defense
guy like just just Lock I would or at least perennial candidate there, and
you can talk about the shooting and erratic playmaking out of the pick and roll.
He's still so valuable to what Boston wants to do in the defensive end.
Can guard effectively one through four. Basically, I'd be curious as to
what the cost is and matching money get you too. I mean, like
Dennis Shrewder and Marcus Smart. If you want to have the backup point guarders,
not Marcus Mart there working Josh Richardson end Mark smartin is the fold this
season, that's actually fine. You could do Marcus Smart and Josh Richardson for
I mean the Jordan Clarks and Joe English package where you're giving up two first
round picks twenty twenty six and twenty twenty eight for that. If you view
Marcus smarts deals and net negative, you're not going to do that. I
think some people might view Josh Hrichinson's twelve point two million dollars salary next season
is net negative as well, and so I would understand. I just don't
think one first round pick gets you that deal from Boston. Marcus Morris could
theoretically be interesting. I don't think he's exactly what the Jazz need, but
he would certainly he could play some small ball five for you. That's an
upgrade over Rudy Gay minutes there if you're still even going to commit to small
spurts of those in the playoffs, and you could definitely play four with him
next to Gobet. What do the Clippers want for him? Like, are
you look comes down? Do you're gonna give him your twenty twenty six first
round pick? For Marcus Morris? Like that's your best asset? Because I
don't know that the Clippers would value a Jordan Carson since he's not an actual
point guard. It certainly would. It could shave a little bit off their
tax bill. Marcus Morris is making what is he at this season? Fifteen?
I think something? Let me go to the salary sheets here, fifteen
point six million, And so Jordan Clarkson for Jordan for Marks Moore's would work
straight up. But if you're the Jazz, are you adding to your own
tax bill? Like that's just something that you would have to consider, And
I just don't know that that's enough to get the Clippers to part with him.
The Jazz are in the market for players that every team is probably prioritizing.
I'd be curious with the asking prices for Josh Hart in Portland? Are
you giving up at twenty twenty six first for Josh Hard? Again, that's
what a lot of these questions are coming down to. Portland has no need
for Jordan Clarkson long term. You know, if they're willing to take on
his money as part of that deal, you could look for lower end options
like a Tory Craig who's still in Indiana. But I think you have to
asked yourself, Kenness player be top eight, top nine guy to playoffer patient
Tory Craig is just iff. He is he hitting his threes? How much
offensive rebounding is he providing you with in addition to all that defense? Utah?
Is it an interesting spot? And I think they need to be aggressive
at the deadline. We have two questions on the Thunder. Christopher from Discord
asked what contract dump do you see the thundertaking on and how many draft picks
are they getting for it? Maybe that's tongue in cheek a little bit,
because they have akbillion draft picks they're gonna take on some money and they're gonna
end up with plus draft picks at the deadline, because that's what always happens.
Given how much cap space they have, which is I think almost thirty
six million, it's over thirty five it's over thirty five million, there's gonna
be a lot of people that, you know, moving other players out of
there, like they can take back some real money, or the six is
gonna look to dump Tobias Harris as part of a Ben Simmons trade, or
what if they're just planning in advance of a James Harden pursuit. I would
be somewhat surprised if anything that drastic happens. It feels like they'll wind up
taking on money as sort of like small or mid end of money as the
third or fourth team facilitator in a trade where a contender needs to trade out
a lopside a number of players, and you know, you look at the
contenders that we're going to be the most aggressive on the market, like an
okay, see, he could help out a deal with Atlanta should they decide
to consolidate even a Toronto they've been shopping and going on dragics plus the first
round pick, but if they need to include like a mal Kai Flinn,
or if a team really wants to cut costs and they don't want druggets,
Like, is there a compensation that could be sent to okay See? So
if they get a larger salary, I would almost expect it to be an
expiring contract. There's also but I would more so think it's like, is
this gonna be the you know, like a Phoenix with Dario Sarich? Can
they be If the team that Phoenix is trading with doesn't want Sarich recovering from
a torn acl this year, it can definitely help with team next year.
I think maybe they just don't want his mid level ish money on the books.
Is okay See willing to take on that? What will be the cost
of it is a second round pick, So that would be more of my
guess is that Okacy won't take on any money. This is just a prediction.
I'm not saying they're unwilling. They won't take on any money that sits
on their books beyond next season, and so these like long term deals that
maybe you expect them to absorb. It would surprise me more if that if
that actually came to fruition. Maybe we'll be shocked just because we've seen it,
just with this deadline, Like, I don't think a lot of people
expecting the biggest fireworks to happen so early on when we're not that close to
Thursday. I also thought about could there be a team like the New York
Knicks that's looking to get out of some of its newer money aka Evan Fournier.
They're mighty teams that actually value Fournier, and maybe that's what if they're
gonna take on longer term money, you look at players that you could sort
of rehab their value. I don't think it needs to be a buddy healed.
That would not be someone that I think actually needs to rehab his value
in OKAC though maybe they can boost it, but in Evan Fournier might be
one Tim Hardaway junior, someone who's injured maybe for the rest of this year.
Is how much does Dallas looking to clear off their books because they've down
runs and adoring Fitty Smith entering free agency and whatever they won't agree to wheels
with and they give you a twenty twenty five first round pick and Josh Green
to take on Tim Hardaway junior and then that's also a player who helps you
with shooting, and you could theoretically rehab his value much like he did during
his contractor year in Dallas that earned him the deal that he's on that currently
looks so terrible. So I'm very very intrigued to see how what Okasey does
because it will variably be something, and I think it will be as a
facilitator that again my pardiction will be there either taking on large as short term
money ak expiring salary like these bigger expinding values, or we're looking at maybe
mid end dumps or like them's bunching up mid end dollars that extend through next
season but don't go any longer on the books. We did have an another
question for Brendan Ebert about the Thunder. Is there a move a team like
the Thunder who are naturally viewed as sellers and will take on large, large
contracts for pick How funny is that that could be done to actually improve that
roster going forward. I kind of hinted at this before with them, but
it's shooting. Can they just sort of open up the floor for everyone in
the half court more? I mentioned Buddy Heel already would be an interesting acquisition
for them. I wouldn't say no to Evan for four day if the Knicks
were definitely looking to get rid of him. Tim Moldoway Jujor is different.
He's injured right now. I'm also just wondered, like, is they're a
distressed young shooter that maybe they should be willing to take a flyer on.
And I don't mean distress the sense of worthless, but just like, oh,
this guy, we don't really know what he can be. Let's get
him in here though, and maybe he just proves that he's a lot better
than expected. And I'm not thinking of like a Ruby Hotchimore in Washington who
should not like that. Dude should probably be banned from taking threes at this
point. No one's brings them mind there, But I'm just gonna keep coming
back to buddy hell with them apparently, But yeah, shooting if they wanted
to. I mean, are they heat looking to get rid of Duncan Robinson
or are they trying to There was a report they were trying to make a
play for Christian would they would have to move Duncan Robinson as part of that
deal? It is okay, So he's just trying to get involved there.
Those are the types of players I thought they should have made a run at
Garrison, Matthews and free agency this past summer. I think that, let's
not call it a victory lap, but that's certainly something they they clearly should
have done. You know, they're just trying to think if there's a like
a Luke Knard, if if if Los Angeles is really looking to get off
of his money, which that extension. It never looks so bad when you
looked at the guarantees, but it looks better now. And maybe with the
acquisition of Norman Powell them wanting more of a ball handler or they just looking
to cut their tax bill. Do you take on him like he is someone
who can really just help your offense. So yeah, that's that's where I'm
pretty much. Man. Maybe a Molik Beasley from Minnesota is another one.
Again, I'm not giving up value of Moke KC to take these players.
I'm absorbing them, probably not outright, but as part of these other deals,
and that would be most of these are longer term money than I predicted
that Okay s would actually absorbed. But I would take these players to help
facilitate other deals because they could really help my team if there's a would be
seller that we could see becoming like a surprise buyer at the deadmine at this
point, I mean, I think the Kings and the Pelicans kind of took
two off the board, and it's funny just because the Pelicans are always gonna
be buyers, we didn't know what the Kings were gonna do, So there's
definitely that to consider. Portland might be the answer here, just because they're
all of a sudden being linked to Jeremy Grant because they want to have like
his expedited rebuild or retooling or whatever you call it. I think also Washington
could be a surprise buyer they weren't in some bonus. Bill is going to
be out for the season now with a risk injury, so you would probably
argue against them doing that. And a lot of people might think that,
hey, should you get off of get off of Spencer Dinuity now since the
fit has been saltenuous, he probably rehabs some of his value now that Beale
has gone. To be honest with you, his minutes without Bills looked better
for the most part this season, but you know they have entavious couple Pope.
They have Kyle Kuzma, they have Denny Avdya. They look like they're
playing out keeping bill beyond this season? Do they look like they do something
frisky? And this doesn't count because Toronto is not going to be a seller,
But they are the team that I'm just looking at and I'm like,
hey could do something big. They're the middle run playoff team right now.
That feels like they are one player away from being just a lot more than
that. So Death's yeah, let's go with Washington as the most and I'll
throw Portland in there too. Is like the other most likely sellers. We've
seen Portland's already that could wind up being buyers before Thursday, three pm.
Summers ask, how would you compare the values of Anthony Davison Bradley Beal if
their team wanted to sell on them this coming season? Does one command a
much bigger package? This is interesting. Both of them are twenty eight.
I do believe Anthy Davis is the more transcendent player, but teams are going
to place higher premiums on shock creation and Bradley Bill could still be not just
a point of a tax scorer, but like the engine of your offense there,
No, you don't want him to be your point guard. And we've
seen some like weird fits with him and Spencer Dimwity this year. He's also
not been great when shooting at threes, but we know he can hit threes
at a higher clip than that. The other thing that could factor into this,
Bill's having a season ending risk injury right now. Has a seaton season
ending risk injury right now. This feels we were to say that, but
like Andy Davis is more injury prone. The other thing here is, if
we want to go deeper into this, if you're acquiring Bradley Beale this summer,
here's what's happened. It's either it's part of a sign and trade so
he's on this longer term contract, or it's an opt in in trade,
and that just implies that he's willing to sign a contract with you long term,
because why would he leave, you know, so many long term years
on the table if he didn't want to play for that team, or he
signed with you outright, which there are no teams that project to have cap
space, I would predict that for in which case you have him for a
time of years. But this was a trade So it's either not then in
trade which he's not going to a team that doesn't know it will resign a
long term, or it's an actual sign and trade where he's underlocking key long
term. Davis kept a coming free agent again in two seasons, and that
could matter if you're a team that's gonna factor into how much you're giving up
to get him, and knowing how much the Lakers forked over to nap him,
and if they were actually looking to rebuild when they are barren of like
real pick and prospect equity moving forward, that would just be a tough negotiation.
So I would say Bill will command the better package just because he's under
contract for he would be under contract for longer or about to be, whereas
Anthony Davis could theoretically post more of a flight riff. Maybe he would pick
the team that he's going to. But I would still say Bill, I
think that the priority is always going to be on the guys who can generate
their own offense more consistently and efficiently. That's just not Anthony Davis's game,
and I love Anthony Davis. Look. While on the subject of the Patrick
France ninety two asked what is wrong with the Lakers. How many hours do
we have very quickly? I think it's the Russell Westbrook trade is a symptom
of a larger disease that was last offseason, not their decision not to make
the Buddy Heal trade obviously and go for Westbrook in general. But you got
rid of two of your two leading three point shot makers in Kuzma and KCP.
You also got rid of two solid perimeter defenders, given what Kuzma had
become for them. Mantras Harold was not a great fit, but like he
was still an actual rotation player, and it was also a first round pick
included that you gave up. So you consolidated your rotation into a player who
I think we need to reach your middle ground. I don't think Russ is
like willing to change, but he has adapted his game just to the point
where he's not as much of a focal point. It just he has not
looked capable of thriving within that role, and he probably needs to adapt even
further. But you consolidated all of these actual rotation players into someone who always
was a questionable fit at best, has now proved to be a terrible fit.
I don't rush as much as I do the front office. You also
let Alex Caruso go. So now you're in this position where you don't you
have this you're you know, one of your three highest paid players is not
an asset to you. You can't play with your best player in Lebron Ji
Like, there's just no clear chemistry there. He's not performing well when Lebron
is off the court either, And you have this glaring lack of two way
players. You have so many one dimensional players are only going to help you
at one end. But then you also just have a bunch of aging guys
in outsize roles. And I think that this is all combined that plus the
decisions made the move's not made, is really just coming back to haunt them
at this juncture. They are still going to be a threat if Lebron and
a D are healthy in the playoffs. But I think Shaq said that the
Lakers are right where they want to be because they'd rather face Phoenix and Golden
State in the first round. All right, that's sort of just to pick
your poison situation. You're gonna die in that series anyway, So that's what's
wrong with the Lakers. To me, I don't know if they can do
anything. The twenty twenty seven or twenty eight first round pick plus town Horton
Tucker plus Kendrick Nunn package has has probably been shop to no end. I
would be just absolutely like mind boggled if that gets them at Jeremy Grant or
if there were other moving parts that could help him get a Hirison Barn Should
the Kings even move him, my belief is that they would probably top out
at an Eric Gordon type acquisition. That's assuming Houston wants to just short the
Lakers future so far in advanced. I don't think that's a bad idea,
to be clear, I just don't think most front offices have the stability to
do that. And so if you can't make that move, or is there
a team that wants Russ is willing to let you divest into players who aren't
on the team friendliest deals, but you've broken them up into smaller contracts,
are you willing to include a first round pick? Is part of that equation.
This isn't going from Russ to John Lawl. It is like I was
outlined, I think we outlined these trades here. Is that if you traded
Russ to Houston with some minimum contracts to take back the four players in NWABA
Tys, Eric Gordon, and I forget who the other person was, DJ
Augustine just looking at their mid end salaries, or trading into the Knicks with
minimum contracts for Julius Rando, eleven Fournian and Kimball Walker. Are those types
of deals out there, I honestly don't know. Failing all of that,
you need to hope that you just get lucky on the buyout market. You
need wings, you need two way players. In general, those are not
players that you're just going to find on the buyout market. You could wind
up perhaps deepening your rotation though, and we've seen Molik Monk emerge, town
Horton. Tucker has had higher highs in recent weeks. But I still don't
you know, the fact that they're turning to him for off ball, offensing
crunch time before Russell Westbrook is that's not really encouraging so much as just indicative
of how poor of a fit Russ has been. And Harrison Fagan pointed this
out for Silver Screen and Roll. Russ is clearly in his head at points
in the game, and he might be throwing shade in postgame interviews and what
he's saying to eighty and Lebron on the bench, But he just looks out
of sorts, which which really sucks because Russ and his peak was a great
player, and I don't think he's been as stubborn this season as many people
believe. I just don't think he's effective even when he's sort of adapting his
role. We have a few more questions here, and let me get through
them, because then I'll be able to get to every question. But Hooper
informatis send a bunch. I'm going to settle on this one. What's the
greatest market inefficiency in the trade market in terms of low cost or impact provided
through acquiring? So I'm assuming that we can take contracts out of the equation
here. I think that there's like this stigma against players who are on the
perimeter but they're not quite wings, and yet they don't necessarily have the ball
skills of league guards. They are you can call them too guards what if
you will. But the Norman Powells, for instance, based off how his
the final four years of this five year, ninety million dollars deal, we're
being viewed clearly if the Blazers only got what they did for him, or
even in Eric Gordon, when there's questions about, oh, how's that final
year of his deal or final guaranteed deals, final guaranteed years, so far
going to look when that's when he is going to be aged thirty four next
year, when he's had some injury histories, when he doesn't, you know,
he's passed this year, But like, you don't want him running your
offense, even just the way that Marcus Smart's contract has been viewed, or
even something like a Josh Richardson who can shoot and defend, but you don't
want him operating off the dribble too much. I think we can place more
stock in those players. Richardson has been valued more highly more recently because just
like three indeed being an actual wing size, and Marcus Smart is probably on
the more extreme end of the spectrum. But it seems like as these players
get paid, is what I'm getting at, they're not viewed as as valuable
previously. And I know that can be the case with any player who gets
a big contract, but for these sort of archetype of players specifically, maybe
there's a real hole in their game like we just talked about with Gordon and
morn Powell, Like you don't want Norman Powell running your offense. Maybe some
situal pick and rolls, sure, but you want him attacking the basket or
shooting threes. There's a shit ton of value in doing or in providing rim
pressure in consistent three point shooting. That's exactly what Eric Gordon does. I
think with Marcus Smart guarding up and down the positional spectrum and the fact that
he's comfortable taking off the dribble jumpers, he's been probably I haven't looked at
this in a week or two, but the least efficient off the dribble jump
shooter this season. But he's also had years where he's been I think it
was two years ago he had like forty seven percent. It was off the
dribble triples on real volume. Not part of his strength necessarily, but there's
value. And yeah, he could be sloppy in the pick and roll,
but this is someone who could still dribble and run the offense better than a
Norman Powell. And so once you get to like those, when you like
six three, six four guys, I would say maybe even six two depending
on like their build who are not even like they're not even the CJ McCollums,
because maybe you just don't trust their ball skills as much as a maestro.
I mean even CJ. McCollums just might fall into here. Is those
tweener guards. Is tween or even a word, but that's really what I'm
what I'm envisioning here, and I'm interested to see hoop informatics if if you
agree or what you would pick. This one is one I had given some
thought too, but is pretty off the cuff. I've not you know,
I think there are certain types of bigs that could fall under this umbrella,
but that's just too easy, and we still see players get paid based off
size. We know that team are gonna give up a premium for three d
wings. But I do think if guys either can't like dribble East West or
be the lead playmaker of your offense, if they can do a bunch of
other things, they're still hyper valuable. I also thought about going sort of
with functional shooting specialists, where a Duncan Robinson or a Buddy Hell, you
don't want them to put the ball on the floor, but the fact that
they will work their asses off off the ball, I'll say they ever done
in Robinson at least Buddy Hehill will go through the motions with that, but
perhaps he'll be in a better mood now that he's out of Sacramento, even
at Davis Burton's. At points, as these players get paid, the reviews,
these net negative contracts all of a sudden, I think we've talked a
out all of them on this podcast. I still think like the Eric Gordon's
and the Norman Powells, like those are the guys and you can be worried
about how they'll age because of their athleticism, but when they're also like sort
of stronger, they can do other things with their shooting. But Eric Gordon
has shown that he is still quick, but like he's not nearly as explosive
as he once was. And so that's where I would really settle on for
that. I believe. How many questions do we have left here too,
Let's see if we can get to them. Do the Suns have weaknesses?
That is, by the NBA chicken, they are buzz saw went healthy.
What do you think gives them the most trouble in a playoff series? I
do believe that they could still be sort of beaten up with length, and
so if you go up because Milwaukee, it's not the ideal situation. I
think that can be neutralized though, and that'll get me to their what I
think is their real void. Listen to the Timeline podcasts A Blue Wire two.
They'll probably have better insight to this than I do. But just like
a third ball handler, it could be a wing, it could be a
guard. At this point, they're they're big man heavy. So if you're
targeting a ball handling big man, don't like is it? So that point
of attack big man is not something that they should be going after. Eric
Gordon has been mentioned a ton with them. Dennis Shrewder has been tangentously mentioned
among songs twitter I believe. I don't know Eric Gordon would be I've said
this on the podcast before, just the perfect edition for them, but I
think that you could go even smaller scale. But they also are banged up
at the guard position right now. Cameron Paine's dealing with an injury. He's
been better before that injury, but he's not having like as good of a
season as he was last year. Landry Shammitt, who believe, is also
injured. At the moment, he's been blah this year, and so they
could stand to upgrade those types of minutes and probably with someone This is where
Gordon would come in. He doesn't need to be a wing, but can
you get away with playing him alongside both Book and Paul And does he put
more pressure on the rim than those guys. So that's where Kendrick Williams also
a name that's been mentioned specifically on this podcast since you last off season.
By the way, not a victory lap, but we haven't banging the Kendrick
Williams to Phoenix Stroum for quite some time. Predominantly want him off the ball
or working in straight lines. The fact that he just gives you so much
positional malluability on the defensive end, he would be another guy that you could
look at. I thought briefly, and I think I actually think I mentioned
this in the off season preview we did with the timeline fellas of a Josh
Richardson for this team. I just don't think he provides enough of the ball
Hammon like, he'll give you a lot of defensive options and we'll space the
floor, and so like, yeah, okay, you've upgraded the Landry shamm
at minutes if you're acquiring him, but you don't want Josh Richardson running your
offense there, They're just the player that they need, Like Eric, I
think I have tunnel vision because Eric Gordon feels so perfect for that type of
a role that I can't necessarily think of anyone else that they should be going
after. But yeah, I mean that that would be where you could go
with that. I guess maybe if Memphis was like willing to deal to Anthony
Mountain, but spoiler alert, I don't think that they would be. You
could probably talk yourself into Leak Beasley a little bit, but I don't know
if I'm just sort of overweighting the ball handling. Alec Burks would be good
for this team. I think he was a free agent target for them way
back when, not this past summer, or maybe he was this past summer,
but the summer before that when he ended up signing with the Knicks.
They could definitely go that route with him. I don't think a kemba would
like that's just going from campaign to kemba. You're not playing. You could
probably get away with playing Burks alongside Booker and CP three burks Pot doesn't provide
enough rim pressure, but he has shown he can like not be totally mutilated
when he's defending on the wings against certain players. A Foigner would be a
no for me, just going through Nicks there because they have so many of
those pieces. Gary Harris doesn't have enough ball handling, even though he's shooting
better on drives. This season also makes just so much money, which is
Phoenix has the flexibility under the tax to do some things, but they really
have to step ladder of their way to get there. The Timeline folks when
they came on this podcast mentioned Harrison Barnes. Don't think Sacrament is gonna move
him now, and that's probably a trade where you actually have to give up
like more tangible assets, and are you willing to give up Cam Johnson at
this point would be the name plus other stuff obviously for Harrison Barnes, I
don't know if they'd be willing to do that. A lot of people have
mentioned Jeremy Grant again, I think you run into an asset problem. I
also don't think he has enough ball skills to really help. He would help
let me, just like we've seen him that he could work in Iso,
but I don't know playoff setting him on the ball. I would prefer them
to have Eric Gordon versus Jeremy Grant, even though Grant opens up a ton
of them for them defensively, and maybe you consider him someone who's more likely
to crack closing lineups. I do not know the not a Daniel Gallinari,
and I don't even know why Atlanta would be, Like, they're probably looking
to buy in that scenario, and that's just that's so much money too.
Sacramentos, if anyone they would be interested in that, they're probably I know
people mentioned that he is young, but that's like, again, we're I
think they're set at the four five spots right now. Derek White might be
interesting. I would be curious what the cost would be to get him.
If you're Phoenix, wrap it up here, I'm promised with slopping through this,
would you give up two first round picks future first round picks, at
least one of which would post date CP three's current contract in twenty twenty six
first round pick, plus you're twenty twenty four. If that was the crux,
would you would you do it and you can get to Derek White's money.
I think. I think you just need Sarich and Jalen Smith, and
so you're banking on the Spurs just prioritizing those first rounders. Who knows if
they if they do that, but that's the route you could go. You
can also fold Landry Shammitt the poison Pill extension into some of these deals that
you're looking at. Probably better if you're taking back higher salary players I would
consider with Derek White being a nearly sixteen million he could be among them.
You also be the option of moving camera pray if you want to just looking
at the number. He's not irreplaceable and teams will be willing to digest.
He's guaranteed six million dollars next year, and then the final season of his
contract is non guaranteed. So yeah, there's there's at least like some solutions
out there. Eric Gordon's the perfect one. I am curious to see what
Phoenix does the deadline. If anything, they're the best team in the league
right now, and so maybe they sort of prioritize standing pat but I do
think that they have an actual void where they could really use some rim pressure
or just more ball handling to break down length in the playoffs. And I'm
really thinking specifically about the Bucks for the most part. And there are other
teams of course, of the Warriors among them, I could give them problems
in the playoffs. So I'm thinking specifically about those matchups. Last, let's
go two mores here. What team do you suspect to be the most aggressive
at the deadline? Probably just Philly. This is from Sorry, that's from
k Fletch. I actually maybe it's Phoenix, just because they sense their window
is now. But I don't I feel like we haven't heard enough rumblings out
of them too. It feels like it'll be just a minor move like the
the Tory Craig move of last season. Or do they just view like the
mid season acquisition of Bim Bismack Biombo as the the move for them Philly,
just because I'm sure they're in all these Ben Simmons trade talks. If you're
kind of looking for like a not a cut below, but like a less
obvious example of a team that is really seeking upgrades, I want it to
be Toronto. It's Utah. I don't mean to step on in tones of
Utah again, but I think it's Utah. Them or maybe Chicago. Just
seeing Cleveland having loaded up, what's going on in Brooklyn. You do have
to consider if they're at full strength. The Bucks look like they're playing better
of late after their in Malays. You have Atlanta perking up, Boston is
perking up. Does that motive Chicago with injuries to a Lonzo Ball and Alex
Caruso, to do something. I'd be against making the Patrick Williams all in
special offer this trade deadline, especially, I just don't know what players are
available that are worth that. But can you get someone like a Josh Richardson
or Marcus Morris would help this team a ton, And so I'm gonna say
Chicago or Utah will be the most aggressive. I wish that it was Toronto
or Memphis, the two teams that I think have actual assets to move and
I feel like are one player away from being really special. I did want
to mention the Bucks because the reason we're report recording this podcast is because Tie
Windows of the Eurostep podcast. You should check them out also a Blue Wire
podcast. They cover the Milwaukee Bucks. Acts that there could be another hard
one knocks. I don't know if he's actually going to listen to this I
don't know how often he listens to us. I know he helps promote us,
and I appreciate anyone who listens, especially when they cover one specific team.
Really, I think it means a lot that people tune into a national
podcast when we're at a time where localized coverage means a lot, and it
should mean a lot, And it's a great time for podcasters and writers covering
a specific team, and they're able to provide just such good insight the eurostep
among them. But three. Personally, I like covering the league at large,
even though it could be stressful and exhausting at times, and it does
mean the world to me not to be too gooey and mushy when people who
are predominantly covering one team, even though if you're a fan of the NBA
or one team in the NBA, you do kind of find yourself following along
with everyone else. The fact that anyone listens or would even consider our existence
is pretty cool. But I'm just gonna talk some Milwaukee Bucks straight. I
came up with a Milwaukee Bucks straight specifically for ty Windish, And there's really
two. If the Toronto Raptors go out and get Rashawn Holmes because I think
that they should and he's a great fit there, and because the Kings have
Domasa Bonus on the roster. Now, can you get Chris Brouchet. I
know he's like not the typical big, but he's been defending so well this
season. He said he was not defending well last season. I thought it
was pretty good defensively. So that's either he's too hard on himself or I
suck at my job. Maybe somewhere in the middle, I would lead towards
I suck at my job. But he kind of not three ball isn't falling,
but he spaces the floor in general, and I think over the past
couple of years he's gotten better at navigating off the ball when going to the
basket. If you wanted to use him as sort of a rim runner,
but you could play him with Giannas, you could play him with Portis,
You'll play with Brook Lopez if you want to. The trade that I actually
had trying to find the Bucks a big man and just going back watching a
little bit of Dante de Vincenzo specifically asked after I listened to the latest euro
Step podcast, where if you want to really get into the nuts and bolts
of Greg Munroe's body composition. That episode of the podcast is for you.
They got into a lot of other cool stuff. Obviously, if Milwaukee's dead
set on getting up big, I don't think they're gonna be able to find
like their PJ. Tucker replacement, although maybe I have like a like a
poor man's poor man's PJ. Tucker replacement. Here, let's talk about the
dance. I have no idea what the fuck is gonna happen in Brooklyn.
Like James hard and I think he does want out. Hawyry Irving's playing in
like every eighth game or like it, and he wouldn't be available if they're
in the play and tournamentute like they have injuries. The lore between Joe Harris,
LaMarcus Aldres is banged up. Their front court rotation is a mishmash.
They have Nicholas Claxton headed towards free agency. I wouldn't get rid of him
because he's so important to They're switching defense, and they have to switch on
defense when they're at full strength, but they're not at full strength, and
Claxton's hardly ever at full strength, and he is entering free agency restricted free
agency, so they have the rights to match. However, they do need
like more two wayish players on the perimeter. And I know Docte de Vincenzo
has been bad this year, I'm going to give him a little bit of
a grace pier and given how much time he's missed, if you don't put
the ball in his hands that often, he can still give you some impact
as a mover and shaker away from it. And I just feel like his
stand still three point clip. While I have not checked it specifically, his
three point numbers are not pretty. They are actually the opposite of pretty.
I just feel like he could help that team, and then his defensive range
would certainly help that team. Someone who you could say, hey, I'm
gonna play him with Bruce Brown and or DeAndre Bembrey. And that doesn't make
me feel like shit about shrinking the floor on the offensive side, which I
think it. You probably do feel a little crappy if it's Bruce Brown and
of DeAndre Memmi playing at the same time, which has happened a little bit
this season. So the structure here is Dante DiVincenzo, I do think probably
is less value than Claxton, even though he like fills Or's more an archetype
of player, teams would be more inclined to invest in. But Dante Devencenzo
and that twenty twenty five Indiana's second round pick for Nicholas Claxton and Javon Carter.
The thought process here is, maybe the Bucks on another guard with Steven
kenso leaving. Carter is shooting a ball well over the past few games,
and the Nets have needed to play him because they're so banged up, and
you don't have hard, you don't have Kyrie. But the thought process here
is Brooklyn actually shaves money and creates a roster spot with the move, and
the Bucks added their tax bill a little bit, but maybe the Nets are
more concerned with their tax tax bill. Milwaukee can also try and jettison one
of their other minimum contracts and too, hey, maybe it's okay Seas give
them something so that they're a net neutral in the salary department here. But
that works, and Brooklyn gets out of the final year of Javon Carter's deal,
which is worth only three point nine million, But again, their tax
bill is through the roof, and maybe Milwaukee, just like that dude will
defend his butt off end to end, and if he's gonna hit threes like
Bubble Javon Carter, that dude was a cap flock problem. I would love
that for I think both sides. If you're gonna move Claxton because you have
faith that Okay LaMarcus Aldres is gonna be healthy, we trust Blake Griffin.
We think we can get real run out of day Ron Sharp. Maybe it
falls apart there. If you're looking to sweep the process for Brooklyn here and
look, Milwaukee is part of this. You wouldn't keep Greig mcrou around so
that you do have that roster rock to play around with. But if you
can continue to find other teams to help you get rid of another one of
your minimum contracts, maybe it's a Rodney Hood Jemmy Ole Jelay and then take
back as part of a separate just transaction because they're all on minimums. James
Johnson or Paul mill Stap. Paul mil Sap would almost be ideal. He
does not looked great this season. He's also not with the nets at this
point because he wasn't really playing, and I think he was more helpful to
Denver last year than people credit him with and if you're just trying to load
up on your front court with different types of options and you walk away with
Paul Millsap and or James Johnson. But James Johnson has been playing for the
Nets again because they're so banged up up front, including with stuff Nicholas Claxton
was previously dealing with, but also LaMarcus Aldridge, Paul mal Sapp, Javon
Carter and excuse me, Nicholas Claxton, John Carter, PUBMLS and Nicholas Clackston
for Dante di Vincenzo. Break it up into transactions and in the second round
pick. If you need to give up another second round pick, as the
Bucks, I would still do it. I like Claxton's fit there that much.
Not the largest center, but he can just really move around the floor,
and he can locked down point guards, and so you know that I'm
just imagining Claxton playing with Jannis, imagining him playing with Cortis. That's something
that I couldn't vision working really well. I don't know how much the Nets
value Clackson. They should highly, but if they believe in Donna deven Gens
and they know that they really need like players who are twos slashed maybe can
guard up to threes or even help them out defensively at the one. Like
just two guys who can actually profile as two way players on the perimeter,
aside from k D and Joe Harris two way players on the perimeter, because
it's not Yeah, Cameron Thomas great one way, Kyrie Riverving not going to
be puny sealthy even this like Beacon of Defense didn't for James Harden. If
they acquire Ben Simmons, I don't know if that makes it more or less
intriguing for them to do this deal. I might argue that it's more intriguing
because then Ben Simmons is there to sort of anchor or defense. But yeah,
if I think Nicholas Claxton is like the I don't think he's been He's
been talked about as someone was available. I don't know if they've talked about
it on the Eurostep podcast previously. But Ty, I might tag you in
this when I promote it. But what do you think of my Dante DiVincenzo
second round pick for Javon Carter and Nicholas Claxton. That is the basis of
it. Net Spans can get at me there and also to sweet Nipper book.
And you further cut your tax bill would create a second roster spot.
Forced Milwaukee to find a way to send someone else out, maybe to someone's
if they want their tax bill to remain net mutual, like I said,
and then you send them back palmell step as well. And if if I'm
Milwaukee, I actually might even prefer that scenario. I don't know what it
would take to give Rodney hood to okay see or show me olderlao okay see,
or just you know, another one of those players to another team.
That is the framework here that I am thinking, and I believe that is
all the questions that we actually had. I'm gonna scroll through this really quick
because I might as well finish it every single one of these questions if if
we have them. Nope, I believe I got to all of them out.
This is the last. This is our final one. What team is
always active at the deadline? I needed to have researched a question like this.
I think I saw a study though that in the history it's actually the
New Orleans franchise that is averaging the most trades per year. Their existence was
shorter, and this was a few years ago that I saw it if I
had to ballpark it. I feel like we always see stuff happen in Toronto,
Cleveland or does it feel like Orlando is always doing something at the deadline
without without even looking I want to know your answer, Get at me at
Dan for Valley fav Ali or at Hardward Knox. My official answer is just
gonna be is it even like? I just feel like in years past this
was really frisky. I'm gonna say Cleveland or Toronto, Orlando one of those
three teams. But who would you pick? That's without looking at anything,
And maybe there's just like not a great baser for that. I think some
of the teams. We know it's not the Spurs if that's any constellation,
and look, we know it's not the Celtics. Danny Aange was the assultan
of almost hashtag. Sorry Utah Jazz fans. If you if you hear a
lot of like could have been trades after the deadline. If you've made it
this far, thanks for sticking along. I hope none of this is outdated.
I hope you enjoyed it. If you have not subscribed to us,
please consider giving us the permanent subscription. We do try and cover the league
as best we can around it here, and I think, look, I'm
very reticent to compliment myself and this podcast at large, we do a pretty
fucking cool job, good job, thorough job of covering the entire MBA.
So join us, follow along with us. We love doing this, we
do work really hard at it, and we're trying to just continue to grow.
The audience has been the focus this season. So yeah, Hardwood Knox
at Hardware, Knox on Twitter at Hardwin, Underscore Knox on ig. Our
discord link is in the podcast description, as is our YouTube channel, so
go follow us there as well. And any word of mouth recommendations slash.
I don't care where you listen to us, but throw us those ratings and
reviews on iTunes. They help out a ton Until next time. I'll leave
with the shout out to the one the only. He should probably be traded
to a contender. Stuff They can bolster their championship chanted with his lock down
defenses. Frankie Lookino