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What is krack lacking fellow thermonuclear a
efforts. I am Dampa Valley coming at

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you with my certified fantabulous no longer
needs caffeine to have high energy. Co

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host Grant Hughes. He is hacked
life, the fountain of youth, d

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aging the He's hacked the d aging
process. That doesn't even make sense.

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I'm all over the place. We
have another offseason lookhead for you. We

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are doing the Southwest Division before we
get started. Please remember if you subscribe

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00:00:45,079 --> 00:00:48,679
if you haven't done so already,
hit that sub button on YouTube, subscribe

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00:00:48,679 --> 00:00:51,600
on Spotify and Apple. Ratings interviews
on Apple help us out a ton,

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00:00:51,679 --> 00:00:54,880
so throw those up there. Join
our discord to link to that. As

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00:00:54,920 --> 00:00:57,880
in the podcast description, you get
to have great basketball talk. We've just

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ran a mock draft there that was
super, super fun and that episode will

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be out on Draft day itself.
By merch. I'm wearing still because we're

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recording this on the same day.
I promise I'm not wearing the same clothes

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over and over, although you could
because Hardwin Knox gear is very fashionable.

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But check out our merch. That's
another that's the best way to support the

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00:01:15,519 --> 00:01:19,599
show financially at this point, and
see we refuse to create a Patreon or

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some kind of subscription service the LinkedIn
that is in the podcast and YouTube description.

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And I believe oh follow us on
the socials at Hardwin Knox on TikTok

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where we are famous now not really
just kidding at Hardwarknox on Twitter, at

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Hardward Underscore Knox on Instagram. Grant, I last spoke with you about thirty

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seconds ago. How are you doing? I'm terrible a lot of No,

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I'm doing great, doing just as
well. And I'm energized by the preview

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we just did, which is separate
from this and doesn't exist potentially if you're

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only listening to this one. And
I am further energized by and talk about

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the Southwest Division because there's some interesting
teams here, and they run the gamut

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of really bad potentially to really good
to really exciting. I've said exciting several

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times. So maybe I should stop
drinking coffee from my Hardwood Knox mug,

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00:02:07,039 --> 00:02:09,479
but I'm doing it anyway. You
want to use the cold plunge really quickly,

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we could bring No, I don't
want to overdo it. No,

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I don't want to overdo it.
I want to preserve the effectiveness. I

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can start us off here unless you
want to get to anything else. With

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the Dallas Mavericks, which alphabetically are
the first team in the Southwest Division,

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we're going to hit. We remain
great at the alphabet I just want to

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warn anyone who's listening and can hear
it, we're setting ten minute timers.

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Music might play in the background when
it goes off because we're trying to paste

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this, but yes, please take
us through the Dallas Mavericks. I just

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want to start with a man,
nay, a legend close to your heart.

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He's the first free agent, not
alphabetically, but in our hearts in

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all other ways you could rank things. The one only Frank Millikina, who

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gets shouted out every episode that I'm
on. I don't know if you you

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know just and for years has been
shouted out. He's a somehow the Dallas

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Mavericks did not max except when last
eligible, so he is a free agent,

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along with Dwight pal Christian Wood,
Kyrie Irving. Maybe you've heard of

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that guy, Josh Green is eligible
for an extension. Basically, the MAVs,

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well, they kind of put themselves
in this position. When they made

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the Irving trade, they dealt away
a lot of potentially valuable mid tier salaries

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and useful players to essentially have one
star under contract in Luca don Chich and

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the desperate need to retain the other
one despite little competition relative relatively speaking in

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the market, and so they can
have the mini mid level available if Kyrie

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comes back on a new deal.
They can also clear twenty five ish million

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if he leaves and they renounce everybody
else that's a free agent and cut Reggie

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Bullock, who has a ten point
four ten point five million dollars salary,

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only about half of which is guaranteed, although at see six six eight twenty

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three as his guarantee date. So
I don't know that, Reggie ball I

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guarantee you're looking at sub twenty million
in cap space, then it yeah,

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they're looking at under that. So
a couple paths to go. They need

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a bunch of players to just fill
out this roster support their two stars,

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ideally defensively. So I will throw
it to you. What are your main

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thoughts on the MAVs. What should
their goals be this offseason, what should

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they not do and what can they
use to do it. Well, if

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we have to start with Kyrie Irving, what we both expect him to be

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back, right, we would be
pretty surprised if he wasn't, just because

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the whole reason he wanted a trade
was so that his next team could have

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his bird rights. What is the
deal? Like? How many years do

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you think he is up with it? Is he getting the full max?

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I mean when you get into like
what his his full full full max would

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be, what is he at he
would be at five years and two hundred

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and fifty eight million dollars roughly based
off Yeah, one hundred thirty four million

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dollars cap. I don't think he's
going to get that. If my prediction,

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do you think I'm gonna set the
over under on guaranteed years no,

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no, no team options or non
guarantees at three years? Would you take

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the over the under on that?
I'm and like just predicting or what I

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would feel comfortable with no predicting.
I think it's well, I think it's

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probably over. I wouldn't go more
than like two plus one personally, but

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that might not be realistic given like
the levers he has over the MAVs.

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Who would just lose a ton if
he walks. Yeah, it's the number.

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I don't know about you, but
if for me it's more the years

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than the dollars, because I would
be okay with like a max for two

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or even three potentially years. But
if you get into the fourth and certainly

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the fifth, which just seems ridiculous, like unfathomable to me to commit five

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years to him, that's the problem. I think, just you cannot Nothing

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in Kyrie Irving's track record suggests you
can commit to him and expect a reciprocal

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commitment over like more than a year, honestly, So getting into the four

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and five is just like it's a
non starter for me, and I don't

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I don't think the MAVs will have
to go that far. But there are

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teams that you know that are interested. It's just some of the mechanics of

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getting Irving anywhere else get kind of
thorny. A three year, one hundred

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forty seven point seven million dollars deal
for Kyrie Irving would be the max.

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I wondered, like, that doesn't
seem unpalatable for anyone, does it?

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Like it's short term risk for the
Mavericks And if you're Kyrie, you still

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guarantee yourself almost one hundred fifty million. Maybe if it's a two plus one

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two and that plus one's a player
option, is that making more likely to

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do it? It's I'd be shocked
if he gets five years, just because

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I'll just be floored. Do you
expect him to get max money? I

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think I think it's I could see
it if it were a three year deal

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because like the number you just threw
out, three four one forty seven like

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doesn't trigger you know, nausea for
me, Like I it's like that's okay,

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fine, Like it's a little three
years is a while. But that's

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if it was a two plus one
at the max, Like zero problem with

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that. I think that's just a
good it's a good, if risky investment.

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I think, well, let me
let me put it to you.

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Put it to you what reason other
than we're scared he'll leave? Like do

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the MAVs have to go into like
the danger zone of whether it's years or

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dollars on him, because like it's
just not that easy to for him to

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go someplace and get everything that he
wants, Like that's just not there are

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not good options for that. So
his leverage other than I'm gonna leave and

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you guys are screwed. It's the
Rockets exist and have caps based and or

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desperate. That's what seems like his
leverage would be. Because look, I

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think the middle grounds here. Kyriver
is a good basketball player. The Mavericks.

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One the minutes that him and Lukod
Dodgers play together, the defense was

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not good. There were concerns during
crunch time. There's real concerns about this

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roster. But I think you can
make it work between them. The middle

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ground seems three years, one hundred
forty eight million whatever. That was no

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no options for anybody. So Kyrie
Evering gets some longer term security. The

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Mavericks don't have to deal with the
dance of Okay, we go through one

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year and then all of a sudden
he's on. He could be on an

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expiring contract again. That also leaves
you outs with a trade. There might

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be teams that are more willing to
trade for him if he has too guaranteed

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years left on his deal after the
after the first one. That seems like

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the nice middle ground for everybody.
I do wonder, because of all the

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reasons that you just outlaid though,
is this a four year max situation where

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it's you know, four years.
I don't even know what the exact numbers

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on a four year max be about, so like that would that would make

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me if I'm if I'm Kyrie.
No, it's not gonna make me pause

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at all, Like I'm absolutely,
Oh it's four years. Two hundred and

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one point seven million dollars. Actually
have a column for the four year maps

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and I just wasn't looking at it. So that would make me if there

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was a team option at the end
of it, Like, is that the

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way you sort of win the like
the reporting if you're Kyrie and like his

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his agent, which I believe is
his stepmother, still so like, oh,

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he signed a four year max deal, but there's a team option at

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the end of it, so the
MAVs, you've only committed to the three

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end, Like that could increase his
trade value down the line as well.

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So maybe that's actually the middle ground, But I think the real middle ground

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is three year flat max, no
options. If you can get a team

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option for the MAVs, you absolutely
do it if you're Kyrie, Like,

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this is why you want to get
yourself the longest term guaranteed money and if

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they're throwing you know, if you
want to get into the Kyrie business for

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four guaranteed years level and five,
I can't do it at the max money.

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And what I will also say is, I do wonder if this is

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regardless of how you feel about Kyrie
Irving the person and the distraction that he

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can be, even Kyrie Irving the
basketball player, I'm wondering, if you

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know, impended consequence for players of
this new CBA is okay? Kyrie turns

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thirty two next year. As a
team, we're looking at how punitive and

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limited it is to build around not
just a player on one max, but

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two maxes, both of which are
thirty percent or above, in Kyrie's case

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to be thirty five percent. Are
we going to see teams be more hesitant

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to max out guys at that level
later into their career where throw aside everything

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we know about Kyrie Irving's history off
the quarter, behind the scenes, or

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on social media, and would he
just be a no brainer max this summer

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in a normal climate. Yes,
In this new climate, I'm just not

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so sure because I think teams are
gonna analyze the back end of these deals

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a lot more critically than they were
in the past. I think not only

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that, but I think now don't
tell the Suns this. I think teams

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are gonna have to look more closely
at not just we gotta get as many

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Max guys as we can. Like
obviously those days among rational teams are over,

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but I think you would if this
were a year from now and you

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somehow the same circumstances that led to
the original Irving trade to Dallas in place,

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I think the MAS would have to
say, he's kind of duplicative like

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we already have. Like, if
we're going to pay another you know,

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Max or supermax level guy, he's
gonna need to be someone who will get

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the full value out of Whereas like
Bill, as the example, is going

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to go be a third option for
fifty million dollars and he's not going to

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help in like all the other ways
that the Suns need help. He's just

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more of kind of the same thing
that they have, which has its benefits.

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But like I think the other effects
again to reiterate, is that you're

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not just going to throw Max guys
together like a hardened Durant Kyrie thing or

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now you know, feel Durant Booker
and Luca and Kyriek caught him are in

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a similar boat. You might just
need to balance your skill sets a little

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bit better because it's gonna cost you
so much and be so limiting to have

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a bunch of max guys. You
just can't have them overlap, I think

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would be You know so again that
that doesn't help the Mavericks this offseason.

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They already have Kyrie and we should
probably transition to some of the roster needs.

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Yea, the timer has gone off, so that's okay. What do

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they need? What do the MAVs
need? It's perimeter defense and interior defense.

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Like they just need defense and so
names I'm looking in the mini mL

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E territory Dolan Brooks, matist side
ball, Bismac Behombo. If you're trying

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to go minimums, Danny Green,
josh A Kogi how Home that though,

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can give you some point of attack
defense. Javon Carter would have to be

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a mini m E guy if he
declines his player option. Jella McDaniel is

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probably minimally guy. Daddy is Young
could be a minimum guy if he gets

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waved by by Toronto. If they
want higher end swings, and I'll let

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you add any names to this list
thereafter, like do they have they can

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trade two first round picks this summer
and salary to connect get you in the

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og out an Obi sweep stakes,
Like he would be the guy two first

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and I mean you could offer Josh
Green or Jade and Hardy. I don't

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know why you want to offer everyone, but like two first in salary for

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o G. I'm doing that if
I'm the Mavericks. I think that gets

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you in the conversation with Toronto.
Yeah, I think so too. And

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you've got Hardaway and Davis Burton's as
your matching salary, and mostly with that

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number ten pick, even that even
one of those might be enough, maybe

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not for og but to kind of
get in, you know, get in

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some conversations that way. I don't
have a lot else to add here,

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and we're already over time, so
we should probably go to the Rockets because

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that's another pretty interesting team that will
probably force us over the time limit as

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well. Here's hoping, not because
we are we're trying to be We're trying

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to be swift here, but let's
get to the the Houston Rockets. Key

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free agents none really kJ Martin has
a team option I'm assuming they'll pick up

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no key extension eligible candidates. Their
cap situation best spending tool is just going

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to be actual cap space. They
have a quessfied as a ship ton can

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get to over sixty two million dollars
if they announced everyone except for kJ Martin

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and their first round holds. They
do have one notable trade exception three point

203
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nine million from the Christian wood trade
that expires on June twenty sixth. Though,

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their biggest needs, and I think
this is where we start, are

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kind of all over the place because
they owe okay see a protected first round

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or twenty four and twenty six and
okay se has swap rights in twenty twenty

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five that is top ten protected on
that, I like, their needs are

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all over the place. They need
top end talent, They need defensive talent.

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You could argue that they need They
definitely need shooting. Do they need

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a point guard? Do they need
a big or do you trust Shangoon and

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Jabari Smith Junior to develop into your
front line of the future. They pretty

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much need everything. The question is
how aggressive are you when it comes to

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accelerating this process? Are you?
We've talked about this enough and we don't

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want to blow through the time.
I think we're both of the mind that

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even if you're going to accelerate at
your timeline, it doesn't make much sense

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to go and max out or pay
James Harden really for any number of years

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if he's giving you a discount Shore. But he's not going to do that.

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I don't see like you can even
tell me, well, they could

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trade turn around and trade for another
star James Harden plus whom is making you

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a contender? And I just I
don't know the answer to that. And

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I think Harden. We have to
talk about Harden because it's just been rumored

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forever. And is it a leverage
play to get more from Philly? Is

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it real? I think all of
the above. Maybe, Like I don't,

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I don't know, but I agree
with you that Lake Houston has so

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much money it could just it's getting
Harden is not a problem. I think

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he's the wrong kind of guy.
If you add Harden, you better be

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sure that you're young guys are not
lead ball handler first option, uh,

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you know, potential type guys.
Because I think he's gonna be on the

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ball a ton. It sounds like
maybe Jadac Rivers interviewed fairly recently, and

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it seemed like he was saying that
Harden still just wanted to be ball dominant

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Harden and Philly and that was a
real struggle. So, like, I

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think he's gonna stunt the growth of
some of the younger guys potentially just in

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terms of they're just touches. The
touches them won't be there for them.

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So if you don't think Jalen Green
and you know he deserves more of an

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offensive sheriff, you don't think he
has that potential. If you don't think

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Alpern Sangoon is going to be a
playmaking center, then yeah, Like I

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guess Harden whatever is not going to
do that much damage, but somebody else

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makes more sense. So like,
if it's Van Vleet, if you want

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to want to swoop in on the
Kyrie thing, I guess you could.

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I don't know that I would go
for that, but they have Coming up

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with options for them is tricky because
I think a lot hinges on Hardened as

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far as like what kind of team
are you going to be this year?

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It's clear they want to get better, but they still have a lot of

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avenues to do that, and like
you said, it doesn't have to be

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a max guy. You could,
you know, throw twenty million bucks at

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three differents if you wanted to and
just kind of build a mid tier veteran

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roster that way. I don't know. I don't know. You could get

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in Jeremy Grant territory. You could
go get Harris and Barns. You could,

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Like, it's kind of limitless as
far as what they could do.

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And I think it just depends on
who that first domino is, Like who's

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the guy they sign where it signals
a direction? You know, I would

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it would almost be like and I
don't know if they could afford this,

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but let's say they could, and
I'm sure they, Like if you end

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up with Fred van Fleet and Christops
Porzingis that feels less wildly indicative of one

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direction where you'd be able to Those
are guys who will streamline the development of

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everybody else they fit, but they
won't cannibalize reps for the number four pick

257
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for Jail and Green for Jabari Smith
Junior. That feels like the most palatable

258
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outcome. But they've also been mentioned
and you alluded to this where it's like

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to the non star names of just
paying a bunch of like Dylan Brooks.

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Everyone affects in them to sign Dylan
Brooks, and it's like, all right,

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you have the money, so you
have to pay him above the mL

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E. Not the end of the
world, but you could Brooks like eighteen

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million dollars. I don't know what
that That doesn't commit you to one direction,

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but I don't know if that's how
much better that's actually making you.

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And I think, yes, okay, the defensive mentality getting that in there,

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I just that's not I don't want
to see them. I'm all for

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them towing the middle ground more than
skewing all the way towards James Harden,

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but I don't want to see them
kind of hover around the sub middle and

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going, you know, the Dylan
Brooks route. Feels like that would be

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very much it even going the I
guess I wouldn't mind if they paid Trey

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Jones like that, you know,
brook Lopez is even fines like those are

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the type like a Dylan Brooks.
Or let's go and pay Io dasun move

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or should we be the team that
goes in poison pills Austin Reeves. I'm

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not really about that for them,
but they're also an interesting because it's so

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hard to pick a direction for them. And I think both of us,

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if we were in charge, would
still kind of slow play this. Fred

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van Fleet or Chris stops for me, Let's see, how do you feel

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00:18:52,039 --> 00:18:56,440
it's probably like the extent to which
that would really accelerate this process. Yeah,

279
00:18:56,440 --> 00:19:00,400
I think I think that's right.
And I think as you're talking,

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it made me realize, like,
I'm not that high on really any of

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their young guys, Like I'm not
sold on Green. I think Jabari Smith

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Junior had a really uneven first year. Sangun I like, but he has

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flaws. I wonder if, like, it seems pretty clear that their coaching

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situation was suboptimal for most of those
guys tenure, and I would be curious

285
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to see what they look like with
Emmyodoka running things, And like maybe it's

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00:19:26,200 --> 00:19:30,799
just a case where natural maturation and
a new coach suddenly all these young guys

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00:19:30,799 --> 00:19:36,400
they have looked better, and you
don't feel as motivated or compelled to like

288
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go make a big splash signing because
because oh this the trajectory is angling up

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and we can just organically build this, like that's not totally off the table,

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especially if they keep this number four
pick and do something with it to

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add to that core. But yeah, if I'm spending porzingis van Vleet,

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Like, I don't think I'm gonna
go into the into the absolute upper tier

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of MAX guys just because I don't
see one out there that makes sense from

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a risk standpoint and as young enough
that you work with some of these guys

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developmentally. So yeah, that's all
I got on on on Houston. Unless

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you have anything else, we can
move on. Uh, did you have

297
00:20:17,960 --> 00:20:21,759
any trade targets that you want to
mention for them? I mean they don't

298
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need to trade anything. They could
just sign whoever they want. Like,

299
00:20:23,720 --> 00:20:27,440
would you go after a Siakam if
you're them or you know the Jaalen Brown

300
00:20:27,440 --> 00:20:30,960
link to email Udoka. Do you
look at Jared Allen or you a team

301
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that gets into Zion Williamson. Yeah, that's one we've talked about that.

302
00:20:36,200 --> 00:20:38,000
I think if you throw number four
out there, I forget the package.

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00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:41,680
We did a live stream the last
week and we both talked ourselves into Houston

304
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as a great Zion destination built around
number four. And like Jabari Smith and

305
00:20:47,240 --> 00:20:49,440
I don't know Tara Eason or something
like that. So you wouldn't make that

306
00:20:49,480 --> 00:20:52,839
type of a even though it's Zion, it's a team that he kind of

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gets. It's a player that kind
of fits your timeline. You wouldn't.

308
00:20:56,359 --> 00:21:00,039
You're not making the star trade unless
you're also getting player in free agency that

309
00:21:00,079 --> 00:21:04,279
I don't want to say necessitate,
but would incentivize you to make sense star

310
00:21:04,359 --> 00:21:07,880
trades as well. The Zions.
I mean, come, Zion obviously has

311
00:21:07,880 --> 00:21:11,400
a bunch of questions about like fitness
and health and everything. But like someone

312
00:21:11,519 --> 00:21:17,519
like him makes more sense to me
than Harden or or even like van Fleet

313
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and Porzingis, who would you know? They're good players and but they would

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00:21:19,640 --> 00:21:23,319
be sort of stop gaps like this
isn't unless you're just blowing the core up,

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00:21:23,799 --> 00:21:26,519
you know. I think you still
have this earlier timeline that you're kind

316
00:21:26,519 --> 00:21:30,319
of trying to nurture. So but
Zion, you know, Zion risks and

317
00:21:30,319 --> 00:21:32,920
all our brandon ingram I guess if
if you want to put four on the

318
00:21:32,920 --> 00:21:36,279
table and the Pelicans bite, there, I think is another decent candidate.

319
00:21:36,319 --> 00:21:41,759
I would skew Young if I'm making
trades for the Rockets, I think that's

320
00:21:41,759 --> 00:21:45,200
fair. Do you want to take
us through the Memphis Grizzlies yep, key

321
00:21:45,240 --> 00:21:49,559
free agents here, Xavier Tillman can
hit restrict your free agency if they decline

322
00:21:49,640 --> 00:21:53,559
his team option. Other than that, pretty locked in roster. Desmond Bayin

323
00:21:53,640 --> 00:21:57,440
is extension eligible. His max is
five years for two oh seven quick fired

324
00:21:57,480 --> 00:22:02,160
in? Are you paying Desmond bain
five two one hundred and seven million dollars

325
00:22:02,160 --> 00:22:06,960
for five years? Right now?
Today? Done? Done? I think

326
00:22:07,319 --> 00:22:11,839
Do you think they will? Do
you think that's gonna happen? I'm gonna

327
00:22:11,839 --> 00:22:17,440
say yeah, I think he's gonna
get the max if he hits restricted free

328
00:22:17,440 --> 00:22:19,200
agency next year, maybe they make
him wait I think, but I think

329
00:22:19,200 --> 00:22:22,680
they saw him to an extension.
Yeah, I'm with you, all right.

330
00:22:22,759 --> 00:22:26,039
So they do have the full MLI, they can get about twenty million

331
00:22:26,319 --> 00:22:30,519
in cap space or sorry, beneath
the tax unless they give Tilman more money,

332
00:22:30,559 --> 00:22:33,440
which seems unlikely. I mean,
he was a good player, but

333
00:22:33,559 --> 00:22:38,759
he's a third or fourth big I
think no trade exceptions. This is a

334
00:22:38,759 --> 00:22:42,559
team that we have harped on forever, has the assets to go get your

335
00:22:42,839 --> 00:22:48,039
you know three and d Wing du
jour. It was a lot easier before

336
00:22:48,079 --> 00:22:52,119
all these extensions kicked in for some
of their younger guys, but they still

337
00:22:52,119 --> 00:22:56,680
have the ability to go do that. I think they just needed an upgrade

338
00:22:57,480 --> 00:23:00,559
of that three spot. Someone that
can do a little bit with the ball,

339
00:23:00,599 --> 00:23:03,519
can make open threes, and can
guard. I don't know what order

340
00:23:03,519 --> 00:23:07,960
I would put those skills in in
terms of their importance. But you know,

341
00:23:08,079 --> 00:23:14,559
Memphis, it's gonna not have John
Ran for twenty five games. There's

342
00:23:14,640 --> 00:23:18,440
rumors now about potentially trading Tias Jones, which I don't know. How do

343
00:23:18,480 --> 00:23:22,720
you do not understand? How do
you do that with John missing twenty five

344
00:23:22,799 --> 00:23:26,720
games? And also we even discussed
that, so let's maybe just spend a

345
00:23:26,799 --> 00:23:30,519
quick note on that. I will
say I made a joke and someone was

346
00:23:30,559 --> 00:23:32,880
trolling me on Twitter. I ended
I'm muting them because they were pissing me

347
00:23:32,880 --> 00:23:34,720
off about how I said, while'd
you announce, you're not going to announce

348
00:23:34,720 --> 00:23:37,960
it because that's a distraction in itself. It really wasn't a distraction during the

349
00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:41,400
NBA Finals. So I was wrong
about that, but I think it was.

350
00:23:42,000 --> 00:23:45,640
I don't like, I don't know, like I just I feel like

351
00:23:45,799 --> 00:23:51,119
the suspension was inevitable and this was
them yea kind of saying this is the

352
00:23:51,160 --> 00:23:52,440
middle ground, and I don't I
don't really have an issue with it.

353
00:23:52,480 --> 00:23:56,000
And I saw people saying, well, you know, Kyrie Irving lost sponsorships

354
00:23:56,039 --> 00:24:00,400
because of what he tweeted on social
media, and it's just like all right,

355
00:24:00,559 --> 00:24:03,319
like totally different. Like everything John
Morant was doing proved to be not

356
00:24:03,440 --> 00:24:08,400
actively harmful at least when you're looking
at the Strip Club incident and then the

357
00:24:08,440 --> 00:24:11,279
IG Live incident, and you can
talk about his behavior off the court,

358
00:24:11,599 --> 00:24:17,599
that the that the Grizzlies and NBA
guess were complicit and I don't want to

359
00:24:17,599 --> 00:24:21,680
say covering up, but or even
I would say enabling. I just I'm

360
00:24:21,680 --> 00:24:25,960
fine with the suspension and I'm not
rooting against him. I hope that this

361
00:24:26,240 --> 00:24:30,920
actually inflicts some sort of change of
behavior and mentality, because clearly the first

362
00:24:32,160 --> 00:24:34,359
incident did not. And that's what
was just so regardless why you think it

363
00:24:34,400 --> 00:24:37,559
was a toy gun in the IG
Live or whatever I think twenty five games

364
00:24:37,640 --> 00:24:41,240
was, you know, is the
NBA inconsistent with his rulings Where you want

365
00:24:41,240 --> 00:24:45,880
to get into Miles Bridges and the
domestic violence case, he really gets a

366
00:24:45,920 --> 00:24:48,200
ten game suspension. You could say
he was ousted for the entire tiree of

367
00:24:48,279 --> 00:24:51,960
last season. That's not what happened. A team just didn't sign him,

368
00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:56,039
and that just like that, that's
beyond the scope of like the actual punishment,

369
00:24:56,079 --> 00:24:59,680
so you can get into that.
But I think I don't think this

370
00:24:59,720 --> 00:25:03,400
was two harsh, is what I'm
getting at. I'm not sure how I

371
00:25:03,440 --> 00:25:07,240
feel on that point. I am
surprised. I was surprised it was only

372
00:25:07,240 --> 00:25:10,519
twenty five games. I thought I
thought the number was going to be closer

373
00:25:10,559 --> 00:25:14,920
to fifty. Not because I think
that's fair or just or whatever, but

374
00:25:15,119 --> 00:25:19,680
just I thought that Adam Silver was
gonna view merant we I mean, I've

375
00:25:19,720 --> 00:25:22,519
anyone who heard me talk about this
this knows this is my take. But

376
00:25:22,599 --> 00:25:26,559
like I thought the league was gonna
say, we told you not to do

377
00:25:26,599 --> 00:25:32,079
a thing because it's bad. You
did the thing again, like right away

378
00:25:32,440 --> 00:25:36,880
after expressing like false remorse and like
kind of bullshit. I'm gonna work on

379
00:25:36,920 --> 00:25:41,839
myself, like from from a very
simple perspective of like don't do the thing,

380
00:25:41,880 --> 00:25:45,400
and then you did the thing,
and also the thing happens to be

381
00:25:45,480 --> 00:25:48,559
something the league is hyper conscious about
in terms of its image. I thought

382
00:25:48,599 --> 00:25:52,920
that the suspension would be longer,
but it is what it is. The

383
00:25:52,960 --> 00:25:56,440
Grizzlies, you're not going to have
too harsh, though, was your stance

384
00:25:56,440 --> 00:25:59,480
that you wouldn't have gone to twenty
five? I don't, I don't know

385
00:25:59,480 --> 00:26:03,680
what something like this because you said
it like no harm done, super risky

386
00:26:03,720 --> 00:26:07,799
and dangerous and stupid and bad from
a role model perspective. But nothing,

387
00:26:07,920 --> 00:26:11,680
nothing happened, like he didn't hurt
anybody. So I don't, I don't

388
00:26:11,680 --> 00:26:15,519
know how to weigh that against like
you get a year for performance enhancing drugs

389
00:26:15,599 --> 00:26:18,720
or like drugs of abuse you get
bridges. Basically did get a year and

390
00:26:19,640 --> 00:26:23,960
whatever you want to say, his
reputation incurred and like the acted costs of

391
00:26:25,000 --> 00:26:27,160
all that stuff all fair, all
deserved, like he deserved this to not

392
00:26:27,240 --> 00:26:32,920
play. But there's all these like
ancillary things like Marant's gonna you know,

393
00:26:33,559 --> 00:26:37,119
he did he lost money because he
wasn't all NBA eligible. He's gonna lose

394
00:26:37,160 --> 00:26:42,480
potentially award money, uh because because
he's gonna miss you know, probably more

395
00:26:42,480 --> 00:26:45,799
than the twenty five games, and
he'll fall under the threshold for consideration on

396
00:26:45,920 --> 00:26:51,359
for those So like there's a bunch
of costs here. I just thought I

397
00:26:51,359 --> 00:26:52,559
didn't mean to make you focus on
it. No, no, no,

398
00:26:53,000 --> 00:26:56,400
it's like the main thing affecting the
team, Like, yeah, they need

399
00:26:56,400 --> 00:26:59,960
a small forward. Let can talk
about that too. What did you change

400
00:27:00,279 --> 00:27:03,359
though? So too? I hate
Segueens. Does it him missing a quarter

401
00:27:03,400 --> 00:27:07,720
plus of the season change your approach
to the offsee where if you the Grizzlies,

402
00:27:07,799 --> 00:27:12,000
especially this organization has never been the
under this regime all in type,

403
00:27:12,000 --> 00:27:17,039
it's we're gonna bank on our internal
development. Are you now less likely to

404
00:27:17,119 --> 00:27:19,279
go out and make the move because
Miranda is missing time? Are you more

405
00:27:19,319 --> 00:27:22,920
likely because it's hey, our window
is still now? And yes, we've

406
00:27:22,920 --> 00:27:26,319
been very good without John Moranda over
the past couple of seasons. But it's

407
00:27:26,359 --> 00:27:30,559
just a little it's twenty five games. It just feels a little bit different,

408
00:27:30,559 --> 00:27:33,440
even though he's missed extended time in
the past. Do you think this

409
00:27:33,000 --> 00:27:37,119
like changes their offseason approach at all? I think the only thing it definitely

410
00:27:37,160 --> 00:27:41,359
does for me is make me way
less likely to trade Thias Jones. Like

411
00:27:41,440 --> 00:27:45,119
that's that's the only for sure thing. I don't know that it and you

412
00:27:45,160 --> 00:27:48,319
know, honestly, I don't know
that it should change their approach to filling

413
00:27:48,359 --> 00:27:52,880
out the roster holes they have.
I think the assumption should be Tias Jones

414
00:27:52,880 --> 00:27:56,400
has proved he can hold it down
for you know, much more than twenty

415
00:27:56,400 --> 00:28:00,039
five games in the past. We'll
be okay, we still have the needs

416
00:28:00,079 --> 00:28:04,039
we have. Like the idea I
think should be like in January or just

417
00:28:04,079 --> 00:28:10,799
call it Christmas or whatever, we
need to know we have these needs addressed,

418
00:28:10,799 --> 00:28:12,440
and we should just assume that Morant
will be back and you know,

419
00:28:12,640 --> 00:28:15,240
as good as he was last year
or better, assuming he stays healthy.

420
00:28:17,119 --> 00:28:19,920
So it doesn't change anything like fundamental
about what the Grizzly, what I think

421
00:28:19,920 --> 00:28:23,359
the Grizzly should go. Do any
targets that you want to get to for

422
00:28:23,400 --> 00:28:27,119
them. I mean, you can
dream pretty big, like I think Ogann

423
00:28:27,160 --> 00:28:32,319
and Obi is obvious there. If
you go a little smaller, you can

424
00:28:32,359 --> 00:28:34,960
get into free agency and think about
like Harrison Barnes, which would have to

425
00:28:34,960 --> 00:28:41,000
be a sign in trade. You
throw Boyam Bogdanovich in there too, like

426
00:28:41,079 --> 00:28:45,359
Kyle Kuzman is another sign and trade
guy, you know. I think o

427
00:28:45,480 --> 00:28:49,160
g We've talked about this plenty is
the one that I like there. I

428
00:28:49,160 --> 00:28:52,000
know you're not in love with that
because he just can't do enough with the

429
00:28:52,039 --> 00:28:56,640
ball. But if I'm just trying
to fill, you know, that three

430
00:28:56,680 --> 00:28:59,880
spot in the lineup, and I
can get some versatility there, maybe he

431
00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:03,480
insulates me against moving Steven Adams eventually
because he can guard centers if you need

432
00:29:03,519 --> 00:29:06,920
him too. I like him as
a four. With Jaren Jackson at the

433
00:29:06,960 --> 00:29:12,000
five potentially would be hilacious. Jared
Jackson, Well, who's your who's your

434
00:29:12,079 --> 00:29:15,559
small forward? In that look,
I think you've just kind of like moved

435
00:29:15,559 --> 00:29:18,720
the problem arounds in vain Jah Moran
and then it's like who just throw whoever

436
00:29:19,039 --> 00:29:22,440
in there? What about if they
were just to make they can make the

437
00:29:22,480 --> 00:29:26,440
Godfather offer because they have all their
own picks. They have some nice young

438
00:29:26,519 --> 00:29:30,599
players, Like if you went after
mcal Bridges would be I think the ideal

439
00:29:30,680 --> 00:29:34,759
get and better than OG for sure. What about and I'm trying to go

440
00:29:34,799 --> 00:29:38,680
a little bit off the beaten path
here, I think brandon Ingram's an obvious

441
00:29:38,680 --> 00:29:42,240
one. What about you call the
jazz about Larry marketing? Or is he

442
00:29:42,400 --> 00:29:48,359
too deplicative with Jaren Jackson Junior Because
you don't want to make triple j exclusively

443
00:29:48,400 --> 00:29:51,519
a five. I just we've seen
Lowry played the three in Utah and Cleveland,

444
00:29:51,519 --> 00:29:53,839
and this could be a team that
tries that out as well. Don't

445
00:29:53,880 --> 00:29:57,799
you think eventually Jackson just needs to
be the five all the time? Are

446
00:29:57,799 --> 00:30:02,440
you okay with him playing with a
conventional center going forward? I think I'm

447
00:30:02,440 --> 00:30:04,319
okay with him playing with anybody,
to be honest with Yeah, yeah,

448
00:30:04,480 --> 00:30:11,039
I think the conventional center is kind
of inoculate you against any of his rebounding

449
00:30:11,079 --> 00:30:14,119
droughts. So that's why Steven Adams
is such a great hit or why vow

450
00:30:14,200 --> 00:30:18,200
and Chews worked so well. But
I'm fine with him be I mean,

451
00:30:18,240 --> 00:30:21,400
like he just want defensive player of
the year, right, I'm fine with

452
00:30:21,480 --> 00:30:23,119
him being your five. Yeah.
Do you think the defensive player of the

453
00:30:23,160 --> 00:30:26,039
year is gonna be okay as the
center? Full time? Dan? Hard

454
00:30:26,119 --> 00:30:30,920
hitting question? And Market is actually
a good rebounder too, So I think

455
00:30:30,799 --> 00:30:33,000
that would be like my off the
beat and we're not talking a lot about

456
00:30:33,039 --> 00:30:36,920
him cause he just had such a
great year. But if the Jazz are

457
00:30:36,960 --> 00:30:40,240
really and I know they have enough
picks, but like he's a quintessential sell

458
00:30:40,319 --> 00:30:42,279
high candidate, you could take a
shout at John Collins too, if you

459
00:30:42,279 --> 00:30:45,279
didn't want to go, you know, really try to tend John Collins everywhere

460
00:30:45,400 --> 00:30:48,839
everywhere, somebody's got to do it. Dan, the Hawks have been trying

461
00:30:49,680 --> 00:30:52,759
and if lower end like they could
try and rehabilitate like t J. Warren,

462
00:30:52,839 --> 00:30:56,279
just get Tory Craig. And I
just don't know that that's a ton

463
00:30:56,319 --> 00:31:00,319
of upgrades your rotation a little bit
and there's a flyer, but at that

464
00:31:00,319 --> 00:31:02,480
point it's just you were kind of
saying, well, we really believe that

465
00:31:02,759 --> 00:31:04,759
David Roddy or santi All Damo is
going to be the answer for us,

466
00:31:04,839 --> 00:31:07,359
or Jake bl Rabia, and I
just don't you know. The Luke nar

467
00:31:07,440 --> 00:31:11,400
trade was good. It helped their
shooting because I'd like to see him get

468
00:31:11,079 --> 00:31:14,559
shooting, and it really did open
up their half court offense. They just

469
00:31:14,960 --> 00:31:17,920
that wing, that guy with size
who can also put the ball on before

470
00:31:17,920 --> 00:31:21,720
it's been in needs since like the
grit and grond Era. Right, how

471
00:31:21,920 --> 00:31:25,079
is Tayshaun Prince available? Can we
although he probably doesn't shoot it enough to

472
00:31:25,119 --> 00:31:27,920
matter anymore in the modern NBA?
Are you willing to take us through the

473
00:31:27,960 --> 00:31:32,680
New Orleans Pelicans so I can set
up the timer in the timestamp. Absolutely.

474
00:31:33,880 --> 00:31:37,079
Their key free agents include Josh Richardson
and Jackson Hayes, who is restricted

475
00:31:37,880 --> 00:31:44,319
some extension old will candidates Herb Jones
up to four years and seventy five million.

476
00:31:44,359 --> 00:31:47,599
I would pay him twice that much, probably maybe not quite that much.

477
00:31:48,480 --> 00:31:52,039
I just wanted to get your reaction. Or for seventy five Herb Jones

478
00:31:52,079 --> 00:31:55,440
seems prettyweet, though I would.
I would do that. I'm pretty sure

479
00:31:55,440 --> 00:31:57,559
that's what his extension will end up
at, but it's like that's fluid because

480
00:31:57,559 --> 00:32:01,880
of the cap stuff. Yeah,
Jose Alvarado Brandon Ingram is eligible for AMAX

481
00:32:01,920 --> 00:32:06,359
extension of up to three more years. Seems unlikely. So they have the

482
00:32:06,400 --> 00:32:12,559
mini MLI about six million under the
tax if if they renounced free agent rights

483
00:32:12,599 --> 00:32:15,599
to Josh Richardson and Jackson has to
take their cap holds off the book,

484
00:32:15,079 --> 00:32:20,960
no trade exceptions. So I will
just throw the need out there that we've

485
00:32:20,960 --> 00:32:24,599
talked about forever. I think you
still need a rim protector who can spread

486
00:32:24,599 --> 00:32:30,119
the floor at center, which is
hard to find, but it ain't Jonas

487
00:32:30,160 --> 00:32:32,720
Valentinis. So if you're gonna build
this team around Zion, which maybe is

488
00:32:32,759 --> 00:32:37,279
if you're now then it has been
in years past because he's bubbled up in

489
00:32:37,359 --> 00:32:40,720
some trade talks. You still just
need that guy that will offer you shooting

490
00:32:40,880 --> 00:32:45,200
to clear the lane for him on
offense and defend the rim because the Pelicans

491
00:32:45,240 --> 00:32:49,960
just don't have other than Jones and
maybe Dyson Daniels enough you know, shutdown

492
00:32:50,000 --> 00:32:53,200
guys out there. So anything I
missed there needs wise that you would target

493
00:32:53,519 --> 00:32:57,680
for New Orleans And if there's anyone
you'd like to throw out there, we

494
00:32:57,720 --> 00:33:02,000
could get to that. Let's just
move on. So they're gonna be unless

495
00:33:02,000 --> 00:33:07,319
they dump salary and maybe they'll use
part of the mini MLI like as of

496
00:33:07,440 --> 00:33:10,559
right now, you're already getting rid
of talent to stay beneath the tax line

497
00:33:10,559 --> 00:33:15,440
and Jackson Hayes and Josh Richardson and
so I just don't know when you're looking

498
00:33:15,440 --> 00:33:21,079
at perspective free agents that they could
go after Danny Green, Trey Lyles.

499
00:33:21,119 --> 00:33:23,359
Do they take a flyer on Mobamba
if he gets waved by the Lakers?

500
00:33:23,839 --> 00:33:28,920
Seth Curry and so I think if
they make any big changes, it'll be

501
00:33:28,960 --> 00:33:30,839
on the trade market. And I
agree with all your needs, or maybe

502
00:33:30,839 --> 00:33:34,279
they because I don't think they're even
gonna believe like, oh, you know,

503
00:33:34,400 --> 00:33:37,799
Kyra Lewis Junior really gonna lean on
him this year at the point spot,

504
00:33:37,799 --> 00:33:42,359
and that's how we're going to vary
up our attacks. I think we

505
00:33:42,640 --> 00:33:45,519
haven't talked about on this podcast.
I don't think the Zion Williams in like

506
00:33:45,640 --> 00:33:50,759
reports of the Pelicans are open to
moving him apparently, I do not.

507
00:33:50,799 --> 00:33:52,480
I want to make this clear.
We discussed like the idea for Bleach report

508
00:33:52,480 --> 00:33:55,400
and a live stream. I do
not expect them to move him, but

509
00:33:55,480 --> 00:33:59,799
I do think it makes sense that
they're probably more open to it now based

510
00:33:59,799 --> 00:34:02,119
off his and I don't want to
get into that off court stuff just because

511
00:34:02,119 --> 00:34:06,880
as far as we like, as
far as we know everything was, we

512
00:34:06,920 --> 00:34:08,480
don't need to get into the off
court stuff. The circumstances just do not

513
00:34:08,920 --> 00:34:13,239
warrant it. But there were reports
that the Pelicans are concerned about it.

514
00:34:13,239 --> 00:34:16,159
But there's also been reports that he's
never been more committed to New Orleans or

515
00:34:16,199 --> 00:34:20,519
the organization. But then they get
rid of Teresa Witherspoon, who was apparently

516
00:34:20,519 --> 00:34:23,920
instrumental in building the relationship with him, and then you also hear reports that,

517
00:34:23,960 --> 00:34:28,119
oh, he's not as close with
his teammates or CJ. McCollum might

518
00:34:28,159 --> 00:34:30,199
have hinted at that. It's just
all over the place. I think it's

519
00:34:30,199 --> 00:34:34,599
smart to be open to it,
but I just keep coming back to the

520
00:34:34,639 --> 00:34:37,360
fact. I don't think you need
to trade brandon Ingram or z Lion.

521
00:34:37,400 --> 00:34:40,159
I want to make that clear.
I just think Zion is the transcendent talent

522
00:34:40,480 --> 00:34:45,719
of the two, even if brandon
Ingram is more reliable. And I'm a

523
00:34:45,719 --> 00:34:49,599
little bit surprised. I guess the
availability if you're tired of it or and

524
00:34:49,880 --> 00:34:52,280
aggrieved by it, and we don't
know about everything behind the scenes, I

525
00:34:52,360 --> 00:34:55,360
understand it, so I get being
open to it. I would be firmly

526
00:34:55,440 --> 00:35:00,320
against trading Zion or brandon Ingram.
I want to just make that app really

527
00:35:00,360 --> 00:35:02,480
clear. If the team's gonna make
meaningful changes to me, it should be

528
00:35:04,039 --> 00:35:07,119
aggressively work to trade market in search
of the upgrades and better fitting players that

529
00:35:07,159 --> 00:35:14,000
you need. Yeah, I I
generally agree, but I would trade him

530
00:35:14,039 --> 00:35:16,719
for number three if Scoot was there, I would just do it. You

531
00:35:16,760 --> 00:35:21,079
would just trades Ion for Scoot,
straight up? I think, yeah,

532
00:35:21,119 --> 00:35:23,280
I think like I mean, obviously
that isn't how it works. But just

533
00:35:23,400 --> 00:35:29,079
if you're talking just purely, this
is the asset. I would rather have

534
00:35:29,239 --> 00:35:32,320
Scoot starting his rookie deal than Zion
where he is right now with all this

535
00:35:32,400 --> 00:35:37,079
stuff. We know that we've learned
the health wise, you know, I

536
00:35:37,400 --> 00:35:42,800
take your point that you've we've just
gotten so many conflicting reports about you know,

537
00:35:43,000 --> 00:35:46,519
his commitment and just like how in
is he and all that other stuff,

538
00:35:46,519 --> 00:35:50,960
Like it does feel like for virtually
his whole career there have been questions

539
00:35:51,000 --> 00:35:53,480
about whether it's like he's rehabbing in
Portland all you know, of country away

540
00:35:53,599 --> 00:35:58,480
from the team, He's not staying
in shape, There's all this other stuff

541
00:35:58,480 --> 00:36:01,000
that there's been enough of that where
I have like legitimate doubts as to whether

542
00:36:01,760 --> 00:36:07,079
you know, he's ever going to
be as valuable as he was well healthy

543
00:36:07,119 --> 00:36:09,360
this past season. Like that just
we just that's on the table that that

544
00:36:09,440 --> 00:36:13,480
may be there. So I just
rather have Scoop. But I don't know

545
00:36:13,519 --> 00:36:17,840
that's that's a realistic possibility for the
Pelicans. So yeah, And if you're

546
00:36:17,920 --> 00:36:21,719
if you're trading him, I know
that's stupid because it's cool. But if

547
00:36:21,719 --> 00:36:23,559
you're if that's the trade for Zion
Wims and you're almost trading him at the

548
00:36:23,639 --> 00:36:28,400
nader of his value, right,
that's the other for you absolutely are like

549
00:36:28,440 --> 00:36:30,159
that, there's no wild to say
because it's the number three pick, and

550
00:36:30,159 --> 00:36:34,159
then you're consigning yourself to still a
longer. I know you have CJ and

551
00:36:34,159 --> 00:36:37,719
Brandon Ingram and other players whore gonna
win. Trey Murphy is amazing right now,

552
00:36:37,000 --> 00:36:43,000
but I'm just like, how much
does this team Let's just say Gary

553
00:36:43,000 --> 00:36:46,159
Trent Junior ops in, or you're
able to get Miles Turner and using the

554
00:36:46,159 --> 00:36:51,440
salary filler so you're not giving up
any of your core and picks like and

555
00:36:51,480 --> 00:36:53,639
you're able to get one of those
guys and Gary tren Junior. I don't

556
00:36:53,639 --> 00:36:57,280
think the cost would be all that
much, But the Raptors don't need another

557
00:36:57,320 --> 00:37:00,880
big but it's a player like that. How much if Zion Williams in his

558
00:37:00,920 --> 00:37:04,239
health like this team is. They
were at the top of the West for

559
00:37:04,239 --> 00:37:07,079
a minute, so I'm even saying
like they might not even need anyone just

560
00:37:07,119 --> 00:37:09,679
because of how good Trey Murphy is. I do worry about I need the

561
00:37:09,719 --> 00:37:14,000
shooting because I'm probably lower on Herb
Jones's offense and a lot of other people

562
00:37:14,320 --> 00:37:17,880
congratulations on him like nudging up his
three point clip on virtually very not virtually

563
00:37:17,920 --> 00:37:21,519
on very little volume towards the end
of the year. I still don't think

564
00:37:21,559 --> 00:37:24,159
he's made enough progress as sort of
like the catching drive guy. So I

565
00:37:24,159 --> 00:37:28,400
would like to see better spacing and
Zion's gonna be on the floor. That's

566
00:37:28,440 --> 00:37:30,960
kind of one non shooter and you
don't have in brandon Ingramaci mcoum. Yeah,

567
00:37:30,960 --> 00:37:34,599
they can kind of stress the floor. They like to work on ball,

568
00:37:34,639 --> 00:37:37,199
don't put a ton of pressure on
the basket. So either getting that

569
00:37:37,239 --> 00:37:39,960
floor spacing, rim protector or someone
who's just gonna fly around and chuck a

570
00:37:39,960 --> 00:37:43,480
bunch of threes like Gary Trent Junior
is a name of it. And we

571
00:37:43,480 --> 00:37:45,519
can get into other trade targets if
you have any like those are the types

572
00:37:45,559 --> 00:37:50,440
of moves. I don't think it
needs to be this massive star trade.

573
00:37:50,519 --> 00:37:52,599
I think it could even be.
I want you to. You can throw

574
00:37:52,599 --> 00:37:54,960
on names like if you're able to
get like even a Zach Collins from San

575
00:37:55,000 --> 00:37:59,440
Antonio or Kelly Olenick. I think
that makes a huge difference for this team.

576
00:37:59,559 --> 00:38:02,199
Yeah, I think I do think
there's a path forward where you just

577
00:38:04,239 --> 00:38:07,880
keep this team together essentially and some
combination of Dyson Daniels, Herb Jones,

578
00:38:07,920 --> 00:38:13,760
Nagi Marshall, Trey Murphy just like
just get better. And then you know,

579
00:38:13,800 --> 00:38:16,840
Trey Murphy suddenly is, you know, making four threes a game at

580
00:38:16,880 --> 00:38:20,639
you know, forty four percent or
something, and we're like looking at each

581
00:38:20,679 --> 00:38:23,199
other laughing at we thought the Pelicans
needed shooting, you know, like there's

582
00:38:23,360 --> 00:38:30,199
there's ways forward for sure. You
mentioned Zach Hollins analynic Maxi Kleiba is someone

583
00:38:30,280 --> 00:38:34,639
that makes a lot of sense.
The problem is like he also makes ridiculous

584
00:38:34,679 --> 00:38:37,480
amounts of sense for Dallas, and
they just can't afford to be giving up

585
00:38:37,519 --> 00:38:42,480
a guy like that without getting like
two plus rotation players back because they just

586
00:38:42,639 --> 00:38:46,119
need them. Yeah, I don't
know, like Roco give you enough shooting

587
00:38:46,119 --> 00:38:50,000
to play with Zion and the Front
Corp poly not. I wonder if Roco

588
00:38:50,079 --> 00:38:52,400
can play anymore. Doesn't it feel
like maybe like Roko can play, the

589
00:38:52,400 --> 00:38:57,280
Clippers just decided that he couldn't,
And I don't understand it. It's a

590
00:38:57,320 --> 00:39:02,639
real Frank Millikina situation there. Would
you take a like I don't even know

591
00:39:02,639 --> 00:39:07,519
if he's a distressed asset and being
the same like Tim Hardaway Junior. Like

592
00:39:07,519 --> 00:39:10,239
the Mavericks do still need a center. He could build something around balance Judas

593
00:39:10,239 --> 00:39:17,440
and Tim Hardaway Junior. What if
Jamichael Green actually gets minutes and makes thirty

594
00:39:17,480 --> 00:39:21,800
six percent of his threes like that, that'd be a kind of your lower

595
00:39:21,920 --> 00:39:24,880
end stretch center. Are you trusting
him to defend fives? Like? That's

596
00:39:24,880 --> 00:39:28,400
what the problem is is when you
go to stretch center out there's very few

597
00:39:28,440 --> 00:39:32,199
of them that you want to defend
five like brook Lopez side and trade would

598
00:39:32,239 --> 00:39:36,960
be ideal for this thing, Like
that's the if you want to fuck around

599
00:39:36,960 --> 00:39:39,239
with your books, Milwaukee's look gonna
cut caution you get third and fourth teams

600
00:39:39,280 --> 00:39:43,480
involved. Brook Lopez is the guy
because Christos for thing, it just makes

601
00:39:43,480 --> 00:39:46,440
too much money trading TJ mccollumn in
that point, the Wizards have no need

602
00:39:46,519 --> 00:39:50,320
for him. You're opening up to
three and four team trades. That gets

603
00:39:50,320 --> 00:39:53,280
weird. Plus, we can't suggest
brook Lopez here because he's my I'm gonna

604
00:39:53,360 --> 00:39:57,360
use him later and I feel great
about it. There's very quick. The

605
00:39:57,360 --> 00:40:00,119
two notes is they could do nothing
to this team and still be like one

606
00:40:00,119 --> 00:40:01,159
of the two or three best teams
in the West. If they stay healthy

607
00:40:01,159 --> 00:40:05,360
and yeah, so like, but
Jackson Hayes or Josh Richardson, who's more

608
00:40:05,400 --> 00:40:10,000
likely to be back? Oh,
I'm gonna guess Richardson, even though Hayes

609
00:40:10,079 --> 00:40:13,719
is restricted. It just feels like
we're done with Jackson Hayes and New Orleans.

610
00:40:13,800 --> 00:40:15,000
Right. He needs to go somewhere
where he can be like the four

611
00:40:15,119 --> 00:40:17,719
on defense and the five on offense, and that's just not New Orleans.

612
00:40:17,840 --> 00:40:24,320
Yeah, they're both probably gone though, really yeah, most likely next team.

613
00:40:24,400 --> 00:40:28,119
Let's hit it, San Antonio Spurs. I'll read it while you're setting

614
00:40:28,159 --> 00:40:31,559
the timer. They're key free agents, Trey Jones, Romeo Langford restricted,

615
00:40:32,280 --> 00:40:36,639
Zach Collins is eligible for an extension. He's I mean, it's too bad

616
00:40:36,639 --> 00:40:39,079
they're gonna draft Onemen Yama because he
was promised the starting center spot next year.

617
00:40:39,079 --> 00:40:44,400
So I don't know what they're gonna
do. They have a bunch of

618
00:40:44,400 --> 00:40:49,159
cap space thirty three million if they
renounced Langford and keep this thirty three if

619
00:40:49,159 --> 00:40:52,639
they keep Collins and trade Jones holds
on the books, no trade exceptions.

620
00:40:52,239 --> 00:40:57,519
Their biggest needs seven foot four shop
blocking shock, creating center. I don't

621
00:40:57,519 --> 00:41:00,079
know where they're going to find one. Of those, they're kind of a

622
00:41:00,079 --> 00:41:06,880
blank slate though right like you can
do well. They look they don't need

623
00:41:07,280 --> 00:41:10,360
uh the next great three? And
d Wing who can create shots because they

624
00:41:10,400 --> 00:41:16,519
have Devin Vassel already. You could
talk yourself into any position because it's like

625
00:41:17,039 --> 00:41:21,599
Wemby, is he a future five? Not right away, that's the thing.

626
00:41:21,920 --> 00:41:23,800
But you could also get a four
and just play them alongside Wemby.

627
00:41:24,079 --> 00:41:28,599
Do you get a center who doesn't
close because Wemby's gonna close at the five

628
00:41:28,920 --> 00:41:31,960
and you have all these other in
Devin Vassel, Jeremy Sown, even Kelvin

629
00:41:32,039 --> 00:41:35,239
Johnson, you can kind of move
around. I view him as more of

630
00:41:35,280 --> 00:41:37,079
just like a six foot five inch
four. But yeah, if you could

631
00:41:37,119 --> 00:41:39,320
get anyone, I would say,
if you were to pick a need,

632
00:41:39,400 --> 00:41:45,880
though I skew more towards let's try
and make life easier on Devin Vassell,

633
00:41:45,000 --> 00:41:49,480
Wemby. Don't show saddle them with
too much creation. And I like Trey

634
00:41:49,519 --> 00:41:52,159
Jones, He's probably back, but
you would like to see them upgrade their

635
00:41:52,199 --> 00:41:58,840
advantage creation. I think I think
making it easier on Wemban Yama specifically,

636
00:41:59,280 --> 00:42:02,960
and Vassel still matters too obviously,
But though and you should be priority one

637
00:42:04,199 --> 00:42:06,239
and you can get there a couple
of ways. I think One you need

638
00:42:06,320 --> 00:42:09,559
like a like an not an enforcer
like these exists anymore, but just like

639
00:42:09,679 --> 00:42:15,079
another big to play center and like
Pylot Hansboro. Yeah yeah sure, just

640
00:42:15,119 --> 00:42:19,880
get yeah, get all the Handsborough
brothers. Just someone So this is my

641
00:42:19,920 --> 00:42:25,079
brook Lopez spot. Just whatever you
gotta pay him just to come in and

642
00:42:25,159 --> 00:42:30,920
like beat up bigger centers and also
anchor and incredible. How good is this

643
00:42:30,039 --> 00:42:35,400
defense if when Bonyama is anything close
to his advertised plus brook Lopez as your

644
00:42:35,440 --> 00:42:38,679
anchor, like what happens? Are
they automatically a top five defense? I

645
00:42:38,719 --> 00:42:43,119
don't know. So that's one way
to do it. You just get like

646
00:42:43,199 --> 00:42:45,480
some bulk so when Bonyama doesn't always
have to play center if that's not what

647
00:42:45,519 --> 00:42:49,599
you want him to do. And
the other thing is you know trade you

648
00:42:49,639 --> 00:42:52,719
like you said, Trey Jones might
be this guy, but just someone who

649
00:42:52,800 --> 00:42:55,880
is going to get when Banyama like
four easy buckets a night that just in

650
00:42:57,000 --> 00:43:00,519
whether it's pick and roll or just
just someone to be the adult that's in

651
00:43:00,599 --> 00:43:07,039
charge of this offense that makes sure
it's not when Binyama going into his bag

652
00:43:07,199 --> 00:43:09,960
thirty feet from the bucket, like
Jalen greening it, we don't. We

653
00:43:09,960 --> 00:43:15,559
don't need a Jalen green developmental curve
for when Binyama offensively. So those are

654
00:43:15,559 --> 00:43:19,440
the priorities for me. I would
agree with you, and like they they

655
00:43:19,480 --> 00:43:22,119
can do it in free agency,
like if they could be a Fred van

656
00:43:22,199 --> 00:43:24,280
Fleet destination, I don't know if
he's a good enough pastor. He probably

657
00:43:24,360 --> 00:43:28,239
is, I think, And when
you have wembm to sell and even Jeremy

658
00:43:28,239 --> 00:43:31,840
sewn that that would be fine.
I think there when you're looking at like

659
00:43:31,920 --> 00:43:37,239
free agents are traditionally like will just
go after all these young guys? I'm

660
00:43:37,239 --> 00:43:40,960
okay if they went like you mentioned
Brook Lopez, I mentioned Fev, if

661
00:43:42,000 --> 00:43:45,639
they went like the like all these
guys are still young with the names that

662
00:43:45,639 --> 00:43:50,400
I put down, but like if
they went like the huge here young players,

663
00:43:50,440 --> 00:43:52,559
Like are there any on the market
that you would be like, hey,

664
00:43:52,719 --> 00:43:54,559
why do you try throwing a bunch
of money at them to see if

665
00:43:54,559 --> 00:43:58,119
it? To see? Like would
you do that for a PJ. Washington,

666
00:43:58,559 --> 00:44:01,360
a Grant Williams, a cam John
Onsen, uh any any of those

667
00:44:01,440 --> 00:44:07,039
types of guys or even Iota soon
move Austin Reeves, the early burgerstricted free

668
00:44:07,039 --> 00:44:09,760
agent crew. Austin Reeves, I
would poison pill so fast, I would

669
00:44:09,840 --> 00:44:16,559
like would I would sounds like a
threat the Lakers. Uh no, what

670
00:44:16,639 --> 00:44:21,199
don't you? I mean? He
he is? Uh he? I mean

671
00:44:21,360 --> 00:44:23,360
I don't think. I don't think
anyone's gonna get him away from LA,

672
00:44:23,480 --> 00:44:27,400
but I would. And you don't
want to just tie up your money on

673
00:44:27,440 --> 00:44:30,320
an offer sheet that you know is
getting matched. Like that's dumb, and

674
00:44:30,360 --> 00:44:32,960
that may prevent Reeves from getting offer
sheets he would otherwise get. He's still

675
00:44:34,000 --> 00:44:37,199
the guy that stands out most to
me of all the players you listed of,

676
00:44:37,239 --> 00:44:39,239
like, just get me that guy, because I I'm not I'm not

677
00:44:39,239 --> 00:44:43,800
convinced he couldn't be just a full
time point guard potentially because I mean he

678
00:44:43,840 --> 00:44:46,960
was in college. Like I think
he is more of a combo type player

679
00:44:46,960 --> 00:44:51,679
in the NBA. But you might
be able to like him and Trey Jones

680
00:44:51,719 --> 00:44:54,159
in a backcourt. I kind of
like, because you can split the playmaking

681
00:44:54,159 --> 00:45:00,000
a little bit. I just like
Reeves full stop. I like Grant Williams.

682
00:45:00,199 --> 00:45:04,000
I think he might be of the
restricted guys you mentioned among them more

683
00:45:04,079 --> 00:45:07,440
gettable because like I think Cam Johnson's
getting matched. I think PJ Washington.

684
00:45:07,599 --> 00:45:10,760
P J. Washington might be gettable
too if you overbid. But yeah,

685
00:45:10,800 --> 00:45:15,679
Williams, and I mean him and
Grant Williams specifically, I think would be

686
00:45:15,679 --> 00:45:19,639
better fits next to well Cam Johnson
shooting, but you get that in Williams

687
00:45:19,639 --> 00:45:22,000
and some of it from Washington because
you want shooting next to one you know

688
00:45:22,039 --> 00:45:27,119
what the you know what the name
is, and he's actually young naz Reid,

689
00:45:28,159 --> 00:45:30,079
someone who like you need Wemby to
kind of be your five on offense

690
00:45:30,079 --> 00:45:34,320
at least as a ring protector that
works with naz Reid. Do you worry

691
00:45:34,320 --> 00:45:38,800
about their collective heft or the lack
thereof of how do they match up against

692
00:45:40,239 --> 00:45:45,840
like like against if they had to
like guard like bigger burly or fives.

693
00:45:45,840 --> 00:45:47,000
I don't know if they're best suited
to do that, But like, naz

694
00:45:47,079 --> 00:45:50,480
Reid can move around the perimeter,
and I think you could get him if

695
00:45:50,480 --> 00:45:53,760
you, however, you're facing these
like mega post up brutes anyway, you

696
00:45:53,800 --> 00:45:57,360
could probably get away with that.
I actually think he might be like a

697
00:45:57,440 --> 00:46:00,840
sneaky good get for them where you
don't have to lean into Wemby at the

698
00:46:00,880 --> 00:46:02,480
five, but he's kind of your
five, he's not really your five.

699
00:46:02,599 --> 00:46:06,079
You get enough rebounding. That's a
fair question. But that's a name I

700
00:46:06,119 --> 00:46:09,639
circled for them. Is there a
reason they shouldn't just beat the market on

701
00:46:09,679 --> 00:46:14,000
Bruce Brown? Like we keep talking
about him as an m L E guy,

702
00:46:14,039 --> 00:46:15,440
But what like, if you're the
Spurs, screw it, Like we'll

703
00:46:15,480 --> 00:46:20,599
just you know, fifteen sixteen million. The thing that I could see giving

704
00:46:20,639 --> 00:46:22,199
the Spurs pause is they want to
see First of all, by the way,

705
00:46:22,239 --> 00:46:25,599
Bruce Brown's only twenty six, he
turns twenty seven. That's not old.

706
00:46:27,079 --> 00:46:30,480
So what's interesting about them is I
would get I would just bet against

707
00:46:30,480 --> 00:46:34,639
them making any major moves because it's
the Spurs and they're gonna see Wemby.

708
00:46:34,880 --> 00:46:37,199
But we just mentioned this. I
don't know if it was on this podcast,

709
00:46:37,320 --> 00:46:39,400
the previous one. I think it
was the previous one. Leasing out

710
00:46:39,480 --> 00:46:44,760
cap space. If not this summer, I would assume next season is going

711
00:46:44,800 --> 00:46:45,800
to get a lot more valuable.
And yeah, you have to worry about

712
00:46:45,800 --> 00:46:49,079
the salary floors, so maybe you
make those moves in the off season,

713
00:46:49,480 --> 00:46:52,840
like you could just you know,
this could be a Clink Capella team.

714
00:46:52,880 --> 00:46:54,480
If the Hawks are that desperate to
cut money, Like he's somebody who makes

715
00:46:54,519 --> 00:46:59,400
sense? You wontas valan Tunis team
like that? Like if the Pelicans are

716
00:46:59,400 --> 00:47:02,079
just looking at the tax that way, it could be ah, you know,

717
00:47:02,760 --> 00:47:07,119
they could also just like, oh, can we buy on like distressed

718
00:47:07,119 --> 00:47:10,239
assets or players that are like in
Isaiah Hartenstein, who's not a distressed asset.

719
00:47:10,280 --> 00:47:13,719
But are the Knicks willing to give
him up because like they need a

720
00:47:13,719 --> 00:47:16,760
different type of five, or they
trust Jericho SAMs so they're looking to increase

721
00:47:16,760 --> 00:47:21,519
their flexibility under the tax. They
could be more aggressive like what's used to

722
00:47:21,559 --> 00:47:23,199
doing without bren shangun Like what's the
cost to get him out? They can

723
00:47:23,239 --> 00:47:27,199
go any number of different routes.
But I am wondering, This is my

724
00:47:27,239 --> 00:47:30,760
long winded point of saying, like, yeah, they could go and absorb

725
00:47:30,880 --> 00:47:35,840
like more expensive players who actually target
them, But will they just maybe go

726
00:47:36,000 --> 00:47:38,760
the route of let's take on like
a Tobias Harris, what's the conversation for

727
00:47:38,800 --> 00:47:42,480
him? I don't think the Sixers
have enough or wouldn't give up a first

728
00:47:42,519 --> 00:47:45,599
round pip, Like is there a
team gonna give you first round equity to

729
00:47:45,679 --> 00:47:49,679
take on lesson savory money and the
Spurs are like the team when you're talking

730
00:47:49,679 --> 00:47:52,079
about patients and process right now,
that might be most likely to do that.

731
00:47:52,159 --> 00:47:57,079
Yeah, could you get Gordon Hayward
and like all of Charlotte's picks except

732
00:47:57,079 --> 00:48:00,000
for number two obviously, for just
to just take him into space basically like

733
00:48:00,039 --> 00:48:05,000
it there's there's definitely Harris was actually
the first name I came up with.

734
00:48:05,039 --> 00:48:07,039
I just couldn't think. I couldn't
imagine that, Philly. You probably have

735
00:48:07,079 --> 00:48:10,079
to send like Kelton Johnson back or
something and get a bunch of picks with

736
00:48:10,119 --> 00:48:14,360
that, Like I don't know,
but yeah, totally totally valid point.

737
00:48:14,440 --> 00:48:19,480
I think we especially since they have
all this runway with wemen Yama, because

738
00:48:19,480 --> 00:48:22,199
no San Antonio fans gonna be pissed
off for like five years. You can

739
00:48:22,440 --> 00:48:24,960
just take on bad money and deal
with it, you know, for a

740
00:48:25,000 --> 00:48:28,960
while. I think I did.
I left it off, so it's not

741
00:48:29,000 --> 00:48:31,039
your fault. But Devin Missel is
extension eligible and we talked about this.

742
00:48:31,159 --> 00:48:37,320
I had a Spurs podcast after they
got Wemby with uh Noah Magaro George from

743
00:48:37,320 --> 00:48:43,719
Project Spurs, but uh, what
are you paying him? His max extension

744
00:48:43,880 --> 00:48:49,000
is the is the Desmond Bane extension, which would be like five years and

745
00:48:49,039 --> 00:48:52,559
almost two hundred million dollars. I
think there's a scenario where he's worth close

746
00:48:52,599 --> 00:48:55,239
to that, and we might think
so after this season. I can't.

747
00:48:55,280 --> 00:49:00,400
I'm not going all the way there
right now. I would say like four

748
00:49:01,639 --> 00:49:07,360
one fifty, so he's making under
forty a year, I would do it.

749
00:49:07,840 --> 00:49:10,599
Yeah, are you actually be above
two hundred and seven? I was

750
00:49:10,599 --> 00:49:14,480
looking at the wrong year. Above
two hundred million dollars on five years.

751
00:49:14,480 --> 00:49:16,000
I don't know that I would go
for the max, but I think he's

752
00:49:16,119 --> 00:49:20,119
very clearly going to be worth more
than thirty million dollars a year at his

753
00:49:20,159 --> 00:49:22,000
peak. I think if he were
playing on a team that more people saw,

754
00:49:22,159 --> 00:49:25,800
like nationally, he would be regarded
as like ball skills have improved,

755
00:49:25,880 --> 00:49:29,760
like coming around screens, and he's
like he has more. I don't.

756
00:49:29,760 --> 00:49:31,480
I wouldn't call him an every level
score, but he can certainly trend towards

757
00:49:31,519 --> 00:49:34,320
that. You need him to put
more pressure on the basket, but he

758
00:49:34,320 --> 00:49:37,239
can trend towards that direction, and
he works without the ball. Yeah,

759
00:49:37,320 --> 00:49:42,480
is super important. Yeah, he's
I think he's someone that he's not anywhere

760
00:49:42,480 --> 00:49:45,159
close defensively to where like Mkal Bridges
is. But he's someone that's making the

761
00:49:45,239 --> 00:49:52,159
offensive like skill expansion moves sooner than
Bridges did. So if he gets anywhere

762
00:49:52,159 --> 00:49:55,559
close to where Bridges is now offensively
in terms of like just individual shock creation,

763
00:49:55,639 --> 00:49:59,559
then yeah, I mean there that
is a two hundred million dollar player

764
00:49:59,599 --> 00:50:04,880
probable And that was my last thought. So we nailed the timing on that

765
00:50:04,920 --> 00:50:07,840
one. You're ready for me to
take us out here? Yes, everybody,

766
00:50:07,840 --> 00:50:12,840
thanks for listening to our Southwest division
preview. Here we'll continue. We've

767
00:50:12,840 --> 00:50:15,280
got a couple more divisions to do. Although off top of my head because

768
00:50:15,320 --> 00:50:20,719
I never remember divisions, I can't
say what they are, West and Central

769
00:50:21,119 --> 00:50:23,519
Central. There you go. Yeah, we worked towards the middle basically,

770
00:50:24,800 --> 00:50:30,960
so we'll finish there. What else, So everyone, please, wherever you

771
00:50:30,000 --> 00:50:35,639
listen to your podcast, especially Apple
on Spotify review. You know, positive

772
00:50:35,679 --> 00:50:38,480
views really help us out. Those
are very valuable. Subscribe everywhere you can

773
00:50:38,599 --> 00:50:45,000
YouTube, join our discord, follow
us on socials, on Twitter and TikTok

774
00:50:45,039 --> 00:50:47,239
where we are stars. As Dan
said at the beginning, at Hardwood Knox

775
00:50:47,280 --> 00:50:53,480
at Hardwood Underscore Knox on Instagram,
Tell your friends and enemies and enjoy the

776
00:50:53,519 --> 00:50:55,880
Draft, which is coming up pretty
soon. I don't know when you're posting

777
00:50:55,880 --> 00:50:59,840
this, but we're gonna pivot to
some of that content eventually. I guess

778
00:51:00,000 --> 00:51:01,679
well, I'm gonna have to learn
about the draft because I still don't know

779
00:51:01,719 --> 00:51:06,559
anything. But yeah, thanks again, and we will close with day shout

780
00:51:06,559 --> 00:51:09,559
out to the wonder only Frank Millikina, who had just more discussion today than

781
00:51:09,599 --> 00:51:13,199
he's had in a long time.
And I will apologize to Jared out