What is krakaalakin hardwa Knox listeners, I am Damp Valley killing out you without
my fantabulous co host Adam frommel I am, however, and as always,
super pleased to be joined by longtime colleague, longtime friend Grant Hughes, who
is it covers the MBA on a league wide scale for Bleacher Report. You
can follow him on Twitter at gt Underscore Hughes to get his monthly dose of
half dozen or so tweets every thirty days. Whatever it amounts to at this
point, still great follow and a fantastic writer. Check out his work at
Bleacher Report. I have brought him on. He has heroically agreed to do
the report cards with me for both the Eastern and Western Conference. We waited
a little bit, or at least I did before asking him, because I
wanted to see if we could get this Ben Simmons stuff like shoehorned into here
because I didn't want to, you know, go through the sixers and other
teams. It's like this big you know, eight team trade go through with
the landscape of the league completely shifted. But I'll ask. We're in September.
Training camp is inside three weeks away. Basically, at this point,
it's time to go over the offseason, analyze it, give report cards because
the team previews are going to start rolling out pretty soon before we dive into
our Eastern Conference grades. The most important question of all tonight is Grant.
How are you doing. I'm very well, Dan. Thank you for having
me back on this, although I should probably wait to thank you until after
we finish session two of this at some point tomorrow, because I think we're
in for it. There's a lot that happened this offseason, but I think
the East is a good place to start because I think looking at what you
and I both did, a lot of favorable grades, a lot of average
and better. So excited to do that, and I do promise to submit
an average or better performance on this podcast. Yeah, and I don't know
how you did it, but my rubric for grading was basically, I think
people look at seas as like this disaster and B minus C Like, to
me, that's just met expectations. They didn't materially get substantially better. And
I'm not you know, penalizing teams necessarily for things that they didn't do,
unless the things that they didn't do were eminently doable, So I looked at
it that way. I did also consider, as you did, the coaching
hires. I tried to take everything into account. The draft is a part
of this trades, free agency. We are grading this from the team's perspective.
So if we start insulting contracts, congratulations to the players for getting paid,
we're crapping all over the teams for the way they went about those contracts.
And there weren't like a ton of bad deals to go over. But
I think one team in particular had very controversial if maybe uneven is the best
way to call it off season. So she wanted to throw that out just
for the criteria is that people should not be offended by by seas. That
meant basically that you didn't you know, you didn't screw yourselves. If you're
a fan of that team, but you didn't do anything where we look at
you and say, oh, that team is noticeably better, or they had
one hell of an off season based on what was available to them. Yeah,
I would just totally co sign on all that. And I would add
to that, you know, I think a lot of the time we'll get
into this more with specific teams, especially the one I think that you're referring
to, you know, in addition to we well, let me back up.
We sort of fall into this trap of we evaluate every team on well,
did this move? Was this move an optimal move that a team that's
trying to win a championship would make? You know, like, was this
did this dollar go as far as it possibly could have? On a team
whose goal is a title? And like, I think you sort of have
to adhere to that to a large extent because otherwise you have a scale that
slides too much. You sort of have to have some basic foundation of how
you're grading these teams to keep it fair. But I do think at least,
you know, whether I really intended to or not, during this I
found myself kind of trying to look at least a little bit at where the
team and question is and where it's trying to get and how successful it was
in trying to reach that goal. And the goal is not the same for
all thirty or all fifteen teams in this case in the East that we're going
to cover. So yeah, we'll get into that more specifically, I think
with certain teams. But that was sort of just a wrinkle I wanted to
highlight. As we get going on the actual grades, Yeah, one percent.
You have to grade Miami on a different arc than you would Orlando at
this point, like you just have to. Yeah, without further delay,
though, let's get to this first team. We will be alternating how we
go through the transactions. I guess I'll start with the Atlanta Hawks. They
had an offseason that was like sort of busy, but they didn't do anything
seismic. They drafted Jilen Johnson number twenty, Shreeve Cooper at number forty eight.
They signed John Collins to a five year, one hundred and twenty five
million dollars deal, fully guaranteed player option. In the final season, we
signed Lou Will for one year, five million dollars. Trey Young got the
five year max extension with the early termination option. On final season, they
traded for Delon Wright by giving him Chris Dunn, Bruno Fernando and a twenty
twenty three second rounder. They signed Gorgi Jang, They resigned Solomon Hill,
and then they extended Quin Cappela. That was their most recent transaction. I
believed to a two year, forty five point nine million dollars deal. He
has now signed for the next four seasons for a total of seventy eight point
two million dollars. If you care about noticeable losses, and I'll go through
you know, teams that actually have them. Their biggest loss was Chris Dunn
or Tony Snell or Bruno Fernando, which is to say that they did not
have any big losses. So can you start us off here, grant what
grade did you give in Atlanta? So I gave him a B plus and
that was before the Pelics tension. I mean that extension to me is is
fine? I think is you know, I don't know if there are a
whole lot of non stretch, non switch centers that are worth around twenty millions
later a year, but he's in the neighborhood, so that that's fine.
I don't think that meaningly moves it from the B plus, possibly an A
minus if you really are big on that. The main the main reasons I
was, you know, pretty pretty bullish on their off season was they did
the big stuff right. They extended Trey Young. I mean, maybe a
no brainer, but like you still got to do it, and they did
it. So they've locked in, you know, their guy that assures them
a top ten offense indefinitely and maybe more. They got John Collins locked up
for maybe a little too much, but you know, I'm still okay with
that. I guess I don't want to just go down the list of everything
that I think that the reason I wouldn't go all the way to an A
or at least didn't go a minus before the Capella extension was I just don't
think they addressed their biggest problem, which is how they managed to score enough
when Trey Young sits. You know, Chris Dunn was never the answer for
that. And really, this could be something that they solve internally if if
DeAndre Hunter continues last year's breakout doesn't get hurt, If if Kevin Hrder,
who played really well in the playoffs, continues to be much more of a
playmaker, if Bogan Bogdanovitch stays healthy. There's lots of ways for them to
do this, but they didn't go sign a guy that was going to address
that. I don't think the answer is Lou Williams. So that's that's the
only reason. That's the only like knock I can really put on on Atlanta's
off season is that they had this glaring need. You've got the numbers I
know of the on off stuff. Uh, it's it's double it's a double
digit. You know, offensive rating decline with young off the floor both regular
season and playoffs, and they didn't really do enough to touch that at least
externally. Again, might not matter, but but that's my that's my knit
to pick. I went with an A minus for them, and I actually
almost only went lower because of the Capella extension. I don't understand why you
do that now unless you just really don't. You don't believe it on yek
Kongu long term. And the contract is not astronomical when you look at it
in some clink cappella at four years, seventy eight million dollars is whatever.
But just knowing what the direction that the league is headed in and now you
have one hundred and twenty five millions tied up in John Collins over the next
half decade, which is a fine deal. And I think you can view
the backdrop of their entire offseason against People are pretty sure the cap is going
to explode in three or four years, or at least the TV deal is
going to be so huge that you get to a cap smoothing process where it's
going to continue to climb more than incrementally, and that will make some of
these deals look better, or that'll start happening as they expire. So there's
just a ton of wiggle room. I'm still just curious because you have Kevin
Herder, who's extension knowlsible right now, DeAndre Hunter and Cam Reddish are coming
up. You're not going to pay all these guys. And I'm not saying
that they should have gotten rid of somebody. I just question why did the
Capella extension have to happen now? They could have happened next season. Maybe
at that point he would have wanted a longer extension, and you don't want
to sign him through his age thirty two season. So I get that.
It just seemed like a not unnecessary, but it calculated risk that I don't
feel like he necessarily had the leverage to put the fear of God into them
to make this deal now. And I'm not saying that's where they were,
and I think Clink Cappello could have been all defense this year. But it's
just that's a lot of money invested in your front court. Again, like
you said, for one of the guys who's a non stretch center and two
year point about the no trade minutes, it's definitely a problem. I still
think in the playoffs, I skew more towards they might be able to address
this Internally. I like the de Lan Right pick up. He's just proven
more durable than Chris Dunn, and they have kind of the same positional defensive
range, even though Chris Dunn at full strength is just way more lockdown,
way more disruptive than the lawn Right. We've also seen that Delaan Right can
run some bench units that was dating back to his days in Toronto, though
we really haven't seen it since. I really just like having Lou Williams.
If Daniel Gallinari is healthy all year or most of the year, Bogdan mcdonovitch
is going to help. And the numbers I've looked up is that when Lou
will and Bogdan mcdonovitch played without Trey Young last year, the Hawks had an
offensive rating in the ninety fourth percentile and they were actually treading water on defense
sub three hundred possessions. But that's still something to work off, and so
I think they're more likely to be able to address it internally and maybe we
see sharif Cooper helped him there. That's just sort of the one of the
things that is over all this so I would call it a near perfect offseason.
What I also like about it is that, yes, they took care
of their own I'm not necessarily crazy about the clink of Heela extension from a
team building perspective. At the same time, they didn't like triple down on
a team that made the conference finals. But did they really belong there in
a normal season. I don't know. They have just a good chance.
I think as anyone outside of the Brooklyn tier, if you're going with a
you know, i'd put them in the same level as in Miami, not
as Milwaukee. So Milwaukee Brooklyn or are their own probably separate two tiers.
But with Miami, if you want to throw New York in their Boston Indiana
like, they're looped in together with all those teams Toronto, and there's a
chance that they just get better because as you mentioned, if DeAndre Hunter,
he's the can't ride it to the swing piece too. But you're looking at
some of the swings they took with their rookies, and then just the healthy
DeAndre Hunter, who showed some extra shot creation before he went down initially last
year. That ends up being huge for them. So I really really like
their offseason and the clink of Heela thing is really the only transaction that I
currently find myself nit picking over. Yeah, that's fair. I just close
with this team by saying, I don't know there are a lot of other
organizations that have more sort of avenues towards meaningful organic internal growth, just because
all those wings, one of them pops and suddenly, like if Hunter,
if Hunters pop had sustained this team is I mean I have them currently in
you know, in Tier two in the East with the Sixers pending what happens
with Simmons and the Heat, and then I have like, you know,
your Celtics, Knicks, Raptors, Pacers, just a notch below that.
So I'm pretty pretty high on the Hawks. You know, I think we're
in accord there moving to a team that is, I have a notch below
that the Boston Celtics, who unless you have any more thoughts on the Hawks,
you're ready to go to Boston. Yeah. The only thing I could
really after the Hawks that they are also I don't think this could be part
of their trade, but they're also built to make a blockbuster trade if they
want, just because of right, all those wings that we mentioned, plus
all their own draft picks and some of the salary matching that they have on
their team, they could do if the right player becomes available, they can
make a special move. And if the Capella extension creates a cap crunch,
where as all those guys extensions become you know, bigger, more pressing issues,
I mean, you could, yeah, exactly, you could package a
couple of those guys and really blow it out and throw a veteran in there,
throw a pick. They've got some tantalizing options there. The Boston Celtics
the big kind of surprising, but maybe in hindsight not so surprising, because
it seemed like his voice wasn't carrying in the locker room as much as it
used to. Emmiodoka is in as head coach. Brad Stevens, former Celtics
head coaches, moved to the front office, and one of the first things
he did was trade Kevin Walker, which is kind of interesting. So he
went to Okay See for a package of Val Horford, Moses Brown and a
twenty three second round pick, also number sixteen and twenty five second The other
semi significant move Josh Richardson in and then quickly given a one year, twelve
point two million dollar extension. Then we bring on Chris Dunn as part of
a package from part of a three way trade. This is all getting to
be very complicated. Who then done moves on to Memphis. I think for
want of Hernan Gomez and Carson Edwards all goes along with him and a twenty
six second round pick swap. We've got Dennis Shrewder coming in at one year,
five point nine million. I think we would agree with however you feel
about Dennis Shrewder. That's probably one of the better value signings of the entire
off season. Nis Canner comes back Sam Houser on a two way, Marcus
Smart gets his extension four year, seventy six and a half million. Robert
Williams time Lord gets his four year extension between forty eight and fifty five depending
on I don't know what the are there not partial guarantees or incentives in there,
but anyway, he's getting paid. Yeah, he's getting paid now like
a basically top half you know, of the league's starting center, possibly a
little better than that. Some trade exceptions coming in seventeen point one million for
Evan fourtyer nine point seven and the Tristan Thompson deal six point nine for Kema
Walker, and then your notable subtractions. We've already kind of covered Walker,
Fournier, Semi, ojelt Is gone, Carson Edwards gone, Tristan Thompson gone.
So let's throw it to you. Very busy. Having read all that
offseason for the Celtics, what's your grade for them? Yeah, I guess
I should have. Do you include Morrises Brown under notable subtractions? They never
really had them. They just moved him back to Dallas. I guess they
have enough a few biggs. You can put them wherever you want. Dan,
I gave them a b and I was really low on their offseason to
begin with, just because this was before the extensions were Smart Emily it was,
which I think are both. I think Smart is the one that people
were most no reactionary to four years and almost seventy seven million seems like a
lot for him, but this is someone who's shot thirty seven plus percent.
I'm pull up threes over the past two seasons and he is just a defensive
workhorse. He is one of their Yeah right, I mean right now,
without question, he's one of the three most important players. You keep him
at that number. I think if you needed to, you could move him.
What I thought was interesting the Josh Richardson extension. I still believe in
Jay rich but that just seemed like, Okay, what are we doing here.
I do feel like what Blostom has done, and this is what intrigues
me is they've said some people thought they were going to try and carve out
cap space next year. It was never gonna happen, just based off Tatum
and Brown. This was before the extensions of a Smart and Williams, but
just with the partial guarantee for Horford, it was never gonna happen. But
now you kind of have Josh Richardson the one year deal. If you keep
him through to the next offseason, you've now extended Marked as Smart, you
extended Robert Williams the third. These are guys that can be repackaged if you
want to go after a star. Let's say it's Bradley Beal wants to team
up with childhood friend Jason Tatum. I think that they've actively made that decision
of saying, we want to make sure that we have deals that can be
moved where we can match money in addition to sending draft equity. Their package
won't look as good unless one of their youngsters hits. That's not part of
their off season. I think the thinking there, though, clearly is I
will say that I still think there's a dearth of shot creation on this team
that they did not address address and that they needed to have given more critical
thought too before they just dumped Kemba Walker. I get why they did it
to be more financially flexible. I like that they got the trade exception for
Evan Fournier because that kind of looked like they didn't give up a lot to
get him. But if you gave up Kemba Walker and then Evan Fournier,
your best shot creators now are Shrewder, Peyton Pritchard, and Jason Tatum.
Like that's never really been Jalen Brown's game. Marcus Smart can give you some
table setting, but not a ton and I feel like this offense could still
really be bogged down for stretches. With the way the team is built,
they do have the potential to be a defensive terror. When you look at
having Horford, who's still kind of switchable for a big you have Josh Richardson
now, Jalen Brown, Jason Tatum. I am curious to see are they
gonna play al Horford some minutes at the four because you do have Robert Williams
there, and you also have and as Canner. Are you out on Grant
Williams. I'm just very curiously how the big man rotation shakes out overall.
And this is just me, It's only ten gentially related, But I can't
believe Robert Williams got forty eight million guaranteed and Rashawn Holmes only got forty six
and a half million guarantee from Sacramento. I know there's an age discrepancy there.
Rashawn Holmes is much better than Robert Williams the third and I think Robert
Williams there would be really good. If his one on one defense holds like
he kind of showed at points during last season, that's absolutely huge for the
Celtics. I just maybe Rashaun Holmes really likes it in Sacramento. This is
not related to the Celtics, but and I don't criticize the deal they gave
Robert Williams. I just that number was not surprising for Robert Williams. It
just reinforces how much of a bargain for Shawn Holmes was for Sacramento. So
I don't know that Boston got a lot better. I think they're definitely more
flexible. There's probably a higher ceiling on their defense. But I don't think
that they did anything spectacular this season. I might even downgrade them to A
to a B minus just because of all they kind of gave up in the
Kemba Walker trade. But then maybe his knees were worse than me expected because
Okac, who never buys out players, bought him out and saved yes some
money. But now they have this dead money on their books for two years
that they just they can't move. The flip side of that argument is maybe
they're just afraid Kema would help them win two many games. But I think
Boston is firmly in that B or B minus range. For me, yeah,
I give him a B as well, and I can totally see.
I mean, there's real downside risk. You know, hor Horford's at an
age where the gentle decline could get steep, and I think actually and Josh
Richardson may just never be Miami Josh Richardson again, I think that's you know,
if he's close to that, then man, that's a value signing,
like on par with getting Shrewder for six million bucks. I think you know
that that's that's a transformative sign is a huge value, but the downside risk
is there. I think I think the shot creation is an absolute issue when
you just look at their losses as Kemba Walker and Fourtier, like maybe the
two. You know, Jason Tatum's a great player, Jalen Brown's a great
player, But you're putting a lot of shock creation onus on them, especially
if you're you're expecting them to be more pick and roll operators like the two
guys that they lost. I think you're putting a lot of onus on Horford
to move the ball and sort of reinvigorate an offense that you know used to
run pretty smoothly but last year stagnated a lot. And I think you're actually
asking a lot of Robert Williams too, because I think one of the tantalizing
things about him is, you know, he's ambitious as a pastor, but
for centers like he can make a lot of passes that big guys can't make.
But that's complicated by the fact of are you going to play him now
that you've extended him with Horford as you alluded to, I don't know,
that's hard for me to imagine Horford holding up against a lot of force as
he gets older. So yeah, the shot creation thing is an issue just
on balance, though there's you know, the extensions I thought were reasonable within
the reasonable range. The Williams one I think is a little scary potentially,
But yeah, the Shrewder signing is just such a I mean, that's such
a no brainer for almost any team. I think. I just that's so
cheap for a guy that I think is a low end starter. But he's
a low end starter who does kind of do the downhill stuff that they need,
So you know, I'm good with that. So I think that's a
bee there. They desperately still need wings help. They have Jaalen Brown,
Jason Tatum, and Josh Richardson. It feels like they need a fourth or
n fifth wing. Really like this should be a James Ennis team. To
me, he remains unsigned. Is it this recording every teams the James Nis
team. Everybody needs the idea of James Nis on the team. Who's going
to suppoint James Ennis eventually? As like you know who would fit because he
Frankie, it's how much did he signed for? He remains unsigned unfortunately,
but he is shooting over forty percent from three over the past season and a
half, so it gives you defense three and d wing in the waiting.
The other thing I think you mentioned it and I do think this was you
know, can definitely nudge up their grade is that they still have, just
from this off season alone, three trade exceptions worth five plus million dollars.
They used part of the one that they got the Kevia Walker trade, but
they're still five point one million left, a huge one from Evan Fournier and
then another nine plus million dollars one from Thompson. So they do have avenues
to improve the team mid season. If there's another you know, Fournier situation
approaches like it did last year, are they willing to go, you know,
cannonball into the tax to do that. They didn't use their full mid
level exception, so they they're not hardcaps, so they can you know,
they can do that without really worrying, but is this the team that they
want to do that on. But again, having those is certainly you know,
it's it's definitely a plus. It's not a minus or even a net
neutral move that that's big for them. You know, last thing before you
run down Brooklyn. We can't know this yet, but this offseason grade goes
up for me if it turns out and this, I hope this isn't the
case that Kemba just can't play anymore like that he's just not healthy enough to
be a meaningful contributor. And you got off that contract and you got someone
that you know, we don't know because Al Horford got shut down for months
and months last year, but uh, you know someone that at least is
mobile, you know, on a nights and night basis. That we don't
know that yet. But but if that's something Boston didn't know and they made
that decision, makes the offseason look a little better. We move on to
Brooklyn, a team that is decidedly anti wing apparently, but they drafted Cameron
Thomas at number twenty seven, and I'm wanting to call him Cam Stewart or
Cam Johnson for some reason. So I apologize to Cameron Thomas. They acquired
Javon Carter and Dayron Sharpe, who was the number twenty nine pick for Landry
Shammitt. They obtained an eleven point five million dollars trade exception the draft rights
to Nicola Matol multituitive. I probably mispronounce that. I apologies a twenty twenty
four second rounder in a twenty twenty five second round swap. I believe for
the Spencer Dinwood he signed and trade. They signed James Johnson to a one
year deal at the minimum. They signed DeAndre Benbery to a one year Parsley
guaranteed deal. They signed Bruce Brown to his one year four point seven million
dollars qualifying offer, resigned Blake Griffin to a one year deal at the minimum.
They picked up Patty Mills. They won the Patty Mill sweep Stakes two
years twelve point one million dollars player option on that second season. That was
their miniml They also won the Paul millsap sweep Stakes. He was looking for
more than the mid. I don't know the terms of this deal. I
was trying to find it. It has to be for the minimum. We
just don't know the length. I'm assuming maybe it could be a one plus
one if he wants to stay there. I have no idea. They signed
by Marcus Aldridge, who retired and then came out of retirement because the doctors
cleared him. So I'm assuming that's good for him. I'm glad that he's
healthy enough to play. That's a one year deal at the minimum. And
then they just recently acquired say Kudin Boya, julil Oka four and plus created
a six point three million dollar trade exception, four DeAndre Jordan and four second
round picks two of their own. One is Golden States. And then I
think they're giving up the more favorable of Washington Memphis in twenty twenty four.
That was quite the deal. They saved the buttload of money in luxury tax
payments over this season and next because DeAndre Jordan had two years left on his
deal. He owes Kevin Durant and Kyrie a Ving a major thank you for
getting him that four year, forty million dollar contract two years ago. Notable
subtractions they have. They have one it's Jeff Green who's now with them or
and they've course lost Landry Shammitt, but they lost Tyler Johnson. They waived.
How is a Johnson, Timothylly and Lowell Cabreau remains unsigned and Chris jo
has assigned a two way contract with Golden State. What grade do you give
a very busy Brooklyn Nets off season, Yeah, another busy one in the
East. I had it as a B and that was before millsap and Aldred's.
So I have to bump that up just because it didn't cost them.
It cost them next to nothing. And you've got two more sort of shots
along with Blake Griffin and James Johnson to figure out who's going to close at
center or who's gonna play a lot of center minutes? I guess throw a
Bruis and there who they resigned as well. Do not forget you know,
it's a volume approach. So oh yeah, Nick Clexson, who I was
clamoring for to start at the end of game start last year. If anything
you should down was an offseason, I was gonna say you should downgrade them,
be more guys and Clackson's way right right, Yeah? No, I
think I go to B plus possibly, Yeah, but I can't go to
an A minus because you know, it's it's hard with a team like this
that very clearly has a lot of advantages in getting veterans for minimums, and
even not the minimum because Patty Mills, I'm sure had offers at this number
from a lot of other teams and he picked this one. So but I
mean we start there. You know, I love Patty Mills more than anything,
so getting him he's like such a such a luxury on a team,
like, you know what we need. We need a guy who's just going
to sprints around and get buckets and I guess maybe defend a little bit,
not so much lately, but you know, throw Cam Thomas in there too,
like led the Summer League in scoring the highest scoring freshman and d one
last year. Don't need don't need scoring on this team, but it's just
kind of fun. So yeah, I think, you know, they didn't
really have a lot of holes to fill obviously other than get healthy. So
just having you know, this grab bag of veterans on minimums to eat up
these undersized center minutes was really kind of all they needed to do. Because
the green loss does kind of matter. So you just got a bunch of
shot at addressing that. Assuming Claxton continues to be buried behind a bunch of
guys you know that used to be All Stars. It gave him a B
plus as well, and I think, look, Patty Mills is just an
embarrassment of riches. Offensively, you already mentioned that the Cam Thomas they also
I like that they can get a different look at backup point guard, where
like Javan Carter didn't really play as much last season, definitely came down from
that bubble high he was in. But that guy will hound you the entire
court, and he can hit set threes and doesn't need to have the ball
in his hands. So if you need someone to provide that defensive punch,
he might be able to play next to a Kyrie irving Worth James Hardens your
point guard there, like, you can definitely run out those lineups. I
think, like you said, they have given themselves a ton of options in
the front court. The reason I didn't give them a higher grade and even
considered going lower is I alluded to this. Just let Nick Claxton Cook already,
like, let's go there. You don't need to put this many bodies
in front of him. I objectively love the Plummell stap edition though, and
that's someone who can play the four of the five. I just don't know,
and I actually kind of you Patty Mills is a necessity given how James
Harden has been an iron Man since he left Oklahoma City. But that just
means that like half a hamstring or a full hamstring is operating on borrow time
at this point. And we saw that kind of crop up last season.
And Kyrie Irving is always dealing with stuff. It's never necessarily a chronic injury,
but he's always just an injury risk. So I think having Patty Mills
is a huge help there. Could they not have? Like you know,
and I'm gonna be generous and stretch the wing definition here, but you have
Kevin Durant, Joe Harris, DeAndre Benbury if you keep him, and let's
throw James Harden in there, like who are your wings on this team?
Is Cameron Thomas going to actually have to play? And that's not going to
give you anything? Defensively, I know Bruce Brown can defend a bunch of
different positions. I just find it weird, especially coming off a season in
which Kevin Durant missed more than half the regular season, that there wasn't more
urgency to just get another body or two, who can soak up minutes at
that three at the two spot. And I know Kevin Durant can play four.
Kevin Durant can play five at this point, but they're just isn't that
like go to wing defender right now? Who's who's their go to wing defender?
It's is it Bruce Brown? Yeah? It's which is fine, but
like that's one. So I thought it would have been nice to have seen
them try to address that. And I know that their resources were limited,
but I will point you to the two point two trillion moves they made in
the front court. They figured out ways to do things. Maybe they make
they'll definitely be players in the buyout market. They could make a mid season
deal. But they just look a little thin when it comes to pure wings
to me, And that's why I couldn't give them that that A minus or
even an A or let alone an A plus. Yeah, it would have
been an A minus if they'd signed James Ennis. I think so they can
still get an A minus is basically what we're Hey, if they signed to
play the three as their three in new wing, A plus done book,
It no doubt the Charlotte Hornets come in next and it's my turn to read
their list of transactions. They got Mason Plumbley to play center in a salary
dump from the Pistons, which also included the number thirty seven pick, which
became JT. Thor. The Pistons got number fifty seven player whose name I
will not try to announce, but you know, and I am going to
pronounce Balsa Coper Vika. I'm gonna say. I don't see him coming over
anytime soon. They drafted James book Knight, who slipped to them at eleven.
I think, uh, they reason. I know, I'm reading off
your sheet, and you see that seamlessly ignored, ignored that mistake. I
told you it was a risky proposition to go off my I know now I
want to look at mine instead. No, I'm gonna stick with yours,
uh, because you have more detail. They acquired Kaya Jones at number twenty
one for a twenty twenty two first rounder protected top eighteen in twenty two,
top sixteen, and twenty three lottery protected twenty four twenty five. U signed
Scotty Luke Scotty Lewis. I don't know who that is. I'll be honest.
That's a two a deal. Also signed our old SCHOOLBUCA to another two
A deal. Another slightly more meaningful move was a DeVante Graham sign in trade.
He has gone went to the Pelicans for a twenty twenty two first rounder,
which is lottery protected for a year. I don't know the conversions on
that, but it doesn't seem like I don't recall that being a hugely favorable
pick for the Hornets. Wesley Window and the rights to Tyler Harvey and Cash
also come over and signed a Smith for two years nine point two million.
About half of that is guaranteed. The second year is non guaranteed. Signed
Kelly Ubre two years twenty four point six only seventeen million of that is guaranteed.
Only five total is guaranteed in twenty two twenty three, and extended Terry
Rozier, who quietly had a phenomenal offensive season, four years ninety six point
three million. This is fully guaranteed, with some interesting caveats on there.
If Charlotte plays in the second round of the playoffs and Rosier plays seventy games
in any of the last three years of that deal, that's kind of that's
kind of fun. I like, I like weird guarantees. I was like,
the remember that Eric Gordon, that the guarantee that's on the final year
of his contract right now, if he makes an All Star game where the
Rockets win the championship becomes to guaranteed. I don't think that's getting guaranteed day.
I don't think so either, you know, unless alpren Sangun is really
really good. Notable subtractions, Just to summarize again, DeVante Graham gone,
which makes sense, he was probably ticketed. We definitely ticketed for no more
than a third guard spot. Caleb Barton, Wade, Cody Zeller is gone.
End of an era. Bis mac Biambo also gone. The league monk
might matter because both he and Graham left. So the backcourt's a little thinner
than it used to be. But book nights should help there. So what's
your grade for the Charlotte Hornets and can remember too, this is one of
the teams that had some cap space. It's one of the few that had
a little bit of money to spend. I wanted to be crueler to them
because I felt like I was being too generous with grades. I ended up
giving them a bee because I that Kelly Ubrad junior deal is a I just
thought it was a great move for them. He fits with how it seems
like they want to play where they went really small a lot last year and
they didn't go after a big money center this year. And so if you
weren't going to do that, which I still think they should be, find
a draft pick for letting Rashawn Holmes remain in Sacramento at that price, Like,
just find Charlotte a draft pick. But if you were going to play
small, get players that are gonna fit that mold. And so now you
have this Miles Bridges, PJ. Washington, Kelly Bridge Junior, Gordon Hayward
set up to where you can mix and match all these guys at the three,
four, five. I obviously don't want to see PJ. Washington played
the three. I'm just saying you can. It seems more easily get away
with him at the five and just Kelly Bridge Junior running the floor with LaMelo
ball. That should be tons of fun. I don't why I might go
to like a B minus or a C plus for them. I don't fully
understand the Tartoro's year extension. Maybe they're scared shitless that twenty twenty two free
agencies gonna be barren of talent because it will be, and that a team
was going to come over the top with an offer. He did just have
a fantastic season. He also cooled off a lot down the stress down the
latter half of the year. That was also I guess overlapped with Gordon Heyward
and the mellow ball being injured for a deep spell. Just that's a lot
of money. And if you're viewing this as okay, well they're not going
to get out of the second they're not going to make the second round of
the playoffs anyway, then maybe it's really only a three year deal worth about
seventy five million, seventy million dollars seventy two million, and that's that's more
so fine. I thought that was a little rich. I don't I think
they could have let him go into the market and kept him for cheaper and
maybe they wanted to build up some good will. I just don't I get
it. He had a great year. I don't understand the extension there.
I also I would have kept DeVante Graham rather than get And here's the thing.
The Pelicans twenty twenty two first round pick, we talk about fake second
rounders, this is a fake first rounder. It's a lottery protected for one
year. And unless I'm mistaken there, but that's the best of my research.
It's a lottery protected for one year before it's no longer a first round
pick. That's not going to be a first round pick. The Pelicans,
I think the kindest thing you can say about their off season is maybe they're
not worse than they were last season, and so I don't look at them
as a playoff team. So you gotta fakes first round or for DeVante Graham
when he signed for I know he was your third guard, but hey,
maybe you don't have to pay Tyrose a year one hundred million dollars almost.
I know we had an off year DeVante Graham, and a part of that
was probably because he was relegated to like this third or fourth gar role at
some points. I just you couldn't get like a little bit more for him
on that front, and so there were things about this offseason that made me
uneasy. Even the Kai Jones, I think that was a great You know,
normally you have to overpay when you're moving up in the draft at that
spot they are going to send a pick outside the lottery, and it could
be you know, if it's if it conveys next year. Charlotte had a
hell of a season, But like, why are we all of a sudden
we're protecting picks for four to seven years because you're allowed to, like those
commitments to stretched so long. So I don't necessarily love that. I like
it better for them than I do the Knicks. I absolutely love James book
Night. I think Mason Plumley was the sort of safe play here. He
doesn't help you defensively. It just it wasn't a lateral offseason because I think
they got a little bit better. I just feel like they had the potential
to do so much more. And if you kind of look at the raw
season through the lens of like what if they didn't extend Terry Rosier, Like
how much better would this aw season look? Or had they found a way
to keep Devonte Graham, But then that kind of takes them out of the
Kelly Ubrid Junior sweepstakes, so you do have to consider that. I just
feel like they had the bandwidth to be a little bit more creative, especially
when it came to at least the center position or what they did with Devonte
Graham at the very least. Yeah, I'm not as hard on the DeVante
Graham thing because you know, when you're in a position where he can just
sign somewhere else and you're not going to match it, you know your returns
aren't going to be that great. I think, and this is another thing
maybe we should have mentioned at the topic just as you're talking made me think
of it. The Rosier signing did strike me initially as like, man,
that's that's a lot of money for Terry Rosier. Great season and all.
But I also think we got to consider and this is why, you know,
I started at a B plus, but now I've done some work in
another project thinking about the Hornets and some of their weaknesses, I'm gonna knock
it down to a B. But the thing I'm trying to get to is
not every team's free agent dollars go as far as every other teams, and
I think Charlotte is not a destination. So if you've got somebody you view
as a starter and you can lock him up for you know, somewhere in
the load of mid twenty million per season range, I think, you know,
I think the math is just a little different. I'm making excuses for
the Hornets, obviously to justify I mean, we gave him roughly the same
grade. But the thing that if you're looking at this kind of holistically,
you lose Monk, you lose Graham, and I think you know imperfect players
for sure. Graham is one of the worst finishers inside the arc in the
league. It's like incomprehensible how inefficient he is when he's not shooting threes.
But those two guys, Monk forty point one percent from deep last year,
Graham thirty seven and a half percent. I think he was thirty seven point
three the year before. And you got Is Smith in your guard rotation.
Now you got Kelly Ubrey on the wing and not those guys are not shooters.
And when you also theoretically, I think Mason, I think Plumbley's best
skill might be his passing, and that gets a little bit muted if you
don't have the spacing or the shooting threats around him to hit guys as he
rolls. So it's kind of the overall vision of this offseason, there are
some some pieces that don't I'm making the fingers fitting together gesture because this is
an audio medium and it's really helpful, but there are some pieces that just
don't quite fit. All that said, you know, book Nights slipping to
them was huge. I like Kai Jones and the ubre thing non shooting issue
aside. I think the Hornets led by Lamel LaMelo Ball, who we haven't
even talked about yet because he had nothing to do with the offseason, but
I think they Yeah, I wonder why. I mean, they're gonna run
and I think they're gonna thrive him like scattered chaotic situations. And Kelly Hubra
lives there like that if you if you just want him to run up and
down and dunk and like create havoc with live wire defense, like that's your
guy, and so he's gonna fit really well there. I think the shooting
is a question. So so yeah, I good values generally, but I
can't go any higher than a B. And I get your point about their
free agency dollars not going as far, but I think it also means that
you need to be more shrewd with how much you're paying your own players.
At the same time, and if you're asking me whether I'd have rather have
Terrier's here at five years about one hundred and fifteen million, or DeVante Graham
at four years and sub forty eight million. I'd probably still lean Devanta Graham
And look, Terror's here at a hell of a season last year. I
just I don't know why that extension needed to be given. What team was
gonna spend on him next year to that extent and he would if he did
follow it up to earn that money, then you're probably still okay with paying
him then. So I don't think this is a crippling deal, which is
why I didn't give them a B minus or C plus. I just thought
it was kind of a I don't know, it felt like a slap dash
extension to me more so than not, and just viewed against like I would
have rather seen them take a bigger swing this, you know, and Terrors
here was extension didn't impact this, But if they were going to do that,
like, could you take a bigger swing on like a center other than
a than a Mason Plumlee just because as you mentioned, like the shooting is
is weird on the wing rotation is like not super deep. Your wings are
like Gordon Hayward and James book Night and yeah, like who uh that kellyber
Jr. Of course. So it's just like, I don't know, you
have West of one due is there? Is he not? Is he still
there? I don't know. I'm losing track of all these offseason stuff,
but so yeah, I just I think the solid B for them is fair.
But unless you have anything to add, we can move on to Chicago.
I just that I'm learning you hate extensions. Your extensions are over two
in your score books so far. I don't hate extensions. I just don't.
Terry Rosier four years and ninety six point three is a touch. It's
a touch too far. I think that's just That's where I'm at with right
Rosier to the Bulls, though they drafted I would just soon knew at number
thirty eight who I couldn't believe fellow that low. I thought that was great
for them. They acquired Lonzo Ball in a sign and trade on a four
year, eighty million dollars deal. It can get up to eighty f million
with player incentives. He's a player option on the final year, so that
deal is technically fully guaranteed. They sent New Orleans Thomas Sadranski Garrett Temple in
a duel sign and trade, and they sent a twenty twenty four second round
pick and cash also to New Orleans. They also signed Alex Caruso for four
years thirty seven million. Thirty point one million is guaranteed. He only has
a three million guarantee in that final season. Everything sounds spectacular there. They
also signed Tony Bradley to a two year deal the player option on that second
year. They signed Matt Thomas to a one year deal at the minimum.
They got a five million dollars trade exception for sending Daniel Tye to Houston.
They signed Javonte Green to a two year deal, non guaranteed. In that
second year. All that fine. This is where shit starts to go off
the rails for me, though. They acquired Damarda Rosen on a three year,
eighty one point nine million dollar deal, and they also got back their
own twenty twenty five second round pick. That three year, eighty one point
nine million dollars deal for Damarta Rosen is fully guaranteed. That is one level
to this. To earn the right to pay Demarda Rose and that much money,
they gave up Thaddeus Young, Alfre Rukaminu a twenty twenty five first round
pick. It is top ten protected in twenty five, top eight in twenty
six and twenty seven, and they also sent out a twenty twenty five second
round pick. Then they acquired Derek Jones Junior and Portlands twenty twenty two first
round pick lottery protection through two twenty eight. These protections, man, they
are extending all the way out. That feels like a new trend. They
also got twenty twenty three second. It's from Cleveland, but it's Denver twenty
twenty Denverse twenty twenty three second. Excuse me for Lowry marketing in another sign
in trade. I'm just curious as to what you think about their off season.
As a brief recap, their notable subtractions include they lost that young Daniel
Tis, Lowry Marketing, Garrett Temple, Alfre Rukaminu, and Thomas Saturanski.
So this is the team I was referring to at the top when it talks
about you know you you got a grade, Yeah, you got a grade.
These teams on you know, what are their goals? And not every
team's trying to win a championship And we knew this, but we knew that
was the case for the Bulls because you don't trade two future firsts for Vukovich,
whose career highlight is a forty two and forty magic team that like got
balanced in five games in the first round. You don't prize Zach Lavine as
a super duper star, which I think they do. So having said all
that, it's the DeRos, so I think the Bulls are better. I
think the Bulls are better on the court this coming season than they were last
year. I think they could win forty five games, maybe more. I
don't know how they're going to stop anybody, but I think just as a
fan that's going to the arena and you want to see a better basketball product,
I think they've achieved that. A Lonzo ball goes a long way towards
that, while also sort of ticking the you know type of box that we
tend to like more generally of the goods good expenditure on a young player,
I just can't I've later all that out as a run one way to say,
I'm giving them a D plus and I'd like to be harsher just because
I can't see anything worth celebrating in when you're when you're you set your sights
so low like the way that the Bulls have acted is we're really close to
getting over the top. We have to make some win now moves and spend
a little wildly and sacrifice some youth. And they're not at that stage.
They're at a stage where they're trying to make the playoffs. Zach Laban hasn't
played a playoff minute yet. So the Derosian signing, I just they're signing
trade, whatever you want to call it. I just I just don't know
where the market was that necessitated the outlay that they had to make. I
don't think it was realistic to say san Antonio was going to pony up and
come anywhere close to that. I just don't know where he was going to
sign that they needed to go this high. Exclude from that the fact that
he doesn't really make a lot of sense as a fit as an offense.
Really only player that doesn't stretch the floor. Great passer, Everyone's going to
talk about that, but Buchevitch can pass, Lavine can pass. He just
feels like overkill in an area that they don't need at great cost. So
he, to me offsets what I think was a pretty good signing in Lonzo
Ball and another decent one in Alex Carusou to such a degree that I just
and you lose Daddy as Young, who I think, you know, maybe
even in a vacuum, is an objectively more helpful player when you're trying to
win games than Derosen. So this is I think my worst grade in the
conference, just because I think the Bulls they went big at at at a
small or at a kind of unimpressive target, Like I just don't think you
do this to try to win forty some odd games. So that's that's my
screed, or where are you on their grade? Your outrage convinced me to
go down to a C minus because I thought I was being too hard on
them since there were things about their office and I liked that being said,
Look, I think the Lonzo Ball pickup was great. He's just a look,
he's not going to give you the half court creation. You do have
that in zach Lavine Bouche is going to give you some of that. Demartin
Rosen obviously gives you some of that. And I do think there's a pathway
to this team being really good offensively, but you are all of a sudden,
I think asking Lonzo Ball zach Lavine and Voos to all have the ball
even less, and that is a combustible cocktail. I also don't know you're
not going to look to play super fast with Demartin Rosen on the court,
and that's what you should be doing when Lonzo Ball and Zach Lavine are both
playing together. To me, still, I see the pathway and I'm making
it work offensively. They really compromise their defense with this. They put an
awful lot of pressure on Patrick Williams and even Alex Caruso, who's not going
to have the safety net that is Anthony Davis and Lebron James around him like
he had in Los Angeles. I still leave that deal is fine. I
liked that for them. What the hell does this mean about Kobe White's development?
By having de Rosen and Lavine and Lonzo Ball, now you've nuked his
trade value even if you want to make another trade. You spend enough time
on the De Rosan thing. I think I agree with everything you basically said.
I really do think this could be a great offensive team. A struggle
to see how they're going to succeed defensively. Daddy is Young would have helped
them there. That's where I really had a problem, And maybe you won't
have to give up as much if you're not also including a mean who's essentially
dead money at this point in the deal, and so that hurts them.
You've mortgaged too much of your future now for me, and I know the
Thad Young Voodge minutes weren't great last year defensively for Chicago, that was a
small sample size, like seeing that with Patrick Williams together, they might have
had a better shot at coming closer to a league average defense. If that
happens this year, I'll be flabbergasted. But what was really overkilled for me
is can you at least incorrectly chase winning correctly? Why did you get Derek
Jones Jr. In the Larry Nance Junior trade? Who is Larry Nance Jr.
Is a way better fit for your team. He's on the same timeline
as that Booge contract too, with two years sub twenty million dollars left.
He can play next to fooch You could probably get some small ball five minutes
out of him. Imagine the defensive malleability in a line up with both Patrick
Williams and Larry Nance Junior. And hey also Alex Caruso, maybe even Lonzo
Ball. There's no I'm not gonna say they're gonna be a great defensive team,
But wtf You went after the draft pick in that trade, Like,
I know that gives you the flexibility to then trade said draft pick in another
deal this summer. But Larry nance Juior was the best player in that deal.
You didn't need Portland to come in and do this at all. You
just decided that you wanted Portland's pick that is either going to convey this season
or not at all. Because Dame was gone after this year. I'll be
shocked if he's still in Portland. So I'm just can you at least be
consistent with the mode of thought here, Like if you're going to acquire and
mortgage your future for winning now talent, hey continue to accumulate this wind now
talent. I know Derek Jones Junior will help them defensively. He's going to
shrink the floor. He can't play with the Marty Rozen that will be a
disaster. And look if you try to play him even with Caruso, who's
like an average shooter at best. So I just don't and I'm not saying
Larry Nance Junior is a light out shooter, but he's shooting thirty five plus
percent from three over the past two seasons and can just be moved around a
ton on defense just as much, if not more so, than Derrick Jones
Junior. So I'm going to spend time harpening on that trade because it just
felt like it was counterintuitive relative to everything else they did. Is they took
the longer term play or like the mystery box play with that pick plus Derrick
Jones Junior's expiring contract. I just I don't understand why you don't take lyar
NaN's Jr. As part of that signing trade. So I like to bits
in parts of their offseason. I can't give them lower than a C minus.
I definitely understand why you went as low as as a D just because
that Joe they negated a lot of what they did, and like you said,
they'd already hamstrung themselves long term for what was a pretty middling present in
that Voots trade, and they fucked up because they didn't make the plan.
You don't make that Voots trade unless you want to make the postseason last year
as well, they didn't. They didn't even make the plan. I know
Zach Levine ended up being in health and safety protocols for a beat. You
still that ends up being the screw up to make that trade then, because
you gave up the number eight pick and you in this and so what,
I just don't know where they were going. Then you now doubled down on
that, but then didn't continue to triple down. You just decided to take
that Portland pick. I'm just they're confusing the hell out of me. And
I don't want to say I hated their off season because I love Lonzo ball
here. I really like iotatuon move maybe they actually try and play him,
and I really do think that Alex Caruso's a solid fit. But like,
even what is the backup five situation right now? Are you really relying on
Tony Bradley or are we going to see Patrick Williams place in five or Derrick
Jones Junior place in five? That might actually be fairly inventive, but there
probably needs to be another big type on this roster behind which as well,
which they just don't have right now. Two closing thoughts. One, Stanley
Johnson's swayed this for you at all, by the way, I think I
forgot to add him. I forgot. They also have Stanley Johnson, let
me check the Nope, needles not moving, Patrick Williams so and Kobe White
too, sort of a lesser extent because I don't think he's a rolepiece in
what should be the Bulls long term outlook, presuming they have one. One
of the things that made Williams frustrating last year is he has significant offensive talent.
That's not his bag yet. He's kind of a gap filler still at
this stage, defender, you know, the little things guy. But what
the Bulls wanted was for him to be more aggressive. Like there are all
these quotes from throughout throughout last year of you know him saying that you know
the coaching staff, they want me the first thing I do when I get
a touch is look at the basket, because he has a habit of not
doing that. And if one of your franchise goals, which it should be
for a team in Chicago's position, whatever they think their position is, their
actual position should be. We want our best young prospect to develop in the
ways that will be helpful to us if you stick him on a team that's
just chock full of guys that can get their own shots and that like to
do that, you're not going to see a lot of offensive growth. Maybe
he gets great at the other stuff. Maybe he goes Kawhi Leonard and just
you know, becomes a great defensive player and rebounds and does you know,
lives off other guys setting him up for a while before he takes that next
step. That'd be a great outcome, but you're not exactly helping that happen.
The second thing is, this is a smaller point. We need teams
to stop valuing players on how they looked in their last season with the Heat
because Derrick Jones Junior is another guy now, right, and Josh Richardson was
the last one before this. This is a trend. The teams need to
not value the guy that gets in the best shape of his life because he's
terrified of his own of his of his team whatever. Pat Riley as team
president, I guess, and they treat the operation like a military, you
know, regime, like we're done. We need to just whatever a guy
did in his last year with the Heat, you need a knock twenty five
percent off of it for your expectations going forward. That's all. That's all.
I'll say about the Derrick Jones deal, we also need to stop.
Yeah, I'm ready about to say we can get into that with MIAI we
also need to I saw stuff going around that people think Kyle Lowry's gonna get
in like the best shape of his life now that he's with Miami. Kyle
Lowry's been in pretty good shape for a while, and one of the best
point guards in the league. So like, there's not magic sauce for the
heat to make an aging superstar better than an It just bizarre, but please
carry on to Cleveland. The Cavaliers drafted Evan Mobley third overall, acquired Rickey
Rubio for Torrian Prince a twenty twenty two second from Washington as a cash gave
Jared Allen five years and one hundred million dollars fully guaranteed, no options,
and then we just sort of touched on it. Got Lauri Marking in on
a four year, sixty seven and a half million deal million dollars deal,
fifty five point four of which is guaranteed, only six is guaranteed. In
twenty four twenty five, Larry Nance Junior went out, as did Denver's twenty
twenty three second rounder, and just recently, I think today maybe signed or
on wolf Scho'll call it Wednesday signed Kevin Pangos to a two year, three
point six million dollars deal. Second year is non guaranteed. The notable subtractions
again, Larry Nance Junior, Torrian Prince and your grade, Dan is I
gave him a D plus and I might even just go straight D or D
minus. I don't understand what the Calves are doing at this point. I
get taking Evan Mobley if you consider him the best player available. I'm even
kind of on board with the Ricky Rubio trade because they need just a steady
captain in that backup point guard slot. But like, what the fuck are
you doing upfront? Like you it's fine to pay Jared Allen if there were
no sign and trade avenues there, what was his leverage for five years one
hundred million dollars? It was if Charlotte wasn't given it to him. And
first of all, they can't even give him that fifth year, So how
the hell that happened is beyond me. Kudos to Jared Allen though, by
the way, and now you want to play him alongside Evan Mobley so that
you can you know cap the ceiling on Evan Mobley both on defense and offense.
We just watched Evan Mobley thrive and as a point center in Summer League.
I don't see how he's going to make a huge defensive impact at the
four playing a ton of minutes there, I don't. I think he's much
less of an offensive mismatch at the four, if he is even a mismatch
at all. He dribbled into some jumpers during Summer League, Like this isn't
someone who's operating at full tilt when he's working off the dribble. So maybe
they'll find ways to play him at the five. But hey, you know
that gets a lot more difficult when you also decide to give Larry markt him
fifty five plus million dollars guaranteed. WTF there Again, this team needed wings
and they decided to get another power forward, another big man, and I
understand it from the timeline of this team where Larry market And is younger and
Larry Nanns Jr. That is where the fit just kind of Peter's out for
me. Larry Marketing is a better shooter. He doesn't do anything else.
He's not gonna help you on defense. He's not like some great rebounder.
Maybe there's more to him putting the ball on the floor that we didn't see
in Chicago except when Jim Boylan would give him those like four seconds left on
the shot clock bombs from the post that the Chicago is feeding him two years
ago. But if you're doing that, so we're gonna take the ball out
of Darius Garland's hands, or Colin Sexton's hands, or hey, Evan Mobley's
hands, the guy you just drafted at number three, I am not about
it. And you could have kept Jared Allen if you couldn't, if there
wasn't a sign and trade oction out there. Just what were the terms of
this deal? And then to get Larry market and move on top of that?
No ah, no, no, no, no, no, not
for me. And I'll accept the Larry Nance junior trade. Maybe if marketing
was cheaper, and maybe, like I said, there's another level of marketing
that we haven't seen. This team was scared of paying Colin Sexton, so
he was made available per the Athletic. Maybe that was from Sexton's camp,
But you're just totally okay with giving Jared Allen one hundred million dollars in a
league that's gravitating increasingly more frequently towards centers who are not like Jared Allen,
where his ceiling is like Clint Capella. It's not Rudy Gobert, like that
ship is sale. Jared Allen is not going to get to Rudy Gobert's level.
So I am just miffed at what this team is doing. And if
they end up eventually trading Colin Sexton or not paying him, but they've paid
Jared Allen and also Larry Marketing, I'm just I'm not about it. And
I'm not saying they shouldn't have taken Evan Mobley. If you think he's the
best player available, fine, but maybe put him in a better situation to
succeed. And hey, Kevin Love is just still he can't penalize them for
not trading him because he's essentially dead money at this point, But like,
what are we doing here? Seriously? Just what are we doing here?
And your wings on this team are just so now Finn Like, Okay,
maybe Isaaco Coro breaks out. I think the Jetty osmanship has sailed. Maybe
you really like Lamar Stevens, Dan Windler hasn't shown that he can stay healthy.
I'm just I honestly, I hated their off season in general, and
it was I'm still again. I think the word I'm right now with Cleveland
is mythed and I like the young talent in a vacuum, to have Jared
Allen, to have Evan Mobile, to have Isaaco Coro, to have Sexton,
to have Darrenus Garland. But you've done very little to optimize this hodgepodge
of solid talent that you've now amassed and the Larry market and just pushed it
over the top three. They might have been able to pull out like a
C minus for me, but that was just an abysmal transaction for them in
my opinion. Yeah, I had him initially as a C and as I'm
thinking back over it, I don't know how was that high. I think
it had a lot to do with like marking in at least, and you
alluded to this is kind of the type of guy that a team in Cleveland's
position should be interested in. But ya as, but as like a by
low distressed asset type of thing, and not someone you pay sixty seven million
potentially. I guess they probably would be happy if they ended up paying him
the sixty seven million, because it means he was good enough to guarantee that
for them to pick up the guarantee in the fourth year of that deal,
but to pay fifty five and change guaranteed regardless. But like, that's just
that that doesn't square to me. I think I like the Mobili pick.
I like the upside the ceiling he has. God knows if he's gonna be
this version of like Bam auto bio that also gets his own looks off the
dribble and you know, is even bigger, good, good lottery ticket.
I'm fine with that at three, But like, do we really give the
Cavs credit for taking someone that, you know, I think most people had
mocked at in the top three anyway, that's a good point. But yeah,
the Jared Allen signing, I just like, I'm sure we did a
pre agency recap and that was my least favorite deal of the whole thing.
I do remember for that. I have nothing to add to that. You've
said it. You can't pay a center that much money. The fifth year
is like just reeks of like a promise they made when they got him initially
is like we've got this in the bag, you know, I just I
don't. I don't know. And then the Ricky Rubio thing. I love
the adults in the room idea, but Ricky Rubio does not tend to play
his best basketball when he's on bad teams. Like he he's like the Utah
Jazz, the good Jazz. Ricky Rubio was something good Sons Rubio was something
he just I don't know. I like him a lot, but I it
just he doesn't tend to perform that well when there's not a lot to play
for, and the Cavs don't have a lot to play for, so going
down to a D plus or D or whatever. I don't know if you're
actually keeping track of these, but the Kavas off season sucked and I hated
it. Yeah, I'm gonna stick with my I'm gonna give him a D.
I don't I'm like tempted to give them an F, but I reserved
that for one team this offseason that we will knock get to on this podcast
spoiler alert. And the other thing is the other thing is like why did
they have to give up the pick in the Ricky Ruby o'deal? I guess
he's a better player than Torri and Prince, but they were saving the Timberwolves
money and giving a player that is, like, you know, man's a
more desirable position position technically, especially for them were so thin on on the
wings. I just thought that was and it was Washington's twenty twenty two.
Second, we don't know where Washington's gonna be at the end of next season,
so I thought that was a little bizarre. Are you ready for me
to go through the Detroit Pistons because it's a mouthful and a half. Oh
good, I thought I was gonna have to do this one. I'm glad
to go ahead. I'm I'm very ready. Wait is it me? No?
I think it is me? Yeah, yeah, no, it's it's
definitely you. They drafted kay County Hammett number one, which I mean,
the one thing I'll add here is like that was the no brainer, Like
all those rumors leading up to that was just yeah. They obtained they obtained
the trade exception in the Mason Plumbley trade, but they also needed to get
up number thirty seven to get him off, which became JT. Thor.
As you mentioned before, Charlotte, they acquired DeAndre Jordan, who They have
since waved, and he has joined the Los Angeles Lakers. A twenty twenty
two second round pick Brooklyn, a twenty twenty four second round pick I think
it will be coming from Memphis or Washington, a twenty twenty five second round
pick via Golden State, a twenty twenty seven second round pick via Brooklyn,
and cash for Sekudaboya and Julia Okafour. They signed Kelly Olynno to a three
year thirty seven point two million dollars deal. Twenty eight million is guaranteed,
three million is only guaranteed. In that final season, they resigned Homadu Diallo
too a two year ten point four million dollar deal. The second year as
a team option, they signed Isaiah Livers to a three year four point five
million dollar deal team option. On that final season, Sabin Lee was signed
to a five point one million dollar deal team option. A three year five
point one million dollars deal excuse me, a team option. On that final
season, they signed Trey Lyles to a two year five point one million dollar
deal team option. On that second season, they signed resigned Corey Joseph after
waiving him for two point four million, to a two year ten point one
million dollar deal that includes a player option. On the second season, they
signed Rodney McGruder to a resigned Roddy McGruder to a one year deal at minimum
after waving him, signed Frank Jackson to a two year, six point two
million dollar deal team option. On the final season, Luke Garza and Chris
Smith were each given two way contracts. Just as a quick recap, notable
subtractions include Mason Palmley, Say Kudaboya, Wayne Ellington, Julio okafor, and
Dennis Smith Junior. What did grade did you give the Detroit Pistons grant?
I gave the Pistons a ce A, just the most average milktoast boring grade
I could give a team whose off season other than Cunningham was basically could be
summarized by saying they gave reasonable short contracts to a bunch of warm bodies,
like because just this is a team that is clearly the tank is the tank
has begun rolling, but it's gonna be a long journey. And this is
the kind of offseason you put together when you're just you're just to really hunker
down and be in it for another year or two. The only like I
guess. So the theory of this team for me is if you're gonna make
kid Cunningham and Killing and Hayes work together, Hayes is shot is suspect they
tried him off the ball a lot more towards the end of last year.
It's kind of a bummer if the guy you thought maybe was a franchise level
point guard at least combo guard is already you know, moved to a diminished
role, which I get because Cunningham is you know, everybody's obvious number one.
But to get back to their offseason helly Link makes some sense as a
spacer for that lineup if Hayes is not a great space or off the ball
potentially don't know, We've seen so little of him, we can't be sure.
Just thinking from you know, a theory of the team perspective, what
I guess you would say is their biggest offseason commitment, A Link like makes
sense, but it's not a It's not anything for me that gets them out
of just kind of met like se Grange. I just don't see anything spectacular
or anytime you make a salary dumb, which really was what the Plumbley trade
was. It's just you know, not that exciting, especially when like who
cares man? Just just pay him or to the Pistons aren't doing anything.
I guess Isaiah Stewart's got to play. But sit looking at my notes.
That was that was a justification, but see not interesting. I am considering
going with a ded but I have a Semidus right now. I don't know
how to credit them for taking Kid Cunningham. That was the no brainer pick
to me, and you got to a point where you needed to use the
number thirty seven picked the get riv Mason Plumbley. I did not like that
you automatically get downgraded a few notches because you gave Corey Joseph a player option
in the year two and twenty one. It's like ryding Corey Josephs need a
player option. Seriously. I get what they're doing with the other contracts.
They loaded it with team options. I think that sets them up if they
want to make a trade where this season teams can view those A lot of
those contracts after December fifteens as expiring deals, or you can pick them up
to facilitate trades leading into next season. I get that, thoughts. Here's
what I don't get I would rather have, say, Kudin Boya than freaking
Trey Lyles. I don't get that. I know they got four second rounders
in that DeAndre Jordan deal, but now you have another basically two years and
twenty million dollars in dead money since they waved him. He gave up on
sake Kudin boy It felt like really quickly, and yeah, I guess you
look at it and say, all right, like two of those second rounders
could be sort of nice, But was that enough to give up on stay
Coup and then just again the dead money for DeAndre. I know we're talking
about this isn't a team that's gonna look to be a major player in free
agency, but you can't do anything with that money now, which is dead
money. The best thing I can say about it is apparently they're not going
to stretch it, which has been like the PISTONSMO for a while. So
I guess you're over it in two years a reasonable price, I guess,
But it felt like, I don't know, just having Trey Lyles giving up
on stay Coup like that. I do like Kelly on Lennox for this roster,
I think gives them that forced basic element in the front court. I
don't have a problem with displacing Jeremy Grant more from the ball. I think
that's he's best suited. I think that was also proven where he's best suited
towards the end of last year. I like Kay Cunningham's fit a lot more
with Killian Hayes than others do. I think Hayes showed more flashes than people
gave him credit for. So, I think the Pistons have assembled a nicer
crop of young talent. But this off season was absent any sort of bigger
swings because Kay Cunningham wasn't a swing. I don't there just wasn't a lot
of you know, beside aside from Kelly Olynnock some of the smaller deals and
then drafting Kay Cunningham like this wasn't an off season I think unequivocally made a
ton of sense for them, and I'm probably like, yeah, I'm probably
being too hard on them for this. You paid Corey Joseph two point four
million dollars to get off your books and then sign him to a two year
deal with a player option that is unforgivable. I just what did he show
you last year? To have that sort of leverage. I'm probably overreacting that,
but you don't find that blasphemous that Corey Joseph has a player option on
the second year of that contract. I can't. I can't get over it.
I don't know. If I goes as far as the givable, it
is hard to explain. I'll leave it there. So yeah, I think
I don't know that I'm like and they might, but they might not even
tank because what if Kate cunning him is good? Right away? You have
Jeremy Grant. Isaiah Stewart was really good last year. There were some Pistons
fan or YouTube comments that were claiming that he's a future All Star. I
would fall miles short of going that far, but he was impressive. Saban
Lee was even kind of frisky for them. You have Sadiq Bay who clearly
has a lot more ball skills than I think he was credited with coming out
of school. If Killy and Hayes gets better, you're not necessarily guaranteed to
be the worst team in the East. I just it's it's the little things
and they start to add up. The Corey Joseph player option. Did you
really need to like grease the wheels of a Mason Plumley salary dump. Was
that something you needed to do? I just don't think it was. So
their offseason viewed in some I think was a major block outside of Kate Cunningham.
And again to your point you mentioned at the top of this what how
do you give teams credit for kind of selecting no brainers in their draft spots,
especially when we're dealing with you on the top three picks in this year's
draft. Yeah, no, I don't know. I think you give them.
You give them the grades in the C and D range. I guess
is what you do and gift mistiness fans. You're welcome for the C minus
instead of a day. What do you hate more, Corey Joseph's player option
or extend? Yes, I just want to keep tabs on. I will
forever always. Indiana Pacers note please carry on. Sorry there might be some
delay in our audio because we're talking over each other, but but we're powering
through. Uh. Indiana Pacers notable editions hired Rick Carlisle to be their head
coach. I think his ten uere will go more smoothly than Nate Bjorkrins did.
Got the thirty first pick Isaiah Todd for Georgios Kalate Sakas. Oh God,
we'll look at these names. I've drawn Sandro Mamo Kelashvili and a twenty
twenty four second round pick and a twenty twenty six second round pick. They
snagged Chris Duarts, one of the oldest players ever drafted. He's like in
the top five I think had number thirteen or at least in recent memory.
Senior acquired Isaiah Jackson, who was a number twenty two, and a four
million dollars trade exception for Aaron Holiday and Isaiah Todd. So they clipped that
Todd pick, got Tory Craig for two years ten million. Like it.
I'm just gonna tip my hand. There got a seven point three million dollar
trade exception for Doug McDermott, who ended up with the San Antonio Spurs.
Some smaller signings Terry Taylor, Keifer Sykes, Dwayne Washington, Junior Jean Jarrow.
The last two are on two ways. The first two are on one
year deals and notable subtractions Neave Yokren no longer employed. Doug McDermott, Dan,
what do you think of the Indiana Pacers offseason. Well, I think
that they and this is my fault. This is why you shouldn't read my
sheet. They also did resign TJ McConnell to a four year thirty three point
six million dollars deal. Twenty nine point three is guaranteed. I'm looking right
at my sheet. I should read my shoet on this one. Only five
million guaranteed in the final year. That's great. Yeah, I thought that
was a little rich for TJ McConnell and it contributes to my B minus.
I also think the news that TJ. Warren isn't going to be ready for
the season shifted their grade a little bit for me, because now losing Doug
McDermott feels like it becomes even more huge. Not that TJ. Warren was
this motion shooter, but he was very key two year shooting. And now
you've lost Doug McDermott, who is a motion shooter and was really good as
a cutter last year, one of the most efficient two point scorers in the
league. I know he doesn't give you anything on defense, and TJ.
Warren was defending basically the other team's best wing for all of twenty nineteen,
twenty twenty still I think you lose an offensive punch there, unless you think
that Chris Duarte is just ready to pay Tory TJ McConnell that much though,
when you're all ready, at least for a little bit, gonna play with
two bigs, which will crimp your spacing a little bit. I just find
Matt a little odd. I guess the value play for Isaiah Jackson at number
twenty two is fine, but like, what does that say about Gogo Patad's
Are we just were over? Are we over him? Is that what's happening
here? So I'm their off season felt a little bit all over the place.
I still do like the fact that mc carlisle's there instead of Nate Yorkin.
I liked the Tory Craig gill overall, someone who's gonna replace a lot
of what you needed TJ. Warren to do defensively, and he shot the
three ball pretty well with Phoenix. Last year's slot's a reasonable price. I
settled on a B minus for them. I just thought that was more than
fair. I went into the off season thinking that Doug McDermott needed to be
the priority for them over t J McConnell, and I didn't leave the off
season, at least to this point thinking any differently. I don't know how
you feel on that front. No, I mean it's hard to know how
the Warren, what the Pacers knew about Warren and when they knew it,
and how that would have affected their decision on McDermot, because you're right,
it should have been a factor. I mean, like, I don't know,
I went into this season thinking, man, if they get twenty nineteen
twenty TJ. Warren, who like some measures, might have been the best
player on that team, just considering positional value and two way play, the
Pacers are really going to be something, and now there's just a hole at
that position. I'm okay with the McConnell deal, especially because the you know,
the last year is partially guaranteed. It basically basically amounts to somewhere in
the neighborhood of mL E money, a little rich. But he was very
good for them last year. And you know, Malcolm Brogden and Carousel Hurt
are going to miss time just because historically that's what's happened. Particularly with Brogden.
I gave him a beat and a lot of that's just Carlisle. I
think it's you know, it's not rocket science. Their coaching situation was a
total debacle last year, and Carlisle has a title and is regarded by pretty
much everybody as as someone who just wins and gets teams to play the right
way, gets teams to maximize their talent. So you know, if you're
talking about you know what you're getting, what you're spending your resources on.
You know, the Pacers already have a lot of good to very good players.
Uh, you know, there there are some positional holes on the wing,
as you mentioned now, But I know, I think if you're looking
for the best way to improve this team and to sort of figure out some
of the intricacies that just seem to always be there with particularly the Miles Turner
and Demonis Sabonis interplay, Carlisle is the guy, or at least maybe the
best guy that was realistically available. So I gave him be I'm okay with
everything they did, just I guess I just am generally okay with losing McDermott
at the number that they ended up deciding he wasn't worth and Duarte look like,
if Duarte is not ready now, he's not going to get ready like,
the whole appeal of him is that this guy like his prime is right
now because he's gonna pain in his late twenties, you know, before his
rookie feels over. So that's exaggeration, but dude is like he's old.
This is a finished product. This is your old school four years, the
whole deal. So for a Pacers team that is always just kind of hitching
to be a playoff team and seems to have been satisfied with that for a
very long time, he makes a lot of sense. Uh So, yeah,
just to be uh you know, not like a ringing endorsement, but
but I was. I was good with everything they did and thought Carlisle was,
uh, you know, the best thing they did. And I think
the TEJMC contract looks even more fine when you when you look at them trading
Aaron Holiday as well, just because as you mentioned, Brogdonliver are gonna miss
time and so you do need that other ball handler. But he's just more
valuable on defense and really makes your spacing a little bit skimpy on offense to
me. But yeah, the big German number was high, So I totally
hear you there. Are you ready to move on? To the Miami Heat.
Yes, sir. They acquired Kyle Lowry on a three year, eighty
five million dollars deal, fully guaranteed for Goren Drag and precious a Chewa NFT.
As I asked what a precious to chewa was, you said, it's
an NFT. He's an NFT. Excuse me. They signed Duncan resign Duncan
robson a five year eighty nine point nine million dollars deal, an early termination
option in the final season seventy nine point nine million dollars or guaranteed overall nine
point nine million, and is also guaranteed in that final season. That's a
very weird there's an early termination option, but it's also only partially guaranteed.
They signed PJ. Tucker to ETO not a lot of ETOs anymore, right.
Signed PJ. Tucker to a two year, fourteen point four million dollar
deal player option on that second season. Signed Victor Oladipo to a one year
deal at the minimum. Signed Max Strus to a two year, three point
four million dollar deal non guaranteed in the second season. Signed Gave Vincent to
a two year at three point five million dollar deal non guaranteed in that second
season, signed away In Deadman to a one year deal at the minimum,
signed Mark Keith Morris to a one year deal at the minimum. Signed Omere
You're seven to a two year at three point two million dollar deal non guaranteed
in that second season, signed DJ Stewart to a one year deal at the
minimum, signed your Donus Haslam to a wasted roster spot at the minimum,
signed up Marcus Garrett to a to a two way contract, and as you
were nice enough to pencil in for me because I'm always going to forget the
extensions because I hate them. They signed Jimmy Butler to a four year,
one hundred and eighty four million dollar extension. He will be earning fifty point
seven million dollars in his age thirty six season, which is the final year
of that contract. Notable subtractions to recap Goran Dragic pressures A Chuwa, who
is a solid prospect, by the way, even though we were joking about
him being an NFT Kendricks Nod who's with the Lakers, Trevor Riza who's also
with the Lakers, Demania be Eliza, and you also wrote in Andrea Godala
as a notable subtraction as well, even though you know, maybe stretching the
boundaries of notable there. But what grade did you give them for the offseason
hurts? I gave him an A because I just respect an effort. Let's
light this money on fire. We're going for it in this situation, you
know that you can, like, look, it's terrifying that Lowry has three
for eighty five going into his mid and late thirties. It's terrifying that Butler
has a four eighty four extension, Like that's wild to me. Tucker could
Tuckers Is Tucker thirty six or thirty five? Whatever it is, that's scary
to pay anyone decent money there. I just and Duncan Robinson, that's a
lot of them, I think. I think that's just what you pay elite
shooters maybe who can kind of transform an offense just because of the attention they
draw. If you're gonna really splurge on a shooter, I'm okay with it
being Duncan Robinson and maybe like three or four other guys in the whole league
in terms of like specialists, and you know, based on what Joe Harris
got last season offseason, I think not not crazy all that's terrifying if you
pick it apart. But like the heat, they got older, they got
tougher. They have to be taken seriously. They would be, and they're
gonna be a nightmare to play against assuming decent health. I just I just
like that there's no question about this team's ambition, and there's no question about
their commitment to doing whatever it takes, spending whatever it takes, sacrificing whatever
future flexibility and like whatever outs they would have had to pursue that ambition.
So I don't know, I kind of just it just it just feels like
this is kind of what I want to see from a team that's just pretty
good, you know, better than that two years ago obviously made the finals
and it's like f and man, let's go like we don't have forever,
let's just try to win this way. So so it's one. I think
it's probably my highest grade in the East. I gave him a B plus
and I didn't I don't hate anything they did, and I echo everything that
you already said. I'm not I don't care about the I'm fine with the
Jimmy Butler extension, even with his limitations. The limitation being that he just
won't shoot threes basically anymore. He was borderline top ten player last year,
and so yeah, you were you already signed like you were. If you
want to go for it for the next two years and then figure it out
later, I'm all for that. We've also seen the Heat already digged themselves
out of It's not the same because these are stars, but we all thought
those James Johnson Dion Waiders deals were going to cripple them, and they ended
up figuring out a way to get out of that. So I actually you
don't care about that. And even look, the Victor Oladipo flyer is just
nice. You were attaining his bird right to the event that he comes back
and is really good next season. Some of the things I just question about
this team isn't they go a little bit too old because there's just not a
lot of sustainable role players or let's say known quantities around the Kyle Lowry,
bam Ata Baio, Jimmy Butler trio. You have Duncan Robinson, great Tyler,
hero is still unknown reads at least younger, and I think he had
a better year or at least as the season went on showed more than people
gave him credit for. That's like kind of it right now, and so
this feels like a very transient supporting cast. And when you put that together
while also not having enough shooting on the roster teams right now because Bamata Bio
and Jimmy Butler your top two players, they don't space the floor at this
point. Kyle Lowry will help you. There is off the people shooting,
even though they're sort of a dip there from him. I think he'll be
fine. PJ. Tucker shot under thirty two percent on corner threes. I
don't think that you can just guarantee that he's going to knock down those set
looks anymore. Just where are the shooters? It's it's Robinson, Max Strus.
And then I guess do we consider Tyler hero a shooter right now?
Even Victor Oladipo, if he's fully healthy, it's just never been this lights
out shooter. And so I take issue with that, And I also take
issue with just give you a don'tus has them a coaching spot and pay him
more than it gets for the league's But I'm sorry, it's a waste of
a roster spot. I know he's valuable in the locker room. Can't this
be like, you know, when it was a Javan Howard situation when he
did the same thing for the Heat but he wasn't actually on the roster.
I don't you know, he's a Heat legend. I get it. Why
are we using a roster spot on your don'tus has them when this could become
a clear need, like to use an extra roster spot down the line.
All small things, and I think in an offseason where it was very hard
to make substantive improvements because the market was so limited and teams were competing for
the same players, they were the team. They might be the only team
that you look at this offseason and say they moved up a tier and they're
still below Brooklyn in the East, but after that tier, like you can
at least talk yourself into a pathway to them beating Philly with whatever happens with
Ben Simmons, to maybe beating Milwaukee even though it's still pick Milwaukee in that
series, to being better or on the same level as Atlanta. So I
think that's great and I'm totally all for the We're going for it these next
two years and if it doesn't look great on that final year of Kyle Lowry's
contract, we'll deal with it. Then if Jimmy Butler the back end of
his extension doesn't look great, we'll deal with it. Then it's the other
it's the supporting cast. I don't know if they did enough this season,
but specifically looking a little bit more down the line, it just feels like
there's a lot of stop gaps here and unfilled holes at the moment. Yeah,
I think I think that's all fair. I would say that just like
there aren't a lot of teams that have more, you know, the Heat,
depending on how you feel about Hero, Autobio clearly is like he's like
your bridge to whatever next era you want to get you assuming this goes sideways
after a couple of years and you have to you know, really the pitot,
But like, learn a lot of teams that have, you know,
more than you know an Autobio Hero kind of way out. I guess that
are this good certainly, Like if you're going to be this good, you're
just kind of going to be old generally, And I just reiterate what you
said, like the Heat kind of know how to do this. They kind
of know how to they used to do it with first rounders. They just
not didn't care, Like they never had a first round pick for years and
years and years earlier this this past this past decade, I guess mostly and
they just kind of figure it out and and like, I don't know,
that's not a strategy I would recommend to a lot of teams. But the
Heat just kind of know how. Part of it's the market. I guess
they know that they're an attractive market and that gives them some advantages to sort
of figure things out and get the guys that they want. But they're better
at getting out of tight spots than than most. So yeah, I don't
know. I just kind of loved it, and I totally agree they did
move up a notch and this I don't know if there's anyone else the East
that's so obviously true for let's see Milwaukee Bucks. You're NBA chant Milwaukee Bucks.
The big move, I guess, the big acquisition Grayson Allen and cash
for Sam Merrill kind of like it. Signed Bobby Portis to a two year,
eight point nine million dollars deal, got a player option on the second.
George Hill to your eight million dollar deal. Rodney Hood signed for a
one year deal at the minimum same for Semioglu signed thanasis Anara Kumpo. Do
you think he's really? I wonder how he possibly got a deal two years,
three point six million player option nsist in the second year. I'm gonna
tell you what. That's a more ridiculous player option named Corey Joseph signed to
Sandro. But this is I've had to read this name twice. What happened
to this guy? Sandro Mamo calash really to a two way and acquired Georgios
Kaltzakis. And that name I just read who signed to a two way at
twenty twenty four second twenty twenty six second from the Pacers four number thirty one,
which was Isaiah Todd. They lost PJ. Tucker. I'm sure we'll
discuss that. Jeff Te remains unsigned. Brent Forbes went back to San Antonio,
and Sam Merril was outgoing in the Grayson Allen acquisition. What are your
thoughts Dan on the NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks off season? I hate them a
CE plus. I won't fight anyone who wants to give them a B minus
or something. I think I really like the Grayson Allen move for them.
He's going to provide some more shooting, can do a little bit with the
ball in his hands, holds up better defensively. You don't want him to
defend up than people think, and you don't want him to defend up like
Donte Devincenzo can, But he's sort of insurance against one, what does Donte
Devincenzo look like? Or when does he come back from his injury? And
two both of them are free agents at the same time. I would guess
Grayson Allen is substantially cheaper. And so if you don't want to pay Donte
Devincenzo, or if you'd like to move Donte Devincenzo in a deal in the
middle of the season to make an upgrade, maybe Grayson Allen gives you a
little bit of the flexibility to do that. Bobby portersty was obviously a home
run, and I like the other moves they made. Maybe George h will
play like a good basketball player. Again, I don't understand why he had
the leverage to get two years and that eight million dollar contract, which was
fully guaranteed. So I wasn't in love with that, and I really only
gave him a C plus for two reasons. Why does Tanasis have a player
option? I get it, I actually were just I would say that this
makes more sense than the cords the player option because you have a two time
MVP on your roster who's related to Tanasis. Yeah, that being said,
you should have resigned to PJ. Tucker. I just I won't stand for
the excuses of the cost of what they were trying to do for their tax
bill. Congratulations for getting Shemmy, Ojola and Rodney Hood. Maybe they help
you replace PJ. Tucker. And the minutes with PJ. Tucker weren't exactly
They weren't slaughtering guys, but like he was the body you threw with Kevin
Durant a lot of the time, and he did, Okay, you don't
just have you know, Shemy Ojolay and Rodney Hood just can't do that.
And the other thing is is it's just extra depth. Where you were at
a point where we criticized Blood for not playing his top play enough. They
almost needed to lean on them too hard because there wasn't enough bodies around them,
and they won the championship anyway, and their deserve champions hat tip Kevin
Durant's big toe. I just don't understand. I'm not a fan. I'm
never gonna cape for the billionaire team governors, and I know I think they
rebounded nicely, which is why I'm not hitting them harder. But I still
think based off how their best lineups are going to fair or what's going to
become most important for them in the playoffs, I would rather have PJA Tucker
on his two year, fourteen point five million dollars deal than this Bobby Portis
two year eight point nine million dollars deal, and Bobby Portis played fantastic basketball
for Milwaukee. I even recognized that PJ Tucker wasn't even providing enough defense at
points to sort of offset what he wasn't giving you offensively. I just think
based off how they're going to need to play when it matters most against certain
tougher matchups against healthier teams, PJA Tucker was really important to them and to
not keep him, and it seems to that, according to that Instagram post
that he threw up there, he wanted to go back to Milwaukee. If
this was a dollar and sense thing, I don't respect it. I'm just
I'm never you didn't buy yourself goodwill because you want a title. As an
organization, you have Yannis, you have Drew, you have Chris Middleton.
Your window to win is is now, and you look, you also could
have kept everybody, So you get a C plus for that. I think
you probably did a little bit more than people were expecting, especially if you
would have said, oh, they didn't bring back PJ. Tucker, So
that's why you get the C plus. Again, that's an above average grade.
I want to make that clear. I just they didn't bowl me over
this offseason. Yeah, I was lower on this than you were, which
is surprising to me when I started great because I remember the Tucker thing bothered
you more than me in the moment. But just I went C minus just
thinking about it. It's so it's not like it was Rodney Hood and Semi
Ojele or PJ. Tucker, like you said, if it was if you
were willing to spend, which god damn. If you just want a title
and you're not willing to spend now, like when are you? You could
have just had Tuck back at a reasonable deal. Maybe he's washed and maybe
whatever, But like it's not a significant amount of money. Or it shouldn't
be for for a championship team and the so so just on the principle of
that, because I do think it was a dollars thing. Maybe I'm wrong,
but the on the principle of if you are there and your windows open
and the outlay is not crippling, just bring the guy back and he wants
to come back, just just bring him back. And then if he's not
better a better option than Ojal or whatever, if things go that direction,
then you don't. Then you play out and you're you're stuck. Yeah,
you know, we missed on that. Whatever, at least we you know,
did the right thing, I guess in our position. The other thing,
and I'm just thinking of now, is I don't know, if you're
if you're a if you're a title winner, shouldn't your minimums go a little
farther? I mean, Ojuly and Hood I guess are Okay, Milwaukee's never
going to be the kind of draw that like Brooklyn is with their minimums or
even you know, a Miami or the LA teams for Golden State, for
example, I think did better with their minimums just to kind of run down
the marquee destination list, like it just would have been a little better.
But so, yeah, this isn't a C minus. If Tucker's back,
it's probably a C plus, maybe a B minus because the Allen acquisition,
I like, Fortis is fine, Hill is a good flyer or not gonna,
you know whatever, moderate money. But yeah, I just didn't.
I just didn't like the sense I got from from not being willing to spend
money having just won a title. So yeah, C minus for me.
I thought their minimums went okay. I guess really I like Rodney Hood.
To get him at the minimum I thought was good. But that's a fair
point. But I really think you answered your own sort of quam there in
previous sections of this podcast, where free agency money is only going to go
so far in certain places, that Milwaukee is one of those locales, and
I think that makes it even more important to keep players who are important to
what you do that want to come back. Yeah, right, great point.
The Knicks acquired Charlotte's twenty twenty two first round pick, protected top eighteen
in two thousand and twenty two, top sixteen, and twenty three, and
lottery protected in two thousand and twenty four and twenty five for Kai Jones,
who was the nineteenth pick. They acquired Quentin Grimes and Detroit's two thousand and
twenty four second round pick from the Clippers for Keyon Johnson the number twenty one
pick. They acquired Rocas Joku Benis, who I have not I know very
little about, and Deuce McBride that was the number thirty four, number thirty
six picks for Jeremiah Robinson Earl the number thirty two picks, so they basically
flipped number thirty two from number thirty four number thirty six. They acquired via
trade, sign and trade Evan Fourier on a four year seventy three million dollars
deal nineteen million dollars salary. In that fourth and final year as a team
option from the Celtics, they signed Kemba Walker to a two year seventeen point
nine million dollars deal. They signed Alec Burks to a three year, thirty
million dollars deal the ten point five million dollars salary In that final season as
a team option, they signed Nerland's Noel to a three year twenty seven points
seven million dollar deal. His nine point seven million dollars salary in the final
season is a team option. They signed Derek Rose to a three year,
forty three point six million dollar deal. His fifteen point six million dollars salary
in twenty twenty three two twenty four is a team option. They signed Todz
Gibson to a two year, ten point one million dollar deal. The final
season is non guaranteed. They extended Julius Randall at four years and one seventeen
point one million dollars. The final season on that twenty twenty five twenty twenty
six is a player option. There's also ten point seven million dollars kicked in
to that extension as likely incentives, so there's a chance that this ends up
being a sub one ten million dollars extension, depending on how many games Randall
plays in and whether he makes another All Star Game. They signed Dwayne Bacon
for some reason, to a one year deal at the minimum. They signed
at me yor Simms to a non guaranteed one year deal at the minimum.
They signed to M Jay Walker to a one year, non guaranteed deal at
the minimum, and they signed a Jericho Sims to a two way contract.
Notable subtractions include Norvall Pel who was waived, Elfred Peyton with the Sons,
Frank Nilkeena remains on signed, and Reggie Bullock, who landed with the Dallas
Mavericks. Grant, what is your grade for the Nix offseason? It's a
B plus. Uh, it's a strong one and it borders on a minus
maybe just because, yeah, it's hard to get in the A range unless
you're making a major star acquisition. The Knicks didn't do that. What they
did do was the roster today is better than it was at the end of
the season, and they had a very successful season by any standard, not
just you know, recent Knicks standards. And they protected themselves on the back
ends of almost all these deals. So you get into a situation where like
the worst case on Fournier or you know, Rows or just go down the
list is they've got all these team options, They've got all these partial and
non guarantees. Is you know, if it's an overpay or if if you've
just botched one or all of these they're expiring in a year, or they're
you know, you've got all these protections, and you know, the flip
side is the best cases these trying out to be market value deals that are
slippable with your picks, all of which the Knicks owned. They have all
their own picks going forward first rounders anyway, and they have a bunch of
young talent that like, if you want to make that superstar trade, if
one shakes loose and you've now proven yourself to be a functional enough franchise to
like to be a destination, you can go that route too. So the
Knicks have really done well the last couple of years with kind of protecting themselves
with team options and just other team friendly ways to manage the length of their
contracts and the financial commitments of those contracts. So the highlights really are I
think the Randall extensions great, especially if those incentives don't hit. I think
the Walker signing, I've already said, like what if he's washed, But
then like if he's not, you're getting a guy for nine million dollars a
year that can be a pick and roll engine of your offense. Like that's
and the homecoming angle is great for that for him. I think when we
talked last we might have done the like, well why not Reggie Bullock instead
of Burks? But now I've come around to Berks is much more of a
shock creator, and like as much as Walker might help, that's not a
given, and as much creation as Randall can do and Fournier, I guess
I still just value the Shock creation more Bullock being the better shooter, better
defender. So I'm okay with them sort of choosing if it was a choice,
him to keep over Bullock. So yeah, it's a B plus.
It's a strong one. I think the Knicks had one of the best off
seasons in the league. Yeah, and just to correct myself, because I
had the pronunciation pulled up and I was scrambling to find it amongst the many
tabs that I had and couldn't in the moment. That's yoku baitis who the
Knicks got hat as the number thirty six pick a part of that trade where
they sent number thirty two to Okay see who, by the way, must
have really wanted Jeremiah Robinson Earl. I also get a Knicks of B plus.
Overall, though there were loombs, I think a lot of these deals,
the outlook on them change when you find out that the third year is
a team option. People were still sort of up in arms about the Nerylands
no contract. I just don't see it. He was the best backup center
in the league last year for much of the season, and you know there
was obviously he you know, there was the Mitchell Robinson injury, so he
played a huge role for them. Overall, You're not investing big money in
the center position still because Mitchell Robinson is super cheap this season. So there's
one year if you're looking at that third year non guarante Underlands Nowell's contract plus
Mitchell Robinson getting a raised next season, where they're going to be paying those
two real money at the same time. That's fine to me. I hate
the Derek Rose deal. I just yes, it's cool that the final season
is non guaranteed. What about I get how important he was your offense last
season, improved it by double digit points permane hundred possessions. The dude is
just still always banged up. I do think that sort of speaks to them
not necessarily knowing about the Kema Walker buy out in advance like many people expected,
although they might have. It would have been nice though, to see
them let Rose walk to me so that Emmanuel quickly could just get more guaranteed
development and maybe he still gets it. Be because Derek Rose and Kema Walker
are both gonna miss games. The Kema Walker contract I think, really,
I don't want to say made their off season, but that's the move that
actually made them better because they basically reinvested in this roster plus Evan Fournier and
then lucked into what could still be an all star point guard, and that's
absolutely huge for them. What I do not my qualms are this, and
I think the jet One of the general sentiments have been that they've somehow made
it easier for themselves to make that star trade. They have not. They've
just decided that they're going to get a star via trade rather than free agency,
which is fine, but it doesn't make it easier to trade for a
star because you can take stars into cap space. It's not just because you
have these digestible contracts, some of which, by the way, I'm talking
about Derek Rosnefornia other teams aren't necessarily going to want to digest. I would
have also liked to have seen them. I don't have a problem with the
business they did in the draft overall, and I based off what Deuce McBride
did in Summer League. I'm already in love with him. I just would
have liked to have seen them take a bigger swing somewhere. It felt like
they made one transaction too many. The organization was never going to do this.
I know this for a fact, but I would have liked you've seen
the Knicks take the flyer on keyon Johnson, just something to be more future
oriented there. To me. The other question, well, there's a couple
here. You have now decided that Julius Randall is more second team All NBA
than the player in twenty nineteen who couldn't even get three yearanty years on this
contract. That's fine, It's still a gamble. There's a chance this extension
ends up looking like a bargain, and if push comes to shove, I'm
actually fine with it. Because his year was out of this world. You
are still taking a risk there. You've also I get what they were doing
by investing heavily in shot creation, given what happened in that Atlanta series.
Your best defensive wing right now is RJ. Barrett, unless you want to
throw Duce McBride into that. I don't know how I feel about that.
Who's going to guard the best wing for the Knicks on a night to night
basis right now? I think it's RJ. Barrett. I don't know that
Quentin Grimes isn't super big. Maybe you loop him into there. It shouldn't
be Evan Fournier, who knows how they feel about Kevin Knox. There are
there were a lot more hiccups to this off season, and I think people
credited and if anyone has a problem with this skepticism, that not happening out
one. I wanted you to know that I am more plugged in too like
the Knicks than are gonna be a lot of other teams in the league.
And I think their off season was solid. But if you have a problem
with the skepticism of this team is still entering approver year, I want you
to show me the receipt from last summer on which that you wrote RJ.
Barrett was going to turn into a three and D wing, and that Julius
Rannod was going to make second team All NBA, that Alec Burks was going
to be one of the most efficient crunch time players in all of basketball.
I want to see those receipts because the Knicks don't get the blind faith.
They haven't earned it. I think this was a great offseason for them.
Again, the Kema Walker move is huge because I think it also informs where
they are as a franchise that players actually want to come here. Kema Walker
can talk about how he wanted to team up in New York and twenty nineteen
with Kevin Durant and no, he didn't like the Knicks. It just Kevin
Durant made fun of Knicks back then. I don't think they were realistic destination
for ken Walker then either. So the fact that they were in the mix
for Kemba now, even what he's sort of at a lower point than he
was there, that matters. And I think that they've shown that they've established
a culture. You've kind of though flexed on this defensive system that Tom Thibotau
was installed, because you're set down low with Neroland's Noel and Mitchell Robinson if
he's healthy, but like, you don't have a ton of defensive talent on
the wings right now, you have. I think r J. Barrett is
gonna end up being a really good defender, so I might actually be higher
on him based off what he did as a team defender last year. I
think I'm probably higher on him if he has to tackle even tougher assignments than
others would be. Like Reggie Bullock was covering your toughest wing assignments on most
of those nights, and you just let him go to Dallas. And had
you had moved Kevin Knox you could have done You could have still carried Reggie
Bullocks caphold and retained him. So that was something you could have looked at.
I just think this off season was far from perfect, even though it
was really good, and if you look at it, I think the only
thing you're guaranteed is that you added Evan Fournier and Kemba Walker, and there
are question marks for both about what is Evan Fornia going to do in the
playoffs, and then there's Kemba Walker's knee. Obviously, again, a really
good offseason, but I do think we need to acknowledge the reality of the
next situation, which is they are still rolling the dice. It's a very
defensible, justified roll of the dice, but they're still stepping out on a
few limbs here. I think that's fair. I think a couple of things.
You know, One of the things I liked and that I think everybody
most people liked, is the risk mitigation of all those team options and stuff.
We've talked about that, and you can say that's certainly rolling the dice
to some extent because you're banking on guys that really surprised, as you alluded
to, sustaining those surprising levels of play. But it'd be a bigger role
in the dice to have gone bonkers and paid to Mardureros and a bunch of
money, which is like something that would not have been outside the realm of
possibility for this franchise two years ago. So they didn't roll that, you
know, those dice which call it progress. But I take your point because
in addition to these individual surprising performances, you know, I think one of
the narratives all year last year was the Knicks have been a little bit lucky,
right like they had the lowest opponent three point percentage in the league.
That's not necessarily That's one of those murky things like how much are you influencing
it as a defense. You might credit a tipatea defense and how hard Knicks
played last year as influencing that, but historically, year over year, that
sort of stuff does not necessarily stick. So I think one of the things
they've done is you know, they're probably not expecting or hoping that number to
change. They'd love it to stay the same and have opponents shoot the worst
in the league against them from three. But now maybe with Fournier, with
Walker, with another step from Barrett, with another step from Obi Toppin,
which would be like just helping at all, your offense is better and it
offsets what probably is regression in your defensive numbers. So you know, there's
call that risk mitigation, I guess, or compensation or whatever. But yeah,
I don't know. We ended up giving them the same grade. But
I feel like I like the off season better than you did. That's kind
of funny. I and I totally get your point about they didn't go out
and do something stupid, but at some point the baseline for them has to
change there. And I'm not even saying they shouldn't their moves that they shouldn't
have done. It's what was Derrick Rose's leverage to get that average annual value?
What was Evan Fournier's leverage to get the fourth guarantee year? And maybe
they had it, but like one on top of the other, it just
starts to add up where it's okay, and then you lost Reggie Bullock.
Did that mean that because it seems like you probably Let's just say, it
seems like they prioritized Alec Brooks. They could have, let's say, could
have kept two of Derek Rose, Reggie Block and Alec Brooks. They picked
the two offense first guys. And did they not know about the Kemba move
or they just decide we're gonna lean so far into shock creation. And you
do have to view this through the lens of, well, what does this
even mean for the youngsters that they draft, but already in their roster you
mentioned Obi toppin how much are they actually going to play them? Because they
did bring Toaj Gibson and Newland's nowell back and Mitchell Robinson's going to be healthy.
How much is Immanuel Quickly going to play if Kemba Walker and Derek Rose
are both healthy and you have Alec Burke's there who you just paid, so
they're not married to any one direction. But I also we need to move
beyond the point of, oh, the Knicks didn't fuck up the off season,
so it was a great offseason objectively, even by tougher standards, they
had a good offseason. They're just I just don't like how a lot of
people seem to be glossing over one how far off a leap they made last
year. Because I want to see the receipts where you thought the Knicks were
going to be a top four team in the East. I want to see
the receipts. They don't exist. No nobody has those unless they also have
receipts for a set of additional crazy beliefs like across the Yeah, nobody thought,
nobody predicted that I do. I will. The last thing I'll says,
I hate. I felt like I was ranting on the parade of an
off season that I gave a B plus, so I'd just like to reiterate,
I gave them a B, but please take us. But I hate
it. I have the Orlando Magic. Jamal Moseley is the new head coach.
Long rumored to be getting to be in line for a head job,
and finally got it. Jalen Suggs drafted fifth, Bronz Wagner drafted eight.
They got Detroit's twenty twenty six second rounder and cash from the Clippers for Jason
Preston, the number thirty three pick, you're doing something to the sheep,
and I want to trust that's not a big deal. Not a lot else
significant. Robin Lopez in on a one year, five million dollar deal so
we can be close to Disney World, almost assuredly. I don't know why
else that marriage would have happened. Yet another, is it nepotism if it's
brothers or does it have to be fathers and sons because we've got the ondo.
The Coupo's Moe Wagner signed to a two year deal at the minimum,
non guaranteed in the second year to play with his brother Ignas pres Yakis former
Nick Yeah, yes, maybe, I don't know. Is on a two
way and each one more one year at the minimum. The subtraction Steve Clifford
pretty well regarded but probably not interested in a rebuild out as head coach.
James Ennis mentioned several times remains on signed, Auto Porter Junior and Dwayne Bacon
also out the door. Dan, what do you got for the Orlando Magic
In one of the quieter off seasons in the league. I want to make
this clear, this would be an a had they resigned James Ennis. Yet
just like the mix would have been an A plus. They've been the team
James sentence, but I gave them a C just because I and the coaching
hired factor into this for me because I don't know enough about we don't know
enough about Jamal Mosley, just because we haven't seen them before. I do
like what it says that they're kind of thinking, I don't want to say
outside the box. But they didn't try and go with experience where it might
suggest that we are going to try and accelerate this rebuild at some point.
I don't think any coach necessarily could have done that. The Jail and Sugs
pick was fantastic. He fell into their lap. So it's just like,
and he looked so good in summer. I am jel and sums better have
a game where he takes fifty shots this year. That's all I'm going to
say. At the same time, it's like, Okay, there was no
decision there for them. Franz Wagner kind of a rough summer league. I
actually saw a lot that I liked there, But again, just could you
have gone a different route there and maybe try to load up on more shot
creation rather than a dude who doesn't profile. Is that they're just supposing to
move. That blew me off the page. I want to know what it
says about their faith in the incumbent bigs though Wendell Carter Junior and Mobama specifically,
that you signed Robin Lopez and Moe Wagner, There's also going to come
a time when Jonathan Isaac is healthy enough to factor into that big man rotation.
I assume they didn't need to do a lot. Though I don't have
a problem with what they did this offseason. I think some might rankle at
the fact they didn't move Terrence Ross or Gary Harris. I think the time
to do that is just going to be at the trade deadline, when you
have a better idea of what you are, maybe where Gary Harris specifically has
had time to actually build up some trade value. I am a little bit
surprised that there weren't more rumors about Terrence Ross, because I would have thought
that for teams that were jilted in free agency, he might have been just
the apple of someone's eye at that point. Just zero issue with their off
season, it was I don't know that they did anything that I would view
as surprisingly good. I think everything was solid and no the Robin Lopez Delta
don't cripple you, and his sweeping hook is fun to watch, and we
can watch and beat up on mascots as well. I just that's the one
where it's like, all right, so do you just not believe in Mobamba
or Wendell Carter Junior at all because you signed two other other bigs. But
that's even just you know, I'm becoming a stickler there. So I think
I think a C is solid. I will say Jale and Suffis is gonna
end up being huge for them. I just that wasn't a decision for them
at that point, not at number five. Yeah, and I gave him
a B And it's kind of be inconsistent with the way we viewed a lot
of other teams lottery picks. It's just because like Sugs at five was there's
no way they expected that, and it was the easiest pick of the first
round, I'm sure, because he was supposed to go for or and the
Raptors didn't take them. So and Wagner, I think, you know,
at the time, I'm a little skeptical just because like if the model of
him is a three and D wing, like he didn't really shoot a lot
of threes in college and let's we'll see about the d defense. But at
the time, and with only Summer League judge, those seem like the right
picks. And Lopez actually you're talking about the centers, like, how could
you have any faith in the young centers they have at this point, like
they've they've all been inconsistent or hurt or both or whatever. So if Lopez
is there to sort of teach the dirty tricks for a year and get guys
to box out for a year and then he's gone, then whatever five million
dollars it ald be. It could be a C because it's very like,
sort of unremarkable. But but yeah, they didn't have a lot of options
and for flexibility, and I think the Magic just sort of did well with
their very limited, uh you know options. I guess this summer so I
don't know, kind of right up there with Detroit in the not that interesting
offseasons in the East. That's a great point about Robin Lobos in the locker
room. I'll bump them up to a C plus for that considered. Onto
the Philadelphia seventy six ers, who have simultaneously had an uneventful offseason that feels
like it's been too eventful based on the Ben Simmons stuff. They drafted Jaden
Springer at number twenty eight. They extended Jowell emb at four years, one
hundred and ninety six million. He is fully guaranteed now through twenty twenty six.
Two twenty seven. They waived George Hill for one million dollars. They
re signed Danny Green to a two year twenty million dollar deal. His ten
million dollars salary in twenty two twenty twenty three is non guaranteed. They signed
for a CONCORKMST with three year, fifteen million dollars deal fully guaranteed with no
options. How about that for him after it looked like he was kind of
on the fringes of the MBA to now parlay into this and basically a year
and a half, they signed George and Yang to a two year six point
eight million dollars deal fully guaranteed with no options. They signed Andre Drummond to
a one year deal at the minimum. They signed Grant Riller to a two
way contract. Adam Fromo, my co host, was super happy about that,
and they signed Aaron Henry to a two way contract as well. Notable
subtractions include George hill, Anthy Tolliver, Dwight Howard and inevitably Ben Simmons.
I'm not sure if that's going to happen with the off season. Different conversation.
I want to preface before I ask you about your grade. Did the
fact that they haven't moved Ben Simmons at all factor into your grade for the
sixers only insofar as like the range of how much the grade could change if
it were to happen in the offseason, as he Norman's, just depending on
the package they get. I did not. I didn't factor their inability or
unwillingness to trade him in my grade, which which is a B minus,
which sounds bad, I guess. But again we said c's average, so
it's a couple of steps up from average. The only like I mean,
the MBID extension to me is the most significant thing they did obviously, and
maybe there was no scenario where he was going to take anything less than what
we got. I have concerns about giving him a fully guaranteed multi year deal.
It would have been nice to have had some of the injury based protections
that were on the last one. Just something because it's every year, it's
every year, and like as he ages, I just think, you know,
these nagging things, it's always gonna be something, and the older you
get and the more they accumulate, especially with his history of severe injuries,
it's it's concerning. But he may have just said, like fully guaranteed and
I'm going to walk out of the room now if we don't have a deal.
So hard to know. Danny Green's fine, two for twenty, non
guarantee on the second year, pork Males I'm okay with. So yeah,
just a B minus because they did lock up their you know, per minute
last year MVP of the league to a multi year extension, and depending on
what happens with Simmons, there's a lot of latitude with his grade. But
we shall see if that's an offseason consideration or not. I share your concerns
about Joel. It's just they have ever had less leverage when it comes to
him, especially because of the Ben Simmons stuff. I gave him a bee
in part because they have and this could change. Maybe they're pressured into accepting
just this mismash return for Ben Simmons. The fact that they haven't I actually
sort of liked and I tend to lean very pro player, and I do
recognize that the Sixers try to trade him for James Harden. There's in a
team in the league that wouldn't have traded Ben Simmons for James Harden last year
if that was the opportunity they were given. And Ben Simmons has just failed
to fundamentally expand his game and to the point where he regressed at points in
the semi finals. That has to matter, and he has four years left
on his deal. I applaud the Sixers so far for not caving to his
training demand and sending him out for a you know, CJ McCollum, if
that's the centerpiece of your return, is fine, but it has to be
CJ McCullum and stuff. And there are Blazers people that I really respect,
who think that that is an astronomical asking price Seji McCullum and stuff for Ben
Simmons right now. And I get it from their perspective of look at what
Ben Simmons just did with his offensive vanishing act. That is like, no,
it's not an astronomical asking price, though in reality, because CJ McComb
is not as good as Ben Simmons short term or long term is valuable because
when you look at Ben Simmons is playmaking his defense, the offense is a
big deal. But you have to look at their contracts and who's going to
age better financially. So I'm giving the Sixers a little bit of a bump
for that. I also am fine with the Joel Embie deal because he's so
good. I think that you need to build your roster under the guys that
he's gonna miss between twenty one and eighty two games every single year. Have
they done that? Not necessarily, but he was arguably the permanent MVP of
the league last season, even given what Nicole Yokis did. So I don't
and I don't know what their other options were, and everything else they did
was fine. I'm not crazy about Andre Drummond as the backup. It's either
going to end up being like this Ace move or just explode in the Sixers
face. But I really did like I thought the Georgia Yang edition kind of
flowed under the radar for them, and I also I really enjoyed the Jaden
Springer pig just someone else six four guy who can really score, got to
line at a very good clip during his lone year at college. I would
have liked to have seen them done more to add a secondary ball handler.
And I know that they were limited in what they could do, but now
you're going into a point where it's like, Okay, we have Tyres Maxey,
Seth Curry, Shake Milton, and Ben Simmons, and then James Bringer,
who we drafted, is really the only addition. You're actually down one
if you want a factor in waiving George Hill. And it feels like there
had to be something that they could do on the margins just to juice up
their ball handling. Yep, especially with the not the even the specter of
a Ben Simmons trade. Maybe you think you recoup some ball handling in that
which you better, but now it looks a little bit worse because of the
Ben Simmons trade demand, and what if he really doesn't report to training camp
and he's on your team but not on your roster. He's not that conventional
ball handler in the half court, but he is your most important playmaker with
the ball in his hands. And so it would have been nice to have
seen them get a lower level guy there, or just be the team that
had signed James This that they could get a plus. We should just stamp
every team with a little parenthetical about if if James comes aboard, move great
automatically to a plus. I'm gonna do the Toronto Raptors now, if you're
ready, I'm ready. The big move. I guess there's two big moves.
Really. The big new move in the front office Massau Jerry will be
staying on a new contract around reportedly fifteen million dollars a year. That's got
to be If that's not the most lofty executive salary in the league, it's
got to be close. The other big move, Kyle Lowry is gone.
He will return in statue form eventually in Toronto to the Miami Heat for precious
a Chewa Gore drag and a four million dollars tree exception. Kim Birch played
pretty well down the stretch. Three years twenty million, fully guaranteed, no
options. That's a little surprising, but I think we all like Keim Birch.
Here. Gary Trent Jr. They or pot stuck on him after the
norm Pal trade. Three years fifty one point eight million, fully guaranteed player
option, Gary Trent twenty twenty three, twenty four, Isaac Bonga got a
non guaranteed one year deal at the minimum, Decker Sam Decker, partially guaranteed
one year deal, Ishmael Wayne Wright two year deal at the minimum, partial
guarantee this year, non guaranteed next year. And then Dolin Oh, I
don't even know who this is. Delan o'banton two year deal at the minimum,
non guaranteed twenty two, twenty three, David Johnson and Justin Shama.
Who is it? Champagne Champagney Champagney two way contract. I'm just I'm not
going to pretend that I know who these guys are. I'm sorry, I'm
beyond that. Been in the business too long again. The notable subtractions to
reiterate, Kyle Lowry gone, but also Paul Watson, Rodney Hood, DeAndre
Bembry, Aaron Bain, Stanley Johnson, and Alex lenn Dan. We differ
more on this grade than any other in the East. Anyway, What do
you got for the Toronto Raptors? Him a C minus? And I will
begin with this. If you asked me, who's going to have the better
record next regular season? Assuming no major changes from here on out, the
Raptors of the Knicks. I'm going to take the Raptors because I'm actually that
high on their roster. It says a lot about Siakam, Fred Vanfleet,
og And and Noby of course, and I even liked the players they kept,
Ken Birch and Gary Trent Jr. Are What in the actual hell are
those deals? Ken Birch had the levers that late in the offseason to get
twenty million guaranteed. And I don't want to hear the Toronto they're searched for
size turned into like this desperate thing last year. So hey, let's go
with another six foot nine big where og And and Nooby might still defend fives
when he's on the court, though probably not. I'm overstating that I don't
want to hear that they need to go after a big now when they decided
to go this route, and again, I really like Ken Burch, Gary
Trent Junior fantastic fit. Why was this three year deal? Like? How
was their a player option on it? It's basically what I want to know.
The number. Fine, why did you give him a player option?
Because if he outplays it or meets his value, you're just gonna have to
double down on it. In two years and that's a very short window with
which to work. That confused me. Why even though it's Parsley guaranteed,
even though he might not make the roster, why is Sam all lives matter
Decker on the Toronto Raptors. I am just no, I'm not about that.
Thank you j R. Smith for learning us to that years ago.
The Kyle Lowry return was black. It's fine if you like Presisachua. I
think Gorn Droggers could help them in so far as he's still with the team
when the season starts. But they clearly should have moved him at the trade
deadline. I thought the fact that they didn't at least implied he was more
likely to return than we initially expected. It doesn't even seem like he was
kind of likely to return. How did you not extract something anything out of
Philly or the Lakers in that scenario, based on the rumor deal that was
there. And so I think that's a little bit. I don't want to
say it's a failure because this team is still really good, but those just
minor missus, let's call them. And then I'm just I don't like Sam
Decker. I just don't understand it, and I think the Messiah Jerry turn
sort of saves their offseason. Right if he had left or if this was
just like he still wasn't signed at this point, I could have lambasted their
offseason the fact that he's back. They had the best front office in the
league between he and Bobby Webster. I just this was a very uncharacteristically unimpressive
offseason for them. And I don't know you're never gonna be better after losing
Kyle Lowry, but based but when looking at everything they did, I feel
like they still had the chance to be in a better position than they actually
are. And we didn't even mention they drafted Scotty Barnes at number four.
That's my mistate for not putting it there. I'm fine with that pick.
That's a risk, and I kind of respect it. It doesn't necessarily factor
into their grade, except that I look at this roster and the idea of
Jail and Suggs just tantalizes. Maybe you're worried about the overlap with he and
Fred van Fleet, Gary Trent Junior, Malakai Flynn just being similar in size,
just another shot creator, though group of pressure on defenses like it feels
like you needed that more than whatever Barnes might be and this is a conversation
we need to have four or five years down the line, and so it
didn't factor into their grade. However, if you were going to take Scottie
Barnes, I would have liked. You've seen you prioritize adding additional shot creation
somewhere over the offseason, and you did not, And so they get a
C minus. That's with the caveat. I think people are sleeping on them
as a real threat in the Eastern Conference. It's a very weird trajectory.
I just traveled in the past two minutes. But it's it's one that I'm
owning. It's been a journey. I was glad to take it with you.
I gave him an A and like, I could show you my arm
and you can see the Toronto Raptors kool Aid ivy drift just in there,
and I've just been drinking it forever. And not unrelated, a lot of
this grade is for keeping ujeri and spending to do it because but like,
at the same time, if you're a smart organization, and like, sure
we're getting a little bit far afield, but we're all most done here,
fifteen million dollars for maybe the best overall executive in the league. Like,
fifteen million dollars is like a seventh man on the court, Like if you're
allocating resources, same thing I said with the coaching, Like, man,
that's a bargain, right. It sounds crazy because just that's not what executives
make that we know of. But like all of the good things about Toronto
and give him some of the bad two I guess, like the Gary Trent
deal is a little rich for sure, the kem Birch one meant, you
know, kind of throw that in there. But all the player development success,
all the draft success like your Siakam's and Antonobi's and Van Bleets and you
know, just I mean even I believe Scotty Barnes is the right pick now
because Ujii's made it. Like I just, I don't know, I'm a
sucker, but like all that aside, I just I think on the barn
specifically, like, yeah, Suggs made so much sense, he made all
the sense in the world. But I do, like you said, I
respect the Barnes move because if what you're trying to do is get a guy
who's going to make plays for you can't shoot yet. Maybe ever, based
on his form, get a guy that can guard four positions. You know,
that's fun because now you've got like three of those guys. If you're
really trying to be on the forefront of what basketball is going to look like,
there's a case to be made that the Raptors are very much like a
good an example of that. If you're gonna be playing Siaka and Ananobi and
Barns together, that's that's interesting. And with rookies, who knows, right,
Like, at least there seems to be kind of a theory here.
It might leave a hole in shot creation and shot making, but I'm interested.
I'm interested. So I think Dragitch is a nice piece to dangle or
use. I don't know. Maybe if he kind of comes around presses a
Chua NFT value, there is only skyrocketing. Like, I actually think he's
good it just in general. I think, you know, he could.
He might play over Birch. I guess probably he should. I don't know.
It sucks to lose Lowry. I'm just kind of throwing my last thoughts
in here. But if you're going to give up on the guy like his
age, thirty five, thirty six, thirty seven seasons, or might even
be thirty six, thirty seven, thirty eight probably the time to do it.
Yeah, I just like the Raptors. I think you Jerry staying is
one of the biggest moves in the league for the off season in general,
So it's enough for me to give him, I think my second highest grade
after the Heat. The best way to spit it is that massa Hu Jerry
is making less per year than Tim Hardaway Jr. You're not gonna say that
that that that's fair. I just look, and I didn't. I viewed
Scottie Barnes as net neutral for them. I didn't move there great in either
direction based off them taking him because of what came next again, how they
added another shot creator slash maker. I probably would have felt better about that
pick. But I'm at a point where I feel really good about what the
Raptors have built. But I just I don't know what they've done like to
really to elevate their team both in the short and long term. I just
don't think they did. Scottie Barnes is it to me? And that's going
to be something that maybe pays off. Three four or five years domber Line,
which again it's fine, but you are still a team that has to
care about the immediacy of next season because you have Siakam, you have Van
Fleet, you have o Gann and will be super young, but he's so
damn good already. And so maybe this is a matter of me holding this
front office to a higher standard. And perhaps it was harder to go through
a lot of this process before Ujeri actually agreed to his next contract, But
it just felt like, again, why does Garret tren jor have a player
options stuff like that. It just it added up for me. Yeah,
that's fair. Washington Wizards are my team to read off. They hired west
Ansell junior, which means that they got rid of Scott Brooks. They drafted
Corey Kissbert at number fifteen, so I'm trying to distill the five team trade
down to this. Washington acquired Spencer Dinwoodie, Aaron Holliday, Isaiah Todd,
the number thirty one pick, Contavious called up Hope Montras, Harrold, Kyle
Kuzma, and a twenty twenty two second round swap with San Antonio for Chandler
Hutcherson, Russell Westbrook and five second round commitments. That's how I tried to
shorten it up there. They signed Halletto to a one year deal at the
minimum, signed Jay Huff to a non guaranteed one year deal at the minimum,
signed Jordan Goodwin to a non guaranteed one year deal at the minimum,
and signed Cassius Winston too a two way contract. Notable substractions include Scott Brooks,
Russell Westbrook, Robin Lopez, Is Schmith, Garrison Matthews who remains unsigned,
Esack Bonga, Chandler Hutchinson, and Caleb Holmesley. What grade did you
give the Wizards Grant? I was surprised when I scrolled down to see this,
but I've talked myself back into it. I gave them an A and
I'm prepared to be made's fun on for that, although your grade's not that
much worse. Basics got off the Westbrook contract, added talent on reasonable deals.
They got din with the on another fair deal. I think a little
bit of risk there maybe, and they didn't piss off or lose Bradley Beale.
And so now the state of the Washington Wizards is they have no bad
contracts on the books, really feels the only guy next year that that's going
to make more than eighteen million dollars devis Bertan's fringe ee bad contract but maybe
not shooting still plays, which if you rewound a year man, that's a
better position. Like they're they're flexible. They have like several like at least
good to very good useful NBA players on the roster, and almost none of
them are grossly overpaid. So and they made a coaching upgrade. I think
almost by default a lot of people would say, yeah, I just I
mean it was it's it's just really hard for me to give a team of
anything but a very high grade when you moved Russell Westbrook in that contract,
so and for for not for not a crippling asset in return. So great
opportunism by them, And I think they're just in a much better position overall,
and surprisingly so based on kind of what they had to work with going
in. I mostly agree with you. I thought they based off what the
net price was for them. I don't understand why they're so in love with
Aaron Holiday. That was questionable me. I would have liked to have seen
them gone the Trey Murphy or Usman Gruba Route in the draft over Corey Crispert,
just looking at what their team really needs. I echo everything else that
you just said, though, and so it's really tough to hate this.
Obviously I gave them a bat plus. I just think it could have been
better based off what they're doing, and I don't have a problem. Look,
if they end up trading Bradley Beale, my stance is that they already
should have moved him. I'm not harshing. They're great for that because they've
given themselves an, you know, an outlook to where they can do whatever,
and they're just not bogged down by anything. And that includes if they
know Bradley Beale sign an extension or stays there a long term, Like they
have a bunch of different paths they could travel to where they at least seem
like they're not going to accept total mediocrity anymore. Maybe the Spencer did what
the deal goes against that, But as you said, I think the biggest
thing here is they have no bad deals in the books anymore. Davis Burton
is probably the closest they get to at that point, but shooting is always
going to be able to be moved, So it was just a matter of
you know, maybe Aeron Holliday ends up being really good for them, but
they gave up the number twenty two pick is part of getting him. I'm
not sure how much I love that. And then I would have liked to
have seen them mostly have gone with Trey Murphy over Kissberg at that spot in
the draft. But that's just not you know, that's not a huge deal
to me. They had a very good off season, and it seems while
they say that because Russell Westbrook did play very well for them basically over their
second half of last season, But when you look at the complexion of that
contract, how hard knew it was going to be to move and just look
at where they were with John Wall, they ended up basically net neutral and
picks while still getting rid of John Wall and have all these other guys on
digestible salaries, but who could also maybe help them if they keep Bradley Beal
and want to make some immediate ruckus in the in the Eastern Conference. Just
an overall, I would say shrewd offseason for them. I will say I
don't know that anything they did necessar necessarily instructs where I think they're going to
go. I know a lot of people believe that because they still have Bill
and because of what has come out of the organization, what he said that
he's going to remain their long term. I just don't remain entirely convinced because
they haven't exactly they've mapped out a path, or they've mapped out a path
to a bunch of different paths, and now they have to narrow that down.
Yeah. Just having the options though, was like inconceivable a year ago.
You know, I think I think that's just it. You know,
they have they don't have what appeared to be fantastic options other than like I
don't know, Bill re ups and then you can package KCP and Kuzman and
whatever, kiss Burd and whatever else for like a second star with picks attach
whatever. But that's like that they could They could do that now, and
you're not just looking at it like there was a very real scenario where they
would have traded Bill gotten a bunch of picks back, I guess, But
then you got Russell Westbrook on a terrible contract and like a lot of actual
NBA players and some picks, Like that's not a great outcome. So now
if you do trade bill. At least what you're getting back is going to
get integrated into a team that like has some shit. Like look just between
Kyle Kuzma and KCP and Denny Avdija and who am I forgetting Rude Hatchamura,
there's like there's some wings and forwards, Like you can do some stuff with
this roster. And I think this is a team that probably isn't like,
you know, top six or seven in the East, but they're in the
they're in the playoff and play and mix maybe more of some of the young
guys pop and again just bottom line, the flexibility is there, and that's
like a monumental achievement based on what they had going in. I will say
I'm I will say I'm still a big fan of Denny Avya. That did
not factor into their grade obviously, but he looked really good before he got
injured. This was fantastic. This was long. Grant, thank you for
undertaking the Eastern Conference creates with me. We hope that everyone agrees on with
what we said because we believe it is gospel and there's no room for anyone
else to think otherwise. I'm just kidding there follow Grant on Twitter at gt
Underscore Hughes. Please remember to rate, review, and subscribe to Hardwoodknox.
Wherever you get your podcasts, download every episode we're on YouTube search, go
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I leave you all with a shout out to the one, the only,
the guy who could have given any single MB every single NBA team and
eight plus offseason grade. Have they simply signed him? James Ennis, but
also Frankie Lakina,