Speaker 1: What is up, Fellowsiko's I am Dan Valley coming at
you with lengthy intro before a podcast that I did
with Mort Jensen of the NBA Podcasts. We talked a
lot about Kevin Durant, which was kind of the springboard
to talk about the entire league when you get into
potential trade destinations, and then we go into some Lukadancic talk.
He wanted to talk about, not necessarily the MAVs versus
Lakers game that we saw in the previous week, but
just sort of the continued spin coming out of Dallas
or the pieces being written about it, and so we
get into that a little bit. One of the nuggets
that isn't part of the Lugadantic discussion, and then it
ties into the Kevin Durant discussion a little bit is
we didn't talk about the or at least at length
about the AMIC report of the Timberwolves being approached by
the Mavericks about a lukadanticch for Edwards framework swap. Mort
and I had talked about this off air. The wording
on that report was weird because at the time it
wasn't clear whether the Timberwolves knew that Lukadancic was the
one they would be getting in any anti Edwards trade.
It was just kind of written. It left it open
for interpretation. Were just kind of written. As the Dallas
Mavericks approached them and asked if Anthiy Edwards was available,
and they said no. I don't know if Luca being
on the table would have changed their thought process there
at all. I don't think it would have to be clear.
Although Stein reported that they didn't necessarily know that Lukadancic
was being offered. Mark Stein reported they didn't know Lukadanci
was being offered in that exchange. I think just Anthiy
Edwards being younger and on his first MAX relative to
Luca is going to be coming up on his second MAX,
that the Tymberwolves still probably would have passed. I just
think if you knew that it was Luca on the table,
it probably warranted more of a discussion. That's something to
keep in mind. I guess specifically with regard to our
Mavericks talks, though, because part of the criticism with them
was that if they were going to get rid of Luca,
it didn't feel like they adequately canvassed the league and
being linked to young honest and now Anthony Edwards, I
don't know if that counts, and there's probably more of
a The really harsh critique is about the direction they
chose in lieu of like they decided to prioritize now still,
even though they said it was about the long term
rather than getting back a package that set them up
better for a future without Luca. Still, that's something to
keep in mind since it came out. Since we did
record this, we also did get into the some Victor
Woman Yama stuff. We did basically a deep dive into
his sophomore season pre injury. Of course, I did leave
that part out so that you can go check out
the full episode since that was a crossover for the
NBA pod specifically not this one, and you can hear
my my nasally tones over there quite frequently. At this point,
I think at leads relative to the number of episodes
he puts out each month. Grant and I already did
sophomore stock reports. I didn't want to get too redundant there,
so chick at that episode more does great work over there.
I did want to cover some news though, before we
actually dug into what I'm going to talk about with
more I love doing just sort of like to keep
myself up to date and do these news react actions.
They just take a while to put together or go through.
And as Grant and I we'll talk about we talk
about the discord. Go join it link of the podcast
and youtubscription if you're not in there already. Time is
just of the essence right now. And when we're trying
to do what all these ideas that we kind of
have floating around in concepts we want, concepts we want
to execute, the news updates kind of fall by the wayside.
But let's go through some here, at least the most
recent stuff. The Knicks agreed to a two way deal
with Marjohon Bochamp, who was traded from the Bucks and
then was on the I think the Clippers for a
hot minute, but yet now he's going to be on
the Knicks on a two way deal. That's like semi interesting.
The Nicks are alway kind of taking these flyers on,
like they have Chumolkk and their system as well, and
even TJ. Warren, So that might be something to keep
an eye on as they've look to eventually give out
their final contracts of the season. This one's certainly more noteworthy.
Adding just to the the misery that is being a
Dallas Mavericks fan right now, kyri Ving left Monday's game
with a left knees brain. We'll probably find out more,
but he fell awkwardly after being fouled in the first quarter.
I think it was he did remain on the court.
It was I wasn't watching, but he was on the court,
and I saw some of the replays and he was
on the court for quite a while after that. He
ended up hitting the two free throws though, like he
went to the locker room, came back and hit the
two free throw. So hopefully he ends up being fine.
I'm sure we'll see more information on that. He's borderline.
Has an All NBA case this year certainly, and is
one of the bright spots that I guess Dallas on
the Rostrucks. He's a handful of bright spots, but the
direction is just so underwhelming. And to add to this,
the Mavericks are raising their season ticket prices by eighteen percent.
That's I would say, that's gutsy. Just after you trade
Luca and then you're gonna raise your season ticket prices.
I don't when the fan base is this mad, And
by the way, I think they have every right to
kind of be this mad. It's just it was such
a bizarre trade and it came without warning, and that
I don't know that there's ever gonna be adequately mourning
this because there a period will pass, or maybe they're
a little bit numb to it, but when the vision
at the like on the other side of the Luca trade,
unless that hits and they become a title contender by
next season and hopefully win a chance, like they could
be a title contender and just still lose that trade
because of who Luca, what Luca does with the Lakers,
I think it's always going to sting, and so I
just I understand like anyone who's expecting Mavericks fans to
just get over it already. What is super bold but
also cringey about this is that there's the way they
justified it in a statement. This is per the athletics
Christian Clark, it was to better reflect seat value, especially
in a demand areas closest to the court. I kind
of find that funny. They said these adjustments were made
after months of evaluating ticket prices on the secondary market.
They also pointed out that before this season, they shifted
their local television model by parting ways with Valley Sports
and making all their non national TV exclusives free on
over the AIRTV. That decision cost the Mavericks more than
fifty million dollars in revenue. Here's my thing with that
is this is sort of cool. And to close that out,
by the way, the MAVs projected that even with the
rate hikes, season ticket holders will say fifteen to twenty
three percent comparative prices on the secondary market, which is
just that's the lame way to frame it. But my
whole thing, let's look at the you know, the shift
in their TV model. They didn't do that out of
the graces of their heart. Like they're kind of in
a no win to not no win, but they're not
in a position to be like, yeah, we're gonna leverage
these massive TV deals. But let's say that they can.
You don't get to justify it by we made it
free but then figured out another way to pass on
the expenses to the consumer. I just hate when companies
justify shit like that. So bold choice by the Mavericks.
Eight percent, I think is the number doesn't sound like much,
but when you just traded one of the best franchise
players in NBA history, and I'll be kind here charitable
and say, potentially blew up your future. It's certainly a
choice and maybe lends created to the fact that nobody
like that. They're wondering if the Dumonts are really just
trying to nuke the value of the MAVs as a
threat to the state of Texas in hopes that it
would maybe prompt them to more seriously consider commercial casino legalization. There,
that's just I again, I feel for you mass fans.
That's all I got there. The Wizards, they claim JT.
Thor off waivers. I'm saying this because everyone knows that JD.
Thor is kind of like a siren song around this podcast.
That man is like a That dude is just like
he's got spring loaded knees and if he could ever
put together like any sort of feel or skill like
I really do. I still believe he's not as good
as like Frankie Loquina, but I believe he could get there.
The Bucks converted Ryan Rollins from a two way to
a standard NBA deal that I'm not sure that I
saw coming, but it does make sense just given the
state of their roster. Kevin rant said, by the way,
as on most recent Suns loss, that they embarrassed themselves
against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday. We didn't play up
to our standards at all. We embarrassed the fans and
we embarrass ourselves the way we played. I want us
to be better when adversity hits, we start floating a
little as a team. That's tough to deal with. Yeah,
there is also Grant and I. We spoke about it
off air and maybe touched upon it tangentially when we
were doing that. Which NBA players are more important to
their team's future. Go check out that podcast. I had
a lot of fun doing it and we went through
every team, so we haven't listened to it already, watched
it on YouTube. Just go fucking do it. But in
the lead up to that, there was the report from
Chris Haynes that Mike Budenholzer asked Devin Booker to be
quieter on the court and maybe inside the huddle as well.
They did ask Budenholzer about it in a postgame interview.
He said that he likes Devin Booker speaking that and
him and Devin Booker have tough conversations. They don't always
agree with anything, so that's a good thing if the report
was accurate, though it would be wild when I mean
book did come out in like a post game that
had talked about how no one on this team is
talking enough. Just a really weird dynamic there. And Mike
Bunholsler has not done a fantastic job in Phoenix. But
this is just like sort of one of many problems.
And I'm not saying you need to concede everything to
the Star, but if you think he's talking too much
on the court, he is the only player that can
salvage your future at this point. Whether it's a maybe,
is more so as a trade asset than someone who's there.
But the reporting is of right now, per Gerald Borget
of phn X Sports, is that they're not going to
trade Devin Booker unless he asked for it. If you
want Devin Booker to stay, I don't You don't need
to coddle him, but maybe empower him. I don't even
say doesn't need to be empower him to say whatever
he wants if he's talking over buttonholes or in huddles
or something I don't. We never got that vibe so
much from the reporting, but like tread carefully and this
just sort of feels a little not even reckless, more
so effeckless and aimless. It's okay, well, what is this
going to do? And especially when Kevin Durantz now coming
out and saying we just sort of float around out
there when we hit adversity as a team and maybe
someone talking could absolutely help that. But yeah, the Suns
are just they're an absolute mess. Domas a Bonus was
just injured. I think he was diagnosed, excuse me, with
a grade sprain. Is going to be out indefinitely. That's
hamstring strain. Excuse me, He's gonna be out and definitely.
That's just this King's team is now. Look, we mourn
the potentiality of zach Lavine and DeMar Derozen's collective playin
streak coming to an end, since the Kings are kind
of on the fringes of that discussion right now.
Speaker 2: But that's a.
Speaker 1: Huge blow to the Kings. I think that we've seen
more so from them that this direction they are traveling
is incredibly confusing, I guess, to say the least, and
without Sabonis there, who's like kind of ironman, so wouldn't
shock me if he ends up trying to play through
this at some point, and they do since the trade deadline,
have the eighth best offense in terms of points scored
per possession and they're six and two I think since
the trade deadline. As I record this in their twelfth
in defense, you just you watch them and you don't
really feel it. It feels like they need a point guard.
And you could have argued that they needed a four
general before, but you've kind of moved further away from that.
Without Diaron Fox, that team is going to be fascinating
to watch over the offseason. Maybe morbidly so, but that's
huge blow when you're looking at you know, as we're
leading into Tuesday, they're fighting for their playing lives. They
are eighth right now and with twenty eight losses there,
I mean, I guess they're not in danger falling out
of the plane because the Suns are five, they're and
eleven and they're five losses off. Who finishes let me
know in the let me know in our discord, who
finishes with more wins this season? The Sons are the
Blazers I'd really like to know, because that's a conversation
that apparently needs.
Speaker 2: To be had.
Speaker 1: Sacramento might be safe just because of what the Mas
all the injuries on their front line now with Kyrie,
their margin ever air still is not that big. And
if again, so Bonus is kind of an iron man,
it wouldn't shock me if he winds up being out
for like a lot, like it definitely implies weeks, wouldn't
shock me. Was just less than that because he just
plays through everything. Still, that's like, that's huge for that team,
like he's been their best player this season. Meyers Leonard
announced his retirement while releasing a country music song, and
that is all I have to say about that. I mean,
look good for him, whatever he wants to pursue. I
will say I listened to five second of it and
it kind of sound like he asked chat Gpt what
a country singer shoots sound like and then recorded a
song off that. But to each thene with their interests,
I wish, look, I wish I could retire from the
podcasting game and start a boy band circa nineteen ninety
nine or something which I had the voice, the resources,
the friends that wanted to be a part of said
boy band. The Nets will not be signing Killian Hayes
to a second ten day contract, forer. Brian Lewis of
The New York Post a little bit. I was a
little bit surprised by that. They kind of seem to
have like a mini obsession with with uh Killian Hayes.
There Still, the Kings did sign Scalabca to a ten
day contract. There's not a name that we've heard in
quite some time, but it's fun to say. And they
could potentially use some big man death at this point
visa VI the Nets. By the way, I guess that
they're assuming. So I was kind of thinking, like, this
is probably a good harbinger for Oh, we think that
Cam Thomas, now that he's back, he's going to continue
to play, And I guess this would assume that D'Angelo
Russell will be back soon. So they viewed Hayes as
more of a stopgap. But Hayes actually hit like three
pointers well this stint in Brooklyn. So I didn't mean
to jump to to the scal news, but hey, he's
on a ten day contract for the Kings. Let's see
if he gets any run there as they're dealing with
some injuries of their own. The MAVs are also considering
converting Kessler Edwards to a standard NBA contract, I think,
just per what their luxury tax situation is, they have
to wait until like I think that'll have to be April.
But so they're not gonna be able to sign him
to another no. This was that was Moses Brown. They
part of ways with him. They can't sign him to
another ten day contract due to being hard kept at
the first apron and he can't be signed to a
two way contract because it was NBA service time. He's
probably been linked to the Knicks per March done. I'm
actually just reading through that right now. I'll be interesting
what they the MAVs do with Kessler Edwards, like in
light of their injuries. We've seen him play like a
lot of we've seen him a lot. We haven't seen
him play the most minutes of anyone, but like that's
kind of some more emergency front court service. The Wizards.
This is another report on the Sun. They just keep
trickling out. They gave real consideration to trading for Bradley
Beal at the deadline. I saw some people trolling that
if you were gonna get stuff for him on his
way out and on his way back in. Yeah, you're
at a point where you should absolutely consider doing that.
I don't like from Bradley Beal's perspective, if he was
gonna go to a bad team, would he have been
more likely to go back to Washington because it's a
familiar territory. I don't really know how he would have
felt about this, but like, I guess that's semi interesting.
I was surprised on people were kind of trolling the Wizards.
This is their return for him was less than modest.
Like the front the front office inherited that no trade clause.
It wasn't them actively deciding to take a bad offer.
So if you could have gotten arguably more like an
actual first round pick as part of taking Bradley Beal back,
get assets for him on his way out and then
on his way coming back in, and then the contract
short lived enough to where maybe, excuse me, maybe you
could see them just like riding it out until they're
ready to be good. Or is he more likely to
be less particular with waiving his no trade clause when
he's on a bad Wizards team. I honestly really do
not know. H Also, the another thing here in terms
of contract stuff, the Rockets converted Nate Williams to a
four year eight point two million dollar standard NBA deal.
The final three years are non guaranteed. They ended up
waving Cody Zeller as a result, and there was way
too much social media reaction about why would you do
that to Cody Zeller or the number of teams that
should be picked up. Shout out to the Atlanta Hawks,
by the way, they converted Dominic Barlow, a low key
favorite around these parts, to a two year standard NBA contract.
Julius Randall returned to the lineup for the Timberwolves on Sunday.
This is gonna be fascinating because, like the Wolves is
because of injuries. Now Dante Divincenzo's back, there's gonna call
a point where it's right, it's Chris Fin's gonna shorten
the rotation because they've seen some things the Terrence Shannon
rim pressure, like Rob Dillingham just having a bunch of
wiggle Excuse me, I'm gonna be curious, and the way
with Mike Kamias struggled than some of the Julius Randall
lineups have struggled. He's gonna have to shrink his rotation
at some point or is he just gonna run super deep.
I'm very curious to see when they're finally at full strength.
Not you know, not anymore. Anthony Edwards suspension is notwithstanding
since for every two Technicals now he will miss a game,
They're gonna have some fascinating choices on their hands, I
think when it comes to deciding between like, do we
give these vets run, do we prioritize kind of floor
spacing or connectivity or even defense at certain points versus
how much are you married to the veterans specifically Julius Random,
Mike Conley or the names that I'm kind of looking at.
Not even Ceenzo looks pretty good from what little I've
seen of him since his return. The Washington Wizards and
Justin Champennie are finalizing a four year, ten million dollar contract.
Per Sean Sharani of ESPN, that's a good like he
has stood out for them, and he's handled some like
truly tough defensive assignments and looks like looks the part
of a three and D wing and he's only twenty
three years old. And then kind of upping the He's
gonna make I think one point eight million for the
final six weeks since Washington has that wiggle room. This
is like kind of sets them up to Okay, could
he have maybe held out and tried to look to
get more in the open market this summer, but now
you get these types of terms. So he gets that
mini win fall for the fine six weeks of this season,
But the Wizards also get him on this contract that's
gonna be ultra not just team friendly, but under team control.
Jaeen Suggs, this is a bummer. I mean, we got
two bummers coming up here. He is gonna undergo Arthur
Spis arthur'scopic surgery to remove fragments in his left knee.
He's out indefinitely. It's weird that we got here like
he was. He's expecting to make a full recovery. But
he has missed a ton of time. And now Palo Bank,
Carrol friends Vagner, we know they've missed a ton of time.
They haven't even played one hundred minutes together on the season. Suggs.
They can probably figure out a way to survive defensively
without him. But he's kind of in like conceptually and
in practice for a lot of time, one of their
more important shooters and one of their more important pace drivers.
So like, if you want to get into your offense,
not even necessarily in the half court quicker, but after
you grab a live rebound, he's sometimes the better option
than a Pala Bank Carol or Franz Wagner to do that.
So that's a really big loss for them. And this
Magic season started out so promising, even amid the Palo
Bank Carrol injuries, just sort of run off the rails
and they're really gonna need to address some offensive stuff
this offseason. They're going to be a certainly a team
to watch for me there if we had to rank
them all these teams. I say this, I throw around
the word like fascinating or intriguing a lot. Everyone who
listens to this podcast knows that probably hates it. I
make no apologies. I say a lot of words. There's
gonna be repetition. But the Magic are just sort of
I guess they haven't financially reached a pivot point just yet,
but functionally it feels like they've reached the pivot point
a while ago and kind of ignored it. I would
assume move he's gonna undergo surgery Ona's left shoulder due
to instability. The Bulls announced this he's gonna miss the
rest of the season. That kind of sucks because the
Bulls are gonna like stumble ass backwards into it, like
they have not been good since the trade deadline, but
the East is the East is the East, and so
going two and seven since the trade deadline and just
being relatively bad and in general over this like recent
longer stretch bottom ten in both offensive defense, you're still
just kind of you're firmly in the running for that
ten spot because look at everyone who's below them. They
have thirty seven losses in front of the Nets and
the Sixers who have just they've shut the door on
this season. Maybe they didn't tell Paul George because he's
gonna take a hiatus or not invest as much time
in his podcast. But the Nets, the Sixers, the Raptors,
the Hornets, the Wizard Like the Wizards and the Hornets
have not been looking to win for quite some time. Uh.
The Raptors like they're kind of in stealth tank mode,
Like it's not it's not really stealth tanked. It was injuries,
we're kind of fueling it, but now we're gonna see
it get just a little bit more protective of their spot.
And you can kind of even sense that, like around
the trade deadline, we knew that this is where it
was headed. But my point being, none of the teams
behind the bulls are gonna actively be chasing wins at
this point, so they're gonna stumble into the plane and
I guess they'll look to do something like I would
assume in theory would be a pretty big part of that.
But now he's out, that's a real bummer. Anything else
here that we should cover, uh Ali, did I hit
the Yeah, I hit the Domasa bonis things. That's really
about it. I think of like all the latest stuff.
Hopefully there are no injuries in some recording this like
before all the games end on Monday night, that we
don't miss anything there. I hope you enjoy this discussion
with more if you want, you know, to throw this
out here since we even don't on If you want
more news like these updates to us, go to go
through them once a week, whether it's at the end
of the beginning of a podcast. Just let me know
in our discord link to the podcast and YouTube description.
But let's get to lots and lots of Kevin Durant
and Luka Dancic talk with the one the only, mister
mort Jensen of the NBA podcast.
Speaker 3: What I want to dig into, more so than just
like the revenge factor of it all, is there's this
thing where everyone is on team Luca regarding these even
Dallas fans, and I kind of want to get into
why because it's not normal behavior for fans or for
analysts to like be on the side of something. Well
for fans, but maybe not like home fans, like Dallas
Mavericks fans would like normally be on you know, their side,
like the Dallas Mavericks side.
Speaker 1: Suppose the root for the jersey, not the player in
the jersey exactly.
Speaker 3: You're to, yeah, but everything is turned round, And I
kind of want to get into why because this was
just not a traditional trade. And when I say that,
I don't just mean, you know, the decision to trade
him or the weird return. You and I have talked
about this before we started recording. It's the fact that
the MAVs post trade have just kept throwing this dude
under the buzz in a way to justify their decision,
like it's it's become this thing where it's like, I'm
not even gonna say it's bordering on pathetic, it's full
blown pathetic at this point.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I just if you really believe in this, and
I understand it's topical. They just played one another. This
is one of the most shocking trades ever. But we've
now had how many weeks and Luca has yet to
a even a not like, even through his people, has
yet to necessarily throw the Mavericks under the bus, at
least in this way, at this scale, And to just
continuously see them say things or let things out about
someone who is he makes a lot of money. He
was the face of the franchise. We all know he
wasn't perfect. We all know about the issues, but you
mentioned they keep throwing him under the bus, and it's like,
put your name to this stuff, other than you know,
Patrick Dumont basically saying that he was that Luca was
using this as a vacation. I guess at least Patrick
Dumont put his name on that, even though he cited
Shaq is sort of the you know, quintessential hard work
ethic guy during his career. I don't. I just the
quote from the Athletic too, where they concerned about his
drinking and his hookah use and him being in shape.
This feels like normal twenty five year old athlete shit
to me.
Speaker 2: Yes, it just seems like they don't know he was
He's European.
Speaker 1: Right, and it's it's a big deal because they were
concerned about it while he was at Real Madrid, Like,
oh no, my whole thing is this is the thing
that got me. They're predicting his basketball demise within the
next five years, saying that out loud, like allowing you
not to be put It's just, don't you feel like
a shitty person, like you have to feel like some
semblance of grimy after saying that my whole thing is
he Let's say he's out of the league in five years, right,
there's still scenario on which they lose this trade because
he's so good over the next two three years that
it doesn't fucking matter. And even if this is this
is the this is what just really fucks with my head.
Even if this is how you felt, it doesn't justify
the way you went about the trade. Because you decided
that you still needed to quote unquote win now and later,
which is really the next two to three years according
to Nico Harrison, in which case, who cares if Lucas
gonna be out a league in five years? You're only
operating on this two to three year timeline anyway. Yeah,
I want to be clear, I'm not lending credence to
his basketball demise in five years. Come the fuck on,
unless we find out that he's like a human trafficker
or something like what is so bad about what we've
heard about Luca as a human being, even the people
that have kind of supported this, and you know, like
among fans or media members where it's just like, oh,
like he's out of shape or he complains it's like, yeah,
he's definitely the first star in the NBA to have
those issues. A lot of pretzel twisting. But I think
what's just most alarming here is it's so ineffective. You
said it at the top, like who is on Team
Dallas right now?
Speaker 2: Uh?
Speaker 3: Yeah, I don't think I can mention anyone, like not
really like there's there's gonna be some contrarians just for
the hell of it, because hey, engagement, right, But that's
that's sort of it. I mean everyone is understanding of
the situation from from Lucas perspective, and not so much
for Dallas. By the way, Like if we're looking at
the whole, little choppy, not the best like physical work ethic.
Speaker 2: Why are we talking about Jokic? Should jok trade candidate
all of a sudden, Like why is what's the difference there?
Speaker 1: Well, he's I guess because Luca is considered less durable,
which is when you look at the games played, I
suppose it's fair. But Luca just dragged you. I won't
say dragged because the trade deadline had helped them. Their
defense was great, which kind of underminds the point that
you can't build a defense around Luca. But that's neither
here nor there. He just took you to the finals.
He just you just beat what is now the favorite
to come out of the West, with Luka Nacic not
playing at his best version? Ever, Like what is? You
gotta make it make sense for me? And if it's
really an issue of we couldn't get through to him,
that probably says something more about your organization than it
does the twenty five year old kid. I'm not trying
to absolve Luca yeah, I get annoyed by his complaining
to the refs. If I was making all that money
and I was nineteen years old, I'll tell y'all be
in the best damn shape of my life. Like I
could guarantee that. But like, this is nothing that we
have read so far or heard off the record. I've
yet to hear read whatever anything that is just completely
unforgivable or aids whatever logic the Dallas Mavericks were using here,
and it's we're at the point now where I'm no,
I might be squeaking, but like this isn't me a
thinking in the moment emotionally, Like we've now had time
to sit on this, and there's no support of concept
here to me, there's none, zero.
Speaker 3: And it's also the fact that this keeps coming up.
It's been like what four weeks now, like it's every
single week.
Speaker 1: It's a month, and it's a month past the trade
deadline almost. And you said it at the top of this,
or maybe it was before we even started. Like let's
kind of forget everything that you still didn't If this
is how you felt now that go ahead and justify
what you just did, which is give him to the
Lakers for a turn that could have been beaten in
a vacuum because you decided Anthony Davis was the best
player right now that you can get for Luka Dncic.
And that's like you yet to even justify that effected, Like,
what is all this bad? Let's say you buy into
the Luca He's not gonna look right in the next
five years or whatever. Can you defend to me what
the Mavericks then did by trading him at the cur
If anything, we're reading now about how they helped submarine
his value because Nico Harrison's too honest, is I guess
to spin they're going with, He's he's too much of
a people pleaser. He wanted to give the Lakers the
full story, so they were able to get him for
a little bit less, like come on.
Speaker 3: Yeah, look, I usually love a lot of the writers
or the Athletic. I still do, but there was that
fluff piece that was just oh boy, that was that
a week ago, week and a half ago where that
was yeah, like that was one of the most greacious
things I've ever it was.
Speaker 1: Do you remember the piece. I'm not sure if it
was the Athletic, but it was. It was comparable, not
identical to when Neil O'Shea was clearly trying to save
his job and there was that said, all this charity
work he does that he doesn't want anybody to know about.
It's like the best way to keep it a secret
is to the athletic.
Speaker 3: Come on, there are a lot, a lot of carrying of
water over the past few weeks, and it's I wonder
if this is just just one of those situations where
an outlet goes out like, hey, let's let's mean open
lines of communication, like let's not lose you as a
potential source down the line. I don't even know what
that was, but we've reached that point now where it's
just it's so egregious, it's so dumb, where I think
it's it's completely fair to just kind of put it
into context for listeners here and go, look, there's a
reason we're bringing up this trade even though it's four
weeks ago, Like we're bringing it up because the Dallas
Mavericks keep.
Speaker 2: Bringing it up. They did a very fucking stupid move
and they keep trying to justify it in the stupidest
fucking way ever, Like there's just no way you can
respect that there's no way you cannot attack it in
some way.
Speaker 1: Yeah, And I mean we'll see if it like sort
of quiets down now because the first meeting between the
two is yea out of the way. But I think
it'll probably maybe not from their end, but from the
opposing ends, it'll probably go louder if Luca continues to
play like it's first what was it like two or
three games with the Lakers was kind of eh. Then
it goes he has a thirty point outing did you
have a triple double against the MAVs. So I like,
the better he plays, the further he is away from
his basketball demise, the worst. This is probably gonna get
optically for the Mavericks, and I guess maybe they're trying
to get out. Look, I'm sure these people are being
asked about it, and I'm sure there's these texts and
these messages aren't being sent unsolicited. At the same time,
it's no comment's fine too, like you used to so
like we're guilty of it, like covering the game where
it's constantly being talked about. Think about the amount of
just fallout pieces that have been written and it was
it was this slow or I shouldn't say slow like
this onslaught of a build to that Mavericks Lakers game,
like we just kept seeing pieces about it. I think
it was a landmark transaction, but it was a landmark
transaction that still weeks later no matter what angle at
which you view, it makes no sense.
Speaker 3: Right it's And here's the thing I get why mass
fans are also caught on something else because so many
of them are basically saying, what does this mean for
the future, Like what if we get another superstar in
here who is a top three, top two player in
the NBA, Like if we ever get that type of
guy in once again, does that guy have you know?
Can he kind of reference the Luca trade as to
why he may not wish to continue going like staying
with this organization? Like what kind of message are we
sending here? And I think that's totally fair because it's
not just the Luca trade in a nutshell, the fact
that they're throwing him under the bus the way that
they are right now, it's a blueprint Like Kyrie Irving
I believe has a player option this summer, right if
I'm not mistaken, So he could technically decline that and
leave that would be fully within his rights. Is he
sitting right now going, oh, if I leave, I am
gonna be torn shreds, Like I'm pretty sure that thought
has crossed his mind or at very least his agency.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean I would certainly he who's Luca's agent?
Is he Bortles seeing he's a Bartlesceine client, right?
Speaker 2: I believe so? Yes?
Speaker 1: Like why would Mark Bartlescene ever funnel like good players
in Dallas's direction at this point, after the way this
was handled, you have to think there's gonna be some
type of fallout and just the optics of it. When
wasn't part of the reason that Nico Harrison was brought
in at least the justification behind it was he's a
relationships guy and he's going to have those connections that
you can win big in free agency, And it was
just funny. This is all happening in the backdrop as
free agency has never been less important to team building
at this point with the way things are structured, and
it's probably more about managing the talent that's already in
place and then winning trades, which he's the Luca trade
being an exception, like that front office has done a
pretty good job like building out the rest of the roster.
So yeah, I am curious to see if there's gonna
be fallout. I do wonder if do you think that
someone in Kyrie situation, maybe Nanty Davis's situation, like you're
kind of in your thirties and like Ynty Davis is
still borderline like top ten, top fifteen guy. But it's
just like, is there really only like a select few
or maybe it's the top ten guys that you're worried
about kind of rankling in that way because with Kyrie
it's sort of well, you're in like the middle end
let's say of your career. There's no cap space out there,
like what are you gonna do right now?
Speaker 2: That's fair, That's a different situation for sure, that's not there.
There wouldn't be a lot of controversy regarding that.
Speaker 3: No, I think I think the concern is rafting a guy,
building him up for a couple of years, and then
that guy suddenly like, yeah, I know this pattern, like like,
oh did I check in two percentage points off my
targeted weight before the for the season?
Speaker 2: Why Snico Harrison giving me the death stare?
Speaker 3: You know, it's I can sort of understand why people
would be in such a guy's ears too, like Baby
basically saying, you know, hey, don't get too comfortable, like
this is an organization that you can't.
Speaker 2: Trust because players talk. We know this.
Speaker 3: There are a lot of teams that have gone through it,
Like you brought up Oh Shay earlier, like the Blazers
for a while. Uh that was for his arrival though,
but like I want to say, twelve fifteen years ago
was not an organization that the players wanted to go to.
Speaker 2: They had a bad reputation.
Speaker 3: Right now, the Bulls are one of those teams, Like
there are teams out there with bad reputations that players
actively want to avoid.
Speaker 2: I think it's perfectly.
Speaker 3: Reasonable to wonder if Dallas has entered the chat.
Speaker 1: They probably have, because you know, we always kind of
have these fallout pieces, and with Dallas it feels like
we've had more of them of late, because like they
kind of like remember the aff for Grant Williams the trade,
like they threw him under the bus too, and part
of that was like didn't Luga Dancic's not get along
with him or whatever. We always see these things with players,
like even star players I think about hard how many
times we've seen that with him, maybe about Kyrie is
a vert example, even Kevin Durant. But what's different is
in all of those situations, unless I'm misremember even Kawi,
even if I'm misremembering one, there was always something like
the player requested out, or there was like this stuff
leading up to it contributed to the trade or them leaving.
And with Luca, the MAVs just decided that they didn't
want to pay him, and they I think, what's gonna
make this so much There's so many things that make
it so much worse when you're looking at it, like
how you're looking at it. What makes it so much
worse is if this is not the guy at this
point in his career that you're comfortable paying, then who
are you comfortable paying?
Speaker 2: Right?
Speaker 1: Because it's just look, players sign their contracts. I think
part of the money, part of the contracts. Everything's collectively bargained.
They can be traded unless they have a no trade
clause at any given moment. But like when you finally
see because it is going to happen now, I think
maybe the Luka Dancic situation accelerated this. Someone is going
to request out either before they sign their rookie Max
extension or like almost immediately after, like you play out
that season as the poison pill, and then you're gonna
request down. Someone is going to do that. And while
there's the contractual obligations of it all, there's the balance
of like balance of leverage tips in the favor of
the team in those instances, it's going to happen. And
this could be like part of the rationale behind a
player or their agents in particular, thinking that because look
at what this team did to someone who, again from
everything we have seen on the court, that is the
player that not even the super match, but that the
Max is designed for.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and what really gets me confused about all this
as well is even if you when you're the match
and you're citing like the beer and the hookah and
all of this, right, what you're really saying is, all right,
we don't trust your body to keep up. What you're saying, then,
is it's going to be a lack of availability. That's
what you're concerned about. You're concerned about paying a ton
of money for a guy who won't be available a
great deal.
Speaker 2: So you trade for Anthony Davis.
Speaker 1: Which doesn't it suck because we have to chop down
Anthony Davis in order to make that point. But it's
it's I don't even think we do.
Speaker 3: Like it's fair he misses games like I have a
ton of respect for him. I think both of you
and I agree that he's such a wildly influential player.
But like the guy has a history of not being
able to stay healthy. I don't think that's tearing him down.
I think that's just facts, right, I know.
Speaker 1: You're right there. It's like that that framing never made
sense because it's if you were that concerned about availability,
you might have would have targeted a different collection of players.
Or he might have decided to burn as most teams
would have if you're trading someone's transcendent as Luca, burn
the whole thing down and start over.
Speaker 3: Right, Yeah, it's there's no logic behind it. The fact
that they keep throwing under the bus is why we
should bring this up, is why they deserve all the criticism,
And honestly, every single time they decide to bring this up,
I'm gonna keep talking about it. Like when the Dallas
Mavericks decides to shut the fuck up.
Speaker 2: I will too. That's no, that's basically, who are you kidding?
Maybe maybe it will.
Speaker 1: It's easy to say that because it doesn't seem like
Dallas is gonna kind of shut up about this. I'm
assuming we'll reach a point when it does. But I think,
I mean, they're gonna be the butt of jokes for
so long because it's even Grant has said this on
our podcast. Even if they're right, they're like still wrong
because the component we haven't touched on is you mentioned
like the Mavericks fan reaction. I don't actually like they
could have gotten honest. Maybe they could have gotten Wemby,
but there is that like emotional attachment to like that
guy being we drafted him. He came up here, he
was the bridge into this arrow. This was everything was
supposed to be structured around him. I still don't think
I think the fallout would have been much different, but
I don't think it would have been anywhere near overwhelmingly
positive because like part of fandom, and this is the part,
there's a lot of part of fandom that like for us,
it could be grading and it could be annoying. Like
I respect that part, like you're attached to the players
that like especially the ones that came up with you,
and that it's not just about I think teams want
it to be about long But I would say now
more so than ever, when players are brands, when the
NBA promotes these players as they do, when you're dealing
with international superstars like Luka Doncic, there's going to be
an attachment to the players. And so I honestly think,
like at the Bucks said, had they figured out a
way to get Giannis, like I don't think that would
the reaction have been more justifiable. Like yeah, but like,
are we sure that Mavericks fans would have really been
on board with that?
Speaker 2: Are we sure Bucks fans would too? That's the same, Well, you.
Speaker 1: Know, that's a great that's a that's an absolute great
point is to say, like, oh, you got the younger superstar,
and maybe that that could be an element of all
this is that it's probably easier to talk to yourself
into the not even necessarily imagine you maybe didn't get
the better player, depending on like Giannis and Luca is
a different discussion than Jannis and Ad, But you did
get the younger player, and so maybe there's something different
to that. But you're right, like Bucks fans would like,
that's the guy who they won a title with, who
that team drafted and developed, who has said that he
wanted to Would he just say about Milwaukee that they
would have to drag him out or whatever he said?
So yeah, Like that's so I don't think that they
could have brings us back to the part like like
why are you making the trade at all? And I
don't know if this has been talked about enough, but
if they were concerned about the drinking and the hookah
use and just like, yeah, him being able to stay
in shape, what does that say about you that like
you weren't like the drinking problems, but like, if you
think it's a caps lock bold text italics problem, did
you do everything within your power and resources to help
this kid. I understand that these are stars and that
they're brands and that they're famous. There's still also people,
and so I'm not going to, you know, cry when
they get traded without warning. That I could imagine that sucks.
It's also part of the business. But like really, like
that's how like the spin is. It's like, well, man,
he's in so much trouble, we don't want to fucking
help him, like you need to then come out and say, like,
we did everything, and then show us how you did
everything within your power to help him, and you can.
You don't even get to hide behind the cloak of well,
we're just trying not to air his laundry out there,
like people don't know how deep this goes, and we
don't want them to know, because we'll just circle back
and point to all these anonymous sources talking about how
they're predicting his demise within the next half decades.
Speaker 3: I think I think the word kid is actually fair
on many levels because I know people are going to
point to, oh, he's going to be twenty six and
just a moment, but this is clearly something that they've
been worrying about for a long while. This didn't just
materialize out of thin air over the past month, like
of course it didn't, like this has been a thing
for years. We know that they've complained a little bit
internally about like, oh, we're a little bit nervous about
how he's never in shape.
Speaker 2: They've done that since he was basically.
Speaker 3: What twenty twenty one, that like, well, wait a second,
twenty two, twenty three, because that's when the weight gains
like started that's a kid to me twenty two twenty three, right, yeah,
the stuff eighty in at twenty two twenty three.
Speaker 1: It's also like even with Zion, like being so young,
like it's easy to say you're making all this money,
like get your body in shape, but like it's just you,
Like that's not the mindset. That's why people say you
just wasted on the young. But I could even I
think the thing that really just I struggle to wrap
my brain around. I understand that I don't want I'm
never gonna look to in the NBA itself or an
organization as this arbor of morality. But even if he's not,
even if you don't, I'm not saying kids will be
kids or this isn't boys will be boys. He could
have been thirty seven, have a legitimate drinking problem, and
like you're not gonna like you're like you're gonna ship
him off, And I understand the real world, like you
might get fired from your job. It was the same
thing that doesn't necessarily make it okay. And even if
you do that to then kind of use that as
the shield, like, oh, he has a drinking problem, so
we fire him into the sun. No, that that just
their spin to me just makes there was no in
this specific instance, there was no way to spend it
unless he asked for out. So I understand that. But
like the way they've caught about it is just been
it's it's been so cringey. Someone effective and finally just
so frequent, like all right, like leave it like you
did it, you fucked up, like time to move on.
Speaker 3: So Durant, Uh, someone who certainly does not struggle with
wave these shoes whatsoever, that.
Speaker 1: Perhaps kind of got weight issues.
Speaker 2: Perhaps he was the guy the comparison should have gone
for instead.
Speaker 1: Uh.
Speaker 3: Durant, as we know at the trade headline, was like, no,
I don't want to go back to Golden State. I
kind of want to see this through. Everyone seems to
be aligned now that he's going to get traded this summer.
The Hoop collective, I think said it the other day,
if not two day, basically that this is this is
gonna happen. Durant, though, said something interesting. He went on
the Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis like I haven't
listened to it.
Speaker 2: I just read the transcript, so I don't know.
Speaker 1: He went on Draymond Green's podcast. Yeah, you alerted me.
I didn't see any of these comments. I'm oh, this
is even better. I didn't know it was the Draymond.
Speaker 3: Green yeah, but with Baron Davis. So I haven't listened
to it, so I don't know if that Draymond was
even there or Baron.
Speaker 1: Davis was on load managing his podcast like Paul George's.
Did you see that? I saw that.
Speaker 2: I saw that ye podcast p.
Speaker 1: For the championship push. I assume he means like plating
their Cooper flag. Odds is the only That's why that
was wild.
Speaker 3: Uh No, So he went on the pot and he
he said that he wants his career to end on
his terms and that's the only thing that he's worried about.
But then he said this, but as far as the Warriors,
I didn't.
Speaker 2: Want to move.
Speaker 3: And then as a player like me, I cost a lot.
Me going into your team in the middle of the
season is going to be a big blow to any
team I'm going to I get why you wanted to
trade for me, simple fact that's just business for me
looking at it, it just doesn't make sense for either
side right now to go through that when we just
play the season out and if that's the decision you
want to make.
Speaker 2: In the off season, then we can figure it out.
Speaker 3: Uh, hello, that's big.
Speaker 2: I'm sorry, but like that's that's kind of big.
Speaker 3: That's that's a door opener, right, Like he just opened
the fucking door.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I don't I said this to you when you
first told me about this off air. I don't understand
the beginning of that, where it costs so much to
bring me in mid season, you don't get him for
free over the off seasons as far as I know,
is there a loophole on the CBA that I don't know?
Speaker 3: I'm just assuming the players and the CBA understanding generally
is lacking, and because like that's not their job.
Speaker 2: That's why they have agents, which fair enough, like you have.
Speaker 3: To work on your your skill level and your body
and everything during the off season.
Speaker 2: I get it.
Speaker 3: But just the mere fact that he seems to be
open to doing this, that's that's kind of wild. Maybe
maybe he just said it because he knew, Oh, they
got Jimmy, so like the pressure isn't on me to
do anything. Maybe just a cheap way of just saying
telling Dubbs fans, like, you know, I would be open
to it, but not really.
Speaker 2: I don't know, And I could.
Speaker 1: See this being his way like initially saying no, it's
just his way of wants to survey the land in
the offseason and then like choose where he will like
figure out how you know him and his his people
like they put out feelers or they look at which
teams they want to go to. Because I find it
interesting that he said this, and I appreciate the candor.
I'm sure some people are mad that he says this,
but I want players to be I don't like I
want them to be candid. We can't. We can't campaign
for candor and then get mad when they give it
to us. This is my whole thing, But I don't
see the pathway to getting to go. It'd be really
funny though, if he is campaigning to get the Golden
State on the podcast of the player who will then
need to be traded to get him to Golden Staa.
Speaker 2: Oh god, that'd fantastic. What is that?
Speaker 1: And I mean, I guess we know the Suns are
interested in Jimmy, so like there is framework there that
you can make work. But if you're the warriors, Like,
I like, if would you even just do just forget
about the money for a second, did you just do
it one for one? Still at this point, I mean,
the sample size with Jimmy's been really small, but it's
been good step minutes right now, Like, I don't know,
it's pretty interesting.
Speaker 3: I mean, look, if that's offered to me, if that's
a one on one flip, yeah, I look, I'm I'm
calling Jimmy immediately. I'm going love your buddy. I'm driving
your ass to the fucking airport.
Speaker 1: Oh, I don't know, man, I don't know.
Speaker 2: Like it's KD.
Speaker 1: Jimmy's a little bit younger, he's the better, Like I
think he's the better playmaker at this point.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, no, that he is.
Speaker 1: But a defender. Yeah, you know what, I'm actually gonna
say it. I gotta stop. I'm not doing it. If
I'm Golden side, all right, I wouldn't do it.
Speaker 2: I mean, it's still KD.
Speaker 3: Though the chemistry is already established with Steph, he's still
one of the toughest shot makers of all time.
Speaker 2: The three point range.
Speaker 3: Alone is going to give them so much more space
to operate with.
Speaker 2: I I gotta go to enough of those.
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, well, I mean, look, maybe he's you know,
he's getting older eventually. We have this thing where we
always talk about Lebron like never aging. I think we
sort of have to talk about the same thing with
Durant though, like this dude is still averaging twenty seven,
Like it's nothing.
Speaker 1: Well, so here's my things, Like I'm just like kind
of dealing with the law of averages, I guess or whatever,
where these players are going to have to age at
some point. And so what is Kevin Durant going to
be his age thirty eight campaign next year? Because he's
thirty seven now or my year ahead.
Speaker 3: Of it, He's actually only thirty six. He'll be thirty
seven in September, all right.
Speaker 1: So they're really not that far apart because Jimmy turned
thirty five in September, right, I think.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think let's just double check.
Speaker 1: I am just like, don't you think maybe I'm Galaxy
branding this, But don't you think that Jimmy that Golden
State has so many different boxes to check, and to me,
it feels like Jimmy Butler checks them more than Kevin
Durant does.
Speaker 3: In terms of the defense, the secondary ball handling or
the church here, depending on how you fit in dream On. Yeah,
there's definitely something there, But I do think Durand can
adequately take over some of those responsibilities. Like, look, he's
not a bad defender. I agree that Jimmy is better.
Durand is still like a seven foot switchable, long armed
nuisance defensively, jim Jimmy is still disruptive as hell like,
and he's he's probably a little bit more dedicated on
that end than k D because Durand still is a
bucket geter.
Speaker 2: But that's also why you acquire him.
Speaker 3: You acquire a forward who can just give you twenty seven,
Like it's nothing like, he'll sort of find a way regardless,
just to get to that number while still playing adequate defense,
while still playing you know, adequate playmaking. I would go
that route. I get what you're saying, though, like, especially
in terms of Jimmy also handling some the secondary unit
responsibilities of him, like being at de factor point guard,
setting things up, being a primary scorer when the vast
majority of the players are in or from the second unit.
Speaker 2: I get it.
Speaker 3: I'm still going major upside here, I'm I'm and also
like the Steph durand years were dope. They were so
fun And maybe I'm seeking nostalgia, like I'll own up
to that, but.
Speaker 1: I really fun. Maybe the first two were like that
that first like the first year and a half was fun.
Then everything after that almost felt grading.
Speaker 2: You think, so I know from okay, the final season
was not fun.
Speaker 3: Now the final year was was fed up for sure,
But like I still think from a purely basketball perspective,
the way they played off one another, God, that was great.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: I mean they are two of the most plug and
play superstars in league history. He's not the two biggest
plug and play superstars, Like you could PLoP them on
any team and it's just gonna work. So if push
comes to shot, I feel like moreeople would side with
you then they would side with me. But I like,
don't you think it might be a little closer, like
there will be like a real there'll be real division
here with that or no, am I am I overthinking
this now?
Speaker 3: No, I mean, look, I get what you're saying. I'm
just saying from my perspective, I would drive Jimmy to
the airport. With all due respect to Jimmy Butler, because
I just have Durant at a higher level.
Speaker 2: I just do. I always have.
Speaker 3: That's not to say Jimmy isn't great, and that's not
to say he doesn't solve a lot of those issues,
as you pointed out, because accurately so. And I think,
I think when it comes down to me is if
Durant wants to go to Golden State in the summer,
let's say that that's the thing, and that's the motivation,
you know, in him wanting to go there, that makes
me a lot more, you know, that puts me more
at ease. Whereas if he's traded there against his will,
then yeah, I'm going Jimmy for sure.
Speaker 1: You know what's interesting too, I'm proudly not considering is
like there won't be I still think defensively Durant like
on the interior better than Jimmy for sure, but like
now there's there is gonna be some redundancy at least
spatially with Jimmy and Jonathan Kaminga. And so if you
want to keep Jonathan Kaminga, Durant and him just don't
have nearly as much overlap on the offensive end of
the floor, so that that would probably be like maybe
the biggest Like, oh, like, okay, now it's kaminga Durant
and Steph and Draymond makes way more sense than Butler.
Kaminga Steph and and Draymond. Would you, as the Warriors,
if this was on the table, would you rather trade
Jimmy Butler or build something around Draymond Green?
Speaker 2: Oh, Draymond, build around Draymond? Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 3: Like come on, if if they somehow may retain Steph
Jimmy and then add KD, I mean, that's ridiculous, that's ridiculous.
Speaker 1: Well, it's potentially ridiculous, but there's I mean, they're not
necessarily getting a lot older, but like there's some real
combustibility in that.
Speaker 3: Of course, But like I appreciate the effort though, Like
for them to go like that into the finally of Steph,
I feel like that's doing Steph right too.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah.
Speaker 1: Some of our biggest critiques of the podcast we did
in the reactions. I didn't give the Warriors an A
plus on the Jimmy Butler trade because I've been saying
that there were ways for them to really Optimizeteph's timeline
without giving up everything, and I only gave him like
a B plus or whatever it is in part because
I thought that they like waited too long to do this,
but for sure, like that is certainly a vote of confidence,
and like, okay, we're all about Steph, like we've been saying,
right we are. It's I almost can't pay, Like I mean,
I guess he said it so it could happen. It
would just be like that'd be such a weird order
of operations, like turned down the trade mid season only
to make it in the off season, Like what would
have been the material difference there? So I just the
whole situation is just weird, but I guess to be
expected because it feels like this is what happens when
just like we know what happens when Jimmy Butler leaves
teams or James Harden leaves a team, this is kind
of what happens when Kevin Durant leaves a team. Is
that there's like months worth of teams, if not more.
And I think it says a lot that you mentioned
it before. Brian Windhorst is one of the most plugged
in guys in the entire league, and he's like very
more so than most, very particular about what he says.
I feel like you very rarely see him preempt things
with such diffinity as him just basically saying that Kevin
Durant is going to be created. And so it's like,
I've already just decided that Kevin Durant's not gonna be
in Phoenix at the start, just because Windhorse framed it
the way that he has fully agree.
Speaker 3: So maybe let's get into where, because if it's not
going to be Golden State, I don't know why, but
I'm really thinking Minnesota might end up with him.
Speaker 1: They were the team. I found it funny when the
initial reporting came out that said they tried to get him,
and I pointed out like the second Apron things, and
then there were some follower up reporting that said they
were trying to figure out a way to duck like
the Second Apron so they could aggregate salaries, Like was
this about Kevin Durant and more about lowering their luxury
tax bill? Is like the point that it kind of reached, right,
But yeah, I mean that would be interesting, but you still,
if you're a Minnisot, you still have a lot of
moving parts to figure out, like what is the primary
outgoing salaries? And I guess it depends on if Julius
Randall picks up his player option, and then if he doesn't,
that almost makes it harder for you because he might
take less, you know, logistically, less moving parts to make
it happen. But then it's oh, like, are we trying
to find someone to take on Rudy Gobert or is
it Jade McDaniels is getting moved In that instance, I
would just be fascinated. What the structure there.
Speaker 3: Looks like, let's see, so DuRane is going to be
at fifty five fifty four point seven next year, how
would Rudy.
Speaker 2: Gobar and Jade McDaniels look. That's sixty.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean again, so they can don't get me wrong,
They can get to the money I think fairly easily.
But as of right now, I guess they're under the
If you think so, they if Julius Randall opts in,
they're still going to be a second Apron team, right
or are they actually going to be out of it? No,
they should still be a second Apron team. Unless I'm
reading this wrong.
Speaker 2: They could be. So Gobert's salary goes down by about.
Speaker 1: Oh, I forgot that. He goes down now yeah.
Speaker 3: Yeah, but that's offset a little bit by McDaniels going up.
I mean, look, if you if you rich yourself, not
rich yourself because he's a good player, it just hasn't
been a good fit. But if you find a taker
for Deevincenzo, which I think you can, like, he's still good.
Speaker 2: I don't think teams.
Speaker 3: Around the league are like, oh, you played bad in Minnesota,
Well fuck you.
Speaker 2: I don't think that's gonna be a thing.
Speaker 1: And he was starting to kind of come on too
before his injury.
Speaker 3: Yeah, he was, so I think there could definitely be
a taker for him, and especially teams that would take
him into cap space easily. I mean or the the
MLE for example, which is now a thing you can do,
so that.
Speaker 1: Probably glow the mL. I totally forgot about that as well.
Speaker 2: He's so cheap. He's so cheap.
Speaker 1: So yeah, I guess my read on it actually is
Minnesota will have no problem aggregating contracts this summer, even
with Julius Randall opting in.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean.
Speaker 3: The driving The driving force here obviously is Anthony Edwards
because KD is his favorite player. I imagine he would
love that chance. We all know that KD is like
very you know, flattered of the continuous praise he gets
from the young kids. So I don't know, something just
seems like that to me could be in the cards.
Speaker 1: I yeah, I mean, and I guess Phoenix won't have
a ton of lever because Minnesota has no picks to offer, right,
And so I guess you're just getting there with two
of like the more like nas reed if he opts in.
But if he ops out, that could complicate things a
little bit. I'd be curious what the package would end
up looking like, because if I'm Phoenix, I'm not taking
back like Julius Randall and Filler to make this happen.
Speaker 3: Dude, take back Gobert because you're so drastically in need
of a center.
Speaker 1: Oh how long is that Gobert extension for Again, He's
on the books for another three years?
Speaker 3: Right, So yeah, so this summer he's got three years left.
We're actually too guaranteed. Then he's got a player option
in year three for thirty eight million.
Speaker 2: But I'm guessing he's gonna pick that up. So three years, yes,
I mean.
Speaker 1: So it'd be go Bear and then what like then
de Vincenzo.
Speaker 3: And Stevencenzo or if you want to, like, because it's
Kevin Durant you're getting after all, you might have to
relinquish Dad McDaniels instead and then expand the package from
Phoenix's point of view.
Speaker 2: So you're kidding, I.
Speaker 1: Mean Phoenix and Jane McDaniels is involved, Like I pretty much,
I'm really looking at it. And if you're in Minnesota,
what there I'm assuming there's gonna be third and fourth
teams here because even if Minnesota can take back more
money than it's sending out, you don't invest all this
money in Kevin Duran. And if you ever was just
to be hard tapped below the.
Speaker 2: First day, right, that's and that's fair. That's a fair point.
Speaker 3: And also that like this team would have to like
pivot from being a defensive oriented team into like fully
offens because it's gonna be nas reed Kevin Duran and
Anthony Edwards like and then Rob Dealingham. I guess that's
gonna be all offense. That's not gonna be a lot
of defense.
Speaker 1: You're just giving you can maybe resigned to Alexander Walker
would help them, sure, yeah, I mean the whole jewel, Like,
but then Julius Randall's still there in the package that
we just.
Speaker 2: So that's it's gonna be nass reed, Julius Randall, Kevin Durant,
Anthony Edwards and Roth that's gonna be all offense.
Speaker 1: Maybe it would be way more of a no brainer
if they're like even if it costs you Dillingham. Yeah,
if it's like Dillingham and Randall and Devincenzone, like you're
doing whatever you have to make them, Like, I'm probably
more on board with that. Uh, that'd be I mean,
we know Anthy Edwards like looks up to Kevin Durant's
like that would be a nice little win there and
he would be a good fit. I'm just curious, like,
do you think there'd be a better offer for Durant
because Minnesota feels like if they put j mcdonnel's on
the table, Okay, it's different, but if Kevin Durant wants
to go there, then it becomes way more power like
not even palatable, but like Phoenix is forced to work
with that. Would you We've talked about this. I don't
think we need to spend a some time on it,
but like, do you think Houston would be involved in
a camera Restpeep six or are they kind of waiting
for the Devin Bookers Reepstakes.
Speaker 3: Yeah, we've been talking about this, Like the Devin Poker
part makes way more sense. I don't think they want
to go that old because that means just shortening their
window dramatically, like dramatically, So it has to be a
team that's already there where the primary cores is probably
a little bit older. You know, it seemed like Sacramento
would be super fun. I just don't think they can
get there in the asset department, but I wouldn't hate that,
like if they're still trying to win at the very least,
there's something fun about the prospect of Durant going there,
especially if you get Damar out of there. Like, I
absolutely think it's the bonus. Durant Lavine trio would be
like top League pass type of shit.
Speaker 1: Can they get to the money without including Zach Lavine
at that point that you have a funk I guess
can be thrown in there.
Speaker 3: Yeah, let's see, because that's a really good point. De
rosen is at twenty four point seven, Monk is at
eighteen point seven.
Speaker 1: You're at forty. You're almost there. But you need another
one million if.
Speaker 2: You want to. Salentunis would make it. That would work and.
Speaker 1: That, but then you just have no pro maker. You
have give the bonus and Levine and Durant who are
all like, it's almost a really good point maker, but
he's not, you know.
Speaker 3: Right, don't have anyone like you still have Kean Ellis
because he's on a on a team option by it
gets it gets rough from there.
Speaker 1: Yeah, And I also like, at that point, if you're Sacramento,
is that a team and you think Durant signs an
extension with.
Speaker 2: At that age? Do we care?
Speaker 1: Also fair?
Speaker 3: I mean, I get it though he'd be he'd be
an understated free agent twenty twenty six.
Speaker 1: So I want to hear you what would it look like?
Would san Antonio consider it?
Speaker 3: I think the Spurs would be like if if for
the right package, yeah, probably probably, But they there we
saw that with the darn Fox trade. They were not
fucking around. They were like, we're not going to relinquish
the podcast, We're not going to relinquish the Hawks picks.
Like I don't even know what the what the like
the actual trade.
Speaker 1: Is like it would have to be I think almost
Cell has to be included in that deal, because yeah, yeah,
and then like you're not gonna trade Fox, I would assume.
Speaker 3: It'll have to be the cell killed in Johnson and Harrison, Barnes,
all three of them essentially.
Speaker 1: I'm like, I'm Devin of a cell pilled, so I'd
probably say no, but like that they might consider it
to be fair.
Speaker 2: I love the Cell.
Speaker 3: He's struggled a lot this year, which is unfortunate, But.
Speaker 1: It just be having like two Devin Bookers on the Suns.
That'd be really fun. By the way. That's the other
thing is like Durant will have a saying where he goes.
But I'll be very if Phoenix has options to choose.
And let's say, you know, I think like if you're
taking a Spurs patils included, if you're taking like a
Timberwolf's package, it's very incoming players focused. If you're taking
a package from like the Kings, or even if the
Rockets get involved, they're probably trying to figure out how
it's more picks based, and even the Spurs might But
like I said, Vesselle would be included in that. They
might be the team that could offer a balance.
Speaker 3: Yeah, you can get both if you if you ship
out Visselle, Kelton Johnson and Harrison Barnes for a salary
matching purposes, that doesn't, you know, preclude you from adding picks.
Speaker 2: You can still do that.
Speaker 1: Maybe it should.
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's fair. I'm just saying, like technically they could, right,
But is that also is it cheating to have Kevin
Durand and Victor woman Yama on the same team? Is
that like, is that cheating? Is that allowed with CPA regulations?
Speaker 1: Probably not, that's gonna be or you'll be even more hysterical.
Maybe there's more teams all that. The Spurs end up
turning around and trading Daron Fox as part of any
Kevin Durant deal because they decide like, rather than giving
up picks or something, they're like bringing in another party
like taking on Daron Fox or maybe Phoenix wants to
dearon Fox at that point. I don't know, but that
would be that would be really funny too.
Speaker 3: There are so many possibilities there, But like, could you
imagine just the evolution of Wempy to have just one
year playing next to the guy that he's sort of
tailoring himself up as offensively speaking, Yeah, dude, dude.
Speaker 1: Do you think Miami would get involved here at all?
Speaker 2: Yes, yeah, I mean they would try to. I don't
know if they have the assets, but the Heat, like I.
Speaker 3: Think the Heat are looking to rebuild, but like if
they hear Kevin Durant, They're probably gonna pivot off those
those plans pretty quickly.
Speaker 1: There was actually there was a fascinating question in our discord,
and it was I think it was proposed through basically
the lens of this team is going to have to
cause eventually, and this kind of shortens it. But if
the Celtics don't win the title this year and the
Sun's call, and it's just there's gonna have to be
other moving parts. But it's Durant for Jalen Brown.
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, I mean yes, yes, yes, or who before Boston?
I love Jalen Brown, but like, yes, I'm absolutely doing that.
Speaker 1: So Jalen Brown is what is he on the books
for next season?
Speaker 3: I'm trying to look at fifty three million, fifty three
point one and Kd's had fifty four point seven.
Speaker 1: So so Boston can't even do it because they're they
would have to duck the second apron as part of it.
And then you get into okay, you have to get
rid of I guess like Drew Holliday or Derek White
or Christops porzingis somehow to lower your Sam House.
Speaker 3: Or Sam House was the big one because his salary
increases from you know, the Mint deal this year to
ten million next year.
Speaker 2: So that's a substantial leap as well.
Speaker 1: And how far I mean they're second. They're twenty two
million dollars over twenty two million dollars into the second
apron last year. So that's not Sam Houser cutting it.
It's it's more like saying guests would need to be
like the balance being sent out.
Speaker 3: But it's a fun idea though, Like the Celtics would
be fun. Like rand if memory served by twenty sixteen
was pretty close signing with them.
Speaker 1: They're on his list anyway of teams that he met with. Yeah, yeah,
I don't know, Like I'm sure there are other teams
I would love to get involved.
Speaker 3: I have a fun one for you though, but like
I don't know how to make the money work because
that's gonna be tricky.
Speaker 2: But like the Calves, and.
Speaker 1: That's like even Jared Allen and DeAndre Hunter and then
another salary. I guess at that point.
Speaker 2: Giving up Mobley quickly, like I don't.
Speaker 1: No, I'm not. You're not giving up Mobile for that?
Speaker 2: No.
Speaker 3: See, that's and that's the thing, Like I'm not saying
I necessarily would, but I'm also not saying it wouldn't
be intriguing because like a lineup of Garland, Mitchell, Hunter,
KD and Jared Allen, are we sure that team.
Speaker 2: Couldn't win a championship in twenty twenty six?
Speaker 1: They would be contenders? But that would be a really
big to give up Mobley.
Speaker 3: Is it's basically a Luca like unless it reaches Luca
for a d type of trade.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I wouldn't. If I'm Cleveland, I wouldn't touch it.
Speaker 2: That's fair. That's fair.
Speaker 1: What about about the Knicks?
Speaker 2: I mean yeah, but but who let me.
Speaker 1: Let me they got the call anthy Town's money, or
you could do something like Michael Bridges plus X.
Speaker 2: I'm not surprised to bring up Bridges.
Speaker 3: Yes, if mkal Bridge is going back to Phoenix, just
like Get Back.
Speaker 1: Vibe, that keep maybe that keeps Devin Booker in Phoenix too.
Speaker 2: Right, Yeah, his buddy bit coming back?
Speaker 3: Uh No, that would be interesting, again, for a lot
of teams, I would do this that that's a good
shout of a team that's you know, in a win
now scenario where they could move off some contracts. Uh,
would it be Oceananobi instead?
Speaker 2: Perhaps? Not sure?
Speaker 1: Honestly, I don't think the Knicks. If you're I think
a British around and nob given what your defense is already,
and then Mitchell Robinson might be. But if, like if
Towns isn't going out, then Mitchell Robinson probably is. I
don't think that. I don't know what the resulting product
ends up being that would be. That'd be like a
weird pivot by them.
Speaker 3: I think, yeah, the Pacers, but like, are they giving
up Sia come here?
Speaker 1: Plus be a very Unpacers like move.
Speaker 3: It would That's why I'm you know, because this league
has a tendency to just what about Toronto?
Speaker 1: They got that brandon Ingram salary now floating on that book.
Speaker 2: So that'd actually be fun. That would actually be fun.
That would make way more sense, like himself.
Speaker 1: With Brandon Ingram and Yaka Pearl that they make more
than Kevin Durant next year, right because branding is almost
have forty, So you would almost need to not use
yaka pearls money. You have to maybe find someone cheaper
if you're just trying to do it straight up.
Speaker 3: So what you're saying is a you know, assigned and
traded Increase Bouchet.
Speaker 1: Absolutely not, he's untouchable.
Speaker 2: I had a feeling.
Speaker 3: I had a feeling, Uh that could work.
Speaker 1: Memphis wouldn't do it right, Like they're just so cost
conscious they're not gonna and they would have to send
out like they were trading Desmond Bane. It would probably
take like ninety contracts because all their contracts are middle
wrong or lower.
Speaker 3: But they wanted him, that was reported, So like, I
don't think we should rule out Memphis.
Speaker 2: Memphis would absolutely be in it.
Speaker 1: The money on that would be, would you trade Desmond
Bane for Kevin Durant?
Speaker 3: Like, are we assuming that the season Desmond Bane is
having right now is going to be the new norm?
Because if so, yeah, that's not been a you know,
that's not been a regular Desmond Bain season.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, he wouldn't. You would have to move
him because I'm just looking at like all the money,
you're not gonna move Jaron Jackson Junior at this point,
and he's probably gonna extend so brand or Desmond Bane
is like the primary money going out.
Speaker 3: Are we okay, I'm just gonna say it. Are we
sure that ja Moran is completely off limits for the
Memphis Grizzlies nowadays?
Speaker 1: Did we didn't? Was it? Did Climbing come out and
say that he was after the exact speculated and how
I think?
Speaker 3: Which is which is what a good GM should do
instead of shipping him off to the Lakers.
Speaker 1: Well, I think that you could also just say nothing
so that people don't go cite that interview. If you
then do trade true.
Speaker 2: True, what do we do?
Speaker 3: We do we think that Jaw has the same connection
with the Memphis fan base as Luca does with with Dallas.
Speaker 2: For example, like I.
Speaker 1: Would say, I would say, do I think Memphis, Well,
the Mavericks fans would have been outraged if you traded
Luca for Durant. I think Memphis fans would be pretty bummed.
If I think Jaron Jackson Junior is a like kind
of tracking towards maybe the most important player in that building,
but Jaws like electric and Grizzlies fans do and should
love him, that would be one where they react. I
would be fascinated by the reaction.
Speaker 3: Me too, and the return frankly, because I just don't
know that. For me, it's just one thing is off
the court stuff that's not that doesn't really like it's
part of it.
Speaker 1: Unless yeah, they're being effectively buried. Again, we haven't heard
anything like, correct.
Speaker 3: But the second thing is the injuries. Like I think
we've reached that point where we can no longer ignore
the fact that he's never cracked seventy games played in
the season, like he's cracked sixty five once.
Speaker 2: That's where we are.
Speaker 1: How about the pandemic shortened seasons factor into that at all?
Speaker 3: Yeah, they probably do, But like you lately, you know,
we can't like the twenty twenty two twenty twenty three
season when it was sixty one games and that was
that the suspension year.
Speaker 1: No, because he was suspended for twenty five that year.
That was last year. Was the suspension year. We played
in nine games.
Speaker 2: That was last year. Okay, So I mean.
Speaker 1: He played in oh because I was a seventy So
the seventy two seasons were nineteen oh, yeah, you're right.
It was funny. Those were the seasons where he actually
he missed single digit games his first three years in
the league, because he missed five in twenty and then
he missed nine in twenty twenty one. So yeah, it's
been the absences of kind of been like racked up
in the intervening years.
Speaker 3: We're looking at a player who is six years since
his career and has yet to crack three hundred played games.
Speaker 1: Is that? But like you're so you're talking about if
let's just say they flame out in the playoffs or something,
you're looking at trading. I don't know.
Speaker 2: No, I'm not.
Speaker 3: I'm not I'm looking at like aggressively shopping John Moraine.
What I'm saying is I'm not a post taking calls.
Speaker 1: I guess there. I think it the Luca trade proves anything,
is that there's probably two on charge. I would have
argued there's maybe five, and that Luca was one of them.
So what do I know. I think the issue with
John Morant, though, is that if you when you put
Luca on the open market, you were able to get
one of the fifteen best players in the NBA in return,
in addition to other stuff that's not gonna happen with
John Morant, you would definitely be taking You're either doing
one of two things. You're trading John Morant and it's
a package that's built around prospects and picks and maybe
some inferior like role players or fringe stars. Or you're
attaching stuff to John Morant to try and upgrade from Giant.
It'd be like the Lakers side of the end of
the Luka Dants trade almost so, and I don't know
what I'm not doing that for Kevin Durant.
Speaker 2: I can tell you that, Yeah, that's fair.
Speaker 1: Would you, like, what is the player that would have
to be come available for you to as Memphis to
even think about that, Like, the list has to be pretty.
Speaker 3: Low, so so small because if you're trying to upgrade
at a specific sc.
Speaker 1: So you call the Lakers and see, like what's going
on with Luca?
Speaker 2: Like about to say Luca is the one name, right,
Like Luca is the one name that makes sense.
Speaker 1: If you really wanted to go that route and thought like, okay,
we could approximate primary. That's the other thing though, is
like not that this Luca wasn't this to the MAVs,
but like Desmond Bain's gotten better as a playmaker, Jared
Jackson Junior as a self starter, they have some reserve
ballhanders like John Moran is the driving like as the
ballhandler is the driving force of that offense. And even
if you go from John Moran to Giannis as an example,
who's your primary playmaker? Then it creates like some oddities.
Speaker 3: Right, So here's the last one. It's not gonna be
serialized whatsoever. I just wanted to bring it up, like
if Embiid wasn't a complete unknown at this point, like
at least there would be something interesting about a potential.
Speaker 2: You know, KD Embiid swap.
Speaker 3: Like obviously, I'm just realizing right now Phoenix can't do
it because it'll be discerning more money. But like the
whole Center situation, there, at least there would be some
sort of a comedy involved here that that it's a
bead because it solves the Center thing at least when
he's healthy, like beel Booker Embiid, I sort of see
like the slither of a vision there, but like who's
healthy on that team? I don't know, and I don't
think he has that trade value whatsoever.
Speaker 1: No, that's what makes the MBAT situation so tough and
a bummer for the obviously who's the what because I
think we've gone through all like the obvious, with the
exception of your naming name checking Sacramento. What's the like
left team that comes out of left field that you
could see Helikins would Scion? Oh, okay, Toronto would kind of.
I don't know if they would count left field anymore.
Like that's right up, Messi's alley.
Speaker 2: Right, yeah, yeah, brought them up. They could be a
fun team.
Speaker 1: What about based off how a lot of this season
has gone. They have some contracts that can make it work,
and they would be a team that you have like
some young players, some picks Portland. If you get off
the Jeremy Grant deal or the the eight in contract,
that'd be even funnier or both, like you want but like.
Speaker 2: To one end, what does his team do?
Speaker 1: Kevin Durant plus Scoot plus Donovan cling In plus Tamani Kamar,
Like that's that's what we're penciling in, Like because you
can't say Denny Abio is untouchable in that. You maybe
Sharp's untouchable in that.
Speaker 3: But like, but remember the first quote from Kadi, I
want to end my career on my own terms.
Speaker 1: Oh what could be more of your own terms than
co signing the move to Portland. That could have been
once upon a time.
Speaker 3: I mean, be sure, I'm not seeing it, but that's
fair important. See that was the team on left field.
I can't even wrap my head around how that would work.
Speaker 1: I can't like maybe Atlanta, like would they just be
they have some concience like all right, we're gonna move
over with KD, Trey Young and Jalen Johnson.
Speaker 3: Oh there again Atlanta, Atlanta could be Yeah, Jen, do
you give up Jalen Johnson?
Speaker 1: Though I'm actually looking at the money right now because
Capella's coming off the books. They have some like who
are there? And DeAndre Hunter's salary's gone, karais la Vertz
coming off the books. So yeah, the money. If you're
not gonna trade Trey, your second highest paid player on
the books for next season is Terrence Mann at fifteen
and a half, well, aside from Johnson. Yeah, I mean
you could get there without it, just because they're gonna
have flexibility underneath the luxury tax. So it would be
like a Kung Wu would you rather give up? It
would have to be would you rather give up Jalen Johnson?
Or I think I'd rather give up. All right, let's
step ladder with a kung Wu and Terrence Man and
other stuff. Are you giving up? Resa Shay? His money
can end up being important just because he's on the books,
like ten millions.
Speaker 2: I am.
Speaker 3: I likehip, however, that's just that's.
Speaker 1: So it would be recis ship. Let's say if it
was man Rea sche in a kung Wu in Durant.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I do that if I'm in Atlanta, because I
know that the Spurs still have my picks and swap
options and whatnot. So yeah, I'm saying screw it, I'm
you got that.
Speaker 1: You got to get a big man in there, that's
for sure ually time Papella At that point, what about
what about Denver?
Speaker 3: If the MPJ and Aaron Gordon is out going, that's
sixty over sixty million over sixty one million out going,
So like it would have to be one of those
situations where.
Speaker 1: Third and fourth teams are involved.
Speaker 2: Yeah, going to be in the second.
Speaker 1: Yeah, well okay, Zeke Nagy's probably got some trade value
right now, right.
Speaker 2: You better hope. So if you're Denver, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1: I don't. Would you give just as an exercise, are
you giving up MPJ and Aaron Gordon for Kevin Durant.
I don't think I could do it if I'm Denver.
Speaker 3: It's it's not going to be like an easy yes
for me at all. But like the upside of like
a Murray kd Jokic Priebury trio, that is very, very
intriguing to me. Also because I do think that Christian Brown,
Christian Brown is good. I really like watching him play
this year. I think he's smart.
Speaker 2: Julius saw thing is gonna come on.
Speaker 1: Yeah, you could build a package just around MPJ because
he's a thirty eight million You could. That's something you consider.
But here's the I think probably more interesting one for
well maybe not for Phoenix, Like would you give up
Jamal Murray for Kevin Durant?
Speaker 2: So Jamal is starting to show his worth again.
Speaker 1: I don't even know if he's starting. It's been like
what two and a half months.
Speaker 2: Well, I think he's.
Speaker 3: I think he's I think he's leveled up a little
bit more over the past couple of weeks.
Speaker 2: I think we've seen like more stability from him.
Speaker 1: But you have to weigh that against four years and
two hundred and eight million dollars.
Speaker 3: Or whatever it is, and that's where I'm I'm worried.
Speaker 1: Right, So are we predicting his demise within the next
basketball demise within five years more that we're doing.
Speaker 2: I'm not predicting his demise.
Speaker 3: I am predicting that there is a risk of a demise,
and that risk alone is concerning. But like, this is
where it gets messed up, right, because the Durant thing.
You keep having it in the back of your mind
that he's thirty six, right, Like you know that you're
not gonna get a long runway here. It's you've got
to take off immediately.
Speaker 1: Do you think the kron Keys that would be part
of the appeal for them though the money they're gonna
have to let's just say objectively, Jamal Murray over the
next four years is going to cost you more than
Kevin Durant and doesn't make it easier, like viewed through
that prism of well we gotta pay Brown, maybe Watson.
I mean this is assuming like what else needs to
be thrown into any Jamal Murray plus salary, But like
Jamal Murray is ignology to get you very close to
get Kevin Durant. Like money wise, I think so if
like that's the cost. I think you probably have to
have a conversation about it. But but I do think
the synergy between Murray and Jokic specifically, like Durant is
not gonna be playing off Yokich the way that Murray
plays off Jokic. You could say that Christian Brown replaces
some of that you know who also replaces some of
that Russell Westbrook. But I don't know if Durant and
Westbrook want to play together again, that'd be might be
another part of this.
Speaker 3: No, But see, the thing is Russ is only on
the hook if he picks up his player option by
the way, at three and a half, give those things
out like candy, Yeah, right exactly, So that's not a problem. Uh,
Like you they can trade him, or if he knows
that KD is coming, you know, he might get a
little word in advance that those things are happening, so
he can decline that option whatever. Uh. But but like
that's a good that's a good. Like mindset that we
have to consider ownership angles in this because if this
could end up just saving them a ton of money, yeah,
that should absolutely be in play.
Speaker 1: I just don't do you think, man, I don't. Would
you rather have Jokic, Durant and and Aaron Gordon or
Yo Kicic, Durant, Gordon, Jamal Murray As you're four basically
summing out Murray and MPG.
Speaker 3: And yeah, okay, yeah no no, then then I'd rather
have you know, Jo Kich, Murray, kd Gordon.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think I'm with you because Durant doesn't have
the I don't know, man, No, I'm like, I'm overthinking.
So I'm just I don't know the way Michael Porter
Junior has been playing when he gets going downhill, but
his replacing his three point volume would be Durant's a
very talented shooter, but we've just never seen him prop
up the type of three point volume that you necessarily
want him to have it. But Murray could replace some
of that too, So.
Speaker 3: You kd ever played with a guy who's asked good
a playmakers.
Speaker 1: I mean, Jokic is, like, what, one of the five
best passers in NBA history, So what kind of a
question is that?
Speaker 2: Right? Exactly? So I'm saying, maybe there are a lot
more open threes in the future.
Speaker 1: There not only might play offense necessarily, there might be
a lot of more like duck into the rim for him,
I mean.
Speaker 2: KD is KD.
Speaker 3: He's going to dictate some terms as well. I think
for him, like like, I agree with you that he's
been overall a reluctant three point shooter, but he's never
a guy to turn him down though, Like, that's that's
the one thing I will give him when he's open.
Speaker 2: He's taking that bad.
Speaker 1: Boy, I think, Yeah, I don't. I do wonder if
you gave the Nuggets front office truths erm if they
would prefer to give up Murray or Porter Junior, if
it was a Kevin Muran trade.
Speaker 2: It'd be interesting.
Speaker 3: And I'm also just curious between the Yo Kic KD fit.
Speaker 2: There's something intriguing about that.
Speaker 1: I mean, there's the Yo kicch plus whoever fit is
super increasing.
Speaker 3: You can say that about you're actually but you're right
about something though, because I just looked up Kat's career
high in three point field goal attempts in a game.
It's it's fifteen. Like we have guys who are averaging
like thirteen.
Speaker 1: Yeah, they're ruined in the game though Kat's trying to
save it.
Speaker 2: That's k.
Speaker 1: I want him to just be like it'd be really
funny if he was just like wanted to, like I
want to go to Detroit, Like, let me play next
to Asar Thompson, Let's go do this.
Speaker 2: Yeah yeah, Or.
Speaker 3: I'm gonna be the I'm gonna be the guy who
steps out of Michael Jordan's shadow in Chicago.
Speaker 1: Oh god, he will ruin his legacy if he actively
chooses to go.
Speaker 2: Oh oh absolutely.
Speaker 1: You know team we haven't mentioned, and they come up
in every single trade discussion for a superstar. The Lakers
still have their twenty thirty one first round pick. If
he wants to go to the Lakers and play with
Luca and Lebron, I think it takes like they could
basically like everybody and they would have Apron concerns, so
you would have to send out specific salaries, but they
could make them. If he says I want to go
to the Lakers, that'd be really funny. I don't think.
I don't know what that team would be because you're
not like you're exacerbating a lot of your you know,
you have to send Vando out in that you're losing
a big yeah time bigs off the scrap heap. Then
I guess, but they could still, in fury send out
a swap a pick and money to make it work.
And like Austin Reeves has real value at this point, I'm.
Speaker 2: Sure he does. He does.
Speaker 1: We're near what I would deem the best package. But
if that's the team that KD sort of lasers in on,
I'd be interested.
Speaker 3: And there is speculation that the Lakers might trade Austin
Reeves because he is on that very you know, insanely
good value contract and they could possibly get a ton
for him, which I don't know if I would go
that route if I'm at LA, but like I understand
just trying to figure out what exactly is his trade value.
Speaker 2: Like.
Speaker 1: I don't know, and I wonder is he more or
less valuable to the Lakers with Luca there.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, I think people for a long time
had him pegged as just a shooter, and now, you know,
fortunately people are waking up to the fact that that's
not who he is. It's more of a pick and
roll guy, more of a creator. So yeah, I do
think areas of world where it might prove beneficial for
the Lakers to like just fill out a different hole
on the roster by using that contract.
Speaker 1: Oh, and now I was just gonna go the opposite
way of saying, with Lebron being where he is right now,
you don't need any more primary ball handlers, but soon
you might. You don't have anyone else in the pipeline
aside from Austin Reeves who kind of fits that.
Speaker 2: Bill.
Speaker 3: Oh that's fair. Yeah, that's a different way of looking
at it. I could see that. I mean, we keep
forgetting that Lebron is Ford. How does Lebron feel like
he's younger than Kat? We're sitting there talking about Kat
at thirty six, like, oh, the end is sneer, and
then we were just kind of like, oh, yeah, he
can go play with Lebron, who's forty, and we don't
even mention that age.
Speaker 1: That's Lebron is just I mean, Kevin Durant's the longevity
of the get like the like the impact of Kevin Durant, Lebron, James,
and I also throw Steph Curry into here. I think
that we do a good job of propping those guys up,
but I still don't think we fully appreciate what's happening
with those three. Look at the level at which they're playing.
Speaker 2: Yep. Hell, I mean Look, I'm a big hard and skeptic.
Speaker 3: I'll even throw him in there, like he's still like, yeah,
he his age just showing a little bit more this
year in particular, especially just in terms of like gaining
separation from defenders and whatnot. But like he's still a
very productive player. And he's also thirty five.
Speaker 1: Like he also liked the party in his twenties and
in his thirties and in his mid thirties too.
Speaker 2: It's a and who does have a bit of a
midsection occasionally.
Speaker 1: But his there was I guess a point in when
he was trying to get out of Houston on purpose.
He was never someone that wasn't considered a worker though
right it was always his He didn't recognize when his
body could no longer handle the late nights. So it
feels like the criticism from Luca is a little bit different.
But he is kind of proof that you could work
hard and then party harder, I guess or something. I
don't know, however you want to phrase it.
Speaker 3: Look, also, can we just acknowledge that the Luca experience
of him partying hard after working hard, that's like something
we can all identify with a lot. He's seriously, Like
I don't identify with Lebron because he's he's putting up
a million and a half bucks per year to like
preserve his body. He's waking up at four in the
morning to go work out, Like, dude, I can't relate
to that.
Speaker 2: I can relate to Luca.
Speaker 1: Right, And it's I mean, Lebron is Also there's just
players who are different. We're like one. Social media was
not like as prevalent when Lebron was Luca's agent, so
we don't know what Lebron's diet and off court habits
were as well as we might know Luca's at this point,
and it just felt like players were still just like
Michael Jordan was covered differently than Lebron was covered, like
when you're skipping those generations, and so there's also just
you're always gonna have the sickos in the sense of Okay,
Lebron came in as a teenager and maybe he just
got it when it came to body maintenance and whatever
I mean, Like, but also he's gifted genetically too, like
he might not. Luca may need to be more cognizant
of his sort of physiology than Lebron. Ever, need. That's
not saying Lebron. Lebron's one of the hardest workers in
NBA history. I'm sure I'm not trying to poo poo
Lebron's work ethic. I just you don't want to draw
those comps to it. But I do wonder, like I
think you could say this about any past errors, like
even more Lebron's what you considered a contemporary star. But
I do think the way that the league was covered
and that players were put under a microscope like it was,
it was different when he was twenty five versus when
he's forty at Lucas twenty five.
Speaker 3: All right, so thank you to everyone listening in. And remember,
if you want to save big on meal boxes from HelloFresh,
you can go to HelloFresh dot com slash busslebeater and
use my promo code buss rebater in one word, and
that will get you a ton of percent just off
your first purchase. Thank you once again to Dance the
Valley for joining this supposedly twenty minute podcast. Thank you
for everyone listening in until we speak aga and have
a good one everyone,