What is krack a lack in fellow thermine with here a effort, I am a Dampa Valley coming at you with a brief solo intro before we dive into our next trade deadline primary survival guide, think of a jig. We are up to the Southwest division. A few housekeeping notes, one of which is the usual Please if this your first time checking us out one the sound quality won't always beat this off. Actually don't know how it'll sound. I'm recording the intro from my phone, but the rest of the podcast is high quality with grant as always too. Though it's your first time checking us out because you stumbled into us, consider throwing us that permanent subscription ratings and reviews help us out a lot on Spotify and Apple podcast. Please subscribe to us on YouTube. We have two YouTube channels. The links are in the podcast description, like comment if you're watching us on YouTube and you won't be hearing this intros is for the audio only. 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Appreciate you all as always the other How's keeping note, I just want to give a quick shout out to, you know, a lot of the people at the sp Nation sites, Vox Media going through those layoffs, many of them friends of the podcasts, you know, Kaitlyn Cooper of Indy corn Rows, Laz Jackson, he is fantastic podcaster for Detroit bad Boys. T J McBride did great Nuggets coverage over there, Anthony Irwin did the Lakers coverage over there, and there's just many others that were impacted. I don't mean to, you know, shout these people out individually. They announced it on Twitter and they're just they are you know, especially you all know how much respect I have for TJ of course and Anthony of course, but Kaitlyn Cooper and Las have been on this podcast many times and they've been so generous with their analysis, and they're so good at what they do, and it's just it sucks. And so if you're not following those people on Twitter, I believe they're both bigger than I am on Twitter. So I mean, if you're following me and not following them or any of the people that I just mentioned who all have I'm pretty sure bigger than me, go ahead and follow them. They're awesome, and it just sucks. It's just the part of the industry that really blows. And we wish them all the best. And like I said, Kaitlyn Cooper is just when you look at combination or writing, technical analysis, style, accessibility, voice, everything, she is just the probably the single most talented person and versatile person in our business. And there at least to say is that there's no one who is more or versus Hyle. There's no one who is better than her, and so that, you know, seeing her announcement, it was really just gutting in the sense of for her, because she's awesome and for all these other people. I'm not trying to compare it, but when you see talented people be displaced in any way, even if they're not counting on it as their sole financial means, which is also why it's so frustrating, because Vox paid their writer's dog shit in the first place at a lot of these team websites, and so to not even you know, continue to compensate them that or to give an outlet for their writing, I just I wanted to say a nope, because it's a I feel like it sometimes goes on spoken outside of Twitter, where it might not be talked about because we're all kind of just walking on eggshells. And I've just become more open about the realities of this industry, knowing how fortunate and lucky a talentless hack like myself has been, but also, you know, kind of trying to come to grips with how annoying it is to always either have to be grateful or to be you know, sort of walking on eggshells or waiting for the next show to drop, whether it's for friends of yours and other companies, co workers you have at your own company, even you know, your own job. And then we've talked about it a lot on this podcast, and the realities of what our situation is right now and how fortunate Grant and I are, like we do this as a as a passion project right now can be stressful still, but it's just it sucks, is my point. So shout out to all those very talented people at Fox Media or formerly with Fox Media. You were dealt that really fucked up hand. It's bullshit, and hopefully, because you all do deserve better, that they all do find better soon. So shout out to them. The last housekeeping note and if anybody cares, I'm actually doing this while I do my cardio for the day. So if I sound out a breath, I promise that I'm not doing anything you know, untoward, or I'm not in pain or I'm not I'm not nervous. I'm just doing cardio at the moment and trying to get this in. We recorded this before the Miles Turner extension, so I think we might have mentioned him as a trade target for the Pelicans. Surprise Rise, the hopeless, hilariously hopeless. It's seemingly right now Pelicans because of how hinjured they've been in just their recent whatever it is like three and eighty stretch it feels like right now, So that should be the only potentially outdated information in this unless we mentioned India's cap space. But luckily that Turner extension was done before we get to the Central Division, which will come later this week. That'll do it for the long, long ass intro. But I make no apologies. I just wanted to say some of that stuff. Let's get to the Southwest Division trade deadline primer survival guide thingamajig, Grant and me will be coming at you in milliseconds. With all that out of the way, let's get into the Southwest Division trade deadline primer just as a brief refresher. We are trying to make these digestible and quick, and also we'll be talking about most likely players to be traded. We're mostly just asking our bigger overarching questions. If you're on YouTube, though, I have thrown the sheet that Grant and I are using to you know, just prepare for the trade deadline in general, where you can see traded player septions that they have at draft pick commitments all in one spot. You can also zoom in if it's too small for you to read, but if that's where you're in two. Head over to YouTube. The Memphis Grizzlies are Oh, we'll also be proposing one trade idea for each team, as if the team in question is making the phone call. It doesn't mean it's lopsided. But that's the view that we took it from the Memphis Grizzlies. They are buyers in the sense that they should be buyers. However, when we know about Memphis is that they're just you know the things we're here like, they really value what a healthy Danny Green is going to bring. They don't want to move his salary, which is just typical Memphis. And it's fine. They might be good enough to win a title right now. My biggest question for them, though, is do they have like the impetus the desire to actually make a move this season And I'm not talking about it doesn't need to be a mega move, but like a move where you're giving up picks or prospects in addition to Danny Green, and not one of your core guys like Desmond Bayne or Jaren Jackson junior, but like not even a Zayre Williams where you're moving to move off of La Ravia or Roddy or Aldama that Golden State first, any of your own first, just to make an upgrade to your rotation, which I think there's room for it, and we've kind of seen it. The half court offense remains a problem when they're not cleaning up their own missus, and so you presumably or preferably like a bigger player as that additional creator, and to sort of upgrade the four minutes when Jaren Jackson Juniors at the five, or just the three minutes when Jaren Jackson Juniors is the four, just to have an option who's not you know, the bane John Morant, and then like Jaren Jackson Junior, who's the guy in the middle of those three? And so like, there are names that you could throw out. Are you going to give up the equity for them? And what's the best route to go? Is it to look at a Kyle Kuzma. Is it to look at him Elie Beasley? Does the Stephen Adams injury, by the way, change this at all because he's gonna miss so much time? I don't think it makes it more likely that they're gonna go out and get a big and say, oh, let me join the Miles Turner sweep stakes or something, But does it sort of increase the urgency to be like, well, if Jaren Jackson Junior presumably is going to play more five, someone like Kyle Kuzma has a lot of a lot of value on the trade market to them now, and again we can talk that's what they should do, by the way, but like, who is their most likely player to be moved? Yes, it's Danny Green, That's the easy question. But it's like, how are you building packages off of that? And I think a lot of it depends on, well, how far in are the Grizzlies willing to go into this season? And I would argue Dylan Brooks going to be a free agent. You're kind of in year three of obliterating expectations. Welcome to life with expectations. Where it's like, now, I'm not demanding they trade first star, mostly because that player probably isn't it out there? They would be, by the way, a sneaky, fun Fred van Fleet team, though, I just want to I want to put that into the into the universe. So like Grant, like, what what do you see for this team? What do they need to do? Or do you think that this is do you think they do something, and just please say yes for my own sanity, I think they sort of have to because for all the reasons you stated, and just like we talk about them and the Pelicans all the time and the thunder to a lesser extent of just like, they got all these picks, They got all their own, they got incoming ones. You mentioned the Golden State pick, They have Minnesota second this year, they have some future seconds from like Cleveland, all just a bunch of They got a bunch. They got more draft equity than they really know what to do with. And they're at a point where they should be trying to get a guy that's going to be in their eight man group, you know, in the conference finals or whatever it is. So I think they should do something. I personally would be willing to start to look at Zayre Williams as as like the centerpiece of a bigger deal. But Danny Green, to me, like it would be great if Danny Green just was Danny Green again, but I think that's unlikely. He was slipping before the a the knee injury. I think if you could turn Danny Green and like some kind of pick into just get on the phone with the Spurs. Josh Richardson would be fine. I think someone like Doug McDermott that would just run around and shoot forty two percent from three, and Zach Collins at this point for the Jack Collins would be fine, especially if if you're gonna need another big in there. If Adams is you know, not all the way back, I mean, they're in trouble. I think, as funny as it sounds to say, if Adams is not healthy, you know, for when the game start to matter, because he's the type of guy that, well, we might scheme him off the floor, but just if your offense is going to always depend on offensive rebounds, then you need him. That's just that's just what it is. And also the only way, not the only way, but one of the best ways for them to open space is for him to pancake people on right. It's just it's it's not how everybody operates, but it's working for Memphis, and you know, suddenly if he's not there, then so now we're going to score in the half court all Like I just I don't know, so I like McDermott for them, I just think it would be too tempting for them to view this season as well. You know, look, we're on pace to win in the mid fifties again, and we're way ahead of that until they hit this little skid at the end of this West road trip. So we can we can, you know, play it cool. We don't have to start thinking about is desire Williams. A piece of the core is is Danny Green is waiting on Danny Green like the prudent decision. I think they should make a move. I just it wouldn't surprise me based on how they've operated in the past if they don't, and that would that would be a disappointment. You want to know my trade idea for then let's hear it. I have Memphis getting Kyle Kuzma for Danny Green, David Roddy and a twenty twenty four first round pick that's lottery protected and I would be willing to loosen the protections if that's what it takes to get it done. From Washington's perspective, yeah, I think that's totally good. From the Grizzlies perspective, and like presumably that pick is going to be in the mid to the high twenties anyway, so who cares unprotected, like it's you know, if sometimes it looks better if you just leave it totally unprotected, even though you know or you strongly suspect you're going to be good enough that that that's just not going to be a valuable first could you go like I don't even want to say, just like, does it less favorable of Golden State and Memphis? And does that like do it for like? I don't even know if that because Golden States is top four protective, So putting that up feels like is that the pick you just included, Maybe that gets it done? I don't maybe, yeah, I mean that has that pick has some upside. You never know what's gonna happen. I mean, Draymond's a flight risk, that Core is getting older. The Warriors think that James Wiseman is the future still apparently so even though we tried to trade him. Yeah, I like that for sure. I want to let's get to the Pelicans unless you have anything else on the Grizzlies. No, this is I thought it was gonna be one of my favorite teams to talk about, and I'm just not looking forward to it anymore. Well, the options are there, right, Just what are they Gonna. I don't know what if they're gonna pursue any of them. The Pelicans are somewhat similar. They're they've got the Lakers draft for a couple more years. I've got that sweet twenty four twenty five pick, but they can take the option on. They've got a bunch of Milwaukee first coming in. They're super deep, but that hasn't I think what we've learned is that all that depth is cool, except if you don't have like two of your three best players in the lineup at all times. It doesn't really matter how good Gonna needs to be revaluating another two weeks. Just I get it. But it's just like, yeah, kind of sucks. Right, So I think you know what are the they're they're most likely players to be traded. There's actually a few. I think it's probably it's probably Devonte Graham, just because if you're gonna do anything, if if you do make a trade, you're gonna need some salary ballast, and he's making an average of about twelve million over the next this year in the next two. Jackson Hayes I'd throw in there too. Maybe I think you have to move him right, like you're not gonna pay him in restrictive free agency. Yeah, it's just that his numbers lower, and then you're gonna have to include more stuff if you're trying to bring back, you know, a moderate level salary. Valancinis is someone i'd look at too, even though he's been super valuable as like a post thread and just a bailout guy with so many you know, offensive weapons out again, like I can't, We just can't. We're not gonna say Miles Turner. But if you're looking like it's just sorry, I know it's this is like two years old, this bit. But you know alnic PJ Washington, Mo Bamba Moscala, Zach Collins, just some bigs I could read. I don't know how they get them. Yeah, I mean you well, they can get whoever they want. Just find the matching salary and include a pick. Like it's done, Just like the Nazrid's going to be a free agent, so you're not, I can't give up a first for him, No more is Minnesota gonna take two seconds? And also, oddly, Najy Marshall has been really important to what they've been doing, so it's like, are you giving up Naji Marshall. No, I'm not trading him. I think he hasted to be a rotation guy before he got hurt. So yeah, they're they're a little like I think they're probably more likely to do something than the Grizzlies, just because the picks they have and the movable salary options are just there's just more of them. And I think it's just got to be some stretch, some shooting. You know that that that's assuming everybody's healthy and you're you're running your full strength offense again around Zion, You're I just want as much space as I can get. And Balanciunis, while he has a great up fake and can make a few, it's just not the same as having a real, like quick trigger threat out there. I think that can pass too. I would like a big guy that's gonna make, you know, a pass or two if if the defenses kind of beense and collapsing because Zion ruined it. Wow, So you are anti Miles Turner. That's good to know. What is the bigger need though? That type of a bigger can you go with just a wing that's gonna sling threes in higher volume? And I know that part of the deflated volume in New Orleans is I don't want to say by design, but just intrinsic of will they get to the rim at will because Zion exists. But I do think they need sort of that like unconscious threat where you could go the and I actually did in the trade that will get to But I'm curious to what you think would be the bigger priority for them. I still am just fixated on the big guy that can shoot, so because like I do believe in, you know, I think once you have Ingram back out there, I think once Trey Murphy can always add the add volume like McCollum's are good, there's like there's enough shoot elsewhere. I just am so hung up on what would this team look like if there were a big guy dragging you a center out of the way of Zion. So I still am you know, maybe it's kind of hack at this point, but I still just want a big guy that can shoot. Doing something big feels out of the question for them. And the trade I came up with is the Pelicans get Molik Beasley, the Jazz get DeVante Graham, Herb Jones, and Chicago's twenty twenty four second round pick and so herb Jones been banged up a lot this year, has definitely regressed on offense, and I would even argue like sort of defense as well. I think we've seen a lot of that, sort of these sophomore reality checks a little bit. For Trey Murphy there too, still a valuable prospect. But what's interesting about this is herb Jones is a team option for next season and then he becomes a restricted free agent and DeVante Graham has the one guarantee year at twelve point one plus a three million dollars guarantee basically the year after. So you're looking at one year and let's say almost fifteen million of Devonte Graham. Is that enough if you're Utah to part with Malik Beasley? And then conversely, if you're the Pelicans, are you willing to give up when everyone thought that Herb Jones was good enough to be all defense as a rookie, are you willing to give up on that now to get Malik Beasley, who tell about three point volume, Like that's someone who is just gonna let him rip. Yeah, he'll get him up. I think so I like this for the Jazz just because I like getting Jones in there. He's the type of like cheap, you know, project, you know, high ceiling kind of devalued. It's a weird combination devalued asset that I'm after if I'm the jazz for the Pells. Like, so you're telling me that my closing lineup might be McCollum, Beasley, Ingram Zion and valanciunists, Like, how are we stopping anybody? You know? I mean, you have to get Daniels out there to put fires out as a rookie all of a sudden, and like he can only do something. And if if Nance is out there, that's better than valencin Us. From a switching perspective, I just I'm just not worried about the Pelicans offense if everybody's healthy. I like, so, you know, I guess Beasley, we've established that shooting would be cool. So I don't know, I'm kind of talking out of both sides of my mouth, but I'd rather just have it from a big guy. And I think Jones, even though he hasn't been the same guy as he was as a rookie, I just I think he fills a niche that that the Pelicans might still really need, Like, what if he could play like he did at the end of towards the end of last year, then he's definitely on the floor to close games for you. Beasley feels like, I just don't know where you're gonna get your stops if he's out there with those other guys. There doesn't seem to be like a really good trade target for them because it almost feels like they're built to only go balls to the wall. Well, what do you think about porzingis for them? Like that? That's been rumored around? There's not enough injury balls with ingram and on your team. Sure, but if, like you know, if we're talking about bigs that can shoot, we haven't really I mean, he's not talked about at all, and that would be a much bigger swing, especially because you're gonna have to pay him. Probably, what is what is the trade there? It's I'm assuming Valanciunis and Graham and then stuff. You just start throwing picks at throw picks at the problem like team. So so I guess they don't care about I would I would rather if they're gonna go do that, I would just rather trade for Miles Turner at that point, Yeah, but we can't talk about that because it's been talked about too much. We're not allowed to mention Miles Turner, even though again the only thing will say is he's obviously the perfect player to be there. Yeah, so tray for Jalen Smith. You want to talk about that. Pacers, big man, Uh, we can move. I don't expect them to do anything, big. I expect them to do something though. That's where I'm just sort of at with the Pelicans, I would agree. The Mavericks are next up. As you hear, my dogs are starting to get anty and just barging into my office right now. They're buyers because they have to be. I just I questioned, like what they can buy? They have no notable like inbound draft picks and then that twenty twenty three pick to New York. Yes, it will convey this year with top ten protection. Like that's if you're a team gonna trade for their twenty twenty five first round pick, you know it's coming, but it just limits what they could offer. And if they wait till this summer, they can make a godfather offer of oh it's you know, we can trade once the league calendar year resets four picks and three swaps whatever is with three picks and like they can go to the Godfather offer out I think twenty four, twenty six, twenty eight, and thirty and then swaps in the alternating years. So four picks and three swaps do you wait for that? And also at that point you've then allowed another year to trickle off the deals of Davis Burton's Tim Hardaway junior Spencer Dinwoody, who assume you keep. At that point, he becomes in expiring contracts, so there's gonna be a little bit more value there to him, although you could move him easily. Now. At the same time, it's like, well you have Christian Wood, are you gonna extend him? I don't know what they're capable of. We know what they need and it's actually a bunch of stuff. We talk a lot about what they lost in Jalen Brunson and now you just have Dinwoody. Christian Wood being hurt complicates that. But like the offense has been largely fine, they still need like the shot creation, they need defensive depth too, like Jason Kidd is throwing not even shade, just insults, and they're like, yeah, if you want to keep this cord together, somebody's gonna have to play defense. And so it's how do you go about straddling the line of and that's their trade deadline? Name is I think we could ask is that is a question. Are they willing to give up a first round pay? That's a question. But how do they straddle the line of not compromising other future really good trade offers that they can't make now while also improving the roster because you have Luca Danches and you're obligated to. And the final thing I'll just say on that is, I know people, I'm not defending the Mavericks here. I know people say, no, you have Luca, just do it like there's something when you don't even have a blue chit prospect on this roster anymore. And I'm not getting like the Mavericks got here by themselves, like they mishandled the jail and Brunton situation. So this is on them. There's an opportunity cost to what you need to include in first round equity, Like all of a sudden, the amount of first round equity you can include has to go up and it becomes more important. That's why you want to wait for your obligations to reset and that's really just the challenge at hand here. Oh and the real final thing I'll say is, and I don't even I can't even remember the fake trade I came up with them. That's how many of these that we've done. But people within the they coud just trade Tim Hardaway Junior and be fine, Like, yeah, he's a roller coaster, but is like outside shooting, and like the way he compliments Luca and even Spencer didn't, like that's really important to how the Mavericks operate. And when you have he have Reggie Bullock, Okay, it's January first. Now he can hit threes, like that's apparently the rule. That's great, But like Kim Hardaway Junior provides more sort of like certitude when it comes to knocking down shots than he does. Yeah, so they you alluded to this. The Mavericks are the ultimate. They obviously should make a trade and service of their in prime superstar. That's good enough with like just an average supporting cast to make a conference finals. But it's just the timing is not right, Like this just isn't. This is not the time to do it. As tempting as that isn't as shitty as it feels to say, like just wait another year, Luca. You know that we get well, we'll get it all sorted out. Trust us. We want you have like forty eight percent usage. Yeah right, just keep running yourself into the ground so we can, you know, win whatever it's going to be. Forty four games, forty eight games. It's a it's a bummer, like it. It's not just the Brunson thing. It's the fact that like there's now I think a good chance that they just maybe won't keep christian Wood beyond this year, or they will at a number that they just have. The Masks have a way of like getting themselves into situations where like there just aren't a lot of great options, and it's like there it's like their own fault because if they had just not to bi labor the Brunson thing, but if they had just gotten it done earlier, they could have had him for like half the money, or if they just paid whatever they could, they still could have him for more and he'd still be worth it. Just you know, so it's it's not the time to do it, I think, because you have don Chitch, your next move does need to be Here's four firsts and whatever for a clear second star. I think you probably have to do that because you're not going to be in a position to draft anybody that's gonna occupy that spot. So I guess like they're not gonna go the other way. But if they did, suddenly, you know, Bullock would be someone you could trade. You could see if anybody like Finney Smith I'm keeping no matter what, but basically everybody else i'd look at moving just to you know, flexibility picks whatever, we take our little gap year here. They're not going to do that because because Luke is there, But it doesn't that in a vacuum seem like the Morse because they're not. There's not a trade out there that puts them in the contender class. I don't think. So go the other way for a year. If you're gonna lose, you might as well really lose if you can, and just just kind of re you know, replenish the war chest a little bit. The thing I kind of thought about, just because cap space isn't important to them, is are they the team that can take on Gordon Hayward? And it's just like, I don't even know if you're Charlotte and it's Dwight Powell and Davis Burton's. For Gordon Hayward, you have two years of Davis Burton's left. It's just that you've haved Hayward's salary. Is that more palatable than Gordon Hayward for another year? Yeah? I don't know. I mean, like, could you do that deal without giving Charlotte a first round pick? Realistically? In them being about it, so you're just saying, we're giving you are two salaries we don't want for the one bigger one that ye Holla's expiring. So it's like, it's just that dovis it's sort of what the MAVs did with christophs Perzingis when they broke him up. In Thomas Burton's last year, is the commitments when you look at Borton's it's spanned longer, but they were in Fury more snackable. Yeah. Maybe I just don't know. That's tough. I guess I could see something like that just so you're clearing space from Dallas's perspective sooner. Basically, No, I think that Gordon Hayward is just better than those players. It's that if you're willing to truncate the commitment and then all of a sudden, if you were planning on trading for a star anyway, his huge salary, it might have value to one team that just look, who's ever making the trade with Dallas is not doing so for the players they're sending back anyway, so there might be value to them. And oh, well, we didn't have to take back three guys, only need to take back the one, and that's attached to a bunch of picks. And so I just think for this season, if Gordon Hayward gets and stays healthy, there's definitely a higher ceiling on what he brings to your team than Davis Breton's or Dwight Palell at this point. Yeah, I think that makes a lot of sense. It's hard, it's hard to know how you'd feel about that in the moment because of Hayward's health situations, Like I might feel like going the other way, just because while we're taking back this giant, dead salary that's not going to help us, and we gave away like one and a half rotation players, So I don't know it. Did you even give away that many one? I mean, powelled freaking starts for them, So, I mean he has started a lot, so you know, I don't know. Yeah, the Mavericks aren't going to do anything they they should they should take I think they should tank, right. I do have a trade idea for them though. So the Mavericks received D'Angel Russell. The Wolves received Tim Hardaway junior Dwight Powell in a twenty twenty seven second round pick. So if I'm Dallas, I'm keeping Russell, I'm going to resign him. No, I don't think. What did you give up that you're worried about missing out on? I don't know Hardaway, I guess, but that's like I think the idea would be, Okay, we keep Russell and then when you go make your big trade, can you focus it on sort of the front court defense oriented player. It changes up I think what you need. And also Spencer dim when he comes off the books after next year, like how much does he cost or how does he age? So there's also just the I don't know, like does Russell want to play off of someone like Tonchich in their minutes together? But he would certainly be uh, like that's a higher end swing. Yeah, I think right, Yeah, the upside's higher for sure. I've run into the same problem we've talked about Russell before, is like, I just if he's gonna be like a thirty two thirty four million dollar guy, like starting salary going forward. I'm so terrified by that number and just just for for the player that he is. But I guess if you're Dallas, there is value again in that big salary slot, you know, Like I think I think that's that's not nothing. And so if he could do a credible Brunson impression and be movable potentially with all those picks down the road, I think that is there that makes some sense for Dallas. I'd probably do that. Would you consider it if you're Minnesota, just based off hardaway shooting, and then you have his salary for where does he have two more years left after this at seventeen nine and sixteen too, And so you've now broken up, you know, you folded Deangel Russell into a player who costs right now, let's say close to half or sixty percent, and he also look again, he beefs up you're shooting. I don't know how you feel about your defensive infrastructure, but I think that he's probably someone who compliments Rudy Gobert a little bit better than Dlow at this point. And Powell you're just getting because the money works. You don't want Dovin Berton's on this team. I'm assuming, and maybe I would do it one hundred percent if Dallas said, here's Reggie Bullock. I just don't know if Dallas could do Bullock and THHJ for Dilo. Yeah, I think I like it a little better. From the Wolves perspective, if I thought Anthony Edwards was ready to just be on the ball one percent of the time, he's probably ready. And you have Kyle Anderson. That's what this was kind of born from for me. Yeah, yeah, you it's possible. It's possible he's ready. He's looks. I mean, he's been really good lately. But I don't know. I mean, well, the Russell thing is so complicated, just because you so, I've gone back and forth on I like having the salary slot, but I also don't want to pay him money. So I'm just keeping him on this number, assuming someone else will want him at that number or it's tough. I think that's okay. I guess, I guess as long as it doesn't preclude Dallas from going out and getting somebody that's way better than Russell at some point in the very near future, then I'm fine with that. Would you do block in THHJ if you're them? Or is that just like what does our defense look like after this? Yeah? I think that's probably. Yeah, Finney Smith is doing too much of a lift there. If he's the only guy left, that's that's tough. You could just you would have to play him and when Cleveland was healthy, forty eight minutes a game and just pray. Yeah, this next team should be They're not uninteresting, but they just they're very simple, like they're pick commitments. Like there are a lot of splashy ones, but they are your teams. So do you want to take us through them? Yeah? I mean, so this is the San Antonio Spurs, Ladies and gentlemen. They have cap space, they have a handful of guys we've mentioned fifty times as trade candidates. They are not trying to win basketball games. So to me, the question for them is just what what can we get from the combination of Yaka Purdle, Josh Richardson and Doug McDermott. And I think my goal out of all three of those guys, Can I get back two firsts somehow, like two good firsts between those three guys, and whatever the salaries coming back with it are, that'll change it, because maybe you get more picks if you're taking on terrible money, which the Spurs can do. I don't want to get out of this with less than that, with fewer than that, So you know, we can talk about those guys individually. To me, I think Richardson is probably the most likely to be traded because we've seen, we've heard talk of you know, there's interest in the Spurs keeping Purdle. They've had like four for fifty eight million dollars extension offer on the table forever that he's not taking because he thinks he can get twenty a year. I would not pay Purdle twenty a year, but the Spurs have the option of doing that than some other teams might. I don't know, he's you know, he's not meaningfully better than like here, or at all than someone like you know, Nick Klaxon or Brook Lopez and you know, Kevon Looney makes seven or something like. There's just you don't pay twenty million, even in a cap environment that's going up for someone that's just like a good center. You know, I don't see it. So anyway, Richardson seems to be the hottest commodity, and I just if I can get two firsts for you know, some combination of those guys. Great, but because of their flexibility, because of their cap space, because of all their options, because they don't care if they win. I'm on the phone if I'm the Spurs with just like it's the Utah plan. Like I want to talk to every team that has a recent draft pick that you know either hasn't hit or has disappointed. Like so you know, Scotty barn is not going to happen. But I'm calling Toronto just like what we gotta do. An Andobie is a little different. Wiseman Moody, Patrick Williams in Chicago be hopping for the Knicks, Like Jalen Suggs. We'll take a shot on Jalen Suggs. Let's have him, Like we'll give you Jordan Pool that will swallow that poison pill, Zaire Williams, Jalen Johnson, Like there's just anybody that's Camraddish. Let's just give me all the guys that we can take a crack on with our player development system and see if we get out of them. You know what their teams hoped for, book couldn't. So Richardson's my most likely got to move. I think they should move McDermott, Richardson and Peardle and I just you know, you give give back whatever whatever package of bad money picks and you know, draft second draft flyers. I can get that. That's what I'm after. I will say that's the only way I see them getting multiple first for Peardle or a single first for McDermott and Richardson. Maybe if you stack them together, or if Zach Collins is involved, is if they take back bad money. But speaking on sort of taking some some flyer swings, my trade idea is the Cavs get Isaaca Core and Dylan Windler for Josh Richardson and Isaaca Core has been playing really well late. It's that time of the season where he's been hitting his threes. But do you trust him to hit threes in the playoffs? Do you need what he's bringing you defensively in the playoffs? Maybe because you play with two small guards. I will say it's not I don't think it's a non decision for Cleveland, but you have Richardson, who I think is maybe a more bankable player. Yeah, I'm san Antonio. I might even consider like throwing one of the second round picks that I have in the bank towards this. For me, not to speak on your map, but this was an easier decision for the for the Spurs than it was for the Cavs, which is the whole point of how these trades are proposed. But curious your thoughts. Yeah, no, I think ideally, if I'm Cleveland, I really want Isaaca Coro to solve my small forward problem because that's kind of what we drafted him to do. But if I'm the Spurs, I really want a piece of I want a Coro because he is trending up because he is someone that like just might might eventually be what the Calves need him to be, just not quite yet. And what matters is now, because we have a contender now, so Richardson could plausibly be upgrade. I love it for the Spurs, and from the Calves I perspective, I totally see the justification just because I think a corals like seventeen of his last thirty one. I was just worked from deep. I was just working on something involving him. I mean, if he's gonna do that, then suddenly suddenly he's like one of those we've we've seen it before, is my thing. Yeah, we've seen flashes. Every everything you hear from Cleveland is he works incredibly hard and everybody really likes him. That's like a lot of people will say, who cares. What matters is a three point percentage, But I so if I'm the Spurs, I want every all the shares of a choro that I can get, and guys like that that are just they haven't quite worked out. But it's not like the book's not shut yet, you know what I mean. And the alternative is kind of just like, and I'm not saying this wouldn't be possible, but you would have to do unless they want Carras as the value, but you could do Jetty Osman and Dylan Windler and then seconds like you're getting multiple seconds for Josh Hrichson. And maybe that's plausible. Maybe the Spurs willing to do something like that. Yeah, but I'm trying to get a coral from them to be clear. Our final team of the Southwest Division. The Houston Rockets, they are definitively sellers, but they also are kind of in this weird spot where they need a consolidation trade just because they have so many just guys on the roster and they're they're not all good, but a lot of them are intriguing. They don't all fit together, but some of them might. Some of them weren't bigger roles, some of them weren't smaller roles. I think you look at them and you can say, when looking at the consolidation trade, we know that Tardy Easton, Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Junior is a poison pill. And then Alpren, Shankloon and Jabari Smith, those guys aren't going anywhere. Like you just get into the names. Eric Gordon should be traded, and then you have Josh Christopher was losing minutes to Dation Nicks at one point, you have Garrison Matthews, Husmont Gruba still barely plays. Does kJ Martin still want to be there? He only is a year left or you're going to pay him? Jay Shawn Tate is even just like a guy where it's oh, I've seen the reports that Houston considers him part of their core, but he's not, like, is he part of their core, especially now that you have the emergence of Easton ty Ty Washington's not playing? Can you open up it's for him? They just need, like to open up the runway for some of these guys, and the best way to do that, at least somewhat is definitely to trade Eric Gordon, but to then make some kind of other tough calls. What's good is I don't think they have a player that's I like, no players impossible to move. But like you look at like we came off the Spurs, they have all easy players to move, but there's not even someone on this team where it's like, oh, Doug McDermott has thirteen point five million next season, but I want to take that on. You just move anybody. I just don't know who it's going to be. I think Eric Gordon's the most likely player to be dealt, and I don't think that like maybe that's arguable because the size is salary, But who would it be after him? You don't necessarily know the route that they're going to take. So that's what I'm watching for, is will they actually move Eric Gordon at long last and are they going to make some sort of a consolidation move. I mean they have to trade Gordon, Like he doesn't even want now that's it's like twenty twenty, right, But now he's saying like the quote the other day of of like there's been no growth or there's been no progress or something that he's like at some point the adults in the room, like when the adult gets cranky because he's been there for too long around all these kids, Like that's not that's not a good thing anymore. So like the I mean, I think things kind of smell rotten in Houston from like a play style perspective, like in a coaching perspective, and just John Wall said some stuff like I think John Wall a lot of that was a little revisionist, but I don't think he's wrong based on how the Rockets are playing that like there's not a whole ton of accountability or like real professional grooming happening there. So Gordon's got to get out of there for him and for the team. But then it's like just so we're gonna what are we gonna talk about now? Like Milwaukee, we're gonna talk about Cleveland, We're gonna talk about Memphis. We're gonna talk about Miami. Just you know, I don't know. His salary is not that easy to match, Like it's kind of bit you can't just probably take back money that's not great? Is like Miami's a perfect I think he'd be great there, but like, are you how much do you need to take back Duncan Robinson. I like, maybe he will definitely give you this year's first round pick, but is that enough? Yeah? I don't know. So, Yeah, he's he's clearly the most likely to move after that, Like I mean, have appeal just because he can shoot it. And then Tate I can defend and play hard, and maybe you don't need two of those guys, and you have Eason like you said so, but other than other than Gordon, Like if if the Rockets emerged from this trade deadline and Gordon is still on the roster, it almost doesn't matter what else they do, like they will have just failed, I think, because it's just it's way past time. Don't worry, I can't. With a trade worth, he will no longer be on their roster. Perfect are you ready? Yea? The Rockets receive Grayson Allen Dario Scharich, Indiana's twenty twenty five second that comes from Milwaukee. Phoenix is twenty twenty six second, Milwaukee's twenty twenty seven second, Milwaukee's twenty twenty eight second, and Milwaukee's twenty twenty nine second. So it's Grayson Allen, Dario Starts, and five first round picks, all of which convey after twenty twenty four. The Suns get Eric Gordon, the Bucks get Jay Crowder. So the Bucks are giving up Grayson Allen and four first rounders for Jake Crowder the Sun for a second. Yeah, no, no four first, because that's not too much for Jake Crowder. I don't know what you think. I don't think Jake Crowder. I think like maybe three four too many for Jake Crowder. And the Suns are giving up Dario Sarich, the inactively employed Jay Crowder, and the second round pick for Eric Gordon. I mean it works for me, It works for me. That's just a lot of second Raphael Stone please, yeah, I think I think Allan, Yeah, why not? Would you say I'm sorry? Go ahead? I said, I don't think you're getting a first for Gordon. Just I'm not the team that might be willing to give it up. Like, let's use Milwaukee. Let's say they had a first round pick. But if you're a team that's giving up a first round pick you for Eric Gordon, you've humors the finishing piece, in which case you might actually have to pay him twenty million next year if you win the title. I would say, humbly, who who the fuck cares you want a title? Pay Eric Gordon? But teams don't think that way. And so like Milwaukee has the factor that like they might even think, well, why are we giving up four seconds for this guy? We have to pay him twenty million? Maybe next season? I would like I would do it, but they're not getting Eric Gordon this scenario clearly, But like Phoenix, that has to be part of their calculus. And so, like you don't want to see Fred van Fleet in Phoenix, this is you get to keep eating. You get up No. First, and then you get like another small player that you're still going to play with Paul and Booker in the playoffs. Yeah, who can guard up? But I mean Gordon can guard a two and a three. Van Fleet is just like a one position can give you even now is going to give you more rim pressure than Van Fleet. Yes, right, and yeah, I think there's also some potential for like the version of Eric Gordon we're seeing right now is the one that's just like, get me the fuck out of here. You know, I can be twenty percent better and me just because I'm playing for a different team than the Rockets, Like that's totally you know, we've seen it before. That's just the type of thing that so you know, he's not getting a first because I don't think anybody believes that the best version of Eric Gordon is worth that with all the financial stuff you've outlined, but I think you could expect something better than what he's been For sure. This was fun. I think we killed it. Are you ready to take us out? Yes? Everybody, Thank you again for listening. As always, and as we request at the top and we do at the bottom. Please remember to rate, review, subscribe, give us five stars on iTunes, vote us up on YouTube, and get these rogue contingents of Homer fans put them in their place. Follow us on socials, at Hardwood Knox on Twitter, and TikTok at Hardwood Underscore Knox on Instagram. Links for all kinds of stuff are in the description of this video. If you're watching and if you're listening again, thank you. Tell your friends, tell your enemies, and as always we leave with just a big shout out to Frank Nilicky and It who again was unmentioned in this episode, and an apology to Jared out m