1
00:00:17,399 --> 00:00:19,960
Speaker 1: Hi, Welcome to the NBA podcast. This is part two

2
00:00:20,079 --> 00:00:23,239
of my conversation with Keith Smith. We were discussing the

3
00:00:23,239 --> 00:00:25,679
New York Knicks winning the championship and the hiring of

4
00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:28,839
Chicago Splitter by the Chicago Bulls in the last podcast. Today,

5
00:00:29,320 --> 00:00:32,479
because it is Keith Smith who is a cap space

6
00:00:32,560 --> 00:00:37,960
officionado and expert, obviously we're going to go into the

7
00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:42,159
twenty twenty six free agency field. Keith, First and foremost,

8
00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:43,000
how are you doing, sir?

9
00:00:43,719 --> 00:00:46,200
Speaker 2: I'm doing good. I'm excited. This is a this is

10
00:00:46,240 --> 00:00:48,280
it man, This is my time to shine at least

11
00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:49,399
right so.

12
00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:55,560
Speaker 1: High expectations. So first and foremost, I want to get

13
00:00:55,560 --> 00:00:57,439
into just the players. We can see her and talk

14
00:00:57,479 --> 00:00:59,399
all day long about teams having cap space, but you

15
00:00:59,439 --> 00:01:02,240
and I Dan Well know often more often than not,

16
00:01:02,679 --> 00:01:04,719
teams that are projected to be under the cap they

17
00:01:04,760 --> 00:01:08,040
will act as being over the cab to make a

18
00:01:08,079 --> 00:01:11,439
lot of decisions. So cap space in many ways isn't

19
00:01:11,519 --> 00:01:15,079
necessarily I put this in quotation marks real uh. There

20
00:01:15,079 --> 00:01:18,280
are so many different ways you can spin it. And also,

21
00:01:18,319 --> 00:01:20,400
even if you have cap space, you don't necessarily have

22
00:01:20,480 --> 00:01:22,959
to sign someone. You can just trade guys into that

23
00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:26,000
cap space. So like, there are different a million different

24
00:01:26,040 --> 00:01:27,920
ways to apply this, but I want to get into

25
00:01:27,959 --> 00:01:31,400
the players here, and first and foremost, let's let's just

26
00:01:31,480 --> 00:01:35,079
start with the biggest name, Lebron James. Is he going

27
00:01:35,120 --> 00:01:37,920
to be returning to the Los Angeles Lakers? And like,

28
00:01:37,959 --> 00:01:40,680
in lieu of that that, let's just kind of loop

29
00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:43,959
in Austin Reeves because they have two of the best

30
00:01:44,519 --> 00:01:48,000
free agents on the market, Like the Lakers are in

31
00:01:48,040 --> 00:01:51,280
a weird potential summer here, Like what is your read

32
00:01:51,359 --> 00:01:52,280
on the Lakers so far?

33
00:01:53,120 --> 00:01:55,200
Speaker 2: Yeah, for sure, And if you yeah, if you just

34
00:01:55,239 --> 00:01:59,640
started ranking free agents, those two guys are probably gonna

35
00:01:59,640 --> 00:02:02,000
be somewhere in the top five. I would imagine. It's

36
00:02:02,319 --> 00:02:04,079
you know, as I tell people all the time, even

37
00:02:04,159 --> 00:02:07,920
this version of Lebron is still better than ninety percent

38
00:02:07,959 --> 00:02:10,719
of the NBA, like, which it doesn't make sense, Like

39
00:02:10,960 --> 00:02:13,719
I'm done trying to even rationalize it. It is what

40
00:02:13,759 --> 00:02:16,719
it is. We all talk about Webbin Yama being an alien,

41
00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:20,520
it's Lebron. Who's the real alien cyborg that was delivered here?

42
00:02:20,560 --> 00:02:23,560
Like I you know, like I like, let's forget all

43
00:02:23,599 --> 00:02:28,599
the rest of it, but yeah, I Lebron, I you know,

44
00:02:28,759 --> 00:02:31,879
if we were having this conversation a month ago, probably

45
00:02:31,879 --> 00:02:36,120
would have said he's gone, Like he's it's all the

46
00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:38,680
stuff from earlier in the year and all the things

47
00:02:38,680 --> 00:02:40,840
that kind of came out and all the things that

48
00:02:40,879 --> 00:02:43,520
have happened throughout the course of the season. It's about

49
00:02:43,599 --> 00:02:47,360
like it's just leading to Lebron's going somewhere else. But

50
00:02:47,479 --> 00:02:50,280
now as we get closer to it and I look

51
00:02:50,319 --> 00:02:52,400
at it, it's like, it's gonna be really hard for

52
00:02:52,439 --> 00:02:54,599
him to go to the Calves, and it's gonna be

53
00:02:54,599 --> 00:02:56,879
really hard for him to go to the Warriors. None

54
00:02:56,879 --> 00:02:58,199
of those teams are gonna be able to give him

55
00:02:58,199 --> 00:03:01,240
a lot of money. Like it just feels like what

56
00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:04,199
we may be here for is I run it back

57
00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:07,000
for another year with Lebron and maybe it's another one

58
00:03:07,039 --> 00:03:10,240
of those like one or two year type of contracts,

59
00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:12,560
and that's that's where we're at with it, and and

60
00:03:12,639 --> 00:03:17,039
we go and then you know, with Austin Reeves, I

61
00:03:17,080 --> 00:03:19,240
think the Lakers have clearly made it a priority that

62
00:03:19,240 --> 00:03:21,439
they're gonna do everything they can to keep him. I

63
00:03:21,479 --> 00:03:24,919
think the big question there becomes what does the number

64
00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:28,639
land at? If the number lands north of forty million,

65
00:03:28,680 --> 00:03:31,000
which can only go a little bit over because he's

66
00:03:31,039 --> 00:03:32,759
only eligible for twenty five percent of.

67
00:03:32,759 --> 00:03:33,560
Speaker 1: The cap max.

68
00:03:34,039 --> 00:03:36,159
Speaker 2: But if it comes a little over forty million, or

69
00:03:36,199 --> 00:03:40,520
even to a full max, I think the Lakers might

70
00:03:40,560 --> 00:03:43,039
have a little bit of pause there and just saying

71
00:03:43,439 --> 00:03:46,280
I don't know, like that's a lot. If it's thirty

72
00:03:46,280 --> 00:03:49,479
five to thirty seven million, I realize that's almost the max.

73
00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:52,360
But if it was just that much less, I think

74
00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:55,719
they're like done, signed, get them, get them in, and

75
00:03:55,759 --> 00:03:58,960
we'll just go forward. So I've now kind of changed

76
00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:02,479
my tune a little where I think it's Lebron's much

77
00:04:02,520 --> 00:04:04,919
more fifty to fifty where I was probably like seventy

78
00:04:04,960 --> 00:04:07,960
five twenty five leaves, and then I think Reeves is there.

79
00:04:08,439 --> 00:04:11,000
And now I've changed my tune enough on Lebron too

80
00:04:11,039 --> 00:04:13,759
that I'm like, I don't know, we're having the conversation

81
00:04:13,919 --> 00:04:17,480
enough about what if Luca and Lebron's stay and Reeves

82
00:04:17,519 --> 00:04:20,079
is the one who goes, Like then, but what do

83
00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:22,519
the Lakers do? Like like like I know, I haven't

84
00:04:22,560 --> 00:04:24,240
really had that conversation.

85
00:04:23,879 --> 00:04:28,360
Speaker 1: Very much, right, It's overall, I think this is such

86
00:04:28,399 --> 00:04:33,120
an interesting the gear for the Lakers because of the

87
00:04:33,160 --> 00:04:36,639
fact that all three of them, Luca, Austin, and Lebron

88
00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:40,600
are you know ball handlers, Like not a lot of them,

89
00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:44,279
are you know, off ball gravity type of guys, So

90
00:04:44,439 --> 00:04:46,000
like there are a lot of mouths to feed, and

91
00:04:46,040 --> 00:04:48,959
I think occasionally there was a certain level of overlap.

92
00:04:50,199 --> 00:04:52,959
And what I'm wondering is whether they are interested in

93
00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:56,959
resigning Reeves with the mindset of flipping him later to

94
00:04:57,040 --> 00:05:01,199
get someone that's more appealing as a long term Luka

95
00:05:01,279 --> 00:05:03,600
Doncic sidekick.

96
00:05:05,920 --> 00:05:11,199
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean that's certainly possible. I think, you know,

97
00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:15,079
the idea of all three of them together, it's been

98
00:05:15,120 --> 00:05:18,480
talked dead nauseum. Yeah, it's hard. You're gonna have enough

99
00:05:18,920 --> 00:05:22,279
shooting in defense around those guys. You still have to

100
00:05:22,279 --> 00:05:24,480
put a center on the floor. It just gets tough.

101
00:05:24,959 --> 00:05:28,160
If it's Luke and Reeves. It's like, can you build

102
00:05:28,199 --> 00:05:31,360
a good, good enough defense. I think you can, Like

103
00:05:31,439 --> 00:05:34,879
we talked in the episode we did earlier, but like

104
00:05:34,920 --> 00:05:37,839
the Knicks made it work with Townsend Brunson, and some

105
00:05:37,959 --> 00:05:41,079
of that was Towns like going to a whole different level.

106
00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:43,639
But you can make it work as long as the

107
00:05:43,639 --> 00:05:46,319
other guys are really good and really committed, you can

108
00:05:46,360 --> 00:05:50,160
make it work. But yeah, it's it's it's getting harder

109
00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:54,040
and harder to find those three and D players, whether

110
00:05:54,079 --> 00:05:56,879
they're wings or guards or even a handful of three

111
00:05:56,920 --> 00:05:59,720
in D bigs we've had over the years, because when

112
00:05:59,720 --> 00:06:01,800
teams get them, they just don't let them go. Yeah,

113
00:06:01,800 --> 00:06:06,560
because it's such a you know, coveted archetype. So I yeah,

114
00:06:06,639 --> 00:06:11,199
it's it's it's certainly an interesting offseason for them, and

115
00:06:11,279 --> 00:06:13,959
it and it does start with those two guys, because

116
00:06:14,480 --> 00:06:17,279
you know, and I just there's part of me that

117
00:06:17,360 --> 00:06:21,439
also says, hey, if we run it back with better health,

118
00:06:21,920 --> 00:06:23,959
we probably want to handful more games and maybe we're

119
00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:27,279
like the three seed in the conference, so the you know,

120
00:06:27,319 --> 00:06:30,800
where we're you know, pushing, maybe if the Spurs are thunder,

121
00:06:30,839 --> 00:06:33,360
don't push quite as hard or have an injury, like,

122
00:06:33,480 --> 00:06:36,360
let's see, you know how we figure that out. So I,

123
00:06:36,439 --> 00:06:38,160
you know, I think there is a war where they

124
00:06:38,199 --> 00:06:41,160
do some version of run it back with more tweaks

125
00:06:41,160 --> 00:06:44,279
around the edges, versus this idea of like, all right,

126
00:06:44,360 --> 00:06:47,120
Lebron's gone, we have almost fifty million in cap space

127
00:06:47,160 --> 00:06:49,759
and where you know, building an entire new team around

128
00:06:49,839 --> 00:06:50,680
Reeves and Doncic.

129
00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:54,000
Speaker 1: Yeah, and there's also the decision of DeAndre Aiden. That's

130
00:06:54,079 --> 00:06:57,839
his decision to make like an eight point one million

131
00:06:57,879 --> 00:07:00,000
player option, which is going to be interesting to see

132
00:07:00,120 --> 00:07:02,040
like what happens there. Like, there are a lot of

133
00:07:02,079 --> 00:07:04,959
components in play for the Lakers, which I think like

134
00:07:05,040 --> 00:07:08,600
flies a little bit under the radar, Like Lebron having

135
00:07:08,639 --> 00:07:10,439
been there for eight years, by the way, I was

136
00:07:10,519 --> 00:07:12,560
kind of surprised when I saw that. It's just like

137
00:07:12,639 --> 00:07:15,959
kind of crazy, right, yeah, like eight years, He's he

138
00:07:16,120 --> 00:07:19,360
has over twelve thousand points for the Lakers, like that,

139
00:07:19,759 --> 00:07:24,040
what like, what are we doing? This is this is wild?

140
00:07:25,199 --> 00:07:29,680
But but yeah, no, so the Lakers are in possibly

141
00:07:29,879 --> 00:07:33,079
the most potentially game changing type of situation because like,

142
00:07:33,199 --> 00:07:36,560
let's assume they actually do lose Reeves and Lebron, maybe

143
00:07:36,600 --> 00:07:39,839
even Aid and two, Like who do they even pivot to,

144
00:07:40,120 --> 00:07:42,319
like if that happens, Like that would be worst case

145
00:07:42,360 --> 00:07:47,639
scenario obviously, but it just feels like the Lakers to me,

146
00:07:47,879 --> 00:07:51,639
like that that's the team to monitor the most in

147
00:07:52,120 --> 00:07:54,000
this free agency period.

148
00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:58,120
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean it's it's hard to pick anybody else, right,

149
00:07:58,199 --> 00:08:03,000
It's it's the it's they are arguably the biggest team

150
00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:06,399
in the sport, and they are in a position where

151
00:08:07,040 --> 00:08:10,800
they have can have a ton of cap space. If

152
00:08:10,879 --> 00:08:14,639
they don't, they've still got super interesting players. They've got

153
00:08:15,480 --> 00:08:19,560
maybe the all time best player. It's it's it's hard

154
00:08:19,560 --> 00:08:21,519
for me to not pick MJ. But that's just the

155
00:08:21,519 --> 00:08:24,279
era I grew up in, right, But it's you know,

156
00:08:24,360 --> 00:08:27,040
one one A there. Then you've got Luca, who on

157
00:08:27,120 --> 00:08:29,439
any given year can be the best player in the league.

158
00:08:30,519 --> 00:08:32,879
So it's yeah, I mean, of course they're they're gonna

159
00:08:32,879 --> 00:08:35,360
be interesting. We take a lot of golf over on

160
00:08:35,399 --> 00:08:37,840
our show NBA for Ant Office show. It's like, you

161
00:08:37,879 --> 00:08:41,240
guys talk too much Lakers. They stop talking so much Lakers,

162
00:08:41,519 --> 00:08:44,840
and the reality is it's like, you're right, because this

163
00:08:44,879 --> 00:08:49,240
isn't just Lakers Nation Part two, which is Trevor's other show.

164
00:08:49,799 --> 00:08:52,679
But the reality is they're just super interesting this summer.

165
00:08:52,720 --> 00:08:54,639
So of course we're gonna spend a lot of time

166
00:08:54,679 --> 00:08:55,519
talking Lakers.

167
00:08:55,799 --> 00:08:59,720
Speaker 1: Yeah. Another team that has my interest a fair bit

168
00:09:00,320 --> 00:09:04,159
after they lost the finals, the San Antonio Spurs, And

169
00:09:04,200 --> 00:09:06,759
not for the reason that everyone assuming all trying to

170
00:09:06,799 --> 00:09:09,000
get back to the finals. No, it's because they're in

171
00:09:09,039 --> 00:09:13,799
a very interesting situation salary cap wise, because they are

172
00:09:14,440 --> 00:09:19,240
obviously going to hand to women Yama Max extensions. He's

173
00:09:19,279 --> 00:09:21,679
going to get that and that is going to trigger

174
00:09:21,720 --> 00:09:24,840
in twenty twenty seven, meaning that the season we're looking

175
00:09:25,120 --> 00:09:27,720
ahead to will be the last year of his rookie

176
00:09:27,720 --> 00:09:31,759
scale contract. And that allows them this year, this off

177
00:09:31,879 --> 00:09:35,159
season to go out and swing big for another piece

178
00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:39,320
if they want to. Now, Daron Fox's extension thirty percent

179
00:09:39,480 --> 00:09:42,519
max kicks in starts at forty nine and a half million.

180
00:09:43,039 --> 00:09:45,519
Now I'm gonna give you free ring, sir, Like, if

181
00:09:45,559 --> 00:09:47,840
you're the Spurs, how do you play this? Do you

182
00:09:47,919 --> 00:09:49,639
try to pivot off Fox and see if you can

183
00:09:49,679 --> 00:09:53,240
pivot or at least squeeze some more funds out of this,

184
00:09:53,919 --> 00:09:56,279
or do you try to make him, you know, a

185
00:09:56,360 --> 00:10:00,679
piece of something bigger in a trade port example, like

186
00:10:00,720 --> 00:10:04,440
how do you use Wemby's last rookie scale year to

187
00:10:04,480 --> 00:10:04,960
get better?

188
00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:08,720
Speaker 2: Yeah, and that's so important because he's gonna be making

189
00:10:09,320 --> 00:10:13,159
forty plus million next year, not next year is And

190
00:10:13,759 --> 00:10:18,360
let me just so anybody knows, when I say next year,

191
00:10:18,679 --> 00:10:21,440
that's twenty seven to twenty eight, I'm already it's twenty six,

192
00:10:21,519 --> 00:10:25,360
twenty seven, in my world and the NBA terms, like

193
00:10:25,440 --> 00:10:27,799
we're that's already the year. We're working with it. Right,

194
00:10:28,039 --> 00:10:30,639
we get about fifteen more days or so to go

195
00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:33,559
of this league year, but I'm already there for this year.

196
00:10:33,679 --> 00:10:36,000
So twenty seven to twenty eight Oneby's gonna be on

197
00:10:36,080 --> 00:10:41,039
forty million dollars plus and that is just assuming basic

198
00:10:41,320 --> 00:10:45,759
cap growth. So you're it's either this year or next

199
00:10:45,840 --> 00:10:49,480
year that you're moving Fox. I think Dylan Harper is

200
00:10:50,000 --> 00:10:52,759
ready to start. Yeah, you know, no problem if they

201
00:10:52,799 --> 00:10:55,279
start next year with him and Castle. I don't think

202
00:10:55,320 --> 00:10:57,399
he can start all three of them. I think that's

203
00:10:57,480 --> 00:11:00,200
just too I think you're too small, they ain't or

204
00:11:00,200 --> 00:11:05,360
too You're shooting is to Wax and Wayne with that group,

205
00:11:05,440 --> 00:11:08,600
like it's gonna come and go because Wemby's not a

206
00:11:08,639 --> 00:11:14,480
consistent shooter, get himself. So when I think about Fox,

207
00:11:15,200 --> 00:11:19,120
I I don't want to overreact to the finals because

208
00:11:19,240 --> 00:11:22,080
very clearly he was hurt. Yeah, and I think it's

209
00:11:22,120 --> 00:11:25,399
gone way too far now that like people are acting

210
00:11:25,440 --> 00:11:27,759
like he stinks and has the worst contract in the NBA.

211
00:11:28,399 --> 00:11:30,759
Like if you were okay with him on the Max

212
00:11:30,799 --> 00:11:35,679
Steel two months ago, nothing should have changed, Like he's still,

213
00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:37,480
you know, a really good player and one of the

214
00:11:37,519 --> 00:11:40,559
better point guards in the league. Like he was an

215
00:11:40,559 --> 00:11:43,200
All Star last year. I know some people feel like

216
00:11:43,240 --> 00:11:46,000
he shouldn't have been, but he was, so I think

217
00:11:46,080 --> 00:11:50,639
for for him it's I don't want to go too crazy,

218
00:11:50,919 --> 00:11:54,200
but on the flip side, like I want Harper to play,

219
00:11:54,360 --> 00:11:58,639
so you gotta, yeah, he just something has to give somewhere,

220
00:11:58,679 --> 00:12:01,559
and for me, if it is right, well by trading

221
00:12:01,639 --> 00:12:04,440
Fox we can get I think they need a couple

222
00:12:04,480 --> 00:12:07,960
more bigger forwards. Are guys who can be like four

223
00:12:08,039 --> 00:12:13,039
or fives alongside one Be just they I love Champagne,

224
00:12:13,120 --> 00:12:15,480
but he's not a power forward like they played with

225
00:12:15,639 --> 00:12:20,360
essentially a wing and three guards next to one bigiana

226
00:12:20,519 --> 00:12:23,720
and I really one Be's massive, but get one more

227
00:12:23,720 --> 00:12:27,039
big guy, especially somebody could play a little more bulk

228
00:12:27,080 --> 00:12:29,840
and a little more strength next and without having to

229
00:12:29,879 --> 00:12:33,080
be like a true center. So I think, yeah, if

230
00:12:33,080 --> 00:12:35,759
you could turn Fox into that and in a way

231
00:12:35,919 --> 00:12:40,080
like kind of fill your final holes. I guess knowing

232
00:12:40,840 --> 00:12:42,720
you're not creating too big of a hole at point

233
00:12:42,720 --> 00:12:45,799
guard because you're you've got heart ready to step in. Yeah,

234
00:12:45,799 --> 00:12:47,279
I'm okay with exploring the deal.

235
00:12:47,200 --> 00:12:51,080
Speaker 1: This offseason, right, So, Dan fa Valley of the Hardwoodknox

236
00:12:51,080 --> 00:12:55,279
and Eye, we have just gone into this biblical mantra

237
00:12:55,919 --> 00:12:58,919
of trade Trey Murphy that he's the guy because he's

238
00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:02,240
just what he would fit. That seems so well, especially

239
00:13:03,159 --> 00:13:06,039
coming in as an off ball shooter, just playing off

240
00:13:06,080 --> 00:13:09,200
of the attention given to the jumpbo guards and Wemby,

241
00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:14,000
And I think he sort of fits your mold a

242
00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:16,159
little bit. Like he's not a four to five, but

243
00:13:16,240 --> 00:13:18,480
he is a legit wing right, Like he can play

244
00:13:18,519 --> 00:13:20,559
the four, he can play the three, he can play

245
00:13:20,559 --> 00:13:23,720
both of those positions. He defensively, you know, he's not

246
00:13:23,759 --> 00:13:26,120
a world beater, but he's good. He's you know, he

247
00:13:26,440 --> 00:13:30,159
does have good moments defensively, but he like even if

248
00:13:30,200 --> 00:13:33,639
you get him in and you use the Fox contract

249
00:13:33,639 --> 00:13:36,600
to get out of or just as a salary matching component,

250
00:13:37,159 --> 00:13:41,000
like Murphy earns so much less and the Spurs would

251
00:13:41,039 --> 00:13:43,240
also have to give up additional assets to make the

252
00:13:43,320 --> 00:13:47,480
value alignment. But that might even allow you to have

253
00:13:47,679 --> 00:13:51,399
more flexibility financially to go out and actually get that

254
00:13:51,440 --> 00:13:54,080
four or five guy, Like I'm not sure who it is.

255
00:13:54,159 --> 00:13:56,480
Like a year ago, I would have said I say

256
00:13:56,480 --> 00:13:59,080
a Steward, but the Pistons are just too good now.

257
00:13:59,120 --> 00:14:01,159
I don't think they're going to give him up. But

258
00:14:01,320 --> 00:14:03,799
and it's tough to say, and I say a Stuart

259
00:14:04,120 --> 00:14:06,879
type of guy, because like, let's be real, there's only

260
00:14:06,919 --> 00:14:09,360
one Beef stew in the league, Like there isn't anyone

261
00:14:09,879 --> 00:14:12,679
exactly like him. But then I would have to go

262
00:14:12,720 --> 00:14:15,480
look for a lesser version because I do agree with you,

263
00:14:15,840 --> 00:14:18,440
Like they played Luke Cornett like eight minutes in the finals.

264
00:14:18,519 --> 00:14:20,600
He wasn't playable. He was also he was sick I

265
00:14:20,600 --> 00:14:22,799
think in the last two games or something along those lines.

266
00:14:23,159 --> 00:14:26,679
But they do need someone else who's a little bit

267
00:14:26,720 --> 00:14:30,360
more bulky, who's a little bit more just physical at

268
00:14:30,360 --> 00:14:33,159
the four and the five. So like, is it even

269
00:14:33,159 --> 00:14:36,200
a realistic outcome to go out and get someone, you know,

270
00:14:36,279 --> 00:14:39,799
off the ilk of a Trey Murphy while also upgrading

271
00:14:39,799 --> 00:14:41,000
the four or five spot.

272
00:14:41,799 --> 00:14:47,279
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, I think it's certainly possible because because

273
00:14:47,320 --> 00:14:51,120
of the flexibility, they're miles from the luxury tax line,

274
00:14:51,720 --> 00:14:54,559
and with Fox's contract, it's going to be very hard

275
00:14:54,559 --> 00:14:57,360
to take on a lot more money right in a deal.

276
00:14:57,519 --> 00:15:00,120
So yeah, I think you could certainly move him I

277
00:15:01,000 --> 00:15:05,039
think would be really good for them. It's John Collins. Like,

278
00:15:05,159 --> 00:15:08,480
I'm a huge John Collins fan, so I like, I'll

279
00:15:08,519 --> 00:15:11,480
start with that. Like, there's very few teams I don't

280
00:15:11,480 --> 00:15:15,080
think he'd be really good on, but just another guy

281
00:15:15,200 --> 00:15:18,240
can rebound, doesn't need to be this super rim protector

282
00:15:18,279 --> 00:15:21,919
because you already have that. He can be fairly physical

283
00:15:21,960 --> 00:15:24,240
on that end of the floor, and he can space

284
00:15:24,320 --> 00:15:28,120
the floor. Yeah, it's really good. It's funny I find

285
00:15:28,159 --> 00:15:30,720
all the time I mentioned his name, people like, yeah,

286
00:15:30,759 --> 00:15:32,879
I don't know about and then they're like, oh, John

287
00:15:32,960 --> 00:15:35,279
Collins shoots better than I thought like, and it's like, yeah,

288
00:15:35,320 --> 00:15:39,720
this guy is really really good. I think I think

289
00:15:39,759 --> 00:15:42,240
we all mentioned this kind of team up and it

290
00:15:42,320 --> 00:15:46,600
takes it to the national team, Like that would be

291
00:15:46,639 --> 00:15:50,039
a super you know, cost effective edition. I think that's

292
00:15:50,440 --> 00:15:53,679
somebody they could go with. I think Ruiyama would be

293
00:15:53,720 --> 00:15:56,440
really good for them. Again, another guy can really shoot

294
00:15:56,480 --> 00:15:58,440
the ball, excuse you, a little bit of bulk at

295
00:15:58,440 --> 00:16:00,679
the forward position. Then if they wanted to go with

296
00:16:00,759 --> 00:16:03,480
a center who gives you a little bit of a

297
00:16:03,679 --> 00:16:06,120
different like let's say they were like, we're gonna move

298
00:16:06,120 --> 00:16:09,519
Wenby more towards the foe line. This would be a

299
00:16:09,519 --> 00:16:12,960
team where I think like Nick Vucovich would fit pretty good.

300
00:16:13,039 --> 00:16:16,360
And after the way he finished with Boston, probably gonna

301
00:16:16,399 --> 00:16:20,720
put you in a better like situation salary wise, it's

302
00:16:20,720 --> 00:16:23,679
not gonna be twenty million dollars a year. Might be

303
00:16:23,759 --> 00:16:26,879
a mid level type guy. And I think because Wemby

304
00:16:26,960 --> 00:16:31,519
is so good at oh Wemby, like we're gonna isolate Vucevic,

305
00:16:31,600 --> 00:16:34,120
We're gonna go at him inside. Wemby was at the

306
00:16:34,279 --> 00:16:36,279
ARC a second ago, but now here he is in

307
00:16:36,480 --> 00:16:39,039
weak side help position, like you know, so good and

308
00:16:39,559 --> 00:16:42,600
is such a good shooter that he can again space

309
00:16:42,679 --> 00:16:45,279
the floor. Good rebounder guy. You could just when you're

310
00:16:45,279 --> 00:16:48,039
playing Joel Embiid, you throw him on Joel Embiid, you

311
00:16:48,080 --> 00:16:51,399
throw him on Nikola Jokic because he's not gonna shut

312
00:16:51,440 --> 00:16:53,639
those guys down. But he's also not gonna get bodied

313
00:16:53,679 --> 00:16:56,440
into oblivion by those guys when they would just want

314
00:16:56,480 --> 00:16:58,960
to play super physical. So those are some of the

315
00:16:58,960 --> 00:17:01,519
guys I think, just kind of more off the top

316
00:17:01,559 --> 00:17:02,799
of my head, that I think could fit.

317
00:17:04,039 --> 00:17:05,920
Speaker 1: We'll take a quick commercial break and then we'll be

318
00:17:06,000 --> 00:17:11,440
back with another portion of free agents. All right, Keith

319
00:17:11,880 --> 00:17:16,839
the Tray Young conundrum. He's got a player option with

320
00:17:16,920 --> 00:17:21,680
the Washington Wizards for forty nine million, and he's extension eligible.

321
00:17:22,480 --> 00:17:26,559
Is there a way for the Wizards to offer him

322
00:17:26,599 --> 00:17:29,720
something that makes sense for him in order for him

323
00:17:29,759 --> 00:17:32,000
to turn down the player option and just go straight

324
00:17:32,039 --> 00:17:32,880
into an extension.

325
00:17:34,279 --> 00:17:37,759
Speaker 2: Well, what I think is probably gonna happen is the

326
00:17:37,799 --> 00:17:41,000
Wizards are gonna have him pick up that player option.

327
00:17:41,559 --> 00:17:43,599
Let's just call it fifty million, just for the sake

328
00:17:43,680 --> 00:17:46,519
of my simple brain. Yes, I realize I'm a cap guy,

329
00:17:46,599 --> 00:17:48,920
but I like to keep math simple when I can.

330
00:17:49,599 --> 00:17:52,240
And then I think, what you do if you're the Wizards,

331
00:17:52,279 --> 00:17:55,440
is you get your fifty million on your final year

332
00:17:55,480 --> 00:17:58,640
of your current deal, then a two year, seventy million

333
00:17:58,680 --> 00:18:02,880
dollars extension, so roughly thirty five million a pop. One

334
00:18:02,920 --> 00:18:05,920
hundred and twenty million total one hundred and forty or

335
00:18:05,960 --> 00:18:10,240
forty million average annual value. But your numbers in years

336
00:18:10,319 --> 00:18:14,160
two and three are a lot more reasonable with that, Like,

337
00:18:14,240 --> 00:18:17,400
that's what makes sense to me if I'm the Wizards,

338
00:18:17,440 --> 00:18:20,400
Because one, we don't even know how this is really

339
00:18:20,400 --> 00:18:22,559
gonna work. What do we see them ten minutes with

340
00:18:22,640 --> 00:18:26,200
the Wizards, like we like, I think it's gonna be okay,

341
00:18:26,240 --> 00:18:28,319
but like, hey, you don't have to commit to us

342
00:18:28,400 --> 00:18:30,359
super long term. We don't need to commit to you

343
00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:34,000
super long term. If it's gonna be anything beyond that

344
00:18:34,079 --> 00:18:37,519
stretches beyond the upcoming season and then the next two

345
00:18:37,960 --> 00:18:41,359
I want that fourth year to be team protected, either

346
00:18:41,400 --> 00:18:44,920
it's a team option or it's very lightly guaranteed something

347
00:18:45,039 --> 00:18:47,839
like that, where then all right, if it's let's say,

348
00:18:48,039 --> 00:18:51,640
was we're gonna do one more year at another thirty

349
00:18:51,680 --> 00:18:54,519
five million, all right, we'll out of that thirty five million,

350
00:18:54,599 --> 00:18:57,640
let's only guarantee ten or fifteen million of it. So

351
00:18:57,680 --> 00:19:00,680
that way, if everything goes sideways, we can get out

352
00:19:00,720 --> 00:19:02,400
of it and ideally just be let's make it a

353
00:19:02,400 --> 00:19:05,839
team option straight up and just go. So that's where

354
00:19:05,839 --> 00:19:07,799
I think think you go with with Treyon.

355
00:19:08,880 --> 00:19:11,519
Speaker 1: I look, I agree with that that that's also been

356
00:19:11,519 --> 00:19:13,680
the number, the forty five million a year number that

357
00:19:13,720 --> 00:19:17,640
I've been throwing around because it just I don't know why,

358
00:19:17,920 --> 00:19:20,119
Like I don't think I can I can contextualize this.

359
00:19:20,240 --> 00:19:22,400
It just feels fitting in a way. I think that's

360
00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:26,039
the right number for him because of the injury this year.

361
00:19:26,400 --> 00:19:29,200
The fact that you know, we just know that him

362
00:19:29,240 --> 00:19:34,960
as a heliocentric point guard has just not worked forty

363
00:19:34,960 --> 00:19:37,920
five million seems like a fair compromise as someone who

364
00:19:38,799 --> 00:19:41,119
is going to be playing a large part for your

365
00:19:41,160 --> 00:19:44,359
team but just cannot in any way, shape or form,

366
00:19:44,519 --> 00:19:46,599
be your primary superstar.

367
00:19:50,279 --> 00:19:53,960
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think I think that's fair. I think we've

368
00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:58,920
also seen his teams have had ceilings, right but before

369
00:19:58,960 --> 00:20:03,039
where it's been if he is your guy, like that

370
00:20:03,279 --> 00:20:08,359
is your ceiling? Is there now? If on this Wizard's team,

371
00:20:09,039 --> 00:20:13,559
if it's him and Anthony Davis whoever they draft, then

372
00:20:13,599 --> 00:20:16,559
you've got like galax sar there. I think there's a

373
00:20:16,559 --> 00:20:19,240
world where it starts to turn into all right, Yeah,

374
00:20:19,279 --> 00:20:22,640
Trey Young is really good playmaker, good scorer, but he

375
00:20:22,839 --> 00:20:27,240
is he's like really kind of our third best player.

376
00:20:27,359 --> 00:20:29,720
By the time a couple of those guys age up,

377
00:20:29,759 --> 00:20:31,799
all of a sudden, I'm like, ar, let's go. I'm

378
00:20:31,799 --> 00:20:34,240
a lot more interested than the team where it is like,

379
00:20:34,319 --> 00:20:36,440
let's build everything around him. That's where it gets a

380
00:20:36,480 --> 00:20:38,160
little sideways.

381
00:20:37,720 --> 00:20:41,920
Speaker 1: Right right, and changing gears a little bit because we're

382
00:20:41,920 --> 00:20:44,200
still gonna stay in like the league guard market James

383
00:20:44,240 --> 00:20:48,160
Harden player option for forty two point three million. I

384
00:20:48,200 --> 00:20:50,640
think his situation is a little bit more tough because

385
00:20:50,759 --> 00:20:54,039
you know, he's he's almost ten years older than Trey Young.

386
00:20:54,680 --> 00:20:58,000
Like now h is becoming a real factor here. Like

387
00:20:58,039 --> 00:21:00,440
if you're going to try to extend James hard what

388
00:21:00,519 --> 00:21:02,799
is the number there? Or do you just let him

389
00:21:03,079 --> 00:21:05,359
pick up the player option, play out that one year

390
00:21:05,559 --> 00:21:09,799
and then go into his what h thirty eight season

391
00:21:11,039 --> 00:21:13,799
and kind of decided off of that year.

392
00:21:15,160 --> 00:21:19,759
Speaker 2: Yeah, I would much rather he pick up the player

393
00:21:19,799 --> 00:21:24,920
option then get stupid with a contract, if I can

394
00:21:24,960 --> 00:21:27,759
put it that way, because then at least it's just

395
00:21:27,759 --> 00:21:30,039
just let it play out, right, Like we don't need

396
00:21:30,079 --> 00:21:33,319
to get crazy with it. But I think it's in

397
00:21:33,359 --> 00:21:38,440
a position with Harden where I think I think what

398
00:21:38,519 --> 00:21:41,559
you're gonna see is again ops out him and the

399
00:21:41,559 --> 00:21:44,599
Cavs probably and he's probably known for months now, and

400
00:21:44,640 --> 00:21:47,319
everybody can scream and cry about tampering, but I don't

401
00:21:47,359 --> 00:21:50,200
really care. We're all grown ups in adult series already

402
00:21:50,240 --> 00:21:53,920
on the team. What difference does it make where since

403
00:21:53,960 --> 00:21:56,279
he was traded there? I think think it's probably in

404
00:21:56,319 --> 00:21:59,000
a situation where it is they know what the number

405
00:21:59,039 --> 00:22:01,240
needs to be and again, if you could take if

406
00:22:01,279 --> 00:22:05,160
you're James Harden, he picks up his option and I

407
00:22:05,200 --> 00:22:07,680
know it. Then it becomes only partially guaranteed. But that's

408
00:22:07,720 --> 00:22:10,599
forty two million bucks, right if I'm James Harden, and

409
00:22:10,640 --> 00:22:12,519
I'm like, all right, I opt out and I can

410
00:22:12,720 --> 00:22:16,559
and I can get sixty million guaranteed over the next

411
00:22:16,599 --> 00:22:20,400
two seasons. Okay, Like that works for me. Like Dan,

412
00:22:20,480 --> 00:22:22,799
I'm in a better place. And if I'm the Cavs,

413
00:22:22,839 --> 00:22:26,279
I'm like, that's much better because they need to start

414
00:22:26,359 --> 00:22:30,200
relieving pressure on those aprons for themselves because they've you know,

415
00:22:30,319 --> 00:22:33,079
especially if they want to make other moves in additions.

416
00:22:33,079 --> 00:22:35,799
And that's where where yeah, I think it's it's kind

417
00:22:35,799 --> 00:22:38,680
of similar to Trey Young, but slightly different in that

418
00:22:38,759 --> 00:22:41,599
it happens right now that the player off so but

419
00:22:41,640 --> 00:22:44,119
he's also a decade older than Trey Young is. So

420
00:22:44,200 --> 00:22:46,799
like we're we're in a spall where it's like we

421
00:22:47,079 --> 00:22:49,200
don't need to take it quite as you know far,

422
00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:50,960
I'm in that position.

423
00:22:51,960 --> 00:22:54,240
Speaker 1: And of course the big piece and we're gonna spend

424
00:22:54,240 --> 00:23:00,799
the rest of the episode on this Keith Yannis. It's

425
00:23:00,880 --> 00:23:04,039
believed that he prefers the Miami Heat, and they are interested.

426
00:23:04,079 --> 00:23:06,240
Of course they like the Heat. I feel like have

427
00:23:06,359 --> 00:23:09,880
just been waiting for years, years and years and years

428
00:23:09,880 --> 00:23:12,839
to like get that Tier one guy. Like they've just

429
00:23:12,960 --> 00:23:17,240
kind of gone through the motions waiting for some guide

430
00:23:17,279 --> 00:23:20,319
to look at land in their lap. Now they have

431
00:23:20,440 --> 00:23:24,119
some of the young guys as assets. Giannis is available.

432
00:23:25,559 --> 00:23:29,039
Prime win Horse of ESPN reports that the offer from

433
00:23:29,079 --> 00:23:31,799
Miami is believed to be built around Stylo Hero He'll

434
00:23:31,839 --> 00:23:35,680
whar Haimi Hakis Junior and the thirteenth overall selection in

435
00:23:35,720 --> 00:23:39,039
this month's draft. Like, what do you think about, like

436
00:23:39,079 --> 00:23:40,880
the value alignment of that trade.

437
00:23:43,039 --> 00:23:46,759
Speaker 2: It's it's interesting because we have a couple of components

438
00:23:46,759 --> 00:23:50,839
at play here. Is Jannis has as far as we know,

439
00:23:51,640 --> 00:23:55,839
not done the whole superstar thing of this is where

440
00:23:55,880 --> 00:23:59,119
I want to be right Like it certainly hasn't done

441
00:23:59,160 --> 00:24:03,440
it in any kind of public way. Also, the fact

442
00:24:03,440 --> 00:24:06,960
that you talk to people around the league right now

443
00:24:07,640 --> 00:24:10,640
and they'll tell you the value of draft picks has

444
00:24:10,680 --> 00:24:15,400
never been a more uncertain than ever. I had a

445
00:24:15,480 --> 00:24:19,759
team tell me last week, we're good with trading our

446
00:24:19,799 --> 00:24:23,480
picks because there's never going to be a point where

447
00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:26,359
we can bought them out for multiple years and try

448
00:24:26,400 --> 00:24:29,680
to rebuild that way under the new lottery refour rules.

449
00:24:30,079 --> 00:24:32,920
So why not trade some picks? If you're close now,

450
00:24:33,359 --> 00:24:35,720
you know it to yourselves, go for it. I had

451
00:24:35,759 --> 00:24:39,160
another team say I have no problem taking a bunch

452
00:24:39,160 --> 00:24:41,599
of picks in trade, but I don't necessarily want them

453
00:24:41,599 --> 00:24:43,720
all from one team, and if I do, I want

454
00:24:43,759 --> 00:24:45,640
them kind of more spread out. I don't want the

455
00:24:45,680 --> 00:24:49,559
next three years four years of picks and swaps all

456
00:24:49,640 --> 00:24:53,039
in a row because that team gets really bad, we

457
00:24:53,160 --> 00:24:55,440
may not benefit from it the way we want to,

458
00:24:56,599 --> 00:24:59,680
so that that also factors in. I don't know. I

459
00:24:59,680 --> 00:25:03,400
don't know that a Gyiannis trade needs to be four

460
00:25:03,519 --> 00:25:07,319
first round picks and swaps in the inter intervening years

461
00:25:07,359 --> 00:25:10,680
and all that anymore. I think Tyler Hero's contract is

462
00:25:11,079 --> 00:25:14,599
far more palatable now. It's an expiring contract, so if

463
00:25:14,640 --> 00:25:17,200
nothing else, you're out of it in a year. If

464
00:25:17,240 --> 00:25:20,079
you're the Bucks and you're creating your own cap space.

465
00:25:21,200 --> 00:25:24,240
I like Hakes. I like where. I don't know that

466
00:25:24,319 --> 00:25:26,880
I love them as much as like, oh my god,

467
00:25:26,960 --> 00:25:30,680
what you know our new franchise centerpieces. I think they're

468
00:25:30,759 --> 00:25:33,119
good players. And I think they're good rotation players on

469
00:25:33,160 --> 00:25:36,039
a good team. But the problem if you're the Bucks trade,

470
00:25:36,079 --> 00:25:38,000
be honest, you're not gonna be a good team. So

471
00:25:38,160 --> 00:25:40,920
I don't know that. I just want just guys who

472
00:25:40,920 --> 00:25:45,480
are just good players, especially knowing that they're not that

473
00:25:45,559 --> 00:25:49,079
far from needing new contracts too, So then that's where

474
00:25:49,079 --> 00:25:52,079
we're going with that. So I think it's a good package.

475
00:25:52,240 --> 00:25:55,200
I think it's better than anything that it was when

476
00:25:55,200 --> 00:25:58,079
they were trying to get Dame a couple of years ago.

477
00:25:58,240 --> 00:26:01,359
I think it's more law. The fits make a lot

478
00:26:01,440 --> 00:26:04,000
more sense for the Bucks than any of the stuff

479
00:26:04,000 --> 00:26:06,839
they were trying to send to Portland did. Portland already

480
00:26:06,880 --> 00:26:08,640
had a ton of young shooting guards and I didn't

481
00:26:08,680 --> 00:26:12,160
need Tyler Hero So that made sense to me why

482
00:26:12,559 --> 00:26:15,160
Portland was like no, like, we don't want any part

483
00:26:15,200 --> 00:26:17,960
of having him for the next three or four seasons.

484
00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:21,839
So I think that is that part is good. Do

485
00:26:21,880 --> 00:26:24,440
I think other teams can beat that? Yeah? I do.

486
00:26:24,519 --> 00:26:27,039
I think there's multiple other teams that, if they wanted

487
00:26:27,039 --> 00:26:29,359
to get involved, could say, hey, we can offer you

488
00:26:29,440 --> 00:26:34,720
better players now, better package of draft picks, better package

489
00:26:34,720 --> 00:26:37,759
of young talent, whatever it is, you're looking for. I

490
00:26:37,799 --> 00:26:40,880
still haven't ruled out to that Miami. Everybody assumes, right

491
00:26:40,920 --> 00:26:44,359
if excuse me, Milwaukee, but he assumes if Milwaukee gets

492
00:26:44,799 --> 00:26:47,960
Hero and Hakes and where keep the young guys, and

493
00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:51,359
they'll try to flip Hero and move them along. I'm

494
00:26:51,400 --> 00:26:53,559
not sold that Milwaukee doesn't look at it and say,

495
00:26:53,920 --> 00:26:57,400
you know what, like, why shouldn't we try to be okay,

496
00:26:57,640 --> 00:27:00,960
like we can be all right, maybe called well together

497
00:27:01,039 --> 00:27:03,799
a playoff team, because there's still some good talent on

498
00:27:03,839 --> 00:27:06,319
this team and maybe maybe it does all come together.

499
00:27:06,440 --> 00:27:08,880
So yeah, well we'll we'll see. You know, I'm very

500
00:27:09,240 --> 00:27:11,519
very curious. I have no doubt in my mind. I

501
00:27:11,519 --> 00:27:14,440
I get asked, as I'm sure you do every day,

502
00:27:14,720 --> 00:27:18,079
where's Gianni's going? And I continue to say, think it's

503
00:27:18,119 --> 00:27:21,559
probably gonna be Miami, Like you, just everything seems to

504
00:27:21,599 --> 00:27:24,039
be lining up for this to finally be the time.

505
00:27:24,480 --> 00:27:26,119
But I'm not gonna be shocked if we get the

506
00:27:26,119 --> 00:27:27,000
tweet and that's not.

507
00:27:27,119 --> 00:27:31,759
Speaker 1: Miami right that way, right, and and honestly it's I

508
00:27:31,799 --> 00:27:34,920
think the Bucks sat on this a little too long,

509
00:27:35,079 --> 00:27:37,359
because I would I would have been surprised if this

510
00:27:37,440 --> 00:27:41,160
had been like the primary package a year ago. Perhaps

511
00:27:41,200 --> 00:27:43,880
I think that the ship has just sailed a little

512
00:27:43,920 --> 00:27:46,240
bit too long, like if it felt like everyone was

513
00:27:46,279 --> 00:27:49,519
just kind of waiting for this breaking point like last year.

514
00:27:49,599 --> 00:27:52,000
I wonder if they had traded him, I don't want

515
00:27:52,039 --> 00:27:55,559
to say preemptively, but close to it, whether that would

516
00:27:55,599 --> 00:27:57,680
have cashed in more than what they can get now.

517
00:28:00,480 --> 00:28:05,279
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think there's definitely something to that. You know,

518
00:28:05,359 --> 00:28:10,880
I am very like with the Yanni stuff. I just

519
00:28:11,680 --> 00:28:14,319
I think we're We're just in a world where it

520
00:28:14,480 --> 00:28:20,799
is like it this is the first superstar trade in

521
00:28:20,839 --> 00:28:24,480
our new world, if you will, where we have both

522
00:28:24,559 --> 00:28:27,799
the combination of the aprons, which are as much as

523
00:28:27,799 --> 00:28:31,079
they pushed down on the super expensive teams, they forced

524
00:28:31,119 --> 00:28:34,400
the bottom teams to come up you can't get the

525
00:28:34,440 --> 00:28:36,680
Bucks can't trade them, and then sit on fifty million

526
00:28:36,680 --> 00:28:39,400
in cap space just be like, well, we'll eat contracts

527
00:28:39,400 --> 00:28:42,079
for picks and everything else you can't through the end

528
00:28:42,079 --> 00:28:45,119
of free agency, but once season starts, that's over and

529
00:28:45,160 --> 00:28:48,000
done with, and then new factor in this new lottery

530
00:28:48,039 --> 00:28:51,359
reform world where it's like there, I think the Bucks

531
00:28:51,519 --> 00:28:53,839
probably should have traded him a year ago, right, and

532
00:28:53,960 --> 00:28:56,359
you you could have probably done even better. Then it's

533
00:28:56,400 --> 00:28:58,920
just now it's like, I don't know, you know, where

534
00:28:58,960 --> 00:29:01,400
are we going? So it's it's just you know. But

535
00:29:01,480 --> 00:29:03,119
the reality is they didn't trade him a year ago.

536
00:29:03,200 --> 00:29:05,759
So now now we're here and let's let's see. I mean,

537
00:29:05,839 --> 00:29:08,880
there's there's an awful lot of reporting in buzz that

538
00:29:08,960 --> 00:29:13,000
Boston's involved. I totally worlds where it makes sense to

539
00:29:13,039 --> 00:29:16,920
me and I if you start following the bread comes

540
00:29:17,240 --> 00:29:20,039
maybe they were leading everybody to the s Brad Stevens

541
00:29:20,119 --> 00:29:24,519
was very direct multiple different times in his end of

542
00:29:24,519 --> 00:29:27,400
season press conference. We need to be able to pressure

543
00:29:27,400 --> 00:29:29,759
the room more. We did want more dunks and layups

544
00:29:29,799 --> 00:29:32,359
and free throws. Well, even this version of the honest

545
00:29:32,400 --> 00:29:34,640
nobody does it better than he does as far as

546
00:29:34,640 --> 00:29:36,759
getting to the basket area over and over and over

547
00:29:36,759 --> 00:29:39,240
again in a game. So maybe they do get involved.

548
00:29:39,279 --> 00:29:39,920
We'll see.

549
00:29:41,240 --> 00:29:43,480
Speaker 1: One final question before I let you go. It's kind

550
00:29:43,480 --> 00:29:45,799
of a big one. So I'm gonna challenge you to

551
00:29:45,799 --> 00:29:48,119
see if you can sum it up somewhat quickly.

552
00:29:48,319 --> 00:29:49,480
Speaker 2: And good luck.

553
00:29:49,720 --> 00:29:52,400
Speaker 1: Yeah, I know, that's why. That's what it's called a challenge, sir.

554
00:29:53,880 --> 00:29:56,680
So with the lottery reform and the fact that free

555
00:29:56,680 --> 00:30:01,559
agency has in its traditional sense kind of died and

556
00:30:01,720 --> 00:30:05,200
with the Aprons making trades all that more difficult if

557
00:30:05,240 --> 00:30:08,359
you're above the first and second Apron. You know, those

558
00:30:08,440 --> 00:30:11,599
are the three main pillars of roster construction that has

559
00:30:11,680 --> 00:30:16,200
been tingered with quite substantially over the past. I want

560
00:30:16,200 --> 00:30:19,920
to say, four to five years. What is your rate

561
00:30:20,000 --> 00:30:24,160
on this like going forward? Like? Because I'm getting the

562
00:30:24,240 --> 00:30:27,720
sense and I've also heard a few rumblings that there

563
00:30:27,720 --> 00:30:31,519
are league sects who are very tired of getting handcuffed

564
00:30:31,559 --> 00:30:34,799
in terns just in terms of their flexibility. Could this

565
00:30:34,920 --> 00:30:37,519
be a problem for the league moving forward, just in

566
00:30:37,599 --> 00:30:43,640
terms of like limiting the flexibility of these three roster pillars.

567
00:30:44,960 --> 00:30:47,200
Speaker 2: Yes, and no hum, And I'll try to be quick

568
00:30:47,240 --> 00:30:50,480
on this. I think the Aprons have done their jobs.

569
00:30:50,759 --> 00:30:53,440
The Aprons came in because they did not want teams

570
00:30:53,519 --> 00:30:58,880
spending five hundred million dollars in combined roster plus tax penalties.

571
00:30:59,039 --> 00:31:03,240
Like they just that's not where the league wanted to be. Now,

572
00:31:03,480 --> 00:31:08,519
they made it extremely restrictive to be very expensive. There's

573
00:31:08,720 --> 00:31:11,440
now I believe it's ten different things that trigger a

574
00:31:11,480 --> 00:31:14,799
hard cap. There used to be like three, so now

575
00:31:14,880 --> 00:31:17,359
and there's a whole other layer to get hard cap at.

576
00:31:17,839 --> 00:31:20,039
I do think they have made it restrictive. That said,

577
00:31:20,119 --> 00:31:23,000
one of my favorite quotes from a movie, life will

578
00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:26,759
find a way from Park Like where everybody was like,

579
00:31:26,839 --> 00:31:29,039
trades will never happen again, There's never going to be

580
00:31:29,400 --> 00:31:31,440
any more big trades. Well, there's still just as many

581
00:31:31,440 --> 00:31:34,319
big trades because teams are smart. They hire really smart

582
00:31:34,319 --> 00:31:35,720
people and they pay them a lot of money to

583
00:31:35,720 --> 00:31:39,759
figure these things out, and they do. So what I

584
00:31:40,039 --> 00:31:44,400
do think has changed is the cap is not growing

585
00:31:44,440 --> 00:31:46,960
the way they thought it was going to. There was

586
00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:49,559
a point there where, especially after the new TV deal,

587
00:31:49,920 --> 00:31:52,200
where it's like, man, we're going to grow to the

588
00:31:53,279 --> 00:31:57,200
capped ten percent growth and then that's going to spill

589
00:31:57,200 --> 00:31:59,319
over and spill over and spill over and we won't

590
00:31:59,359 --> 00:32:01,240
even catch up at the time the end of the

591
00:32:01,359 --> 00:32:03,799
YO CBA is done, like this is gonna be great.

592
00:32:03,839 --> 00:32:06,759
We're gonna all be swimming in money. That doesn't happened.

593
00:32:06,799 --> 00:32:09,960
It's not going to happen. And part of that is

594
00:32:10,000 --> 00:32:14,240
that the fiasco death of local TV. So I think

595
00:32:14,400 --> 00:32:17,119
we're in a spot where that's where I think teams

596
00:32:17,119 --> 00:32:20,359
are maybe feeling the squeeze a little bit more of like,

597
00:32:21,400 --> 00:32:24,759
it's just that much harder to get some things done,

598
00:32:25,039 --> 00:32:27,200
especially if we also want to factor in the fourth

599
00:32:27,519 --> 00:32:31,960
part of like the Rusterbil the extension. It's like, now

600
00:32:32,000 --> 00:32:34,039
it's guys are like, all right, the money's there, I'll

601
00:32:34,079 --> 00:32:37,200
just extend. And we've seen a handful of teams like

602
00:32:37,279 --> 00:32:40,720
the Magic they great, they extended all their guys. Well,

603
00:32:40,759 --> 00:32:43,400
now they're like, and maybe we probably shouldn't extended this

604
00:32:43,440 --> 00:32:45,519
guy or this guy. Right, So those are all the

605
00:32:45,559 --> 00:32:47,160
things you got a kind of factor and it's a

606
00:32:47,519 --> 00:32:52,039
I'll say this, it's never been more complicated to put

607
00:32:52,039 --> 00:32:54,920
together your roster than it is right now because you

608
00:32:55,039 --> 00:32:57,279
no longer have the out of just I just pay

609
00:32:57,319 --> 00:32:58,519
everybody and we'll trade them later.

610
00:32:58,599 --> 00:33:01,640
Speaker 1: It doesn't work that way anymore, right, And the fans too,

611
00:33:01,839 --> 00:33:05,519
are so much more confused now than there were just

612
00:33:05,599 --> 00:33:09,519
three or four years ago. It's extremely difficult for them

613
00:33:09,599 --> 00:33:11,759
to Like, if you're a casual fan, by the way,

614
00:33:11,880 --> 00:33:14,920
nothing wrong with that. It's that's completely fair to follow

615
00:33:15,240 --> 00:33:18,799
the league and not have like a complicated understanding of

616
00:33:19,079 --> 00:33:22,759
the intricacies of the salary cap. Completely fair. But for

617
00:33:22,880 --> 00:33:25,759
a lot of people who are just like, so, what's

618
00:33:25,839 --> 00:33:28,640
going on with the league, and then you know, the

619
00:33:28,680 --> 00:33:31,240
experts have to say, oh yeah, so in order to

620
00:33:31,319 --> 00:33:34,119
understand this, you need to understand this and this and

621
00:33:34,160 --> 00:33:39,559
this' it's extremely difficult I think for fans to relate

622
00:33:39,799 --> 00:33:42,400
to roster construction at the NBA level with this and more.

623
00:33:42,480 --> 00:33:46,279
Speaker 2: You made me laugh and unintentionally something we both also

624
00:33:46,319 --> 00:33:49,640
share a passion for. It's become like like Marvel or

625
00:33:49,720 --> 00:33:52,359
it's like if you don't watch these five TV shows

626
00:33:52,400 --> 00:33:54,880
and all the movies, you're not gonna understand what's going

627
00:33:54,920 --> 00:33:57,519
on and who is this guy? Where did he come from?

628
00:33:57,599 --> 00:34:00,200
And it's like, yeah, so just made me laugh because

629
00:34:00,200 --> 00:34:01,480
I was like, I'd never really kind of put those

630
00:34:01,519 --> 00:34:02,640
two things together before.

631
00:34:02,680 --> 00:34:06,680
Speaker 1: Right, No, you're right, it's absolutely true, and it's something

632
00:34:06,720 --> 00:34:09,360
I've just been thinking about a lot, and I know

633
00:34:09,440 --> 00:34:12,280
every single off season, I just get so many questions

634
00:34:12,679 --> 00:34:17,360
from from NBA fans just wondering how does this work now?

635
00:34:17,639 --> 00:34:19,360
Do like what do we need to be aware of?

636
00:34:19,599 --> 00:34:25,239
And it's the answers aren't short, like they are so multifaceted,

637
00:34:25,360 --> 00:34:27,400
like you have to really dig into it for people

638
00:34:27,440 --> 00:34:30,199
to understand. So I think the league, it would behoove

639
00:34:30,239 --> 00:34:35,599
the league overall to simplify certain processes moving forward. But yeah,

640
00:34:36,480 --> 00:34:39,039
could you let our listeners know where they can find

641
00:34:39,039 --> 00:34:39,559
your work, sir?

642
00:34:40,559 --> 00:34:42,760
Speaker 2: Yeah, So if you like all this stuff and it

643
00:34:42,920 --> 00:34:45,880
would not move for me because I like it being

644
00:34:45,960 --> 00:34:48,440
complicated because then I get paid to explain all of it.

645
00:34:49,039 --> 00:34:51,760
But you can follow my workover at spot track dot

646
00:34:51,800 --> 00:34:54,760
com in the middle of off season previews. Oh over

647
00:34:54,800 --> 00:34:57,119
there where you get those coming fast and furious. Heres,

648
00:34:57,119 --> 00:35:00,159
the off season is fifteen days away. I mean it's here,

649
00:35:00,159 --> 00:35:04,360
but the true opening of free agencies only fifteen days away.

650
00:35:04,119 --> 00:35:07,239
So as we record this, so we're you know, cranking

651
00:35:07,280 --> 00:35:09,559
those along. We've got all kinds of stuff coming out.

652
00:35:09,599 --> 00:35:13,360
And with that, we've got free agent previews and breakdowns

653
00:35:13,400 --> 00:35:16,119
and everything. I'll be breaking down all the major moves

654
00:35:16,159 --> 00:35:18,559
that happen and all that. And then NBA Front Office

655
00:35:18,559 --> 00:35:21,559
Show Trevor Lane and I. If you like conversations that

656
00:35:21,679 --> 00:35:26,599
really revolve almost solely around roster construction and trade rumors

657
00:35:26,639 --> 00:35:28,760
and all that stuff, that's what we do over there.

658
00:35:28,800 --> 00:35:30,719
We have a lot of fun out with dead Every

659
00:35:30,719 --> 00:35:34,679
friday's a live show Front Office Friday for the fans.

660
00:35:35,000 --> 00:35:37,480
It's your show. You program it by asking us whatever

661
00:35:37,599 --> 00:35:39,440
questions you have. We have a lot of fun with that.

662
00:35:39,559 --> 00:35:42,599
So again, NBA Front Office Show on YouTube or anywhere

663
00:35:42,599 --> 00:35:43,800
you listen to podcasts.

664
00:35:44,079 --> 00:35:46,480
Speaker 1: Sounds good. Ben, thank you for for coming on for

665
00:35:46,519 --> 00:35:50,000
two episodes, and thank you for everyone listening in until

666
00:35:50,039 --> 00:35:53,480
we talk again, have a good one and stay safe everyone,