Speaker 1: What is up A fellow Sinko's I am Dan Pavali
coming at you with a brief intro before we get
to a podcast I wasn't planning on having, but Brian
Taporrek we did that Trade Value pod. Go check it
out YouTube, Spotify, Apple, Subscribe the whole nine. Don't forget
our merch stick a Mode collection. I keep wearing the
same things over and over again after I watch them.
But I'm also recording this the same day I recorded
something else, because why don't you see how freaking cool
it is. The feedback's been great. Go buy it, help
support the show. We really appreciate it. Where's I going
with this? Oh? Yes, Brian de Pork and I did
the Trade Value pod, but then we talked about three
things that ended up turning out to be their own podcast.
Length a little bit shorter than we normally published. We're
always like ninety minutes plus. Basically, it's the off season.
Let's be thankful we're putting out as much content as
we are. Quite frankly so about running forty forty five minutes.
We talk about Victor Wemberyamas ceiling in the NBA next
season right now, that was a really freaking interesting discussion.
We talk about brandon Ingram and the awkwardness in New
Orleans right now, the complicated nature of it, and then
finally we get into more sixers talk where we look
at Philly's options following the whole kJ Martin Human Traded
Player exception deal. Shout out to Brian, who is preparing
for or maybe I already had him by this, but
preparing for the birth of his second child with this
fantastic wife. So we wish him the best of luck.
It'll be a while before he comes back on again,
but I will miss him.
Speaker 2: I love him.
Speaker 1: He's one of my favorite people, very very nice, one
of my very favorite people in the world, not just
in this industry. So I hope you enjoy the show.
I think you will. It was a lot of fun.
And yes, let's get to chit chatting with Brian Zaporak
for I don't want to say one last time. But
it's gonna be a while before he comes back, and
I miss him already. I'm gonna let you pick the
final thing we talk about.
Speaker 2: All right, let's do we do? We could do the
Philly souff Could we already talk to Ingram to some extent,
and I'm sure it's all news at this point. Here
here's my five second Ingram spiel. The Pels would not
give him a max at you know, like a fair extension,
goof what max is? Five years to seventy certainly?
Speaker 1: Well if it gets a free agencies and right now
it's like four and two seven whatever?
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, yeah, damn man, I would be scared. Anything
over like I have two hundred would scare me, Like.
Speaker 1: I would you rather pay him or Jonathan Kaminga the
money you outlaid for Jonathan Minga? So the quickly deal?
Oh okay, well not the quick I guess five and
one seventy five. But let's do it in four year terms. Yeah,
let's say four and what one?
Speaker 2: Sure I'd rather gamble on Cominga's upside.
Speaker 1: I think, Wow, I don't think I could go that far.
Speaker 2: That's fair. I guess it's also dependent on where my
team is relative to contention, like if we're trying to
now you're trying to get Ingram, but if you're a
rebuilding team or like A would be a good example.
Speaker 1: It's like something you know. What I hate though, is
like brandon Ingram is a good player yeah, it's just
so hard to find. We'll be like, like that team
should go after him, because it's I don't want to.
Cleveland's a horrible fit that the scenario people keep thrown
out with. No, that's a terrible fit for Cleveland. They
have enough mouse to feed without inserting Bred and Ingram
in the fold. I thought about Memphis. I was like,
if Miami can, they can cobble together the money. But like,
now you're giving up what Duncan Robinson and Terry Rozier
and draft equity, and the Pelicans still aren't getting a
big so you need to involve all these other teams.
It's so hard to find a Brandon Ingram trade that
makes sense for both sides.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I do not have a good team
for him, which seems like a problem for both the
Pelicans and him because you know, again, I think there's
real risk for him, not that the floor is gonna
fall out to the point where he has to take
a minimum deal next year. I don't think that's realistic,
but like it's there are not a lot of teams
projected to have significant cap space next summer, right, so
the Pelicans have a lot of leverage over him, and
I do worry for him that he doesn't seem to
appreciate that right now.
Speaker 1: And so if you're them, though, I guess you could
risk turning him off to where he wouldn't resign with you.
But if you're looking at some of the offers that
are coming in and you don't think it aligns with
how valuable he is to your team, are you kind
of just letting this play out then, because you would
just be Okay, this might be imperfect, but we know
that we can make it work. And if he's not,
he's gonna have that reality check moment where he doesn't
get the max next summer, and so we'll keep him
at It's probably not like gonna be the most outrageously
low number. But if you're the Pelican, like, do you
view this as brand Ingram wants the max, so we're
gonna move him, and at we should move him at
not virtual any cost. But like I think a lot
of Pelicans fans if we went through which I will
not throughout actual brandon Ingram trade packages, I think Pelicans
fans will probably be mad at us for not getting
them enough. Would be my death. And so if you're
dealing with those types of offers and you're the Pelicans,
is it, Well, we're just never gonna find the common
ground on a number, or we'd rather just keep him
and re sign him because he's not gonna get this number.
Maybe a team will trade him and give it to him.
But my prediction would be that brandon Ingram this time
next year is not on a max deal. That would
be my prediction.
Speaker 2: I would agree with that. I think it depends on
what other moves they have lined up, because right now,
I mean, they don't have a clear good answer as
the starting center. He's the guy, okay, And you know,
if they keep Ingram, does that mean they're moving c. J. McCollum,
Because like, right now, they basically have six guys for
four spots, assuming Zion isn't gonna play the five. So
like you've got a logjam with CJ. De Jonte, Herb Jones,
Trey Murphy, Zion, and Brandon Ingram. So which two of
those guys are coming off the bench. It seems like
they want to get Trey Murphy into the starting lineup,
which I agree with. So like with that in mind, yes,
maybe it just makes sense to take the best offer
for Ingram this summer and not have to worry about
the next contract. But I could also see the argument
of oh, if you think he's just so egregiously misreading
the market and you think you can still have the
best offer for him next summer, you know, it's not
like what happened with Paul George and the Clippers, where
it's like, okay, we're standing pat we are you know,
we are drawing the line at three one point fifty
and if you get a bigger offer, we are not
raising it. I think if the Pelicans say we are
trying to line it, you know, three whatever, it is
like I make up a number. I don't care four
one sixty or something like that. I don't know that
he gets that. In free agent, there's not a clear like,
oh yeah, well these three teams are definitely going to
offer him a max contract. We don't go up. We're screwed.
It's like, all right, where to offer you four one
sixty and if you want it, take it, that's great.
If not play out the season, see what happens next summer,
our offer will still be on the table, and there's
a chance that's still the biggest offer you get.
Speaker 1: And I think you have a viable concern about well,
if you're trying to get Trey Murphy in the starting
five house that work out. I just don't find it
to be a big deal to say, hey, CJ, come
off the bench. But I guess if you're worried about
the shooting, but like Trey Murphy replaces that three point
volume and McCollum gives you some other creation off the
bench which you need. But he could also work where okay,
we need to stagger Ingram's ion McCollum can also play
off either one of them. And so I don't I
think a lot of people I'll probably say mostly outside
of New Orleans just view it as like, oh no,
like they need to move Ingram. This is a real
logistical hurdle and it's no, Like, the real hurdle is
that they have not set themselves up well at the
five and I don't know what the endgame is there,
and they've traded all there, not all there, but they've
traded their like medium sized salary matching fodder, and so
it's can we get someone that's making Jordan Hawkins money
or do we have to go nuclear and trade a CG.
McCollum er brandon Ingram to get an operable big man
in our and it's because I don't. I know, Pelicans
fans are high on a couple bigs in the roster
and think Daniel Tice is a good fit. But you
can't go into the season and be a team with
immediate aspirations that just traded first round picks for de
Jontay Murray with Daniel Tice as your starting center. And
I would think even if you want to close with
Zion at the five, you want to limit his time
at the five because he made so many strides defensively
at the four last year and just his body's going
through enough without saying like, yeah all the.
Speaker 2: Time, guy, right, exactly exactly.
Speaker 1: So how was that for not talking about brandon Ingram?
Did you still want to talk? I was gonna ask you.
So the Sixers, they're mostly done this offseason unless they're
gonna trade for someone who makes like a pittance. They
make the kJ Martin contract. People have called it, he's
a human trade exception. I would agree the numbers. I
know they had very little wiggle room under the apron.
But he's making He's two year, sixteen million dollars, So
he's non guarantee here. Two, So he's this eight million
dollar salary basicallying in the next year. How do you
how do we square this away? What can It's a
it's a multifoil question. What can the sixers realistically do
given their financial situation and what archetype is of right
now without seeing them play any games? And the benefit
here is they'll have information because he can't be traded
until December fifteenth, Like what type of player or a
certain name are you targeting? Is it someone that you
might have to step ladder your way to where it's well,
we're not just trading kJ Martin picks. It's kJ Martin,
it's Jared McCain, and it's Reggie Jackson's minimum salaries, So
we can bring back a fifteen million dollar player or
whatever it is.
Speaker 2: Right. Yeah, So they're over the first apron, which means
they can't take back more.
Speaker 1: Wildly impressive by the way to have used the room
exception signing Paul George with capspase, but now you are
over the first apron.
Speaker 2: Just to love I love that the new CBA did
not hardcap team that use the room exception because they
just did not account for this scenario. It seems like
this seems like a total loophole where you know, teams
that use like the taxpayer of a league and hardcapped
at the second apron the sex nor hard.
Speaker 1: Capt right now. Honestly didn't even realize it until like
the sixers were going. I was like, oh, like that
was I just assumed I.
Speaker 2: Was triple checking with people like leading up to free agency,
because I mean, there's a thing in the CBA called
the Transaction Restrictions Table, and it's not you know, it's
very specifically lays out every single thing you can do
that will hardcap you at either one of the aprons
in the room. The room MLL does not show up anywhere,
So it's like it isn't does.
Speaker 1: I guess they don't assume that teams wouldn't figure out
a way to spend themselves into that tier. And dal
Morey's like that, right, well, I.
Speaker 2: Mean, you know, it is such a rare thing where
it's like, Okay, we've got we've got a guy that
we want to max, but his cap hold is so
much lower than that that we're going to create, you know,
twenty plus million of artificial cap space. Then we're going
to do the same thing with kJ Martin to a
lesser extent.
Speaker 1: I guess I would argue though, like what the Sixers
did with MAXI is not novel, Like was the players
Union and the you know, the Board of Government, Like
they were just so used to teams like kind of
just if the players are worth at like Anthony Edwards
or like, you're just giving them the extension. It's it's
become almost taboo to make these guys wait, and it's
I don't think there's a now if you want to
get into a discussion about should there be restricted free
agency and that gets into well, then the should there
be a draft? But restricted free agency right now set
up the way it is. If you're a team, why
wouldn't you use that more to your advantage rather than
like with the Orlando is, like, I'm like, well, why
did they I know they're not gonna have a ton
of cap flexibility next summer, But I look at Franz
Wagner as, Okay, I understand why you max out Evan Mobley.
You're not gonna have cap space anyway, whatever, But like
with Fronz Wagner, you're really kind of punting on some
flexibility there.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean he was a high enough pick that
his cap hold would have still been significantly more like
MAXI was just this perfect storm of like latesh first
round pick and then still Max caliber player. So like
Shangoon is another guy who I think is going to
be in.
Speaker 1: This boat, like I know, oh he's not getting extended right.
Speaker 2: Well, you know, I know the rockets. There was talk
of like both Jalen and Green and Shangouon not getting extended,
and Shangoon makes sense for the cap space reason. They
can do the same thing with MAXI.
Speaker 1: Jan Green's caple I think is like thirty seven million,
very close to the max.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's monstrous. So there's no there's no financial reason
to hold off on an extension for Jalen.
Speaker 1: Green unless you want to him.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yes that's true, but yeah, you just want to
make sure the Mickey Mouse March stuff applies to October, November, December,
so on and so forth. Anyway, Uh yeah, so Philly over,
the first apron can't take back more than send out,
not about like eight point three at least by my math.
Under the second apron not hard capped, so they are
able to aggregate contracts. Daryl Morey keeps talking.
Speaker 1: And take back more money though, right, because.
Speaker 2: You cannot take back more money. I've been trying to
write an article for a week and then got completely
tract But hopefully we'll be out by the time this
podcast is live. Darryl Marius said they're going to leave
a roster spot open into the season, so they've got
thirteen guys under contract. After signing Reggie Jackson, they'll presumably
sign one more leave the fifteen spot open. He is
continuing in multiple interviews to highlight rebounding as their big
area of concern, so I think that is the thing
they will target with assuming they do move kJ Martin.
Try to find someone who is a good rebounder at
that crost problem being it's you know, I've gone through
the list of like just straight one for one squat possibilities.
None of these guys really address that. With one possible
exception like Jayshaun Tait, your boy Simone Fontechio, Gary Harris
this year, little Kendrick Williams might be my favorite of
the bunch.
Speaker 1: Oh that's interesting, let's just give okay seymour Pi Sure.
Speaker 2: Right, exactly that's what they need.
Speaker 1: What about I asked you about this earlier today, what
about Tarr Easton? Like if you if I know that,
I don't know what If you're the Rockets, you don't
go into it looking to trade Tarr Easton. But you
have Amen Thompson, you have Dylan Brooks, you have Jayshon
Tate who last year of his deal. But you also
you did this thing where you acquired those Phoenix picks,
And so I ask you if this is the package.
Let's say it's kJ Martin for the twenty twenty six pick,
which is gonna let's just say it ends up being
okay C's. It could tfically be Houston's own, I suppose,
but it's the Philly has less favorable of OKC, Houston
and the Clippers in twenty twenty six, plus the Clippers
twenty twenty eight first round pick. Now you're so, I'd
say kJ Martin those two picks for AJ Griffin and
h Tarr Easton. If you're Houston, before I ask you,
if you're due, if you're Philly, if you're Houston, would
you view that Clippers pick and the additional first rounder
as better for a consolidation trader Tarry Easton is more
valuable than those two picks. If again, looking at a
big move, because they're clearly setting themselves up to do
something on the trade market.
Speaker 2: I would think the Clippers pick me too, Yeah, And
it would make me like if if the Sixers were
trading their own twenty twenty nine first, I would be
more willing or eager to do that, Like I'm just
so luckyant to move that twenty twenty eight Clippers first
because it is fully unprotected and.
Speaker 1: We I mean, well, if you're I think, honestly, I
might prefer the Sixers pick in twenty nine because I mean,
if you're a front office employee and you don't have
job security that we can get, that's a different discussion.
But yeah, Joelle beat is thirty yep. Paul George is
thirty four yep, And I guess they have Tyres MAXI.
So that's then the Clippers don't have that young blue
chip building block, that is, he does not exist on
that team. So I get what you're saying with.
Speaker 2: That, ar, what's untouchable? How dare you, sir?
Speaker 1: I would say if I was Houston and not like
Brooks is having another good year, and I have men Thompson.
He looks like it, and we want to keep Jabbari. Look,
you have to deal with Alprin Shangoon and Jalen Green
next summer. Jabari Smith is the following summer. Even if
the plan is to keep two of those guys. If
I'm getting offered two first round picks for Tari East
and I'm probably and one of them is that Quippers
pick or the Philly pick, I'm probably doing it.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, I think you jump at it. If you're Houston,
would you do it?
Speaker 1: If you're Philly? If you get to pick what the
second first rounder is, are you considering it? Because they're
in an interesting spot. It'd probably be better for them
to get someone who's already under contract for longer. But
Tartes is not a max player because I proposed, like, hey,
what if lowery marketing doesn't get extended, is still on
the Jazz mid season and you could just give them
all the picks and step ladder of your way to
his salary. You're like, no, they can't afford that long term,
And you're right. That's also the like it's it's such
a weird number with the kJ Martin thin because it's
so it's not negligible, but it's so tiny that it's well,
who are you actually getting that would be worth giving
up a first round pick let alone plural for right.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Jerris Walker was one guy who came to mind,
if just depending on what Indiana does, because it does
seem like there's a log jam with him. Well or sorry, Siako,
Miles Turner, they just resigned to obi top and where
does Jeris Walker fit in. I know Jalen Smith's gone now,
so maybe that opens some minutes for him. But if
for whatever reason they are just you know, they have
to they like when they picked Jeris Walker, they know
they're gonna trade for past Palsiakham six months later, so
if they're open to moving him, like that's a young
enough guy that you know. I think part of the
issue is, like Philly is so in win now mode
that you need to be trading for guys who are
going to help with that mission. Like you proposed a
you were dming me earlier with like an off Star
Thompson trade idea.
Speaker 1: Which like, by the way I came up, I didn't
throw it to you. I came with a package that
would have gotten them both on Techio and Thompson. It
was it was because it was uh, it had jack
They couldn't take back more money though, was the issue.
But so it was a four for two, but you
were giving up McCain first round equity, Reggie Jackson, kJ Martin,
and the deal ended up being I think it was
two for it was what I sent you, but the
deal has expanded to justify the pick equity to get Fontachio,
NSR Thompson in there, who they make like sixteen million
combined basically.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and that, yeah, that's a tricky thing. I feel
like it's like they're so top heavy and then their
fourth highest paid player right now is Cable Martin, and
like I think kJ Martin I believe is ah, no,
Kelly Bray beats them by about but eight thousand, not
even eight thousand dollars seven point yeah well or no, sorry, yeah, no,
like eight thousand dollars good for him, that's amazing. Yeah.
Speaker 1: Is the situation though, where they were like this is
the year that they're not gonna like kick the tires
until next season when it's gonna be a little bit
financially more untenable for them to aggregate I would assume, right, you.
Speaker 2: Know, maybe if you swap out a J. Griffin for
Cam Whitmore, and maybe this is the deal breaker for Houston.
But if it's Tarry Easton and Cam Whitmore for kJ
Martin and the two picks, I probably do it.
Speaker 1: I think Houston says no, if you would, I don't
know what else you would need to like, you might
need to include. Is there a throwaway like third first
round back you really to include.
Speaker 2: In that because a pick swap? Maybe? Yeah.
Speaker 1: I think I think Houston says no. At that point,
I'm not gonna lie. Would you give up twenty six
and kJ Martin just the everything for IOH?
Speaker 2: Yeah? Probably because that I mean that twenty six picks
is gonna be okay, it's gonna suck.
Speaker 1: I would assume, but Tom just want I don't know
if the Bulls would do it. I'm curious if you would.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that I don't value very much because I think
it's gonna.
Speaker 1: Be a It does not help their rebounding, though I
think Tar Easan will legitimately help the rebound. That's why
I came up with him.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and Cam Whitmore, they could finally start combating this
Villanova nonsense up in New York.
Speaker 1: Jealous much, you guys. McHale bridges, that's not my right,
that's right.
Speaker 2: Couldn't even keep it for one day? Come on? Uh?
Speaker 1: But I yeah, So you think it's gonna end up
being someone who probably addresses the rebounding. And I guess
if there's like, do you could you envision a scenario
were they step laddered or you could mostly see that. Okay,
maybe it's kJ Martin and Jared McCain for a whatever,
it is a twelve million dollar player rather than just
strictly looking at guys who make eight.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I could see them packaging Martin with
I mean I could with McCain, especially after you know,
you don't want to read too much in the summer league.
But he was did not necessarily impressed during the summer league.
The shooting was a little scary. So if for whatever
reason they don't think that's gonna pan out, I think
they are approaching it with I think Mary said this
he wanted to write s Ricky Sands the podcast the
other day and said, like we were drafting with the
attention of like getting someone who is gonna help us,
but also getting someone who will maintain value as an
asset in case we do need to move him down
the line.
Speaker 1: So I mean with Kyle Lowry and Reggie Jackson and
Tyrese Maxie on the roster, Like, how much is Jared McCain.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, he's not gonna play in all this year.
Speaker 1: Yeah, well or he might, but disaster truck at that point, right.
Speaker 2: Right, Yeah, if he's playing a lot, something went really wrong.
Speaker 1: So yeah, I mean, they're just they're fascinating because they
have so many first round picks that they can trade. Yeah,
and like it's just I understand what you're saying about
they need to factor in the future payroll. But like
they might have another like I would call you don't
want to say, a blockbuster, but they have like they
might have another semi big move in them, which is
to say, after everything they just did.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, like I don't think Minnesota would move
off with nas Reed, but if they could get nas
Reed immediately, whatever it takes, whatever it takes Kelly Olyntox,
another guy in like the twelve thirteen million dollar range,
you guy, it would take. Like that's the problem. It's
gotta basically be a twour really a three for one
unless you're giving up one of Ubra, Martin or Drummond,
which I don't think they'd want to do because like
Martin and McCain get you to basically twelve million flat,
but Alynox a little bit more than that, uh Nas
reads more than that, and Yeka Conglu would be another one.
I don't think Atlanta has any interest in giving him
up for the package like this.
Speaker 1: If he doesn't extend, you know, it would be interesting.
Jalen Johnson, how many first round takes?
Speaker 2: Yes, would fire the clip for Jalen Johnson. What Larry Nance?
Speaker 1: Maybe that'd be interesting. I don't know if I'm giving
up a first round pick for Larry Nance, though.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I wouldn't be psyched about that.
Speaker 1: Do you know what I thought about too? But I'm
just as based off what they gave up. I'm assuming
they didn't view it. But like you could step ladder
your way. What if Portland decided we're gonna get Denny
Auvia just to flip him for more first round picks
from the Sixers, then we gave up to get him.
We're not high on this draft anyway, So you guys
take bub Carrington in this twenty with they of the
twenty twenty nine picked that they sent and then we're
just gonna flip him to Philly later on for like
a bunch of first.
Speaker 2: Yeah, he's that's another one where it's just like, it's
tough to get the fifteen point six million.
Speaker 1: If it's a four for two, I think, and I
don't even know if that get I didn't do the
math in my head yet, but it'd be four. It
probably have to be Counsel Jackson and then the other
two kJ Martin and Jared McCain. Maybe that gets you there.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, Eric Gordon did sign, so you signed
a two your deal, so his cap hits a little
higher than the normal minimum. It's three point three instead
of two point one.
Speaker 1: So that's pissing off all these former Rockets like James
Harden and Pucker didn't seem thrilled with him by the
end either.
Speaker 2: So yeah, well he gave PJ. Tucker more money than
anyone else is gonna get PJ. Tucker come on even
that though, like Martin McCain, Eric Gordon only gets you
to fifteen point three. Denny's at fifteen point six, so
you have to That's when you wait until the summer
of twenty five, twenty six when Denny goes down. And
that's the other thing kJ Martin. So I didn't check
when his So you mentioned the second years non guaranteed.
Don't remember when the guaranteed date is. I think it's not, Yeah,
not until January, So like, oh wow, this is not
just a one year trade ship.
Speaker 1: So the one year I didn't realize the guarantee date
was that late.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean they can easily go into next off.
You can keep him on the roster. He'll at eight
point two five million at that point. See what else
I mean again, there's no guarantee that.
Speaker 1: The Thunder decided to move lou Dort. That'd be interesting. Yeah, yeah,
I mean just because they have Caruso, they have Jay Dubb, obviously,
they have Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins. Maybe they're super
high on Dylan Jones, Cason Wallace. Is there not advocating
for them to move lou Dort. I'm just I just
think they can get themselves into spicier conversations than any
team that just did what they did have a business doing.
Is where I'm at with the Sixers.
Speaker 2: Yeah, because they think they have four first that.
Speaker 1: They can move, so just a team values Jared McCain
as even a late first at this point out like
it's it has the drive off the lot effect, I'm sure.
But yeah, like that's a four million dollar number two though,
to attach to kJ Martin. So it does open your
well of options, I would think a little bit more.
Speaker 2: Yeah, And I mean most of these guys are under
contract beyond next season or could be under contract beyond
next season, so like they're they're not going to be
they're not ever going to have cap space again basically
with as long as that being George and Max here
in town. But like, are they able to sneak under
the second or the first apron somehow next offseason? And
maybe that enabled them to take back more than they
send out. Probably depends on what happens with Kelly Bray Jr.
Because he's got second year player option. I'm assuming he's
just gonna opt out and re sign for more Bobby Ports.
Speaker 1: Well, the way the market on fold of this year,
maybe not.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's true, that's true. That's true. That's a good point. Yeah,
maybe he takes the money and then then he's got
Foldberg really crazy ahead. Well, I I'm assuming they sold
him on because I think I forget where more he
said this, but he said, uh Uber had bigger offers elsewhere,
but they.
Speaker 1: They always have bigger offers elsewhere. That turned down.
Speaker 2: That's that's a fair point, except for Caleb Martin. He
had a bigger offer Elsmere and he turned it down
to the time.
Speaker 1: For us, I have other topics for you. Yes, so,
mister Bryant Tapork, Victor webin Yama will be the what
best player by the end of the twenty twenty four
twenty twenty five NBA season?
Speaker 2: It is so hard not to go very reckless.
Speaker 1: Well, the issue with him is, I'm wondering what there.
I'm sure there is something you could say that would
be reckless. But the problem with Victor woman Yama is
he is so good that nothing seems hyperbolic or reckless.
Speaker 2: Right. Well, yeah, I think if you said he would
be the single best player in the NBA.
Speaker 1: Well, okay, hold on, I'm not, I'm not. This would
not be my pick. I want to make it absolutely clear.
If the Spurs are sixth or something in the Western
Conference next season, is there a there's a non zero
chance that he just wins the MVP Award.
Speaker 2: Right, I've considered throw five dollars on him just for like,
why not?
Speaker 1: Although does p odds or they even like, do they
have odds?
Speaker 2: I have No, I haven't looked, but I would assume
they're not great.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean I would agree with you. I'm you
just curious, like or is everyone thinking along the same
lines as you? And so it's kind of just like
the Lakers effect of their odds are always going to
be inflated, deflated however you want to phrase it, but
their payouts not going to be as lucrative because so
many people are just investing in them to win the title.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, so he's a that is, he is plus
eighteen hundred on FanDuel. So I would not actually put
money on that because that is not high enough. But
I know for DPOY, he's already like the yeah, a
minus one ninety favorite two months before yeah what two
months before the season starts? Like that's just insane. But
I mean, I think that speaks to part of the
dilemma here. It's wild to have such a commanding DPOY
favorite at this portion of the off season, but that's
that's the expectation for him, like here on out he
is a annual DPOY candidate, and then what he I think,
to your point, like the evolution he showed throughout last
season was frankly horrifying because you just don't see that.
You just don't see that type of improvement like during
the season, like most improved player typically goes to a
guy who just got way better from one season to
the next. Like if we were doing if most improved
player was who improved the most over the course of
the season, it should have been Webby last year. And
there's no reason to think it's not going to continue
along that development path because he he just seems to
be wired the right way, and it seems like the
people around him have been very conscientious about his health,
knowing that he is this like such a unique prospect
and that they've really been focused on, like let's build
up your lower body. Let's I know, leading up to
the draft, there was like so much focus on like
him working out his big toe, which was like something
I had just never heard of for a big man.
But apparently that's one of the big contributors to these injuries.
So all that is to say, like I think I
still have him behind Jokic, Luca Sga, probably Embiid, although
I don't feel great about that. Embid did drop seventy
on them though, so I'll give it to Embid for
one more year. Joanness, maybe Lebron, maybe Steph Like I
think he's clearly going to be a top ten player
by the end of the year. Wouldn't shock me if
he's nudging up into the top like six or seven.
Speaker 1: Conversation, that feels like it might be the right number.
And it's just I think what's gonna come down to
is it might depend on how you value defense, because
he might he's a defensive monster. But also just I
don't do we collectively have we appreciated how how many
strides he made offensively last year? He was shot to
close the season, so after he gets basically moved to
being the Spurs' primary big But that was about it
was in early December. He shot through the end of
the season thirty eight point seven percent on pull up triples.
That's like, that's wild. When you look at the players
who attempted as many or more pull up triples as
he did during that span, the list of them who
hit them at a higher clip or tree, Young Darius Garland, de'angelo, Russell,
Kyrie Irving, Jamal Murray, CJ. McCollum, and Mike the God Conley.
And it's just like one of these names is not
like the others. Like there are all these guards they're
ones or two's, and there's Victor Wembinyamo who's he's not
even a position, He's like a thingamabob. And I like
the fact that he has that in addition to just
the IQ on his vision and his passing, especially when
he had space in San Antonio. I know progress isn't linear,
but like this, this was how watch it on YouTube,
Like it's just good. It was just going up the
entire season last year. And so you named the players
that I would not be prepared to say, there's only
four players to me that I think you look at
and say he won't be better than them by the
end of next year. And that's Jokic, that is Shay,
that is Luca and that is uh, who am I forgetting?
Is it only three?
Speaker 2: Oh?
Speaker 1: I would say no, I'd like I'd probably throw Jannis
in there. I'm willing when you factor an availability with
the embeid stuff, I'd throw him in there. I just
Lebron has kind of fallen off that. I know Jalen
Brunson is having a moment. I know Jason Tatum is
out there, but look, Jason Tatum can't even get minutes
for TUSA.
Speaker 2: What are we you in here taking Lemmy over Jason
Tatum right now?
Speaker 1: Like that Patrol right Like, I'm not on the Jason
Tatum not getting minutes. But I'm gonna say he will be.
I'm myself a one player cushion and say that he
will be. I guess it's the same answer as you
as you said sixth or seventh, and I'm gonna say
fifth or sixth like this is. I think we're gonna
be talking about him in the first team All NBA
conversation next year. I do. Do you worried all though
about how the Spurs' performance could technically impact that for
him to where it's I think you look at the
numbers and they killed people when he played with Devin
Vessel and Trade Jones, Zach Lows sided it a million times.
But if you take Devin Vessel out of that and
just put in Trade Jones, they were still like a
plus six per underd possessions. You've now given him CP
three another year of Devin Vessel competent. I know Kings
fans think that Harrison Barnes is like the worst player alive,
but you gave him like another kind of competent forward option,
at least offensively, in Harrison Barnes. There's like, you know,
they could be better, but there's a chance they're still bad.
The West is brutal, and maybe the Spurs kind of
steer out of it. I don't think they would because
they signed CP three, but maybe it was done under
the agreement of we're gonna give you this money and
if we need to move you mid season, we'll we'll
do that. Do you think that that could repress his
ranking at all? Because people are so You could look
at the minutes when we played and be like, oh,
like they're beaten teams by like ten points for one
hundred posesions when he is on the court. But the
Spurs record is still they won twenty seven games, So
he can't be the fifth best player in the NBA.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think it could affect to the All NBA candidacy.
I don't think it should be held against him in
like the who's the best player in the NBA conversation,
And maybe that might sound like those should not be
those two things should go together, like in theory, the
five best players should be on all NBA first team.
But I think, as you said, obviously now the minimum
game requirement, so if he doesn't play sixty five games,
he's not even gonna be in that conversation. But I
think team success factors more into that where I don't
take that into consideration when I'm just thinking, like, okay,
who's the best player of this group? And you know,
like if I'm sure Celtics fans will be furious that
I said I would take Victor Webenjamo over Jason Tatum,
but like swap the two and which team is better
next year? You know, like, all right, the Celtics better
with Wenby than they are with Tatum? Are the Spurs
better with Tatum than they are with Wenby? I think
there's a clear answer there.
Speaker 1: Yeah, oh man, that's just such a those are waters
I don't want to have to traverse the next season
where I do. And look, they're I'm not even putting
down their fans with like Celtics fans with Tatum Nick's
I've already seen some like player rankings come out. I've
seen where Jalen Brunson has been ranked, and I'm like,
all right, Like, Jalen Brunson had a fantastic year, but
are we really putting him in the top five conversation
right now?
Speaker 2: Uh?
Speaker 1: So, Like, but they're gonna have cases and there are,
I mean, Sixer fans with Embiid will probably feel the
same way. I think Timberwolves fans with Anthony Edwards. I'd
still take Wenby over And look, maybe we're sipping the
Wenby cool aid. We'll find out. But that is and
it was most of last season. This isn't oh he
got hot. No, this isn't Jalen Green waking up in March.
This is Victor wemen Yama getting to play in position
or the proper position as of early December and then
just tear ring every other team a new one at
both ends of the floor for the rest of the
year as a rookie. There he finished. And this is
I'm sorry, this is the thing I can't get over.
Rudy Gobert is one of the best defensive players of
our lifetime. He's a generational defender, and Victor wabin Yama,
like could have won Defensive Player of the Year last year.
Like technically no, I think Rudy Gobert he was my pick.
He should have won it. He was second as a
rookie to the only like to this generational guy, and
it wasn't because people were hopped up on the next
big thing. It was, oh no, he's just like dominant
on the end of the four I just I don't,
I honestly don't think if you predicted that he was
gonna be the best player in the league, YEA would
call reckless. I'd called bullshit. But he has rendered the
concept of hyperbole null and void. Basically, I'm right with you.
Speaker 2: I mean, it would not shock me if he's the
best player in the NBA while he's still on his
rookie contract. I'll say that, much like by the end
of year four.
Speaker 1: When's the last time that happened? Was Lebron ever at
that point on his rookie deal, probably yeah, he was
like the best player in the league by year three.
Speaker 2: Right, Kobe Sands may disagree.
Speaker 1: But well they would be wrong, but that's so. Lebron
in year three was second in MVP voting. First Team
All NBA. So, and that was the year who maatione.
If it's the year that Kobe won MVP two thousand
and five, two thousand and six, who was the MVP
that year? That was a Nash year? Right that? Dir No,
that was a Nash year. So he finished second to Nash,
which means he probably should have finished first. Uh yeah,
I think Lebron would have to be the the last
time that that's happened, right, And if it's not Lebron,
is it was Jordan the best player in the league
by the end of.
Speaker 2: That was like the peak of Burning Magic still, right, So.
Speaker 1: Then it would probably have been one of them, like
Magic or somebody who did like these or like just
coming out the gate and dominating. So I didn't even
think of it that So I'm gonna ask you, will
Viktor woman Yava be the best player in the NBA
before his rookie contract is up? He's got three more years, Yes,
I think. So I'm not going to rebuke it. I'm
not going to make a pick myself because I'm choosing
not to. But I don't have an argument again it.
Speaker 2: Maybe I've sipped a lot of the kool aid, but like,
as soon as I saw that guy, it was you know,
I don't know if he merited the same skepticism coming
in the NBA that Luka Doncic did from some people
out there, but yeah, as soon as we set on
the flayers, like, oh, okay, I get it, I can
I understand. I understand why everyone's freaking out about this guy.
This makes total sense. So yeah, like I there, there
is just no there is nothing outside of his possible
range of outcomes, including best player of all time.
Speaker 1: I mean it's not, it's not.
Speaker 2: I mean, just who else has the package of dpoy
favorite as a sophomore in the NBA, plus can also
shoot threes, average twenty five points in the game. He
average twenty is the rookie White Canny average twenty five
in the next way, He's got Chris Paul playing all year.
Speaker 1: I think the only argument, and I'll give it. I
don't want to ever have to talk about it unless
it actually happens, because there is legitimacy to it. But
if you're harping on, well, maybe he his body just
won't hold up. That is almost the only argument against
this guy will not be the best player in the NBA.
For a sustained period of time at some point.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and we shall all be rooting against that because.
Speaker 1: That would really Yeah guy, I mean he's so fun.
Speaker 2: Yeah yeah, I mean he's like I haven't played NBA
two K in a long time, but like back when
you did create a player, he's the exact type of
player you would create, a seven foot four guy who
could block every shot and shoot threes. That's he's He
is the most.
Speaker 1: Create that he create a player because you would think
that was too big, but he doesn't. He doesn't look
too big to play basketball. He just looks like great,
you know, Grant would say it this way. He looks
like a basketball player who's seven to four just happens
to be seven to four. It's not seven and four
guy who was forced to play basketball.
Speaker 2: Yes, that's a good way to put it. Yeah, I
guess the uh I didn't. I haven't played since they
like starting all the micro transaction stuff, so it's probably
too expensive to build your own Victor web and Yama.
Speaker 1: Now, mister Tapoak, thank you forgiving me so much of
your time for one last time for a while. It
was a blast. As always, are you able to tell
our listeners though, as usual where they can find you
in all the great work that you continue to push out.
Speaker 2: Yes, although I don't know how much cook I'm going
to be pushing out for the next few weeks. You
can find me on Twitter at b T O P
O R e K. I've been very dormant there and
very much might stay dormant, so I can't promise that
I'm going to be pushing a ton of article there,
but follow me at Forbes at Liberty Bollers the career there.
It does great work, especially if you care about the
Sixers or hate the Sixers, which apparently seems to be
most of the NBA based on then the Team USA
this summer. So if you want to just jump in
the comments section and call Joel and bed a communist
or whatever the hell is going on these days.
Speaker 1: That was That was Gilbert Arenas in the comment section,
which it might.
Speaker 2: Be it might oh yeah, oh my god, don't get
me started on uncle you.
Speaker 1: No, we don't even need to dignimy. That's one of
the I like to dunk on people sometimes, but that
was one like, now, we don't need to give airtime
to what he actually said, because disgusting.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I guess Royce White needed company and they just
you've gone so far off the rail, like, how did
we get from point A to point being? So congratulations
gil you're making a name for yourself.
Speaker 1: Gilbert Arena ass Am, I right, Welton weal din h.
Thank you so much, Brian, this was great. I know
you'll be back on again in the future, but we
all here with you the best of luck as you
welcome your second child, and with your continued coverage you
remain the best there. Thank you so much for all
your time, as always, of.
Speaker 2: Course anytime den to the book by name