April 12, 2025 • 5 mins
With ample draft picks at their disposal and opportunity to win a title now, could the addition of Memphis Grizzles' star Ja Morant be on the table this offseason for Rafael Stone and Rockets? What could be the package headed back to Memphis? Does the deal make sense for both sides? Adam and Adam discuss the parameters on
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let me ask you this, since you brought it up.
It's a very good comparison, very good analogy. And we're
going into an offseason where the Rockets have assets, if
you will, and I'm not asking if you would rather
you trade for Zion or Jahn Morant in this scenario.
What I am asking, though, is which one of those
would be the most high risk, And they're for very
different reasons. John Morant's upside because he's able to stay
(00:23):
on the floor far more often.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
From a health standpoint, it's no brainer. Yeah, But one
reason or another. He's missed fifteen games in a season
all six seasons, including this one.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
That's not a huge, huge number.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
No, he would have qualified for a postseason award zero times.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Bradley be able to take that number in.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
The last five years, yeah, zero times, yep, including this year.
I'm talking about Jaw, yep, not Zion. Zion's missed a
billion games compared to them. But I think the risk
clearly lies with Zion. The risk with Jaw is less
about will he be on the court for either health
or suspension reasons, and more about how good is he?
He is electric He is a butts in seats kind
(01:04):
of player because he's gonna do something that you just
don't see that. He's a super unique physical talent, basketball talent,
player talent, but he can't shoot at all. When I
say shoot, I pretty much only mean shooting threes. He's
good enough field goal shooter. He's awesome at getting to
the basket and finishing. And I think maybe the first
(01:26):
thing I do, if I have taken the risk to
get him, is say you shoot thirty four percent and
I'll let you take six threes a game. You got
two months. If you can't for Max, I'm Russell westbrooking you.
I'm Janna snot tokompoing you. You gotta stop. It's a turnover.
He's too bad at it, and he still does it
(01:47):
almost six a game at thirty one percent.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
That's terrible. Don't do it.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
He's too good of a basketball player to settle for
a shot he's not gonna make.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
What about for the crowd? That's instead of you know,
the Kevin Durantz in the world. You need a point
guard or a different point guard or whatever.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
He does play that position, but you also now put
him on the court with the other four players. What
are who are those other four players, and how does
it impact what you want from them or how you
want to play with them. Presumably you're not moving Amen Thompson.
So now they're playing together. I don't see why that
can't happen. Have you taken something away? And that Amend's
not playing point because he's really not gonna ever play
point of Jaws on the team. I'm going to play
(02:24):
a couple of minutes tonight. That's pretty much it. You're
giving me less Phoenix picks. Okay, so now you're keeping
the whole corps together. Well, so you're gonna have to
give up something. I just don't know, Like I think,
I don't know what it would be. I don't know
what it would cost, is what I'm saying. What makes
Memphis say yes? In that scenario, it would be pretty costly.
You're talking about a twenty five year old super talent,
(02:46):
and even with the one major shortcoming I pointed out,
he's a good free throw shooter. He's a good creator,
he's a great finisher. He's just he's really good at basketball.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
This just in I'm just thinking about that athleticism with
this core.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
Give him the throw me the best current player package
the Rockets can offer. You give them a men Thompson,
you give them Jalen and or Alpi, whichever two of
those three you want to give them. How much worse
did you make the Memphis Grizzlies. They're not better, are they?
They've gotten worse, so of you probably. I don't think
(03:19):
these teams should be making this deal.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
I think you're right, but I'm just I'm trying to
figure out a way to get him here.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
They might be like other teams though, like Donovan Mitchell
got traded from Utah.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
Of course they knew they were getting worse. It happens
all the time.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
They've just said we're done with this, this is your
six with job.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
Like Phoenix, are we great?
Speaker 2 (03:37):
No?
Speaker 3 (03:38):
Are we going to be great? Is it time to
say no to that? You're Memphis. Aren't you just a
little better in that regard than Phoenix.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
I know Phoenix is bad, I get all that, but
you're neither one of you are going to accomplish anything.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
I think Memphis could believe with Jaren Jackson junior perennially
one of the best defensive players in the league and
a much better offensive player each year, and Desmond Bane
and a roster that actually, I think they actually have
a pretty good roster around them, and they found some players.
All this being said, with what they did with their coach,
I don't think it's time for them to say blow.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
It up at all, not even close.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
If we're looking at them as a seven eight seed,
they're a winner two of from being the three seed.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
It's not a horrible place to be. It's just a
jam packed West.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
Finding is viral of the Rockets, and I was calling
them Memphis Grizzlies. About a player it probably would be
for Triple j. It would change your dynamic.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Cow could you imagine how good they would be. You
wouldn't be able to do some of the things you
do offensive. Clearly, he's not going to create. He's not
going to back down his opponents successfully the way that
Alprin does. He's going to change your defensive dynamic from
being one of the three or four best defensive teams.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
In the NBA to the number one defense or like
they're eighty points, that's what you're getting tonight. Even in
this NBA. You're okay, fine, you're getting ninety yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
One postseason series victory. During Jaw's time in Memphis so
far and they're now are working with an interim coach.
So they've won part of the team up just a
game or a series. They've won one series. Okay, when
you said victory, I was like, oh, they only won
one game. Great, three trips to the postseason. One of
those trips netted a postseason series victory and that was
three years ago.
Let me ask you this, since you brought it up.
It's a very good comparison, very good analogy. And we're
going into an offseason where the Rockets have assets, if
you will, and I'm not asking if you would rather
you trade for Zion or Jahn Morant in this scenario.
What I am asking, though, is which one of those
would be the most high risk, And they're for very
different reasons. John Morant's upside because he's able to stay
(00:23):
on the floor far more often.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
From a health standpoint, it's no brainer. Yeah, But one
reason or another. He's missed fifteen games in a season
all six seasons, including this one.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
That's not a huge, huge number.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
No, he would have qualified for a postseason award zero times.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Bradley be able to take that number in.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
The last five years, yeah, zero times, yep, including this year.
I'm talking about Jaw, yep, not Zion. Zion's missed a
billion games compared to them. But I think the risk
clearly lies with Zion. The risk with Jaw is less
about will he be on the court for either health
or suspension reasons, and more about how good is he?
He is electric He is a butts in seats kind
(01:04):
of player because he's gonna do something that you just
don't see that. He's a super unique physical talent, basketball talent,
player talent, but he can't shoot at all. When I
say shoot, I pretty much only mean shooting threes. He's
good enough field goal shooter. He's awesome at getting to
the basket and finishing. And I think maybe the first
(01:26):
thing I do, if I have taken the risk to
get him, is say you shoot thirty four percent and
I'll let you take six threes a game. You got
two months. If you can't for Max, I'm Russell westbrooking you.
I'm Janna snot tokompoing you. You gotta stop. It's a turnover.
He's too bad at it, and he still does it
(01:47):
almost six a game at thirty one percent.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
That's terrible. Don't do it.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
He's too good of a basketball player to settle for
a shot he's not gonna make.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
What about for the crowd? That's instead of you know,
the Kevin Durantz in the world. You need a point
guard or a different point guard or whatever.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
He does play that position, but you also now put
him on the court with the other four players. What
are who are those other four players, and how does
it impact what you want from them or how you
want to play with them. Presumably you're not moving Amen Thompson.
So now they're playing together. I don't see why that
can't happen. Have you taken something away? And that Amend's
not playing point because he's really not gonna ever play
point of Jaws on the team. I'm going to play
(02:24):
a couple of minutes tonight. That's pretty much it. You're
giving me less Phoenix picks. Okay, so now you're keeping
the whole corps together. Well, so you're gonna have to
give up something. I just don't know, Like I think,
I don't know what it would be. I don't know
what it would cost, is what I'm saying. What makes
Memphis say yes? In that scenario, it would be pretty costly.
You're talking about a twenty five year old super talent,
(02:46):
and even with the one major shortcoming I pointed out,
he's a good free throw shooter. He's a good creator,
he's a great finisher. He's just he's really good at basketball.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
This just in I'm just thinking about that athleticism with
this core.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
Give him the throw me the best current player package
the Rockets can offer. You give them a men Thompson,
you give them Jalen and or Alpi, whichever two of
those three you want to give them. How much worse
did you make the Memphis Grizzlies. They're not better, are they?
They've gotten worse, so of you probably. I don't think
(03:19):
these teams should be making this deal.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
I think you're right, but I'm just I'm trying to
figure out a way to get him here.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
They might be like other teams though, like Donovan Mitchell
got traded from Utah.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
Of course they knew they were getting worse. It happens
all the time.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
They've just said we're done with this, this is your
six with job.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
Like Phoenix, are we great?
Speaker 2 (03:37):
No?
Speaker 3 (03:38):
Are we going to be great? Is it time to
say no to that? You're Memphis. Aren't you just a
little better in that regard than Phoenix.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
I know Phoenix is bad, I get all that, but
you're neither one of you are going to accomplish anything.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
I think Memphis could believe with Jaren Jackson junior perennially
one of the best defensive players in the league and
a much better offensive player each year, and Desmond Bane
and a roster that actually, I think they actually have
a pretty good roster around them, and they found some players.
All this being said, with what they did with their coach,
I don't think it's time for them to say blow.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
It up at all, not even close.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
If we're looking at them as a seven eight seed,
they're a winner two of from being the three seed.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
It's not a horrible place to be. It's just a
jam packed West.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
Finding is viral of the Rockets, and I was calling
them Memphis Grizzlies. About a player it probably would be
for Triple j. It would change your dynamic.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Cow could you imagine how good they would be. You
wouldn't be able to do some of the things you
do offensive. Clearly, he's not going to create. He's not
going to back down his opponents successfully the way that
Alprin does. He's going to change your defensive dynamic from
being one of the three or four best defensive teams.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
In the NBA to the number one defense or like
they're eighty points, that's what you're getting tonight. Even in
this NBA. You're okay, fine, you're getting ninety yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
One postseason series victory. During Jaw's time in Memphis so
far and they're now are working with an interim coach.
So they've won part of the team up just a
game or a series. They've won one series. Okay, when
you said victory, I was like, oh, they only won
one game. Great, three trips to the postseason. One of
those trips netted a postseason series victory and that was
three years ago.
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