What is track a lackin hardware Knox listeners. I am Dan Valley coming at
you with something different rather than come out with a second entire mail bag this
week, I have a bunch of questions stored up. I'll save them from
Monday from Twitter and YouTube. I apologize if anyone's listening to us and didn't
have their question answered immediately. I'm gonna try something called one Question, where
I take either I've been having a conversation with someone on the side or just
something I've been thinking about and trying to tackle that topic in a very short
amount of time. The goal will be for this to never replace one of
my full length podcasts, and I don't know how often I'm going to continue
to basically go daily. I hope people have appreciated that. We'll see if
the downloads reflect as much. But the goal will be these will just be
addams if they are a third, fourth, or fifth episode a week,
unless something obviously goes wrong with my availabilities all kinds of fucked up. Let
me know if you enjoy the format, and if you have a question,
get at us in discord. The link is in the podcast description. It's
also on the YouTube description, and look, if you're new around these parts
and you're stumbling on this because of the subject matter I'm about to tackle,
consider throwing us that permanent subscription. I'd really appreciate it. I try and
do a very thorough job of covering the entire MBA. We bounced around a
ton, have a lot of fun here. No one takes themselves too seriously.
It's a good time. Follow us on all the socials the links to
that or in the podcast description as well. With that, we get to
the question that I'm going to tackle. It's inspired by a conversation I've been
having with pells dozen in my direct messages when and he messaged me, and
it was sort of We've talked about a bunch of different stuff, but this
has been among them. Should it's not just should the New Orleans Pelicans trade
for Kevin Durant, it's ken the New Orleans Pelicans trade for Kevin Durant without
giving up brandon ingram. The answer to that question for most people is going
to be a resounding no. Because the Nets want an All star and picks
for Kevin Durant. There are some assumptions another question need to answer first and
that's a few things. Would Kevin Durant want to go to New Orleans to
where the Pelicans are giving up a ton of value? We're just going to
assume that he would. Otherwise you're not putting anything on the table. Nothing
that follows would be offered if you don't think Kevin Durant is all in with
you. He's entering his age thirty four season, has a checkered injury history
over the past three years. You don't acquire him without some level of knowledge
that he wants to be with you, especially if you're going to include a
brandon Ingram. Now, why would the Nets accept a package that wouldn't include
brandon Ingram. There are two ways for this. I still think the Nets
are going to have to skew one way or the other. Kevin Durant is
great. I ultimately don't think if and when they move him, they're going
to get as much as they want or anywhere near it. You're going to
have to prioritize either a bunch of picks or getting that current slash youngish all
star. And if you're giving brandon Ingram and you're the Pelicans, given Kadi's
age, you're not going to include all the picks in the world. What's
interesting about the Pelicans situation is that if Utah, excuse me, if if
Brooklyn wants picks, the Pelicans can give them more than most. And they
also have some instring young prospects in Dyson Daniels just selected number eight this year,
and then Trey Murphy, the third really came out at the end of
last season, looked fantastic in Summer League. They can also get to the
salary matching without brandon ingram to meet the math for for Kadi's money, which
is just over forty four point one million. They can also because of these
picks they have, and look specifically, we're talking about the Lakers one in
twenty twenty four, which they can defer till two twenty five. They also
have a Bucks pick in twenty twenty seven. That's like not nothing. Yannest
is gonna be around for roughly ever, but that pick, if I'm understanding,
I don't. I don't think it's They have a swap I'm Milwaukee' as
well in twenty six two, but it's unprotected. That's pretty far enough down
the line to where you know, wow, that's a huge asset. In
itself. You just had your your bets against the Bucks is uncertainty. We're
talking a half decade away. Anything could happen, and it's yes, you
honest, will still be kicking. Maybe he'll still be the best player in
the NBA at that point, but anything could happen. With the other players
in that team, Drew and Chris Middleton aren't exactly young, neither is brook
Lopez, and their depth is an admirable at this point. I would bet
on the Bucks figuring it out, because you honest, at tenth the couple
was that good. But to have a distant Lakers first and then a distant
Bucks first. An addition to everything, the Pells can give you with their
own draft equity because they don't owe any first round picks anymore, they are
a net neutral in their own first round pick ledger their net plus in first
round picks overall. But they can offer more picks than any team in the
league I would hazard except the Knicks. The Thunder could be in there too,
but like they're in the top three to five of if you want a
draft pick Hall, they can offer you that. Let's say Brooklyn still doesn't
want that draft pick. Call can you still get to a point where you're
not giving up brandon Ingram I don't know, but because you have so many
picks, you could turn around realistically and try and facilitate a trainer. Donovan
Mitchell ends up in Brooklyn, or another All Star ends up in Brooklyn.
If it's Donovan Mitchell among others. Ben Simmons also needs to be moved,
and that's all of a sudden part of the calculus. But you could either
get value for Ben Simmons or maybe if you're the Nets, you don't want
his contract on the books. I'm saying there are avenues for the Pelicans to
explore here that aren't open to every other team, and that would include I
think the Knicks, who can really overwhelm you with the volume of their picks
in prospects, but the quality of them are questionable once you move beyond the
Knicks's own picks. I think a lot of the Knicks's youngsters, I'm talking
Obie toppin IQ, even RJ. Barrett to some extent, and definitely Quentin
Grimes are probably underappreciated nationally by other teams. But it's also the Knicks's fault
because they signed to guys specifically this last season who wound up playing in front
of an IQ, in front of Anobi Toppin. When you look at Julius
Randall and the way that Tibbs doesn't want to play certain front courts, they
obfuscated R. J. Barrett's offensive role in the pecking order, so their
viewed as sort of these unimpressive known quantities when that's not what they are.
But you look at a Dyson Daniels or a Trey Murphy the Third who had
a strong showing in the playoffs. On top of Dyson Daniels now coming over,
is this like Swiss Army Knife, who if he has a jumper,
if that gets put together, he becomes an incredible player. Maybe one of
the you know, someone with a lot higher of a ceiling than I think
was credited when he was entering the draft. There's just more mystery box,
higher end mystery box appeal attached to to some of these guys. And I
also think just Tray Murphy the Third and then Dyson Daniels, being the positions
that they play as wings, they're gonna be more attractive than an IQ or
an Obi Toppin, who's definitely a one position player. Some teams can get
away with him at the five and RJ. Barrett, Yeah, he's a
wing, but he's already extension algible. The Jazz don't want to pay that.
The Nets aren't going to want to pay that. I would assume Quent
Grimes will be an exception because's on the smaller side for a wing. We're
talking about some like actual size, bigger wings and Diyson Daniels and Trey Murphy
the third. So that's why I think the Pelicans can get involved in this.
It's going to take one Kevin Durant wanting to be in New Orleans,
and then the Nets skewing one direction or the other. Because even if you
get them Donovan Mitchell as part of this complicated trade that moves off Ben Simmons,
they're still not going to get the draft equity that they wanted because so
much that equity is going to be spent sent to Utah to get Donovan Mitchell
in Brooklyn. But I do think the Pelicans have the asset flexibility to do
all these things where they don't include Zion, where they don't include CJ.
McCollum, and they don't include Brandon Ingram and their offer is still on par
with the others that are going to be available that we can reasonably assume.
And so let's go through what that offer would look like. I'm just spitballing
here. I don't know how many picks it's gonna take. I'm throwing out
what would be the best, most attractive possible offer from New Orleans that doesn't
include they can't trade Zion, but doesn't include CJ or Ingram. So you
need to get to between thirty five point two and thirty five point three million
to bring in Kevin Durant salary, which is forty four point one. They
get that with DeVante Graham has two guaranteed years left on his deal, and
you have Larry Nance Junior. Then there's Jackson Hayes, Trey Murphy the Third
and Dyson Daniels get you there. I believe you also have Garrett Temple's five
point two million dollars salary, and if you want to move you on his
Valan junis if the Nets are interested in having him, he can't be the
deal breaker that you know hurts the deal if the Nets want him instead of
Larry Nance Junior or another team wants him instead of Larry Nance Junior. I've
thought something the Nets could do is would Toronto give up Ken birch In a
first round pick in this coming draft if they know they're not gonna have Kevin
Durant for Larry Nance Junior, who sort of right up their alley. I
don't know that'd be adding money their pay roll. Perhaps that's two higher price
to pay. You could reroute Larry Nance Junior another team, but that's the
We're getting into four and five from one territory. But because it's the off
season, you can work within that. But it would be the non negotiable
aspects would be Traymurvy the third and Diyson Daniels were both going out. I
don't have herb Jones in this deal. I'm sure maybe the Nets ask for
him. But let's get to the draft equity first. I'm talking more along
the lines of salary filler. I don't think Jackson Hayes is necessarily salary filler
either. He is extension eligible. The Nets already have Nick Claxton and Dayron
Sharp. Again, this is why maybe you need third and fourth teams,
or do they prefer Kyra Lewis Junior? The human blur coming back from Nacy
Ellendry. You could go that route where he basically subs in for Jackson Hayes's
salary. You need to come up with other ways to get to Kadi's money.
My point is is that you include Traymurvy your third and Diyson Daniels.
You can get to the rest of the kd money with the salary. I
don't want to call it drect because these are useful players, but DeVante Graham,
who the Nets could use if they're not gonna have Kyrie Irving even though
Patty Mills is still there, Larry Dance Junior's expiring deal, and again Jonas
Valancutis with two years a little over thirty million left on his contract if you
need it. And then there's smaller salary matching tools in a Garrett Temple,
Jackson Hayes, who you could consider expiring, or just a nice flyer on
a young guy I would look. If I'm the Nets, I might even
push for the Kira Lewis flyer here, just to see what he turns into.
The Pelicans aren't gonna need him. You could also ask for Jose Alvarado
or Herb Jones again. I'm basing this on the offer of being in the
money is not matching the money is not going to be the issue. But
I'm saying you start with Dyson Daniels and Tray Murphy the third. Now,
what are you offering in terms of pick equity? This is where it gets
where the Pelicans can really blow you over. Let's just the Pelicans own picks.
They could go twenty three, twenty three, twenty five, twenty seven,
and twenty nine. They can also give you the Lakers pick in twenty
four, twenty five, and then the Bucks pick in twenty twenty seven.
That is six first round picks there, and I haven't even like that's not
the That's not all that they can give. Are we including swaps? At
this point? They can include Milwaukee's twenty twenty five first round pick themselves,
which is protected five to thirty. It's oz to the Knicks at one to
four. It's protected one to four, so it would go to he goes
to the Knicks if it's five to thirty. So forget Milwaukee's first round pick
here. I'm sorry I was reading those pick commitments rown that was a complicated
one. But you could also get into swaps. Now, so if New
Orleans is willing to include their own distance swaps, let's say it would have
to work out to when the Nets are actually gonna have picks, But if
they're willing to include swaps in this deal as well, but you could give
Brooklyn, let's set it up this way, six first round picks twenty three,
twenty five, twenty seven, and twenty nine of your own, and
you could structure it differently if you want to. If Brooklyn wants twenty four,
twenty six, and twenty eight, and then do swaps in the subsequent
years, but you could give four of your own first round picks, the
Lakers pick, the Bucks pick Diyson Daniels, Trey Murphy the third, and
then again you're building the rest of the package around. But I would view
mostly as salary matching tools, even if it's Jackson Hayes. But Kyra Lewis
Junior giving the Nets like a flyer on one of those guys. Let's say,
Kyle Lewis Junior still really intrigues me because he's so fast, and I
think that if he's healthy, there might be a really good player in there.
And look, Larry Nance Junior is really good too. So like,
if you're the Nets and you're trying to remain competitive, this package doesn't necessarily
do that. You could get something else for Larry Nance Junior. Maybe you
get something else for Jackson Hayes if Kyra Lewis is, If Kyra Lewis Junior's
value sort of reboots or he establishes himself in the NBA, that flyer pans
out, you get more value for him, or you keep him long term.
And again, if you're the let's say, let's throw the Jazz into
this, it shouldn't take six first round picks and Dyson Daniels and oh my
god, Traymer for the third. I'm sorry guys, to get Donovan Mitchell
alone. So if you're the Nets, you could feasibly, if you're willing
to move Ben sim In somewhere else, you get Donovan Mitchell some of the
draft pick value here. I can't tell whether Danny Danny Agould probably want picks
over players. And so if you're the Nets and you are trying to remain
competitive, maybe you get let's say, Dyson Daniels, or let's say you
get Tray Murvy the third and Donovan Mitchell. Then whatever you get for Ben
Simmons, but then most of the picks, maybe you're getting one or two
of the picks. And I'm not even saying it would take all six,
but that's what the Pelicans best offer could look like is six first round picks
plus traymer of the third plus Dison Daniels and then you get to the salary
step ladder your way there without Ingram or CJ. McComb. Does that compare
to what other teams are gonna offer. We'll look at, like, let's
just consider the two other teams that are heavily involved Phoenix. Now they have
mcal Bridges, Cam Johnson, four first round picks, three swaps, Jay
Crowder's money get you there they go, Dario starts as well. Yeah,
maybe you're more intrigued to short Phoenix's long term future if you're Brooklyn, But
like does mcale bridges and Cam Johnson, Like, is that making up the
value of getting six again? You could get up to six first round picks
Dyson Daniel and Traymurvy the third. That's a full on reboot boot for Brooklyn.
And I don't subscribe to the idea that because the Rockets control their draft,
they can't tank. They could tank next year because it's a swap,
and the Rockets are probably gonna be pretty bad too, and so you could
still end up with a with a top pick. I would think that top
dollar offer from New Orleans, especially if you're going to be including other,
uh, some players that could be rerouted to other teams for value, like
in a Larry Nance Jr. Maybe even in a Kyra Lewis or a Jackson
Hayes, if you're going to include those that talent, like I think that
beats Phoenix's best offer right now, since Aton can't be sent to a third
team until January and he would have veto power there. It's at least on
par with it, and then Miami's I would say, blows it out of
the water. And that's again without including brandon Ingram. So we're talking Tyler
Hero, Nikola Yovich. I still have yet to figure out how they would.
They can't really make it Kevin Durant deal if they're keeping Butler and at
a bio without including Kyle Lowry. So let's just throw Kyle Lowry in there
with Jovich Tyler Hero. Again, Let's assume Miami negotiates the protections off that
Thunder pick the pick they owed to the Thunder in twenty twenty five. So
you could go three first three swaps to Brooklyn or just three first This New
Orleans offer beats that. This New Orleans offer beats that, and then what
other team is gonna come out of the woodwork. We've talked a lot about
Memphis on this podcast, and I think others have two. They really seem
to value their young core and their own developmental process, case in point being
what they did around the draft. They like Kyle Anderson walk It seems like
they believe Jake la Ravia can slide right in there immediately and have a lot
of faith in Ziyar Williams. They don't seem like a team that's gonna go
after it. Atlanta. What is their best offer? I guess I mean
between John Collins and Clint Capella and DeAndre Hunter, Jalen Johnson future draft equity.
Their draft equity's limited because of how much they traded away in the Murray
trade, though, so it beats that? Does it beat a Boston offer
built around Jalen Brown and picks and Boston's limited They traded their twenty twenty three
pick, and they have a twenty twenty eight swap owed to San Antonio.
They could go twenty five and twenty seven and then twenty nine if they wanted
to. With Jaylen Brown, I think Boston could maybe beat the Pelicans offer
if Brooklyn's trying to strat of that line. If we want to remain competitive,
we have Jaylen Brown to do that, and then we want these picks
that could be used in other trades or to actually use. It might be
on par which don't think the Celtics are going to get there. Charlotte nothing,
Chicago, nothing in Cleveland unless you're giving up Evan Mobile or Darius Garland,
who is Garland's now super hard to trade because he signed his extension.
No. I just they could give up a bunch of picks and Jared Allen
Isaaca Coroc Baji. They could do that, and that might be more appealing
than Miami's offer if you went. If you trading Jared Allen back to Brooklyn
would be objectively hysterical, but that could beat Miami's offer. I don't think
it's on par with what New Orleans is not close to that without Mobile or
Garland again, Dallas, I just what are they offering. They're just they're
so hamstrung and like, yeah, they can offer distant picks, but that's
it. And then they need like this bad salary to match Kevin duranstel denver
Man. If they put Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Junior round the table,
life I've just wondered. But they're both coming back from injuries. They've traded
away so much of their future draft equity. They do have bones Highland.
Still no, I don't think there's a their team that goes after Kevin Durant,
but still no Detroit. If they include Jay and Ivy and a bunch
of their own draft picks, maybe you start to rival what New Orleans is
offering. They're not doing that they like that. I'd be shocked they went
their Golden State with Comingo Wiseman, Moody, future draft equity, Andrew Wiggins,
that combination of stuff. Let's not forget about Jordan pool I think they
could rival New Orleans offer, and they can. They can maybe balance what
Brooklyn's looking for better than New Orleans in the sense that Jordan Pools established,
Wiggins is established these young players, and Wiseman if he's healthy, Comingo might
be ready to compete. Now Dido for Moody, and then you're still getting
draft equity. Bob Meyers seemed to think that the Warriors were out on that
sweepstakes. I wouldn't view the Warriors as a threat unless the price of KD
comes down. Houston's a no. They're not offering Jalen Green and order Barry
Smith. You're the Pacers. They're not going to get involved with this.
The Clippers if they offered Paul George and they can trade twenty twenty first rounder.
At this point you have Terrence Man Marcus Moore Senior. Yeah, no,
I just they're not if they offer Paul George. I still would prefer
the New Orleans package. I'd rather rebuild if I'm broken with this New Orleans
package, or at least some close variation of it. Again, I'm not
saying that's the cost. But if you get you to keep Ingram and you've
given up Dyson, Daniel's Tramer, if you the third literally any other players,
combination of players outside your your core, maybe you're fighting to keep her
Jones there. If it's those two as the meat and potatoes of the deal,
and then draft equity, pust salary filler. The Pelicans should do it
if Katie wants to go there, or if they have even like a faint
a son like hint that he wants to be in New Orleans. Minnesota can't
do it, Miami, we went over them. We went over Memphis at
the Lakers can't do it. The Knicks, I guess that they wanted to,
like they could field some interesting offers for Katie. I think it says
a lot about them though, and what they're focused on that they're more involved
in the Mitchell sweepstakes. But if they wanted to throw all the picks plus
RJ. Barrett and Quentin Grins at the table, they could rival the Pelicans
offer. Again, I would rather short the Knicks future than New Orleans is
future, is my point. So if you start getting the Knicks picks in
play in addition to Grimes and Barrett, if you don't mind paying him,
I q Obi toppin. Those are guys that I think fans of other teams
and maybe just people who watch basketball nationally just don't appreciate how good some of
the Knicks youngsters could be. My bias might be kicking in there, though,
But it's in part because if you don't appreciate the Knicks youngsters because of
the Knicks. Okay, see would be funny, but they can't. Even
the salary matching is too complicated. It would cost them. Shay Orlando,
they're not gonna do it. Philly, they have Tyrese Maxie. I could
go with Tobias Harris, and Maxie might be the single most valuable trade asset
in the NBA that's actually available where I don't the Sixers are looking to move
him. But my point here would be what's more likely to happen. The
Sixers give up Maxi in a KD trade, or the Pistons give up Kid
or the Raptors give up Barnes. And we'll get to them in a second.
So yeah, Phoenix, we already talked about them. Portland can't really.
I mean, you have Shaden Sharp and then it's tough to get to
the salary matching here right now. Sacramento, No, San Antonio not operating
on that timeline. Toronto is interesting if they include Scottie Barnes. Yes,
if you go Ogianna Nobi, Gary Trent Jr. As the Bassis and then
your entire draft. So let's just say four first and three swaps. I'm
not interested in short in Toronto's future as much if it's Siakam and your entire
draft or Barnes is in there. They need to include Barnes or Siakam.
I think to beat out New Orleans is offer and even then I'm gonna be
more interested, with all due respect to New Orleans in shorting their long term
future, if only because they're also giving you Bucks and Lakers picks post twenty
twenty four, and the odds that one of those three teams just send you
back a really good pick are probably exponentially higher than Toronto, who has been
able to mind value outside of the draft and just been a really solid franchise
overall under Massai U Jerry. I think New Orleans, even without Ingram,
beats pretty much every Toronto package unless you include Scottie Barnes, or it's Pascal
Siakam and your entire draft. And if I'm Toronto, I'm not offering Siakam
and my entire draft like it's Siako and it's Siako. I'm sorry, Siakam,
And then I'm limiting the draft equity that I'd give up there Utah is
not gonna go after it. Washington. Finally, if you dangle KP Denny
Avdia and then just a bunch of your own future draft picks, gets interesting?
Does it beat New Orleans with Trey Murphy the third, Dison Daniels And
again, they could get up too, and they could get up to more
than this the way the picks are structured, by the way, but let's
just say six first that's the top the non Ingram package. That's their best
offer is anyone who's not Ingram Cullen, McCullum, Zion obviously, plus trainer
of the third, plus Dyson Daniels and then six first round picks, and
you could include swaps in there, like there's a way to include swaps as
well. I'm not advocating for means to do this on a whim, but
the verdict here for me is that when we fast forward, I do think
the Nets are going to choose one side of the fence or the other.
And again, maybe this is part of a complicated transaction that gets the Nets
a more established player. In addition to some of this draft equity. If
you told me Katie wanted to go to New Orleans, I believe or was
willing to go to New Orleans. I believe that the Pelicans could acquire Kevin
Durant without trading Ingram or CJ. McCullum, and that they could feasibly plausibly
if KD is willing and wants to actively wants to go there, Ingram,
McCullum, Zion, KD, Herb Jones, Jose Alvarado, Like, that's
a real core that I think they could have, and maybe they still have
Jonas found Chunis and or Larry Nance Jr. Afterwards, it would have to
one of them. At least one of them has to go, so they're
gonna have Jonas Alent Tunis or Larry Nance Junior. On top of that.
I mean, is that the title favorite? If that happens, I might
pick that team to win the title. I'd be interested in the Nuggets,
the Warriors still a healthy buck squad Boston as well. I still am just
so high on the Raptors it's unbelievable. But there's a really strong chance that
if you're getting Kevin Durant and McCollum, Herb Jones, Zion and Ingram are
all still there, I'm gonna pick the Pelicans to win the title. That's
the verdict here. Again, let me know what you think of this format,
about this entire topic in general. Until next time, please remember to
rate, review, and subscribe to us wherever you're getting your podcast. If
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back as well. And finally, as always, I need to shout out
to the one, the only, the player who could be traded straight up
for KD, if only who made more money because he's so damn valuable, Frank