What is krack lacking? Fellow thermoucier after I am Dan Valley coming at you
win my certified fancabulous and thermonuclear af co host mister Grant Hughes. This is
part six of six of our twenty twenty three NBA offseason grades. Go check
out all the other divisions. They are on our YouTube and podcast pages.
And hey, if you're new, subscribe like comment on all our videos on
YouTube to help the al gooal love us back. Make sure you're subscribing to
both Spotify and Apple podcasts and writing reviews for Apple and providing five star ratings
on both Apple and Spotify. That helps us out as well. If you've
done all those things, consider sharing an episode with a friend, family member,
acquaintance, random person on the street telling people about us. Share our
short clip videos we post on our socials where you can find us at Hardwin
Knox on Twitter, at Hardwin Knox on TikTok at Hardward Underscore Knox on Instagram.
Join our discord the link to that's in the podcast and YouTube description.
We have lots of fun combos in there, and if you would like to
support the show even further, please buy our merch. The link to our
t public store is in the podcast and YouTube descriptions too. Grant, I
talked to you thirty seconds ago. How are you doing? Had a big
development? Actually, not kidding. If you're watching on YouTube, great,
If not, we'll just explain it. Check out what I found in my
house here. This is a I'm holding up a thermonuclear AF sticker that Dan
sent me with one of the first orders of our merch and I wasn't sure
what happened to it, and I mostly didn't want to answer questions from my
kids about what AF stood for. It was just in my office, so
I must have taken it out of the order and put it in the office
before I gave them all the other stickers. So I mean, I know
they know these words. I'm sure the poisoning the huge household the antidote was
I found it, so no poison. I'm doing great because I don't have
to explain what a F stands for to my kids, or you could just
tell them it's awesomely fantabulous. Yeah, well that's true. They do enjoy
the certified I got one of them a certified fantabulous shirt and it is in
the rotation. I support you and Adam from a friend of the podcast and
former coals and putting your kids is hardware knocks billboards. I love it well
because otherwise you have to pay for advertising. Like I feel like you know,
this is just a really this is like a nice work around the child
labor laws. Like you're to work, but you are putting the likeness to
work. I spend a lot of money on them, but I don't pay
them anything. So the least they can do is advertise we got the Southwest
division? Should we? Oh? Preamble mini preamble. I gave you the
windhorse finger there Like before, I said, preamble C is a good grade
you're passing. We say this before most of the time when we remember to
do this, uh C is not a knock and extrapolate from there like anything
below that maybe not so great, anything above that very good. And we're
trying to be uh I don't know, attentive to each team's individual circumstances and
their opportunities and lack thereof in some cases when handing out these grades. Is
that a sufficient preamble? You think? For absolutely no notes? It was
perfect. It's so good that I can't wait for you to read us what's
happening with the Dallas Bader? All right? That is where we start.
The Big Ones sign Kyrie Irving for three years and one hundred and twenty million,
with a player option on that third year, which will be his age
thirty three season. After that, they acquired Grant Williams structured ultimately as a
sign and trade with Boston two future seconds from the Spurs for Reggie Bullock two
future seconds and twenty thirty swap rights going to the Spurs. That's all convoluted,
but basically they got Grant Williams, signed Seth Curry for two years and
eight million, signed Dante Exum for two years six point one five. Where
are you laughing? I feel like that's basically The twenty thirty swap feels like
more than an asterisks as I'm reading, and I'm just like, nope,
it just gets Grant Williams. That's all we need to know about. Dallas
resigned Dwight pal for three years, twelve million with the player option trade at
number ten and Davis Burton's to Oklahoma City four number twelve, which turned into
Derek Leveley the second also acquired Rashaun Holmes and number twenty four which became Olivia
Maxents Prosper from the King's basically for cash using the TPE from the Burton's trade.
Uh. More or less, they lost Slash remain unsigned, Justin Holiday,
Dan Frank Nilikina no longer Dallas Maverick Christian Wood were about to win and
hang a banner for the in season tournament. I think thanks to I don't
think we mentioned Frank Nilikina in the Hornets podcast. So whatever happened like the
night before or actually it was days because my mentions I love that our brand
is strong and the hardwood knocks the discord and my personal mention just went on
fire. So the takeaway is the Hornets get an A. We've forget everything
we said about Brandon Miller. They get an A, and the MAVs get
an F because they lost Frankie Smokes. Christian would also unsigned Markiefe Morris,
the Pinson ditto. They signed the Dallas did Matisse table to a three year,
thirty three million dollar offer sheet, which the Blazers matched. So no
ace wing defender on this roster, unfortunately, since that was a pretty clear
need. Nonetheless, I'll I'll just say it, this is a B plus
for me. That's with Kyrie Irving being someone I just generally do not trust
to be on a team that I want to support or enjoy watching U succeed.
So, Dan, am I too high two low? With the B
plus? What about this offseason stands out most to you? I think the
so it's funny because it's a good offseason, and I look the Kyrie Irving
deals, just sub MAXI money three years rather than four. I feel like
that's a really good out that's at least a reasonable outcome, especially because of
what you gave up to keep him. He might have had more leverage than
that, and it allowed you to use your full mid level exception. I
like a lot of the auditions here and understand them. I think it was
good to go after mattist thought I bowl the Grant Williams acquisition. The money
is fine, the fit is good. Just giving up that twenty thirty swap
makes me uneasy. It just it makes me uneasy. So that is something
that kind of stands out the most. Room just like Ah, but they
got great value out of dropping down two spots. I love just kind of
taking the flyer on Omax to get somebody with Shawn Holmes, who, frankly,
if he's healthy, should be able to go play for you. You
just have more shooting with Seth Curry. I think they are going to miss
Reggie Bullock, like you're putting a lot of like weight on the shoulders of
I know people say Grant Williams is the most switchable player, one of the
most switchable players in the league. He's not like this wing checking defender.
You had that, at least in theory, in Reggie Bullock, who defended
a lot of guards. Now it's okay, Josh Green and we're gonna see
Dante x him in that role. They have Derek Jones Junior now as well.
I don't know. If we mentioned that and so I get the theory
of him, I would probably land with a B plus as well. I
just I would have liked to. I don't know what they could have done
to get a better wing defender, So I don't know how I could give
them like a huge negative from there, but giving up a twenty thirty swap
to get Grant Williams and kind of keeping this weird, like big man rotation
is sort of uneven and now, what's the pathway to Derek Lively getting minutes
or you're just gonna bring them along super slowly as a rookie. Again,
you could talk me into like an a minus though, just because of getting
off of Davis Berton's and then like to drop down two spots getting the player
you wanted and then still ended up getting Mishawn Holmes using part of that trade
exception and at first you know what, Yeah, a minus pounce like the
process of those events, I can't give him an A for the twenty thirty
swap alone. I just it makes me wildly uneasy. Do you wonder if
maybe they would have just been better off taking Wallace at ten? Yeah?
Like, that's the thought that's kept coming back to me, especially I like
him or because you like him, Well, I just I don't know.
I guess he's not quite the like can he guard threes? Do you think?
Is he just not big enough to do that? I probably not.
You guys, I think he could guard threes. That would make so that
would make a lot of sense then as to why you would have kept him.
Yeah, I'm just asking the question because I agree generally like to move
down and get off money and get the guy that and Lively that you targeted,
is like that was just I think even on draft night, we're like
as one of the better moves almost anybody made. I've since kind of started
to have reservations about Wallace maybe being really good, and so I'm coming off
that a little bit. But yeah, we're We're we're right in lockstep B
plus A minus. Good offseason, although like how much better is Dallas really
relative to the West teams that's trying to climb over in the standings like a
little bit, probably because Williams should help and a full I just I don't
know a good offseason though it's yeah, and it's weird because it's I don't
know how high I am on them in the context of like the Western Conference,
like the larger context of the West, Like what what opportunities did they
miss right? And what did they miss on? I mean, I'm uncomfortable
with them giving up a twenty thirty swap, but I'm not like, okay,
you know, but gosh, just I don't think it was like a
disaster. If Lucas still there, like you're probably fine and everything's hunky dory,
and Grant Williams will help you. I am gonna be fascinated by just
their front court rotation, as we already mentioned, like how the perimeter defense
is structured. And I also think, you know, they're really high on
Jayden Hardy. It's like that kind of there's overlap there with Kays and Wallace
a little bit too. And I think there's some Josh Green extension talk too.
I love Josh Green, So I mean that I don't know if they
would be an interesting landing spot if he ends up at the minimum for Hamadu
Diallo just like, okay, another physical body, but they want to Derrick
Jones Junior oute already he's not even like more of a like I guess,
yeah, you could place him, go get that wing. What he does
to you offensively, I know people just say space the floor screen and roll
with him, like that's just that's not how it works with Derek Jones Junior.
And I would just as you made me think of this. I know
we're trying to move fast, but Jones was like a really vital part of
some zone looks on defense in Miami that were really good several years ago.
And so maybe years ago was that, Yeah, it was a while and
he hasn't come close. Again. Don't go after guys that are leaving the
heat. It doesn't work out. But certainly, if you have Kyrie and
Luca, even skinny Luca on the floor at the same time, you might
want to think about some zone stuff and maybe that's the idea behind you.
Don't do we factor that into the off season where it's like, oh,
lucas in the best shape of his life, I mean, what could matter
more? Really? Like nothing peak conditioned Luca don Chi would be the by
far the biggest edition on the Mavericks offseason, even whateverything they did a minus
for me, I'm giving him a B plus, but it's an A plus
if Luca actually really stays in this shape and if he has abs, if
he comes back with ed, I need abs for an A plus. All
right, you got rockets to the Houston Rockets. They did a bunch.
Fired Stephen silas HIRTI Mayordoka, drafted Amen Thompson at number five, drafted Cam
Whitmore at number twenty. I have number twenty five written down. I'm an
idiot. Traded Brooklyn's own twenty eight second round pick too, Brooklyn for Patty
Mills and Milwaukee's is twenty twenty eight. Second, They signed fred Van Fleet
to a three year max deal. There's a team option on the third year,
his age thirty one season. They signed Jeff Green to a two year,
sixteen million dollar deal, the second season of which is fully non guaranteed.
They signed Jack Landale to a four year thirty two million dollar deal,
the final three seasons of which are non guaranteed. Then, as part of
a five team trade. If he thought I was gonna mistakenly say they still
have Patty Mills, they sent out Josh Christopher kJ Martin, Patty Mills,
Usman Garuba, and tay Tay Washington for the rights to Alpha Kaba and Dylan
Brooks, who was part of this trade, signed a four year, eighty
six million dollar contract with one million dollars and unlikely incentives per year that could
bring it up to a total value of ninety million. It is on a
declining scale his salary, and the deal runs through his age thirty one season.
They signed Aaron Holliday, Trevor Hudgens, Jermaine Samuel, and Darius Days
all got to a contracts and grant. The biggest news of all, they
Wave DaShan knicks a so so king. This is a great off season.
I think they hit on both of their draft picks. I think Thompson was
absolutely the right guy there. I think Whitmore is. I mean, we've
talked about this plenty, but a guy that was theoretically, you know,
top five, top seven, whatever falls to twenty, you just take them.
You just I don't care what else. Yeah, you just take that
guy, especially if you know you're you're already have a ton of young guys,
like, just take the flyer whatever. I've come all the way around
on the Van Fleet deal just because it's really a two year max and it's
almost impossible to have that be a bad deal really, especially if for a
team that needs someone to organize the offense, to make open shots, to
just kind of be a professional. That that's a big deal. I love
all the short and non guaranteed and team options and all the other stuff they
did. They really preserved a lot of flexibility somehow, while spending a bunch
of money didn't get Brook Lopez. I don't know how we've weighed like one
of the few deals that like everybody seemed to think that was gonna happen and
then it didn't, I probably would be higher on them, I guess if
they got Lopez, but who knows, maybe maybe they couldn't have got the
second you know, second year non guarantee or partial or whatever on that.
The only knock is the brooksteal. I think I just don't know if I
if it's worth it to me to have his offensive shortcomings on board, even
though you do get great defense. I think probably if not for the kind
of postseason shenanigans and the just uptick in I don't know historyonics and like inflammatory
comments and stuff. If not for that stuff, I think I'd probably just
view it as well, this is an offense defense trade off. It's a
little bit of an overpay for that reason. But now it's kind of like,
I don't know. Still, uh, this is an a minus for
me, And I feel like when I started to say this was a great
offseason, you made a face. So I'm very curious where you come down
on this. I guess, you know, I like Amen Thompson more than
I did leading into the draft, and so getting him at four I prefer
Ausar Tompson, but I don't view that as a miss. And they can't
wit more. Just the value they get from him. I feel like you're
not criticizing them enough or giving them enough of sort of just this pullback for
they missed on brook Lopez and they clearly misread that situation. Now, the
chain of events that led to the Dylan Brooks contract that got so complicated that
his value kept escalating, you know what, deals like they kind of diminished
in value after the initial reporting. He's just kept climbing. And I think
it's I know email or Dokah wanted him. I'm a Fred van Fleet tiding
great. I thought way better fit than James Harden ever was for them.
Frankly, what they're trying to do the two things that I worry about.
So I mentioned Dylan Brooks already, but specifically, Okay, it's great that
you bring in his defense. Okay, who's your second best defender in the
starting line. I'm now assuming i'm and Thompson doesn't start. It's Fred VanVleet.
That's a little bit of a problem because does jor Barry Smith Junior making
Lee big faith in him. I'd love to see more of him at the
five. I think we will see more of him at the five. However,
you sign Landale, you get Jeff Green. What does this say about
what you're trying to do? Its center? Is al Prenschen gonna have more
of a quick hook? Because I don't like that. I think alperns Check
is really good? Does that make it harder for you to get to Jabari
Smith Junior at center? I'm not gonna like that either, And so it
feels like when you look at this roster there's just still too much log jamminess.
What is happening with Kevin Porter Junior? Here? Are we just assuming
Kem Whitmore Like ken Port Junior is good one of the best pot up shooters
in the league. Now, are you just not gonna play Kim Whitmore.
He's gonna spend a lot of time in the G League? There is This
roster is better from a pure talent perspective, is better? And late first
round picks or late first round picks, you weren't going to keep Garuba Washington
was drafted last year, Josh Christopher kind of flamed out. That's still just
like a weird chain of events, all of which to get Dylan Brooks,
and yet your depth chart is still so complicated to where it's well, could
someone's gonna be left out in the cold who shouldn't be? And it's like
is that optionality or is it an unnecessary log jam? Where it's like how
much how many does does Jay Shahn Tate get with Brooks and Tar Eason here?
And the best way to kind of play everybody on the print matter is
to get more of the Jabari Smith Junior at the five minutes? Did you
make that a little harder? Though? And so I just think there were
chances And I'm more worried about the Brooks deal than anything because I think when
you're at this stage of the rebuild, it's okay, yes we brought in
veterans, but like we can still experiment and having a twelve man rotation is
not the end of the world because we're not making the playoffs. The Brooks
deal, though, just like it's a and this is all to say I
gave them a B plus. We like there are things here I thought about,
like a B a B minus because to misread the brook Lopez situation,
I think that deeply, like thinking about how far into the discussions they got.
I'm gonna you know what, I'm gonna give them a b too,
because what deal did they win? Or like, I can't win more in
great value and that's an above average off season. Still, you didn't win
the Van Fleet deal, it's just not bad. You didn't win the Dylan
Brooks deal. It's declining. So I think you could say, well,
it's just not bad. Are they gonna be able to rain in his offensive
inclinations? That's a bit the Grizzlies couldn't. What makes us think that Emaidoka
is gonna be different? Maybe he will be. It's a bee, I
will say. If you're trying to sort of look at the Rockets off season
as an indicator for what the big picture plans are, it's kind of murky
just because they're really had a bunch of high lottery picks already. They're adding
really two more because what Moore sort of is that along with Thompson obviously,
who literally was a high lottery pick, but then you've got all these,
you know, fairly high dollar or relatively speaking on an annual basis, veterans
on short deals. So I would I would push back a little bit on
like the log jamminess doesn't really bother me, because this is clearly kind of
like a like a one to two year stop gap situation where I guess the
theory. And again this gets into the murkiness because I have to guess at
it is that you know, by the time Jalen Green is really ready and
Jabari Smith Junior is really ready, and Thompson like, maybe you're then trading
Fred van Vleet as an expiring contract with other stuff for a star for a
longer or something. You know, I can't really figure out exactly what the
long term goals are. I just think in isolation it made sense to just
add some adults and sort of see what happens. And I also I didn't
I didn't talk about this enough. I think probably the upgrade from Silas to
Odoka is the biggest coaching upgrade of any team in the off season unless I'm
forgetting something. And that might be something that just especially with the roster loaded
with young guys who've kind of gotten to do whatever they wanted, that's not
going to be how things go anymore, and so that could really, you
know, one start weeding out guys like Kevin Porter Junior, for example,
This like this isn't going to be You're not going to be able to play
the way you want to play here. So we're going to move you and
it might just sort of give you a better sense of like what really is
Jalen Green, because I don't we have an idea like there's this zach lavin
nous to him that you know, maybe that's what it is, but maybe
it's something totally different. And now that there's account of ability and organization on
both ends of the floor, we'll get a real clear picture. So I
just benefits from Fred van V's arrival more than anyone. Oh my god.
Yeah, for sure. He just take the tough, take the five worst
shots he takes per game away and to replace them with like theoretically open looks
or just he doesn't shoot them at all, and suddenly you know his inefficiency
is like you can deal with it. Yeah, No, I think that's
right. I like the offseason. I can see though, like you don't
like a mishmash of stuff happening here that doesn't all seem to square. I'm
gonna go B plus because you mentioned maybe I'm not factoring in the coaching bump
like on the court enough. And the other thing too, is I like
that based off who they were linked to over the not going for Hardens,
didn't go for Harden totally. Yeah, it's what that tells you though and
informing the future. And I'm saying I didn't wait this enough, which is
why they're getting a plus. Is they're not just gonna go out and make
a trade where it's because they're This felt more like we don't want send Okay
see the fifth pick, rather than we need to make the playoffs right now.
And that what that makes you believe is if we fast forward to around
the trade deadline and they're making moves, it's because they're making a higher end
move rather than like think about what the Hawks did with the jan Thay Murray,
where was probably more justifiable for them, Like you're not gonna go after
the fiftieth best player in the consolidate in the fifty sixtieth best player in the
NBA. You're gonna aim even higher. And I think there was a danger
where it was, oh, we're trying to accelerate this too much by going
for James Hartn's better than the sixtieth best player in the MBA. But you're
like two committed to acceleration. This was more about I think getting better about
the pick that they while improving sort of the circumstances both on and off the
court. And so I wasn't initially. I just wasn't giving them enough credit
for that people. And I think too, just the last thing i'd say,
You know, Houston is one of those markets that, like your cap
space actually does matter. I think it is a desirable place to be.
So having the flexibility of all these non guarantees and all these teams granted like
a year or two years down the line in Van Bleet's case, preserving some
of that flexibility to where if you really needed to, you probably could clear
significant space. All these rookie scale deals are gonna balloon pretty soon, so
that's an issue too. But I think we're gonna weed some of those out
where, like you're not prevented at all from just saying yeah, we could
get to forty million, like we could figure that out. You know that
that that's on the table too. So I think it's one of the more
interesting off seasons. But but yeah, I think I think we're pretty close
on it. Yeah, I mean, you talk me into what would they
have gotten for you if they landed brook Lopez. It might have been an
eight plus. I think it would have been a flat a for me,
for although like the money would have mattered. I wonder how much they were
for two or three years. It absolutely would not have mattered. Well,
that's right, I just did the van fleet. I wonder though, like
how much of this because you may be right that they sort of misjudged that
situation. I wonder if it was just Lopez kind of being ready to take
a big deal and then kind of just having the thought of, like,
yeah, but I could go back and contend in a place that has resurrected
my career. It feels more to me like he just kind of had a
had an epiphany and just was like, no, I can't, I can't
do it. Did they give Were they offering him like three and like seventy
or something and he decided to take two and forty eight from maybe? I
don't know. I don't know. That brings us to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Another really interesting offseason for sorry, he might have had collectively the most interesting.
I mean, the Pelicans did nothing. We'll get to them. Like
the birds were like kind of all over the place a little bit. Yeah,
So I guess the place to start is the Grizzlies now have Marcus Smart
acquired from Boston and a three teamer that also involved the Washington Wizards. Tayas
Jones is gone as a part of that, as are the number twenty five
pick and a twenty twenty four Golden State Warriors first rounder. Dylan Brooks also
gone. We just talked about him. That was essentially structured as a sign
and trade that involved the Heart and the Thunder. Desmond Bane signed a five
year submax I believe just a little bit one hundred and ninety seven million dollars
extension. Derek Rose on board for the minimum. This was another interesting one,
treated three future seconds for swap rights on the lesser of Phoenix and Washington's
twenty twenty four and twenty thirty first and Isaiah Todd drafted Gigi Jackson the second
and Terik Baberovitch. Sure I didn't say that right at forty five and fifty
six respectively. Did I miss anything of consequence there? I do not think
so. I guess I won't get my grade yet because I led with it
last time, the market Smart deal. I was gonna say the one thing
they didn't decide well, and now we'll just get into that because that's more
of a no. I didn't love the Marcus Smart deal basically for any team
rather than the Wizards, and I understand the So you look at they're catching
two percentages Dylan Brooks and Marcus Smart pretty similar over the past three years.
The differences that defenses react to market Smart differently. They will actually guard him
more. So, Yes, that's an upgrade. Do you think he's an
upgrade as a point guard over ti As Jones The answers no. As a
passer and decision maker, the answers no. I think he's a better player
overall, He's not an upgrade as an actual point guard. Now, the
fact that he can play and close alongside John Morant matters. And now you've
also rolled him into he's like a wing. So you play him with Baine
because of the way he defends, and you play him with Jaw. You
can win Jaws back from his suspension, so you can do that. It
felt like they were trying to check too many boxes for what they ultimately gave
up, which was two first round picks, including I like the Warriors pick
might have been the best asset of anything including Jones and would turned out to
be Marcus Sasser that they gave up. The player needs to be better than
Marcus Smart, and it also makes me wonder he slipped defensively a little bit
last year, and so you paid kind of peak value for someone who might
already be not on the steep decline, but not as effective as he was
previously because of the wear and tear Boston put on him. And maybe I'm
ga bringing this because I've kind of thought I hated. I didn't like the
deal for Boston. Like I understand the two first round pick value, I
viewed it more as they extended Porzingis. So I don't know what to make
of that, but it felt like from their perspective, it was we're going
to capitalize on getting rid of Marcus Smart more than we're trying to get Porzingis.
When that framework, and I know they had a previous deal to get
porzingis that didn't include Marcus Smart. I understand that Marcus Smart can fit,
but if you were going to roll all of these boxes or want this one
player to where all of these hats, that player needed to be a better
shooter than Marcus Smart is going to be and you've now you still have the
ability to go out and make moves, but like you kind of you didn't
ruin any flexibility. But like, I don't think getting him made you good
enough to say, well, we still don't need that move that we're all
talking about, which we need this bigger wing. I think that's a really
good way to put it, because I this is a c plus for me,
and and a lot of that has to do with I think Desmond Bane
is worth that, and I think getting just deciding you're done with Dylan Brooks
is a positive. The smart thing is I don't know what to make of
it. For all the reasons you said, I think this is essentially a
bet on because they are going to ask him to do like really the work
of Jones and Brooks basically right like and so those are two guys that mattered
a lot. They're asking him to do both, and it's a bet on
the fact that the slippage. I think people that you know, watch Smart
last year, people in Boston particularly, would would say like he was not
the same defender that he had been. I mean, it's crazy, but
he was Defensive Player of the Year two years ago. I don't know if
in hindsight that's going to age all that well, but he was not close
to that last season, and he's basically settled in as like a thirty three
percent three point shooter. I do think it's a little unfair to say,
but it's not wrong. But to say, like, well, you know,
Tias Jones is just a better point guard that is that is accurate.
I think I look at it more as like Smart just replaces Brooks in the
lineups that I really care about, and he's better basically everything on offense than
Brooks is, especially if he has to make a decision with the ball that
isn't just take the worst possible shot you can imagine, which Brooks excels at.
So yeah, I think in the in the first whatever was it twenty
five games that Morant suspended or twenty what, I can't remember where it is
like, that's not gonna be. That's gonna hurt a little bit because he's
basically your starting point guard and he's probably not as good offensively at all that
stuff as Jones is. But I think in the like fully realized version of
this Grizzlies team, Smart, at least in theory, if he hasn't really
fallen off a ton, or if he can sort of slow the decline.
I like him there in the Brooks role. I think I think him Bane
and Morant together. I just you know that's I love that one two three.
There's there's such a diversity of skill between those three guys that it works
for me. But you you outlined them, I share them. There are
real questions about is he being asked to do a little bit too much?
And bigger picture, they just still need another guy that they still need somebody
else to like up up the ceiling of this team. And yeah, it's
just I'm just wondering how much better they are even if the most optimistic vision
pans out. Maybe it's Zayre Williams hits you had to jump from Santhiel Daman
the other thing that they didn't do. And I don't know if you gave
your grade yet on this, but the decision when you have so much room
beneath the first day print, unless you just don't value him, but following
the Brandon Clark Achilles injury, I don't know how you don't like you could
have made Xavier Tillman a free agent. Now handled that deal, and just
like the deal would say, yeah, I would have given him a raise.
Maybe he takes a little bit less on the back end of it then,
and you also get one of his years out of the way while you
still have all this room under the first apron. So I was a little
bit surprised that they didn't go that route. Not a huge because I don't
think I'm probably lower on Xavier Tilman than most like Steven Adams isn't gonna be
around forever, and he can do some of the dirty work that Steven Adams
does, and like, do you always want Jaron Jackson Junior to be like
a solo big at some point? Maybe that's the end game here. I
was just a little it was just like, why didn't you do this now
type of thing. That's that's fair. There is a C plus for me,
C plus for me for the grizz Oh they got they got a D
plus for me. That's a big you know, with the Desmond Bank contract,
people didn't think he was a no brainer. You got that without a
player option. I will give them a C minus. Okay, perfect.
So now we're now we're in the neighborhood. You have the Pelicans, this
will be quick. No, I don't really feel like having the Pelicans.
You want to, you want to think them. No, But so the
New Orleans Pelicans. I wonder if we're going to diverge here. But the
New Orleans Pelicans drafted Jordan Hawkins at number fourteen, signed Herb Jones to a
four year, fifty three point eight million dollars deal with no options that runs
through his age twenty eight season. They waved then resigned EJ. Liddell to
a two year, six point two million dollar deal. I believe both seasons
were guaranteed. They signed Cody Zeller. They did lose Josh Richardson, he
went to the Heat. They lost Jackson Hayes the Lakers. They waved Garrett
Temple. Don't worry, he landed with the Toronto Raptors, and Willie Hernon
Gomez is now with He signed with FC Barcelona. I believe grant thoughts on
the Pelicans off season before I get my grade. This is what I was
thinking about this this morning. We were very you more so than me,
high on the Pelicans at this time last year, right, And I was
justified because after a couple of months in the season, they were like the
second seed. I forget what the dates are. There's one of those things
that we repeat all the time during the season. But they were second in
the West and like, I don't know, November December or something something like
that, and it was this is the next powerhouse that rising. And then
everything went to shit and Zion had his off season and suddenly, you know,
I think most people would be much lower on the Pelicans now than they
were a year ago, and I wonder why, Like how much has If
you think about it, the roster is not meaningfully different, and I maybe
the reason is Zion has gone another year without staying healthy. Brandon Ingram missed
a bunch of time. Segar McCollum is a year older. Jonas Falancioni is
a year older. Like maybe that's the reason. But isn't there a case
to be made that we should just be as high or higher on the Pelicans
as we were a year ago. This isn't an offseason question. This is
just like a Macro Pelicans thing that's kind of been bugging me. The only
reason you shouldn't be is if okay, you just don't truy Ziah Williamson to
ever play in more than half the season, which I think is a fair
skepticism to have. But this is not a team that, in theory needed
to do anything major. I think my issues if we want to start with
the issues, yeah, well, first of all, I have no issue
with the Herb Jones contract. Will look a goodwill with the player, and
the deal is good enough to where it's like, oh, we'll lock that
down now rather than worrying if he got the free agency. I know we
talk a lot about, well, our team's actually gonna give him a mega
offer if his three point shot doesn't improve. He shot well later end of
the season on ultra low volume. I don't think, you know, sort
of floor game and open space came along as much as the Pelicans would have
liked, and I have questions about that. The guy is going to be
in all defense candidate for the next half decade. This goes through his age
twenty eight season, so it's not super old. He will peak at nine
point two percent of the salary cap if that, If that don't have a
problem with, don't be one of those people that's like, well, they
ruined flexibility. No, they didn't ruin cap space. And if anything,
a year from now he's more tradeable because he didn't just sign his new deal
and he's making more money to where now it's easier to match, and other
sort of permutations. That was a that was a home run deal. I'm
actually shocked that he agreed to it. I would have taken Kobe Buffkin or
Keyante George at number fourteen. Those were the direct picks that went after them.
You can't get too mad. Grady Dick would have been way better.
He wasn't on the board. I don't end the Kobe Buffkin. A lot
of people are lower on him now. I just trust kind of the finishing
at the rim and his ability to defend and play off guard. I can't.
I can't hate on it. I don't know enough about out how Jordan
Jordan Hawkins is shooting. Excuse me, is gonna translate? That should probably
be fine. I think my actual biggest qualm I would have liked. You've
seen them been more aggressive in diversifying their front court and moving on from Jonas
valan Tunis. Was there that flour spacing five out there? The answer is,
could they've been trying to get into the Christops Porzingia sweep stake since they
have some of these larger contracts. Sure Porzingia's already went and got injured on
another lower body injury, plant or Fascia. You can't hit on that.
Miles Turner is not emily available. What are the names? Like you weren't
going to work out a sign and trade for Brook Lopez and so it's I'm
giving them in a minus because there's probably they could have done too. All
right, should we have gotten another point guard in here? To where what
happens if like who is their best point Like if Jose Alvarado just kind of
doesn't hit next year, who's there? Who's the best point guard on this
roster? Like is it just gonna be Kyra Lewis junior? In which case,
oh, we can't move him, deduct the tax because he's our best
point guard. Maybe they'll move in before the season they have there. I'm
gonna make this is what I want to make clear. They're ceiling. And
you cannot say this about every team with this current personnel right now, even
with well, well Yanni's valentus closed. Will he not close? Is they
want an NBA title? They didn't need to do anything major. They're going
to be fine. If Zion Williamson is healthy, if he plays in give
me fifty five fifty three games of Zion Williamson. This is a top four
team in the West. I don't know what does he look like in the
playoffs? YadA, YadA, YadA. They didn't need to do anything major.
If you're gonna make more of an macro decision, you need to wait.
Maybe if he gets injured again, do you do something at the trade
deadline? Do you make it next off season. They were clearly interested in
Scoot Henderson, not at the expense of Zion Williamson, and you and I
had a debate on that. They didn't need to do that. They didn't
need to get rid of Zion, They didn't need to get rid of brandon
Ingram. Are you like, oh, should they be extending brandon Ingram right
now? Do you want to penalize them for that? I don't know why
you would. This isn't a minus because and I might even go be I
would have liked to have seen them been aggressive and chasing trades, but I'm
also looking at the landscape, what and who was realistically out there for them
to chase, and they just didn't have If you wanted to say, well,
man, this is a team that really should have gotten in with the
Monte Morris sweepstakes. They're in this situation right now when they're giving up that
type of salary matching to get even a nine million dollar player. You're not
giving up Dyson Daniels for Monte Morris. You're not giving up or do you
even want to give up Larry Nance Junior at this point? And then it's
like, well, teams aren't just gonna accept Kyra Lewis as filler. You're
gonna have to attach something to that. So you know, is Cody's Eller
the perfect sort of backup or if you want to call him Zion Jannis Larry
Nance and then there's Cody'sellers your fourth big I don't hate it. I'd prefer
Bismapiambo was just sitting there. I know he doesn't space the floor. Isn't
as good as a pastor as Cody's Eeller. I don't care. It's just
what did people want them to do, and the fact that they did to
herb Joones deal. Now, I think it is a botus, not some
sort of hamstringing decision that's been painted all right, So I have to set
more impassioned than you thought it was going to get on the word you.
This is the most I'm going to move a grade because of your impassioned defense.
So he's basically like you were talking to me because I was initially I
was at a C minus on this on the thinking of what about a consolidation,
trade wise valance, UNA is still here, all this other stuff,
but your case for they didn't really have the ability to do the types of
things that I, in a perfect world would have liked them to do.
And that being said, the only thing I really objectively liked is the herb
Jones deal, which we've lauded sufficiently now. So I'm gonna move from a
C minus because it was unfair to say, well, you should have done
all these other things when those weren't really on the table, to a C
plus, which still gives us a probably our biggest disparity. I bunk the
Pelicans fans. My Venmo is deepa valley two zero three three. You can
compensate me for talking Grant into an above average grade? Above average grade?
Yeah again, C plus is it? No? Yeah, I think I
think you're right. I think I think I was too low on them,
and especially that's silly because I led this whole thing with like, why shouldn't
we think the Pelicans are just as good as they were a year ago?
Yeah, this is one of those where the specifics with respect to like what
was actually a plausible thing that could have happened for this team. Uh,
just make it such that like they didn't. Yeah, no Miles Turner,
no porzingis there wasn't. There wasn't a You could probably take just bigger issue
with them not actively pursuing like guard upgrades, whereas like Shake Milton would have
been really good for this team, Like that would be something you could take
issue with more than just the front court player they need. I don't think
he's available, it's not. Pascal Siakam, Joel Embiid would be just an
interesting proposition for this team. I think the theory of porzingis but you have
Zion on your team, and look, even Ingram has been injured and you
want to get into Christops porzingis business, No fucking thank you. I think
so surprisure as low as c plus. I guess I would say the guard
thing, and like there might be there was an upgrade to make at the
point guard spot. I think too, we could be talking this time next
year and this season has gone the same or worse than twenty one, twenty
two, twenty three for the same reasons, which is like Zion can't stay
healthy and Ingram just you know, is in and out and McCallum is aging,
and like, at that point, I think it will. So if
we end up in basically coming off a similar year for all the same reasons,
then it may, in hindsight, be fair to criticize them for maybe
we should have looked maybe they didn't look hard enough at moving Zion while there
was still some value and he wasn't just about to log another twenty something game
season or whatever it is. But that's like, that's based on so much
speculation. That's kind of an unfair thing to put out there. The other
thing is is that I don't like Zion's peak value might have already passed,
and so you're kind of in the situation where if Zion just isn't who the
player you expect to be, you're totally fucked anyway, So what are you
supposed to do? And so I'm just like, look like we have the
debate and I considered if if Portland would take Zion for the number three pick.
We were that high on school you, especially like I became more smitten
with him after Summer league, like you were on the Schoot Henderson bandwagon way
before I think even before he came out of the womb, if I'm not
mistaken, so, but like it's just it wasn't out there, and it's
if you're looking for something nuclear and I'm not talking there is at some point
if Zion is Zion's healthy this year at the trade deadline, and they don't
approach that with a sense of aggressive urgency, that's a separate grade. That's
a separate thing to talk about. It's not the off season. We first
order the next offseason, and they're still kind of nonchalant. If they don't
win the title or make the conference finals, or Zion's not healthy, that's
when you like he is he's going into his age twenty three season, or
he's still twenty three, but I think no, it's his age twenty three
season will be going into like this is maybe it's the last offseason of kind
of doing it this way, but it was still relative to the options available,
it's the best it's the best weight of you this summer for them,
and I just I actually think if your grade it makes more sense to me,
is like, well, like, why didn't they just go out and
get like a guard, like a veteran guard, for so cheap. Yeah,
that's fair, all right? We got one more here. This is
the San Antonio Spurs drafted some tall guy from France, Victor Wembanyama. I'm
not familiar. We don't need to belabor that one. Got Chetty Osman,
Lamar Stevens and a future second by kind of sliding into the Struce deal between
Miami and Cleveland. Did something basically similar, getting Reggie Block to future seconds
and twenty thirty swap rights from Dallas for getting into the Grant Williams sign and
trade between Boston and Dallas. Acquired Campaign a future second in cash from Phoenix.
Signed Trede Jones for two years and nineteen million. Loved that. Signed
Juliana Champanni. Shampanni? Is that right? Am? I getting that right?
Champanni for four years, twelve million. I don't know if it's a
team option or non guaranteed, but basically the last three years the Spurs are
not necessarily on the hook. Four of those four years lost key debates,
yap Romeo Langford, Gorgy Jang, and also gave Greg Popovich a five year
eighty million dollar extension. That's wild. So, I mean, I don't
know what you do with that, but that that was a significant thing that
the Spurs did. Otherwise, like you know, got Wemby, but other
than that kind of uneventful. Other than just kind of finding ways to insert
themselves into deals as like a third party to kind of grease the skids,
I don't know what to do with the Wemben Yama draft pick. It was
great franchise altering, but it was also like not a decision basically. So
this is a B plus for me, just because I liked the opportunistic kind
of bent to the off season where we're going to just find ways to extract
assets from other teams that can't just deal directly with each other. And I
think the Tray Jones deal two years nineteen is terrific. I think I think
he's like a low end starter at worst and can be much better than that.
And he's getting paid like eighth ninth man money, so uh yeah,
pretty pretty high on it. Even if we just I don't know if you
have it's if you factor in women Yama and what he's gonna mean, it's
an a plus. But I just don't know what's doing camp because that was
there wasn't a decision to make it sound like there was a debate, so
they don't. They don't get credit for Victor with women Yama. With that
said, I still give them an a nice I love the Champagny deal.
I love getting Reggie Bullock getting the twenty thirty Dallas swop. They made excellent
use of their cap space and the Thunder did not, And that's fair to
say. Now I have a quibble. Oh actually two other things. Well
one other thing getting Dominic Barlow back on a two way I'm just based off
like his just size, wingspan, like physical tools and some of the flashes
he's sewn on ball offensively. How is there not like an NBA deal out
there? Yeah, he really stood out at Summer League goal I think I'm
a surprise someone didn't come in and just give him a fully guaranteed So still
kind of having the like option of him just being there is a win for
them. The great popcial I didn't even have that my notes. I totally
forgot about that. I love that just like there's certainty there and it just
makes it forget about wemben Yama. The message that might send to other players
that are just like, if you're talking trades, eventually, oh, Pops
under contract, I can go play for Pop for more than a second.
I think that matters. My quibble would be which of these deals that you
pulled off would have prevented you from throwing your cap space to inflate the deal
on Austin Reeves for the Lakers or another restricted free agent maybe not like Cam
Johnson for the Nets. I don't think there was enough. Restricted free agent
like PJ. Washington wouldn't have been it for me. I also would have
been rather I would have prefer Brook Lopez here to play with Wemby than than
the Rockets. Like could you have been in on that and like gone just
been like, hey, Brooke, we'll just give you the max for one
you want a one year like what is it? Forty something million dollar deal?
Like all right, they couldn't go that high, but so they could
have on something like that. That's just my only qualm. But because the
players that they I would have been okay with them doing that for were so
specific and the list probably tops out at three. When you're looking at like
it's I can't be like, oh, and you don't get an A plus
because you didn't do anything groundbreaking. I think you were just smart. And
if the Weben Yama pick was made and there was a debate between him and
Scoot and you made the Weben Yama pick, like I said to you,
I saw his worst game of Summer League, and I thought he was gonna
be like the greatest player ever. Do you think if they go would have
been four for like ninety eight or like one on one for Reeves? I
forget where it would have topped out the Lakers just they just match right,
like is there any chance they get him? Get Austin Reeves? If if
you don't want Austin Reeves, I understand that, but you could have gone
like there was a there was an in between, like you could give a
smaller poison pill than like you do you have to go for for nine figures.
I think I would have paid him for for nine figures from saying but
if you want him, you could have done something like four and eighty and
just been like we really fucked with the Lakers books. Do you think that
precludes them from getting into the signing trades though? Like would that have tied
things up between so they maybe that don't get Bullock in that swap, or
they don't get Osman and Stevens and you know, I forget a future second
or something. It ties up your cap space for what forty eight hours?
Yeah, I just they didn't make the Cleveland deal. Didn't because I guess
because you agree to it earlier. But like, I think the most important
thing they did with their cap space, I mean even getting campaign it's like
another ball hand. I get it makes sense, but like that didn't happen
the Spurs deal with Reggie Bullock and Grant Williams that leaked, that was complete
on July twelfth. Yeah, you had time to go out there and be
like, hey, to mess up the Lakers plants. Now, maybe there
was some urgency with the Calves deal because they wanted true so bad. But
like if you miss out on Jetty Osman, who gives you some shooting and
waving Lamar Stevens and at a twenty thirty second, then okay, like right,
no great offseason, just you know It's kind of funny that like we're
just not considering whom ban Yama, but we just we just can't do it.
So that's gonna do it though, for our what's sixth and final offseason
Division Grade Extravaganza bonanza. So, Dan, unless you have anything to add,
I will take us out by encouraging everyone. First of all, thanking
everyone for listening, watching, participating. If you are you know, commenting
on any of the Twitter links we put out, or you know, just
getting in there on the mentions on at Hardwood Knox on Twitter and TikTok at
Hardwood Underscore Knox on Instagram. You if you're not already doing this, I
don't know how you're listening to us. If you aren't, but please rate,
review, subscribe, whether you're on Apple, whether you're whether you're on
Spotify, whether you're watching us on YouTube, leave us comments, tell your
friends, share our links that we put out that I say we that Dan
so conscientiously puts out through all of our social channels. If you have done
all those things, also you can get our merch which to the link to
which is in the podcast and YouTube description. And if you have done all
that stuff, thanks, no more, no more request, no notes.
Uh, and we'll close as for usual by shouting out the Warner Only Frank
n Latina and apologize to Jared out