What is krack Lack and fellow Dermo nuclear a efforts. I am Dan Valley
coming at you with my certified than tabulous co host Grant Hughes. Part two
of our mail Bag It's back. It's been a couple of weeks it was
on hiatus, but the mail Bag is back. We have a bunch of
other fantastic questions to get through before we get started. The user reminder to
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Grant, before we kind of ball into this mail bag the one question that
we know for sure everyone wants to know the answer too, because we talked
about at the top of the last mailbag, how are you doing? As
was the case last time, I'm doing great. I feel like the mail
bags they give us, they give us and they give me strength, you
know, they give us lighter lifts. We don't have to come up with
topics, which is always nice. So I'm in a good I'm in a
good place. How are you? Dan? I never responded by asking how
you are, and that's really bad form by me, so I'm gonna start
doing that. I'm elated that you care even the slightest bit about my well
being. That's what I'm feeling. It only took me like fifty pods to
ask you how you are doing? So pretty good. Let's let's belly flop.
Let's not even die, let's belly flop into this mail bag. So
the first question we'll start off with is for you. He Blue one one
seven asked what percent chance would you give this current net squad to make it
as far or farther than the best KD nets team, which was the second
round of the playoffs. Also, what is McHale's mcal bridges ceiling on offense.
Can he be the number one guy and a contending team? These two
questions are inextricably linked, right because once he is the number one option.
No, so the first one. I mean, if we're just talking about
this year, which I it's the current NETS squad, I guess, and
like going forward, it'll probably change a lot so to get into the second
round, Like what are we talking? I mean twenty percent, I mean
it seems pretty high even there because if you if you look at the Nets
now, they're the fifth seed. I guess they have a decent chance of
holding onto that they're going to get Cleveland in the first round as a road
team. I like Cleveland a lot more on that series. I don't really
see another matchup that's super favorable, like if they're way too far from three
to maybe draw the heat or the NI and the three six So real though,
but that's kind of not the point that you train Kevin Durant, you're
not expecting to make it as far as you did when you had Kevin Durant.
So that's that. Do you disagree? Like, is there is twenty
percent too high? I just don't. I don't see the pathway for the
for the Nets to win a playoff series. No, I don't see it
this season. I mean they would have to just everyone catches fire or mcgl
Bridges would have to be it's just authentic number one opt and continue to hit
all these off the dribble dribble jumpers. But even then it's just I guess
between him and Cam Thomas and Spencer Dimiti, do you have enough playoff from
scratch creation to beat you know, let's just say, whether it's the Heat
or the Calves or someone else, like they could there are only three losses
ahead of the Knicks, right, I was like, they could drop out
of top six territory. Yeah, which I feel bad saying there's almost no
realistic chance because I like, I think we both like the Nets. I
think we like you know, how many good players are on the roster.
It's just not a team that's like, you know, they didn't want to
be in this position. This was not the plan. They just got what
they could get when they could get it, and they're gonna make do for
the rest of the year. So but to get to Bridges, because that's
kind of the more I don't know, certainly will be the more interesting angle
for them the rest of the year than you know, what their playoff seat
is, in my opinion. So you got to kind of start with the
fact that Bridges had already really expanded his game with the Suns prior to coming
to Brooklyn, and it had been kind of gradual, like I know,
you and I had talked, you know, several times about oh my god,
he's got like a two dribble pull up now, and that that wasn't
there before. That was a couple of years ago, and now it's you
know, just to get the numbers out there, he's running about two point
three plays as the pick and roll ball handler per game. Last year that
was point six, you know, So he's just his volume as like a
guy who is tasked with making a decision with the basketball, is you know,
much much higher. You can look at like percentage of his field goals
that have been assisted fifty nine point eight percent this year. That's by far
the lowest of his career and in Brooklyn, tiny sample, but only one
out of three of his field has been assistant. So he's generating offense by
himself to a much you know, much larger extent than ever before. But
he's twenty six. His efficiency in terms of true shooting percentage is way down
this year relative it's still fine, it's fifty seven percent, but he was
a guy that was, you know, sixty two, sixty six, sixty
the three years prior to this one. So if you're looking for let's add
more volume to a guy that's averaging seventeen a game, I don't think there
are a lot of signs that you could do that without losing even more efficiency.
I think it's impressive that he can do what he's done. He's that
he has leveled up the way he has, But given his age, given
the sort of cost that we're seeing in terms of efficiency that goes with him
doing more with the ball, I think there's probably not a lot of There's
not a ton of room for him to expand. I think he'll get better
because he's gotten better, And that's always a safe bet for someone that you
know, if they have improved some you you know, it's reasonable to say
they work hard enough where they understand the areas that need to be addressed in
order to improve more. But number one option on a good team like just
that's just not. That's just not what he is, and that's not what
I think he's going to be. Would you think that he could be number
two on a good team? Maybe maybe I think, But so just to
if if these were his numbers, you know, we're seventeen point two per
game, fifty seven just you know, slightly above average true shooting on like
twenty three percent usage. I think twenty four percent usage. That's probably not
quite good enough, right I think you need you'd need him to be up
over twenty points fifty eight fifty nine true shooting for that's to be a number
two on like a on a really good team. I think that that feels
like the bar to me, and maybe he gets there, but I'm not
super optimistic. He has a ton more than he's shown so far. I
would agree with you, But I also wonder if we're encumbered by the context
of his role in x TO where, yes, we saw him branch out,
especially during the Devin Booker groin injury, but now there's just no like
pecking order in Brooklyn at the moment, And so is this a case of
if you put him and it's like think of Julius Randall going to New York
is that you thrust him into this situation. Even then Julius Randall probably show
him more on ball versatility maybe then bridges to that point. But I'm just
saying, like, this is the role he's never been in the Nets.
Are this different infrastructure and everything might start funneling through him, if not this
season, then potentially next season looking at what they might do with their roster.
And I wonder if we're or at least myself, I'm constrained by not
being able to imagine him branching out even further, just because we haven't seen
it, Like he's never just run a team like he's run sets, and
so they decide to make him We're gonna have him run a team. Are
we looking at someone who's just like, offensively the next Chris Middleton or something
for some reason, like on the ball? I don't I don't know.
I would guess no, but I think it's he's at least shown enough to
where if I were the Nets, I would plumb the hell out of his
on ball depth. Yeah, I think for sure that is that should be
I mean, maybe priority one right the rest of the way, just because
you don't really have a reason not to, and you sort of know what
Spencer Dinwiddie can do. You have a rough idea of most of the other
guys on I mean, maybe Cam Johnson even as someone you should probably kind
of stretch and push to see. You know, One, are we going
to pay this guy wout a cost and free agency to keep him? But
two? Does he does he have it? Yeah? Yeah, it feels
like I'm being negative about Bridges. He's, like, I think both for
both of us. He's one of our favorite, like non superstar players in
the league. So I just it's a big ask to be a number one
option or even a number two really, and he's so good at so many
other things that make him fit everywhere that it's like we're really we need him
to do this too. I mean, that's what's tough is that they just
decide to trade him for four first round picks this off season. I don't
think that they should, just because there's not really an incentive for them to
bottom out, but that's he could end up in a completely different situation before
the start next year. Yeah, I agree, Okay, let's off Bridges.
This is for you. This is from Rhet Bauer. It's kind of
a two parter here, So real quick, how are you? How are
you feeling about our disagreement like a year ago regarding me taking Orlando's future over
New Orleans ten out of ten times? Are you still in Team New Orleans?
Are you like Orlando's future better? Now? I'm still Team New Orleans.
I just you have Zion Williamson, and we don't know if Paalo Bank
Carol or friends of out and wherever they draft with this pick is ever going
to reach what we know can be Zion's top end outcome. And you still
just have safety valves floating around and Trey Murphy and Deyson Daniels, all these
inbound Lakers picks, plus the established talent of Brandon Ingram of CJ. McCollum,
So there are just more avenues I think for them to get to a
sustainable level of title contention. If you pick Orlando at this point, I
think you just have to firmly believe Zion injuries are always going to be an
issue and always gonna repress New Orleans the ceiling, which I think is a
fair belief. But to pick New Orleans ten times out of ten times in
a head to head rebuild matchup versus Orlando, I'm not there. Yeah,
and I'm very high on Orlando's rebuild. You should probably do an episode where
we rank like the futures of every team. But would you take Orlando over
New Orleans at this point out of ten times? No? Probably not.
I mean, I think Orlando is the risk averse person's pick because I think
probably Orlando's median outcome over the next five years, you know, if you
simulated it a thousand times might be higher than New Orleans just because the downside
is is like substantial as Zion just never as healthy. Then then you're a
nice team with all these you know, young players and assets in Brandon Ingram,
but you're not, you know, you're You're just pricing in that downside,
I guess is what I'm saying. Scares me. The other thing,
though, too, is like I think Orlando's pretty close after this year to
kind of not having as many paths to get better. It's certainly through the
draft because they're gonna start winning more games, whereas New Orleans still has the
Lakers stuff they have, you know, just totally this guy and like Dyson
annual types Dyson Daniels so like Orlando, Yeah, Bank, Caro, Wagner,
Carter, like, those guys are all really good and probably good enough
now to where the draft upside is too low. But you know that who
knows who knows? Right, Like, things can go sideways, and I
just think generally New Orleans ceiling is higher. But I do understand if you're
just like, which team might have the most playoff berths in the next you
know, x years. Orlando's not a crazy pick, but the ten out
of ten times thing is stuff. But so it's also from Rhett, which
team is going to look the most different next year after basically standing pat this
deadline? Some of the examples he gives, and you could add to this
if you want. You know, the Wizards, the Bulls, the Heat,
Pacers, Grizzlies, Pelicans, Kings, Wolves, Hornets, like,
which of those is going to make their changes in the off season if if
you see any of them, you know, doing something substantial. Kind of
a lot of this so tough with some of these teams, I think,
and I'll use the Wolves as an example. I still think a lot of
it just depends on, well, how is this season going to end?
And so like, if it's just a complete Karloley Towns comes back and it's
just a complete no show in the playoffs. As a team, they're gonna
start looking at the nuclear move, which is to shop Karl Anthony Towns.
I don't really know. With like Memphis, I don't They're just not a
nuclear team, so I wouldn't pick them. I don't know why Sacramento would
look drastically different after breaking their playoff streak. I gravitate towards and Charlotte's listen
here. I don't know what they change, like, it's okay, maybe
you let PJ. Washington walk, Like what is it? What are you
doing that's super meaningfully different by blowing up your roster. I'm drawing towards Chicago
or Washington. But that takes a level of trust and those front offices to
really like they're going fucking nowhere. And I don't know if I have that
trust in any of those teams. I think I would just lean towards I
think I'm leaning towards Chicago just because it feels like tomorrow. Rosen, going
into his final year, there was already the zach Lavine stuff. Caruso another
year will have ticked off his deer Nikolavuchevich is a free agent. They're at
a more natural crossroads than a lot of these other teams on the list,
and it would be not more in character, but it just feels like the
combustibility factors they're more for them. So I think I would go with Chicago
here. I will say that dark horse pick might just be Miami if they
suck in the playoffs, and Jimmy Butler also on the agitates for out.
But you have Jimmy Butler, Tyler, Hero Bama, Dabaio and you can
still trade a bunch of first round picks. It just feels like anything they
do will be more of that singular home run swing, which is what I
feel like Sacramento or even New Orleans, if they're going to change anything,
maybe even Memphish you throw in there, that's what they'll do. Rather than
sort of shaking the foundation of the roster by making multiple moves, they will
go all in on a singular transaction. Yeah, I think I would hope
that the Wizards and Bowls, those are the first two look different. Just
we're of the same mind like it's past time to do it. It maybe
like too late. It's certainly in Washington's case, because they're just gonna pay
maybe Kuzma and Porzingist to stay and then this is just your team forever.
But Miami was gonna be my pick. I mean it's partly partly because like
they have guys that actually play that are going to be free, like Struce
gave Vincent Victor Oldipo has the player option that he could reasonably decline. So
that's three guys that are in the rotation and then some that have started at
times that you know, who knows. But then really the main thing is
Miami, of all these teams, is the one that has shown the willingness
to be like we will make take that home run swing, Like we are
going to have some picks available. We're gonna try to find someone that you
know, gives us another big name, you know, between next two Hero
Butler out of Bio. Miami is just the team that like does stuff when
things aren't going great. The rest of these teams, I think interest I
mean, you don't want to lump Memphis in New Orleans and they're necessarily but
and Sacramento has been prone to doing crazy stuff. But these are a lot
of teams that kind of just are more have historically been okay, kind of
hanging around the middle, so drastic change doesn't really tend to come with that
kind of thing. But yeah, the heat, the heat don't like being
pretty good. It doesn't seem like I think they want more than that.
The next question is I'll give you this one, Jake g one two three.
I've been having this discussion a lot, but we used to be the
worst place for wemb to end up. It feels to me that they have
no direction. They're just throwing darts hoping something hits. I mean, I'd
like to say we've already you know, I'd like to say nice things about
Houston, but it just sort of seems like the like the sort of lawless
outpost of the NBA right now, where it's like, you know, there's
just not enough adults in the room on the roster. The style of play
is just chaos. That they lead the league in turnovers, they just have
all year. It's just their guard play. It's it's a tough spot because
they let really young players like Jalen Green and Kevin Porter make a lot of
the decisions and they're just not good at that yet. So the offense is
kind of a mess Steven Silas. I think I've written you know recently.
I think it's pretty clear he's lost the team and that may or may not
be his fault, but that is kind of an irreversible position to be in.
So yeah, I don't want when ban Yama winding up there, even
though you could make the case that no team needs like an organizing like,
Okay, this is our guy, this is our direction, this is our
identity more than they do. But I just if I'm invested in his future,
I don't want him playing in an offense that doesn't seem to like have
any structure, and playing with guards that are not going to make him better,
and potentially playing who knows who the next coach is going to be.
I think we both assumed Silas will be gone because he'll be a lame duck
next year otherwise, So I think it's pretty clearly the worst place to be.
But are we being like, is it fair that the Spurs are worse
by point differential than the Rockets by a significant margin this year? Is it
fair that we kind of just give the Spurs a pass that you know,
we're leaning on how good and functional, and you know, cutting edge and
whatever they were for twenty years and that's not really been the case the last
several Like is it should do they deserve like a little bit of a nod
as you know, maybe they should be in there too. I don't know,
just because I feel like my biggest criticism is it took them too long
to get where they are now? And are you unhappy with the development of
Kelvin Johnson, Devin Vassell, Malkai Brandam, Jeremy Sellen. No, I'm
just being a devil's advocate. So my pick I'm just wondering is like,
does Charlotte deserve some blowback here or is it just always plays with a mellow
and that would be great? And the other team is just like, why
would you trust Detroit at this point because they're so hell bent I'm playing with
two bigs that it's just weird, and I don't trust the vision of the
roster under Troy Weaver winners. They've just decided that hey, wings don't matter
apparently, which is weird a little bit. And so when Binyama comes in
and could I guess play a multitude of positions, But those are two teams
that I would have I agree with Houston. But I almost wonder if if
Charlotte or Detroit is the actual answer, because Detroit just feels like it's veering
into eighty different unimpressive directions it wants. Yeah, I think my reaction would
be I think Charlotte like actually deserves when Binyama the least just because of the
way, like the position it has put itself in. You know, I
didn't really want to tank. They didn't realize that they weren't that good,
and they have almost like lucked into it with injury and like even the Miles
Bridges stuff, like, honestly, they would be a better team if he
had actually played this year. So and I just feel like Charlotte would be
the most likely team to sort of squander him, although him and Lamel together
would be a lot of fun. But yeah, I think it's Houston.
I just don't. I mean, I don't really have a strong second place
contender there. Do you want to do an Evan Mobley question or distant first
round picks question? Next? Oh? Hit me with the Evan mobile question?
All right, so this is from Muffle. What are your here?
It is what are your thoughts on year two? Evan Mobley took a lot
of heat the first half of the season because it seemed like maybe he didn't
quite make the leap that was expected. I know you and I have talked
about him before on that exact topic. But he's already an elite defensive player.
He's learning to play offense with Mitchell, which is you know, he's
a high usage guy. So basically is where is his developments? He was
it ahead of schedule? Is it where you expected it? What have you
seen from him that you like, didn't like? Want to see more?
Just the Evan Mobile update. Basically, it's a head of schedule in the
sense that I was just not high enough on him coming out of the draft,
but using last year as a baseline, I think it's probably where it
needs to be. But the offense all of a sudden does feel like it's
ahead of schedule. And I'm wondering how much the Donovan Mitchell absence with the
groin injury helped him there. Where we started to see him bringing the ball
up even more after rebounds. He's hit these you know, he's shooting over
his last like twenty games, like forty six percent on fadeaway jumpers. We've
seen him hit some floaters. I like that the shot isn't there yet,
but I like that he's just averaging over a three point attempts per game,
that he's willing to explore that we've seen him make some nice passes in tight
space, not just as like, oh, let's give him the ball at
the elbows, but like he's putting the ball on the floor face ups and
making those passes. I also like that I think he had mentioned this in
an interview, that some players need to be the guy on offense, and
he's not someone who needs to be the guy, and he knows how to
play within a larger ecosystem when you look at the matter in which he moves
off the ball, and like the calves don't always have pristine spacing in the
half court, and he's just still able to navigate that. And it's not
just going in for putbacks. It's like it's coming in from the baseline where
it's navigating around like an action that isn't even involving him, and being able
to get through bodies that way. So I don't know what his apex looks
like on offense, but that's almost encouraging to me at this point because we
don't have to shoebox him in to a play finisher role. Like this is
someone who I think could could, I just want to could have a higher
offensive ceiling than bam Adebaio while still playing with Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell.
And that is just kind of a and if you think about it's like a
blasphemous thing to say, but it's really not when you go back and watch
him. And so I think what will be key is that you want to
see him have more of a consistent jumper if he's gonna take a three point
in ten per again, like you want to see him get closer to league
average there. But for now, it's just like my god, Like this
is just someone who is he still has to me and I wouldn't predict this.
It's just you should bet against the field in this. But like,
this is someone who very much looks like he has a best player in the
league package of skills because of the impact that he can have defensively. Yeah,
I would echo all that. I think. I think like it is
different. He is a weirdly difficult player to evaluate, and I sort of
get it if you're looking from Afar and you're just looking at points, rebounds,
assist you know, fiel Over like it all looks pretty similar to last
year. He's playing a little more. But I think I guess I would
look at it like, yeah, you gotta watch the games. I hate
using that as like a as a cop out, but it just he doesn't
already watch the games. He does just pop off the screen right like he
cut. He's so fast and he moves so well, and he covered This
is all just like scouting mumbo jumbo. It's not it's not there's no numbers.
I mean, probably there are numbers attached to it with like advanced tracking
stuff, but like the way that he covers ground, the way that he
changes direction for a player his size, with his wingspan, it's just like
it's undeniable. And if that doesn't do it for you, just think about,
like how many twenty one year olds are there that their teams say we
must have this guy on the floor at the end of close games because of
defense, like twenty one like that just that's basically unheard of, like rookies.
He's not a rookie, but rookies are basically always bad defensively, and
he was good and now, you know, in his second year, I
think he's better, and I think it just excluding all the some of the
points that Michael Mason is talking about, like, well, if some of
these passes look great, you know, he's just looking more comfortable. All
true, But I just go all the way back to like, he's twenty
one and he's one of the best defensive players in the world today right now,
and that's the thing that always takes forever. Like I just think if
he stays at this level offensively, he's still just an insanely valuable piece that
because he doesn't need the ball all the time, fits on any really good
team. Like there's nothing other than spacing. I guess there's nothing that you
sort of wish, Oh, if he could only do this, he could
have a big role, you know, or he could be this corner He
is a cornerstone piece, and that's while acknowledging some of the stuff that he
doesn't do that well yet. So my take on Evan Mobley's year two development
is that it is right where it needs to be for him to be one
of the best big guys in the league for the next ten years. Basically,
do you want to take us to the first round pick question. Sure,
let's do that. So this is from Kilhaus. I've I've heard arguments
going both ways on this. Do you think teams value very distant picks more
or less? I guess relative to the past, or just in general.
For instance, let's say the Lakers have their first round pick in twenty five,
twenty seven, twenty nine. You can take one of them. Which
one do you want? In a vacuum? You want the later one,
or at least the mid end later one. So if it's between twenty seven
and twenty nine, I argue that twenty seven was more valuable for me because
twenty twenty nine it's so far into the distance that it gives them time to
stubble into a free agent signing or figuring things out. What I think complicates
this is that it depends on the team too. Like if it's the Lakers,
teams just might not value just in first round picks because they'll bet on
them again following ass backwards into an elite player somehow via free agency. These
front offices that are making the trade for picks most of the time do not
have the job security to prioritize that two and twenty twenty seven first round pick
coming back as the meat and potatoes of the deal. Denny Age can do
that in Utah. He is the not even just the job security, but
just the experience and the wherewithal. If Sam Presty wanted to do that,
he could do that. Even look at what happened in Brooklyn though with the
Kyrie Irving trade, like you still got Dorian Finney Smith and Spencer Dinwoody.
There needs to be an immediacy there for a lot of front offices, which
is why I think most would either prefer getting first round picks sooner or getting
players. And I think the key there is you want to get something else
that's attached to the distant first round picks to say this is our immediate return
versus we're playing the longer game here. But hey, I know that ownership
needs to see something that's more instant. And then from a selfish perspective like
I'm probably not gonna be the one that's using this first round pick, whether
it's a trade asset or actually drafting and developing the guy, when you're actually
looking at more value, my guests would be it's the later first round picks
that is very much a guest though, because we're not really at a point
just yet where we've seen you look at all these distant first round picks that
have been thrown around in recent years, they just haven't started conveying yet.
There's like Brooklyn's gonna be an interesting example with Houston because that wasn't really too
distant, like their first round picks top four protection not no, if that's
Houston's to uh okay see, but you're looking at like Brooklyn's picks going to
the Rockets over the next three years basically, so like that is even a
unique circumstance. So I do think in my mind it's, yeah, well,
you get those first round picks because maybe the team is bad by then
there's no guarantee they're bad, and you're you're still playing two craft shoots,
which is that team is gonna be bad by two twenty seven or two twenty
nine, and then we're gonna hit on the draft while they're bad. Yeah,
I think as the Clippers put even more like, as those later picks
start to convey, even as I don't even know what the Rockets are,
like, theirs are going to start to convey with top four protection, Okay,
see, but as we see more of the like the Cleveland picks going
to Utah, the Minnesota picks going to Utah, we'll have a better idea
of what's actually more valuable. As of right now, though, like the
two have been so inextricably linked. When you're looking at these deals and saying,
you're not just getting a distant first round pick, you've got other stuff.
It's immediate in most of these cases, it's immediate picks, it's immediate
players. But I do think if you broke it down too, let's even
go to the Danny Age route with Cleveland and Minnesota in the Utah negotiations,
I do think that they would have prioritized, Like, let's frame it this
way. I think Utah would have preferred Jaden McDaniels over distant first round picks.
I think they definitely did. Yeah, and so Minnesota didn't. So
I do think that teams value the immediate equity more where even if even if
you think that first round pick is gonna be crappy, at least it's something
that you someone you could bring in, or trade chip you can trade because
another team will be interested in, or when it's an actual younger player who's
still unknown but more of a known quantity than draft pick that's gonna a draft
pick that's gonna convey almost a decade from now. I think when push comes
to shove, teams value that more. I will say, though, logistically
it feels like the distant first round picks should be the more valuable assets.
Yeah, it's it's interesting. It's like, well you made me think.
First of all, it is clear that the young player on a rookie scale
deal that's already pretty good and is projectable is clearly more valuable than a first
round pick, a distant one, because like there's I mean, and it
makes sense logically right, It's like you can sell this is a human like,
hey, fan base, this is a guy that you can follow and
like, invest in and like and root for, and he's pretty good and
we think he's gonna get better. That's way easier of a just from a
like marketing standpoint than we have Team x's twenty twenty nine first round pick.
Like most fans, I think the vast majority of fans like, don't that's
like a twenty twenty nine first round pick who cares like I'm gonna watch six
more seasons of this team before I can get excited about that. But the
other thing is we didn't really have to contend with the value of distant first
rounders nearly as often as we do now because this just this whole trading your
entire draft is kind of new. I mean, you know, you can
go back to like the original Celtics Nets trade with you know, Darren Williams
and Kevin Garnett and and everybody there, But like, I wasn't there any
Paul Pierce Kevin Garnett that that deal. But before that, it wasn't like
a thing to trade your entire draft, or at least I don't remember it
being so common. So I think the short answer is, like teams are
still kind of trying to figure out what these distant first rounders are worth.
I think it varies. It's it's specific to each situation. Like and usually
if you're getting back at twenty twenty nine, first, it's coming with a
bunch of other stuff, and it's because you're giving up a Superstar, so
you have a rough idea of how you might want a time the picks you're
getting back, because you know when the Superstars contract is up and you know,
you're in a position to sort of make an informed decision on do we
want twenty five or twenty seven or twenty nine or whatever. But ultimately I
think we don't know we like I think it depends on the team, and
I think it depends on how much of a change we're going to see,
like starting at this most recent deadline, because the value of firsts even in
February seemed to be different than it was in June and July, which is
kind of a wild thing. So it's very much like up in the air
right now. Let's move on to this question from Brian C. Maybe not
a mail bad question, but what team? What's that beg to differ?
Yes, it is what teams should do, what the Nets or Jazz have
done this past offseason. Nice to hear what players they should trade in ballpark,
what they receive, not specific, but as cat worthy, unprotected first
and m kail level player. Then run down what the team would look like.
I think the teams need to trade everything besides Edwards, apologize for destroying
the team with the Rudy trade and beg him for one more chance. Also
think Hawks, Bowls and Raptors need to consider before it's too eight. Yeah,
so there's a lot there. I think just as a starting point,
we've hit on this already, which teams should do what the Nets or Jazz
have done, which is I mean this kind of different situations because the Jazz
got out in front of it and the Nets kind of reacted. But the
idea of kind of stripping it down Chicago, obviously, I think we agree
it's like a little too late they should have this. This is a rebuild
that should have started a couple of years ago. Washington's in that group.
I'm kind of tempted to say Portland just because they're hovering around five hundred again,
and you know, Jeremy Grant I think is probably gonna resign, but
maybe not. And then if he doesn't like what, you know, where
are you? And is it a problem that he seems to matter that much
even though he hasn't really he's played well, but it hasn't, you know,
moved the needle a ton for Portland. They're they're not a contender,
so I might want to throw them in there, and they may just be
put to that decision anyway, if I mean Lillard ever relents and says like
I'd like to try another flavor at some point before my career is over.
But yeah, so those are my teams. I don't know if before we
move on, if you have anybody to add to that group that it's just
sort of like it's time to change it up, basically, is what the
question seems to be asking get a bunch of picks if you can. The
Bulls and Wizards would be mine, and I think that you're probably more equipped
to do so as the Bulls just because you have Kyle Kuzma and Christos Perzinkis
are both free agents this year in Washington, and so I guess you could
orchestrate sign and trades for them. That's how you recoup some of your value.
But you would give value for Rosen on an expiring contract. I think
you would get two first round picks for Zach Lavine. What would you get
for Alex Caruso. That's probably another first round pick right there. So I
think they would be the Timberwolves or the Timberwolves in the Hawks though, seem
like the only teams that have the player who could fall into this discussion then
have the player that could command like that type of massive returm because we're looking
at Trey Young, which I just if I'm the Hawks, I wouldn't blow
it up just yet. There's like definite flaws there, but it doesn't seem
to be as bad as reports led us to believe. Initially, if he
requests for out, that's when you move him. But if he's not requesting
for out, I'm not moving him. That's the stance we always took.
But for Minnesota specifically, they have the cat level player, and I do
take not to steal the second part of the question for you, but I
do think he would probably get you three unprotected. First, I don't know,
I'm a cat level players, like a top fifty player in the NBA.
I guess the Jazz they get Larry marketing for Rudy Gobert, but that
was more and Walker Kessler. But I don't know. It's I do it?
What's so over under on picks? So that's the question. So that's
cat is so interesting because my first thought was, like, it seems like
he should get you two or three first, right, I think, But
but I think we'd agree that he's not at the peak of his value right
now, like far from it. And it's not just because of the contract,
which is just massive, five years and two hundred and fifty four million
dollars remaining. Like that's huge, but I mean he's young enough to where
that should be fine in theory. But like, you know, it's tough
to judge this season because he's been hurt for so much of it. But
you know, it didn't go great early with Gobert and like he's got these
playoff no shows and the fact that they even felt they had to give all
this up for Gobert because the towns cannot anchor a defense at center, which
is a huge problem. I don't know. I think three first would be
the top, like you could if it were two and like and say just
let's just say Bridges. He's not on the table. But as a hypothetical,
if you told me right now, if I'm the Wolves, that I
could trade Cat for Bridges, obviously the money doesn't work, there's all these
other things, and two unprotected first, I think I might do it,
just because I'm not sure that as we continue. Like also, the alternative
is maybe once he's back and healthy and Conley's running the show, everything looks
better in Minnesota and he is back closer to peak of his value, but
like the inability to anchor a defense as center is such a huge deal to
me, and the playoff stuff, and so yeah, I don't know.
If it's three and a player like Bridges, that would be phenomenal, But
I don't know if that's totally realistic. Just just the town's town stock is
not at its all time high right now. I'll just put it that way,
So you would bet against Let's frame it as three picks plus a very
impactful player, not because the Jazz got an All star three compare trade,
which is just bonkers to reflect upon, but you think three picks and a
player like a really like value. Look at that and said, oh,
other teams really wanted that player like we did with mcal Bridges or even doring
Finny Smith. I mean, if it's someone on Finny Smith's level, then
it's got to be three picks if I'm Minnesota like, because he's just not
the same as Bridges. But but I mean that's I mean, how many
teams out there are saying we're we're gonna make town Because if you're giving up
that many picks and a good player, you're basically saying towns is a foundational
piece, like he's if not the guy, he's you know one A because
we're gonna pay him, like you know, option one. So I don't
know how many teams that are out there that are like, we're gonna give
all that up for him. I'm just trying to It only takes one,
that's the thing we always say. But still, would you do Tiler Hero
and picks for Carl Anthony Towns if you're Miami? If I'm well, I
mean, is Town's gonna survive in Miami? Jimmy Butlers don't, Wow,
I forgot, I'm gonna work. But that's a pro Like it's such a
that's like a whispered thing in Oh, towns is soft or whatever people seem
to think. But like, I don't know, you don't they don't say
that about everybody. I think it's a real like it's a data point that
like some guys whose competitiveness we respect are out on towns as like as competitors.
That that is like a thing I would consider. So answer your question,
I think if I'm the heat and Butler signed off on it, I
probably would do that just because you know, Hero is a really good man.
I think and maybe a decent starter Towns, I guess the upside and
the way I mean, maybe he works with Autobio too, by the way,
maybe Autobio I think that pairing works, by the way, which is
why I suggested. But it's as you were talking about it. What's interesting
is that I don't see the team anymore that would even just be dying too
this. Conley Towns a very good basketball player. I want to make that
clear. Yeah, he's one of He's a generational offensive talent. But it's
like, would the Knicks even do the like are they gonna look at it
say like, we're good with Mitchell Robinson and Julius Randall at this point in
the front court. I'm not saying they should, but would they look at
it and think that way because they were the team that's like, oh they'll
give up everything. They didn't do it for Donovan Mitchell, are they gonna
do it for Carlo Anthony Towns. Well, it's a weird thing that,
like just to talk about Mobiley for example, like if you have Evan Mobley
in contrast on your team, you're not really having to like, well,
okay, now we need this here and we need this position to be able
to do this, to accommodate for what Mobile can't do. That's not really
a thing. But with Towns, we saw the Wolves exemplified it. Oh,
we gotta worry about this. We have we need interior defense. We
you know, we need certain things. And it's like, if you're a
Supermax guy, there really shouldn't be a situation where the team that gets you
is then having to make subsequent moves and altering its style or whatever to accommodate
you for like for negative reasons. Like I get it if you, you
know, need to do other stuff for other superstars, but like that's just
kind of a weird He's a weird like trade value guy to pay surprisingly because
Minnesota obviously thought he was worth just like no questions asked full Max. The
moral history was though. I think the Bulls are the team that's most likely
to just strip it down and start a new next I think that's my guess,
hopefully, hopefully. All Right, I gotta get us to Darkwing Duck.
I generally don't like to post mode by questions about my favorite team,
but we have a Jazz question. So basically, now that Conley's gone,
the longest in your jazz player is Jordan Clarkson, and then after that it's
a Dooca Zubookie and you're forgiven if you're not sure who he is. So
basically the question is who do you think will be the longest tenured jazz man
to start next season the current list? So clark sends three and a half
years, Azubuki three, Rudy Gay two, and then we're into the Leandro
Bolmarrow's Kessler, like who's so, what do you say here? Who's gonna
be the like the standard bearer of the jazz franchise in terms of longevity next
year. I think it's gonna be Clarkson. I think that they's there.
You're thinking he's gonna be there. I think that they will resign him.
It's not him, it's gonna be Kessler, Like they're just just everybody.
I guess I'm betting on Technic Bowl Armo still be there. So I'm just
gonna go it's not really a limb. I think that if you weren't,
if you're gonna let him walk in free agency, you should have traded him.
Maybe they're signing trade scenarios. I'm not thinking about at the moment,
but the fact that they didn't move him now leads me to believe that he
will be there next season. Yeah, I think I agree with that.
It's an interesting question. I mean, I'd be curious how many other teams
have a situation like that where the longest and your guy is just you know,
it feels like he was traded there, like not that long ago.
But yeah, it's probably Clarkson. I do think it was not him.
Who would be your pick? I don't know. Can they get rid of
Rudy Guay? Like, is he gonna just be? I just feel I
could see them like stretching and waving him or something from that points it's the
final year or it's an expiring contract they move. I feel like my pick
might just be because who's tripping over themselves? You could but as Utah,
you don't need to grease the wheels of this deal. But who And first
of all, uh, like, is it even gonna be? It wouldn't
be as a bookie because he's coming off the books after this year, so
you're not you're not bringing him back, right? And I guess even Palermo's
expiring, isn't he Unless I'm reading this wrong, So I thought he had
another year left on his deal. So I would say that they would probably
get rid of those two and that they would wave and stretch Rudy guy or
trying to take here, that it would just be Walker Kestler at that point.
I love it. Let's see, I got another one for you.
Well, I have a question for you that's gonna be tied. Were I
to talk a lot about the Phoenix Suns? All right, this is it's
dated a little bit. But did the Phoenix Suns give up too much for
Kevin Durant? I don't think so, I think, And the main reason
for that is Kevin Durant is basically, you know, the best player that's
been traded and like I don't know how long, a really long time.
So the fact that I mean, if he's wanted, like the fifteen greatest
players of all time, you have to go back to like, well,
how many of the fourteen in front of him we're just traded? You gotta
go pretty far. So yeah, I think. I mean it's a lot,
but you know, you compare it to the Mitchell package and the Gobt
package or even like the I don't know, Drew Holiday package or Anthony Davis
package, like, there's a pretty compelling case that Durant's just better than all
those guys. So it just costs what it costs. And four first and
you know one really good play. Yeah, it's a lot. It is
a lot. But now I think, don't you feel better about the Sun's
chances to win the West than you did before the trade? I mean just
significantly, I mean I do so. Yeah, I don't think it's too
much. I think it's it's a ton, but it's not too much.
It's just that's that's what it takes, even if you're not. Really the
problem I think you can talk about this is there wasn't a ton of competition
to drive up the price. It was sort of like they just did it
to themselves almost and you would That was my issue is that he only wanted
to go to Phoenix, and he asked for the next to keep it quiet,
which they did, and they sent him to Phoenix. But Phoenix was
negotiating against themselves. Now Durant could have become disenchanted and said, well,
Phoenix didn't go and get me, maybe I have eyes from Miami or Golden
State over the off season. You also increase your chances of them just sending
Kevin Durant wherever, which I don't think they would have done. Maybe if
the package was good enough Toronto or New Orleans came in and offered the moon.
You always run the risk of that, and you were essentially, I
guess, paying a premium for that, like pre negotiating window, you had
exclusivity which you couldn't have guaranteed over the off season. But I'm just like
you begged over to that, And I'm not saying that they should have been
able to keep mcal Bridges. That would have been the ideal. I would
have included more swaps like that would be well, that was your only card
to play if it was like DeAndre and in additional swaps. Really I'm saying
like you had to throw in Jay Crowder at the last minute, who you
could have rerouted for extra pick equity, like just you know what I mean.
And so it just felt like they went one stone too far. I
think people, though, in general, are under selling the risk of this
trade because Kevin Durant is age thirty four, hasn't played a full season and
basically a half decade. Chris Paul is going on thirty eight and DeAndre has
played really well lately, but he's just been all over the place, in
part because the Suns, I would say, mishandled his extension talks, then
the whole restricted free agency drama. Now we're just supposed to expect that he'll
be okay because he was shopped very openly and Kevin Durant trade talks. There's
the element of okay, yeah, Kevin Durant, it's Kevin Durant. Like
it's it's Kevin Durant. Sometimes the argument just stops there like that, that's
what it is. And again, he's been playing really well. He's tailor
made to fit with these three stars. But does he want to fit with
these three stars? How does it impact his defense? I would argue that
he might be the most important defensive player in the NBA right now, or
at least in the playoffs. When you're just looking at how this team is
structured. You bankrupted your two way wing depth, which I guess wasn't really
like super deep to begin with, if but like because Jay Crowder was gone
already, but that was part of it. Micael Bridge is gone. Cam
Johnson not a wing but more of a two way player than I think people
will gave him credit for. So, like, there are real holes now,
and you've traded your future dress. So if this doesn't work out,
you're just saying, okay, well, Devin Booker and DeAndre will be good
enough to float us. I don't know if that's the case. I would
have made the trade. I want to make that clear. I would have
made the trade. I don't under I don't think that the Nets would have
walked away from the table over Jay Crowder though. I don't think that would
have been the and I. But then it's like, well, should Phoenix
have but no, Phoenix conceded the swaps, the picks all unprotected, and
Michael Bridge is like, the Nets negotiated everything, and I know they have
Kevin Durant, but they did this well. Kevin Durant was sidelined with an
mcl injury, and they're already there's rumors of like, well would they pair
Kyrie and Phoenix, Like don't even please, just don't even get me started.
So it's just like, what potential baggage are you taking on or issues
or you also bringing into your locker room by acquiring Kevin Durand why I'm not
saying he's a cancer. I'm also just I'm over there, Oh, he
just loves basketball so much. We need to bow with the author of Kevin
Durant there. I would have made the trade, but I just think that
it was riskier and more impulsive based off the reporting that we know about how
matt it should be handled. It then like it very much felt like new
ownership coming into Minnesota. Let's make the splash to get Rudy Gobert, except
that it was Kevin Durant, who's one of the best players of all time
and still in his prime, but like he's always in he's always dealing with
these lower body injuries. Now I think I think he's gonna age well.
I don't know how like inner gold to the conversation that is, but that's
hard to say with all the time he's mad over the last several years.
I think it's like, when healthy, I think his game will be like
pretty close to you know, he'll look really good when he's on the floor.
I think going forward and for the Suns, like this is very much
a trade you make where you're just hoping that the time that he's on the
floor happens to be you know, April to June, and you just need
to catch one of those over the next you know, three years basically,
and you've got a shot I think two. And you mentioned it. The
Nets probably had a good sense of we can hold really firm because it does
seem like this the new ownership group is like they're calling us back, you
know, at the eleventh hour after we've basically hit an impast It suggests desperation,
and the Nets, I think we're smart to just say, yeah,
this, I mean, yeah, he demanded a trade, and yet we
still have all the leverage somehow, even though there's actually no competitive offers,
Like that's kind of amazing. But the Nets played it right, or as
well as you could play that situation, I think, yeah. And I
guess really at the core of it, it's like it's a trade you made
as the Suns because you think it's going to win you a title, and
like, probably that won't be right because only one team ever gets to win
it every year. But I do think it raised their chances enough to just
be like, yeah, we got all these other problems depth health, you
know, we don't have a draft for a while. Screw it, Like
let's we won sixty four last year, we've been to the finals, Let's
like, let's do it. I think it's it's just the kind of like
swing you make when things are teetering, maybe a little bit because of Chris
Paul's age and the eight and stuff, to really just like this might be
we have to do it now because tomorrow is not promised. You know the
next part of this question, did you want to take us to that?
Yeah? Okay, so let's see we have. This is from Usher in
the summer at a questioning team trades dress. I want to make sure I'm
not going to repeat what we just did. Okay, I'll just read it.
In the summer, I asked question regarding whether Katie getting his trade request
with three years on his deal will affect the future CBA? Does this have
any effects since he played for half a season, was compliant with the nets,
didn't sit out until Irving asked out or do you think him still getting
his wishes loved downstream consequences on the CBA. It's kind of a player empowerment
question. I guess basically, I don't think it's gonna have any consequences.
I think in large part because they have other priorities where it's teams specifically are
going to be more prioritized, like can we change the extension rules so that
someone like Oganna Nobi doesn't have to hit free agency, or something like Jalen
Brown doesn't have to hit free agency if every want to sign an extension,
I think they're more worried about that. Also, in the case of the
Nets and Kevin Durant, they probably still could have just had both these dudes
if they paid Kyrie Irving, and so this was their choice to some extent.
And so Kevin Durant already did sign an extension too, so you actually
weren't obligated to trade him his leverage. If we really think Kevin Durant loves
basketball that much and would have continued to play, you didn't have to trade
him. So this was not that this went down on the NETS's terms,
but they had more alternatives rather than Superstar X going and boxed him into a
quarter by saying I want out. I mean, Kevin Durant did that,
but it wasn't like he was in the final. This wasn't Andy Davis,
Sarka and war a few years ago, and so I just don't. I
can't imagine it being an impact and tell I'm sure we'll just come up.
But what was what was the actual preventative measure here for Brooklyn? And also
what were they fighting to keep? They didn't want Kyrie Irving and so that
was just that became eminently clear. So I would think, like, if
we get to a point where this is becoming more common among non top ten
superstars, then yes, maybe well where it's like, oh it matters jail
and no, well requested to trade and we need to oblige, Like if
we get into where his trade were Firk on Cork Moss requested or trade before
years left on his deal. If it gets to that level, yeah,
but like what is the recourse even gonna be? You can't like you're just
gonna be punitive the players who are still under contract for requesting trades again,
their teams don't have to move them. And I just think it would it
would be more of a red alarm fire if this wasn't Kevin Durant, like
I'm trying to think of like a just a different level of like Mchaal Bridges,
for example, gon to Phoenix and said I want out. I'm done
with this, like you know, Chris Paul made me run winsprints or something,
and just I'm not just so I fail to see if it will have
an impact. I thought over the summer. I think more impulsively my answer
might have been different. I don't know what I answered then, assuming I
answered this at all, but just sort of stepping back and looking at it.
I just don't think it's gonna be addressed at all in the next CBA.
I think Duran is just too much of an outlier and like you know,
we just talked about it. He was one of the best players of
all time. Like, yeah, I guess if a player with that level
of clout makes a trade request with so much time left on his deal,
then you know, that's just that's just what it is. It's not like
I think if you're talking about changing rules or changing the collective bargaining agreement to
address this somehow, it would have to be more widespread or happening with players
that weren't at Durant's level, which is true for like basically everybody. So
yeah, yeah, I don't I don't see major change. Another just one
more SUNS related thing, basically asking about the backcourt, depth, guards and
playmaking for Phoenix. You know, Campaign has been out things played two games
since the middle of December, and Landry Shammitt's out as well, So ushers
just curious, like, do you think this is a problem that can be
solved with Devin Booker kind of leading bench lineups as the point guard or is
there if they need to go get somebody, Like what or how big of
an issue is a playmaking position on a team that has Booker, Durant,
Chris Paul that you can throw out there in some combination. So I'm a
big fan of Devin Booker at point guard line ups. I've advocated for them
for multiple seasons for them, but basically since Chris Paul came up, they
should lean on the more. We saw them lean on the more in that
game against the Kings actually, and I believe when I looked the lineups were
a net negative or net even in those minutes. You don't even want to
be much better than a slight net negative ornet even. I'll also point out
the sample size is incredibly small, but when Phoenix plays with Devin Booker at
point guard this season, ninety five possessions a net rating of twenty four and
so like, yeah, there's a difference because mcaal Bridges was a part of
a lot of those lineups and now he's gone and so is so is Cam
Johnson. But I think just between like could you go to Devin Booker like
a fuck ton of defense route or just tie those minutes to DeAndre Ayton as
well? But I think that is the route to go. And there's just
the buy out market. I don't know what it's gonna yield, I would
say, like, I think that's why we've seen people are mentioning, Oh,
why isn't Derrick Rose and the Knicks talking a buyout? Well, two
things, he has a team option for next year, like if they want
to facilitate a trade that he could wind up getting quite a bit of money,
So why punt on that? But also who is signing him when also
Shams is reporting that Russell Westbrook can't find a destination, there's no clear spot
for john Wall. Maybe some teams prefer Derrick Rose whatever, Like I would
argue, I'd probably wouldn't at this point. I just haven't seen enough from
him this season, So like, I don't know what the buyout market is
gonna get you. What's what's weird is that I know that Kevin Duran and
Chris Paul hate him. Patrick Beverley would kind of make sense for this roster,
but he's also not. That's more from a defensive perspective, and I
know that he is not the defender he wants was. I would role with
the Devin Booker at point Guard lineups and then just hope that you know,
campaign gets healthy and that we can chill on these Saban Lee minutes eventually.
But the campaign stuff is just very It's sort of flown under the radar.
I think because you were dealing with injuries to Devin Booker, Chris Paul was
up and down for so long, and then you had the backdrop of like
what's going on with Eton and then all these trade talks. But like him
just being out for so long is pretty big, and I think even Landry
Shammitt missing some time. You do have Terrence Ross now, but I think
that alleviates not the playmaking, but just it makes Devin Booker at point guard
line ups even more palatable to me. But you can go so many different
ways because Devin Booker is so good, and I think that's also a way
to ensure I don't think he cares. He doesn't strike me as that type
of player who cares about his numbers. That's also kind of the way to
ensure that his stats stay juiced while he's seating. At least, let's say
shot attempts or just touches to Kevin Durant. We know Kevin Durank will play
off the ball. I would very much explore this, especially while campaign's out,
and it does if Look, if I'm going to read into the one
game that I've seen from this team since the trade, which was the King's
game, I'm gonna say that, yeah, there are going to explore that,
and I think it's the right surprise surprise he who is campaign for these
lineups campaign, how do you feel about? How about that who is who
is advocated for these lineups for the past like two or three years is in
support of it. How big of a shock is that? Well, I
think it's not like the position that the Suns are in right now, because
they are in a win now situation. But as we alluded to, there
is this sort of downstream scenario where suddenly your core is Booker and Eton and
like don't know what else, probably, so it's not the worst thing for
Booker to just yeah, you're gonna be on the ball way more now,
because there is a reasonable possibility that in the future it's you, You being
on the ball all the time, while not ideal, could just be a
very regular thing, you know, just you may be the primary facilitator if
we don't or if we just prioritize other things from the point guard spot going
forward. Like yeah, campaign being hurt matters for the regular season, but
I think if you have Booker and and hopefully Durant like the playoffs, like
Pain's role is going to be pretty small. I think unless he's just running
really hot, it's just not going to be that big a factor. So
you may as well just have book or kind of I don't know, get
reps. Just get comfortable both for now and for you know, a few
years from now when the team looks a lot different. That was it.
This was fun. Do you want to take us out? Yeah? Thanks
every one for their questions. By the way, everybody, yes, thank
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