June 22, 2023 • 34 mins
Jason Smith and Mike Harmon break down the 3-team trade that sent Kristaps Porzingis to the Celtics and Marcus Smart to the Grizzlies.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to The Jason Smith Show with Mike
Harmon podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weeknight
ten pm to two am Eastern seven to eleven pm
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for
The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon at Foxsports Radio
dot com, or stream us live every night on the
iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Please give this you're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
Greetings and welcome inside.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Hour three of The Jason Smith Show with my best
friend Mike Harmon, live from the ti iraq dot Com
studios tiraq dot com. We'll help you get there an
unmatched selection, fast, free shipping, free road hazard protection, and
over ten thousand recommended installers tiraq dot com. The way
tire buying should be so okay, let me explain. There
(00:57):
is too much. Let me sum up. We began the
show tonight talking about the big NBA trade that was
going to happen. Chris tops Porzingis was going to be
a Celtic, Malcolm Brogden was going to the Clippers. You
were going to get the Wizards are going to get
back a few assets. But the big thing is porzingis
(01:20):
to the Celtics, Right, yeah, we love the trade.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
Love the trade. We'll get into it more in a
couple minutes.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
Then after we talked about it for about twelve minutes
or so, at the beginning of the show, Adrian bo
Jorowski ESPN tweets out trade is off. Wait what trade
is off? We have Mark Stein on the show NBA
Insider who tells us and he had all the reporting.
He said there was a big concern that the Clippers
had about Malcolm Brogden's health. So that's why the trade
(01:44):
didn't happen, and the teams were trying to figure out
a way to still do the trade. But it was
going to be a new situation because the Clippers were
out and because Porzingis was facing a midnight Eastern dead line,
so three minutes ago of deciding whether or not to
opt into the last year of his contract, they kind
(02:06):
of were under the gun to find a third team
to get involved to try to make this trade happen. Okay,
So the trade was on, it was gonna happen, then
it was off, and then got back on again. Adrian
Wojowski reporting a few minutes ago that there was going
to be a trade. Yep, and Christaps Porzingis was going
to be a Boston Celtic. Definitely getting out of there.
(02:28):
It's happening, it has to it's happening. It's now Christaps
Porzingis is a Celtic. He is a Boston Celtic. It's happening.
You can see the pictures of the dim in the
jersey and everything else. Porzingis is a Celtic. However, that's
not the end of the drama. With more details on
this breaking news, Monty Belagno's has it with what's spreading
(02:52):
right now.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Breaking news from Fox Sports.
Speaker 4 (02:56):
They're really keeping us on the edge of our seats
with this. Good Yeah, no, it's midnight on the East Coast,
but let's keep this up.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
Well, they could keep changing the players at some points
that wouldn't be surprised for sure.
Speaker 4 (03:08):
So yes, it is official. Porzingis is headed to the Celtics.
This is what's gonna happen. Three teams involved. The Grizzlies
will be sending guard Tighas Jones to the Washington Wizards.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Boston is sending Marcus.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
Smart to the Grizzlies in the deal, so that is
what's going on. And then to add to more breaking news,
three time All Star forward Chris Middleton has declined his
forty million dollar player option with the Bucks. He is
going to become a free agent.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Bakers like, when you decline forty million dollars, are you
on crack? Well? No, but he can make more than
That's a thing. He's going to make more than that.
Middleton's proof we get a several year deal. Why would
I make forty million for one year when I can
get two hundred million for five years?
Speaker 3 (03:52):
Why would I do that? It's gonna make more.
Speaker 5 (03:54):
Manzi is just mad that the Clippers are no longer
part of any of the scroll that we're going on there.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
But they got the goat. Take out the goat. You
know what, though Monsy did make make the point.
Speaker 5 (04:03):
It was something we kind of danced around as we
were analyzing all this stuff, that they would hold up
a trade over an injury when you've got a team
full of guys that you look down is like, all right,
I'm footing up the line up tonight.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
You inter you out right? You you you're out? Anybody
do I got five guys that want to play.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
That's what the Clippers have been and they decline bringing
in Broaden because of an injury. So there's your drama.
Thank you very much, Monsey appreciate. Now the Clippers are
nowhere involved in your team is nowhere involved in this trade?
Speaker 3 (04:36):
Not not in anywhere you have to be on the air.
Your microphone has to be on.
Speaker 4 (04:40):
Is my microphone on there?
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (04:42):
We did get an excited bobbing and everything else. It
was good.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
You gotta press the button to turn your microphone it.
So your Clippers are nowhere we're involved. Were you able
to cancel your order for your Malcolm Brogden Jersey?
Speaker 2 (04:54):
You know, I don't think so.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
I think it's still happening. You have to pay for it,
all right?
Speaker 4 (04:58):
Listen. I bought a Beverly uh uh Angelo Beverly Jersey
Patrick Beverly Jersey when he was on fire and they
didn't have any so I had a custom make it
and then, like to.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Do they not allowed that exchange anymore though.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
Didn't they have a whole thing where you can get
an exchange?
Speaker 2 (05:15):
Guy? Plea for American Express?
Speaker 4 (05:18):
I think specifically you had and I don't or any way,
shape or forming connected to American Express.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
Don't you have to pay for that one?
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Why expresses you have to pay you.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
That you have to pay a yearly fee.
Speaker 4 (05:31):
I don't do that about I got time.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
Okay, all right, my credit cards are free. You sound
you sound really they're not free. They're not free, but at.
Speaker 4 (05:38):
Least I'm not paying a monthly for you.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
On top of the end what you're interest rate? You're
paying for these other credit cards? You know, I'm not
entirely sure. Yeah, you know. Here's the thing.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
I got really excited when I got my first credit card.
I got discovered was my first credit card? Right, yeah,
I'm like, I'm in college. I got a credit card.
I can go to the small on the weekends and
not have to worry about it. It's great. Yeah, buy
to buy, to buy? What's your interest rate?
Speaker 3 (05:57):
Eighteenth? Right now, you'd beg for that. That was everybody's
first credit card. Will discovered eighteen percent on a credit car? Yeah?
Mine was Bank of America.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
Yeah, you're still paying for those beers eighteen percent. I
bought a twenty five dollars shirt. What's my payment? Forty
six dollars?
Speaker 3 (06:15):
Waite, white white white waite?
Speaker 2 (06:17):
Wait?
Speaker 3 (06:19):
All right, all right, thank you, monsie.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
See there you go a little bit, get a little
bit of know about Monty there, she's not an American Express,
he's out, not a sponsor.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
All right.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
So again here's where we're at with all the drags
midnight deadline. Chris tops Porzingis is a Boston Celtic. We
already did that analysis that was trade happened the Celtics.
Part of this trade, they have traded Marcus Smart to
the Memphis Grizzlies. What position is Marcus Smart play? What
position is John Moran play? And on the on the
(06:50):
heels of that, Chris Middleton has become a free agent,
opting out of his player's option for one year forty
million dollars.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
All right, So let's do the Porzingis part of this. First.
I went from the beginning of.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
The show being afraid because now the Celtics were good, right,
They're getting Porzingis. And look, when Porzingis is your third
or fourth best player, that's exactly.
Speaker 3 (07:13):
What he needs.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
He's not someone that can handle the limelight. He's someone
who wants to get paid and just play and not
have to war anything else. Well, he might be able
to be that guy. Now we don't know. Yeah, right,
he came into the league. He's a very young guy
in New York. So he does that's not that's not easy,
especially with how thirsty. I mean, everybody keeps telling me
the greatest fans in the world of Madison Square Garden
(07:36):
and the thirstiness for him to become all world. It's
kind of like wen Bin Yelma's showing up in San
Antonio tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
By the way, the fact that this is the only
NBA news on the night before the draft.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
He's say, sad, but whis is making headline news.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
But we take it for what it is.
Speaker 5 (07:55):
And but when he came into the league, the idea
that he was the save that Carmelo couldn't be and
that they hadn't had since ewing roam the earth and
all of those things the earth I wanted to get.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
It still around.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
He's just not a good mess, that's all right. Yeah,
he won three games in four years with Georgetown. They
were all against Syracuse. But look, he's someone. Yes, do
I want to think that maybe he's matured a bit,
and he's talked about mistakes he's made earlier in his career,
and maybe I wasn't ready for the Knicks, but look,
him and his brother pushed his way out of New York.
He couldn't lead in New York do or didn't want to.
(08:31):
They wanted to give him everything, wanted to make him
one of the hood ornaments of the NBA. You're our
guye Nope, don't want it now. I'm gonna go to
Dallas and be one two common with Luka Dontich. What
happened didn't function well as the two got pushed out there.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
He is in.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
Basketball anonymity with the Wizards, and he sort of got
his career back on track playing sixty some odd games
a year, showing I still have some of those kills
then skills that made me the Unicorn Lizard when I
first came up with the Knicks. So if he's on
a team that he is your third or fourth best player. Yeah,
And this is why I was scared of the Celtics again,
(09:04):
because look, I want the paths with the Knicks to
be as clear as possible to win the championship. And
porzingis on the Celtics. This was a big deal because
he can run the floor, he can hit threes, he
can defend. He is someone who is not is not
going to be a detriment or someone you have to
game plan around. If you are Joe Mizzoula, Hey, well
(09:24):
we gotta cover up for Porzingis here. No, he doesn't
need to play a ton of minutes. He can play
thirty minutes a night and I have to worry about
overusing him. Sixty games is the new seventy five games
in the NBA. This is what your stars play. They
set out back to backs, they set out other games
for general soreness, So this.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
Is kind of what it is.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
So yeah, I'm excited. I was excited when the deal
didn't happen. Now it's back on, and I'm a little
bit less excited because now Porzingis is a Celtic. But
now I'm throwing in the fact that they wave goodbye
to Marcus Smart, who has meant so much to that team,
who has meant so much to that team over the
course of the past couple of years. Getting rid of
him seems like it's a really big deal. Now they're
(10:03):
getting two first round picks back for Marcus Smart. But
if you are the Celtics, I like the strong decision
that you have said, it's not good enough where we
are right now. We have tried Tatum and Brown and
Smart for the last three four years, and we've not
been able to get over the up. We made it
to the finals, but now we're not trending higher. We
(10:25):
lost to an eight seed. We were able to come
back and force a seventh game. We played alternately inspired
and alternately flat. I give the Celtics a lot of
credit and Brad Stevens a lot of credit for understanding
this run with this three, with these three guys is
over now. And this is why I'm back to being
scared again because I was okay with the Celtics coming back.
(10:46):
They're gonna run it back with what they had where
Missoula was a questionable head coach and you saw the
talent they had wasn't enough to even get to the
Eastern Conference finals.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
Forget it, man, I was happy to see that.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
Now it's hey, we're changing things up a little bit,
and now they may not be because if you're talking
about trying to win, now, are those two first round
picks gonna wind up being.
Speaker 3 (11:04):
Picks you actually take.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Are they gonna be assets to get somebody else, to
get another player in to get another three or four,
because right now Porzingis is your third and with Tatum
and Brown and porzingis now the Celtics are dangerous again.
I give Brad Stevens a lot of credit because all
the trades he has made he has gotten some criticism for,
but they've all turned out well. Ooh, Al Horford, I
don't own at Al Horford trade turned out pretty good. Okay, Okay,
(11:26):
So everything he's done has been pretty shrewd. He's moved
on from players, not always thinking it was the right time.
It's turned out to be the right time. So now
I'm scared of the Celtics again. Now I feel like
instead of hey, we got a clear path by the Celtics, blank, Dad,
they stink. Now, oh no, here come the Celtics again,
and now here there are they're gonna be good.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
Yeah, we'll get to the Marcus smart part of it
all here in a couple of minutes.
Speaker 5 (11:48):
But as you look at the roster that had been
assembled for Boston, he had to rely on a lot
of big minutes from Al Horford. And there were time
like sometimes he was dialed in and his shot was falling,
But if it was shot, wasn't he wasn't giving you
everything else that you would need. Right on the preiter,
you look at Robert Williams when healthy, good rebounder, good
(12:11):
interior defender. Well, Porzingis can do all of that. And
it's not to elevate him to the guy he was
supposed to be coming into the league. But we look
at a guy that can still score twenty three a game,
get to near double digit rebounds per game, block shots,
changes shots in the lane, all of those things, and
could step out and hit a three, change the complexion
(12:34):
of the offense.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
You've got guards. Even losing Smart, you still have a
plethora of guards to get it done.
Speaker 5 (12:42):
And Tatum and Jalen Brown get another piece to that
front line of players to make big plays and push
them deeper. Because right you're also looking at the matchups
going forward, not just in conference, but you're expecting you're
going to make run back not only in the Eastern Conference,
(13:02):
but if you're going to go and play big minutes
and play for a title, probably running into that Jokic
guy on the other side, or some derivation of a
team with a top level center that you've got to
go figure out how to slow down.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
So bring in Porzingis, at least in theory, is why
you do this move as well.
Speaker 2 (13:22):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
Even you have to be tired of hearing this song,
even you have to be tired and heard about it.
I feel like you play it extra loud too. I do.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
Actually I put it on the pod. That's the hottest jays.
You know what's funny is knowing you dislike this song
makes me like it more. You know what, Knowing you
play this song makes me dislike you even more. It's
not about that. That's an honor. Thank you very good.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Yeah, and then no, that was possible in my much
anger and hatred In the latest top twenty five polls
of people I disliked tyshit is moving up like you
were you were like you weren't on it. Then like
all of a sudden, you appear to twenty one. Then
like just a college football team. That's a big upset
when you jumped to number ten and another big win.
Now you're in the top five. Let's go so there.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
Yes, you're gonna keey his car could happen. No, and
I'll just meet with Scott when he gets back from
being out of the country. That's fine.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
So big news in the NBA. The Porzingis trade has happened. Yes,
it was happening, then it wasn't happening. Now it's happening.
Christops Porzingis is a Boston Celtic. It was supposed to
be a trade involving the Clippers along with the Wizards.
The Clippers had questions about Malcolm Brogden's health, so the
(14:41):
Clippers backed out of the trade. The Celtics then found
the Grizzlies to make the trade with the three team trade,
so Porzingis goes from the Wizards to the Celtics. Celtics
also get two first round picks from Memphis. Memphis gets
Marcus Smart. All right, so now more Marcus Smart is out.
The Celtics have two first round picks, and now the
(15:04):
Grizzlies have Smart. Now, just really quick to finish on
the Porzingis part before you get to the Marcus Smart.
John Morant part of this is that how the Celtics
came out of tonight is they traded away Marcus Smart
and basically they traded Marcus Smart, they got Chris Tops
Porzingis and they got two first round picks.
Speaker 3 (15:23):
Right, So that's kind of what it is.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
I would be really surprised if the Celtics those two
first round picks are picks they wind up are in
possession of by this time tomorrow, where these picks most
likely are going to be used to get another proven
player sure to come in, Because if you're trying to
win now these first round picks, how are they going
to really help you? You know, I mean, you're not drafting,
(15:47):
you're not in the lottery, You're not getting us the
number two overall pick. How are these going to help you?
You're trying to win now? Yes, you're your core is young,
and Tatum is young, and Brown as young, and Porzinkics
it's twenty eight. But you have to bring in somebody that, Okay, hey,
you've been through the fire already, to someone who's a younger,
proven player. I would I would bet, I would bet
all my money these picks turned into somebody else. I
(16:09):
don't know who, but they turned it to somebody else
by tomorrow.
Speaker 5 (16:12):
Well, the other part to consider with it in that vein, Jason,
is that you already had all of those reports of
Brown and Tatum perhaps not being on the same page,
and maybe that those fears, those that angst whatever that was,
that the discord was resolved through the year and maybe
(16:34):
they got through it and as Missoula took charge of
that squad, and we could say what we want about
some of the decisions made during the playoffs, coaching decisions
made or not made. You know, if you choose not
to decide, you still have made a choice to steal
from Rush in terms of calling timeouts or not. But
(16:54):
one thing that was clear, those players all had his
back and they were all in from Missoula, so maybe
they bonded over that. But it still swirls in the
background in terms of what your time frame is and
the window is before the malcontendedness the national media, the
poison pens there in Boston maybe can push it to
(17:14):
an unnatural end. So yes, winning is of the essence
short term, so you probably flip that pick right away.
So if that's the case, now, all right, So that
that closes the book for now on the porzingis part
to trade the Celtics part of it.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
Yeah, people could take the trade off little blocks that
they put on right adding to graphics. Oh yeah, because
we had the photoshop. Yeah, it's like here he is,
he's part of the squad and there's like no trade,
trade revoke, trade falls apart.
Speaker 5 (17:44):
Like whatever they put and now they can just go
back in and do a quick edit and remove that
you know, text box and that graphic is alive again.
Speaker 3 (17:52):
It's good. Good to them. Uh now just to okay,
just to throw this in here now because we have
to again. This is that closes the book on the
Celtics part of it.
Speaker 1 (18:06):
The Wizards in the in this trade that went on
with the Celtics and the Grizzlies, it gets more and
more complicated with every every passing second. The Wizards are
getting Denilo Gallinari, the named Gallinari, and Mike Muscala as
well in the trade. These are other portions of the
Is it twenty ten Gallinari or is it I don't know.
(18:27):
I think you take twenty nineteen Gallinari If you.
Speaker 3 (18:31):
Turning back the clock, he is thirty four. Yeah. So
that's so that's your trade. Now now there is official.
Speaker 5 (18:38):
And now there is still one very large question because
we just talked about getting those first round picks as
part of this trade. Two first round picks from Marcus Martin.
Speaker 3 (18:46):
Yeah, well that's the part.
Speaker 1 (18:48):
Now, Now what the market will bear of course, but
you're also this is also part of your deal to
get porzingis right. I mean, this is a part to
get him in so and again we talked about a
few minutes ago. I give the Celtics credit for realizing
that the the Tatum Brown smart.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
Wasn't gonna win a.
Speaker 5 (19:05):
Championship again, right, and something had to change.
Speaker 3 (19:09):
Yeah, it had to.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
So that's why, like I said, I'm not upset with
the Celtics in Hey, we're trying to reload on the fly.
Speaker 3 (19:15):
Right, here's where our team. What do we need to do.
We got to get a little more athletic. We have
a we gotta have a big that can play DV.
This is what we need to do. So that so
that I understand now the market smart part of it,
This is part where I.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
Just want to I want to talk about the fans
reaction to something for a second, because this is Think
about your favorite team, whether it's the NBA, Major League Baseball,
the NFL, and think about one of your favorite players
on the team of all time, not the best player who,
not who the best player you had, but who's one
of those players where boy he did everything for that team. Uh,
(19:49):
you know, if it's a hockey, he took every face off.
He scored all the big goals on the power play,
he played on the penalty kill. He was always on
the ice at the end of a game to close
a game.
Speaker 4 (19:58):
You know.
Speaker 1 (19:59):
For football, he made all the big tackles. You know,
he played on special teams. He always had got the
big turnover. A glue player, a talented glue player, that
was a leader.
Speaker 3 (20:12):
That's what the.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
Celtics fans are missing right now. And that's this is
like a rip your heart out move because Celtics fans,
if you said who's your favorite Celtic, they would all
say Marcus Smart because that's what the guy's been since
he's come into the league. He's talented, he's smart, He's
a leader. He is someone who is a grinder and
everybody is drawn to him. Players are drawn to him,
(20:33):
the fans are drawn to him. He plays hard all
the time. When you lose a player like that, that
is a that is a gut punch that But that's
the one part for the Celtics. Boy, that's really really difficult.
They could have said goodbye to Jalen Brown and Celtics
fans would have said, Jail, whatever that guy stakes, we
gotta get rid of him. They even said, you think
about it, Jason Tanya, and they said, at least you
(20:53):
don't get rid of Marcus Smart. But getting rid of
a player like Marcus and you're all thinking about that player,
that's your guy that you lets a boy. This guy
always did so much for the team, He did so much.
I can't believe we traded my I'm so mad we
traded him. The fans perspective, think about that, trading a
player like Marcus Smart, that is that is getting your
gut tripped out.
Speaker 5 (21:12):
Glue guy leader, fills up the box score a little
bit in every category, but instrumental in keeping the team together,
and one of those guys that would lead.
Speaker 3 (21:23):
On and off the court.
Speaker 5 (21:24):
And so you lose that in one locker room, which
is what makes it such a huge win in the
other one to his current destination. So I understand Celtics
fans gotta be happy that you're getting a guy of
Porzingis's caliber of what he could be and certainly what
he was last year. And the other thing with Porzingis,
as you get in, because I'm trying to help people
(21:46):
feel better about the loss of Marcus mart Is that
you actually had a number of games played from Porzingis
that was higher than we had seen. So that's a
big deal. But yeah, the loss of Marcus Smart. He
was a guy that we talked about a lot during
the playoffs, kind of that X factor, not because he
was going to light up the scoreboard, not because he
was going to suddenly fill in a ton of points,
(22:07):
but that if they needed someone to help calm things down,
that he was one of the voices and leaders on
the quarter, on the bench to make and he played hard.
Speaker 1 (22:16):
He played, he led by example on the court, He
led with his leadership. He is one of those guys
that it is it's impossible to replace his presence on
the team. Now, maybe the Celtics get better. Like I said,
this is just the first move. But you're saying, Okay,
this didn't work for the Grizzlies. Getting Marcus Smart is
invaluable because here is a player with all the traits
(22:40):
they want John Moran to have. This is a hey,
John Moran is as talented as they come.
Speaker 3 (22:44):
Right. The guy can can can jump and probably land
through the top of the basketball hoop. Right, You've seen
some of the blocks. You've seen how great he is,
how great a player is.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
But the guy's a knucklehead and he's headed down a
bad path and he's got a twenty five game suspension.
Getting Marcus Smart aren't is getting a player where hopefully
if John Morant gets it and understands it. Boy, I'm
looking at the end of my NBA career. I mean,
Adam Silver going light on it doesn't help. Oh, I
got eight games here, now I get twenty five games?
Speaker 3 (23:12):
What do I care? That doesn't help.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
But bringing in Marcus Smart, who does all of these things,
leads on the floor, leads by example, plays hard, is
all about basketball, and is someone who is a glue player.
He scores twelve a game, but he can score twenty
if you need to. He'll dish out six or seven assists,
but he can dish out twelve if you need to
in a game.
Speaker 3 (23:32):
He can do anything you need.
Speaker 4 (23:33):
And to do.
Speaker 1 (23:34):
Having him rub off on John Morant, that's exactly why
they got this. He can watch him start for the
first twenty five games and then come back.
Speaker 3 (23:41):
And yeah, the three guard rotation.
Speaker 1 (23:43):
You know that they can all play together, Morant and
Baine and Smart, they can all play together.
Speaker 3 (23:47):
It'll work out. It'll work out fine.
Speaker 1 (23:49):
But they want that Marcus Smart influence to rub off
on John Rant because, like I just said, you're taking
that player who means so much to a fan base,
because all the things that means so much, of that
intangibles off the court, and now you're saying, this is
what we want for you, John Morant. You gotta watch
and learn from Marcus Smart. This is why we're jumping
in to get this done. And it was a deal
(24:10):
that came together pretty fast because suddenly the Celtics.
Speaker 3 (24:14):
Were looking for a trade partner. All right.
Speaker 1 (24:16):
I'm sure they had some kind of conversation leading into
it with Marcus Smart, but they didn't want to put
him in this trade, but they had to because it
fell apart with the Clippers with Malcolm Brogden. So you know,
this was kind of something that I'm sure they were
talking about. But to see it go down this way
for the Grizzlies, you could tell this was their plan
for this doesn't just happen tonight, where.
Speaker 3 (24:34):
Hey, that'd be great. He'd be a great guy to get. Like,
it's not a fantasy trade.
Speaker 1 (24:38):
I had a feeling this is something that we've been
coming down the pipeline as a possibility for a little while.
Speaker 5 (24:43):
Well, but we've seen how successful they were in the
midst of the regular season. For most of the season
they were up near the top of the Western Conference.
I actually finished just two games behind Denver in the
Western Conference, So you know, you've got a good nucleus
from a playing perspective. But one thing that was cited oftentimes,
(25:06):
even with Morant on the court and part of the squad,
was that they didn't have someone in the clubhouse to
kick everybody's ass if they needed it to, and Trmarcus
Smart to be that guy. Steven Adams was to a degree,
but kind of you know, his tough guy thing is
more on the court, I think with opponents than in
the locker room. And then when he's not playing, while
(25:28):
that voice kind of diminishes. Marcus Smart getting in there
into the locker room not only to help facilitate things
on the court while Morant is out, but also to
be that leader, to be that voice, the veteran that
comes in because it's a young squad, to come in
and be a guy to kind of help take charge
and help foster a little different attitude to get you
(25:51):
over the top, and if it makes John Morant more accountable,
I gotta think the twenty five games and then recognizing
the potential losses of all of the income, right he
had these six eight games, what we call that, Yeah,
twenty five games now makes you ineligible for a lot
of those all NBA bonus and where if someone really
did the math for you, you're talking maybe a couple hundred.
Speaker 3 (26:12):
Million dollars when it's all said and done. Short term,
long term in terms.
Speaker 1 (26:16):
Of tough for Adam Silver to go, Yeah, twenty five games,
but think about all the money that he really lost
out on because of the game.
Speaker 2 (26:22):
No.
Speaker 5 (26:23):
Twenty five games I thought was still significant. I don't
diminish that, But in terms of getting someone to to
really understand the gravity of it, sometimes you just need
to go to straight dollars and cents. Now, what this
also means is Marcus Smart. If Dylan Brooks were to
remain a Memphis Grizzlies player, which is probably not gonna happen,
(26:43):
he's an unrestricted free agent, and it seemed like they'd
all lost their patience with it.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
I want to be a Laker. He wants to me
a Laker. I'm just saying I would like to see
those two guys in.
Speaker 1 (26:51):
A locker room together. Yeah, and Dylan brook Sure. But
that's the other part of it too, is that it's
it you know now you widen it out. Yes, it's
about and they want they want him to rub off
and show this is what a do anything for the
team kind of player is like. But they're also hoping
it it rubs off on the rest of their team
because they're all immature.
Speaker 3 (27:09):
R Right, there's no nab.
Speaker 1 (27:10):
When your best player is John Morant and he can't
stay on the court because he keeps waving guns on
Instagram videos, you need somebody else in there. You need
you need to change the culture a little bit because
your other guys are a great at Dylan Brooks, I'm
just gonna mouth off in the middle of a playoff
series and piss off Lebron James. How did that work
out for you? Didn't work out that well? The Grizzlies
are young, they're immature, and you saw it. You saw
(27:30):
how it played out last year. We saw going into
the playoffs that didn't seem to have the right attitude
and there was there were no leaders to check and
say Hey.
Speaker 3 (27:38):
Things are different. This is how we need to carry ourselves.
There was none of that.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
Now Marcus Smart is gonna do that. Now he's gonna
walk in and say this is my team. Everybody follow
behind me. Some guys like that are sometimes available, and
they're lucky that Marcus Smart was because usually those guys
they get snapped up, or they are players who are
good for one team but might not be good for another,
like draymon On Green. You can say, oh boy, what
a great look Draymond Green. The same way I don't
(28:03):
know Draymond Green's walking into Memphis going hey, all you
guys get on my back.
Speaker 2 (28:06):
Nah.
Speaker 1 (28:06):
I don't know he's doing that. But Marcus Smart different
kind of player. The other thing he also gets to
to bring to the table is look what they gave
up to bring me in here.
Speaker 3 (28:17):
Right.
Speaker 5 (28:17):
There's some gravitas just from the trade dynamics as well,
but the reputation around the league, and as we talked about,
Morant was the de facto leader. What does that say
for where you're at when you can't trust what he's doing?
Speaker 3 (28:32):
Next?
Speaker 1 (28:33):
And then obviously when we go Dylan Brooks was fun.
He gave us plenty to talk about during the playoffs,
but was he was he really good for business most nights?
Speaker 5 (28:44):
No?
Speaker 3 (28:45):
So now Marcus Smart and now we're this is where
we're at.
Speaker 5 (28:48):
It's the day of the NBA Draft, East Coast time,
creeping towards one am, and it's Marcus Smart and Chris
stops PORZINGI.
Speaker 1 (28:59):
Yeah, but look what Smart? Because smartest about John Morant
and and this is that's why this is a sneaky
great move. Because move He's going to set the culture.
Talk about heat culture, the Grizzlies culture is going to be.
Marcus Smart is gonna set it, and it's gonna be
this is how you should be carrying yourselves as ballplayers.
And that's invaluable. I mean that he that's what they needed.
(29:19):
Who's going to do that for us? Marcus Smart will
do it and it's great.
Speaker 5 (29:23):
Look, I'm not denigrating him or I'm not going after poors.
Hingis just on the tiers of of stars in the league.
I mean, with all the rumor, conjecture, speculation, I mean
I wanted fireworks here on a Wednesday night and the
question wasn't it was again, yeah, because what.
Speaker 3 (29:39):
Color his hair is going to be? Now that it
can't be green. Oh, that's good. It'll be that nice.
The blue with the to match the Memphis. That's pretty good.
I think he's going blue hair. Blue is pretty popular.
Cross Gatorade. Oh yeah, get a sponsorship Frost Gatorade.
Speaker 2 (29:57):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
The Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern,
seven pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio
app Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
The Jason Smith Show with My best friend Mike Harmon.
Where we at midnight Eastern and suddenly all the fireworks
started happening.
Speaker 3 (30:16):
Everybody's doing it, honey.
Speaker 1 (30:18):
Chris tops Porzingis is a Celtic. Now officially Marcus Smart
is a grizzly Chris Middleton. Oh now we got a
little something something where things now could be getting better
for the next Okay, it's not about the Knicks. Chris
Middleton had to face a midnight Eastern deadline of whether
(30:41):
or not he was going to opt into the last
year of his contract forty million dollars. Three time All
Star has decided to opt out. He becomes a free agent.
Speaker 3 (30:50):
Now.
Speaker 1 (30:52):
Middleton has been with the Bucks for so long and
we have talked about how well he works with Giannis.
At times, Middleton looked like the one and Giannis was
the two. But then Yanna stepped up and said, Okay,
I have another level of my game. They won a
championship together. I know that the general consensus is hearing
(31:14):
that he opted out. Well, he's just gonna get a
bigger deal. He's gonna get a longer deal with the Bucks. Ay,
if that was the case, probably would have happened already.
Here's a guy who's thirty one, still has at least
two or three more really good years left to think
that he's going back to the Bucks. I'm gonna say
(31:35):
he ends up someplace else, because somebody else is going
to say, oh, Middleton's available, and he's been terrific as
a two, and we can bring him in and he
can feel just about.
Speaker 3 (31:46):
Any role we need him.
Speaker 1 (31:48):
Yeah, let's go give him our money and someone's gonna
pay a ton for him, and he's gonna go and
he's not gonna be a Buck anymore. And suddenly Milwaukee's
gotta look at Okay, now we gotta evamp a little
bit with Giannis and whoever else you want to build
around him, somebody, as you like to say, Mike Carmen,
it only takes one.
Speaker 3 (32:06):
No, it's it.
Speaker 1 (32:07):
Somebody's gonna come up with a lot of money and
Middleton's gonna say, I can't say no.
Speaker 3 (32:11):
Well, and that's the part of it.
Speaker 5 (32:13):
You look at current cap space before any movements, is
before the draft and whatever else transpires here over the
next couple of days. As we get towards free agency,
the team with the most money on the chessboard is Houston.
Young roster bring in a veteran eleven years in the league,
gonna be thirty two years old.
Speaker 3 (32:33):
Maybe not the worst of moves. A guy that's averaged.
Speaker 5 (32:36):
Between twenty and twenty one points four different times in
his career never got to twenty one points. So I
think it's kind of interesting, but it's, you know, just
deviling the details as it were played thirty three games
last year. We talked about it a lot, and going
into the playoffs, what a huge loss and his absence,
(32:58):
the void that he created for Milwaukee before they were
unceremoniously dumped out of the playoffs by the heat. And
where the marketplace is, Yeah, forty million is the asking price,
and that means he's looking at what a three to
five year deal, looking for at least that amount of
money per season.
Speaker 3 (33:17):
It only takes one to get there.
Speaker 5 (33:19):
You can look at the numbers because from a stats
sheet perspective, he's a twenty five and five guy at
his best. But what the market will bear, you know
what you're gonna get and no question marks as long
as his health checks out that I would say Houston
probably the leader based on money.
Speaker 3 (33:38):
Indiana.
Speaker 1 (33:40):
You know, we've talked about them quite a bit with
potentially making moves along the way, So maybe they're in
the mix staying in the East.
Speaker 3 (33:49):
But it'll be curious because he becomes one of the
big chips to move now.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
He's someone now that I would say four years, one
hundred and fifty million, one hundred and sixty million.
Speaker 3 (34:02):
Yeah, it might be what he winds up getting. Somebody's
gonna give it to him and he's gonna move on
from the Bucks. Wow, all kinds of drama right now.
I like the NBA.
Speaker 1 (34:14):
Maybe it'll be a big training to talk about coming
up next. We'll loan what's happened tonight and what we
could see tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (34:21):
On the NBA Draft. This is Fox and the next
will still suck.
Thanks for listening to The Jason Smith Show with Mike
Harmon podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weeknight
ten pm to two am Eastern seven to eleven pm
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for
The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon at Foxsports Radio
dot com, or stream us live every night on the
iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Please give this you're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
Greetings and welcome inside.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Hour three of The Jason Smith Show with my best
friend Mike Harmon, live from the ti iraq dot Com
studios tiraq dot com. We'll help you get there an
unmatched selection, fast, free shipping, free road hazard protection, and
over ten thousand recommended installers tiraq dot com. The way
tire buying should be so okay, let me explain. There
(00:57):
is too much. Let me sum up. We began the
show tonight talking about the big NBA trade that was
going to happen. Chris tops Porzingis was going to be
a Celtic, Malcolm Brogden was going to the Clippers. You
were going to get the Wizards are going to get
back a few assets. But the big thing is porzingis
(01:20):
to the Celtics, Right, yeah, we love the trade.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
Love the trade. We'll get into it more in a
couple minutes.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
Then after we talked about it for about twelve minutes
or so, at the beginning of the show, Adrian bo
Jorowski ESPN tweets out trade is off. Wait what trade
is off? We have Mark Stein on the show NBA
Insider who tells us and he had all the reporting.
He said there was a big concern that the Clippers
had about Malcolm Brogden's health. So that's why the trade
(01:44):
didn't happen, and the teams were trying to figure out
a way to still do the trade. But it was
going to be a new situation because the Clippers were
out and because Porzingis was facing a midnight Eastern dead line,
so three minutes ago of deciding whether or not to
opt into the last year of his contract, they kind
(02:06):
of were under the gun to find a third team
to get involved to try to make this trade happen. Okay,
So the trade was on, it was gonna happen, then
it was off, and then got back on again. Adrian
Wojowski reporting a few minutes ago that there was going
to be a trade. Yep, and Christaps Porzingis was going
to be a Boston Celtic. Definitely getting out of there.
(02:28):
It's happening, it has to it's happening. It's now Christaps
Porzingis is a Celtic. He is a Boston Celtic. It's happening.
You can see the pictures of the dim in the
jersey and everything else. Porzingis is a Celtic. However, that's
not the end of the drama. With more details on
this breaking news, Monty Belagno's has it with what's spreading
(02:52):
right now.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Breaking news from Fox Sports.
Speaker 4 (02:56):
They're really keeping us on the edge of our seats
with this. Good Yeah, no, it's midnight on the East Coast,
but let's keep this up.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
Well, they could keep changing the players at some points
that wouldn't be surprised for sure.
Speaker 4 (03:08):
So yes, it is official. Porzingis is headed to the Celtics.
This is what's gonna happen. Three teams involved. The Grizzlies
will be sending guard Tighas Jones to the Washington Wizards.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Boston is sending Marcus.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
Smart to the Grizzlies in the deal, so that is
what's going on. And then to add to more breaking news,
three time All Star forward Chris Middleton has declined his
forty million dollar player option with the Bucks. He is
going to become a free agent.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Bakers like, when you decline forty million dollars, are you
on crack? Well? No, but he can make more than
That's a thing. He's going to make more than that.
Middleton's proof we get a several year deal. Why would
I make forty million for one year when I can
get two hundred million for five years?
Speaker 3 (03:52):
Why would I do that? It's gonna make more.
Speaker 5 (03:54):
Manzi is just mad that the Clippers are no longer
part of any of the scroll that we're going on there.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
But they got the goat. Take out the goat. You
know what, though Monsy did make make the point.
Speaker 5 (04:03):
It was something we kind of danced around as we
were analyzing all this stuff, that they would hold up
a trade over an injury when you've got a team
full of guys that you look down is like, all right,
I'm footing up the line up tonight.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
You inter you out right? You you you're out? Anybody
do I got five guys that want to play.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
That's what the Clippers have been and they decline bringing
in Broaden because of an injury. So there's your drama.
Thank you very much, Monsey appreciate. Now the Clippers are
nowhere involved in your team is nowhere involved in this trade?
Speaker 3 (04:36):
Not not in anywhere you have to be on the air.
Your microphone has to be on.
Speaker 4 (04:40):
Is my microphone on there?
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (04:42):
We did get an excited bobbing and everything else. It
was good.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
You gotta press the button to turn your microphone it.
So your Clippers are nowhere we're involved. Were you able
to cancel your order for your Malcolm Brogden Jersey?
Speaker 2 (04:54):
You know, I don't think so.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
I think it's still happening. You have to pay for it,
all right?
Speaker 4 (04:58):
Listen. I bought a Beverly uh uh Angelo Beverly Jersey
Patrick Beverly Jersey when he was on fire and they
didn't have any so I had a custom make it
and then, like to.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Do they not allowed that exchange anymore though.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
Didn't they have a whole thing where you can get
an exchange?
Speaker 2 (05:15):
Guy? Plea for American Express?
Speaker 4 (05:18):
I think specifically you had and I don't or any way,
shape or forming connected to American Express.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
Don't you have to pay for that one?
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Why expresses you have to pay you.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
That you have to pay a yearly fee.
Speaker 4 (05:31):
I don't do that about I got time.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
Okay, all right, my credit cards are free. You sound
you sound really they're not free. They're not free, but at.
Speaker 4 (05:38):
Least I'm not paying a monthly for you.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
On top of the end what you're interest rate? You're
paying for these other credit cards? You know, I'm not
entirely sure. Yeah, you know. Here's the thing.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
I got really excited when I got my first credit card.
I got discovered was my first credit card? Right, yeah,
I'm like, I'm in college. I got a credit card.
I can go to the small on the weekends and
not have to worry about it. It's great. Yeah, buy
to buy, to buy? What's your interest rate?
Speaker 3 (05:57):
Eighteenth? Right now, you'd beg for that. That was everybody's
first credit card. Will discovered eighteen percent on a credit car? Yeah?
Mine was Bank of America.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
Yeah, you're still paying for those beers eighteen percent. I
bought a twenty five dollars shirt. What's my payment? Forty
six dollars?
Speaker 3 (06:15):
Waite, white white white waite?
Speaker 2 (06:17):
Wait?
Speaker 3 (06:19):
All right, all right, thank you, monsie.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
See there you go a little bit, get a little
bit of know about Monty there, she's not an American Express,
he's out, not a sponsor.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
All right.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
So again here's where we're at with all the drags
midnight deadline. Chris tops Porzingis is a Boston Celtic. We
already did that analysis that was trade happened the Celtics.
Part of this trade, they have traded Marcus Smart to
the Memphis Grizzlies. What position is Marcus Smart play? What
position is John Moran play? And on the on the
(06:50):
heels of that, Chris Middleton has become a free agent,
opting out of his player's option for one year forty
million dollars.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
All right, So let's do the Porzingis part of this. First.
I went from the beginning of.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
The show being afraid because now the Celtics were good, right,
They're getting Porzingis. And look, when Porzingis is your third
or fourth best player, that's exactly.
Speaker 3 (07:13):
What he needs.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
He's not someone that can handle the limelight. He's someone
who wants to get paid and just play and not
have to war anything else. Well, he might be able
to be that guy. Now we don't know. Yeah, right,
he came into the league. He's a very young guy
in New York. So he does that's not that's not easy,
especially with how thirsty. I mean, everybody keeps telling me
the greatest fans in the world of Madison Square Garden
(07:36):
and the thirstiness for him to become all world. It's
kind of like wen Bin Yelma's showing up in San
Antonio tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
By the way, the fact that this is the only
NBA news on the night before the draft.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
He's say, sad, but whis is making headline news.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
But we take it for what it is.
Speaker 5 (07:55):
And but when he came into the league, the idea
that he was the save that Carmelo couldn't be and
that they hadn't had since ewing roam the earth and
all of those things the earth I wanted to get.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
It still around.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
He's just not a good mess, that's all right. Yeah,
he won three games in four years with Georgetown. They
were all against Syracuse. But look, he's someone. Yes, do
I want to think that maybe he's matured a bit,
and he's talked about mistakes he's made earlier in his career,
and maybe I wasn't ready for the Knicks, but look,
him and his brother pushed his way out of New York.
He couldn't lead in New York do or didn't want to.
(08:31):
They wanted to give him everything, wanted to make him
one of the hood ornaments of the NBA. You're our
guye Nope, don't want it now. I'm gonna go to
Dallas and be one two common with Luka Dontich. What
happened didn't function well as the two got pushed out there.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
He is in.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
Basketball anonymity with the Wizards, and he sort of got
his career back on track playing sixty some odd games
a year, showing I still have some of those kills
then skills that made me the Unicorn Lizard when I
first came up with the Knicks. So if he's on
a team that he is your third or fourth best player. Yeah,
And this is why I was scared of the Celtics again,
(09:04):
because look, I want the paths with the Knicks to
be as clear as possible to win the championship. And
porzingis on the Celtics. This was a big deal because
he can run the floor, he can hit threes, he
can defend. He is someone who is not is not
going to be a detriment or someone you have to
game plan around. If you are Joe Mizzoula, Hey, well
(09:24):
we gotta cover up for Porzingis here. No, he doesn't
need to play a ton of minutes. He can play
thirty minutes a night and I have to worry about
overusing him. Sixty games is the new seventy five games
in the NBA. This is what your stars play. They
set out back to backs, they set out other games
for general soreness, So this.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
Is kind of what it is.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
So yeah, I'm excited. I was excited when the deal
didn't happen. Now it's back on, and I'm a little
bit less excited because now Porzingis is a Celtic. But
now I'm throwing in the fact that they wave goodbye
to Marcus Smart, who has meant so much to that team,
who has meant so much to that team over the
course of the past couple of years. Getting rid of
him seems like it's a really big deal. Now they're
(10:03):
getting two first round picks back for Marcus Smart. But
if you are the Celtics, I like the strong decision
that you have said, it's not good enough where we
are right now. We have tried Tatum and Brown and
Smart for the last three four years, and we've not
been able to get over the up. We made it
to the finals, but now we're not trending higher. We
(10:25):
lost to an eight seed. We were able to come
back and force a seventh game. We played alternately inspired
and alternately flat. I give the Celtics a lot of
credit and Brad Stevens a lot of credit for understanding
this run with this three, with these three guys is
over now. And this is why I'm back to being
scared again because I was okay with the Celtics coming back.
(10:46):
They're gonna run it back with what they had where
Missoula was a questionable head coach and you saw the
talent they had wasn't enough to even get to the
Eastern Conference finals.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
Forget it, man, I was happy to see that.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
Now it's hey, we're changing things up a little bit,
and now they may not be because if you're talking
about trying to win, now, are those two first round
picks gonna wind up being.
Speaker 3 (11:04):
Picks you actually take.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Are they gonna be assets to get somebody else, to
get another player in to get another three or four,
because right now Porzingis is your third and with Tatum
and Brown and porzingis now the Celtics are dangerous again.
I give Brad Stevens a lot of credit because all
the trades he has made he has gotten some criticism for,
but they've all turned out well. Ooh, Al Horford, I
don't own at Al Horford trade turned out pretty good. Okay, Okay,
(11:26):
So everything he's done has been pretty shrewd. He's moved
on from players, not always thinking it was the right time.
It's turned out to be the right time. So now
I'm scared of the Celtics again. Now I feel like
instead of hey, we got a clear path by the Celtics, blank, Dad,
they stink. Now, oh no, here come the Celtics again,
and now here there are they're gonna be good.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
Yeah, we'll get to the Marcus smart part of it
all here in a couple of minutes.
Speaker 5 (11:48):
But as you look at the roster that had been
assembled for Boston, he had to rely on a lot
of big minutes from Al Horford. And there were time
like sometimes he was dialed in and his shot was falling,
But if it was shot, wasn't he wasn't giving you
everything else that you would need. Right on the preiter,
you look at Robert Williams when healthy, good rebounder, good
(12:11):
interior defender. Well, Porzingis can do all of that. And
it's not to elevate him to the guy he was
supposed to be coming into the league. But we look
at a guy that can still score twenty three a game,
get to near double digit rebounds per game, block shots,
changes shots in the lane, all of those things, and
could step out and hit a three, change the complexion
(12:34):
of the offense.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
You've got guards. Even losing Smart, you still have a
plethora of guards to get it done.
Speaker 5 (12:42):
And Tatum and Jalen Brown get another piece to that
front line of players to make big plays and push
them deeper. Because right you're also looking at the matchups
going forward, not just in conference, but you're expecting you're
going to make run back not only in the Eastern Conference,
(13:02):
but if you're going to go and play big minutes
and play for a title, probably running into that Jokic
guy on the other side, or some derivation of a
team with a top level center that you've got to
go figure out how to slow down.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
So bring in Porzingis, at least in theory, is why
you do this move as well.
Speaker 2 (13:22):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
Even you have to be tired of hearing this song,
even you have to be tired and heard about it.
I feel like you play it extra loud too. I do.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
Actually I put it on the pod. That's the hottest jays.
You know what's funny is knowing you dislike this song
makes me like it more. You know what, Knowing you
play this song makes me dislike you even more. It's
not about that. That's an honor. Thank you very good.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Yeah, and then no, that was possible in my much
anger and hatred In the latest top twenty five polls
of people I disliked tyshit is moving up like you
were you were like you weren't on it. Then like
all of a sudden, you appear to twenty one. Then
like just a college football team. That's a big upset
when you jumped to number ten and another big win.
Now you're in the top five. Let's go so there.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
Yes, you're gonna keey his car could happen. No, and
I'll just meet with Scott when he gets back from
being out of the country. That's fine.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
So big news in the NBA. The Porzingis trade has happened. Yes,
it was happening, then it wasn't happening. Now it's happening.
Christops Porzingis is a Boston Celtic. It was supposed to
be a trade involving the Clippers along with the Wizards.
The Clippers had questions about Malcolm Brogden's health, so the
(14:41):
Clippers backed out of the trade. The Celtics then found
the Grizzlies to make the trade with the three team trade,
so Porzingis goes from the Wizards to the Celtics. Celtics
also get two first round picks from Memphis. Memphis gets
Marcus Smart. All right, so now more Marcus Smart is out.
The Celtics have two first round picks, and now the
(15:04):
Grizzlies have Smart. Now, just really quick to finish on
the Porzingis part before you get to the Marcus Smart.
John Morant part of this is that how the Celtics
came out of tonight is they traded away Marcus Smart
and basically they traded Marcus Smart, they got Chris Tops
Porzingis and they got two first round picks.
Speaker 3 (15:23):
Right, So that's kind of what it is.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
I would be really surprised if the Celtics those two
first round picks are picks they wind up are in
possession of by this time tomorrow, where these picks most
likely are going to be used to get another proven
player sure to come in, Because if you're trying to
win now these first round picks, how are they going
to really help you? You know, I mean, you're not drafting,
(15:47):
you're not in the lottery, You're not getting us the
number two overall pick. How are these going to help you?
You're trying to win now? Yes, you're your core is young,
and Tatum is young, and Brown as young, and Porzinkics
it's twenty eight. But you have to bring in somebody that, Okay, hey,
you've been through the fire already, to someone who's a younger,
proven player. I would I would bet, I would bet
all my money these picks turned into somebody else. I
(16:09):
don't know who, but they turned it to somebody else
by tomorrow.
Speaker 5 (16:12):
Well, the other part to consider with it in that vein, Jason,
is that you already had all of those reports of
Brown and Tatum perhaps not being on the same page,
and maybe that those fears, those that angst whatever that was,
that the discord was resolved through the year and maybe
(16:34):
they got through it and as Missoula took charge of
that squad, and we could say what we want about
some of the decisions made during the playoffs, coaching decisions
made or not made. You know, if you choose not
to decide, you still have made a choice to steal
from Rush in terms of calling timeouts or not. But
(16:54):
one thing that was clear, those players all had his
back and they were all in from Missoula, so maybe
they bonded over that. But it still swirls in the
background in terms of what your time frame is and
the window is before the malcontendedness the national media, the
poison pens there in Boston maybe can push it to
(17:14):
an unnatural end. So yes, winning is of the essence
short term, so you probably flip that pick right away.
So if that's the case, now, all right, So that
that closes the book for now on the porzingis part
to trade the Celtics part of it.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
Yeah, people could take the trade off little blocks that
they put on right adding to graphics. Oh yeah, because
we had the photoshop. Yeah, it's like here he is,
he's part of the squad and there's like no trade,
trade revoke, trade falls apart.
Speaker 5 (17:44):
Like whatever they put and now they can just go
back in and do a quick edit and remove that
you know, text box and that graphic is alive again.
Speaker 3 (17:52):
It's good. Good to them. Uh now just to okay,
just to throw this in here now because we have
to again. This is that closes the book on the
Celtics part of it.
Speaker 1 (18:06):
The Wizards in the in this trade that went on
with the Celtics and the Grizzlies, it gets more and
more complicated with every every passing second. The Wizards are
getting Denilo Gallinari, the named Gallinari, and Mike Muscala as
well in the trade. These are other portions of the
Is it twenty ten Gallinari or is it I don't know.
(18:27):
I think you take twenty nineteen Gallinari If you.
Speaker 3 (18:31):
Turning back the clock, he is thirty four. Yeah. So
that's so that's your trade. Now now there is official.
Speaker 5 (18:38):
And now there is still one very large question because
we just talked about getting those first round picks as
part of this trade. Two first round picks from Marcus Martin.
Speaker 3 (18:46):
Yeah, well that's the part.
Speaker 1 (18:48):
Now, Now what the market will bear of course, but
you're also this is also part of your deal to
get porzingis right. I mean, this is a part to
get him in so and again we talked about a
few minutes ago. I give the Celtics credit for realizing
that the the Tatum Brown smart.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
Wasn't gonna win a.
Speaker 5 (19:05):
Championship again, right, and something had to change.
Speaker 3 (19:09):
Yeah, it had to.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
So that's why, like I said, I'm not upset with
the Celtics in Hey, we're trying to reload on the fly.
Speaker 3 (19:15):
Right, here's where our team. What do we need to do.
We got to get a little more athletic. We have
a we gotta have a big that can play DV.
This is what we need to do. So that so
that I understand now the market smart part of it,
This is part where I.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
Just want to I want to talk about the fans
reaction to something for a second, because this is Think
about your favorite team, whether it's the NBA, Major League Baseball,
the NFL, and think about one of your favorite players
on the team of all time, not the best player who,
not who the best player you had, but who's one
of those players where boy he did everything for that team. Uh,
(19:49):
you know, if it's a hockey, he took every face off.
He scored all the big goals on the power play,
he played on the penalty kill. He was always on
the ice at the end of a game to close
a game.
Speaker 4 (19:58):
You know.
Speaker 1 (19:59):
For football, he made all the big tackles. You know,
he played on special teams. He always had got the
big turnover. A glue player, a talented glue player, that
was a leader.
Speaker 3 (20:12):
That's what the.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
Celtics fans are missing right now. And that's this is
like a rip your heart out move because Celtics fans,
if you said who's your favorite Celtic, they would all
say Marcus Smart because that's what the guy's been since
he's come into the league. He's talented, he's smart, He's
a leader. He is someone who is a grinder and
everybody is drawn to him. Players are drawn to him,
(20:33):
the fans are drawn to him. He plays hard all
the time. When you lose a player like that, that
is a that is a gut punch that But that's
the one part for the Celtics. Boy, that's really really difficult.
They could have said goodbye to Jalen Brown and Celtics
fans would have said, Jail, whatever that guy stakes, we
gotta get rid of him. They even said, you think
about it, Jason Tanya, and they said, at least you
(20:53):
don't get rid of Marcus Smart. But getting rid of
a player like Marcus and you're all thinking about that player,
that's your guy that you lets a boy. This guy
always did so much for the team, He did so much.
I can't believe we traded my I'm so mad we
traded him. The fans perspective, think about that, trading a
player like Marcus Smart, that is that is getting your
gut tripped out.
Speaker 5 (21:12):
Glue guy leader, fills up the box score a little
bit in every category, but instrumental in keeping the team together,
and one of those guys that would lead.
Speaker 3 (21:23):
On and off the court.
Speaker 5 (21:24):
And so you lose that in one locker room, which
is what makes it such a huge win in the
other one to his current destination. So I understand Celtics
fans gotta be happy that you're getting a guy of
Porzingis's caliber of what he could be and certainly what
he was last year. And the other thing with Porzingis,
as you get in, because I'm trying to help people
(21:46):
feel better about the loss of Marcus mart Is that
you actually had a number of games played from Porzingis
that was higher than we had seen. So that's a
big deal. But yeah, the loss of Marcus Smart. He
was a guy that we talked about a lot during
the playoffs, kind of that X factor, not because he
was going to light up the scoreboard, not because he
was going to suddenly fill in a ton of points,
(22:07):
but that if they needed someone to help calm things down,
that he was one of the voices and leaders on
the quarter, on the bench to make and he played hard.
Speaker 1 (22:16):
He played, he led by example on the court, He
led with his leadership. He is one of those guys
that it is it's impossible to replace his presence on
the team. Now, maybe the Celtics get better. Like I said,
this is just the first move. But you're saying, Okay,
this didn't work for the Grizzlies. Getting Marcus Smart is
invaluable because here is a player with all the traits
(22:40):
they want John Moran to have. This is a hey,
John Moran is as talented as they come.
Speaker 3 (22:44):
Right. The guy can can can jump and probably land
through the top of the basketball hoop. Right, You've seen
some of the blocks. You've seen how great he is,
how great a player is.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
But the guy's a knucklehead and he's headed down a
bad path and he's got a twenty five game suspension.
Getting Marcus Smart aren't is getting a player where hopefully
if John Morant gets it and understands it. Boy, I'm
looking at the end of my NBA career. I mean,
Adam Silver going light on it doesn't help. Oh, I
got eight games here, now I get twenty five games?
Speaker 3 (23:12):
What do I care? That doesn't help.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
But bringing in Marcus Smart, who does all of these things,
leads on the floor, leads by example, plays hard, is
all about basketball, and is someone who is a glue player.
He scores twelve a game, but he can score twenty
if you need to. He'll dish out six or seven assists,
but he can dish out twelve if you need to
in a game.
Speaker 3 (23:32):
He can do anything you need.
Speaker 4 (23:33):
And to do.
Speaker 1 (23:34):
Having him rub off on John Morant, that's exactly why
they got this. He can watch him start for the
first twenty five games and then come back.
Speaker 3 (23:41):
And yeah, the three guard rotation.
Speaker 1 (23:43):
You know that they can all play together, Morant and
Baine and Smart, they can all play together.
Speaker 3 (23:47):
It'll work out. It'll work out fine.
Speaker 1 (23:49):
But they want that Marcus Smart influence to rub off
on John Rant because, like I just said, you're taking
that player who means so much to a fan base,
because all the things that means so much, of that
intangibles off the court, and now you're saying, this is
what we want for you, John Morant. You gotta watch
and learn from Marcus Smart. This is why we're jumping
in to get this done. And it was a deal
(24:10):
that came together pretty fast because suddenly the Celtics.
Speaker 3 (24:14):
Were looking for a trade partner. All right.
Speaker 1 (24:16):
I'm sure they had some kind of conversation leading into
it with Marcus Smart, but they didn't want to put
him in this trade, but they had to because it
fell apart with the Clippers with Malcolm Brogden. So you know,
this was kind of something that I'm sure they were
talking about. But to see it go down this way
for the Grizzlies, you could tell this was their plan
for this doesn't just happen tonight, where.
Speaker 3 (24:34):
Hey, that'd be great. He'd be a great guy to get. Like,
it's not a fantasy trade.
Speaker 1 (24:38):
I had a feeling this is something that we've been
coming down the pipeline as a possibility for a little while.
Speaker 5 (24:43):
Well, but we've seen how successful they were in the
midst of the regular season. For most of the season
they were up near the top of the Western Conference.
I actually finished just two games behind Denver in the
Western Conference, So you know, you've got a good nucleus
from a playing perspective. But one thing that was cited oftentimes,
(25:06):
even with Morant on the court and part of the squad,
was that they didn't have someone in the clubhouse to
kick everybody's ass if they needed it to, and Trmarcus
Smart to be that guy. Steven Adams was to a degree,
but kind of you know, his tough guy thing is
more on the court, I think with opponents than in
the locker room. And then when he's not playing, while
(25:28):
that voice kind of diminishes. Marcus Smart getting in there
into the locker room not only to help facilitate things
on the court while Morant is out, but also to
be that leader, to be that voice, the veteran that
comes in because it's a young squad, to come in
and be a guy to kind of help take charge
and help foster a little different attitude to get you
(25:51):
over the top, and if it makes John Morant more accountable,
I gotta think the twenty five games and then recognizing
the potential losses of all of the income, right he
had these six eight games, what we call that, Yeah,
twenty five games now makes you ineligible for a lot
of those all NBA bonus and where if someone really
did the math for you, you're talking maybe a couple hundred.
Speaker 3 (26:12):
Million dollars when it's all said and done. Short term,
long term in terms.
Speaker 1 (26:16):
Of tough for Adam Silver to go, Yeah, twenty five games,
but think about all the money that he really lost
out on because of the game.
Speaker 2 (26:22):
No.
Speaker 5 (26:23):
Twenty five games I thought was still significant. I don't
diminish that, But in terms of getting someone to to
really understand the gravity of it, sometimes you just need
to go to straight dollars and cents. Now, what this
also means is Marcus Smart. If Dylan Brooks were to
remain a Memphis Grizzlies player, which is probably not gonna happen,
(26:43):
he's an unrestricted free agent, and it seemed like they'd
all lost their patience with it.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
I want to be a Laker. He wants to me
a Laker. I'm just saying I would like to see
those two guys in.
Speaker 1 (26:51):
A locker room together. Yeah, and Dylan brook Sure. But
that's the other part of it too, is that it's
it you know now you widen it out. Yes, it's
about and they want they want him to rub off
and show this is what a do anything for the
team kind of player is like. But they're also hoping
it it rubs off on the rest of their team
because they're all immature.
Speaker 3 (27:09):
R Right, there's no nab.
Speaker 1 (27:10):
When your best player is John Morant and he can't
stay on the court because he keeps waving guns on
Instagram videos, you need somebody else in there. You need
you need to change the culture a little bit because
your other guys are a great at Dylan Brooks, I'm
just gonna mouth off in the middle of a playoff
series and piss off Lebron James. How did that work
out for you? Didn't work out that well? The Grizzlies
are young, they're immature, and you saw it. You saw
(27:30):
how it played out last year. We saw going into
the playoffs that didn't seem to have the right attitude
and there was there were no leaders to check and
say Hey.
Speaker 3 (27:38):
Things are different. This is how we need to carry ourselves.
There was none of that.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
Now Marcus Smart is gonna do that. Now he's gonna
walk in and say this is my team. Everybody follow
behind me. Some guys like that are sometimes available, and
they're lucky that Marcus Smart was because usually those guys
they get snapped up, or they are players who are
good for one team but might not be good for another,
like draymon On Green. You can say, oh boy, what
a great look Draymond Green. The same way I don't
(28:03):
know Draymond Green's walking into Memphis going hey, all you
guys get on my back.
Speaker 2 (28:06):
Nah.
Speaker 1 (28:06):
I don't know he's doing that. But Marcus Smart different
kind of player. The other thing he also gets to
to bring to the table is look what they gave
up to bring me in here.
Speaker 3 (28:17):
Right.
Speaker 5 (28:17):
There's some gravitas just from the trade dynamics as well,
but the reputation around the league, and as we talked about,
Morant was the de facto leader. What does that say
for where you're at when you can't trust what he's doing?
Speaker 3 (28:32):
Next?
Speaker 1 (28:33):
And then obviously when we go Dylan Brooks was fun.
He gave us plenty to talk about during the playoffs,
but was he was he really good for business most nights?
Speaker 5 (28:44):
No?
Speaker 3 (28:45):
So now Marcus Smart and now we're this is where
we're at.
Speaker 5 (28:48):
It's the day of the NBA Draft, East Coast time,
creeping towards one am, and it's Marcus Smart and Chris
stops PORZINGI.
Speaker 1 (28:59):
Yeah, but look what Smart? Because smartest about John Morant
and and this is that's why this is a sneaky
great move. Because move He's going to set the culture.
Talk about heat culture, the Grizzlies culture is going to be.
Marcus Smart is gonna set it, and it's gonna be
this is how you should be carrying yourselves as ballplayers.
And that's invaluable. I mean that he that's what they needed.
(29:19):
Who's going to do that for us? Marcus Smart will
do it and it's great.
Speaker 5 (29:23):
Look, I'm not denigrating him or I'm not going after poors.
Hingis just on the tiers of of stars in the league.
I mean, with all the rumor, conjecture, speculation, I mean
I wanted fireworks here on a Wednesday night and the
question wasn't it was again, yeah, because what.
Speaker 3 (29:39):
Color his hair is going to be? Now that it
can't be green. Oh, that's good. It'll be that nice.
The blue with the to match the Memphis. That's pretty good.
I think he's going blue hair. Blue is pretty popular.
Cross Gatorade. Oh yeah, get a sponsorship Frost Gatorade.
Speaker 2 (29:57):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
The Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern,
seven pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio
app Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
The Jason Smith Show with My best friend Mike Harmon.
Where we at midnight Eastern and suddenly all the fireworks
started happening.
Speaker 3 (30:16):
Everybody's doing it, honey.
Speaker 1 (30:18):
Chris tops Porzingis is a Celtic. Now officially Marcus Smart
is a grizzly Chris Middleton. Oh now we got a
little something something where things now could be getting better
for the next Okay, it's not about the Knicks. Chris
Middleton had to face a midnight Eastern deadline of whether
(30:41):
or not he was going to opt into the last
year of his contract forty million dollars. Three time All
Star has decided to opt out. He becomes a free agent.
Speaker 3 (30:50):
Now.
Speaker 1 (30:52):
Middleton has been with the Bucks for so long and
we have talked about how well he works with Giannis.
At times, Middleton looked like the one and Giannis was
the two. But then Yanna stepped up and said, Okay,
I have another level of my game. They won a
championship together. I know that the general consensus is hearing
(31:14):
that he opted out. Well, he's just gonna get a
bigger deal. He's gonna get a longer deal with the Bucks. Ay,
if that was the case, probably would have happened already.
Here's a guy who's thirty one, still has at least
two or three more really good years left to think
that he's going back to the Bucks. I'm gonna say
(31:35):
he ends up someplace else, because somebody else is going
to say, oh, Middleton's available, and he's been terrific as
a two, and we can bring him in and he
can feel just about.
Speaker 3 (31:46):
Any role we need him.
Speaker 1 (31:48):
Yeah, let's go give him our money and someone's gonna
pay a ton for him, and he's gonna go and
he's not gonna be a Buck anymore. And suddenly Milwaukee's
gotta look at Okay, now we gotta evamp a little
bit with Giannis and whoever else you want to build
around him, somebody, as you like to say, Mike Carmen,
it only takes one.
Speaker 3 (32:06):
No, it's it.
Speaker 1 (32:07):
Somebody's gonna come up with a lot of money and
Middleton's gonna say, I can't say no.
Speaker 3 (32:11):
Well, and that's the part of it.
Speaker 5 (32:13):
You look at current cap space before any movements, is
before the draft and whatever else transpires here over the
next couple of days. As we get towards free agency,
the team with the most money on the chessboard is Houston.
Young roster bring in a veteran eleven years in the league,
gonna be thirty two years old.
Speaker 3 (32:33):
Maybe not the worst of moves. A guy that's averaged.
Speaker 5 (32:36):
Between twenty and twenty one points four different times in
his career never got to twenty one points. So I
think it's kind of interesting, but it's, you know, just
deviling the details as it were played thirty three games
last year. We talked about it a lot, and going
into the playoffs, what a huge loss and his absence,
(32:58):
the void that he created for Milwaukee before they were
unceremoniously dumped out of the playoffs by the heat. And
where the marketplace is, Yeah, forty million is the asking price,
and that means he's looking at what a three to
five year deal, looking for at least that amount of
money per season.
Speaker 3 (33:17):
It only takes one to get there.
Speaker 5 (33:19):
You can look at the numbers because from a stats
sheet perspective, he's a twenty five and five guy at
his best. But what the market will bear, you know
what you're gonna get and no question marks as long
as his health checks out that I would say Houston
probably the leader based on money.
Speaker 3 (33:38):
Indiana.
Speaker 1 (33:40):
You know, we've talked about them quite a bit with
potentially making moves along the way, So maybe they're in
the mix staying in the East.
Speaker 3 (33:49):
But it'll be curious because he becomes one of the
big chips to move now.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
He's someone now that I would say four years, one
hundred and fifty million, one hundred and sixty million.
Speaker 3 (34:02):
Yeah, it might be what he winds up getting. Somebody's
gonna give it to him and he's gonna move on
from the Bucks. Wow, all kinds of drama right now.
I like the NBA.
Speaker 1 (34:14):
Maybe it'll be a big training to talk about coming
up next. We'll loan what's happened tonight and what we
could see tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (34:21):
On the NBA Draft. This is Fox and the next
will still suck.
Hosts And Creators
Jason Smith
Mike Harmon
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!