Speaker 1: What is up, fellowsikos, I am Dan Favalley coming at
you with the one the Only, Mort Jensen of NBA podcast,
fame of Yahoo Sports, fame of Forbes, fame of HBO,
Max fame now and also most notably of OnlyFans celebrity,
mister Mort Jensen. Before we talk. We're here to talk
about just extensions, all signed by not They're not all
conventional rookie extensions because a couple of them came from
second round picks or undrafted guys. But we're gonna get
into what we think of the extensions, as well as
talk about the players who did not sign extensions, because
sometimes that is just as fascinating. We haven't had a
chance to do that. We thought it'd be a good
time to do it now as we're still mainlining the
start of the NBA season. Now I can ask you,
mister mort Jensen, how the heck are you doing?
Speaker 2: I am doing very very well, thank you. This is
one of the first times that I've actually been healthy
over the course of like a month or so, because
remember when I was just a mess, to be honest
with you, just a mess that was like for a
month and a half. Now I've been healthy and feeling
good for like a month. So obviously, as I say
this out loud, I just jinxed my ass. But no,
I'm I'm I'm having a blast the NBA season this underway. Now,
got a new job, as you alluded to, so I
can't complain.
Speaker 1: Well, we're here for the complaints, so try and find one.
Speaker 2: Well, that's gonna be tough, man, it's a it's good vibes.
Speaker 1: You want to complain about the Bulls number ranked defense,
number one ranked defense, go ahead.
Speaker 2: You don't want Honestly, I don't have a lot to
complain about with the Bulls because I've noticed something. If
we want to get there a little.
Speaker 1: No, that's not what this podcast is when you stay
on topic. I was what I actually wanted to ask
you was before we dig into the extensions, like go
extension by extension, did you note any themes coming out
of these negotiations or any thoughts that you had, like
just coming out of the rookie extension season about where
these types of transactions are headed.
Speaker 2: It's funny you ask that because I've wrote about that
over at Yahoo Sports and basically almost like, oh you
did well. Now I'm flattered. Technically, I'm you know, we
don't know with certain absolute certainty whether you know, two
players picking up the qualifying offer is going to have
like a sort of effect on the future market. We
don't know that it depends on the amount of money
being available and whatnot, but it does feel like restricted
free agency players are realizing just the deadness of it
that it's just no longer a viable option for them
to go in and earn their money. So they seem
to be split into two camps. One there's the camp
that just goes, I'm going to bet on myself so
much that I'm going to be like a max contract player,
so I become you know, quote unquote unavoidable. The second
camp is the new Kola Yovic camp, where you just go, oh,
you know, I'll sign whatever you put in front of
me because I just don't want to go through that
whole thing with the uncertainty and you squeezing me and
and everything involved there. So it's going to be fascinating
to see over the next couple couple of years how
players adjust to this market, because how long has it
been since we've seen like a true offer sheet, like
three off seasons ago somewhere along. Is that real?
Speaker 1: It was a real one.
Speaker 2: It was a real one. Yeah, But like it's it's
something that has changed the market a little bit. Like
you know, the the raw idea of restrictiveree agency is
nice because it basically means you can go out and
sit your market, you can get paid, which you're hopefully
looking to get paid. That option is fully taken away now,
So like, what is the insensive of players to go
into that market? Which is something I think that's a
fascinating question moving forward.
Speaker 1: Do you think if they decrease the amount of time
and I know they already have, but decrease the amount
of time incumbent teams have to match, if that would
do anything. What if it was just this hour or
two hour clock, and so people are giving out offer
sheets like three o'clock in the morning, and an alarm
goes off somewhere in you know, Charlotte's headquarters, that Brandon Miller,
when he's a restricted free agent, got this offer sheet
from Detroit out I'm just pulling stuff out of my
butt right now. One. I feel like that would make
for a ton of interesting anecdotes. But I do wonder
if you remove the time or how much time these
teams have to match, would that make another team more
in cline because that's part of the other thing too,
is a lot of free agency stuff isn't happening. So
I actually think that this excuse is stupid. Now, but
where you don't want to tie up your cap space
or your money, like let's say you're offering an exception
in someone else knowing you're not going to get them,
and I understand that, but then it's also what moves
are you sitting on at this point you look at
what's become a free agency in general.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's super interesting. I want that. I see. I
think we should have one off season where we just
go absolutely nuts, like one one hour to match basically,
that's that's that's a rule we all can.
Speaker 1: Only be given out between. We'll make like a certain
window like between twelve pm Eastern time and what like
six pm, like just a six hour window, and that's
where all the RFA business needs to happen.
Speaker 2: Boom, there we go. See now that's actually putting some
mustard on the whole thing. And more to it, the
month before we need to do something even more drastic
just to get everyone wild the NBA Draft lottery one
hour before the draft.
Speaker 1: Oh that was I guess there's not a ton of
transactions that would kill the draft day transaction market.
Speaker 2: Though, but it would be fun. Like imagine eight seam
just coming up from like, oh, we're respecting it to
draft twelve. Oh now, how we're picking one?
Speaker 1: Like, I mean, it's easy when there's a Cooper flag
in the draft, but you're putting them in a weird
position where if it was the year before, where it was, well,
we're gonna take saar Resche or who are you gonna
take there? That's I don't know if I would be
a fan of that one. And also the problem with
my window one, you're encouraging tampering at that point because
these contracts in theory can't be negotiated within.
Speaker 2: Like all right, because any right, And.
Speaker 1: So I care about the integrity of the NBA, But
I was when I was going through these extensions too,
because I do think what's happening with restricted free agency
is kind of just a larger sign of what's happened
to the NBA offseason in general, is that there's less
transacting on the free agency market. I don't know what
brings it back. I thought you and I have actually
talked about this. I think I thought we'd get to
a point where the money would just matter so much
that players wouldn't betting on their own under I mean,
I thought the money would just matter so much that
these guys would want to hit free agency. And it doesn't.
Maybe it's it will happen, but more the money's gotten
pretty insane and we're not seeing it happen.
Speaker 2: No. And look, I get it, like players want the security,
they want the extensions, and that's why these superstars, like
remember back in the day when it was sort of
this thing where I want to experience free agency. I
want to be whined and dined like Lebron James going
on his tour in twenty ten.
Speaker 1: Where you're being held captive.
Speaker 2: Right, one of the greatest nights on Twitter of all time,
basically Carmelo Anthony going on his tour just to shop
around and ultimately re signing with the Knicks and.
Speaker 1: The Laker's putting Stay D twelve on a billboard.
Speaker 2: That wasn't thirsty at all. But like that is that
is the challenge, right, Like that has that has gone?
Now that entire thing is gone. Now players and teams
are just like, hey, yo, so you wanna you probably yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1: These conversations are happening in like January, right.
Speaker 2: Right, yeah no, But like it's it's funny how informally
it is now. Right, It's basically just you know, ad
walking around and shoot around to someone and someone coming
down like yo, want to come talk? Okay, like the
thing he walks out like one hundred and eighty million.
It's just that is the way things are done now,
and it's not really all that interesting for fans, which
I actually I think the NBA greatly enjoyed that fans
were part of that, like that in whole experience. Remember
when they had these major free agency shows and they
leaned into it, like they still have those shows, but
those shows are like water now compared to you know,
ten years ago, because what is the conversation, Oh, who
has their Emily left?
Speaker 1: It was so grant and I have done a block
of Bleacher reports free agency, so in the past two
or three years, definitely less two. And it was in
the summer of twenty twenty four the KCP contract news
hits like right away, and so we were like, oh,
this is gonna be it's about to get nuts, and
that ended up being the biggest move we talked about
like all night, and Adam Silver had mentioned that basically,
this isn't verbatim, but I think he had said that
that's not really They're not focused on transactions in the offseason,
and I think that is one in a necessary, slash
and enviable thing to say when games are happening. But
you are a league that has allowed your league partners
and just allowed the League Excel to market the league
itself as this product of transactions as teams, players changing
teams via trades, via free agency, and you've made that
part of your DNA. I do think there's been points,
you know, we you too far in that direction. We
want to talk about the actual games, developments on the court,
but they're at this weird crossroads because as much as
there's look, there's issues with any type of coverage. I'm
not defending the coverage, but the NBA doesn't get to
sit up there. If you like the NBA sitting up
there and denouncing sports betting when it's no you directly
campaigned for this.
Speaker 2: Basically, yeah, I agree, I agree, let's bring back free
agency in some capacity because this is just this is
a snoo list.
Speaker 1: Yeah, That's what I was gonna ask you, is what
is the way that or that you could see it
coming back? Because the only thing I've come up with
and we've yet to see it. I thought d Aaron
Fox might have been a flashpoint to where and Trey
Young still could be. He was another name I had
circled to where I thought he wouldn't be this no
brainer max guy. And if he thought he was a
MAX guy, would he then play it out? And Trey
Young still he doesn't have an extension, but he has
that player option. Daron Fox already kind of just signed.
So I'm wondering if it gets to is it the
I don't want to say the top top tier superars,
but is it the the regular stars the not let's
let's say perennial all NBA guys who decide teams are
trying to squeeze me or give me less than the
max because of the way the salary cap is structured
with the quote unquote threat of the aprons, and are
they the ones that go to the Jaylen Brown, for instance,
had he been super Max eligible this summer instead of
a previous one and said, Oh, you're not gonna give
me the full boat. Why would I'm not gonna sign this,
I'll let it right out. I don't know if that's
I sound. If I sound unconvinced, it's because I'm not.
Speaker 2: Yeah, no, no, because because like the team, teams need
money to actually go out and sign guys, and that's
where that's where the issue lies. Like again, teams are
loading up pretty quickly on these extensions as I talked
about before, and they're extending a lot of players and
they just don't have, you know, the money to go
out and sign as the Aaron Fox or a Chilean
Brown unless you're you're basically saying, hey, Jalen, do you
want to sign for less? Which just kind of puts
him back in the same situation he would technically in
this you know, hypothetical have been in Boston, because the
whole idea of leaving a franchise who low balls you
is to go out and get your money elsewhere. If
that money isn't on the market, that is the biggest
in my eyes, at least the number one issue with
a bullet like who has the money like the and
then you have the interest levels, so the nets, for example,
had oodles of cash. Sure, were they interested in going
out and signing a veteran guy. No, No, they had
no intention of that. They wanted to rebuild. They wanted
to use their cap space in order to rent it out,
which kudos, like they're not doing anything wrong. Well, you
could argue the way they spent their five first round
draft picks is all. We'll circle back to that one
in a couple months. But I you know, they're not
going to go in and say, oh, let's accelerate the
timeline after being what into your one of the rebuilt
That's just not a thing. So for them, you're looking
at the midsier teams, then well, the midshr teams are
already like semi capped out, Like they have two guys
on forty million dollar contracts, they have a couple in
fifteen sixty million dollars. They can't afford to go out
and sign someone to like forty five, forty six, forty
seven million. So like, at the end of the day,
that's the challenge that is finding teams who are legitimately
flush with cash and who are intriguing and actually trying
to get better immediately.
Speaker 1: Which the issue is kind of circular too, because the
reason teams aren't gonna have all this money is in
a lot of cases they're signing extensions for players themselves,
like a lot of the non star guys. There's we
veered outside of rookie extension territory, but this is all
just tied together where it feels like interest in reaching
let's call RFA the semi open market, that feels like
it's at somewhat of an all time low. So you
have these teams that are giving out extensions, which is
money that's going to be on their books, and you
approach it from two perspectives. As a player, especially if
you have the clout, why might as well just guarantee
myself money and then I will force myself out once
my trade restriction lifts if I need to. And then
as a team, it's what's the point of having cap
space when you have no one to spend it on.
If we're gonna make trades, we need matching money anyway.
And I don't know, I don't even know. Is it
a stretch to call it a problem? I guess I
just don't know what brings back free agency in the NBA.
I don't know We're never going to be back to
the halcyon days of the DeAndre Jordan being held captive
in twitters a lot, because those meetings, those type of
meetings don't take place anymore. It's all the negotiations, like you,
at some point, it's the question might be like which
NBA team is most likely to have the first chat GPTGM,
that's just doing all that, Like probably the Kings would be.
My vote might be the one.
Speaker 2: So yeah, it's it's in.
Speaker 1: I don't even know if I want to call it
an issue. It's an issue if the reporting we still
get where the Lakers have set themselves up for twenty
twenty seven cap space, so that heat have done this
when Jokic and Luca could have been free agents. Luca's
already not going to be a free agent, and why
should we believe that Jokic is going to be a
free agent at that time anyway, And that makes those
reports ring hollow. And I don't know what would bring
free agency back. It almost feels as if a rule
would need to be implemented specifically with the design of
incentivizing players to want to.
Speaker 2: Go into free and see I think the only argument
I could find towards someone being interested in the return
of free agency. Are some of the players who feel
a bit left out perhaps, who know that, Oh, if
I were on the open market in the old days,
you know, I would get the full non TAC semi
league or something like that. Now I'm because of the
current situation that I'm in. Everyone is capped out. Everyone
is looking at the aprons. I'm gonna have to sign
for like seven million a year. Like those are the
players that are probably getting screwed a little bit who
would want to see free agency return earn in some capacity.
But I think most guys are actually just fine with
the current setup because they get paid when frankly they
want to get paid. Like Luca could have chosen not
to sign anything. That offer was just there. You know,
I was surprised initially. I I know, we hadn't had
any reports on it whatsoever, But I thought he had
an eye on San Antonio because the Spurs could have
had max cap space next year, like they wouldn't have
had to, you know, retain Darren Fox for example, and
Fox wasn't on it. He was on an expiring deals
is you could have gone into that summer and then
if Luca was like, hey, wemby tho, Spurs would be like, oh, Arren,
it was nice. You wanted to come here, Now go
find a new home like they could have done that,
but instead Luca was like, I want to I want
to extend. Then the Spurs went to Daron Fox and
was like, hey, you know what, sure, let's let's extend
your ass as well. That's the way it's built now
and players are getting paid and no one is batting
an eye. It's only for us who cover the league
and for the fans that we lose out on an
entertainment product.
Speaker 1: And I think a lot of the guys were about
to talk about or illustrations of how much has changed?
How's that for a segway to where it's no they
got noticed a lot of these guys just might have
bet on themselves previously where they knew their teams would
have give them more money, or they would have trusted
there will be at least one team out there that
gives me an offer sheet that I can leverage. Dyson
Daniels of the Atlanta Hawks, so he signs a four year,
one hundred million dollar deal flat twenty five million dollars
per year average of and I think it's important to
talk about these things now and percentages of the cap
because the dollar figures are so high. It's an average
of fourteen percent of the salary cap.
Speaker 2: It has no feaking steal. Oh freaking steal.
Speaker 1: Okay, I disagree why I don't think. I want to
make it clear. I don't think it's a bad deal.
Speaker 2: It's what fifteen percent of the cap? Next to your
serf for one of the best defenders in the league,
how dare you?
Speaker 1: Okay? Well, and if you asked the gmser if a
one of the most versatile defenders in the league, which
would probably disagree with there. I think is someone who
is does what he does on defense, like where you're
looking at someone who can blow up like an entire
guy's night. Tyson Daniels is spectacular. He's had one and
I know you could say this is an issue of role.
He didn't have the opportunity or the usage in New Orleans.
We're talking about one season's worth of evidence, and you've
now decided that this is someone who is a fifteen
percent of the salary cap. Guy, I guess it's I
don't have an issue. I don't think he's overpaid. I
just don't this feels about right for someone who still
has a very limited track record for what the based
off what he did last year, and there's still some
there's a pretty big question mark in his game on
offense when it comes to do you trust that he's
gonna hit floaters enough or will he ever develop kind
of a consistent yeah, perimeter game.
Speaker 2: I hear that. I totally do. And look, if this
had been like twenty percent of the cap, I would
have sat there and gone, that's a tough set because again,
you can't play, you can't play or pay one way
players in this league. I just don't think he's a
one way player. I thought we saw enough last year
to at least see that, oh there is something in
his tank that is more significantly more than what we
saw with the Pelicans. Like if he had just made
a marginal improvement from year two to year three, I
too would have been skeptical, very skeptical. But the leap
that he took, I think from the playmaking, also just
the fact that he was able to pay some space
himself offensively. I just think this is a tremendous deal
and it's so tradable too. At the same time, like,
even if last season was is going to prove to
be a slight outlier, and he's going like his real
value and I'm putting this in quotation marks is like
a little less of last year's production. Yeah, you're gonna
take one of the league's peskiest and best on ball
defenders at fifteen percent of the cap. By the way,
that percentage declines as the contract ages, I think it
ends up ad. I don't want to lie to you
and just look it up. Thirteen percent of the cap
in twenty nine, twenty thirty. I mean, good lord, that's
that's fine.
Speaker 1: I think it's fine. But you're you're telling me it's
a steal. No, I don't think you've said anything that's
I guess where I struggle is to call it a
steal after he's had the one standout season and you
can say, again, he didn't have that opportunity in New Orleans.
But it's I think it's the Hawks played it smartly
by not going as far like everyone thought. I not everyone.
A lot of people thought he was gonna get the
jail and Suggs deal five for one fifteen. I thought
that was just far too rich. And I think this
one should end up being perfectly fine. But how often
have we who is the archetype of player that you're
comfortable paying fifteen percent of the salary cap to if
on offense they're not if they're a borderline liability at
the fall line, or they're not able to shoot any
type of threes, and it's tough to understand what their
offensive value is and in the context of certain lineups. Again,
I like Dyson Daniels. He has used the word past
is pasky great way to describe him on the defensive end,
but it's also not yo he's If he's gonna win
Defensive Player of the Year, it's not gonna be because
he's been the anchor of basically an entire system. Like
it's because people are gonna appreciate the one on one
stuff that he's able to do in the plays that
he's able to blow up, which again, all have a
ton of value. I just struggled to see the pathway
to this becoming a steal in the sense of we
look back and it's, oh, Dyson Daniels is like a
fringe All Star or he is an All Star.
Speaker 2: That's interesting I mean, you see, I don't think that
contract necessarily warns that mindset of like an all star
or fringe All Star, because again, like if we're talking
about fifteen percent of the cap and it goes down
to thirteen percent of the cap, we should eyeball that.
As someone post like what the fifth starter like somewhere
like on the pecking.
Speaker 1: Order, I guess our only disconnect is is you think
it's a heist or whatever the word is using.
Speaker 2: I think it's fair, right, And that's because I don't
think I think we can argue offensively. He's probably always
going to be like a fifth option. I think that's
perfectly fair. Then you add in the defense, you add
in the rebounding, you add in the improved play making
that we haven't seen this year so far, by the way,
but it's early, so let's not get our ahead of ourselves.
That's when I think, you know it's reasonable, say okay,
in terms of like overall importance. You know, he's he's
not the fifth guy in a starting lineup. He's probably
the what currently what the third best player on the team.
Speaker 1: Is that a reasonable Trey Jalen Johnson, You would have
to like Resa or a Kungu or I have.
Speaker 2: I would have Persinkis over him if I knew the
health was sustainable, and it's just not so. Right now,
I feel pretty comfortable, you know, putting Dyson Daniels in
a like the third best player on the team. And
that's why I think it's a heist, because usually guys
of that ilk, you know, in that type of ranking,
gets around twenty percent of the cap, if not twenty two,
twenty three percent of the cap, that's fair.
Speaker 1: I guess I'm more so of as a team. I
probably wanted another year where it just feels we're dealing
with it also is like we're dealing with a one
year sample size with which he's getting paid off.
Speaker 2: Oh, I get it. I think you know your skepticist
is I accept your skepticism. I do. I disagree with
it because I think, you know, we saw so much
of him last year to the point where the sample
size for you know, the two years before that became
sort of irrelevant. But I do get what you're saying.
You know, if we'd seen this for two years, then
you'd feel more comfortable just handing him that deal. And
I can certainly get behind that way.
Speaker 1: Of thinking our next guy up is Christian Brown. That one,
This one came in at the buzzer five years, one
hundred and twenty five million average of about thirteen point
six percent of the cap. No options on it as well.
How'd you feel about this one?
Speaker 2: Well, it's it's basically the same, well roughly the same deal, right,
all things considered, I like it. It's I don't have
any issues with it. I mean, again, he's what a
fourth guy on that team Offensively, Defensively, I you know,
he's not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but
I also think he has moments where he could be better.
Like I don't think he's quite a finished product. Offensively
is where he shines. I loved how like his shot
selection last year just became one of the better in
the league. You know, he wasn't just gunning. He was
reading the floor, seeing what can I get in this
particular instance. And what did he end up shooting? Was
was it fifty seven percent from the field or something
ridiculous like that?
Speaker 1: He was up there, yeah, and he shot over He
shot a better two point percentage last year with Nikoliokic
off the floor, I think he was in the sixties
either way or whatever it was, but the growth he
showed in transition as a cutter, even if he was
just going to get into the paint with the ball.
In general, I think the big question for him is
it's shooting. I hate to boil it down to this,
but ken the three point volume and efficiency tick up here.
And you know defensively too, He's Dyson Daniels has this
one dominant thing to where like the on ball, if
you were to list the best on ball defenders in
the NBA, he would be on your short lists and
Christian Brown is that's not his game. But then it's
also he can get in trouble sometimes with when it
comes to to screen navigation. There are certain matchups to
where it felt like he definitely holds up better a
lot against a lot of these I guess star types
on the perimeter than KCP would have as he was aging.
But you still have questions about, well, what is the
actual I don't want to use the word position, but
the positional spectrum that he can guard. This feels I'm
probably this is an interesting question. Is so you're probably
higher on the Dyson Daniels extension from a team perspective
than this one, right, I like this one better than
the Dice and Daniel Sick' No.
Speaker 2: I think it's a wash for me because the thing,
I think we tend largely to ignore the need for
offensive production around Jokic. Right, it seems like so many
people are just like, well, yok is gonna yoke, and
to some extent that's true. But his passing skills, his
passing instinct, his court vision that needs to be bridged
with high competence offensive players. Christian Brown is that yeah,
And I even agree with you on the spacing thing
because he took less than three threes per game last
year and he didn't get much to the foul line either,
So like something there has to grow, Like there's whether
it's an up to three point volume or it's him
just becoming, you know, like a free from merchant. I honestly,
I don't care. Some one of those things has to happen.
But he just flew in with this high understanding of
offensive execution. I think you need that next to Yoak.
I just do so. I'm not low on this steal.
What's right? I loved it. I think him and Dyson
Daniels very comparable. Like the reason I say with Dyson
it's a steal is because of the projections moving forward,
I think Christian is a little bit more reaching his
ceiling close.
Speaker 1: He's older too, That's a good point.
Speaker 2: Exactly right. But I'd like what he gave the Nuggets
last year in terms of offensive production and the way
he went about it. Very very high on Christian Brown.
I think a lot of people are sleeping on him.
So I don't hate this whatsoever.
Speaker 1: What's interesting not to bring it back to Dyson Daniels,
but I would almost feel better about him if he
was tasked with doing more on the ball offensively and
you had to not build your entire offense around him,
but you tailored the shooting around him more specifically. But
the idea of him playing alongside someone who's ball dominant
or two people who are more ball dominant than him,
I don't feel comfortable with. And then Christian Brown is
just you absolutely feel comfortable with that.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Yeah, he's It's funny, right. Usually when we say
pluck and play guys, we tend to look at great shooters,
which you can't say Brown is yet yet somehow he
fits that description.
Speaker 1: Next up, we have I found this deal fascinating. I'm
curious your thoughts on it. Jabari Smith Jr. As my
dogs go off in the background, they're not happy about
it either. Five years, one hundred and twenty two million dollars.
The salary declines from year one to year two. It
then rises in years three, four, and five, averages out
to about thirteen point three percent of the salary cap,
and it includes no options.
Speaker 2: I did not like it at the time. I'm still
skeptical of you know, what his ultimately, what his ceiling is.
I understand why the Rockets did it in terms of
like the cap percentage, because they're banking on him becoming,
you know, that fit next to Albern Shinkoon. They want
someone who can be a floor space. They want someone
who can go off the dripple occasionally like he's he's
doing it fairly. He's not someone who will consistently break
you down. And at the same time, you also need
someone who isn't going to necessarily be overwhelming in terms
of like shot volume. So like I understand part of
the appeal to me, Tari eastn has flat out better.
He did not get an extent. Yeah, I know that's
fair you can. You can do that. You can give
me all the weird looks you want. That's fine. Uh,
Jabari has been impact as like shooter, right, natural shooter.
Then how come he don't shoot well? Dan?
Speaker 1: What do you mean? How come he don't shoot well well?
I mean looking for him to shoot forty eight attempts
per game?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm looking at Look, his career percentage is thirty four.
I'm least looking at a slightly above league average if
we're gonna like label him a good shooter, like, he
hasn't done that yet, and like, I'm not saying he
won't get there. The free throw percentage since year one
has been encouraging, Like I love the shot mechanics, but
the ball is just not going into an extent that
I expected. And that was through three years. Like again,
people think I'm very low on him, and it's fair
if that is, like you know the vibe you're getting
for me, I'm not low on him, but I just
think we have crowned him a little too early in
this whole process. And now he's also been been paid
to a point where I'm like, are are we really there? Like?
Are we really at that point? I thought it was
expensive for a guy like him, because I just I
don't have a good read on him, despite he's the
fact that he's three years since the league.
Speaker 1: I do think part of the reason that a lot
of people wouldn't have a good read on him is
because of how the Rockets were structured to where he
I mean, he's starting games at the three now, and
I look at it as, Oh, he can thrive defensively
while playing alongside two other bigs, and it's I think
what I agree with with you is what he is
going to shoot from distance is not stand out for
someone who's considered a wing, but as someone who's kind
of a combo big masquerading as a wing to be
able to stretch the floor. I also wonder what he
would look like in on a team that's better designed
to get him the ball for higher quality shots. He's
not gonna have the lowest shot quality on the Rockets
by any stretch. And look, there are still some issues
I want to see. Can there be more of just
the catch and drive game from him? Is the handle
good enough for him to do that? Does that? Does
Houston have a good enough spacing for him to do that?
But I think the defensive malleability, the fact that he
has shown he can He's certain to me, I trust
him reliably spacing the floor more than I do Tary Easan,
and I'm not just saying that is looking Tari Easton
this year, I think that I think this number is
fair and I could honestly make I love Christian Brown.
But of the three players we've talked about, I might
be most fascinated or think that he has the highest
ceiling of all three of them just because of what
he You can't Dyson Daniels and Christian Brown are never
going to be able to wear as many hats defensively
as Jabari Smith Junior. And that's not because I'm not
saying they won't try to. He's just he's this big
who can also do a lot of wing stuff on
the defensive end, and that to me, when he's also
mostly plug and play, I would argue on offense, I
find that tantalizing, and I think there might be more
on offense. I don't want to see him doing a
lot of stuff he did earlier in his career before
we may Rudoka got there, and even now he can
fall in love with some of those looks that no
one wants to see, at least not on this version
of the Rockets. I thought this deal was I think
this deal has the potential to look so team friendly,
especially when we get to the to the back end
of it. But I think your skepticism, especially when it's
rooted in his spot on the Rockets and the team
may seem to be building there. I don't think that's
I don't think that's unfair.
Speaker 2: Like I hope that you're right about that that because
if it turns out to be a team frankly contract,
that means he's found a more permanent place in this
league where his production has you know, leveled up, or
to a point where we're seeing that he is a
more integral part of the team. And I think that
is a very very fair conclusion in terms of, like, well,
what do you expect like these Rockets. Over the first
three years of his career, they have been kind of
all over the place, like what is he being asked
to do? Like, I agree with you defensively, I think
he's underrated. I think that's something that we don't get
to talk enough about because he came into the league,
as you know this this I think Lauri Markinen was
one of the guys he was being compared to. And
you know, that's the worst thing about comparisons is you
kind of get locked into this mindset that, oh, he's
then he's like player eight, which no, he's he's not, like, yeah,
he's a six to eleven guy who shoots threes. That's
roughly where the comparisons end. To me, it's I just
don't know if he has the touch that we all
kind of look at him as having, Like the in
between game is not something I love the two point
conversion rates. Sometimes I'm just looking at not just the stats,
but like watching him play. I'm just like, you could
make these shots at a higher regularity, and like I
can accept that he's having, you know, a year where
he's just like awful, because everyone has a down year
here and there, but it's just been three years of
like middling efficiency. I just I need to see something
in terms of especially in the efficiency apartment, where I'm like, oh,
this is his role, this is where he offers something.
But I do agree with you in terms of the
defensive upside, being like a wing big, which I think
is the best way to categorize him. There's some side yeah.
Speaker 1: There the rim stuff is it's how to the finishing
sure is an issue, but it's even just how do
we get him to the basket more and without On
this current version of the Rockets, it's not going to
be as a screener and roller, which is maybe not
something that he might have bailed out and done the
like prefer to operate from the middle of the floor. Anyway,
it's a lot of this hinges, which is a weird
thing to say on his driving game or ability to
just to kind of eat up the space that he's
going to have on either on kickouts or maybe like
he'll maybe he won't even have a ton of open
space because I think that in a lot of these
Rockets lineups, you can say what you want about the
percentages he's going to be you're just one of the
more dangerous shooters on the floor.
Speaker 2: And by the way, like when I set the Tari's
and stuff, I want to be fair. One of the
reasons that I have Jabbari rated below. It's also part
of the mentality I think, you know, he's he's going
to be extremely seem friendly in the sense of like
how he's wired personality wise, like he has willingly relinquished
opportunities for the sake of others, like he, by all accounts,
is a fantastic teamate in that regard, I need that
dude to be more hungry, Like I can't even count
the amount of times when he's had an open three
or not open, but like where he could have been
allowed to shoot that, like where you know, you catch
my drift, like just fucking take it. And the same
thing goes with drives. The same thing goes when when
you have a driving lane, Like he just turns down
so many opportunities, And I think he's sort of a
victim of his own like unselfish mindset. I think he's
the type of guy who always looks for like the
best shot imaginable, and he'll turn down the good ones
in the process. So there's definitely a part of me
that also thinks that if he gets that sorted out
and he just starts taking the good shots instead of
like the best shots, that he'll be just fine.
Speaker 1: Next up we have Nikola Jovich of the Miami Heat.
He received four years sixty two point four million. The
salary declines from year one to year two, and then
it rises in years three and four. It averages about
eight point eight percent of the cats, smallest number we've
seen so far. No options, mort How did you feel
about this one?
Speaker 2: No, I loved it. I loved it. I mean I
was a little bit surprised that he signed it. I
don't know what the mind, you know, the thinking process
was there, whether he was like, you know, we don't
know what the future holds, let's just lock it in.
Perhaps there was something of that going on, because we've
seen these improvements from him, you know, over the course
of three seasons. I think the three point shot is
something that got better last year. I know people will say, well,
he's efficiency went down, but like the volume went up.
I thought he took them with more purpose. Purpose generally speaking,
the size you can't teach like six' ten wing who
can do stuff with the, ball who can actually make passes,
defensively still got some things to iron, OUT i DON'T
i think the discipline level is probably not where it
needs to. Be but, like how young is this? Kid
like twenty? Two like, yeah like just to your point
About Jabari, smith we can apply that To yovic, too
so freaking, Young like there's time to iron out some
of the. Kinks so it's a great, deal great freaking.
Speaker 1: DEAL i thought it. WAS i thought it this was
one that made sense for both sides Because yovich has
been intermittently. Available when you look at how many of
the games that he's played throughout his, career the upside
bet on The heat for a price range that's just
so ridiculously. Low though it's, yes it's the idea of
being able to put a floor spacing big, man because
we're still waiting to See bam And koli Al ware
are BOTH i guess for their positions it's okay they
can space the, floor but a lot of what they're
doing it feels like more concept than the like. Practical
And Nikoli jovitch is an actual floor. Spacer but the
thing THAT i think intrigues me the most about him
is when this dude gets going, downhill the reads he
can make as a, scorer he's got some nice shoulder
stuff in. Him as a, passer we've seen him make
excellent plays for The heat and now The heat overall
are playing, faster WHICH i think fits what he can
do when he has a live ribble or he's just
hot footing. It towards the. Basket he can create chaos
as a playmaker as. WELL i don't LOVE i know
a ton of smart people who just. DISAGREE i don't
love the idea OF i don't view him as someone
that you could put on the elbows on the block
anywhere and set up the offense to run it from.
There maybe he could catch it shoot over. Someone, sure
that's NOT i don't know that He's he's a little
bit more physical than he gets credit for, it BUT
i don't know if he's built for. That you mentioned
the defensive, concerns so that would be maybe a reason
to be skeptical if this deal is how do you
view someone who is a pure for Almost it feels
like we talk a lot about those, Guys but what
he can do, defensively even if he is a pure,
four there's there's a lot of. Layers there's a lot
of like dynamism to the way that he plays on
that end of the.
Speaker 2: FLOOR i.
Speaker 1: Agree next, up we have Aj, green not a traditional rookie,
extension but four, years forty five million average of six
point three percent of the. Cap no options are your
what are your spicy?
Speaker 2: Agent, well how can we hate on a guy who
is one of the best shooters in the league getting that.
Deal it's, no that's a good bit of business from The, bucks,
who for the first TIME i feel like in a long,
time had the organization's best interests at, heart instead of
always focusing on just the need of one. Guy no that,
like how can you hate? That it's six percent of the?
Cap is it's peanuts in today's? GAME i, yeah how
can you have a problem with?
Speaker 1: IT i think in the fact that he can do
other things, offensively other and just sling, it and even
just he's one of those guys where he will compete
harder on defense and he gets a lot of credit
FOR i think what intrigues me most about him is
because of EVERYTHING i just say, said is there just
a chance that he's the third best player on The
bucks by the end of this? Season perhaps that says
more about The. Bucks but you have you Have Miles,
turner who are You i'm not even talking third option,
guy and that's not Really Aj green's game, Anyway but
just the third most valuable player on The? Bucks or
is it guaranteed to Be Bobby porties Or Ryan Rollins
at this? Rate it might just Be Cole.
Speaker 2: Anthony IT'S i, mean you can't rule it. Out it's
certainly Not Kyle. Kuzmo so it's that that's the one
thing we can say with. Certainty, look there are a
couple of people you can throw into that, conversation and
it's so. Early how many games are are we looking
at with the played?
Speaker 1: Three? Yeah? Two three? Games i've seen two there have been. Three, yeah,
OKAY i.
Speaker 2: Think, yeah they played, three, third two and. One but, like,
yeah he's in that, conversation and if he sticks in,
that if he becomes like the one of the mainstay
guys in the rotation who's just consistently, efficient, effective and
one of their better floor, spacers you can certainly make that,
argument which is ridiculous for six percent of the.
Speaker 1: Cap by the, Way, YEAH i have a guy who
should be in AN nba rotation at six percent of
the set and play real, minutes not twelve, thirteen but
could play twenty plus. Minutes THIS i think this ends
up aging quite. Well. Yeah next, up we have a bigger.
Name you might have heard of, Him paalo Ben caro
Of New Orlando. Magic he signed a five year max
which is projected to be worth two hundred and forty
point seven. Million, however it can go up to two
hundred and eighty eight point eight million more if he
makes ALL nba or WINS mvp Or Defensive player of The.
Year this averages out over the life of. It i'm
not doing the thirty. Percent this is just the fun
max would be about twenty point eight percent of the
cap over the life of this. Deal end of, note
he got a player option in that final. Season It's.
Speaker 2: Paulo he's. FANTASTIC i still have some overarching issues or,
questions not, issues questions about how you build around his
like archetype of player that, said you, know if there's
a guy who can sort of find his, WAY i
think it's. HIM i think HE'S i think occasionally he
can get stuck a little bit in that, hole you,
know The Sion williamson AND i put in this in
Quotation Mark Josh giddy, mechanism where it's guys who need
the ball in their, hands who aren't necessarily great off
ball shooters, Themselves so, like when they don't have the
ball in their, hands how much do they really bend?
Defenses But paolo is different because he's so, big he's so.
Physical he's so strong that when he makes an off
ball cut towards the, basket, yeah you know, What you're
gonna feel him and it's going to straw in the.
Defense like defenses are keenly aware of where he. Is
so even if he is not a natural three point,
shooter it's not gonna be that big of an issue
as it is With scion or like, Again Josh gitty
doesn't serve to mention with those two, guys but like
IT'S i bring him up because it's the same arget
type the same. Week this is you're looking ahead or looking. At, so,
yeah the contract is. FINE i would hope that for
the magic's sake that he doesn't make ALL.
Speaker 1: Nba they had no choice but to this is the
deal you had to offer him because they Gave Franz
wagner the same special minus he doesn't have the player.
Option AND i still Think Paalo bangkaro is gonna end
up being the more, valuable better guy long. Term there's a.
LOT i think what also helps him is he's just
better defensively than he receives credit. FOR i think it's
easy to get lost in the jail and suggs of
it all and the larger picture of The orlando. Matters
that's a good, Point but you're right about the off
ball stuff to where and, look the three point percentage
is going to be a, concern especially now if it's
not going to tick up from where it. Is but
the fact that conceptually he can do all these things
where he can do some of the wing stuff off
the ball where you're talking about, cutting but he can
also be if you wanted, to Like, palo can interact
with your other two best players as the screener In
Franz wagner Or Desmond. Bayan so that gives him a
level of. Versatility AND i also THINK i know some
people look and, say, well they're not the most efficient postseason,
appearances and they're certainly not the most lengthy. Ones but
his ability to kind of either turn the dials up
or still be a better version of himself or a
slightly more super charged version of himself when you get
to the postseason that really had to work in his
favor as, well even though again you're not dealing with
that huge sample size. There we move on to Chet.
Holmgren back to Back maxis Chet holmgren got five, years
two hundred and forty point seven, million no ALL nba escalator,
language though it averages about twenty point eight percent of the. Cap,
again he did not receive a player. Option what did
you make of this?
Speaker 2: One MORT i, thought right on the top of, IT
i was a little. Word but that's also because of
like the injury pattern and. Whatnot like the quality of
who he is as a basketball player was, never you,
know in. Question this talent was never in, Question the
fit was never in, Question the defensive upside was never in.
Question so, yeah obviously he was going to get. This to,
me it was always a question, of, like, thunder are
you ready to invest this much in a guy who's Played,
yeah well before the three games he's played this year
one hundred and fourteen games in the regular season over
the course of his. Career they apparently, said, look screw.
That we are completely fine with this because it's the
it's an upside. Play we want to make sure that
our relationship with him is great and that it doesn't
take into, summer like he's, unquestionably unquestionably going to receive
an offer sheet like you to bring it back to
recircut free agency if he does hit the. Market so
like wipe off AND i get all those, things so,
like this is.
Speaker 1: FINE i thought it was actually a really, good like
super team friendly deal On, Okay so he's part because
not having the escalator language in there is. Chat holman
is someone you can envision just probably not Winning Defensive
player of The year Because wemby, exists but he is
good enough to make An ALL nba team this, year
especially he's doing the thing again where he kind of
shows you, that, oh like he might have learned some
more counters on the offensive. END i also think not
getting a player option just low key huge when you're
we don't know how long the core is going to be.
Together stuff changes in THE nba faster than anyone ever anticipates.
Now but if he has a player, option you're dealing
with if he's what if He's supermax eligible at that,
point like you're dealing with pay him a lot more
money a lot. Sooner and SO i THOUGHT i think
some people wanted there to be more injury protections in,
there but you kind of hit on this and your
answer is, no this is someone who if he would
have hit the open, market there would have been teams
if they didn't have cap. Space they would have figured
it out just to put it off a sheet in
front of.
Speaker 2: Them and that's also WHY i eventually moved on from
my oh, god that was a lot of. Money stands
to just all, right you know, what someone out there
would have given that to him without the injury. Language
so there's just no point in debating. This there's probably no.
Speaker 1: Point in debating this one much. Either Jalen williams triple
max is in a. Row that's not gonna happen again
throughout this, PROCESS i can tell you that. Much so
he gets the five, year two hundred and forty point
seven million dollars special escalator, language which, again, okay see
in a nice bit of. Negotiating he only gets the
thirty percent if he makes first Team ALL. Nba it's
twenty seven percent of the cap if he makes second,
team and twenty six percent if he makes third team
averages again twenty point eight percent of the cap if
it doesn't go. Up he did not GET i THINK
i haven't noted in. Here that's the type of want.
Screen he did not get a player, option so to
not Where palo gets a player option and Chat holmgan
And Jaalen williams do. NOT i know That shay is
technically more important of that, team but we're talking about.
Stars they're all on the same. Scales you could rank
them however you want long. Term, Okay, see getting both
of these guys to sign deals that don't include a
player option is kind of, insane And i'm even marveling
at first of, ALL i stand by. This Jaie williams
shouldn't need the escalator. Language he already made An ALL nba.
Team he should have just been eligible for thirty percent
of the. Max but from The thunder's, perspective this was
a really good negotiation by, them and in a position
to WHERE i don't think they necessarily had the leverage to.
Negotiate If Jay dubb came in and, SAID i want five,
years player, option thirty percent, max IF i Make ALL
nba third, team you really think The thunder we're gonna, say,
No we'll let it. Ride absolutely.
Speaker 2: Not, No, no this is a great. Deal they're probably
gonna end up paying him twenty six or twenty seven.
PERCENT i would, imagine, well.
Speaker 1: Well he played enough, GAMES i think is the question
we're gonna have to rite that.
Speaker 2: Is but even if he, did that's a tough, crowd you,
know first Team ALL. Nba that's a tough crowd to,
break like one of your teammates is all ready basically
shoehorned into.
Speaker 1: That oh, NO i, MEANT i just meant all you
said ALL nba in, general WHICH i would agree with.
YOU i haven't pensiled in. There but now we're kept
with the wrist. Stuff it's, oh is he gonna?
Speaker 2: Play, yeah, NO i hear. YOU i get, it like
he hasn't played this, Year like when when is he expected?
Speaker 1: Back it's the Thunder so we don't actually. Know we, know,
well we'll know about the same. Time we know when
The knicks tell us That Mitchell robinson is gonna. Play
that is.
Speaker 2: Fair that is. Fair, Yeah so next up on.
Speaker 1: That that was an easy. One The thunder ones are always,
easy shade and. Sharp more this, ONE i think it
might be my favorite one to talk about because it's
just so. Fascinating four, years ninety million, averages twelve point
six percent of the salary, cap no. Options i'm, actual,
HONESTLY i was a little bit surprised that he signed
an extension in. General So i'm very curious to see
how you felt about this.
Speaker 2: One SO i wrote about this over At force before he,
signed like when it was reported that he wanted four
years one, hundred AND i made the argument sign, like
don't don't let this go into a, situation AND i
was telling The portland trimp placers to sign it just that's,
fine that's not a. Problem and then they actually got
him for million. Less here's the. Thing you can squeeze
guys to a point where it hurts the. Relationship AND
i don't think that is worth it for the placiers
to Squeeze shade in sharp BECAUSE i think his talent
and his potential is just too intriguing to a point
where that should be a. FACTOR i understand he's not
a great. SHOOTER i understand that defensively he's still got much,
lewer AND i understand that there are still pretty big
question marks, overall just in terms of what type of
player is he. REALLY i get all that the guy
has been productive since he came into the league at
what age, nineteen he's twenty two years. Old, like we
know that he can get to the, grim we know
that he's highly. Athletic we know that even though the
conversion rate isn't, great he can take and make threes
like the efficiency it should, come BECAUSE i don't know
where you stand on. THIS i have probably looked at
what five hundred shots from this, guy and from every,
Angle i'm not seeing what should be fundamentally wrong in
his shot. Mechanics, like are you at that point where
you think that this is just a matter of confidence,
rhythm because so FAR i have no great explanation for
why he is the better three point, Shooter So i've
just decided to assume it's gonna come in.
Speaker 1: Time i've operated under the same. Assumption but there are
probably some fair red flags to where's he's. Been what
he had one year of standout foul line, efficiency and
so there's there's that noise that needs to be caked in.
There you mentioned the defense. ALREADY i don't know what
to make of him as a. Passer like some he'll
sometimes have these assist, numbers but like the turnovers with,
him including this, season they've been up. There But i'm with.
YOU i want to ask you this, question why does
it feel like more people are just so much more
prepared to bet on shade and sharp than they Are
Jalen green.
Speaker 2: Though, oh that's a good. Question that's actually a really good.
QUESTION i think it's Because jalen has a different reputation
in terms of being like a chucker of some. Sort
there's a negative connotation. There i'm not saying it's. Fair
i'm just trying to like find a reasonable explanation Where,
SHARP i, think is seen as someone who integrates himself
a little bit more to the. Team whether that's right or.
Wrong it's actually an interesting discussion, Though, like BUT i
think that is where it leads that there is an
idea That, jalen you, know is gunning for a certain stat,
line so to, speak Where sharp is like more, No
i'll find my own way within the flow of the.
Speaker 1: OFFENSE i would probably agree with you. There and what's interesting,
though is just they have kind of some of the
same red. Flags even when you're looking at it through
to where it's all, right you kind of wish the
three point, percentage especially if they're taking a lot of
catch and, shoots would just be. HIGHER i think last Year, sharp,
yeah he was under thirty two percent again on catch and,
shoots and so like that's HE'S i thought he would
have bet on himself if four year ninety was the.
Offer but, now when you think about you, know what
just happened with Even Jonathan kaminga And Cam thomas And Quentin,
GRIMES i think a lot of people would say at
least they prefer Shading sharp to two of those. Players
you're kind of, wondering is this a pure two that
hasn't shown that he can score efficiently to defend, consistently?
Right what would the market be for him if he's
so getting this money For I'M i look at it
AND i JUST i Guess i'm trying to view it
as who is this the the bigger concession for? Now
it's the bigger risk for The blazers Because sharp just
he locked down his money and if he doesn't pan,
out The blazer saddle all that. Risk and if he
does pan, out, okay he'll be, underpaid but it's still
a crap ton of money in the. Aggregate i'm just,
curious if we've asked for over a, year two, years
who we think wound up making the bigger concessions where It's,
Oh portland should have waited and squeezed him, more or
just waited and like tried to move, him or Did?
Sharp is this the year where it all comes together
for him. ALL i don't. KNOW i don't know if
it's all going to come together him for him, defensively quite,
frankly he certainly has the, tools but if it all
comes together for him, offensively that's probably a player that
people are willing to play quite a bit of money.
Speaker 2: For it's it's interesting as well because there's a point
That Brian, support our mutual, friend has, made like routinely
over the past four, YEARS i want to, say three
or four, years and it's basically the amount of raw.
Dollars like, players as we, know are human, beings they
look at things. Differently some players might be inclined to
just look at the ninety million dollars and, realize, hey
that's ninety million dollars to play, basketball like, sure let's go,
nuts let's just sign this and then whether it's we're
gonna get criticized for taking too little or betting ourselves,
later this is ninety million that we have in the
hand right now that we can. Accept SO i, think you,
know we can sit here and talk about. Concessions we
can sit here and talk, about, oh should a player
have DONE, A b AND c to get. MORE i
think we need to include the human factor that some
people Might i'm not Saying Shaydon sharpy is necessarily wired that,
way But i'm just going to use him as an.
Example some players might just look at a figure and, go,
well WHEN i woke up this, MORNING i didn't have
ninety million, dollars NOW i, do thank you very. Much,
well you.
Speaker 1: Could also wake Up and we talked about this at
the top of the podcast survey what THE rfa landscape
has been of, Late and Think Jonathan kaminga has BEEN
x through the first four years of his. Career this
is where it all ended. Up why what does he
need to do to be noticeably different when he gets
to the semi open market next. Year we could talk
about what he could, do but there's no guarantee you're
gonna do, it especially look, right there's just uncertainty on
the offensive ends still In. Portland when you look at
the hierarchy of how things are happening, there you're.
Speaker 2: Absolutely, right we'll. SEE i think this was a decent
contract overall for both. Sides. SHADEN i guess if we
are to look at it through the prism of you, know,
CONCESSION i think he's probably the one who's gonna end
up having given up the. Most, yeah but it feels
like a deal that's just decent all. Around, LIKE i
just don't have an issue with it from either. Side
it might be one of the most like mutually beneficial
contracts at this.
Speaker 1: Point that's a good. Point AND i think the other thing,
though that is if you're basing it purely off What
Shaden sharp has done so, far it's probably not the
best deal for The, blazers, Right, LIKE i know he's
been able to, score but it hasn't been stand out if,
you IF i were to tell, you this is just
shade And, sharp like he's not gonna evolve at. All,
right it's not anywhere near the worst deal in the.
League i'm not trying to say, that but It's, oh
The blazers probably gave him more than they had to, Then.
Speaker 2: YEAH i would.
Speaker 1: Agree we have Another blazer coming, Up Timani kamara that
became The Tamani kamara, trade but was supposed to be
The DeAndre ayton trade became The Tamani kamara. Trade four,
years eighty one million less than the max he could
have gotten actually average of eleven point three percent of
the cap and no. Options how you feel about The Tamani.
KAMARA i Know i'm.
Speaker 2: Not gonna answer that. Question that's all, yours that is your.
Speaker 1: SEGMENT i can't believe he didn't get the Max quite,
frankly this is someone who has improved as a driver
and a three point shooter in on the team that
has like one of the worst spacing environments since he's.
ARRIVED i know he's not shooting the ball well this
year so. Far we're only three games in, Though BUT
i also think if you're having a conversation more And
i'm asking you to rank the most versatile defenders in THE,
nba he's somewhere on that short. LIST i don't know where,
exactly but you're gonna Mention. Bam you're probably gonna Mention Jaron, Jackson,
Junior Evan, Mobley, Ogannanobi Tamani kamar like. Those he's coming
up in. Versatility i'm not saying he's dominated or gonna
win defense end of the. Year this is this is
an all defense team guy like this is someone who
will be and if he is able to reliably hit
the three, ball like even just, that he's shown other,
hints but if he's just able to do that he
is one of the most valuable non stars in THE,
nba AND i just what would the max have, been
like four to ninety whatever it WOULD i was JUST
i thought it was gonna take. THAT i guess the
concession The blazers are, making we don't have to pay.
You you had that non guaranteed year. Left they could
have just guaranteed him and he would have been on
the books for packing. Peanuts BUT i THOUGHT i thought
he was gonna get the full four year. BOAT i was, wrong.
Speaker 2: Clearly, WELL i, mean they just don't value him to
the same way that you, do and they're obviously.
Speaker 1: Wrong but so where what do He you're just you
think this is a steal. TOO i think this is
gonna Age, LIKE i know he's older this we'll take
him through his age twenty nine. Season unless you're, thinking
and based off everything you've said on this podcast about
where these salaries rank in a team conceptual well pecking,
order you're not gonna feel this way unless you think
that he needs to show some off the dribble juice
on the offensive, end or just better passing chops or
running pick and rolls on every other. POSSESSION i don't
know why you would have a problem with. THIS i.
Don't this is the one where it feels to ME
i would listen to. IT i don't THINK i could
ever understand any criticism of.
Speaker 2: It, well see that there's an assumption there from some
people that because he's so, old there's not any more juice.
Left but that IS i think a faulty premise because,
yeah there's probably not that big huge leap you, know
from you, know being a role player or you, know non.
Stars she would call it to a. Star that's not
to say he's not going to get. Better, no he's twenty.
Five if, anything we can argue he is going to you,
know refine his game within THE nba, context he is
going to be paid throughout some of the you know
prime years that he's going into because he's gonna that
contract is going to trigger next year when he's twenty,
six twenty six to through twenty. Nine was that like
through the age twenty nine. Season, yeah, Yeah so you're
paying him in the smackdap middle of his prime roughly
twenty million a year an, average which is going to
BE i don't want to say, peanuts but it's going
to be closer to the non Tax Ema lee when
his contract is like, up when he clearly is worth
more than you know He's he's not a you, know
a non Tax emily. Guy he's worth more than. That so,
yeah obviously this is a major, get and it just
speaks again to the fact that some players will always
be greatly under appreciated around the. League he is one of.
Speaker 1: Them i'm trying to visualize what it would take this
season for me to be concerned about this. DEAL i
think even if he shoots the ball, POORLY i probably
still don't feel bad about. It i'm not gonna feel
as good about, it of, course but if he's gonna
continue to miss every shot on drives like he is right,
now where he's not gonna shoot amazing from, THREE i
probably won't FEEL i think it's like one of the best. Contracts,
Yeah i'll be, No i'll get. It he defends five positions,
basically that's okay with.
Speaker 2: ME i, mean three games's let's, Chill he'll be.
Speaker 1: Fine that's three, eight that's three whole games.
Speaker 2: More three whole, GAMES i, KNOW i.
Speaker 1: Know next up we Have Keegan, murray who got this
extension after he suffered his left thumb. Injury. Right, more
he was ALREADY i already suffered it five.
Speaker 2: YEARS i don't, Remember, OKAY i thought the.
Speaker 1: News came after. Him Maybe i'm. Wrong five, years one
hundred and forty million dollars average of fifteen point two
percent of the, cap no. Options he will be entering
his age thirty season by the time this contract is done. Though,
more what did you think about a little bit Of
king's business?
Speaker 2: Here, well, So Brian sipporik are again our mutual friend
AND i we actually.
Speaker 1: Did you stop a signing? Friend, No, NO i.
Speaker 2: WON'T i. Won't, no that is supposed.
Speaker 1: To speak on my behalf about.
Speaker 2: Scum, well he AND i recovered this when it happened
and we had. This it turns out we had the
same reaction when we saw the, number like five, years
one forty and we're, like, damn that's a lot of.
Money and then, right and it's just immediately we're, like, oh,
wait hang, on that's actually fine because at the end
of the, day the cap percentage is not that. Significant
presumably eventually That DeMarco rosen project In sacramento is going to.
End presumably eventually he's gonna have a role. There where
they actually prioritize, him because why wouldn't, They, like, yeah
they have not necessarily been that great at giving him
the ball and giving him the necessary freedom In sacramento
since he. Arrived but we're not going to sit here
and say that he's not, good that he can't produce.
Offensively he turned into their best defender last. Year his
rebounding metrics since he came into the league also greatly improved.
Speaker 1: Low man stuff he does.
Speaker 2: Too, yes like there are some concerns He's there was
this idea when he came into the league that he
was going to be like what was? It was it
like A Carmelo anthony level. Score some people kind of
pecked him as, like, oh he's got that. Frame Whereas
carmelo could get to the free throw line ear or
nine times per, game you, Know murray does it like.
One she was like one free thro per. Game so
that's like a major issue in terms of like him
becoming that twenty four to twenty five point. Score so
you're going to need to rely a lot on the perimeter.
Shot is that a shot that he will be able
to convert consistently at a high high. Rate he did
in the worst rookie, season and then after that it's
been pretty. Pedestrian so, Like i'm not going to sit
here and say there aren't issues or aren't major question,
marks but given what he was, PAID i just don't
have that much of an issue with it. Overall like
players are still going to have to respect the. Three
he's become a good, Defender he's active on the class
like worse comes to. Shove he's a fourth option on
AN nba, team a, decent good defender who can actually
participate in the class and play. Superstitions, Yeah i'm giving
fifteen percent of the cap to, that AND.
Speaker 1: I think it even, well just as interestingly to frame
it is he will be as of right, now this
number will actually probably tumble because there are still guys
that will sign. Deals this is listed as the seventy
seventh highest paid salary next when the extension kicks. In
that's fine for What Keegan murray is right, now AND
i Would i'd probably echo all of your. CONCERNS i
think maybe if they had more consistent their offensive hierarchy
has changed every single season that he's been, there And
i'm just curious if he was in a more stable
situation Or sacramento had been more, stable but he's gonna
need to hit the threes of the higher. Clip but
you can feel good about the investment. Overall to your,
point because of all the things he's doing defensively that
he wasn't billed as this defensively and, frankly if he's
on another, team, no you don't Want Keegan murray as
Your Steph curry guy as an, example but the fact
that he even had to do that and just wasn't absolutely,
awful and then the fact of what he's actually become
when you look at the things he does in the front.
COURT I i'm not if you don't think it's a.
Steal i'm not SAYING i think it's a steal. There
we need to see what he is on. OFFENSE i
just don't. Know do you Think sacramento is the place
as currently constructed or even like similarly construct that would
be built to even plumb what he could do on,
offense or do you look at it as more as,
well even what they're asking him to, do he's kind
of underachieved a little, bit.
Speaker 2: A little, column a little COLUMN b, RIGHT i do
think some of it is on. HIM i do think
a lot of it is also on The. Kings it's
also it's it's always so difficult to, say, oh this
is where it went, wrong and this is exclusively. It it's.
LAYERED i, think.
Speaker 1: No boil it down to one.
Speaker 2: Thing, YEAH i. CAN'T i don't. Know it's a really good.
QUESTION i want to find.
Speaker 1: Out are you ready to talk about some guys that
did not.
Speaker 2: Get, yes, yes because we're an hour in so Obviously jade.
Speaker 1: And ivy did not get an. Extent or excuse, Me i'm, Sorry.
Speaker 2: Peyton, watson Say jade And ivy turning into six. Ten
he should have gotten an, Extension Peyton.
Speaker 1: WATSON i didn't expect him to get an. Extension his
value is so. Tough BUT i do THINK i think
there might be a team that would give him as
if he's the player he is right, now which is incredibly,
flawed but so damn. Tantalizing someone would come in and
offer him mid level or more type. MONEY i THINK
rfa is so. Weird this for him this. Season we
know what he could. Do he's a playmaker on the defensive.
End maybe he'd want him to be a little bit
stronger in certain. Matchups There, okay, Fine, offensively it's just
seems like The nuggets are putting the ball in his
hands a little bit. More can he make anything happen with?
That can he hit a more consistent clip of his?
Threes can that come on real? Volume what are the
lineups he actually works best. In there's a ton of questions,
There but of the when we're talking about these guys
who don't get, EXTENSIONS i still think he is one
of the players that has the highest upside from this
group that we're about to talk.
Speaker 2: ABOUT i don't disagree with that if he's Gotten, like
do we know what he was, offered if he was offered,
anything do we know if they were.
Speaker 1: Negotiations, uh not been in tune to the specific reporting on.
It BUT i think with The nuggets and they're just Cap,
OUTLOOK i don't even know what would he unless he
was willing to accept like four for forty eight or
four for, FIFTY i actually would be pretty surprised if
they were gonna give it to.
Speaker 2: Him, Right and that was the, thing, like BECAUSE i
was actually going to USE Aj green as an, example,
like if he'd been offered AN Aj green level, contract
do you think he should assigned that or just kind of.
Speaker 1: Waited do you know what's tough about these situations is
because if you're looking at what they're gonna do for
him In, denver for the most, part you could, SAY
i don't know that he's ever gonna be more than
a twelve to fifteen million dollar player a. Year but
you also have to measure that, is, well how much
how much of that comes down to There's jokic And
murray And Aaron, Gordon Cam johnson's there now And Christian
Brown and you could also, say, well they'll probably Trust
Bruce brown to be more of just the pseudo guy
with the ball in his. Hands When Jamal murray's not
off the, court it's is it's we come. Back how
many TIMES i asked you some version of this question
throughout the. Podcast it comes down to circumstance versus, potential
and how do you meld those two. TOGETHER i would,
think THOUGH i think he can be a more valuable
player THAN Aj, green AND Aj green does something that
is just so, valuable so bankable in THE. NBA i
Acknowledge i'm stepping out on a limb there Because Peyton
watson has been so inconsistent especially on the offensive. End but,
man the physical tools are, there And i've talked To
Adam odez OF dnbr about this for at least the
past two years. RUNNING i love the idea of seeing
him more on the, ball And i'm wondering If David
adelman is going to continue to make that a staple
of what The nuggets do in some of their secondary.
Speaker 2: Lineups it'd be super, interesting and you'd also be a
way to develop him and accelerate that entire process to
a point where he might come in to the summer
next next year and look at a significantly larger market
for whatever that market.
Speaker 1: IS i do want to ask, you, though as The.
Nuggets it's not BECAUSE i want to propose a. Trade
it's BECAUSE i WANT i don't know what you think
how The nugget should value, him and also just what
this roster. Needs if The bulls just said we'll Do
Zeke naje And Peyton watson For, iotasumu is that something The.
NUGGETS i was on an expiring contract, Himself yeah he.
Speaker 2: Is. SO i have for a pretty long time wanted another,
guard specifically with The, nuggets BECAUSE i think they're a
little short in that. Department Io dosumo specifically is like
porn for The. Nuggets can play both guard, spots got good,
size can play off and on the. Ball he never stops.
Moving he's just so. SMART i think he's an underrated shot.
MAKER i think HIS iq is generally. UNDERRATED i think
he as a result of playing In, chicago a team
that you should. Ignore for the most, part he's he's
flying under the. RADAR i think his fit With, jokic
his fit with Even Eric, gordon who takes away that
like that some of the physicality there that would be.
FUN i, MEAN i probably do it If i'm The
nuggets because of that specific need and Because i'm title, hunting.
Speaker 1: You probably to get off this Zik nashi. DEAL i
think you almost. Have and it's it comes down to
how much do you believe In Peyton? Watson and if
you do believe in, him you then have to, ask,
well ken are we willing to Pay Peyton watson he?
IS i would also, say as high AS i am on.
Him of players who have, signed of players who didn't
get an, extension he's among the most difficult to even
what would you give? HIM i might SAY i like.
Him if you're gonna come in and, say, oh is
that gonna be Worth dan four for seventy to? YOU
i don't have a good.
Speaker 2: Answer, no me.
Speaker 1: Neither now we're on To jayleen dur and. More Jeki.
Speaker 2: Wo, god Poor Jayden, Ivy, god.
Speaker 1: Jay N ivy doesn't get an. EXTENSION i don't know
how he was supposed to get an extension the limited
sample last year because of the leg, injury and then
he's dealing with the right knee injury WHEN i underwent
author's copic. SURGERY i, BELIEVE i. Don't this is one
of the toughest situations to figure out because it comes
down to do you trust him as a long term
piece In? Detroit and how are you supposed to figure
out the answer to that question when he's not gonna
finally play again Alongside kate until when and then after
that it's, well now the sample has been so, abbreviated
what do we take away from? IT i think the
most The pistons can hope for us he comes, back he's,
good and they're in the playoffs and they really get
to see how he works inside that pressure. Cooker but even, then,
man they're they're kind of making what's a pretty big
decision about their future off just what's not an ideally sized.
Speaker 2: Sample, yes well IT'S i don't know what kind of
feedback you're looking for me right. Now you kind of
just wrapped it up, yourself all.
Speaker 1: Right so if you don't have you don't have any
strong thoughts On jaye having.
Speaker 2: THAT i WILL i will say. THIS i, MEAN i
think we when it comes To jade And, IVY i
think we have this tendency to put him into like
the the two injured camp because of last, year and
now we're seeing something here early on this, year which
is super frustrating that he just had that right before
at the start of the. Season what we've seen though
over the first two, YEARS i think we have to
acknowledge that one of those season was Under Monty, williams
which was you, know him, JERKING i mean and OFTEN
i would lighten up and just didn't work it just
it wasn't a great. Fit and then we had to
look at his rookie, season which was his rookie season
primarily Without Kate, cunningham who was injured a fair bunch that.
Year so, like, yeah in terms of like the small
sample size with him And. Kate that's one, Thing but
LIKE i also just think he's never really been timed
all that well In. Detroit so are are we punishing
him for that a little? Bit by just you, know
if You're, detroit are you basically, saying, oh, well we
haven't seen you, play not realizing the realities of the
events that court. OCCURRED i don't. KNOW i would have
been open minded to an. Extension let me just put
it that. Way if they had locked him up to
something like for eighty or, SOMETHING i.
Speaker 1: Wonder if you would signed.
Speaker 2: That probably not, honestly because he's been so super. Productive
that's a fair. Point but if he had signed, SOMETHING
i wouldn't have sat there and, gone, oh that's. Prettymature, Like,
no the guy has played almost two HUNDRED nba. Games
he's been super productive when he's. Played there's something on,
ball there's something off. BALL i think he developed as
a shooter as his career has, Progressed like is he
a knockdown? Shooter and is he you, know someone who
can going and hit ninety percent of the three for? Lying,
no not, yet young explosive got a nact for scoring
the ball In detroit just so desperately still needs, that
SO i wouldn't have been against an extension. Whatsoever he's
going to be one of those guys WHO i hope
will actually get some attention next. Summer, well we all
know what's gonna happen, here because no one's really gonna
have cap, Space like we're gonna hear something From sham's
Any Day now where nine teams are expected to have
cap space at the start of next. Summer and when
it comes down to was.
Speaker 1: Like, Three, yeah that's IT'S i think ten was the
number Of bobby marsh had given a month or so,
ago AND i wrote something on why, no it's not
gonna be, ten it's gonna be half that at, most
right And jay And, ivy though he's, working it does
feel like we're overloaded with. Guards AND i think, specifically,
look you want to read into the shooting last. YEAR
i think that's. Fine his two point percentage is ticked
up in each of his first three. Years he played
in thirty, games, yeah last, year and SO i don't
think we get to, say, yeah forty one percent is
the new baseline from three and you want to see
more of that and the other thing we still don't.
Know AND i acknowledge what you said about how his
role has been inconsistent In detroit when you look at
his availability first year there is With Monty. Williams but
WHAT i think is really concerning too is you have
to answer the question of we know he can play Off,
kaid what is the ceiling of him as the leader
of your secondary units or do you think that you
need to always have A Karis? Laver Does Assar thompson
and Or Ron holland need to be that guy if
you don't view AND i don't know THAT i View.
Jay this is the THING i struggle with the most With.
Jane if you ask me whether the shooting is, Real
i'm probably just gonna, say, yes it's the can you?
Lead and, no you're not going to close with these?
Lineups but can you be someone who anchors those units Without?
KAID i have some skepticism, there AND i probably have
more faith In Ansar thompson doing. THAT i don't know
what you pay that, player especially when so now you
have that major left leg injury in the rear view
and now you've Undergone Arthur scopus surgery on your. Right
That's i'm gonna be so fascinated to see what it
looks like when he comes.
Speaker 2: Back, YEAH i.
Speaker 1: Agree now after teasing it for the past twelve, minutes
we were on To Jaalen, duran who if you were
trying to pay him based exclusively off what has happened
during the regular season so, far what would you be
willing to give him.
Speaker 2: Off this off this regular? Season, god that is a
good ask. QUESTION i, mean the guy has a thirty
point one per. Currently, look he's.
Speaker 1: A was coome to say the offense has been Just
they're shooting seventeen points better from three without him on the.
Court that's fair going.
Speaker 2: UP i just we can't deny what he's doing when
he's on the. Floor, though like his raw, numbers he's
he's one of the best rebounders in the league, currently
and like his offensive his own offensive production has at
least ticked. Up we've got to acknowledge.
Speaker 1: That, Yeah i'm just not Doing ton as a playmaker this.
Year this is he. Is that's WHY i asked you the.
QUESTIONS i have no idea his block numbers for him
are just, bonkers but they're playing him less Two IT'S
i think we've reached the point where it just feels
like and it's we've probably been. Here BUT i just
feel better, ABOUT i, Say stewart being on the floor
for The Detroit.
Speaker 2: Pistons he's twenty, one you, know IT'S i, understand two
hundred plus games in the. LEAGUE i get. It we're
looking at over five and a half thousand minutes OF nba. Experience,
YES i thought he'd be, longer further ahead in his. Journey,
RATHER i thought he'd be further. Ahead he hasn't. Been
the defense especially has Been pedestrian is probably the kind.
Speaker 1: Word what if vling this season was a. SKILL i
feel like he's been pretty good at.
Speaker 2: It, yeah he's very very good felling you could be
such A dixon times.
Speaker 1: All they're all, Jokes they're All i'm. NOT i don't
Dislike gallander as a person or a. Player he was
one of the one one year old you can't. Try
i'm really not trying to pick on a on a
twenty something, kid but he. Was AND i said this
About Jaydon hive and The pistons had both of them
THAT i don't know if it'll get a lot easier
leading into the. Offseason but when you were talking about
negotiating these, extensions two of the hardest candidates just in the,
league part none to get a read on what their value.
Speaker 2: Is, yeah, no you're, Right and that's also Why i'm, stalling, because,
honestly my opinion Of Jalen duran after three seasons entering
here year, FOUR i just don't have an idea of
what is it THAT i can like grab and hold
on to knowing that this is going to be a
thing for the. Future like in his second, year when
we saw that optic in, production who saw him hit
seventy nine percent of the free throw, line you, know
at a decent, volume we were, like, oh, okay we
started seeing like the elbow, pass and we started seeing
like more of the offensive repertoire you, know coming, up
and we're, like, okay so year one more defensively. Inclined
it was rookie year young, rookie no less like year,
three that's probably where he's going to put it all
together a little bit more and make these incremental. Improvements
and then instead we, saw you, know a less potent
offensive version of. Him the defense never really got. Better
and YET i still can't shake the feeling this is
a twenty one year old big man big men take.
Time he still has a, touch he still has something
that he can do around the. Basket he's still supremely.
Athletic he's still built like A greek freaking. God he's
still someone who eventually will probably mold into. Something but,
like even not knowing the extension, Number, DAN i don't
even know what the restrictive free agency number. IS i
have no freaking. IDEA i have no. Idea what are
we looking at slightly more than the non tax emlie
are we're looking at twenty percent of the? CAP I
i don't. Know flip a.
Speaker 1: Coin he's had like this is The jellen durn start
to the. Season he had the game where he goes
off against The, celtics but then he just has it
feels like all these other red. Flags he's averaging six
for thirty six. Minutes, ye dude is all over the.
Place AND i don't. KNOW i don't know what to
make of him or his value, Still And i've BEEN
i said a lot of really probably inflammatory things about
him after his first, season and it's just it's gotten
so hard to evaluate him from, there and he did.
IMPROVE i Think Jamie bickerstaff has talked a lot about
this he improved a lot defensively as the year went.
On last, SEASON i don't know how much of their
defense about like their best performances to ascribe to. HIM i,
THINK i say A stewart is Just i've mentioned this
at the, top just repeating. Myself he's the guy kind
of just trust more at this. POINT i don't know
what that says about this situation or. What and you're, right, like,
yeah you can look at the. NUMBERS i didn't even
realize what he was averaging until we started this, Conversation
like the box score numbers are legitimately. ABSURD i just sometimes, Posts,
YEAH i just sometimes. Wonder it's it's one of those
situations to where The pistons look like they can make
more sense without him on the, floor AND i. Don't
it's it's just such a weird though to.
Speaker 2: Be, WELL i, mean he's a lot of threat. Too
you need to have someone playing that like that role
next To, kate, RIGHT i mean you. CAN'T i Love Isaiya,
Stewart And i'm not saying he can't grab, lobs of
course he. Can duran is more, athletic he's, stronger he
can he takes up more space in the. PAINT i
do think the thread of during as a passing target
For kate is also something that defense is are geared
into because they Know kate is like six six sixty
seven and get into like the, paint he can go
get paint. Touches so they're extremely worried about that little
quick drop off For dorian or the quick pass over
the top that. Threat it has to be further, developed
like they he will need to play in order to
invest in that. Future, LIKE i understand what you're, saying
BUT i also don't think That detroit necessarily should be
just going into the season with the mindset, of, oh
we need to win as much as last. Year we
need to built like, aggressively so you can, afford in my,
opinion to, Say, okay we had a great year last,
year we made it to the. Playoffs we want to
chase that still, sure but it still should not come
at the expense of these players that we are trying to,
develop because if you undermine the development Of Jalen durham
And jade And, Ivy, honestly what do you have at
the end of the, day where do The pistons go from?
There they have a Star thompson And ron they do
have a s Ar, okay is that enough.
Speaker 1: Is what they have? Now? Enough?
Speaker 2: No, No but What i'm saying is if you kind
of disregard to major prospects and, projects which they still
are to some, Extent, yeah you can lean Into Ascer,
thompson who's. Great by the, way we still don't really
know What Ron holland. IS i think we agree like
they have a bunch of thirty year olds there who
are not going to be their long term so like
you kind of need to go into this, experiment you
kind of need to lean into.
Speaker 1: IT i. Don't, YEAH i definitely don't disagree with that,
stance which is why The jade And ivy follow up
injury is such a, bummer because it bilks them of
the chance to get more information on this group and
they're gonna HAVE i, mean those are the two decisions
at the end of the. Season it's you don't want
to say it's going to define their, future but that's
a huge chunk of deciding where they're going into the.
Future and you would, asked what's the number going INTO
rfa right? NOW i. DON'T i think IF i was pragmatically,
SPEAKING i do feel Like Jayleen, duran probably in the
twenty to twenty five million dollar, range would feel about.
Right it's just his highs and lows are just so,
EXTREME i think is WHEN i was trippling over my,
word it's just they're so, extreme and when he strings
it together for like a longer period of, time, it's,
oh this is, yeah thirty million dollars a year For
jalendern doesn't seem. ABSURD i tend to lean towards the
lower end of this, spectrum BUT i think That i'm
just a creature of, habit and so the, instability the
turbulence of how he, plays like what he, delivers and
then just sort of knowing you you made a great
point about just the vertical spacing that he provides you
as a, screener and the lob threat With, KATE i
think that is super important to. Have AND i tend
to kind of fall in love With biggs where It's Isaiah,
STEWART i, mean he's the better. Defender SO i don't
want to say Is i'm a dominant skill, set BUT
i tend to like guys, who rather than they are
dominant at these one or two things where it feels
like they check more. Boxes Isaiah stewart feels like he
checks more. Boxes BUT i think a Fair chris Can
Isaiah stewart check those boxes for an entire year playing
this heavy minute workload where he's not doesn't get to
basically split it with A Jalen. Duran right, now this
Is detroit's in such A the word is. Fascinating they're
in such a fascinating situation both now and moving. Forward
our next guy who did not get an extension is Tar.
Esan reference him a little bit On Jabari. Smith how
do you feel about?
Speaker 2: Him more, So i'm a huge Tar easan. FAN i
love what he gives. YOU i understand that the shooting
is not where you, know he's not a natural three point.
Shooter it is probably the best way to say. It,
Defensively i'm. INVOLVED i also, think just transition, wise he
is such a. Target you, KNOW i just fed hell
over heels when he was in AT, lsu just at
the way he would produce on a permanent. BASIS i
think that's carried over the, rebounding the activity, level the.
ATHLETICISM i think there's so much to his game That
i've just been waiting for him to like get a
full time starting role even if it wasn't In. Houston
now that he doesn't have that, extension we'll see what
the future. HOLDS i think he's going to be so
important for The rockets moving forward because you, know having
a guy coming off the bench to play to positions
like both forward positions and offered that type of defensive,
flexibility the transition, target the, athleticism the. STRENGTH i think
he's crucial for a team that wants to win a.
CHAMPIONSHIP i think he's that type of. Guy SO i was,
surprised BUT i also understand that they have a cap
situation that they need to. Manage so we'll. See BUT
i do think that there should be several teams eyeing
him next, summer even if it's through a restrictive free,
agency where they're like looking at that, situation monitoring and, saying,
look we're. Interested, yeah he's.
Speaker 1: The only THING i really have to add is the
phrasing on when he Doesn't when he didn't sign an,
EXTENSION i think it was from The Houston chronicle where
it was the lack of an extension doesn't necessarily signal his, departure,
Right and that WAS i just clocked. It it was
just a weird way to frame it because in, theory,
sure but we all sort of know. That i'm. CURIOUS
i guess for me it comes down to and there
are obviously things THAT i need to dig into more
into like their their. Payroll that would be an interesting
discussion to have their payroll can change between now and next,
summer like these trade restrictions are gonna. Lift they could
move around money if they really want. To but you're
are they Willing i'm. Trying are they trying to be
a team that doesn't go into the set to the
second apron and they have thirty eight point two million
in space when they have nine players under, contract not
including Tari easan as one of. Them are they looking to?
Avoid how how much are they willing to spend on this?
RUSH i think getting The Kevin durant number checking in,
it whatever it was below is max like or was
it sixteen nineteen million below his max salary could have?
Been that will certainly help them and give them more
wiggle room. There But i'm curious if they look at their,
roster if it's largely the same and, say all, Right
a'm And thompson's now up for an. Extension we've paid
the contracts might be reasonable or easily to. Justify But
alprin Shankun Jabari, smith how much can we actually give
to Tari, Easton because if he's a twenty million dollars
a year, player is this a team that wants to
give that? To what is he? Offense? LIKE i echo
everything you said, defensively but is he gonna be a
part of their closing? Unit how many minutes is he
actively going to? Play and then what do you view?
Him as you mentioned his strengths, offensively but DURING i
guess most offensive units he will be what the fourth
option he's ever really going to be higher than?
Speaker 2: That? Yes, no and that is fair like that is
the one thing that he still needs to. DEVELOP i
thought last year coming off the bench when he was
when he And Amen thompson were coming off the bench
together and they had that duo and they just won them.
Games that was like they built themselves an identity through you, know,
defense turning defense into transition offense and that sort of.
Thing there was never really a heavy emphasis on half
court execution on behalf of Tari ethan AND i would
be curious to see if there was a system out
there and a coach out there who saw something in,
him and and, OKAY i can invest something in terms
of him in a half court, setting BECAUSE i don't
think he's you, know just an energy. PLAYER i think
that does a disservice to his. Talent BUT i, also you,
know we can't sit here and act like he's perfect.
Whatsoever he does need more reps in the half. Court
he does need to prove that he's worth the squeeze
in that. Situation so again remains to be. SEEN i
would love him like virtually. Everywhere, though this.
Speaker 1: Is just a quick. Answer do you think The rockets
Are they're about let's, say seventeen million beneath the tax
without tarisan on the books next. YEAR i think that's
across nine. Players do you think that they're going to
be willing to go into the tax next, year that
they're going to want to delay that for a knowing
that The Aman thompson deal is coming down the, Pipeline.
Speaker 2: WELL i mean, eventually if you if you're expecting it
depends on how long do you expect to be in
the tax right because you also want to avoid the repeater.
Speaker 1: Tax, well that's my point is like you don't want
to START i kind of think they might not want
to start the clock next. Season, yeah BUT i guess
if you're good, enough you just do. It and there's
a chance that THEY i, mean they're not gonna Have
red Van fleet this year in all, likelihood but we
could look at them and say they're kind of a
what like the a top, seventeen like four general type
away from just being one of the foremost.
Speaker 2: Contenders do you think they would move off Of dori
And Phinney smith to free up that salary, slot.
Speaker 1: Like just to stay under to help contribute to staying
under the tax and Resigning Tarr. EASTON i, mean if
you're asking me who should be more important this team moving,
forward it's not even a. Question it's It's Tarry easton for.
Sure i'm the other. Thing what's hard to talk about
the guys with that extension is so much depends on
not what they do this, season but how this season.
Ends if The rockets just look like they're so, close
they might just go into the tax pay. Whatever and
if they decide to get out of it, midyear they
might look at if you were Talking Aboutjabari Smith. Junior
what if they decide to make some type of a
consolidation trade and then it's easier to Keep Tarr. Easton
there's so many different directions this could. Go he. IS
i don't know what the number i'd be is for,
me but if you paid him more than twenty million
dollars a, YEAR i don't know That i'm batting an
eye at it if you're not willing TO i think
a lot of it comes down to some murkiness on
his offensive. Value for, sure he Didn't the game Against
Okay see was one of the worst Games i've ever
seen him. Play he leveled off a little bit after after.
That but if you don't want to pay him, THAT
i guess it maybe speaks to, well we don't think
he's ever gonna shoot better than like a thirty four
to thirty six percent guy from three and how many
minutes in games do we trust him to be available to?
Speaker 2: Play ALL i know is if he gets back and
they somehow lock him into something like four sixty or something, Ridiculous,
oh that would be such a major asset for them book.
Wise moving, Forward.
Speaker 1: Well i'm gonna need to see if he signs for
basically the mid level or. Less i'm gonna need to
see his. MEDICALS i don't need to see, them But
i'd like to know what what do they know that
we don't?
Speaker 2: Know? Right, honestly if if The spurs didn't have that
many you, know shooting, questions that's the GUY i.
Speaker 1: Want, oh that's an embarrassment of. Riches they've Got Steph
cassele And wemby And Carter bryan And Luke. Cornette they
don't need they don't need any more help.
Speaker 2: There, still that is that is the power FORWARD i
want there As Harrison barber's, Replacement.
Speaker 1: Benick mathern more just you knew he wasn't going to
design an extension because of what his role was going
to be this, year Obvious. Alburton, yes and look he's,
hurt because everybody on The pacers is. Hurt as we,
talk as we talk about, THIS i recognize more and
more the value of What Benedict matherne can do as
a change of pace. Guy WHAT i continue to struggle
with is what does he even if he balls out this,
year how do you evaluate that Against, well we are
Still Tyry's haliburton's.
Speaker 2: Team that that IS i think have you you AND
i have talked a little bit about this before when
we were talking about like guys who could could blow.
Up that's it's such interesting wrinkle to that whole conversation
because you can't really use the numbers he's gonna put
up this year in a vacuum at least because you're you're,
right he's not gonna get the on ball. Reps he's
not going to get the same opportunities there this year's
probably not going to tell us a lot about his
off ball, tendencies, capabilities how he'll play off of leaf.
Guards so, yeah that's a pretty as, good pretty good ask.
QUESTION i, mean do they perhaps even wait until like
to trade that line if he's averaging freaking twenty six
twenty seven points per game at the to twenty three
and try to sell high like just to, say, okay
we're building up an, asset Like i'm not rolling anything
out at this, point because you're, right it's, like how
can you justify going into the summer if he's averaging
like ALL nba numbers and then just kind of lope
all the hell out of. Him you. Can't you can't justify.
Speaker 1: THAT i think my bold prediction would BECAUSE i don't
Think bennancmathern's gonna be on The pacers next, year AND
i don't think it's necessarily an indictment On benanicmathern having
a bad, year just that they're either gonna think he's
he doesn't fit their style or he's not gonna fit
what they want to. Do for what he's gonna cost,
THEM i think, though if he defends at a relatively good,
level rebounds anywhere near like he did in the opening
game of the, season and is gonna continue to draw
those free throw, opportunities maybe you can receive the three
point efficiencies, there which is kind of it's one of
those harbingers where, It's, OH i think maybe he would
be able to scale. Down that's probably the best bet
of whatever he does this. Year you reading into it and, Saying,
okay he got a lot more, touches was a lot
more involved in the. Offense they played a lot MORE
i want to say his, way but he was, able
he had more freedom in the half. Court let's invest
in him because we think that we've seen enough signals
where if he's able to do this in a higher volume,
role imagine what he can do alongside And Tyre's haliburton
doesn't receive enough credit for this super. Scalable you don't
want him to have to adjust his, game but like
he can make some, tweaks like the way that he
can move around off the, ball does in theory help
you like incorporate a higher usage version or a More
Benedict mathinery version Of Benedic. Mathrin so BUT i don't
this is. Wow first of, all let's, hope, like let's
hope he stays healthy because everyone on the patients he's
banged up right, now but he's had a lot of
eye opening moments through his first two games of the.
Speaker 2: Season we're also being a little unfair because like we're basically, assuming,
oh he's only got this. Year technically With achilles, injuries
you're probably not just looking at the one year right
like you're looking at the one year For haliburt and
which he's presumably. Off then he's got to get back
and get like, reacclimated get his legs under, him get
that full level of trust back in his. Body so
you're probably looking at a season and a, half which
could be an interesting way to sort of explore or
that backcourt relationship a little bit more like As tyreese
is coming back and getting, reacclimated that's Where Benedict mathrin can,
say go over more at the, offense handle more of
the scoring. Burden perhaps that's a way for those two
to calibrate and then figure shit.
Speaker 1: Out but how much you want to pay him when
that's gonna be viewed still as more of A i
don't want to call it a gap year, then but
if you think it's A Tyrese haliburton transition, Year i'd,
like are he's gonna be willing to give him twenty five?
Thirty and also HE'S i don't view him as the
same as A Jaalen green or A Cam, thomas but
he is kind of looped into that subset of guards
who are not considered wings but not considered primary or
necessarily even secondary. Playmakers so then how do you pay?
Them they're they feel like strictly. Twos AND i think
That indiana does a good job extracting more than just
strictly shooting guard type number of shooting guard type role
out of, Him but those guys are getting its seems
like harder to pay your teams seem inherently down on.
Them so let's say they keep him through this season
and he's he's not going to be ould assume he's
not averaging as much as he did through his first two,
games but he's twenty plus good, efficiency getting to the foul,
line puts pressure on the basket, shooting, okay for rebound
rebounding His let's say that's come, up he's defended at
least relatively, Well i'd just be curious as to what
the market would even be said in. Him are we
looking at another situation where IT'S i think you could
say this With Quentin grimes or say this With Jonathan,
kmingo to use the most recent, examples we know those
guys are valuable or that there's upside, there nobody was
still willing to pay, them and Then Quentin grimes's, case
his own team wasn't willing to pay.
Speaker 2: Them, well, okay, okay SO i hear. YOU i agree with,
you BUT i will say it's sort of different than
from The jonathan cominga, situation at least Because kumenka got
jerked around a. Lot If matthurin has like a full
year of like a very set role and like he's
producing at a level that, is you, know let's say
high twins in the point production like we Saw kuminga for.
Years you, know he'll put up eighteen and seven one
night and put up like two and three the, Next,
Right like the level of inconsistency With comingo was at
least very. Prevalent if that is not the case With,
MATHERIN i probably would be inclined to just, say well
he's better because, no, efficiency, sorry consistency is just that
much more valuable the next.
Speaker 1: GUY i think we might need like twenty minutes to
talk about. Him Usman Jang, moore were you shut as
shocked AS i was that he didn't get an? EXTENSION
i was.
Speaker 2: Shocked he's still on The, thunder so, like good on?
Speaker 1: Him does he finish the season on The? Thunder do you?
Speaker 2: THINK i don't think.
Speaker 1: So, no they normally do you tend to get rid
of those guys that they're not gonna keep us want
to throw him in. THERE i loved. IT i still
do Love Oo's i'm just not doing anything to warrant
that it's not being reciprocated with his. Play Mark williams though,
MORE i don't think he was going to get one
just because he came over from and even if he
stayed In. Charlotte, one they didn't want. Him they've made
that clear twice over. Now but, two you have to
see if he could stay, healthy what is His how
do you even try to begin to value?
Speaker 2: Him you, Don't that's the thing you. DON'T i, mean,
look the injury thing alone is it's just such a huge,
issue such a huge red, flag which is a shame
of BECAUSE i really Like Mark. WILLIAMS i thought that
despite the injury, concerns despite the fact that defensively he
didn't project this all of, that just having such a
big physical presence on the, floor who could, somehow some
way get shuts up around the rim and do SOMETHING
i thought that was insanely. Valuable APPARENTLY nba teams just
do not agree with, me which is. Fine, so, like
what is his value right? NOW i have no freaking.
Clue if he's going to be the backup center In
phoenix all year, long we're probably not looking at starter
money going into the next. Season when you compound that
with the injury, factor.
Speaker 1: He's they're also and maybe this is they do it
out of an abundance of caution with the right, knee
injury management. Always just seeing that makes me a little
queasy IF i Had i'm gonna make you pick right,
now does he get more or less than the non
tax payer mid level less next year? LESS i Think
i'm with. You.
Speaker 2: Yeah the thing is that could be a, steal though it.
Speaker 1: Could but we said the same thing About Robert williams
the third a lot of the times.
Speaker 2: Too oh that's. Depressing that was the depressing name to bring. Up, okay,
yeah and.
Speaker 1: He look honestly OUR w three's peak just for what
he was able to do. DEFENSIVELY i Know Mark williams
has had better accounting stats at, point But Tom williams
the third was a more intriguing not as, big of,
COURSE i HATE i just we'll see how many games
he plays. In but you're, right, like what is his
Actual let's say he even stays, healthy if it's in
a moderate minutes role and they're, managing that's going to
impact his. Value just another incredibly tough case. Study and
the other thing too IS i think he's in the
bigs where you look at A Jalen. Duran we're gonna
talk about another one of these bigs he might be
graduating from. THAT i don't think there's like a line
of demarcation for bigs now to where it's unless you're
a star or you're a floor, spacer they. Don't it
feels like teams might not know how to value. You
And Mark williams kind of falls into, that and if,
anything he's harder just because of the defensive weaknesses that he's.
Shown next, up we Have Jeremy sohan mort how you
feel about, him.
Speaker 2: Well, dan we talked about him before we started, recording
and it seems as though we both had completely forgotten
about the young, man just forgotten he existed on this.
Purse that's probably not a great, sign.
Speaker 1: No and it's especially now that they have Lou cornett
there and it's who would you, rather, honestly who would
you rather see play Alongside, Wemby Luke cornett Or Jeremy.
Sohan it's really not even are the things That Jeremy
sohan can do DEFENSIVELY i appreciate AND i also think
that they found something with him sort of being utilized
as this play finisher on, offense maybe being able to
do stuff in. Transition but if he's doing that like
a lot of the play. Finishing then that's just something
else That wemby can't necessarily. Do and SO i Want
wemby either alongside a quirky front court partner like A
Louke cornett or someone who's just going to space the
floor around him if it's going to be in A
Harrison barnes.
Speaker 2: Right, NO i agree with you, entirely and so hand
to his, credit like he is a good. Player he
does have a tendency to you, know occasionally put up
some counting sets where you're kind of double checking yourself and, going,
oh he actually did. That that's pretty. Impressive and he'll have,
games especially last, year although that was an sort of
injury plagued. Year he was in and out out of
the line up all year. Long felt you know where
he got closer into the basket where he took smarter
shots around the. Rim we saw his two point conversion
raid if memory sirs jump up, significantly like there was
more of like an interior slashing game to. Him so
like there is there's an element of scoring touch, there
just not the specific scoring touch that The spurs need from.
Him and that's where things sort of get a little,
murky because if he doesn't offer you what you, need
how can you move on from?
Speaker 1: That it's also it's tough, too because if you're gonna
be dealing with at least one, guard let's say that
has some limitations on his. RANGE i know It's Steph
castle can do off the ball EVERYBODY i get, it
and he's Get those are averaging like four point eight
three point attempts in the time that he's played this.
Year but, so but that adds another wrinkle into the equation.
There So i'm gonna ask you, this more of these three.
Players rank them in terms of the likelihood that they
are In San antonio next? Season Harrison, barnes who's a free,
Agent Calton johnson will be going into the final year
of his, contract And Jeremy.
Speaker 2: SOHAN i don't think any of those three players are in.
Sentence did you say next?
Speaker 1: Summer or rank them in terms of likelihood that they're
on The spurs next?
Speaker 2: Season, WELL i, MEAN i think all are gone with, Sir.
Speaker 1: But who's so who's most likely to still be?
Speaker 2: There Harrison. Barnes if anyone the free, AGENT.
Speaker 1: I probably just would have went With Calden johnson because
he's under.
Speaker 2: Contract no he's such a great trade. CHIP i think
like they do love him. Though he's a great. Seamate
he's the one who really lives like the locker room
up and. Whatnot but they understand he's a great contract
to move off of so like and so, high AND
I i know he's the least likely to remain if
we're going down that. ROUTE i JUST i don't think. That,
yeah But, barnes, like if you put a gun to
my head and, said you know which one of these
guys could have a chance in hell, sticking it's Probably Harrison.
Speaker 1: Parts BUT i, think is there any team that would
interest you as A jeremy So han? Spot that's a good.
Speaker 2: Question that's actually a really good. QUESTION i hadn't thought
about like a specific, team so like who Needs peking?
Speaker 1: Four, YEAH i was GONNA i was gonna Say boston
would be. Interesting with the way they like to run their.
Offense there's normally plenty of space on the floor for.
Speaker 2: That you Want Jeremy sohan to take five hundred threes
in the, Season.
Speaker 1: NO i think about the like the lanes that'll be
open for like slashing or driving with.
Speaker 2: Him, yeah because we definitely haven't Seen boston waste a
ton of those opportunities by just jacking up a. Three,
anyway when driving lines driving lanes opened, Up, No i'm.
KIDDING i SEE i see the VISION i. Do it's.
INTERESTING i don't hate. IT i wonder, again it depends
on the, money AND i don't think they they'll have
any of. It he would be interesting on The. KNICKS
i feel as sort of like a When towns is
forced to play center, situation If mitch isn't, There.
Speaker 1: Downs is forced to play.
Speaker 2: Center when that's, no he's you know WHAT i, mean
like a defensive center. Situation you want someone who can
like roam around and do some of the dirty.
Speaker 1: World the problem with that is you're getting So i'm
if if you don't Have Mitchell, ROBINSON i get. It
but if you Have Mitchell, robinson then it's. Okay Between
Josh Hart Mitchell robinson and so you're getting so far
away from everfielding fly out. Lineup so if The, knicks
If towns is your, center, yeah if, that If towns
becomes the default, CENTER i think you having A sohan
And an and it would be on the same, inside
the same rotation would be would be. Good what about,
well they just don't have the, spacing but they. Do
he feels like a quirky guy who'd WORK iq wise.
Too Golden.
Speaker 2: State yeah that makes. SENSE i love, that sort of
like A draymond you, know.
Speaker 1: Continuation, yeah that would Be, honestly they're just trying To.
Brooklyn that's someone who will play him at least you
want to know the depth of his skills At brooklyn
would be the spot to. Go that's probably enough On Jeremy,
sohan THOUGH i think it. Is we have two more.
Names Oh Chick Bojie sneaky valuable last year when you
look at what he was doing defensively and how he
shot the three. Ball where are you at with?
Speaker 2: Him backup? Wing ultimately, SPEAKING i don't think he, is you,
know a full time starter in those sleep but that
doesn't mean he doesn't have. Value LIKE i think he's
one of those wings who, can like a true, wing
not stuck at a, two not stuck at the. THREE
i think he can play both positions and that has.
VALUE i think he's a guy you can trust to
make defensive. PLAYS i think he's a guy you can
trust to have a certain baseline. OFFENSIVELY i think his
athleticism is a. BONUS i still WHENEVER i watch him,
PLAY i keep, thinking, oh like he's twenty, two twenty,
three and then you, realize, oh, no he's actually three
years older than. That he's he's like approaching his. Prime
and that's kind of WHEN i fall into that trap of, going,
oh he's got so much you, know remaining potential left
in his, tank which he probably does not if we're being,
real and that's going to affect like the monetary. Value
So i'm actually gonna ask, you, like what do you
think is a contractual like parameter that he would fall
into that makes sense for everyone?
Speaker 1: Involved contractual PARAMETER i was gonna, say doesn't he kind
of feel like his Eras Dori Infinney, Smith you're not
gonna get much more out of him on offense than
if you, WANT i, know Dorrin Ifhinney smith sometimes had
the driving to his his his, repertoire like Like Ochak,
BAJI i just look at someone as you know you
mentioned he kind of has a baseline on offense in
terms of his skill. Set, yes but when you kind
of still don't know do you trust the three to
go down as you would like that baseline to be,
higher because then you just know we have someone who's
gonna compete, defensively can guard up and down the positional,
spectrum and make, Threes and right, NOW i think he
checks two of those. Boxes If i'm trying to put
a dollar amount on, IT i THINK i would roll
the dice on like a close to non tas mid
level to, him like fourteen fifteen a year feels. Reasonable
but the question would be would you go a full
four years on that where it's four and fifty six
or four and sixty three years in the team.
Speaker 2: OPTION i would love that.
Speaker 1: Contract that's honestly for him, though AND i said this,
BEFORE i don't like to boil it down to. This
it really does come. Down we know what he is,
DEFENSIVELY i, think and we know what he can be.
Offensively the question is can he just be? It and
that is make. Threes he can't be someone who's hovering
around thirty three. Percent he doesn't do enough like Herb
jones as an, example does so much more defensively than
Off baji and even more offensively to where it's, Right,
yeah you live with. That abaji can't be one of
those dudes on the offensive. END i agree our final
player mort he's. Pissed he wants you to know he's
pissed he didn't get an. Extension Walker, Kessler.
Speaker 2: I've been weirded out by that soul situation for a
while because he found himself in trade rumors all the
way back.
Speaker 1: To his rookie. Season probably yeah.
Speaker 2: No, yeah, yeah, Right but like they intensified a great
deal at the trade deadline In, february. RIGHT i feel
as though that was like the point where it started
to feel, like are they like they haven't really like?
You so of fans can correct me If i'm. Wrong
it doesn't feel LIKE i ever saw something where they
went out and went to bad for. HIM i really, said, like,
look we can shut this. Down he's he's sticking with.
Us SO i wonder if there's like several things involved,
here where one it's, like, hey where's the commitment to
me financially and also where's the, Trust like why aren't,
you you, know talking about me as someone who can
stick around the. Franchise and if those are indeed some
of his, CONCERNS i get, it that's. FAIR i you,
know this is a seven to two guy who, defensively you,
know we talked. About, yeah we talked About Jalen durham
And detroit. Earlier if you were to Replace Jalen Durham Walker,
KESSLER i would feel like a lot MORE i don't
know what the word is safe or certain about the
pistons for, example like a lot just because of the
sheer size of it, all and like the defensive, acumen
and LIKE I i would feel more at ease With
kesh story Than durha for. Example but for some reason
In utah they don't necessarily view him like, that WHICH
i don't know. Why it's not something That i'm privy.
To it also seems like a lot OF usa fans
are a little bit like confused about why this is.
Speaker 1: Developed so WHAT i will say IS i think that
there there is some weirdness here BECAUSE i had talked
To Sarah tood Of Deseret news leading into the season
and asked if the quote that he had at Media
day about the EXTENSION i didn't actually hear, it SO i,
said was anything taken out of? Context and her response
was something to the effect of it's actually sounded worse
than the content of, It and so there is some awkwardness.
There but there is part of me that things were
overthinking this in the sense that, yes they probably didn't
extend him to keep the trade options. Open but the
other thing Is utah's now this is year season four
of its teardown right, Three Like Donov mitchell's been in,
yeah season four of its post, teardown their timeline's all
sorts of, hazy and his cap pulled as of right
now next summer is going to be fourteen point six.
Million that's a big difference from whatever he would have.
Gotten he wasn't if he would have signed for under
twenty million dollars a, YEAR i would have been. SHOCKED
i would have guessed he's more likely to sign for
twenty five plus than under than twenty or. Less and
so now you're talking about a big. Difference and If
utah is feeling the urgency to improve having cap space
not necessarily sarily as a vehicle to acquire town in
free agency, anymore we all know how that, works but
to facilitate, TRADES i understand wanting to keep that flexibility.
Open at the same time also acknowledging we don't know
enough about how good we can be or how much
we will be able to or need to fast track,
this to commit him to that dollar point because the
talent around. Him we know What Walker kessler does, best
and his, offense, though is so dependent on those who
are around, him and there's a lot of uncertainty In
utah that his value on offense will be more hold
into how these other players are. Performing and there's a
chance that his contract had you would sign him for
let's say five, years one hundred and if they gave
him The Keegan murray, deal there's a chance that could
have been viewed disfavorably around the league depending on how
this season plays. Out so this is one of those
situations WHERE i under to have both sides of the
argument to WHERE i absolutely think if you could have
Locked Walker kessler down at like twenty to twenty three,
million you should have done. It BUT i also UNDERSTAND
i understand why he's pissed off about. IT i also
understand Why utah isn't doing. IT i don't my read
on it that, AGAIN i do think there's some. WEIRDNESS
i also do think The jazz and their fans understand
how valuable he. Is it's just does that value align
with the window in which they're going to be. Operating
and also this could be a situation, where because of
what he can do, offensively do they view themselves of
having some sort of cap if they decide to give
him twenty five thirty million dollars a.
Speaker 2: Year my, LIKE i get that all of. It my
thing is the personal relationship, here because you could see
that he was. Pissed he wanted, This he wanted this
type of security contract whatever you call. It you he
wanted actively to be. There if you are potentially hurting
your player relationship and with someone who you consider your
starting center by going you, know onwards with the Kap,
minutia then you failed in your communication at the very,
least like you could have looped him. In like, again
it's tough because he could have also told YOU i
want my money now Because i'm that, good which fair.
Enough but at the very, LEAST i hope that they
did try to loop him into the idea that, hey
remember that if we've seen this, before it was The
kawhi caphold that actually got Them LaMarcus alts back in the. Day,
LIKE i granted you're probably four years older than. That, no.
Speaker 1: But, no but you bring an interesting point because, SORRY
i didn't. Reject but it's think about what The sixers
did With Tyre's. Maxie he was very much. Aware do
you think it makes it harder at all, though to
have for maybe even let's say they had that level of,
communication is it harder for him to get on board
with it when His TYRES maxi even at the time
before he went through that, year he think he won
motion improved. Player right before he became a restartive free.
Agent he was up.
Speaker 2: There he was a, star, yes but didn't he had the.
Speaker 1: Cash he had like the status of he'll get maximumy right,
right And Walker kesler. Doesn't and So i'm wondering if
that variable add some fragility to this.
Speaker 2: Situation that's a really good point because again with the
same With kawhi back in twenty, fifteen that same, thing,
right it Was kawhi Frickin. Leonard so, yes absolutely he
knew he was going to get the. Money it's interesting
in terms of What Walker kessler was asking for, too
because there could be multiple angles to play. Here one
could be the cap hold angle that you brought. Up
the second could also be that they are just not
aligned on the money as. Well so if You're utah
you're looking at situation and you're, saying, okay we might
be you, know five or six million apart per. Year
that's tough to make up ground on. That at the same,
time we are looking at utilizing his cap. Hold, like
none of these things are moving in the right direction right.
Now we have communicated this to. Him he's rejected enough the.
Idea he wants his money right. Now now we have
to do what's best for. Us that, too is a
STANCE i can. Respect but then you also have to
realize by going this, route there's a risk. Involved you
might have alienated your starting. Center you might have like
he might be inclined going into the summer and, saying, hey, no,
no you know, What i'm not down with. This i'm
picking up the qualifying. Offer he might ask for a
trade before the trade, deadline like just to get out
of the. Situation and those are you, know those are
the gambles that you have to make in professional sports.
Occasionally if, that if that's what it comes down to,
again it just it furthers my point of having quality
communication with your. Players and here's hoping because we don't,
know we're just speaking out of our asses, Here but
like here's hoping that they actually went to him in
his camp and laid out their.
Speaker 1: Idea you have anything else or are we ready to
put a two hour bow? On we had a deep
dive on the free agency Stat we Did we did.
Speaker 2: It it was nice going two. Hours it's been a. While,
yeah it's been a.
Speaker 1: While this podcast took a while. More can you just
tell everyone where they can find you and all the
great work that you're.
Speaker 2: Doing you can find me over At Yahoo. Sports you
can find me over At. Forbes if you listen to,
podcasts you can find me at THE Nba. Podcast and
if You're, danish you can find me at Bus repeater
and you can catch me calling games FOR Hbo Max
Big time over.
Speaker 1: Here until next, time one remember to subscribe To Hardwood
knocks as, well in addition to THE Nba podcast and
two shout out to the one the only still waiting
on his rookie extension ever got? It they'll waiting on,
It Frank Keela keita