What is krack Alakin Hardwoo Knox listeners. I am daf Valley coming at you
with the ever, always fantabulous and ubiquitous Grant Hughes, good friend, longtime
colleague, and he works at Bleacher Report. Fantastic rider over there. Check
out his stuff. We are back better than ever or worse than ever,
maybe a little worse for wear, but feeling okay to continue our division look
aheads in advance of twenty twenty two NBA Free Agency. We're onto the Southwest
division. If you've not checked out the previous episodes, we've been releasing them
like wild, so go check them out. But the first question we have
to get to the most important question is Grant. Where's Kyrie Irving? I
mean, how are you doing? Grant? I'm feeling very I'm feeling very
Kyrie Irving today, and I'm Kyrie and Irving and Kyrie Irving because that's all
anybody's talking about right now. So those are the only words that I know.
I'll try to make up some other words, talk about these other teams
that Kyrie Irving is not on and may never be on. But yeah,
we're gonna have to weave that in. I think it's unavoidable. That's what's
going on, unless when this runs, it'll be irrelevant because it'll be somewhere
else, most likely the Lakers. It seems like at this point we talked
about it, I talked about with Brian Toupork in the Atlantic Division podcast and
everything we said about it, this is terrible plugging. It's just outdated at
this point, and it released the day that we're recording this. So but
the Southwest a lot of interesting teams here, like Grant said, we will
weave in Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant talk just to make it topical. We're
not trying to force it, but just in the event those teams are linked
to them as a brief refresher for anyone who is new around these parts.
We are aiming to do ten minutes or less on each team. Grant and
I have done I would say like a mediocre job of sticking to ten minutes
or lessan each team. But that's why we're not going like belly flopping in
talking about we're talking extensionallengeable candidates, but not about every stencher or what the
price looks like. But with that said, we're gonna go alphabetically because we
like to live dangerously, even though the alphabet is not our collective strong suit.
And that brings us to the Dallas Mavericks, who incidentally might technically be
like the only Kyrie Irving team. But I thought before I should getting into
their vitals grant that this was funny. In the framing of the report of
Kyrie's preferred teams, they noted how the Mavericks and Nicks are sort of best
set up to do something, but they're both more focused on Jalen Brunson.
That is how far has Kyrie Irving's the perception of Kyrie Irving fallen that Jalen
Brunson is the bigger priority over him. And it's look, I'd do the
same thing. I want to make that clear. I'd one hundred percent do
the same thing. It's Jalen Brunson summer. We just gotta get used to
it. Like every every year that somebody defines free, well, I mean,
if Kevin Durant shakes loose, then it's Kevin Durant summer. But but
yeah, I mean, good time to be Jalen Brunson, Like you're in
high demand, like you've got all this leverage because you're team kind of needs
you pretty badly, and some other teams want you like inexplicably badly, like
the next and so it's just like really good high on the list of guys
you would like to be this summer. Is Jalen Brunson Good for him too,
because I bet if the MAVs would have offered him that max that we'll
call it the Josh Richardson Special, he would have taken it, but they
didn't offer it, And now he's going to make probably close to double rather
than fifty six million. He might be over one hundred million to the Mavericks
Vitals though they're key free agents. Jim Brunson, if anyone didn't see that
coming. Notable non guarantees Maxi Kleiba his nine million dollars, his nine million
dollars salary guarantees on July three, they will let that guarantee. He's also
extension eligible if anyone cares. Then the most important non guarantee is Frank Neil
Keena two million dollars as his salary. I imagine they would keep it,
and they should because he's their best player, maybe their second best player.
Lucas Okay, sometimes other notable extension candidates Dwight Powell. Please, oh please,
Mavericks, do not extend Dwight Powell and then Christian would who they just
acquire notable trade exceptions they have. Look, it's expiring today as we're recording
this. It was the Josh Richardson ten point nine million dollar trade exception.
I wish they would have done something to like sort of fold that over or
used it. And I guess they still technically could, so this podcast might
get out they did if they decide to use that trade exception. Otherwise,
they don't have any really big ones as of now. Their best spending tool
is awkward. I have it at the Mini mL E because even with Jalen
Brunson's hold, they're like really close to the apron. And so even if
you lose Jalen Brunson, you're not going to open up unfettered access to the
bigger MLLE to where you're comfortable hardcapping yourself unless you dump other salaries. So
I have them at the Mini MLLE. If something weird happens with Brunson or
they dump a bunch of salary, they have the potential to get to that
bigger mL E and then Grant. Now that I rambled through that, that
might have been the slowest vital read that we've had yet. What are you
just your thoughts, general impressions, needs, priorities, and free agency.
I think it probably starts with Jalen Brunson. Yeah, right, No,
I think your preamble was necessary because they're kind of a I don't know that
it is complicated. They have a lot of moving parts, even which is
weird for a team that you could also just imagine kind of looking very similar,
you know, at the end of free agency. I mean, I
just I put them in the contender class. I think their needs are fairly
clear, although I think it's difficult sometimes to like because what we're saying is,
well, it looked like they needed X, Y and Z against the
Warriors who went on to win the title, So it's like you kind of
have to you know, which they won't need that type of stuff. The
problems the Warriors present are not the same as as other teams. It's just
kind of how it works. But so I think they need, you know,
additional shot creation is always great. I think you'd like someone if you
could, with their limited resources that can put the ball on the floor more
than Reggie Bullock can. Same with Dorian Finney Smith. Both those guys are
really useful, you know, role players for this particular team because when you
have Luca, it's it's okay if if you're supplementary offensive guys have like one
or two things they can do. And I think they need some rim protection
that you know, like Maxi Kleiba is a good shotblocker, but he's not
the guy that stands in there and the tears stuff around the rim. He's
more of a switch guy. He's a good perimeter defender. I think they
need someone in there that can that can kind of shut things down because again,
that's kind of where the Warriors started to have success in that series.
And you know, whether that's an issue against a lot of teams, I
don't know, but it was against a very good one and if the MAVs
want to be very good, then you got to worry about that stuff.
I think there's the Brunson situation is obviously kind of top of top of the
list. I feel like it's going to take a hundred million to keep him,
and as we talked about earlier before we started recording, I think you
said, like, that's kind of an okay number for them. I don't
know if it's an okay number if you're another team just because you're you're sort
of I don't know. We know Brunson works well alongside Luca, we know
that it's a good fit there, so maybe you're willing to pay a little
extra. Plus you send the message to teams around the league that if you
come to Dallas and have success, you will get compensated. There's that element
too, so, but after Brunson, you know they're looking at fairly like
you know, low end free agents, which I don't know if you want
to get to those now, but you know, playmakers, big guys that
can block shots, like that kind of thing. I agree with everything you
sort of just said there. I do think that Christian Wood trade probably give
him a little bit more flexibility if they want to do anything on the front
line. He's a really good offensive player, and I think there's more mobility
to him on defense, and I'm very interested to see just what he looks
like in a system where you have Cleeve but Duran, Phinney, Smith,
Reggie Bullock, and then Jason Kidd did coach his team really well on defense
when you look at sort of the barometers of like what they were able to
do in transition, which I'm not equating to effort, but those are like
more controllable, especially in certain line up packages. And I also think you
know I had mentioned this at one point on the previous podcast, but Christian
would averaging over twenty points for thirty six minutes while shooting better than fifty nine
percent on two's and thirty eight percent on threes during that span. The only
other players accomplishing the same or Michael Porter Jr. And John Collins and Michael
Porter Junior han't even played a ton Christian Wood's played. So I think that
gives them flexibility if they want to go for like a shot blocker type or
all defense at like the four or the five, because you have like Britons
and Powell and Dornan Vnnie Smith will play the four, so you can move
around stuff there. But it feels like they need another front court component.
I'm with you. The question I wanted to ask you is, if you're
the Mavericks, would you go five years on Jalen Brunson, who turns twenty
six later this summer, let's say it's what if he's willing to accept you
know, the rumors the Knicks are going four and one hundred, which would
be twenty five million a year, Is he willing to stay? Like,
what do you even get to at that point? It's a fifth year.
That's where it gets for the Mavericks specifically, because that takes him into I
think it's through his age thirty season. At that point, it's like it's
he's a smaller guard. It'd be a thought process and you're not. You
know, maybe the discount is that fifty year twenty million dollars, that's still
five years one hundred excuse me, a twenty million. That's just that's something
to think about because they can't offer you know, those raises, like the
eight percent raises versus four or five now like that that doesn't really matter in
the grand schemn it's that fifth year that gives them the real advantage if they
want to use it. Yeah, I think I think my stance on it
is I'm not I'm not doing it unless I have to, like if he
comes back, you know, I'm I want to see what the Knicks are
gonna do first, Or I was gonna say or whoever else, but like
it, it's gonna be the Knicks if he's gonna get a big offer.
I think there was even reporting that the Pistons were just I mean they have
Jay n Ivy now, but that they were just out like any team that
you thought was going after jail. Brunson probably looked at the arms race between
House and New York is like, nah, we're good, We're good.
Yeah, this is a you know, we say you say it all the
time, you know, the whole It only takes one idea to like set
the market for a player, and like Brunson has the one, like the
Knicks are the one. And so if I'm Dallas, I that fifth year
I'm keeping in my back pocket, and if I have to use that and
I just can't let him go, then then yeah, I mean I think
I do it just because it's too difficult to replace him. I would just
the one other note on it's not necessarily pertinent to free agency, but you
know, the Clippers are a team that has a bunch of like mid tier
salary guys to package up in a trade for a star, and Dallas has
that too, with you know, say Tim Hardaway on the high end down
to Powell at like eleven, Hardaway is nineteen point six. You got din
Witty in there, you got Burton's. If they didn't have these encumbrances,
you know, on their first round picks based on the Knicks trade, which
I think may stretch out to like twenty five. They don't know if that
if if they're going to convey until then, I think there are twenty twenty
three was top ten protected if I'm not mistaken, but I'll I'll double check
that you're right. So they can't trade a pick before twenty twenty five functionally,
yeah, so, But so all that, I mean, they are
really they would be really set up well to you know, to consolidate and
trade some of that stuff with draft assets attached for whoever like you name it
in terms of big stars, but they just don't quite have the draft flexibility.
I wonder if you know, they may not have to think about this
unless Brunson is not back, but if they do need a you know,
like a replacement or an upgrade however you want to think about it, they're
kind of halfway there to having like a really solid package to put on the
table. The thing they could do and you need Brunson's cooperation, is can
you use if you're losing Brunson, can you make that assign in trade to
New York where they're giving you that two and twenty three pick back or just
a two twenty three pick that you're then sending to another team in addition to
other picks to make stuff happen. This would be if they decided they wanted
Kyrie or or Kevin Durant, like that might be the pathway. Can you
do something to get the encumbrances off that twenty twenty three pick. What makes
that tough is the Knicks are clear in cap space specifically just to sign Jail
and Brunson, so they're calling your bluff. They're not there yet by the
way, though, So if they don't want to dump Cam Reddish like,
maybe that's the mechanism through which you work. There's also like their best salary,
they have salary matching tools that are short term, but like that Tim
Hardaway junior contract after his injury does not look good. And that's why I
feel like this team could technically be largely set, which is why you really
don't want to use lose Jalen Brunson because your flexibility there to make any sort
of replaces. I haven't even considered like free agency guards they go after because
they they're probably they can't get a Delon Right or Tias Jones, like,
they just won't have the money, and so I'm for them. I think
resigning jeal Brunson makes a ton of sense for them. I would probably give
him a fifth year just because I don't think that the deal is gonna end
up being it'll be detrimental maybe for New York. It won't be detrimental for
Dallas because they have the ecosystem within which he can work. Well, maybe
he wants a bigger role. Though we saw it with Jeremy Grant leaving a
really good team for a shitty team. Joe Brunson would be doing the same.
There's nothing about the Nicks that makes you think that they're going to be
better than Mavericks anytime soon. Yeah, no, I agree, I think,
and like, unless it gets completely out of hand, I think of
talking about Brunson, even if you got that fifth year on there, he
might still be a tradeable number. Like, you know, it's not like
that, it's not looking like it's gonna be just this albatross contract you know
that they couldn't possibly get off of if they are you know, couldn't use
to move on with, you know, it wouldn't have to give up their
entire draft future to do anything. So it's like, I think he's gonna
be overpaid, but it's sort of just that's just what you're gonna have to
do in these specific circumstances to keep him. Do you have any free agency
targets that you like, or even if it's trade targets for this team,
I will say I had them as an Isaiah harten Stein team, and then
he probably might have been too expensive. I don't know. If the mini
Emily gets him and now just Christian, would I think that that renders renders
that suggestion move that was one of my favorite destinations. I'd Saiah harten sign
and uh and Luca would have been hell of appairing. Yeah, I had
him too. I mean, he's just gonna be on most of these frankly
so, but yeah, I agree that the would thing just kind of I
don't know. I still think if you get him for the tax payer mid
level, like I'm doing it, but but I don't know. I think
Gore and Dragic feels like kind of a likely just minimum signing. I forget
where I read that rumored, but you know that makes that makes sense to
me. I don't know how much he'd actually play, but if it's a
you know, a throw a bone to Luca type of thing, that makes
sense. I had bomba on there. You know, I don't know what.
I don't imagine Orlando is going to match almost anything in restrict free agency
on Obamba. And then like another kind of pie in the sky possibility is
Kavon Looney. Technically the mini mid level would be a raise, but I
think the Warriors will pay him above that to keep him, and there may
be one or two teams with even more spending power that are willing to go
up to the full mid level. Potentially, I wouldn't necessarily do that,
but I could see a team or two convincing themselves that that was worth it.
I thought this would be, and maybe it's more so if Jalen Bruns
and leaves, And again it's probably then predicated on can you access the full
non tax player mL E. This would be a good Victor Ladipo team based
on what you get in Miami clothes last year. I also wondered if he's
not a free agent, but like Kelly Bridge Junior, might be fun on
this team if you can work out a trade for that. I'm sure it's
gonna be looking at cut money. You don't really have a deal that's gonna
save them a lot of money. And he doesn't fit into that Josh Richardson
trade exception that probably expired just as we were having this conversation about the Josh
Richardson trade exception. This would be a great t J. Warren destination.
I feel like too, And it's I thought, you know, if you're
still looking to kind of juice up the front line. I still don't know
what Chris Bouchet is gonna cost in free agency. He's twenty nine years old,
which why I would say they probably can't afford him. But it's also
like, Okay Biggs, who you know, he's not like, he doesn't
need to explode to be valuable, but the way that he moves, especially
on defense, his appeal is there, so that would be curious. I
also like want Toscano Anderson for this team, like just fits the mold of
they have the Dorian Phinney Smith, Reggie Bullock, a bunch of versatile guys
on the wings, or like Phinney Smith's case, essentially a combo forward.
And I think that's the level of siding that they're ultimately going to be looking
at a side from from Jail and Brunson, and I view this in a
good way that I don't think they are free agency slash offseason needs to be
super interesting anymore unless Joe and Brunson leaves. Yeah, I mean you're also
forgetting that just once Frank Nilikina realizes as full potential as I'm sure you're anticipating,
they'll just they won't need anything conference due Listen, all I'm going to
say is they didn't get to the conference finals with Luca before Frank Nilakina.
It was that Frank Nilikina that they made the conference finals. Your Galaxy brand
just exploded on the screen. I don't know if people are gonna be able
to see that. Are you ready to move on to our next team,
which is alphabetically the Houston Rockets. I do not have them with any key
free agents, notable non guarantees. Jayson Tate has that one point eight million
dollars team option. They have to exercise it by July seventh. They will.
That being said, He's also an extension candidate, as is Kevin Porter
Junior and Eric Gordon. They're notable trade exceptions. I only have them.
They have a few, but the only one that really is like sizeable enough
to matter is they have four million dollars from the wood trade and that it
doesn't expire until June twenty four, twenty twenty three. Their best spending tool
projects as the non taxpayer mL E. There are ways that this team could
technically open up cap space, but I don't know why you would want to
it just to jump through so many hoops. I'd rather just have that ten
million dollars spending tool. Ten plus million dollars spending tool, And what do
you have for just their their biggest needs and priorities or questions. And I
think we're both asking the same thing in the sense that after their draft,
which I thought they had, I know everyone had paddle Ben Carroll going to
them at first, I think Jabari Smith is actually the better fit for their
roster because of what he's like, his switchability on defense, It should just
slide better next to to Shane Goon and but they have ty Ty Washington,
they got Terry Easton, they have nineteen players under guaranteed contract if you just
assume Jason Tait is going to be there. And so I think we're both
sort of wondering, like, okay, well, where where are they shedding
somebodies? Yeah? Right, Well they're a little like, okay, see
that way, I think they had nineteen or potentially nineteen, they might have
had fifty. Yeah, they're all on weird second round partial guarantee. No,
I think so they're obviously the Rockets are a full on rebuilder, but
they're also over the cap, and so like in this situation, sometimes you'd
say, well, like this is a let's let's make some moves and take
on some bad money multi year, Like you could shift things around. You
might have more flexibility after wall Is bought out, but like they might have
seventy million in room next offseason, and I don't think you want to mess
around with that by taking on you know, like a Tobias Harris or we're
getting way out in the weeds. But like so their options are even more
limited in that regard because it's not a place where you're gonna you know,
accumulate draft assets for somebody's bad money. It's certainly not bad multi year money.
I think again, like because they have so many roster spots filled free
agencies kind of not their main you know focus, they still have to think
about what how they're gonna, you know, move Eric Gordon on at some
point, even though I think I've read recently that you know, they value
his leadership and all that stuff, but like they probably probably saw that they
got a bottom five first for Christian Wood, and we're like, what we're
gonna get for thirty something Eric Gordon? Yeah, suddenly, But I don't
do you think that Eric Gordon. I think Eric Gordon should get more than
Christian Wood did just because he fits in more places like Christian Wood. I
don't know, you know, Dallas that made that made a lot of sense.
But he's Christian Wood's not exactly like a plug in play on a contender
type of player, where Gordon I think maybe he is there, yeah,
because I think he's better on defense even at his age, and there's just
the downhill juice he provides an addition to the shooting. It's a more like
he's a bigger commodity. That being said, like the injury history, even
though he was healthy this year, it's not great. And I don't I
honestly don't know how teams were going to view that second, like the last
year of his deal, which is non guaranteed unless he makes an All Star
Game or they win the championship. In theory, if you win the championship,
you won't care. There are teams that will care. Hashtag Phoenix Suns.
Yeah, no, I think so for their free agency, Like I'm
just skewing young assuming they're gonna go after anybody. But it's like, you
look, you know, kind of another second draft type of team. So
you're Lonnie Walkers, your Jalen Smith, your Bombas, your your guy coffee
from the Clippers. I think is someone that they have buddy might look at.
But yeah, it's not like you look at this team, it's like,
well, what do they need because that's just not gonna come via free
agency. It's gonna come as you know, Jalen Green and Singoon and and
and uh now I can't think of Jabar Yeah, the guy who was supposed
to go number one the entire draft until he didn't see how that sort of
fits together and then maybe make some moves the deadline. That's maybe when Gordon
goes. But yeah, free agency, I just, uh, you know,
I would love to like paint this as a more interesting free agency team,
but I just I'm not sure I see it. They're more treating trade
team but for just to throw out for the sake of names and free agency.
I thought along the lines of second draft as well very quickly though.
They still look they have ty Ty Washington, But would you consider I know
I didn't count him among their key free agents, but would you consider bringing
back Nis Shrewder. I feel like Shrewder has I don't think I think Shrewder's
getting into that area where it's like I just don't want him on my team,
because there's been enough teams that have basically decided that, like, especially
ones that are concerned about winning that like, I don't know, I feel
like I feel like we sort of known now. So especially if it's a
young team where maybe you don't want and you have some guys like Kevin Porter
Jr. That, like, maybe their professionalism has been in question at points
in their careers, Like I'm not sure you want like a get mine Dennis
Shrewder as like a tone setter, but like someone like that, like on
court wise, just to sort of be a playmaker and provide a little offense.
Yeah, I mean that makes sense. I just don't know if he's
the guy if they're gonna have this, But no, if I'm gonna,
I don't, I'd rather just play ty Ty Washington, Josh Christi for Kevin
Porter Junior, the like John Green all that ball handed responsibility. I will
say if it's someone like a veteran who is either going there because you're like
sort of what Daniel Tye did last season, Like if Delon Wright can't get
the mid level exception somewhere else, but Houston is offering the full non taxpayer,
I might consider that just to have like someone with more experience. I
don't know, like on the lower end though, who's actually worth maybe than
cutting into minutes of some of your your younger guys so you know, like
you're not I'm like going through the list of free agent point guards, like
if Eric Bletzo gets weighed like, that's not some where you're gonna look at
even hollow netto I don't think give you like enough like mentorship there. Rondo
No, so like if Delan right, yeah, if that was an option,
I might consider it, or even Taias Jones if he can't get the
middle MLI money. He's only twenty six, so you can consider that I
had more. So just I'll list off like they're more sort of like wings
because that's what this team still feels like it needs. Maybe they're a PJ
Dojer team. He's coming off that injury. As my voice just cracks there,
I don't think they have the touches for him, but just like I
want to see him go on a team and play. Kevin Knox just a
sort of a third draft guy at this point. What was the other name
that stood out to me the most. I don't know why. It's not
a one would make some sense if Milwaukee doesn't have the stomach to match on
something, you know, more than the minimum. Oh, that would be
a good one too. I didn't even think of that, but like,
those are the types of names you already mentioned, Oh, Jared Colver,
I was like, let's just see jar why not? And look, that
might be even too rich in the sense that, look at all the players
they have on this roster. So I have the two questions here to wrap
this up, is do you think Jay Shawn Tate and or Kevin Porter Junior
get an extension from this team. I would extend Tate for sure, if
only because I hate to like frame everything for the Rockets in this context,
but like, that's gonna be a valuable player that teams are gonna want if
if you're looking to get some draft assets later, Like, yeah, Tate,
is he a Josh Richardson special candidate in terms of like his the upper
end of what they can do for him. I hate to put you on
the spot, but if you're giving him ten million plus a year, I
think he'd be a value at that contract just because of the defense, and
maybe you can work out, you know, a little more of an offensive
repertoire for him. But I would I'd be more hesitant on Porter just because
I'm not convinced that he's certainly not convinced he's a point guard. And I'm
also not convinced that he makes a ton of sense next to Green. And
I think you do need to start thinking in terms of like who's the optimal
Jalen Green like running mate in the back court. So I make Porter prove
it, but Tate, I think I would be interested in keeping around on
an extension. Yeah, And like now that you have ty Ty Washington there
in addition to Jalen Green, maybe there's not as much of an urgency to
extend Kevin Porter Jr. I don't even know. And Rockets fans of or
some Rockets fans have disagreed with I'm with you, and I don't think he's
like the league guard. If you want him as a microwave score, either
in the starting lineup off the bench. That's the shock creation. The pressure
he puts on defense absolutely huge secondary playmaking fine. I don't know what number
i'd be comfortable extending him at, though, like I think I would probably
land at if he would sign for between ten and twelve, I might consider
it. That does give you a mid end contract a later if you want
to, And like you said, they do have cap space next summer,
I don't know how valuable that is at this particular stage of their development.
And they're also you know, they got some Brooklyn Nets picks coming down the
pipeline that might be pretty flashy as well, so they have to consider that
moving forward. The other issue, so you think Eric Gordon. Is he
on the team to start next season? I think probably because if he was
gonna go anywhere, I think the draft would have been the time to do
it. But I would say I don't think he'll be on the team through
the deadline. If you're saying next season like twenty three, twenty four,
you know, I meant like to start and then I'll to follow it up.
So you think he'll start there but won't finish this year? Yeah,
because I think if he was going to go this offseason, he would have
gone. I imagine all the all the conversations that they had around would were
happening in parallel with conversations about trying to move Gordon, and just it didn't
happen. So I think I think they have to move him at some point,
like maybe you maybe you get the benefit of him as a leader and
like, you know, a guys setting an example for the first half of
this year, and then then you know, you decide we just we just
have to we have to do this at some point in terms of like where
we are as a rebuilding team. And it's like I'm almost just wondering,
like who are their trade candidates and if you think he's gonna be there.
I assume he's just gonna be gone because I'm looking at look, john wall
is gonna that's gonna end in a buy out, Like unless there's like a
trade out there, Like, yeah, that's gonna end in a buy out.
Then whoever they acquire for John wall is probably gonna be bought out if
they do move them. But like, looking at this free agency class,
it feels like teams will give up something for Eric Gordon, even if it's
not more than what they got for Christian would because what are their alternatives?
And you sort of hinted at one that I've given some thoughts to is like
there if Philly's trying to cut, because there's the rumor that Philly is is
the favorite to sign PJ. Tucker, which a camp be unless it has
access to the full mid level exception, which is incredibly difficult for them after
making the Melton trade. Unless James Harden is either taking like sub thirty seven
million a year, which would be like a ten million dollars pay cut,
or are they flipping to Bias Harris for a smaller amount of salary, and
that could be a way of consolidation where it's are you giving up Eric Gordon
and another salary four Tobias Harris and the Sixers are also compensating you in something
draft equity whatever to take on that last year. It feels like something along
those lines is going to happen just because they have so many and look,
there are players that they don't need to have, you know, they have,
I mean, Trey Burke is on their books next season, so like
they could just waive some of these guys and not care because they could trade
Sterling Brown somewhere or just wave him. But I kind of just feel like,
given the relative shallowness of this year's free agency class, we're going to
see Eric Gordon moved because teams are going to need to take to the trade
market to get upgrades. Yeah. I agree. Yeah, they got those
four guys that came over in the wood trade that are all on expirings between
like three and five millions, so or blessed than that. Markus Chris only
makes two point two, So they got all that. You know, if
either they're getting waved bought out and they could just do it's small enough to
where you stand with them all together and it's like, oh, we have
eight million dollars or ten million dollars and dead money from one year. That's
not going to matter as much to the Rockets. Yeah right. Our next
team, the Memphis Grizzlies, who their summer could be if they wanted to
be pretty incredibly interesting. Their key free agents are Kyle Anderson, Tias Jones,
and Jarret Culver. John Contart excuse me, the other non guarantee.
He has like a third of his salary guaranteed until July third. I expect
they might just guarantee that then. Notable extension candidates they have a few,
John Morant, I assume they he'll just sign a max extension with them.
Dylan Brooks, Steven Adams, and Brandon Clark are more interesting extension candidates,
just because there's more less of a defined market for them. They have a
notable trade exception from the Grayson Allen deal four point one million that expires on
July seventh of this year, and their best spending tool. I'm just assuming
they'll keep the salary cap holds for Kyle Anderson and Tias Jones, which would
mean they're they're non taxpayer mid level team if they want to have cap space,
though, they could, I just don't know what they would intend to
do with that. And so what are you looking for or thinking about most
for the Grizzlies heading into free agency. Yeah, I think initially and maybe
still now, there was some question of how they would sort of choose to
operate, whether they'd clear space or they'd operate as an over the cap team
and potentially bring back their their two main free agents that you mentioned. I
think it's more likely that, like I mean, maybe Jones comes back,
and maybe maybe that that's feasible, But I think just sort of based on
how like, you know, the guys they added in the draft, Labban
and Roddy, and I think Zayre Williams is a guy that's most likely going
to improve. I mean in love with him. I was not a fan
of the pick, and now I'm in love with him. I mean,
he played significant minutes for a really good team and like they trusted him to
guard you know, you wouldn't like they have plenty of great options for like
top scores, but Williams wasn't someone they necessarily hit all the time. So
with those three, I think Kyle Anderson's time has probably done. So Yeah,
I just their options are big. I mean they're a trade team too
because they've I don't imagine they're going to extend anyone for sure other than Jaw
Like I think Brooks and Steven Adams as and and throw Green in there,
I guess, depending on what happens with him and his partial gant and his
guarantee. But like they have salary and mushed together in a trade they've got
you know, I think they have all their picks plus a Warriors twenty twenty
four first coming. So they still are a team with just like an a
ton of power to like just do what they want. I mean, we
could just get into it now, Like you know, Kevin, if you're
looking for teams that can put put together at Kevin Durant package, I don't
know, the Grizzlies are right there, and like they've got all the picks,
they've got salary and you know, not totally dead salary, like Adams
and Brooks are starters, you know, on a good team. So yeah,
they've got a lot of flexibility. It just depends on how they want
to operate and what they want to do with Tyas Jones, like how big
of a priority he is to bring back. I think they can get him
at a decent number, just because I think the teams that want point guards
are gonna like go bigger on Brunson and maybe you're gonna trade for Brogden or
Danangelo Russell or something before you get down to let's talk about signing Tayas Jones.
Yeah, I guess he could be a backup plan for like the Knicks,
or if the Mavericks have the non tax player Emily that feels like his.
I don't want to say a ceiling, but that feels like where Hill
land that ten million dollars a year, and I might look, I know
you're about to pay ye, I'd still just keep him around because if you
need to move him to make but you already like you traded damn me Melton,
not that he was necessarily the purest point guard anyway, it would.
I do think now, for all the reasons you laid out, I'm not
really adding anything to discussion at this point. And also, keeping Thyas Jones
limits the amount of time that Dylan Brooks has to have the ball in his
hands, which is some nights. That's too much of an adventure. Would
you for the Kevin Durant stuff, and I don't I don't want this to
define you know, the low grow fruit. But if during the Grizzlies and
Kevin Duran his four years left on his deal and he wants to come to
Memphis one, I think you absolutely go after him because you're so good.
Now, my question is where is the line you're not moving? Jaw Brooklyn
comes to you though, and want Sharon Jackson Junior. What are you doing?
Yeah? I mean they and if you're the nets you, that's got
to be where it starts, like you have to start negotiating there. We
say no, I don't discussion. I am first saying like, how about
you can control our draft? So Brooklyn, you have a draft back now
because you don't have one basically, and you can have all whatever you want
through you know, alternate swaps and just full on rights to these picks through
like however far we can go, twenty seven, twenty eight, like whatever,
take it all, because if we have John, we have Durant,
and we have a decent supporting cast, like those picks are going to be
in the twenties anyway. I also think, and I'm not sure that I
would do this. This is I think this is where it comes back to
are we romanticizing prospects or younger players? The fact that they have Desmond Bane
and Zeyer Williams. It feels like if Brooklyn is actually rebuilding, if they're
moving him and Durant, they will be There are packages that can be built
by Memphis, specifically without including either of their two most important blue chip cornerstones,
which is Triple J and John Morant. Yeah, I mean there's some
argument to be made that, like do you want to mess with this?
I mean, I know it's like blasphemous because we're talking about Kevin Durant,
but like you know, age wise decline wise, Like I don't. I
mean, Kevin Durant's best years are behind him, right, Like at best,
he's going to sustain and stay very very good. Great. You know,
we thought he was the best player in the league for like a couple
of months there, so he still has that status. But like the future
is so bright and there's so many options and it's just not a small market
move generally speaking, to do this. It's like we're we're operating in reverse
almost, like this is usually the team that has Kevin Durant has to trade
him for seventeen fisholders. It's still intriguing though, and it's just the reality
is the Grizzlies can do almost whatever they want if you but if you do
the big thing, then all of your different avenues to succeed for the next
seven eight years kind of trimmed down to one. And if also just to
throw it out there, like, you know, if you're depending on Kevin
Durant to not age and John Morant to not get hurt, that's really kind
of you're kind of a high wire act now, and it's kind of a
boom er bus. But you know, if they had Durant next year,
like who They're right, they're going to be at the top of the West
anyway, I don't know who i'd pick over them for sure at that point.
Yeah, he members might be my favorite Katie Landing spot. Are there
actual available players as of now that you've given thoughts at who Memphis should you
go after via Trader Free Agency? Yeah? I think you kind of again,
assuming they're going to have the full MLA, which is a significant asset.
Like I think you probably look at Auto Porter and I you know,
all that stuff I said about how maybe Kyle Anderson is expendable now because of
the forwards and the pipeline and the wings and the pipeline. I still think
Porter makes sense. I don't know if I'm given him the full m l
E, but you can. I think Gary Payton is someone you could add
to just make this defense like just unfair. And like you know, I
do think Brooks is someone they should be looking hard to trade. And so
if you want to do that, and you've lost Melton too, so I
think if you want to move Brooks, you probably want to have another defensive
like shutdown option. Peyton is smaller, but he plays as big as Brooks
a lot of the time. So you know, of the non Warriors division,
I think if you just want to ensure the Tias Jones thing, you
look at Netto. But other than that, like you know, Dalen Wright
again, you know, just someone that makes sense as like a Melton replacement
sort of. But yeah, other than that, I think they're more of
a trade team, and I'd be looking at what I could get for Adams
Brooks and you know what that kind of thing. I wonder also if they
should be looking at another type of four or five, just especially if you're
living in Kyle Anderson walk and he played a ton of time at the four.
You have and Clark, Steven Adams, Jaren Jackson Jr. And n
Xavier Tiltman and now David Roddy of course, and we can't forget Santi Aldama.
But like is it's just something that you would maybe want to someone who
can play with either Steven Adams or Jaren Jackson Junior, like a Chris Bouche
I will mention for every single team because he's amazing, or even a Mobamba
could be good for this team, or even Hartenstein. I think that,
you know, maybe that makes more sense if you're eventually gonna get rid of
Steven Adams, if you're not extending him and you're letting him walk, because
those two you don't want to see play were Steven Adams, which is why
I gravitated towards Chris Bouche. You can also go to the Otto Porter Junior
rout, but I was trying to think of like someone who might be able
to log a little bit of time at the five as well, So I'd
be curious if if they could go that route. I also wondered if are
they gonna because you mentioned sort of a priority should be to move Dylan Brooks.
Is their focus gonna be more on trades this offseason knowing that they have
to make some decisions soon on a Steven Adams, on a Dylan Brooks,
even Brandon Clark, And then what type of swing are you making in that
situation, because it could be something like, you know, you could probably
get Eric Gordon for if Danny Green, let's just say you guarantee his salary,
include another smaller salary, and then there's a sweetener. And Eric Gordon
would make a lot of sense on this team, especially if you might move
down and Brooks in another trade. I have wondered if and he hasn't been
mentioned, and Grizzlies fans were totally against my idea for them to trade a
Miles Turner at last year's de mind, which is fine. Does John Collins
make sense for this team if you're if you're not giving up any of your
three best assets, which is Morant, Jackson and Baine. Does he make
sense alongside Jaron Jacksons you're a long term or no long term? It's stuff.
I think you know, the ideal version of Jaren Jackson is a full
time center at some point, right, and you're like, you just he's
going to provide you all the spacing and shop blocking and you don't necessarily need
more heft in there. I do think the playoff run kind of showed that
the Grizzlies are really good when they have two pigs in there, and one
of them's Jackson. I just Collins is such a weird fit almost just be
like he which is crazy to say because he can do so much, But
I just I don't know if Jackson Collins frontline has enough like Punch is like
physical big enough, physical enough, but you I mean, you'd upgrade your
skill level just immensely, and you could have some crazy five outlooks too with
that, and you'd be long. But I don't know if you're quite like
which is like, it's twenty twenty two and we're are they big enough?
Are they physical enough? But that's kind of my reservation. Yeah, And
I think if you were going to go that route, you probably want someone
who's going to be more of his own shock creator, because even I like
John Collins is for a game, but the Grizzlies feel like they still need
is it z? I hear Williams long term? Is it Desmond Baying based
on what he did this season? You have Jaren Jackson Jr. Still feels
like they could use some insurance there, which is why Eric Gordon is a
stop gap would be pretty interesting. The other he would have to be a
trade because he's a team option at the pacer actually absolutely picking up I would
love o'she Brissette for Memphis, someone that they could because of the way that
they're sort of they're set up at every position, but not set up at
every position. Just someone you could toggle between basically everywhere at this point,
might be like and it feels like a Grizzlies move. That's a guy that
maybe wouldn't cost a Tony's certainly not making a ton Is it a stop gap?
Is a long term play? That could be someone that that they look
at. It's funny going through the free agency list though, because I feel
like I'm not in love with anyone for them, Like I could see Lonnie
Walker might be interesting here, depending again on what you think the future is
with what is Kyle Anderson coming back? What are you doing with Dylan Brooks?
And I was actually gonna ask you whether you see anyone other than Jaw
on this team getting an extension, because that would if you extend Dylan Brooks,
if you extend Steven Adams or Brandon Clark. That probably says a lot
about how or it informs a lot about how you're going to view free agency.
Yeah, I think one thing that just popped up to me. If
you're gonna lose Kyle Anderson and you want to replace some of the facilitation that
young, I think he's another guy we're gonna I feel like I'm gonna mention
on every team just because you can get away. I think I actually feel
better about a defensive front court with him and Jackson then I do Collins and
Jackson. And he's a good pet. He's what he averaged like five assists
a game or something ridiculous like that with the Bowls a couple of years ago.
I don't know if you want him necessarily playing that big a role,
but he can do it. I think extensionwise, it's just Jaw for me,
because you know there's you can make the opposite case. But I think
a guy like Brooks and Adams, some of the appeal or some of the
value in them might be tied up and then being expiring. You know,
that's changed a little bit lately. I feel like the idea of the expiring
contract has doesn't return quite the same amount of you don't get a haul for
that anymore. But I would feel uncomfortable committing what it would take to Brooks
just because that's a fairly large salary slot that may not be a positive asset
if it goes out three or four years versus it's expiring. Oh, we're
a contender, we need a three, and we need a lower little three
and D wing that can just toughen us. Like he makes sense as like
a rental to me. Maybe that undersells him, but lowercase three uppercase D
exactly. I would just be worried about him specifically hitting free agency. And
then if he gets the eighteen million dollars a year offer from some team,
if you get him at the number that he's really coming off, of course
between twelve and like fourteen million, I would consider it. For Dylan Brooks
would probably be the only other player i'd look at. Yeah, you don't
extend Adams, right, There's like that's just my thought was, like,
if you can get him in a really cheap number, and then it's someone
that is just there and you could also move later on. But I just
the big man market or what it will be for him. You could view
it that way in free agency as well. Exactly right on to the New
Orleans Pelicans get excited. Their key free agent is Tony Snell. Notable non
guarantees include Jose Alvarado, he will he will be back, do not worry.
Notable extension candidates on this team Larry NaN's junior, CJ McCollum, Jackson
Hayes, and oh that guy's I on Williamson. They have one notable trade
exception. That's the Steven Adams six point four million dollars one. It expires
on July seven, twenty twenty two. Their best spending tool. I have
it as the miniml E because I have them inside ten million dollars of the
Apron right now. They could I don't know if they're gonna want to pay
the tax one, let alone the Apron, and two if they wanted to
dump salary, maybe it's with Jackson Hayes or through a Devonte Graham trade and
open up the bigger EMI leave they could. I don't know if this is
the market to try, excuse me and do that in but I have them
as a mini Emily spending team. I think it starts here. This one's
the easier one. What are you doing with Zion Williamson's extension? I didn't
think hard enough about this one. I think I'm offering it. Look,
you give him the max, do you? Yes? And if you could
include this sort of Joel embiad type stage safeguards, if he's not willing to
do that at all, that's where it gets a little interesting, right,
that's where you start, though. There's no scenario where you don't start with
let's talk about an MBI desk extent, rookie extension, right like you just
you can't. It can't be in no questions asked extension, like I think
honestly, then if that's just a hard line, I might DeAndre Ayton this
and be like, we'll just talk about this in a year. Sorry,
I just you gotta. I just run the risk then of And I don't
think Ayton would have this kind of leverage after he had a really good season.
Zion would he could just go sign like a two plus one, three
plus one somewhere, and then you don't like he won't even deal with you,
like you're just gonna match, have to match that offer sheet. He
Zion said he would come out and sign with the Pelicans a long terminative look.
If push Katon's shove and he wasn't willing to include any safeguards in the
deal, I might give it to him anyway. Just his talent at full
strength, Like just remember him last season was probably one of the fifteen to
seventeen best players in the league. You're You're not wrong, I just I
guess this is just me being risk of verse. Like I think there's still
like no argument in terms of his the impact that he made in the like
blink of an eye that he was healthy, it felt like really potentially great.
I still have questions about, like what kind of roster do you fit
around him? I have made like I just don't see a scenario where we
go the next ten years and don't have more than one season where injuries are
a major factor, like even in the next five, which is what you're
talking about, with an extension that he's eligible for. So I guess I'm
more comfortable and like, of course he said he'll take the full Yeah,
of course, I'll take the full max if they offer it, like,
because then I can demand to trade anyway. That's just how the league works.
It's fine, I have more reservations. I don't think I'm willing to
do that. I would draw a harder line just knowing that worst, you
know, push comes to show he's a last guy in the world that's going
to take the qualifying offer and just you know, gamble that way. There's
no scenario. I don't think that's realistic, Are you sure? I just
don't think, based on his injury history, anyone advising him could possibly say
this is a good idea. I just like, he's got to get he's
he seems like someone that and not personally, but just the situation he's in.
You need to lock down as much guaranteed money as you can. And
so the idea of that level of risk. Now maybe that changes if he
has a phenomenal we don't he doesn't get an extension, and he has a
phenomenal season, and suddenly it's like, well, it's a no, Like
he has all the leverage in the world, like there's this that's the downside
risk of doing an eight in this situation. I think what so I think
he ultimately just has more leverage than New Orleans because I think he is that
anomalous, that transcendent, and that's not it's not a shot against the Pelicans.
I just I wouldn't let that player as long as I can have him
here and be under team control. Maybe it's he doesn't have a player option
in year five, and I do. I ultimately think it's gonna end up
with he signs a five year max. I don't know what's gonna happen with
the player option. My guess is it's either really heavily safeguarded the entire contract
for the Pelicans, or maybe they are lighter guarantees, lighter non guarantees in
his favor, and he gives up his player option in the fifth year.
That being said, it also could be if they're both sort of on the
same page, he does have the leverage to where even if he has a
bad year next season, someone would offer him the max and restricted free agency.
Could he roll the dice, want to stay in New Orleans, have
a good year, and then he just gets the five year max from New
Orleans free and clear, where there aren't going to be any injury safeguards in
there for them because he's coming off of let's say, a sixty seven game
like campaign only missed like ten or fifteen games. Yeah, I think I'm
maybe anchoring too much because when it was real bad, when it was just
injury after injury, and you know, all this time off, I kind
of developed the opinion that, like one, Zion is a player who's great,
may almost entirely because of just ridiculous athleticism, right, Like, you
know, he's not he's not like I don't know some of the passes he
threw, but he has to give a space to be able to throw those
passes. So I think that's what I'm not going to say entirely but very
largely based on athleticism. And just like I think it's fair to say that
since Duke, he's become less athletic. So just you know, the injuries
are taking a toll in that regard, and like the trajectory I would expect
unless he comes, unless we see you know, best shape of his life
stuff over in summer league. Not in summer league, but during that time
where it's like he's the weight his way down and you know, he looks
incredible. He looks like Duke Zion, then I might change my opinion,
but I'm I'm just kind of pessimistic on his long term health outlook and how
how well he's going to age as the athleticism declines, because like when that
goes, when that's not a lead anymore. It's not like he's a knockdown
shooter, except for his debut when he made like four or threes and everybody
lost their minds. It was among the people. There are a lot of
questions. I just if he's not getting off the floor and can't move with
burst, I don't know. He proved me, I would love it.
If he proved me wrong, it would be I would love it. I
just, I just I have a lot of reservations about more of the story.
Though this was very first take key of us. But Zion Williamson will
be in New Orleans next season. Yeah, that's being said. The last
first take element of this preview, Brooklyn comes along, offers Kevin Durant want
Zion Williamson back in a package? What are you doing if you're New Orleans?
Yeah, such a hard question. What did I say before we started
recording when you ask me that, I think I said I would do it.
I said I wouldn't because it's just if Kevin Durant really wants to be
in New Orleans, I guess anything has to be for a discussion. But
what else are if it's just if it's Zion plus salary, I guess you
consider it. But like can we we can't pretend that Kevin Durant has just
been mister durability over the past three years. Right, Yeah, so I
ultimately wouldn't. But they are a team that I think could build subsequent packages
where if New Orleans is going or excuse me, if Brooklyn's going around asking
for all these we want Scotty Barnes from Toronto if that's a know, like
doing those types of things. If you circle back and they miss on all
those initial marks, New Orleans is among the teams that could build like non
Zion trade packages that would make a ton of sense. What do you view
is like the roster's biggest needs now though heading into free agency, well,
they don't have They don't have a lot because their roster is basically set.
It looking really really good if you pencil in healthy'sion, Yes, yeah,
I know, I think they are like potential major high riser. You know,
you saw flashes of what McCollum kind of did to transform how they operated.
I think so. Having said that, I think i'd like one more
versatile defensive piece just because Herb Jones, as great as he is, I
think you're gonna need some lineups where, you know, what's up Dyson Daniels
is on this roster. They might really that is kind of what he does
everything but shoot basically right. Uh, you know, I think I think
i'd like one more you know, wing switchy defensive piece. I think i'd
like maybe, I look, I think that your best looks are gonna be
Zion at the five, you know, if you're really trying to maximize what
this team can be. But just like zion nance type where Nance making the
defensive five. Yeah, yeah, like a strip like a like Miles Turner
would. This isn't a free agent thing, but someone like that has always
made a lot of sense there for me. Pelicans fans already tuned us out.
They're in love with valentiunist, who was really good, and they don't
view Turner is enough of an upgrade. I think defensively he would be a
massive upgrade. I also don't know. I don't know their path to getting
Miles turn anymore. Like if you're Indiana, do you want you own his
Valentciunists? Like wow? And then if you're the Pelicans, do you want
Zion and you own his Valentciunists? And uh you know? And and uh,
oh my god, why can't end miles turn on your roster? Like
that doesn't make a ton of sense? Not? No, I think so,
just in terms of like they're they're well, do you do you what
do you see their needs? As you see them as different than our needs?
And quote unquote, but I think so I would prefer them to prioritize.
I don't want to say a point guard because you have CJ. McCullum,
Zion Brandon Ingram and DeVante Graham is not just like he doesn't suck now,
he's just he's shooting has fallen off. But I would like to see
him get an upgrade in what DeVante Graham is supposed to be. So is
that DeVante Graham getting better? Is it? Oh? We're giving Kyra Lewis
Junior a really extensive look this year. I don't view the wing depth as
big of an issue. I guess because I really Dyson Daniels is like my
second favorite prospect in the draft, and then also what Trey Murphy was able
to do during the tail end of last year in the regular season and the
playoffs. But I do think it would be smart to sort of hedge against
that, So I would be that that's my second priority. But if you
could also just get shooting on this roster, because that's going to be the
best, especially with do you want to Uncutis can shoot the ball well,
but if he and zion Is going to be a lineup you tinker with.
The volume is not high for Valon Shunis. It's the same Liaron NaN's junior
Like I like the Laron n junior Zion winners and look a lot better on
defense, clearly, but Larry NAT's not someone who chucks up threes and observe
volume. So can you find someone who might be willing to do that?
My single favorite free agent target for them, who I don't know if they
can afford. Gary Payton is second because theyre brings that defensive element to where
look. Him and Herb Jones could just like swap assignments like that's how Herb
Jones covers the positional spectrum. Gary Payton, the second guards up a ton
as well. He shot the three ball well enough last year with Golden States,
where you can envision if you get him those open looks, he will
hit them. And he's a he's good at moving off the ball, or
if they want to use him to set screens, if they get that creative
with him, he's my favorite. And then he's also just like, okay,
if Devonte Graham goes buster, we want to get rid of Devonte Graham,
Like at least we have another point guard on the roster. But that
was my thing is you don't really need that point guard because you have Zion
bred Ingramac, But like those are your primary playmakers, that's all you need.
No, I think I think that Peyton Peyton makes sense in a very
specific count, and I would add Bruce Brown too, because they're insofar as
those players, those players are similar to anyone, they're similar to each other.
If you have essentially a power forward in Zion who's gonna play a lot
of point guard, you might as well have a point guard who's going to
play a lot of power forward basically, which is what kind of how Peyton
and Brown operate. You know, Peyton proved himself to be a pretty good
corner three point shooter, which is like, that's fantastic if you could do
that for this Pelicans team and just you know, at least have someone run
at you once in a while. All the other stuff he brings will be,
you know, very welcome. Brown's kind of the same way. I'm
oddly like more skeptical about Brown being like sustaining some of his shooting from this
past season. But yeah, for some reason, I don't know what the
is, just like something just fell. I think it was his was too
much of an outlier where it's Gary Payton is sec it was like thirty six
percent on catching shoots. It's like, okay, like I think Bruce Brown
was like closer forty on those. It's like it's just a little bit out
of nowhere, a little much for me. I think backing up a little
bit to kind of hit these targets in full. Like I think I do
think they're they can duck the tax and I think they could be in position
to have the full mid level. I mean, they've got so many as
on low numbers that they could finagle a little bit and then if you have
the full mid level, that opens you up to going after you know,
t J. Warren. I think he's just another big wing sized body that
could work combo forward. Like it seems like PJ. Tucker is only interested
in like you know Billiori, Miami go back to me. Tucker would be
just like it would be perfect. P J Tucker type would be like the
which I'm sure every team wants to, right. That's that's my that's my
insight. Every team could get more buyers like PJ. Tucker to round out
their rotation. Yeah. No, so I think if they get to the
full mL E, then they really get pretty interesting because they're the names are
pretty pretty solid at that level, I thought, and again this sort of
deviates them. I think their biggest need is shooting just in general, Like
they could be a sneaky Victor Ladipo team in that case, like maybe you're
just really out on Devonte Graham and you want to go completely point guardless type
deal and he's not going to torpedo your defense. He had some good moments
in Miami during the playoffs. I also thought on the smaller end, but
because you have Trey Murphy the third and Daniels and Herb Jones, Gary Harris
here, Yeah, might make a lot of sense. So those are names,
and look, we were obligated to mention. I wouldn't spend the mL
E on him, but like Chris Bouche would totally work here. Yep,
yeah, he's He's like anywhere you're thinking about Miles Turner and you're willing to
take a downgrade. Bruche is like, Bruche is the fit, you know,
and we we're also probably couldn't tractually obligated to mention a mere Coffee who
also would be a pretty good fit here as well. It's pretty good fit.
Our final squad in the Southwest is the San Antonio Spurs. Their key
free agents are really only Lonnie Walker the fourth. He is restricted. Notable
non guarantees Zach Collins. Half of his money became guaranteed after the draft,
so I imagine they'll just guarantee at seven point six million. Katabate's job,
Trey Jones and Jack Liondale are all non guaranteed at sub two million. Non
guaranteed it's sub two million. I would expect probably the best, maybe not
Katabate's job to be back, but I would expect the other two to be
back, and they have Dejante, Mary Jacca, Peurdle, Trey Jones and
Romeo Langthorpe Romeo Langford. Excuse me as they are most notable extension candidates.
They don't have any big trade exceptions. They're best spending tool. I have
them between twenty five and thirty million dollars in cap space, be twenty depending
on how things shake out. They can they can get to max room for
a player who's whatever experience level they want, oh between zero and let's say
seven years. Once you get to the ten range, that's forty two point
seven million. That would take more of our at all. But they can
get max room if they want. What are you looking for? What are
you thinking about for the Spurs as we had into free agency. Well,
I mean so they're you know, they're still mostly a young team and they
have, you know, some flexibility. They can clear enough room. I
think from my perspective, you start with Aton and Bridges because you're just one
of these few teams with cap space, and you kind of work down from
there, which is hard to do because you're going to tie up stuff in
an offer sheet, so you better know before you do it, which I
think everybody realistically does generally speaking. But if there's a team that doesn't care
about tying up their cap space, it's going to be the Spurs. That's
true, and they also did. I think what helps them too is they
added three rookies, none of which are bigs. But depending on how you
feel about Jeremy Sown and then Soha and then Blake Wesley and Alkai Brandam,
I'm just like they are a team that could I could just see that,
Yeah, we'll give near max or the max to DeAndre Miles Bridges and if
you match whatever, like who are we going to sign anyway? Right exactly?
And it's so I think they feel like a pretty good I don't think
they're like Jaka Peartle is a good center. I think him well, I
need here's the bigger question, would he accept an extension? I mean it's
still not as it's still not a non superstar centers league, you know.
I think I think any center that gets a reasonable extension offers should probably just
take it unless you have like I'm gonna be an All Star and I'm gonna
bet on myself already an eleven point three million I think is about his max
that because it does that feel Does that feel about right to you? It
feels right If I'm him, people now know that he's like one of the
best rim protections in the league. I might roll the dice into free agency
because that's about where the mid level exception might wind up anyway as of now,
that's true. No, I think they feel the Spurs feel like a
logical spot. To me, maybe I think it's pretty clear based on the
reporting, and then just i'd like, I don't know, noise I've heard
from people who are actually plugged in and like report this stuff. It very
much feels like DeAndre and is trying to push his way to San Antonio.
To me, I don't know if the interest is mutual, like they could
use him. I just don't know. And the thing that's sort of hanging
over all this, I do believe that the de Gante Murray trade rumors are
driven more so by teams interested in Dejante Murray got him Atlanta Spurs, especially
because, like the John Collins framework, if there was a third team involved
in San Antonio is getting showered in draft equity. Okay, but Otherwise it
feels like a very lateral move to where I think Collins could diversify your offense
if you think Primo is or you even think like Brandon can make an immediate
offensive impact, that vassel is ready for more on boll responsibility. But like
it's a lateral or getting worse move that doesn't set you up better for the
long term. I think Murray is like levels orders of magnitude more valuable than
John Collins. I'm with you, and he's not. He's not going to
sign an extension, which I think is also why this is why people are
talking about this, because the max they can offer him, Like, this
is a guy who's gonna get near max or max money when he actually hits
free agency at this rate unless anything happens and he's scheduled to hit free agency
in two years in twenty twenty four, So I mean, I would offer
the extension, but just one hundred and twenty percent off his number. It
doesn't get you to what his max would be. No chance he takes that,
I think he shouldn't take it. I think I think the arrow is
still up on a guy that just went like twenty one nine and eight and
is improving and like all the ways you want, and is a great defensive
guard. I will say that gets me to what I think this team's They
have two needs that stand out, Like they could use another front court somebody,
whether you think it's someone who needs to play the four or five or
straight up five behind Jaco Purdle. But I also am like they need and
maybe he's already on the roster. They need like the second ball handling shot
maker, even the primary off the dribble score. I would say because it's
not Murray's not like he's developed a mid range game, gives you some just
finishing around the rim. He's good enough to hit, like if you need
him to slow dribble into threes or hit spot up threes, like, that's
something he can do. But they need like That's why when Murray tweeted and
deleted the picture of Zach Lahine and the Spurs jersey, that's the type of
guy unless you believe that guy is on the raw. I mean, he's
the type of guy for anything. But unless you believe that type of somebody's
on the roster, that's who you need. I do think it puts them
in an interesting pickle. In the sense that how do you find that guy
based off where they are going to be drafting with this roster because they're sort
of they're too good to tank, as like, you can't unless you're gonna
trade Murray. You can't move anyone else on this roster and tell me that
the Spurs get appreciably worse. I'm not saying he's there. He is their
nerve center, but it's just like everyone else, the drop off to me
between their best player and their second best player is probably one of the largest
in the league right now, depending on how you feel about Kevin Johnson or
I'm in love with Devin Vassel. At the same time, it's like,
why would you tank because Murray's like younger on this great contract, still so
good, So how do you go about acquiring this player? Maybe you do
trust your draft, like, oh, we found him and Jeremy Sowen,
or we found him in Brandon, who a lot of people had like really
going off towards the lottery. I'm like less, I'm more of a skeptic
and how his shot making is gonna don't know if anyone could see me using
my hand like, but so, unless you really trust your draft, which
I imagine the Spurs do. Dude, they sort of just like if someone
everyone's like, oh, they need to sell off the Jante Murray. What
if they decide who woa whoa whoa, we have cat base, we have
trade assets, like we're going the other way. I don't know if eight
or Miles Bridges is that guy. I would love to see Miles Bridges on
this team, if only because the Spurs, after being like the bastion of
conventionality for so long, now just have all of a sudden, like these
like wings and forwards like position list Kelton Johnson, Miles Bridges, Devin Vassell
and like that they're running out that as a front court. At one point,
that was my long rambling way of saying, the Spurs' direction feels so
undefined and normally I might crucify teams for that. With them, I'm like,
I just view it as flexibility as valuability. I agree. I do
think there have been some signs recently, like they made a trade, they
made a deadline trade, like you know, I think there are signs that
they're going to operate sort of more conventionally as opposed to the last twenties years.
Where it's kind of we'll just draft and we'll develop, and that's just
kind of how we're gonna do it. I do think they'll wait till Popovich
is gone to like really just become a quote unquote normal team in terms of
how they build. But yeah, Levine is the guy, Like we should
have just mentioned him up front. It just doesn't seem realistic because Chicago can
do the fifth year and just you know, more money and all that stuff.
But I don't know, man, like I would be thinking about not
that there are Lavine types per se, but like if we're talking about restrictive
free agents to sort of like mess around with, Like I think Anthony Simon's
actually shares a lot of similarities too. Like younger Levine. You know,
you have the defensive questions, you have this like oh shit, this guy
is lights out shooter all of a sudden. I mean that's you know,
probably disrespectful, but like great, great shoot, a great athlete, like
kind of similar And you would use Murray to guard whoever you don't want Simon's
to guard, And that's just kind of how it would work there. So
yeah, super flexible. I think I just I'm not trading Murray just at
all like that, that all that noise needs to see take even though I
think they what was it framed as that Drew Holiday type offer? It depends
on the team that's making that offer, because if it's a team like the
Bucks who can't make that offer but are projected to be that good, that
doesn't do it for me. If I'm san Antonio like it. It needs
to be like bold Over type deal to where if it was the Hawks that
went that, or if it's the Knicks, where you know what, we're
gonna Yeah, we'll bet against your next three to four first round picks.
That's at that we're willing to make here. I need a minimum of like
three shots at getting someone who might be as good as Murray, because chances
are you're not going to hit on any of those. But I need I
need a minimum of that, Like so they got to be high value assets.
I am I'm not mad or even disappointed. Maybe I'm a little proud
of you, or I'm this isn't creative. I might take for this section
was I would go and I don't know if it's taking max money, I
would pay Anthony Simons to see what the Blazers do because I know they have
brandom. I love Josh Primo, I like Trey Jones. You already know
how I feel about Devasel. But you can make it work, and I
don't know that Trey Jones and Josh Primo and Malachi Brenham like you could have
some of those guys, you could, you could keep them there and it's
fine. There's no one aside from Devin Vassel and he can play up like
he doesn't need to be your two Simon's and Murray works in the back court
and I like that better than I think you could argued that Eton or Bridges
is just as good of a fit. But like Jaka Peartle is fine.
You have Keldon Johnson who he's extension knowledgeable as well. I would go the
shot creation route and that you're not getting that as much of it and Miles
Bridges or or eighton And I'd be curious if you know, I know the
Blazers seemed prepared to pay Simons, but if we haven't really talked about we
think his extension or rather next contract ends up being like is he if you
gave him twenty five million? Like is that something that the Blazers wouldn't hesitate
to match, and you know if it's like I don't. He's the one
where it's like, okay, if the Sun's let eight and walk and get
nothing in return, it's gonna be max money. Simon's is tougher because I
feel like his sample size of impact is just a little bit more finite to
this point, like if I'm the Spurs, I don't know, man like
I would do it. This is probably why I'm not in charge of an
NBA team. I mean, do it with some pretty reckless things with the
offer sheets. Well, no, I agree. I two things. One
is I think Simons seems like it's faded company that the Blazers will keep him
at a number that's like kind of scary and that fits sucks, that fits
terrible. It's like him and Lillard are not a good fit. It's McCollum
and Lillard with more question marks. I really think what they've done is they've
gotten younger and then I think there's now more defense on the perimeter around them
with Josh Hart Jeremy Grant. Sure, but the San Antonio fit is great.
So like whatever the number is for it to be a like a palatable
signing for the Blazers, that number should be higher for the Spurs. So
just a round about way of saying, like, the Spurs should probably be
willing to offer more because it makes more sense and all the flexibility and optionality
you talked about, all these young guys, all the all their pick equity.
If it's apparent after a year or two that the Simons thing like Simons
turns out always its Stat's bad team guy, we're overpaying for that, like
garbage stretch run on a Blazer's team that was trying to lose. You still
have all these other pieces to throw in to move him. Do you always
have to be thinking like how difficult will it be to get off this?
I don't think it'll be very hard if they if they need to, if
it goes totally totally wrong. So Simon should be like that. To your
point, the Spurs should get reckless because you need to know, you need
to push the Blazers to a decision which they'll make and the worst case,
you've just tied up the Blazers. Yeah, forgot. I was afraid to
say it, but I'm like, you know, his max is thirty point
five. I might just do it. The Blazers don't seem like they're not
gonna match anyway, then maybe you're a little bit worried. But like you
have Dejanta Murray below market for the next two years, exactly their flexibility there.
Yeah, the last two phases of this part for the Spurs, do
you think Kelton Johnson gets an extension. I think he's a clutch guy,
so no. I think I think he's gonna wait and see if he can
get nine figures in restrictive free agency or whatever whatever his max would be.
Yeah, I don't see him extending like I would try again. I would
try because I mean he shot he was the best corner three point shooter in
the league last year. The way he went from like it felt, I
think nikaias Duncan used to call him basically like a bowl in a China shop,
and I called him like a bowling ball with legs. When you look
at the way he played last year to where he felt more plug in play
on offense, that makes him infinitely more valuable because it's like he doesn't need
to have the ball in his hands. It isn't just this straight line guy.
I would look at extending him because I get what you're saying, but
I kind of feel like, I don't know in the fifteen to eighteen range,
like you're turning that down. If you're him, I think he would
I would, I would offer it if I'm the Spurs, for sure,
because like you, I think I think there's still like a lot of like
for as physical and strong as he isn't as hard as he drives the ball,
he still doesn't get to the line like nearly enough for his style of
play. And so I think if you add that and the three point shooting,
like forget improved, just sustains or it goes, it gets a little
worse, like suddenly he's just like an efficiency monster and at the position you
want like that, it's just yeah, so he might be worth you know,
twenty twenty five million a year down the line at some point. It's
just I don't I wouldn't rule that out yet. I think on that track,
I wonder if you price that into why you wouldn't go and make an
offer sheet to eight and or first of if you're gonna make an offer sheet
to Bridges, the Bridges Kelvin Johnson fit and you end up paying both of
those guys brings your center at that point, but I wonder if that proves
prohibited for the Spurs. I'm all in on Simon's with them. This is
who is most likely on this team to get an extension. I don't know
why I left Kelvin Johnson off the initial list. Maybe I was tired when
I was writing this. But between Murray, Peardle and I think it's Kelvin
Johnson are like the only the real I know, Trey Jones, Romeo Langford,
Who cares? Who do you think it is most likely to side an
extension out of those three? I just go Purdle, even though I said
I downplayed it, just because I think Murray has way too much too loosely.
He leaves a lot of money on the table, and I think Johnson
probably does too if he extends now based on just the raizors, isn't big
enough right now based off what we outline, whether it's another big maybe some
more established wing defenders, or just high volume shooting, whether that's off the
dribble or even to catch at this point any free agents that you particularly like
for them. Yeah, I think shooting Murray makes it kind of easy because
you can sort of throw more limited guys in there. I think he might
see him bring back someone like Brent Forbes, just like, let's just get
the guy next to Murray that Murray can cover for, and then he's going
to space the floor. You know, Gary Harris is someone else, I
think Malik Monk. It just they have a lot of options. I don't
know, you know, I don't know how much of their cap space they
want to use, because like they're another team that if we get part way
through the year and nobody has space and the first kind of hang onto some
of it, maybe that's your Tobias Harris dump. Maybe that's you know,
whatever else, whatever else you want to do. So, I mean,
they could fit any kind of shooting backcourt player. I'd love to see a
center with some stretch. That'd be cool. But Crouche Cluchet for sure jumps
in there. But yeah, it's gonna be a fun Obamba team too,
for sure. I think I think you have a lot of options. I
do think one consideration to just kind of keep in the back of back of
mind is that not using all this space might not be the worst thing,
because I think most other teams probably will use the few that have it may
end up and they have like if they keep some of it, they have
a walking trade exception who was good for them And Josh Richardson, I think
it's will come underrated at this point. I think my favorite free agent target
for them, and it's sort of a hedge against what happens with Peartle,
would be Isaiah Harten sign here. This feels like a place where he could
really thrive. I don't know I would pay like they could output other teams
not getting into a bidding war for him. But you're even in a scenario
where if Peartle was going to sign an extension and you could get heart and
sign, you end up paying twenty three to twenty five million a year for
both those guys. Like that's a quality center rotation there, which is why
I'm not as thrilled about the eight and fit for them. And it would
probably happen unless the Suns just suck if they like it would happen to be
a sign and trade, and it's what are you giving up? It'd probably
be pertile and Richardson to start. Is there anything else in there is aton
make you a lot better than those two? I guess we have to see
more of him independent of the Sun's ecosystem, where he was used as more
of an accessory than anything, and that might be I don't mean to insult
him, like he was just more a complimentary offensive player than than a prominent
like hub right. I like Nick Klaxson if you want to mess around with
more restricted free agents, I think because you know, the Nets probably have
a fairly low ceiling on where they're willing to go it depending on who knows
something. Kevin Durand and Kerry Irving are gone reporting this as a report.
New report came out the Nets are willing to get rid of both Kevin Durant
and Kyrie Irving. Just this is not really the Spurs at all, But
could we just pure comedy, like you grow backbone now after turning over your
franchise them in twenty nineteen, letting them run the coach out of town,
letting him hire the next coach, signing DeAndre Jordan for them having to undo
that move, training for James Harden for that everyone do that move, telling
Kyrie he can't play, but then letting him be a part time player,
Like this is no time to pretend that you're not just the jellyfish of the
NBA. Right now, you chose superstars over culture, That's fine, stick
with it, like this is not the time as to put I'm sorry,
it's just I don't think the Spurs are They could get infinitely better with either
one of those guys. If Kevin Ritt says I want to play in San
Antonio, I would absolutely think about it. But they don't feel like a
team that would touch this situation even tangentially with a ninety thousand foot poll.
No, it's like, well, what's the Gregg Popovitch is number one?
Like quality He's wants in a player as guys that have gotten over themselves.
We're gonna add Kyrie Irving to this mix. He didn't put the Spurs on
his list, right He was on Kyrie's list when he was with the Calves,
I think maybe even the Celtics, but he wasn't on the list now.
So I want to drink. I want to dig up and all I
have just as many cold takes as hot ones. I want to dig up
the tweet I out of, Like when Kyrie was talking about, you know,
we're going to be a collective head coaching me and Steve and everybody else.
And I think I said, this is going to end badly, and
it wasn't that long ago for it to be super smart. But it's it's
your spot on the So any other targets on the Spurs, I thought,
if they wanted to get creative, well that's not creative, but experiment with
some of the lower tier guys. Cody Martin. Caleb Martin here, I'm
your coffee here. I think I probably prefer the Martin Twins. This might
be the first time where I don't think of me your coffee is the perfect
fit because the Spurs have like all these ones, twos and threes running around,
and I don't think you can move coffee around as much positionally as either
of the Martin twins. But either of those three guys, if you wanted
to try it there on the we'll say young ish. And I think Coffee
is the youngest of those three at twenty five, and the Martin twins are
are twenty six. They could also be a team. Like you know,
if let's say you're punting on your cap space in a sense, we're not
planning on using it like instead of a Miles bridges like they could go out
and sign Auto Porter from the Golden State Warriors if they were looking for a
stop gap or a human trade exception. That's the other thing I could see
them do, because they're operating like more of a normal organization, is do
they go out and sign players with sort of the intention of this is we're
staying competitive anyway for at least this year with pop. But if we want
to move them into deadline to get more stuff or as part of a step
ladder to a bigger trade, we absolutely can. Yeah. Definitely those kind
of guys where you just kind of flex and say, we'll just trade this
guy to a contender down the line at some point, like put them in
the mix. For any of those guys, I think. I think Warren
would make sense as a risk in that regard because maybe he looks great and
then you flip him. We haven't even talked about Kyle Anderson coming back home.
I feel like it just would be his first thing to do, and
if he starts to shoot it a little better, then he's another guy you
could flip or he just kind of he would have to shoot it well to
make sense. With Murray, I think, but he's not someone you're necessarily
like building into your core. On the other end of the studroom here,
what's up Jalen Smith? Here? Sure if Jalan Smith everywhere the Official podcast
of Jalen Smith. The thing they do, I guess, have to consider
with the front line is what do they view Zach Collins, who actually had
some nice moments for them this year, but still feels like more of a
flyer, stab in the dark type of player to their future than someone who's,
Okay, we're not going to spend or we're not going to bring in
another person who plays the four or five because we were disinvested in Zach Collins,
I mean, and they're not that invested. Is the thing, because
like I think that it's totally worth just seeing, because what is it like
seven point three this year partially or I don't even know what the guarantee level
is in twenty three, twenty four or seven point seven. It might be
totally non guaranteed. I believe it is until let me double check right now
on my salary sheets for them, he is guarantees six twenty eight. One
day after the draft in twenty twenty three, he's seven points a million dollars.
Sound no risk basically in expiring if it goes sideways and was like,
what were we talking about? Like, let's add a little bit of stretching,
a little bit of like athleticism to the front line. He's totally worth
seeing how that works. I say this probably about too many teams, but
the Spurs all season is gonna be fascinating because even if they don't do anything
major, I just feel like there's like I have an energy about them now
again, I I like the Jeremy Sowan pick, I'd really like the flyer
on Malachi Brandam, and I don't know enough about Blake Wesley. Aside from
like the Spurs, I'm now taking flyers on all these sort of like guard
types to where it could work out between Primo and Trede Jones. I am
in love with Josh Primo. There's like a a wiggle, like a water
wiggly element to his game, and I just really enjoy there'll be a team
to watch. Do you have any final thoughts on them? Before we scaedaddle
from this look ahead that went over by quite a bit, just just to
that point that they got a lot of bites at the Apple at important positions
at like the playmaking guard spot and the wing spots, and so they have
a lot of shot. I think that, which at the same time sets
them up as a pretty good consultant, not that the Spurs ever do this,
but as a consolidation trade team where it's like, we got these two
or three, you know, prospects that we got enough of, so we're
willing to move them and combine some salary, and that would include Petole potentially
to get the numbers higher. Throw a pick in there, and then you
know, if someone shakes loose and it makes sense like they could. They're
a little like Memphis that way, where they can they can just kind of
put together better offers than most teams. So if if if they don't hit
on all these guys, which they won't, they may hit on enough to
have some leftovers to move on. Yeah, I would watch out for them.
If there's like the next star that we don't see coming becomes available,
I would just watch out for them. The other thing I would say,
and I almost didn't mention this, but like, if Charlotte is that concerned
and they tried to spin it like they need to trade him to afford Miles
Bridges, you can almost just offload Gordon Hayward to San Antonio, who isn't
a good value but makes you better, doesn't up end I think any of
your development. Is there enough of a sweetener or sweeteners to consider that,
or maybe it's you know, Josh Richardson for You're you're cutting some You're not
giving up. You're not just taking on thirty million dollars with Gordon Hayward this
year, you're taking on fifteen or sixteen or something like that. I could
see the Spurs doing something like that with a team that's worried about its finances
or trying to open up space. The Hornets don't need to do either,
but they're concerned about the luxury tax. You build that around Peardle, you
know. I think you build that around Peardle and like Doug McDermott, and
if you want to use Richardson to really match, then great. But I
think there's there's totally ways to do that. And I bet you I'm assuming
even though the Hornets have Mark Williams and Kai Jones, they'd still be interesting.
Oh yeah, no, those guys aren't going to help this year.
Mark Williams might well, but if Steve Clifford is gonna coach that team.
Don't you want like you're you're just ace defensive big in there because hes teen
to play defense. And it's just like, well, my whole thing is
like, if you're giving up Yako Peardle in that deal, maybe you view
Doug McDermott as sort of a net negative for you, but like Yako Peardle's
positive value for sure. Yeah, you need to be getting something. You
can need a lot of sweeteners from from Charlotte. I would consider something like
they could do anything in love with the Spurs. Grant, this was great.
Are you able to tell us as always where our listeners can find you
and all the great work? And I look, I say I mentioned this
in the discord. Grant is going to be on here basically the co host
of this podcast now like this is becoming a collective podcast. We're excited that
he's going to be back frequently. Can you tell them where they can find
you and all your great work, which the handles of which will be in
the podcast description moving forward as well to where I won't have to say this
anymore. You can find me a writing for Bleacher Report on Twitter gt Ndersport
hues and back here more often than in the past, so that's a cool
thing. I'm looking forward to doing plenty of leaks. Yes, we have
two more left as of right now, so we'll talk to you soon. AG