What is krack alaking fellow thermonuclear a evers? I am Dan Valley coming at
you alone for an emergency ish podcast because it is Sunday. I was not
planning on recording. I was at a bridal shower when the drew holiday to
the Boston Celtics News broke going to podcast anyway. After the fact, I
debated whether too when we could get its real talk. It's someday, so
I'm just gonna meander around here for a bit. I really wanted to,
because my schedule gets absurd starting Monday, October two, as does probably everyone's
in the business, but mine gets super hectic, more hectic than normal.
I just wanted to come home, take an edible, maybe stuff my face,
and just chill for one last night before four really hit the ground running.
I've already recorded. I think like nineteen team, look aheads, we're
taking a little bit of a beat. We'll get the last eleven out before
opening night. But want to let training camp happing go through all that stuff.
But no, we're not gonna do that immediately. I will get there
hopefully at some point. Tonight's relaxing and taking my edibles. Should take the
edible and recorded the podcast, but I don't want to give you guys that
experience, so again it's Sundays. I feel like that should be allowed anyway.
Draw Day member of the Boston Celtics. That is not unexpected, Portland
rerounding him to Boston for Malcolm Brogden, Robert Williams. A third maybe a
little surprising. So much to dig into here, Golden States twenty twenty four
first round pick that is top four protected and an unprotected two twenty nine first
round pick. Let's start here. We're gonna go into lots of Celtics stuff,
but one the Blazers, I mean getting a capslock Hall at the moment,
and we'll get into that, but we have to start with Boston.
They have had one of those fascinating off seasons. To me and I think
probably to everybody, that Christops Porzingis move was so polarizing as anyone who listens
to this nose, I'm not a fan of it. I think they sacrifice
defensive versatility by getting rid of Marcus Smart, you definitely sacrifice playmaking. Porzingis
is notoriously I don't want to say unavailable, but his health is rickety,
and yes he was fairly healthy ever since he went to Washington, so for
about a year and a half. Great dealing with planet or fashionar stuff.
Already, you extend him. Drew Oude kind of makes the Marcus Smart trade
more justifiable or more palatable, I should say to me, I think it
was justifiable beforehand. It's more palatable to me. He doesn't give you as
much defensively when you're looking up and down the positional spectrum. He was better
defensively overall though last year, and so you can look at that and that
ends up being huge. He is going to be extension eligible and I think
he can add up to two hundred million dollars in four years. He is
double checking his age right now, thirty three, just turn it in June.
So not super a chin I would expect. And the Celtics, I
believe, have already come out and said, or the reporting is they want
to keep him long term, which that makes sense. You paid a crap
ton to get him, not a crap ton, but big a lot to
get Drew Holiday. He is a very good plugin play offensive player, and
I think there's been some divergence from how on opinions from how on how good
he is now because of some of the playoff Floyd bulls that he has had,
and those are real, like, he is not shot well in the
playoffs really at all, even dating back to Milwaukee's championship push with him during
the regular season, though, this is someone who when he gets into the
lane, defenses are going to react. He can draw coverage. Maybe you
don't want him going one on one. My dogs are excited about this trade
too. We'll shut the door and maybe you cannot hear them. We're just
powering through this is it's someday we're one taking this. I'm not editing Jack's
shit. So, and he's shot really well from three since he's been in
Milwaukee, and he's even the past two seasons, I think shot like forty
percent or something on step back threes. I'm like, real volume, not
like Luca Donch's James Harden volume, but but real volume. And so now
you get that creator in there, you get that other pastor in there.
It alleviates a ton of pressure on well, Malcolm Brogden specifically he sat there
anymore on Jalen Brown, on Jason Tatum, on Peyton Pritchard, of course,
And so I like the move here, especially in response to that Marcus
Smart trade, and so like Derek White's job is now easier, and like
the defense from can still be. I still don't view them as as versatile,
but like, just straight up you're looking at Kristaps porzingis his rim protection
if he doesn't have to move around too much, and then you have Derek
White, Jalen Brown, Jason Tatum, and Drew Holiday on the perimeter.
I mean it's something out Drew Holiday for Marcus Smart. That's still just wild
to me, Like just looking at this straight up. So and especially because
Drew again I in my opinion, was a lot better or at least noticeably
better defensively than Marcus Smart last year. Maybe I'm wrong there. So I
like the deal. I understand the deal. There is real risk here though,
I mean their rotation now, when you stretch six deeps you have Horford
porzingis Tatum, Brown, White, and Drew Holiday. That is a that
is a cap slock six. I don't think you find a better six man
rotation in the NBA right now, kind of just off the cuff did at
Denver after losing Bruce Brown. I don't know if they might have a case
depending on how you feel about Christian Brown or maybe maybe Reggie Jackson. He's
had a great summer. Guys, So yeah, that that top six.
But when you're going through the regular season and you need to eat up innings
or you need bodies. So now you're looking at Peyton Pritchard. They have
che Brissett is there and Sam Howser. That's I guess that's fine. It's
not great, and so I'm wondering if could this be a Reggie Bullock team.
I thought the Bucks would be a Reggie Bullock team. I think they're
full up right now. And they signed Cameron Payne, so they already kind
of entered that tax bill equation there. I wonder if this makes Boston the
clubhouse favorites for Bullock. At the same time, it's sort of, well,
you have all these like Drew Holiday can defend wings. He defends wings,
and so maybe he doesn't defend Biggs as well as Marcus Smart, but
he's gonna give you defense at every other spot as well as Marcus Smart.
And so are you a Reggie Bullock team? Like just to have a body,
I think at this point you're probably need to lean more towards a center.
And this is what gets super fascinating here. Look, let's stick with
Drew Holiday for a second. I think the fit is unquestioned. I know
some people are down on Drew's offensive watching him the playoffs. Now you put
him in Boston, Boston's pecking order where it's could he be fourth in a
given game depending on if Christops has it going and you have Jaalen Brown,
you have Jason Tatum. That's just and even if okay, let's say he
is third, or he's gonna be a point guard, so he has a
ball in his hands a lot. Do you consider him number two? Like
that's just gonna make you give more space time to read and react to attack,
to a Jalon Brown, to a Christops Porzingis. So someone two of
those three Jason Tatum is just defenses are king in on him. Two of
these three guys that were gonna benefit exponentially in Drew Holiday, Jalen Brown,
and Christos Porzingis. And it's just like I think it might be the ladder
two or Jalen Brown and Christos Porzingis. Drew Ode is a better, more
threatening off the dribble score to me than a Marcus Smart from just the outside
in and when you look at him getting into the lane, I think defenses
they at least react like they're more concerned about what he's going to do there
when you look at how they're maybe gonna try and force him, you know,
to the baseline a ton just throw a ton of bodies. And now
he's kicking out too. By the way, the two things that are the
difference here that I think are key from Milwaukee is they're just gonna be more
spacing, so it's more room for him to just sort of maneuver. And
like the shooters he's kicking out to, it's Jayn Brown, it's KP,
it's Jason Tatum. I mean like sometimes it might be Sam Hous, Like
you didn't have those, You had Brook Lopez and Chris Middleton, and there's
Grayson Allen in Milwaukee. But like there's just more bankable shooting on Boston and
better spacing because even if they want to roll with dual bigs and Porzingis and
Horford, they're gonna be able to play five out in those instances. And
so I think that makes life a lot easier and by extension, makes him
a lot more effective. Make holiday a lot more effective, both in the
regular season and the playoffs. We probably see a tick like a pullback in
his raw numbers. I mean, maybe not, but just looking at having
Jalon Brown, Tatum and Porzingis, you might see his assists kind of go
up if people comes more of a table setter. I think it's a fantastic
fit overall. And I don't know that this is necessarily the lack of depth
is a downside. I am still very curious to see what happens with the
big man rotation here, and I'm wondering if I misread the situation. Maybe
a ton of us misread the situation and should have thought that Robert Williams that
there was more likely to be moved after the KP deal than it was sort
of telegraphed because we looked at it and it was all right, KP's making
thirty plus million, but Robert Williams will only be making by the way,
and playzers fans should care about this eight point five percent about of the salary
cap Thetics three years, that's just wild to me. Doesn't turn twenty six
until just before the start of the season or later this month or whatever.
It is, so twenty six years old. Let's just say going to his
age twenty sixth season. That being said, and he's one of the most
effective bigs when it comes to having to guard on the outside. But also
if you need him to be a straight up room protector or do you need
him to help be the low man there, those are all things that he
can do. And so it's a real loss. But if you go back
and look at we're in year this is gonna be year six for r W
three. He has never missed fewer than twenty games. I believe I'm trying
to think if I'm messing up the math on one of the shortened seasons,
but I believe that was even so it's at least eighteen to twenty games that
like, that's the best he's been available. He's only ever played. If
you just want to go, this wasn't eighty two games, Like, the
most games he's ever played in one season is two thousand and twenty one twenty
two. He played in sixty one during the regular season, then turned around
and played seventeen in the playoffs for a total of my god, math right
now, eleven that's you know, eight seventy nine games at that point.
That's a again, and that was a deep playoff run. They made it
to the finals in twenty twenty two. So you look at his availability and
the fact that they invested in KP and it was like, shoot, we
have seen this coming a little bit more. I don't think so, just
because I don't think they made the Marcus Smart trade thinking this was gonna be
on the table. We know the machinations behind how they almost got Christops worsink
Is in the first place involved Malcolm Roden going to the Clippers. I don't
think this was planned. I think this more reaction of well, holy fuck,
look what the Bucks just did. They became the odds makers, and
this podcast said at prohibitive favorites in the East and Boston's like, well wait
a minute here, and now we have to have a different discussion like that.
I don't want a one person this. I still might prefer Milwaukee ceiling
because I don't trust, like Boston's just rotational setup, Like something just feels
off. But I can't go at criticize Boston's death without criticizing like Milwaukee still
has bodies and so it was so it was Boston, but like you can
be concerned about both teams. It's Brook Lopez is getting older. Damian Lillard
himself is getting over. You know, he's coming off one of the best
seasons of his career, didn't have to play as much so Jannis coming off
at a knee procedure. Over the off season, Chris Middleton dealt with needs.
So there's concerns at the top for both of them, which is why
the East is still just kind of like for me right now is Boston,
Cleveland, and Milwaukee. And I would expect Boston and Milwaukee now to be
better than Cleveland. But I have flirted. I'm not gonna lie. I
haven't made the picks yet. I flirted with picking Cleveland come out of the
East. That's how high I'm on Cleveland. And just the developmental arcs of
Evan Mobley and Darius Garland still to go, Like those guys are going to
get better. I don't like you need to. I think if you're a
Boston you need to pick up another big sumwhere you can still do that or
just death. Like again, Reggie Bullock, they're over the first apron but
he made he was waived, made less than twelve point four million. They
can still they can still get him. That's that, like they can still
make a move like that or two like to sort of just you know,
shift around the roster. But like you're still putting your eggs in. What
was interesting about Art of three is the availability wasn't there. I mean,
look at the games played eighteen nineteen thirty two. This is regular season nineteen
twenty twenty nine, shorten season, but still twenty nine games twenty twenty one
another shortened season. Still only plays in fifty two, sixty one in twenty
one twenty two, and then thirty five last year. And so there's the
youth element there. But now like you're pivoting to Okay, christophs Porzingis is
not the billboard for availability in most seasons, and he's not as versatile as
RW three, And so like you've lost two of your most versatile defenders on
this rule and you have a ton of versatile defenders, but like you've lost
like a ton of versatility were Like, let's let's not forget about Grant Williams,
another versatile defender. So when you look at Boston, I just find
this the word is fascinating. I can't be too negative on it anymore because
of the Drew Holiday trade. But you basically trade it out and there are
some picks moving around here, Marcus Smart, Malcolm Brogden, RW three,
Grant Williams for Chris Stops and Drew Holiday and just like so those are two
higher ends. But now you've made yourself top heavy by default, and you
might be you still are probably a little bit less versatile on defense now.
Joe Massoula definitely prefers the offensive model when you look at some of the lineups
he was running out last year, even though I still think Graham Williams was
woefully underutilized at times. But when you see Sam Howser in the rotation ahead
of him, you also kind of understand like the theory of that as it
relates to offensive versatility. So might this feels like it might fit more in
theme with what Joe Massoula wants to do. And I'm assuming him and Brad
Stevens are in lockstep period the vision, especially after these transactions. Christops is
injury prone, Al Horford is thirty seven. How many minutes do we want
al Horford to play? I think the appeal of having RW three still was
because Al Horford and RW three were making under twenty three million dollars combined,
and then on top of christops like fifty plus million for your full center rotation,
like the meats and potatoes of it. That's not that's whatever in the
new cab climate. And so you looked at it, at least for me,
and said, Okay, you're gonna get two full BIG's worth of availability
out this. Maybe one and a half bigg's worth of availability. You've now
given away that cushion. And again, maybe it's not a huge issue because
RW three wasn't very available himself. So that's why I'm just wondering if we
should have considered him more on the table. I don't know if this makes
Boston functionally. Forget about the odds makers are gonna say their favorites come.
I haven't looked they're definitely gonna be favorites to come on the East now.
I guess they probably should, just because that top six is Wow. I
like the Yannis Dame duo, perhaps more better than any other duo in the
league. I think Katie and Booker can give it a run for their money.
Tatum and Brown are certainly up there, but I might like the Yannis
Damian Lillard duo better than any other duo in the league right now. Jimmy
and Vam is of course appealing. I'm not trying to leaving off teams here.
I mean Luca and Kyrie. Like it's interesting, like the Jannis Dame
duo might be the best duo to me, or at least close. It's
like in the top two or three, but like the top six in Boston,
My god, that is going to be seductive as hell when you're trying
to look at to predict and prognosticate what going to happen in the Eastern Conference.
I don't there's still there's real risk here. I will say Boston doesn't
just have to kind of look at odds and ends either if they don't want
to. They have two tradable first round picks still, and so like that's
the distant first round pick, giving it up, all right, you have
that twenty I think they have their twenty thirty swap going. Oh it's twenty
eight, twenty twenty eight swap going to San Antonio. Now that twenty twenty
nine unprotected pick going to Portland. But you can trade some imminent first you're
own in twenty twenty four and twenty and twenty six, or you can flip
flop at twenty five and twenty seven. It gets a little bit weird because
of the matching salary. Now you're gonna or what are you gonna move Derek
White like Broden's gone, Marcus Smart is gone, R Tow Three's gone.
So there's Horford at ten million, and if you're getting rid of him at
better be to I guess upgrade the front court. Peyton Pritchard making four,
Derek White. I mean, if you're I know you have Drew Holiday,
but if you're gonna get rid of Derek White, I'd like to return better
be just absolutely bonkers. They still have other options here, like things to
do, and I think they're they seem very committed to just paying through the
teeth at this point, because you have Jaylen Brown is gonna kick in on
his new extension at forty nine point seven. About as of now in twenty
four twenty five, you have you do have Derek White on the book still
for nineteen point six, Jason Tatum will be making thirty four point eight.
Not this, let's call it this season. We're there this season, So
Jason TAM's at thirty four point eight next year, and now you have to
worry, not worry, but you have Chris Stops. His extension is gonna
kick in at twenty nine point three. I think it starts at and then
Drew Holiday he can be extension eligible, or you're just looking at considering his
next salary. I would be kind of shocked if he's making less than he
is this season, which is thirty six point nine, and so Boston ends
up taking like two point seven million dollars an additional salary this year that will
be tacked onto their luxury tax bill. Maybe they get KG and they wind
up moving a Derek White or like the Galaxy Brain would be all we'd rather
pay like thirty five million for Drew Holiday than forty nine plus over your SAR.
So you could look at those, but it seems like they're really committed
to just paying through the teeth, and so it just wouldn't shock me if
they're not done trading first round picks over the next year, because they're very
much it seems all in on kind of like the next The core is young
enough with Brown and Tatum where you don't have to say it this way,
and even Porzingis is an ancient but just the stuff they've done this offseason,
the money they've given out, this feels like very much over the next one
to two years, like we were just all the way fucking in. So
I like the move for Boston. I just still have so many questions.
I can't wait to get to our Celtics look ahead the other end of this,
and we'll go to Portland and then they're gonna be some other teams that
are impacted by this. I guess the best way to just frame Portland's like
we need to look at I haven't pulled up Tommy Beer outlined at the best
on Twitter. Look at this hall they yet people can look if they're watching
on YouTube. The Blazers, they gave up Damian Lillard and they traded Keyan
Johnson, no s little. They also traded use of Nerdis by the way,
which was a net negative contract. They got back DeAndre Ayton, which
maybe another a negative contract. Robin Williams the third one of the best contracts
in the league, even with his health questions. Malcolm Brogden, I don't
know what you get for him, but if you hold on to him to
the middle of the season. I could see someone, are they like a
bottom seven first rounder or something type deal. I don't know if you definitely
get a first round pick for him, if he's healthy at the time,
maybe it makes sense to kind of hold on him. Maybe you're able to
get a deal done with the Clippers. But so eighton RW three, Malcolm
Brogden, you have the Bucks is unprotected two thousand and twenty nine first round
pick, the Celtics is unprotected two and twenty nine first round pick, the
Warriors first round pick this year, top four protected. Draymond Green's injured at
the moment, It's like there's a I mean, it's only a four to
six week thing, but there's some dice there. Gets dicey. They're getting
a little older. Then you have two swaps with the Bucks in two thousand
and twenty eight, in two thousand and thirty. That's a hall and you
also got two Monty Kamara, who I know, if anyone listen to the
Sun's look Ahead, which is still Preshian because we talked about Nurkics on the
Suns, that's a Hall and just they really the timeline pod fellas, they
really like to Monty Kamara. So that's anyone who said, and I'm like,
there are a lot of people who said, I think the Heat's offer
was best, best possible offer because we're never gonna truly know what was on
the table. I can get rid of this. You all need to see
if you're watching on screen, you want to see my full full face right
now. I'm gonna button down too, coming from a bridal shower, dressing
up for no polish on my nails too, like I really cleaned up.
Not gonna lie digressing here when you're looking at that Heat best possible offer,
I do think it was undersold in terms of what it was actually worth.
They made it seems like if the Heat went all in and went three first
round picks, two swaps, Tyler Hero whatever else needed, that it was
dog shit, even Heimri Hawkes in there. I don't think it was dog
shit. It's very clear that they had nowhere near the best offer in this
because look at what they were able to do. Yeah, it took two
parts with the Bucks offer, that's how it works, and it was gonna
be like that with Miami because of the Tyler Hero factor in there. And
so I hope the Miami and it's not all of them, but I hope
the Miami bloggers and podcasters and media who tried to sell us this party line
coming from the Heat or whatever, like, can you admit, like,
oh yeah, like you fucked up? Like thinking that that he did the
best offer of that. I saw Barry Jackson frame it as deplorable behavior from
the Blazers. I can't. I'll get into more of that eventually. But
that piece from Chris Haynes, by the way, he didn't hide where it
was sourced from. So that piece was fine. I saw people complaining about
it. It's not even just because I'm a Bleacher Report employee. That piece
was fine. He made very clearly he's presenting this from the Dame side of
the spectrum. The whole thing was sourced directly to Dame was on it.
Yannis was on it, Dame's agent was on it. Let's relax, people,
and the whole rescinded. Dame wanted to stay in Portland. It was
only so he could eventually get to Miami at mid season to potentially make it
easier. I think Haynes clarified that on a podcast, we need like the
one side, Like those pieces are fine we saw the Woes piece coming out
about how Cronin sort of handled it. It's I think Sean Hiken had the
best take on this. I think all sides could have done better, and
we're just someone he's having inflammatory take or be reactionary or use very strong language.
I do it on this podcast all the time. I curse when I
get excited. It's not to increase views. So I don't really think cursing
and having those takes increases views. Like there needs to be nuanced to it.
Moral of the story is the Heat didn't have anywhere near the best offer
now, and even if it was just between the Heat and the Bucks,
like the Bucks is Blue or Miami was gonna give you out of the water,
because you have two unprotected first round picks in twenty nine right now from
two teams that are just like, yeah, you trust the Celtics they have
Tatum, but like the Bucks with the age of Lillard and Yadna, like
yeah, if you're gonna short futures, you might as well do it.
I do think distant Heat first round picks have some more value than people are
giving credit to. A Lot of the rumblings are now that Pat Riley's eventually
going to step aside and we'll see coach Spilostra in the front office role,
and that could be a material change the way the organization operates. Again,
this offer was just better and oh, by the way, they're not done.
And so when you look at this, getting three first round picks,
the tightest protection on which is top four from the Warriors this year, plus
two swaps, both of which are unprotected, on top of RW three,
one of the best contracts in the league, and just approven, like like
like super not even solid, just tremendous defensive player who knows how to play
is rolling offense. You have eighten. I don't know if I want to
call him a reclamation project, but what i'mbout someone who has defended at a
level that was pretty freaking terrifying when you're looking at the Sun's championship Brunn.
He's young enough to where you can hope that he recaptures that. And like,
we haven't even factored in Brock And there's a chance if you reroute r
W three, which the reporting is they won't at the moment, I kind
of understand it. I'd prefer RW three on my team and eighten, and
not just because of the price point, Like they're set in rotations, very
beefy right now, Like you could with the minutes that Robert Williams typically plays
in the games he's available, you get away with it for a season.
Maybe try playing two of them together and just surround them with a boatload of
shooting. Or does a boatload of shooting qualify as Jeremy Grant Shaden sharp and
Scoot heead like? Does that? But you could just try At this point
you're not necessarily trying to win anyway. Love what we've seen from the Blazers
when you're looking at a team perspective, never easy to move on from a
franchise icon. The whole Damian Millard Tope opper was was very intensely messy.
But when the dust has settled, they've really launched. They're using this as
a real powerful springboard into a rebuild, and they are so well set up
now they've they've also they've diversified their picks, like they're not all coming from
one team. You have a pick and two swaps from Milwaukee, you have
a pick from Golden State, and you have a pick from Boston. Like
that's just good diversification, and there's still other moves to be made. I
think the Clippers might still be in on brock I'd prefer Broden if I'm the
Clippers to James Harden, just because of how much a wild card he is
and Brodden's more plugin play doesn't give you the playmaking or the directionality on ball
that James Harden does, just so much easier to fit in and presumably is
going to cost less on the Blazers front. I would be curious to see
what they could. I don't know what teams. I couldn't name one right
now. I don't even think the Clippers have to be a heavily protected one
would give up a first round pick for Brockden. I'm trying to think of
the team that would get you there, and I just I can't come up
with one. And so there's a chance if maybe they hold onto it.
But I don't know the team offhand. There are teams that he would certainly
fit on, but to get a first round pick from like Toronto, Malcolm
Broden would be a great fit. They're not giving up the first round pick,
so you could probably even talk. Someone got mad in our comments because
I guess we cursory. I clipped it the full podcast. Maybe we didn't
explain why Drew would have been a good fit in Utah. They need like
a primary creator and Drew would be the closest thing they have on that roster.
Plus they do need more perimeter defense and he does that as well.
So I thought he would have been I thought they were a long shop.
He would have been a fantastic fit on the Jazz Becauld the Jazz use someone
like Malcolm Brogden. Do you ve him as a passing up grade over what
they have, maybe a defensive upgrade over Colin Sexton and during clock and sure
like you're not getting for even though they have a ton, you're not getting
first round pick from them. And so we could name teams that Brockden could
potentially go to. I just don't know that they're ones at the moment.
I would bet on giving up a first round pick of you three would be
interesting if you because you know you're not getting first round picture Deondrey and based
off what you were able to get him for at the end of the day,
RW three, if you did decide to shop him, would be interesting.
I just he's young enough to where I don't even know if it's worth
getting into. But teams that really spring to mind here, I think the
my god, sorry Oklahoma City that was mentioned in our discord. I think
they would be a team that would want to wait until they see what they
have in Chet. I very much believe Chet as a center, but like,
you can play Chet and Robert Williams a third together and you would spare
center defense of mileage from Chet. If he did have RW three there,
they would be a team. And the Pelicans will be my other team where
it's like I would love to see him there. I know you'd rather have
him. He's proven that he can play with another big as long as that
big gets space the floor. Zion don't need the spacing like they'll figure out
a way to make it work. So and just having his rim protection I
think would be huge for that team. And so those are the two teams
I think stand out the most. If you were trying to consider others,
I would this is it's never happening. I want to make this clear.
I would absolutely love him in San Antonio. And I think the Spurs,
based off the fact that they waved Reggie Bullock, is kind of clear that
they're not, Like theyn't even wait to see if they could trade him,
So that would have been salary that they could have used in in such a
deal. So they would never do it. But Wemby and RW three,
like Stuff did with them himself there like Stuff get Jeremy so in. That's
a really interesting core. I would love that. I just if on the
Blazers, I think I want to keep RW three, stagger him in eight,
and I don't want to see too much of them together. Stagger them
the hell figure out which one is better for you moving forward. But if
there are teams that can kind of come in and be like WHOA, okay,
Like maybe we like we're willing to give up two first, like two
low level first for Robert Williams the third, like the Pelicans the Thunder,
that'd be interesting. I don't think the Knicks would view him as a big
upgrade over Mitchell Robinson. Mitchell Robinson is more durable, he is the better
offensive rebounder Robert Williams the third, He's definitely more switchable, and he's a
much better passer, especially on the move. But I think Mitchell Robinson has
done a better job with his passing in the sense like he's getting an offensive
rebound, he's making a quick decision and he's going to pass it out,
And so I don't I'm just I'm not saying that Nick should do it,
But I could see people trying to make that case if you were worried about
sort of salary allocations and you want to get a little bit cheaper going from
Mitch to r W three shure. But Mitche's salary the highest end of it's
already it's gonna be out of the way after this season, or it's already
out of the way. He's at fifteen point seven and it's only declining from
there. So that like there's I'm looking at teams, it's I don't see
one coming. Like Dallas would be interesting, Like if you wanted to do
Derek Lively and stuff, I just don't know. They seem pretty high and
Derrick Lively, I don't think. Based off with the stuff that Jason Kidds
said a while ago about Olivier Max Sin's prosper and of what Kirk Henderson said
during our look at, go check out the math look at they might like
they have big plans or oh, Max I'm not giving up. If I
have Lively and Rashaun Holmes is there and yourself Dwight Powell, like that would
be a team where if it just caust like the Yard, like if it
was Derek Lively and something else plus salary, where it wasn't your you can
trade your like you can trade I think they're down to a first round pick
to trade or no, they down to they can trade two up to two
first round picks. They have the Knicks one this year and they have twenty
twenty nine, so yeah, they can trade one first round pick. It
would be because they can do twenty six. At this point, I'm not
doing it for RW three, especially if I'm pairing Derek Lively in there.
Maybe you just think, hey, we have Derek Lively cost control center.
They would just be a team where I feel like RW three, he was
healthy, would make a huge difference. But do you want to get into
sort of the durability questions or do they be kind of fun in Brooklyn?
But they have Nick Claxton, who I think is the better all around player
right now, even though he's not as I don't know what the word is.
I don't say girthy which is like he's not gonna be as physical,
but I thought he he's switchable as hell. He's a pretty good rim protector,
especially when he's moving around, and he's the more versatile offense. Well,
I don't know if he's more versatile RW three the better pass or like
Nick Klasston put the ball on the floor and stuff. So like that's just
is that enough of an upgrade. Might be funny with Miami with Bam there,
if he were just like, well, we're gonna lean into these two
big models, I think he'd be a disaster. Neither one of them is
a shooter. Or even though Bam has the mid range game working for him,
I think that's really just looking at it would be it. I mean,
Phoenix would love RW three. They just don't have any first to give
up. Sack doesn't need him. I don't think you want to play with
Sabonus either, even though they could probably use the rim protection Toronto, they
have Yaka Pearl there, Washington. I mean that'd be semi interesting just if
you he's better than Daniel Gafford. But what are you Why are you giving
up value at this point You're so early in the rebuild, they're not going
to do that. You probably made the case that in Atlanta, like let's
not go with a Kungu or Clint Capella, We'll just go with RW three.
Not a huge fan of that. This was a team I thought of
when I was kind of think of it on my drive home before I started
doing this. Charlotte would be super interesting. You mentioned him, and Lamello
just didn't say I don't even care about anybody else in there, Like,
yeah, with PJ. Washington, it's fine, and Brett just LaMelo in
RW three, I don't You're not gonna give up on Mark Williams. Necessarily
you could afford that both of them. But what are you giving up then
to get RW three? And so they're not a team that's necessarily factoring in
in there if Indiana really want to function up and but like they have Miles
Turner, So if you play both of them that you could, I don't
know why you would you have. Now Houston did go to Brook Lopez route
in free agency, so it's like would they be interested there? I think
Alpern Shangoon is a chance to be the better overall player, and certainly is
already better on offense. But you just signed Jack Landown. Maybe that's something
you get involved in the middle of the year, but he would do if
you're not invested in Alperren. Shangoon is your starting center that gives you like
a real defensive base. If you had Fred van Fleet Tarry easton RW three,
hell yeah, like you could really that could get super interesting. That's
really it. I think my two viror teams would be okay see in New
Orleans, and it would have been those two. But shout out to Mike
in Discord for pointing out, okay see New Orleans is just a no brainer.
I think maybe some people would be a little schemed out by this spacing
fit there. I just don't want to spend I spend enough time on it.
I don't think they should move him because I think he's better than DeAndrea
right now. But Portland is well set up. They're not done making moves
here. And just like if they really wanted to, I don't think Amery
Simons is young enough and cheap enough. They don't have to get rid of
him like there are there are players like at the end of this, it
won't all be folded the Dame trade. But if you move Jeremy Grant on
this contract to the deadline or after he's trade eligible, and you look at
moving Simon's and then between RW three and Brockden, Like, if you were
just to look at moving those four players, there's probably still another four first
round picks to recoup here, which is just wild. I wouldn't get rid
of Sigmons personally. I think the shooting is actually really important, even if
he doesn't get to spend as much time on balls you would like. I
don't think he needs to. He's a great off ball shooter that helps open
up thanks for everybody, and that could be very valuable to someone like Scoop.
But so let's look at this like Jeremy Grant, Malcolm Rogden, even
r W three. If I set the over under two and a half first
round picks from those guys, I'll take the over, like the equivalent.
Maybe it's a prospect him, I'll take the over on those three. I'm
really not sure what to do with the Brogden thing. I view the Clippers
as sort of a team that has potential, maybe like does Miami just trying?
Okay, like we kind of need this stop gap. We're not gonna
give up Tyler Hero, but did we look at turning the Duncan Robinson salary
and stuff into him. That's maybe not I guess you could divest Kyle Lowry
and try and turn him into Malcolm Brogden and another player. There's not an
obvious Malcolm Brogden team out there, so he's a very useful player, and
we could just say, like, yeah, you could trade him for but
like, what is the team that is giving up that for him? They're
like I already mentioned toront which is not gonna give you the value that you
want. The Clippers would come closest, but the first are so distant it'd
be tough. And Terrence Man isn't super young. So even if they were
willing to give him up, which I probably wouldn't be if I'm la to
be honest with you, I guess Chicago could be interesting, But like they
have Javon Carter, Alex Caruso to morn rozen zach Lavine there, they're kind
of said Brogden in Brooklyn. I just you're not gonna get a first round
pick out of them. And he's not a CAP's lock point guard, so
I think he could be moved don't get me read you put him, tell
me Chicago. Yeah, he'll fit there. I mean Dallas doesn't meet him
like he'd fit really anywhere. It's just what is the value you're going to
get for him? Honestly don't know. So that's where I'm struggling there.
Home run here by the Blazer situation, and also shout out to the Blazers,
this is the funniest thing in the world. So here's what you did.
You took in the Damian Lillard trade itself. You took Yannis and Damian
Lillard off the Miami each trade board at least for the next year or two.
And I think it makes it more likely that Yannis signs an extension.
So even if stuff goes wrong with Dame, like the Yannis trade sweepstakes feel
more if you're sending me over under at two years away, I'm taking me
over like the longer on that it feels more than two years away. So
they take those two off the board from Miami in one fell swoop while strengthening
one of Miami's biggest rivals in the East, and then turn around and then
strengthen one of Miami's other biggest rivals in the East and Miami's just caught here.
Like it's that they operated. We said this on the First Dame,
the first trade reaction pod. They acted like a team that very much thought
they were gonna get Damian Lillard or star X. And I don't think they
need to be in the hardened business. I do wonder if that's something they
look at now, but it's this is a rough look for them. It's
a terrible look for Philly and not for I saw people floating around like maybe
there's like a three teen trade you can work out with the Clippers. Harden
goes there and Philly gets Drew and he's probably gonna come off the books next
season he's on, he has the forty million dollar player option that fits with
Philly's cap space plan, and they're still really good. Here's my whole thing
with that. If you're the Clippers, I'd rather just a reality. He's
a little younger. I believe we have Harden is entering his age thirty four
season, if I'm not mistaken. So yeah, he's well Harden, Yeah,
it's entering his age thirty four. Drews in his age thirty three,
slightly younger, better defensively, more plug and play again and just isn't requesting
a trade twice a year or whatever up to now on average, So that
was just never realistic. This is a big l for Philly and Joel and
Be tweeted, he tweeted, this offseason had been fun just because Boston and
Milwaukee, so you were considered. I think it was fair to say that
leading into last postseason that it was considered Philly, Milwaukee, and Boston.
That's not a hot take. Like Miami was almost lost in the playance.
They didn't belong in that discussion. And so you're Philly and you're you know,
you're up three to two on Boston. Like this is just a few
months ago. Now you go into the offseason Milwaukee and Damian Lillard and they're
they're taking a risk there. For sure. I think that trade was framed,
even maybe a little bit on this podcast improperly. Whereas like the Bucks
gave up an All Star plus two unprotected swaps and unprotected first, like,
they gave up real stuff to get two row two starters to get Damian Lillard,
and one of those starters was an All Star. And then on top
of that, you give me up two swaps in the first that was a
real cost to pay. I just think it made a ton of sense.
I just I'm not sure if we communicated that in the framing of it.
So aside there, but you watch Damian Lewards now in Milwaukee, and now
Drew Howding and Christops Persingis are now in Boston. Where Boston it still feels
like there's combustibility there. It's not James Harden. Is he gonna show up
to camp with signs that say Daryl Morey is a liar? Is he gonna
show up out of shape? Is he gonna be in shape or not be
playing really well trying to get his way out of there? This is disastrous
for Miami and Philly, who would probably up there with Toronto as the three
biggest losers of the off season. Is that fair to say? Who else?
Really? I should go back to our twenty three off season grades and
see if anyone's really kind of standing out here. But just by virtue of
not even the moves that they made, but the moves that they're they're competitors
made, it is a disaster for well Toronto of course, but specifically for
Philly and Miami, And so yeah, I mean Charlotte, they had a
pretty bad off season, but that's like it like those might be the three
biggest losers of the off season, and two of them are supposed to be
like Philly and my we're definitely two of the Philly Miami in Toronto, all
three of the biggest losers of the offseason. This trade makes it look worse.
And I don't think Drew have been fine in Toronto, but for the
space thing they need, I just don't know if the opportunity costs would have
elevated them enough. The fact that they apparently don't. I think this is
per Michael Grange. I want to misssource this, but they're not even talking
about an extension with Pascal Siakam is fucking bonkers. So this is just I
don't if you're Miami and you're Philly, like Philly at least on paper,
and even Miami still they made the final. They say we made the finals
with this core. You let two rotation players just leave and he didn't replace
them. If you want to say Josh Richardson replaces Gabe Vincent, I don't
know if I'll listen to you, just because Gabe Vinson is gonna give you
more ball handling Josh Richardson, I'd probably trust them on defense more, maybe
more as an off ball shooter. But just like you let two rotation players
leave and you replace them with Josh Richardson, like that in the Hima Hawkes
who you think needs to and the idea of Nicole Yovic. We don't know
what's going on in Philly. This is the East right now feels like a
three team race, with all due respect to maybe the Knicks surprise. I
think the Knicks will still be good. I think Brooklyn should be pretty good.
Maybe there's a team that kind of floors us. Maybe it's Miami or
Philly. There's there a deal out there that I'm just not factoring in.
I think it's a three team race between Cleveland, Milwaukee, and Boston.
I don't know who we need to pick out of those three. I think
right now, if I had to, I still might mean I still might
mean Milwaukee, and that's rolling a lot of the dice on their their base
defense. It's just like, we have a terrific back line. Boston still
has a pretty okay back line. I don't know how d worable and versatile
it is now, but like you're looking at what they're going to be throwing
at you. Up top is just like Drew Holiday, Derek White alone,
and then there's Joyn Brown and Jason Tatum. They're holy crap depth questions with
both Milwaukee and Boston. But here's the thing. When you get to the
playoffs, if everyone's healthy, it doesn't It matters, but it doesn't matter
as much beyond your top six guys. And Boston's got that shit sewn up
home run trade for them, even though there's some downside there. I like
their team a lot better than I did a few hours ago as I'm recording
this podcast, which if you've been listening to me, and I've had to
pull back because I think of how forceful I've been since I don't necessarily understand
the KP fit as much. I understand a little bit more now there's risk
here. I like their team a lot better. And where I thought Milwaukee
was on the young questionable. If I were to come out of the East,
I know more and I would have had Cleveland in front of Boston,
so it would have been Cleveland and Milwaukee for me. Boston is firmly in
that discussion now and they were never completely out of it, but great,
I think great addition by them. You have to applaud what the Blazers did
here. The thing I didn't I want to note really quickly, if you're
listening to the end of this podcast, I saw a lot on Twitter just
like, well, like who's gonna defend Yannis? And Marcus Smart is gone
and Robert Williams the third is gone. You're not gonna have Drew Holiday do
it. I mean, Drew Holliday would do it to be if you asked
Drew Holiday defend Yannis, he'll do it. Who really is defending Jannie?
I mean it's just like if he becomes a lot ability in the playoffs,
it's normally gonna be by sort of a committee effort. And you still have
Al Horford floating around up here, depending on how the Bucks are gonna use
Like, yeah, you don't want if they're setting screens using Jannis for Dame
at half court, you don't necessarily want christops Porzingi's playing those, But like
you have, you still have Al Horford and like Kris stops Porzingis, if
you're gonna be if he's gonna be playing, if he's gonna be playing drop
like you can do that against Jhanna still if he's gonna setting the screens like
yeah, if you don't, maybe you're not gonna switch as much now.
And I think based off their personnel was clear they weren't gonna switch as much.
But now Drew is coming in, so are we going to see maybe
they'll be more of a balance, more some interchangeability between their schemes. I
don't you'll have to talk to listen to. I'm sure Steve Jones and Nicias
will hit that on the next dunker spot. That's a that's above that's above
my intelligence level. But this is just like who's who's defending Jannis? Really
is my whole point. It is when it comes to like whoa man the
Suns give up there? Yoki stopper? The fuck is stop no one stopping
Yokich and you might it's probably easier to stop y honest than Yokis, just
because like Yannest isn't that primary ball handler. But like now you've dame to
worry about floating around out there. That job was always going to be harder,
verging on impossible to begin with. So I just if you're trying to
assess the damage and losses here, Like I could see Marcus mart being they
said, but like you just got through holiday back, and so I can't
bring myself to care about that element of it. I'm more focused on just
the frontline in general, looking at the health and like that still would have
been a concern with RW three anyway. And then I'm also trying to kind
of just look at perspective. I think even Cleveland has all these teams have
these questions beyond like their top six guys a lot of the times, and
when you don't, it's probably because you don't have the top end talent.
Like the Knicks are probably the deepest team in the league, or close to
it. The Pelicans the deepest team in the Well, Pelicans top end town
is on. But you can't stay healthy when you're gonna have like enviable,
desirable, flat out I need it, I wanted depth. It's probably because
your top end talent is just not as higher end. And so I think
if you go through a lot like Phoenix, even Denver, like we're talking
about all these championship contenders, just there do feel like there's I'm gonna throw
Cleveland any other circle contenders it feels like there's five of them right now,
which is a lot for like the inner circle of contenders, and that's like
you could probably say the Lakers, the Warriors might belong in there, so
but like the five inner circle ones right now, the Sun's, the Nuggets,
the Bucks, the Celtics. I'm throwing the Calves in there. I'm
not sorry. This is the transactions aren't done. I need to bring We're
gonna have Tara Bone Biggs is coming on for the look Ahead in a couple
of weeks for the Blazers. I need to try and get another Blazers person
on to like tackle this trade rebuild stuff so that we don't have to focus
too much on it with Taras so we can actually talk about the season that's
coming. If you haven't already, please remember to subscribe to this channel if
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