Damian Lillard requests a trade, James Harden seeking trade, NBA Free Agency

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
What's going on? Guys, Welcometo the KBR Sports podcast. You're you
know, the best sports podcast ofyour twenty four hour day. Thank you
for tuning in to today's episode ofthe podcast. Of course, if you
are not subscribe to this podcast,make sure you go ahead and hit the
subscribe button. Make sure you alsogo ahead and follow the podcast or whatever
platform you're listening and if you don'tmind, it would always be appreciated and
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(00:21):
a positive review, go ahead andgo to you whatever page you're listening to
or whatever platform you're listening to anddrop a review. That always does help
the podcast perform better, so Iwould would genuinely appreciate that. And of
course you can follow me on allsocial medias as well as the podcast itself,
on Twitter, Instagram, and obviouslymy handle is just Brendan Abben.

(00:41):
On Twitter it's like at Abben Brendanbecause somebody took my name, and on
Instagram it is at KBR Sports andon Twitter at Underscore KBR Sports and then
Facebook's kPr Sports as well. Butguys, hopefully everybody's had a great week.
Obviously, for there's a lot goingon with NBA free agency and stuff
going on like that. And thenobviously in three NFL guys got suspended due

(01:04):
to gambling, so that's that's something. But here to talk about NBA free
agency with me is my guy snackkeel Oh man, what's going on?
Bro? Uh? Whoa, myboy? It's all I'm good man.
Um. You know a lot ofexcuse me, A lot of a lot
of issues going on with you know, I mentioned in Twitter you're dame getting

(01:26):
your dam getting stolen from you.Oh now, now, the limiting of
tweets and and texts, living thattext and reading of tweets and scrolling the
tweets. I'm not trying to say, you know, maybe maybe it's a
time to jump platform. But youknow, listen, true truth video,
true social hitting right there. Okay, man, well, untapped market waiting

(01:53):
to be waiting to be looked at. But I'm not I'm not saying anything.
I'm just I'm just I'm just theidea. If anything, Reddit is
the closest substitute I would problem isright right going through as well. They're
not they're not doing too how toeither, Yeah, but they're not as
bad as Twitter, where you can'teven send Twitter links to group chats anymore,

(02:15):
and people can't people who are don'thave Twitter accounts can't even view him.
Now, okay, the absolute youknow what, the tweet limit you
know stock, I'm not gonna sayhere, you don't. But the combination
of I can't view Twitter on topof I have I only get but six

(02:36):
hundred, six hundred tweets, right, six hundred views or whatever post?
Thank you your post, I canlook at absolutely just absolute killer. It
makes no sense to me, likeyou you entirely kill, like the amount
of time people are spending on yourplatform. You just cut that off at
the legs. And I get it. He is doing whatever he can to

(02:59):
push on atization and if they reallydo have a data scraping issue, whatever
the case might be, I guess, but it just feels as though and
maybe I mean he said it wastemporary, right, and an air quotes
right put air cootes temporary. ButI mean for someone like myself who really
only uses Twitter for sports news,I can get sports news from ESPN,

(03:22):
Leacher Report directly. I don't needTwitter for that. And I also can
use Reddit for that, you know, so you might just be like a
couple of minutes later, but allthat stuff finds its way to read it
anyway, and so sure, it'slike, I don't know why it is,
this gonna end up becoming way moreof my de factol platform. Twitter
is going to be such a Idon't know, a hindrance. And even

(03:45):
sometimes I feel like conversational things happenbetter on Reddit because of the more features
you have available to you. Ohyeah, I help get the point of
props and character exactly. So Idon't know, man and whatever Elon is
trying to do with Twitter. Ithink everybody's just trying to raise the value
of the platform and respect to them. I think that was one thing Reddit
said they were trying to do waswith monetization. I think a lot of

(04:09):
social media platforms are trying to figurethat out. I think Facebook probably has
it netted down the best. Imean, granted they were like the pioneers
of this next to MySpace, butespecially because of Facebook's advertising that they have
in place and all that stuff.But I don't know, Reddy the other
day you said they caught what it'sat evaluation from Reddit the other day,

(04:32):
it's kind of nuts. I mean, it's one of those things. But
I think it's so crazy to seenow how much these people are now taking
money to for a lot of advertising. Because now on Twitter, I scroll,
I'll be on somebody's page just lookingthrough their Twitter feed and I see
a promoted tweet like every three tweetsor so, and I'm like, it
is pretty gross, Like I mightdo I'm not playing for Twitter Blue.

(04:54):
I'm not doing it. I'm notgoing to do it. I don't care.
Like, there's no way I've I'vebecome a better writer because of Twitter,
because of the fact that I havea lower character limit and I know
I can't edit it posts tweeting,so I have to what do you say,
exactly so ridiculous? Yeah it is. I mean, but if you

(05:15):
got Twitter blue, Oh, ifyou have Twitter, yeah you can add
if you have Twitter blue bro,put everything behind the taball everything. What's
it called? You see a YouTube'salso rolling out? Um? They updated
their ad blockers the thing. Nowhat Yeah, they updated their things for

(05:35):
ad blockers. So now it's akind of it's left ad blockers that work
against the YouTube bad. Now theysaid you are going to watch listen the
only The only thing I've ever boughtis YouTube premium, and I only I
use YouTube a lot, I meana lot. But like, you will

(06:00):
not catch me ever buying like Iwill never buy Twitter Blue, I'll never
pay for Redding Gold. I'll neverpay for Discord Night Row. I'll never
pay like I just so big stuff, so much stuff, man, But
you'll never you know, I don't. I don't Twitter. I don't Twitter
subscribe it. I would have aprime Amazon account to use to which there's
so stupid thing is that you youso subscribe to women member and it's kinds

(06:23):
off ad for one member, youknow, like do I adds? Man,
it's like we've got Phoebe was donebecause of like, man, there's
just too many commercial too many,too many things like this, and every
industry was like, you know whatwe should do. We should put ads
in commercial and commercial promotional tweets andpromotional posts everywhere. True, it's funny

(06:46):
because it's all these platforms arose asa contingency or as a rival to conventional
media and television, and then theyended up taking on so many characteristics of
television because as money they need tomake money. Oh you said they took
on too many characteristics. They're stillon the worst characteristics. So television,

(07:10):
oh yeah, yeah, entirely,even the YouTube. The funny thing is,
like you said, I pretty muchall my consumption is YouTube. I
watch YouTube all day pretty much forthe most part. And I don't have
YouTube Premium a lot of times,and them ads come on if it if
and I don't watch YouTube by myTV because they don't let you skip ads
if you're watching on the TV.So a lot of times I'm sitting there,
I put it up on my phoneand I noticed they always trying to

(07:31):
get me. I don't know.This is where I feel like my phone
is listening to me or they're watching. Because bro, every time I use
YouTube while i'm washing dishes, Iget a thirty minute ad and they think
I'm just gonna sit there because I'mwatching. That's what they got me.
They kept giving me these like twohour like two hour long ads. Well

(07:53):
like I had I had one oeight hours. That was that was That
was a different point. Yeah,I'm like, I'm like, what the
heck, what kind of documentary areyou putting in an ad? Like I
was like, I can't listen.You know, it's just too much.
I can't do this, and Icaved them while and it was like I
hate it. I hate I hateI hate buying you know, the subscriptions

(08:18):
like that, because like it onlymakes it so like, you know,
substantiate the model. Yeah, they'regonna just get They're gonna be more tough
one like people who aren't in thewho aren't in premium. And it's like
it's disgusting. I mean every subscriptionservice they're they're appealing at at Oh yeah,

(08:39):
Netflix was never they were never gonnado ads, and now they're gonna
do an ad tire granted, Iwell, I talk about the oh yeah,
the pass for sharing stuff too.Yeah, that's nuts that they got.
They cannot But you know what crazything is, I actually think it's
stupid for a subscription service to launchnow without an AD tier. That's it's

(09:00):
dumb because you just look so badin the in the long run of then
not having that option for people,like because if you have that option,
you don't then have to go throughthe pr thing of having to raise prices
later. Yeah, I mean,granted, most of these subscription services enter
the market at a price to tryand accumulate users, so Yeah, it's

(09:22):
always that question of like you accumulatelyused and then like start monetizing them and
knowing that some of the worst dropoff for most people once they're in your
in your environments that are going tothey're going to pay. But yeah,
I mean we just saw a gamepass right, game Pass Ultimate got a
two dollar price bump, and basegame Pass on console got one dollar price
bump. And I think part ofthat is because they even said they reached

(09:46):
the maximum amount of people or notthat they reached maximum, but the growth
has started to slow down at thetop end on the consoles, so they
were like, Okay, well wecan monetize that audience more. And then
they didn't even adjust the PC gamepass price at all because they're still trying
to enter the into that market andgame more users. So I mean,

(10:11):
it's the pr hit like sometimes youknow, sometimes you can sometimes you just
sky through it, like sometimes youcan say stop. Like it's not even
just that, it's just like thinkingabout certain players who are like, you
know, I'll never ring Chase orthese dudes are running from the grind or
or things like that, and thenrequest the traces in Miami. He's just
went to the finals last year.You know, sometimes just sometimes you say

(10:35):
things in the past, you know, it comes back to bite you a
little bit, that's all. AndI think that puts us on a great
track to just dive into that.And speaking of which, Miami Heat welcome
Damian Lillard. Is what they're waitingto hear. Heat fans are waiting to
hear. Sitting at their phone,every Heat fan that's listening to this just
got so angry because they probably thoughtyou were about to read an announcement that

(10:58):
was really a thing, it wasbreaking news, and then you just oh,
that's what they would like to hear. Your freaking Oh yeah, it
is what they would like to hear. It's not it's not happening yet.
Listen, they're working. They're workingon a three team or well I wish
probably starting with Damian. Yeah,that's why I was going to go into
So for anybody who's living under arock or maybe you've you've been to joining
your forfits July weekend, you haven'thad a chance to listen to any sports

(11:20):
news. But Damian Lillard did officiallyrequest a trade out of Portland. It
was said reported last week that hewas going to be meeting with the top
brass of the Portland Trailblazers to figureout what their plans were for free agency.
And obviously, as we all knewfrom the outside looking in, there
ain't nothing the Trailblazers could do infree agency to make themselves a championship contender.

(11:41):
So finally that message got through toDamian Lillard and he eventually makes this
trade requests, and now there aretons of suitors out there for Dame services.
Already in the mix from reports areobviously the Brooklyn Nets and the Miami
Heat, two teams that Dame hadpreviously said he wanted to go to.
But then you even see teams likethe New York Knicks are now looking at

(12:01):
or trying to get in there.The San Antonio Spurs name is in the
loop as well, So I thinkthere's yeah, I think there's more competition
here for Damian Lillard's services than maybehe would have anticipated or even the team
itself. And I think now thisis going to make the trade conversation around
Dame more interesting because Damian Lillard,at least so far publicly has indicated that

(12:24):
he would like to go to eitherthe Brooklyn Nets, or Miami Heat,
but he's now narrowed it down moreso to wanting to go play with in
Miami with Jimmy Butler and bam ata bio and obviously, of all the
options, that is obviously the teamthat is most likely to be able to
produce a championship roster for Dame toplay on. But this is where the
sticking points comes through, because thisis where you have the priorities of the

(12:46):
franchise versus the priorities of the player. Dame obviously wants to go to the
best caliber roster he can go to, and even noted priority even making the
trade request. He's said in interviews, it's not just about making the trade
request, but are also wondering abouthow many what teams are going to have
to give up to get you.So what are you coming to as a
team. And now I think we'rein a situation where Dame, if you

(13:11):
were to go to the Heat,they Heat don't necessarily have the best package
that is in the best interests ofthe Spurt and the best interests of the
Trailblazers, I'd say, because otherteams like even the Sixers and Clippers are
stiffing around as well. And Ithink that when you talk about trade packages,
here are a lot of different tradepackages we could look at and surmise

(13:33):
or some very variation of this.Right, you could do a Brooklyn Nets
trade that Nets to Brooklyn Nets,Damian Lillard, use of Nerkitch, and
then the Trailblazers get Spencer Dinwiddie,Nicholas Claxton, Royce O'Neil, Joe Harris,
the twenty twenty five first round pickthat they got from Phoenix, the
twenty twenty seven first round pick theygot from Senex, in the twenty twenty
nine first round pick they got Phoenix. That's top three protected. That's a

(13:54):
trade package that they can get fromthe Nets. Then you look at another
scenario where they do a trade withthe Miami Heat. The Heat could trade
them Tyler hero Duncan Robinson, NicolaYovich and then the draft rights to Jamie
Vasquez, their number eighteen pick,as well as the twenty twenty eight first
round pick, a twenty twenty ninepick swap in the twenty thirty first round

(14:16):
pick, because those are really thepicks that the Heat have entitled met two
at this point in time. Thenif you're looking at a at a trade
that could loop in the Clippers andthe Knicks. You could do a trade
because with the trade toss about PaulGeorge being in trade conversation. But now
doesn't seem like that this option doesn'tseem as viable now, especially with the
news coming down that Russ just signeda two year, eight million dollars deal.

(14:39):
But I mean, with how cheapthat deal is, you you wonder,
I mean, maybe you could bringDame in there, but it's it's
not likely though, But especially ifyou have if you're under the cap and
you feel like you have a startingcob or caliber point guard with Russell Westbrook,
I don't think they maybe want togo out and get Dame, but
who knows. But you could getthe go off the bench he could,

(15:00):
Yeah, I mean that'd be anoption you do that or what? Yeah?
I mean that that contracts nothing.I mean peanuts. Yeah, it
is, so you go and youget you could you could send Paul George,
but see, I don't know ifthey do that, they have to
lose Paul George. I think youjust run it back with Russ, Kawhi
and PG. Yeah. I don'tthink sending Paul George. I don't want

(15:20):
to think that's a real option.In terms of breaking down different packages,
I don't really know who. Imean, who do you think has the
best pitch to go on Land DamianLillard? The bet the best would probably
would still Brooklyn. Right, Brooklyngot the picks from Phoenix, they got
the picks from Dallas. They havea couple of young guys if they can

(15:43):
they can throw around. They haveif they need to make cap work,
they can throw in Ben Simmons.The other the other one is probably still
Portland because they'll redirect. Obviously,the whole conversation about the Tyler Hero,
it's Tyler, It's a Tyler heropackage basically is that Tyler here is going

(16:04):
to be real and he'll be shippedto what's basically looking like a team like
San Antonio, who needs you know, young young talent. And if they
can get in San Antonio again,another team that has picks to use,
they can you know, they canmove around some people too, And so
I guess the biggest one would beBrooklyn. Then still Miami, which I

(16:30):
don't even like the Miami package beingall right, being somebody who had a
team trade four first rounders for DonovanMitchell as well as young talent and and
and a team friendly contract and Lauriemarking then looking and saying man, Duncan,
Robinson, h Tyler, Hero,two first rounders and maybe another first

(16:53):
rounder's experiment contact if they do dunkingHero, if they can do um,
that matches, that matches Dames contract. Oh yeah, because I think they're
like forty five combined. I think, because I think Tyler is like twenty
twenty something, he's like low twenties, and then Duncan in the eighteen.

(17:15):
Yeah, So it's like it's likeit's like great, it's like just touches
over forty and Dame I think isDame. I think is like forty seven
forty eight mile. So if lookingat like that, it's like, man,
if you look at if you tellme that's the package you have to
get it, If that's the packageyou have to get, ridiculous, that's
a that's a no brainer. That'slike, that's like I don't laughing at

(17:37):
that. If that's the offer,that's all I gotta give them to give
up to get what's it called?Damn? Yeah, But but Portland hands
that they are they will they whilethey hear Damian mill there's like Damian Wilson,
we love you and you know,we want to do right by you,
but uh, we gotta do what'sgood for us too. You gotta

(17:57):
get as much out of that DameApple is possible. It's like yeah,
And I was like yeah, Imean, look like, man, listen,
if you're if you mean to tellme, the best that you're getting
back is nothing but in a coupleof picks down the road, like if
Miami had let's just Worchester picks.Oh yeah, sure, but like they

(18:18):
don't. That's it. That's thethat's the that's what comes down to is
that they don't have that wor Chesterpicks and they don't have like jo Jovic
is an interesting prospect and man,yeah, it's about it. Holly wouldn't
make it on their team. Theyalready have. They have three cards already,

(18:40):
like they don't need another one.Like yeah, So it's like you're
basically getting like picks that you popeturn out decently and nothing else. Wilar
Well, I think that's I thinkyou come down to it. The crux
of the issue also is that whenyou look at all the teams that are
into running the Sixers as well.Like the Sixers own their first round pick

(19:04):
in twenty thirty, they have pickswashs for twenty twenty four, twenty twenty
nine, twenty thirty, and theyhave three future second round picks available to
use. They have seven point onemillion in cash to send or receive back
contracts that they can trade or TobiasHarris at thirty nine point three million,
James Harden at thirty five point six, PJ. Tucker at eleven million,
the Anthony Melton at a million.Yeah, and that's just I mean for

(19:30):
Portland with why right, and yeah, it's like that I'm getting I can
get picks plus expiring contracts plus noweven like it's starting contracts acting flip like
Tobias Harris is a contract, youmight be able to look at the deadline
and be like somebody might take awhip on that, um, PJ.
Tucker somebody one percent, you know, people take the team would definitely take

(19:52):
Tobias Harris said that the fans preferCrumble Cookies over him, so you know
they do, like, yeah,I mean the nine something contract, but
like even you can get something,you might be a good way to bite
on that for something for like pick, but like it's something you can still
use as an asset work the wordsof books that year cares yeah, and

(20:15):
okay, well, let's be fair. There's a lot of player that trade
for I'm not even gonna favor.But the other thing is even other teams
that clearly aren't gonna be in theyaren't gonna be in the uh in the
or here are the teams in thein the mix of it, the Spurs,
Clippers, seventy sixers, Heat andNets. I don't think they said

(20:40):
all right, I'm gonna take theClippers out automatically because they no shot that
they're gonna send the little Clippers.This. This is what the Clippers have
to trade. Okay, Clippers havetheir own their own first round picks twenty
twenty eight, twenty twenty nine,twenty thirty. You can't trade back to
back first round pick years though,so they have to do twenty twenty,
twenty thirty. They have pick swapfor twenty twenty seven, twenty twenty eight,
twenty twenty nine, twenty thirty.They have six future first round pick

(21:04):
a second round picks decade they cantrade. They have seven point one million
in cast and in terms of playercontracts, Paul George at forty five point
six who has a player option intwenty twenty twenty four, twenty twenty five,
Kawhi, same thing, Norman Powelleighteen million, he's unrefreshed, he's
a undrestrict the free agent in twentytwenty six. Marcus Morris Senior seventeen million,

(21:27):
and he's unrestricted free agent in twentytwenty four. Nicholas but Toom eleven
point seven million. He's an unrestrictedfree agent in twenty twenty four as well.
Robert Covington eleven point seven That's funnybecause Robert coventing was on Portland before.
I think, yeah, he's unrestrictthe free agent in twenty twenty four.
And Zoobach they just said that he'savailable for trade. He's at ten

(21:48):
point nine million, he's unrestricted freeagent in twenty twenty five. Pretty much
all their their role rosters provements onthe block for trading except for her Ki.
Yeah, it seems like the toughpart about this is that when I
look at all these rosters, right, I know everybody has then one team.
I mean, this depends I thinkwhen it when it comes down to

(22:11):
it, I think the I thinkthe team that you end up just doing
a bipartisan comparison for it, andyou're just like, okay, well if
the Sixers say, you know,iff it, we don't, you know,
James Harden's kind of screwed. Imean, granted, I don't think
that the Trail Blazers are going totake James Harden back at all, right,
yeah, you know, like theyjust don't. They don't. He

(22:33):
wouldn't stay there, so they're notgoing to take him back. But if
you if you really wanted to evaluatehow I mean they could do that,
I mean, if you wanted tosend to Bias Harris there and then maybe
coupling him with someone like the AnthonyMelton and then the picks that they have.
But I just don't think that's that'snot like in terms of what you're
trying. Whatever they're trying to doas a franchise at this trade to me

(22:56):
feels like, I mean, obviouslyit's Portland hitting the reset button, but
the German German grant contract kind ofspeaks differently to that. But maybe that's
just money they needed to spend.Like you said, yeah, I don't
think I don't think. I don'tthink we said that on air, but
they gave game with contract the fiveyear, one sixty comes out to like
I think he's like like thirty twomil. Yeah, thirty he's making thirty

(23:19):
two mil. Uh, And Idon't see the contract as like a he's
pretty much just gonna see like couldn'tbe there like their their tank guy for
like two or three years, andthey'll they'll trace him like, you know,
he'll kill average twenty kill average,like twenty points the game. He'll
put up decent numbers being you know, in three years he'll be on a

(23:42):
two year deal, two year,third sixty mile trainable contract. They shook
him off. Yeah, it's interesting, but and well, the thing we're
saying about the money is you haveto spend nine years on your tab space.
So it's like it makes sense tojust go ahead and keep him on
the roster at thirty thirty plus melbecause I mean, he might as well

(24:02):
spend the money anyway. Yea.And and you know, he's not the
worst guy who spend the money onlike you know, it's whatever. He's
not. He's not somebody you wan'tbeing your you know, he's not gonna
be a first option on or secondoption on the championship team. But I
mean it's like, again, you'reresetting anyway, he might as well just
go ahead and let him just gethis shocked up. You know, he's
not He's not like a selfish guy. He's not a guy who's like a

(24:23):
black hole. He's not, youknow, a problem locker room guy or
anything like that. So no,but I guess in terms of like just
evaluating what they're trying to do though, like you said, if he's their
tank guy. So if you're ifyou have this guy and your your whole
goal is just to tank, thenwhat are you willing to take back?
And I don't think that guys likeTobias Harris are gonna want it. I
mean, granted, it doesn't matterwhat they want, but why Well,

(24:49):
I guess because in part, youdon't want to take back assets that don't
want to be there, right,So yeah, I mean because I think
the James harden thing maybe would bemore interesting if he actually would be willing
to be there. But I meanthere's no chance James Harder wants to be
in Portland, So the bias Iunderstand taking back because he doesn't play the
position that one of your one ofyour young you want your young guys be

(25:12):
able to play. Yeah, andso like that's why like Tyler Hero doesn't
make sense because you don't want TylerHero. What we're taking Simmons suit or
Sharps you know mine? Yeah,same thing with like Harding, same thing
with all those other guys are beingtalked. If you're if you're talking about
you can send me a forward though, that's fine, you know whatever,

(25:33):
we don't have another spot, wehave another spot open, we can we
can gladly take another forward on.Yeah. Well, I and I guess
that's the complicated part because if ifthe the priorities player development, then you're
you're really limited on what you cantake back here. Because I would also
argue, if you were to doa deal with Philadel or sorry with the

(25:55):
net, what if you take backBen Simmons, if you take back any
version of this, trade back withBen Simmons or Spencer Dinwitty or Joe Harry
not Joe Harris rather because he's ashooter. But isn't it isn't like when
you start to factor at all in, somebody's gonna overlap with the young guys.
But then you could also have adegree of mentorship with the young guys.

(26:15):
Maybe I that was would hope foryou would you would hope you get
either you get a mentorship, youget a mentor for the young guys,
or you get somebody who is likeSimmons. Simmons is fun because he can
play guard forward. You know,you can throw him kind of anywhere you
guys that have to. You know, he's not strictly limited to a position.
I also think the Simmons thing,the Simmons thing, becomes interesting just

(26:37):
depending on how much belief you haveon I don't think anybody has belief on
Simmons like before. I think Simmonshas essentially created all that. But yeah,
I think that if Portland was likethe the girlfriend that thought they could
change him type franchise and they werelike, oh we can change him even

(26:59):
not even change it. But Imean he kind of fits again, he
kind of fits into what like hewouldn't want from your from a guy you're
gonna take if you're gonna take somebodyback is he's he doesn't shoot the ball,
He's gonna play make only He's reallyjust gonna be a playmaker at that
point. He's you know, he'snot a guy who's gonna play thirty He's

(27:19):
not gonna play thirty five minutes.He's not gonna like demand the ball at
any point in time. So it'slike, if there's a guy you would
you would want to take back andcontract with three years I think left.
Yeah, he's a free agent intwenty twenty five. Yeah, oh oh
yeah then yeah if if that's theif, that's the good thing. I
mean, Ben Hood will be aguy like if I get picked Ben Simmons

(27:41):
and much as you know random likeyoung Wing Flash Babs, Yeah, that
would be that would be ideal.Man becomes tough to break down just because
you just don't because, man,that conversation wouldn't start. It's starts with
BAM for me. If I'm Miami, he said, it starts with Bam,

(28:03):
it starts. And if you ain'tif if you are not willing to
put Bam in the top with me, I don't care. No, there's
no way. I mean that thatdestroys Miami's hold. That's why that they're
better than me, because there ain'tno shots I'm trade doing Dame, not
getting BAM back I just don't thinkthere's any there's any like, there's no
way that. I mean, granted, yeah, I think if you can,

(28:26):
you can try and play hardball.But if the problem is the team
that's asking for the trade is theone that has the levers, not the
team that has the player requesting thetrade. So yeah, you can ask
for BAM. No, not eventhat though they know they I mean,
they really kind of don't. Imean, like, why, no,
hold on thing. I was like, yesterday you played in Miami has to

(28:48):
do the deal, right, youwere like, if Miami is the same,
they have to do the deal.Poorler is going to accommodate Damie a
little list. They're going to helpDamian Lillard. But that does not mean
I don't have other options. No, but having to do this deal means
to build a contender. They don'tneed to do this deal at the expensive

(29:11):
Miami standpoint. Yes, from Miamistandpoint, Yeah, you know, that's
that's what I was saying. Sofor Miami, there's no there's no shot
that BAM isn't any because the minuteBAM is gone, you lose your contender
status. A pairing of Damien andJimmy is not good enough. Yeah.
So, and that's why I'm like, listen, that's fun. I'll come

(29:34):
back to you guys. I'm gonnago talk around the league and I'll come
back to you guys after we're doingand you know, or you guys can
find a third team and you know, see what you can get me.
But ain't no shot. My conversationstarts names with with with Tyler hero Duncan
Roberts Well, I think this iswhere it hurts when you have a player
that's contracted for more than one year. Because if Dame requests his trade and

(29:56):
he has one year on his contract, kind of like James Harden, you
can just say I'm not going toresign there, right, yeah, and
a team will not. I meanthat happened with Anthony Davis. He told
the Celtics, I'm not resigning withyou guys. If you trade for me,
I hope he gone, and toothey did. He kept his word,

(30:18):
he did, he did, hegot me left. It's actually hilarious
when people keep shooting their word.This man said, listen, you got
shade. I will not. Iwill not. I can promise you no
matter what, I will not beback. Okay, don't make a different
thought. They said, we justneed one, like, listen, you

(30:42):
give us over one year. Ohyeah, and prosi why he came out.
He played, he played basketball,and did you say he did do
his thing? Man? I giveKawhi his credit. He went out there
in their ring, yepking Is.It wasn't even like a oh you know,

(31:02):
maybe you know now he want achampionship, maybe he'll he'll come back.
Yeah. Man, it was nolike even kind of like, oh
yeah, Kawhi, Kawhi is gonnacome back, and you know he want
a championship. Everything's good. Nowhe realized how good the team is and
all that stuff, he's gonna he'sgonna run it back. Nope, my
man made no attempts to even pretendlike he was gonna come back, and
not a thing changed. That's facts, bro. That man did not play

(31:23):
around at all on that. Butbut it is it is a good point
because it's like they still has twomore years. I think something like that.
Yeah, he has two years fromhis deal, and like and name.
It is not the kind of guywho's gonna be like, oh let's
meet, I'm gonna I'm not gonnaplay. Usually it's not gonna be that

(31:45):
kind of guy. Yes, moreyears around spires in twenty twenty five.
Yeah, but it's like again,that's why I like, Miami isn't like
this weird. There's gonna be noweird position to pay one depending on how
Portland Portland's gonna play this. Portlandmight just do get goodbye Dame and to

(32:07):
take like a worse package and youknow, just be like, listen,
you gave us ten years of yourcareer where sad, we're happy where we
just want to help you out asmuch as we can and blah blah blah.
Or I guess well they actually playhardball with this and be like listening,
find us a team, a thirdteam, and give and give us
projects. Get very random, Okay, this is very random, And I

(32:30):
know not every player can do this, right. This is why I understand
why Lebron signs the short contracts.Yeah, I totally get it. You
always have leverage, no matter what, you will always have leverage. Granted,
granted you have to be you haveto be Lebron level, like goaded
to do that type of thing.But but I think, okay, well,

(32:54):
not what I'm saying when I sayLebron level go did, I mean
like you have to carry so muchvalue. I'm not talking about you have
to be Lebron great, but I'mtalking about your value to to the perspective
team like Dame could have could havesigned those type of contracts with Portland.
Granted, granted, if Dame wouldhave signed those type of contracts, though,
it would have undermined his whole entireloyalty campaign. Thing Like when Lebron

(33:15):
was signing these contracts, we everybodyknew Lebron was not loyal to Cleveland or
Miami in that respect. Lebron wasonly playing for himself and he made that
widely known. Dame trying to beloyal to a franchise signing those type of
contracts, nobody was ever gonna believeDame was loyal and he would have got
asked about why he keeps signing thesecontracts all every single year. So I

(33:37):
think that's where the two sides conflict. But I think you always signed I
mean two years maybe with a playeroption, a three year contract of a
player option maybe I don't know,option third year. Those are your ideal
contract, yeah, because that itjust gives you so much flexibility and what
you can do, you're not justlocked in part of why Phoenix saw no

(33:57):
dance downside and trading for Kevin Durantbecause like, maybe got this guy for
like three years. Yeah, justlike what is it different if you're training
for a guy that only has ayear left or two years. But and
for the player, obviously, Iknow it gives you that you're getting you're
gonna get your money for all thoseyears. But on the other side,
the franchise has like entitlement to dowhatever they want with you and wherever you're

(34:17):
gonna go. Like Game only hasso much. Yeah, accommodate game,
But like you said, we're gonnaget the best package we can get out
of this. It just depends onhow everybody evaluates what the best package is.
I think honestly, I think Ithink Brooklyn. Brooklyn puts together the
best package if you just want toget back young assets or you want to

(34:39):
get back draft capital on young assets. Granted, I think that also depends
on how much how highly you viewsome of their young assets. I think
Tyler Hero is the best young assetof any of these teams, that any
of these teams can offer. Butfor Portland, though, what do you
say not for Portland, but Imean as as an overall like player,

(35:01):
just that each it's weird because yeah, I think the overlap makes it a
little bit weird with Portland. Butjust in terms of actual talent, I
think for all these teams, BenSimmons has has shot his value. And
I think Ben Simmons would have easilybeen granted to Ben Simons was what he
was supposed supposed to be or whatpeople would wanted him to be, he

(35:22):
probably wouldn't even be considered for atrade. So that's that. And then
you know, somebody being willing totrade Ben Simmons kind of just shows you
where he is at this point talentwise. I you know, I think
Tyler Hero for as good as heis, I think obviously that's a no
brainer trade, right, And soI don't know. I think I definitely

(35:45):
I think the Nets have the bestpackage. But I I think I don't
know what Dames Sway is gonna bein this whole fiasco, because it's also
going to be bad. Pr wellmaybe not. Maybe nobody cares because if
a guy's been to you for thatkind of that duration of time, and
then you kind of just say weknow where you want to go, and
the fact that he's made it publicwhere he wants to go, is it

(36:08):
is something? Because then when you'rejust saying no, we don't really care,
then it kind of adds to thething of players shouldn't be careing about
these franchises. But I woulways saythat. But it was like, remember
why we were Faul George. No, nobody did it. Yeah, nobody
care that. Nobody cares that theysent Paul George so casey No. I

(36:28):
mean it always just boils down tolike when when a team does something is
always just cool, right, it'sit's it's fine, nobody cares. It's
you know, it's not that bigof a deal. But when a player
does it, Wolf Wolf, Oh, I think you can. Here's the
problem. It's like, if youask for a trade, I think that's

(36:50):
fine. I don't think that's thatbig a deal. I think the second
you say I want to go tothis team, I think that's when you
started getting into like the kind oflike situation where it's like, Okay,
you now kind of hamstrung what wecan do because you've now made known where
you want to go down the teamthat knows you want to go there,

(37:14):
it's gonna offers less because you probablyno, you don't. You know,
they know you want they you wantto be there. So it's kind of
like if Daily just put out astatement I think I wanted to be traded,
I don't think I think that's fine. The same thing when Paul George
is the same thing where he's like, I want to go to LA.
I may made no bones about it, I want to go to LA And

(37:35):
it was kind of like, youknow, whatever, whatever players do that,
I feel that's when the kind ofturned off them. Well, I
think some degree you have to saywhere you want to go to kind of
leverage that you leverage your your youknow, you have to use some kind
of leverage on your side, rightI am. Yeah. But it's like
at the same time, it's kindof like, because that's what the players
trying to do. The players tryingto shrink the market that's available to the

(38:00):
team that's trading them, because sothat that way form because what the what
Dame would want to do is minimizehow much assets Miami has to give up
to get him so that he's goingto a better team. Sure, obviously
it's not the best but it's likeyou when you do that, it's like
you're going to That's when you startgetting public backlaster, because then now is
you're like it now comes off becauseyou're trying to force your way to a

(38:22):
team as opposed to being traded toa team. But this is where I
would say, does the loyalty nowcome into effect? Because do people view
it as Dame trying to force hisway to a team versus him trying to
make sure he's actually going to acontender because Dame has tried it with Portland
for years and they've never built it. So why would Dame? Why would
Dame just leave his hopes and goingto Miami out there versus him trying to

(38:45):
force or trying to at least navigatethe trade talks to him going to Miami.
So that way is it's less riskon Dame side because he doesn't want
to be in another Portland situation.If he goes to Brooklyn, he will
be in another Portland situation versus goingto the Heat where you act she can
win a championship. The difference Ithink is all right, I just had

(39:07):
it is I think behind door itfor a player like Dame right when you've
been there for ten years, youlike like overly boy like Kevil, but
Kevin Garnett, Kevin again is anothergood one, right, Kevin Garnett Uh
stuck with the Timberwolves for for forlike a decade, like thirteen years or
whatever, and they didn't go Theydidn't he didn't ask for trad They had

(39:30):
to say, Kevin, we're tradingyou. And it was like, do
you want to go anywhere? Hesaid, did I want to say that
Kevin was gonna trade you. Butsince you've done you've done right by us
as a franchise, you want todo right by you. And when you're
that kind of dame level player whenyou've been with a franchise for like for
as long as he has, likewell even Border Trades is seventy eight years
and says like into his patient's careerlike days going on like a year eleven.

(39:53):
It's like they're not gonna do gamewrong like every like no, like
even likes. The conversation from thefront office has been like, you know,
it seems like they want to doright by James, so it's like
they weren't just gonna ship them offto like, hey, you talk.
You guys are gonna take we haveDamian Lillard. What can we do?
You know, it didn't feel likethey were going to do that. It's

(40:15):
from the jump, right, Soit's like it's one of those things that
it didn't feel like it needed tobe. Look for a player with Anthony
Davis, where it's like it's ayoung guy, he hasn't been there that
long, if he's still crazy talented, like you can get you can get
a whole Frincy Davis right for thatkind of guy. Yeah, you if
you if you might have to belike, hey listen, La please you

(40:38):
know, like you know, goodteam, please you some some when I'm
not wasting my time, you know. But for a guy like Dame who's
lot older, I don't think you'dbe to like put that situation out there.
I mean, I I trufully feellike the Lakers gave up too much
for Anthony Davis, to be honest, but especially when the guy has an
expiring contract. I mean, granted, I think the Lakers felt like there

(40:58):
were some desperation because of Lebron onolder Lebron had a limited window, right,
So I don't even think were yousay some people don't even think he
has done that trade. I mean, I mean, yeah, some people
don't. I think that he wouldhave been an option in free agency.
Button Granted, the very first yearthat they landed him, they won the

(41:19):
championship, right, So you know, so it's that's the problem with it.
The very first year you had AnthonyDavis, you won a championship.
So what you're saying that that yeardoesn't happen. You wait another season for
him to brief free agent. Whoknows what the landscape of the NBA is,
right, So yeah, you know, I mean Anthony Davis trade.
That trade, it becomes muddy becauseof the fact that, yes, I

(41:43):
think they gave up too many assets, But when you win a championship,
is it too many assets? Right? Because I think you already accomplished the
goal. Even looking at it now, I think you're looking at it that
trade, you're like, yeah,okay, that tree was worth it.
Yeah, what the Lakers gave up? And I'm not gonna We're not gonna
stay on Davids trade too long.But just in terms of embarrassing to Damian
Lillard, Lakers gave up Lonzo Ball, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Brandon

(42:06):
Ingram, multiple pick swaps, multiplefirst round picks. I don't remember each
year and each pick, but multiplethey gave up, like up until twenty
twenty seven their picks and along withpick swaps, and then when you look
back on retrospect now I think we'rewe just we just had one of the
years where one of those picks swapswould have went into effect and the Pelicans

(42:30):
didn't want the Lakers pick because theywere better than them. So you know,
you just don't know how these thingsare gonna go. Also, I
mean, look a look at theplayers you gave up for Frasy Davis.
That is the crazy thing because Ithink the biggest sticking point in that trade
that whenever it comes back when youhear about these things, it always ends
up being brandon Ingram. But thenyou're like, well, not much movement

(42:54):
has really been happening on that.That's out of the ocean either, you
know what I mean. So theLakers got a championship about it, Like
I think there's there there's one ofthem might not play the league again,
yeah, literally, and one hasbeen. Josh har is a solid role
player, but Josh har is notthe player that you hold a trade up
for right, like, you knowyou're not You're not gonna say you know

(43:16):
we're not doing this Anthony David trade. Will you have to include Josh Hard.
That's just not the saying the maddidn't do a trade because they wanted
to have involved you down the game. I'm just saying, you never know.
And while I think brandon Ingram's talentsit, there's been nothing that I've

(43:36):
seen from Brandon Ingram that's even equatedto the level of equity that you get
from Anthony Davis solve his own issuesexactly. So I think a lot of
these trades at the moment, ifyou're the team doing the trade, you're
like, we gave up that much. But then it's like you gotta And
there has to be two weight levelsof evaluating a trade. You have to
think about it in them in themoment and in hindsight. If the goal

(43:58):
for the trade that when the Lakersend was to win a championship, which
it was accomplice, So that trade, to me and every scenario is a
win now because you won the championship. If they didn't win the championship,
we're having a different conversation. Butnow that they won one. That's it,
Like, there's no need. It'skind of like how I feel about
the Aaron Rodgers trade. Regardless ofwhat the Packers or what the net the
Jets had to give up, ifthey go and win a Super Bowl with
Aaron Rodgers, it's immediately worth it. Who cares, right, And unless

(44:22):
one of the guys you gave upgoes on to be like a goat,
which I think we're all pretty safeto say that's that's not the case in
this trade. So and man,go ahead, no one. So in

(44:44):
the Damian Lillard case, there's nota single player that is going to really
I mean obviously, unless it's theguy that I'm trading is contingent on me
winning the championship. Like imagine thatthe Pelicans like, give us Lebron.
It's like, okay, let's goscrew yourself. Dude, what do you
say you're saying up? You don'teven really respond it out right, You're
just like, okay, you guys, you guys are playing jokes. Okay,

(45:06):
let us know how serious. Yeah, it's all right, So let
me Yeah, do you think doyou think game is a Miami? I
think I think I think he findsa way to get to Miami. Man,
I think it was sucking if Damespends all those years, I think
just out of respect, Portland's like, I know, this is your biggest
asset, and you kind of gotaway the like this is gonna be the
biggest asset. Portland's gonna have totrade for years, right, and so

(45:30):
this would you say it might beall done? It could be. I
mean, you put this over Clydedrexler Um in terms of in terms of
the way he means the franchise.Yeah, when you're talking about a gun,
he's been what the real leaders,scoring assists, games played, play.

(45:52):
I guess for how good he isright now, you're probably are gonna
get the biggest haul because even Clydeat the time when they traded him,
Clyde was not I'm Dame just cameup a year where he was putting up
I mean just sport seventy one lastyear. Yeah, yeah, so probably
year averaging thirty two. Yeah,it's nuts. And the funniest thing about
this is I had just made avideo like a TikTok about how everybody's so

(46:15):
tired of Dame Damian Liller trade talkrumors and then he literally rested a trade
the two days after. Finally,this is it. This is the this
is the final, the final.What's it called. We're finally here,
man, We're finally a while whatwe're here? Truly, this is the
biggest news that we have. It'sgoing to be getting talked about all throughout

(46:36):
fourth of July weekend and then intothe beginning of the week and to the
end of the week. Hod tosleep. But we got some other big
deals to talk about, obviously.I think one of the biggest, just
in terms of one more question,Okay, go ahead, how where do

(46:57):
you put my name if they acquiredame for tyler Yarrow and Roberton Milton.
Oh yeah, I guess we shouldtalk about that. I think that they
immediately to me are East favorites nextto Celtics and Bucks because what they accomplished
last year. Yeah, some couldsay it was a Fluke run and whatever
the case might be, but theflukiest part of that run was the Bucks

(47:22):
series. To me, that wasthe Flukes part of that run. The
Celtics part of it. No,I didn't think so, because the Celtics
displayed the same errors that they hadthe year before. So I felt like
that was still the Celtics being theCeltics, and the Celtics only had Beate
in Miami and what six seven gamesthe year before. Yeah, So to

(47:43):
me, the Fluke is part ofthat. That series was the Bucks series,
and I feel like the Heat gotbetter and the Bucks more store staying
the same. So like the Bucksresigned Chris Middleton, they resigned Brook Lopez.
That's also big news, Beats.But when you go and add a
guy like the biggest part of Miami'sissues has been having another creator and another

(48:04):
guy that can get a bucket wheneveryou need a bucket. And well,
for as good as Jimmy Butler is, he's just not to his scoring capacities,
not to the degree of Damian Lillard. And when you have Dame and
then you also come you also pairthat with the Heat's ability to go and
somehow find these players on you know, these guys that are just going to
be so affordable but are able toproduce in big ways when it comes into

(48:27):
the playoff competition, I think thatgoes a long way. And now you
don't have to sit there and hopeyou're going to get this contribution from those
guys who notoriously everybody says are undraftedplayers that they turned into gems. Right,
So now you know, hey,we can expect this level of production
from Dame, expect this from Jimmy, and expect this from Bam, and
to be told, you might evenget more production from Bam and Jimmy and

(48:52):
more and easier fashion facets because they'renot the prime threats now, they're not
the main guys that the defense iskeen on. The defense has to account
for Damian Lillard now, whereas beforethe defense was the defenses could key in
on both Butler and Bam and thentry and just limit everybody else. So
I think it changes the dynamic ofthis team in a very big way.

(49:14):
And I think that really the mainteam that I see still being their obstacle
is the Bucks, because the Bucks, while they lost last year. I
mean, it just can't be understatedthat Jannis getting hurt had a big impact
within how the course of the twofirst two games went in that series.
Yes, I know Jannis came back, but when you've already when you and

(49:34):
and it should be fair to saythey were one one in the games that
Yannis was hurted, right, SoI think even though he comes back,
the fact that they end up losingwhat Jannis came back game three, Game
four wanted two, and I thinkthat just that does play a role in
the series. But now if you'retelling me they come back, I still
think Yannis is the best player inthat series. So I still think that
they would be the Bucks should rightfullybe the favorites. But the heat definitely

(49:59):
make it like the heat fill upessentially what they're missing them that missing link
for them was, I mean,what about what what do you see them
at? I feel them because solidlythird third? Wow, I don't And
you when you said they immediately theirfavorite, I was like, bro,

(50:20):
I still I don't think. Idon't think. I was like, they're
solidly third, and I'm not evenlike, what's the word I'm looking for.
I'm not even first of all,the idea that like they they got
better simply be from gate day.The problem is they lost they lost uh
Gabe, and they lost match thesemattress of Mattress, Yeah, they lost

(50:44):
both of them well, which wereginormous pieces in the Eastern Conversions. Especially
when I can't I can't stress astress, how out of their mind that
their their stats may not say,or whatever played, they played out of
their mind. Whenever there was justa point in time Boston was going to

(51:06):
come back, one of those twoslash Tayla Martin would hit the three,
hit a step back. Do someget into a baggage that nobody even they
had, and just keep the keepthe team with flow. Plus the team
that's already struggling. They're not agreat shooting team, and they lost two

(51:27):
of their big shooters. And ifthey trade Tyler Robbins, Tyler Roberts,
Tyler Hero and Ducan Robbinson, theywould they trade pretty much all of their
shootings outside like they didn't be theirshooters. So I think back in the
issue I and two, I don'tthink if it is because they beat they
lost, they beat them, they'renot They're not fair as the Boston.

(51:49):
I don't think they're better than Idon't think the rest of the bus And
depending on why, but what hasBoston shown you that they're not better than
Boston, because and in two yearsit has really just been a one for
one. Boston got to the finalsin one year, Miami got to the
finals in the other year. Ithink obviously regular season success. Boston has

(52:14):
had more of that. But thenthe year before that worked that he'd liked
the one or two seed themselves softand twenty nine. So unless you look
right now, but that, butthat teams now talk about the year they
went to the East Finals and theylost to Boston. Yeah they were,
they were fifteen nine. Okay,would you do you think they're more talented

(52:36):
team in the ball It's not thatfor me. It's not all about the
talent though, especially since Boston didlet go of Marcus Smart. It's just
a part. It's just one ofthe parts I think that I don't think
they're more talented teams. I thinkfrom a five standpoint, I think they're
a better fit of a team thanBoston. I think they and they have

(52:58):
a better coach team as well.I think they have a better coach team.
That that is probably the biggest thing, right, is that they're a
better coach team. And that's whyI think this kind of like fit in
more than anything. Is like mynames of phenomena. They're there, like,
but I don't. I hate callingthis the flu because not a fluke
rum, because it seems like theyare the team that if you put them.

(53:20):
If they get into position to takeadvantage of the situation, they're going
to take advantage because they're a betterleadership plus coaches. And I think that's
what this finals, this finals wrungone, was that they had a lot
of situations happened and then and theytook advantage of the of the situations that
did happen. But the thing Ican't write off the and I get,

(53:43):
I don't know if I said thislast time. I think I said this
last time when because if the lastpocket he did it was the was the
one where they were still they werecoming back from the down three, right,
I think something like that. Yeah, And I think I said on
that one, if you if yougave me a million dollars and said hey,
and I just know I know rightnow that Miami one and you put
me back in the past, sayhey, put a million dollars on Miami.

(54:07):
Are you still gonna put that millionon Miami A You're gonna put it
on ball. I'm like, there'sdifferent timeline. I'm still like nt of
times I said, don't even Boston. Boston's is the better fame than though.
But the problem that I have withthe Boston pick is that if now
you're telling me, yeah, it'sit's fair that if you want to take
the timeline, you you would pickBoston based on the talent. But now

(54:27):
when you add Damian Lillard into thatmix, that talent despaired. Like it's
Dame better than Jayleen Brown? Yes, is Dame better than Jason Tatum?
Debatable? Wow, that's available.I think I think it's debatable since dayson
Tatum is a two way wing,I'm gonna I'm gonna be a take.
Then I think it's still I thinkit's debatable because Jason tatums. That's when

(54:53):
my problem came down to. Okay, is that if you're this, this
is contingent. If Dame was like, in a way, the best player
in that series. Yes, theproblem is it's like you go, you
go, Dame, Dame, yougo? Sorry you go Jason Dame.

(55:16):
Oh no no no no oh sorrysorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry? No?
Wait wait wait wait wait wait wait, Jimmy Butler's better than Jalen Brown.
Bro Hey another I think you know, don't do that. Yeah,
you know, I think don't dothat. Don't think of me. That's

(55:37):
what I gonna be honest withka noton the same level. Oh thank Jaylen
Brown's playmaking does not We're even closeto Jimmy Butler's especially on basketball. That
man, Jaylon Brown is if youif you by, I know about jaler
Brown's playing. I know, Italked about it. I talked about it.

(56:01):
I know David Brown play baking.There's no way I'm taking Jalen Brown
over Jimmy Butler. There's no ship. It's that conversation he has. It's
not that big of a gap.It is. And look it's really it's
really not from an America from animpact of the game. It is a
bigger standpoint to me because Jayalen Brown, even in a game seven without without

(56:23):
Jason Tatum being fully healthy, theygot watched it did. That's the problem.
Like it ain't like Jimmy played greateither, bro, No, but
Jimmy plays more all around basketball thanJalen. That's the point. Jalen,
Yes, he might have something,he might have offense, he might have
some scoring ahead of Jimmy. I'mnot gonna he's He's a very score than

(56:44):
the Jimmy. Mean, that's justthey both they both played the defense like
Jayleen played defense. Sorry cut thatpart. Out you can't play. I
was about to say something a wordof that. Actually I dibbed it back.
Oh boy, getting passionate. Listen, bro, you know what jalens

(57:06):
up, Bro I started. Itjust is a slow the slow burn.
It starts slow and it just slowlyescalates. Don't just play like guar bitch
in the playoffs in that series,I should say, in the series,
I don't know what got into thatman. He played like And this is

(57:29):
a couple because that's the last imageyou have with Jaylen Brown. It's like
him just just just crap in thebed. And that's part of the problem
to me, because Jalen is crappingthe bed as a second option. He's
not Jimmy. Jimmy does what allJimmy does as the primary ball handler.
Jimmy Jimmy's job is gonna get iteasier the problem and we'll see that.

(57:52):
Okay, this is a whole conversation. This is a whole conversation that needs
to happen on hold on the podcast, like we need like, uh,
that's fine, but I'm it's alot deeper. I mean, I think
I think I think that's the cruxof our different evaluations here is that you
see Jalen at a level. Iknow. The problem is I'm not high,
dude, but it's probably most peopleare. And I think that's where

(58:13):
the crustal issue comes down to.No. And the thing is, I
don't blame you for not being ashigh Jimmy Butler, because we've seen Jimmy
kind of fall off, especially afterthat Buck series, right, But but
Jimmy in the in the mode thatJimmy fell out, Jimmy fell off on
the scoring front. He never felloff in terms of assist and rebounding and
his defense. He never fell offon those categories. So for me is

(58:35):
like Jalen. Jalen had like seriesfell off. I'm not saying he didn't
bro I didn't. I'm not.I'm not hurting the way he fell off
is absolutely And the fact that he'sgonna get you know, like that that
mass contract, Maeve a bad tastein the mouth just coming over pouth value
played in that series coming Look,if you were having our home pocket need

(58:58):
track give them give not getting twick. But what the problem is is Jalen's
not playing that bad, but he'shard to playoff run where he doesn't play
that bad and he like, yeah, he playing asolute garnish, but there's

(59:22):
there's not gonna get star, notgonna again. But he if Jim had
if played black Ball two hands asthe closet justice right hand like Jalen Jim,
you can start talking abou Jim makingJohn. But that's the problem.
He hasn't done that, and it'sbeen years and he's just the problem with
me. With Jalen and the Jimmycomparisons that Jalen is a two. He

(59:43):
is a two. So your jobinherently is easier to get buckets and score
because the defensive focus is on Tatum. Jimmy is the focus of all Jimmy.
Bam is not the focus Jimmy createsfor Bam Bam a lot of the
times it's getting buckets. I'm justI have to say it. The absolutely
difference like Bam out of vial No, because Bam, look it's not it's

(01:00:08):
just not the same. It's notthe same, man, It's not the
same. Absolute BAM is a focusin picking rolls and stuff like that and
so on. Right, But ifif Bam we saw we saw clearest day
in the finals, the Nuggets wereimperfectly fine to go one on one with
bam Adibaio when he see a gamefrom bam Adibio in the final. That

(01:00:29):
and the Nuggets were perfectly fine withbad taking twenty five shots to score twenty
five points. He wasn't you youare giving him the day of brown treatment.
I don't understand that. I'm nottrying to come at Bam that way,
but Bam has not. But Bamis not the focal point of the
Eats offense. That's all the point. Bam is a two. He's I

(01:00:51):
mean, he should be a three, but he is. He has been
a two. He should be athree. That was no, because he
should be a three in the inthe day him in Jimmy Butler world.
That's what I'm saying. He shouldbe at three on that on that team.
He shouldn't have as much for usoffensive responsibility as he does now.
And for me, Jalen just hasnot. I We've been talking about Jalen's

(01:01:13):
lack of a handle for years andJalen's lack of playmaking for years. Oh
my god, He's just think thatkind of guy. So I'm gonna take
the guy that's gotten, the guywho has led a team to the finals
on two occasions and the Eastern Companixfinals on three occasions, where and this
is where I would need we needto all right, listen, I'm gonna
market right now, all right,markets right now. We are going to

(01:01:36):
have this conversation. First of all, you know what do what do?
We don't have a podcast one dayand we're gonna talk about not about the
top the top tier guy. Let'stalk about the second tier guy. Because
I had now a conversation where I'vespared Booker and Beal and Jalen and jan
Jim and I feel like the peoplelisten to that and they're like, oh

(01:01:57):
my god, he's only coming.First of all, you're wrong, second
ball, it requires a bit ofa like a deeper due out into getting
into it, as opposed to melike just giving me like a two minute
like a bit of like why Ithink Javin Brown and Jimmy Butler at that
far par I mean, that's fine, that's fine. I mean we can
do it. It's the offseason.It's not like we have a spattering of

(01:02:19):
topics to talk about. Listening tothis. Yeah, now I get what
you mean. No, that's fine. Okay, So that's where I have
them, though. I think theBucks in all circumstances should be the favorites.
I think, but be honest,me and the best player in the
conference. That's open, Brook Lopezbelieves begging. Oh, I was hoping.
I was like, yo, listinghe leaves. This kind of opens

(01:02:43):
the door or up a little bitmore. I had the podcast said before.
I'm not like this. I'm notsuper high on on Miami like that
Boston here, miss, I'm justsaying the cast you kind of sleek.
I'm just sinking there. I'm justsitting on wrote them Mowgli and Darius.
Did you guys signed you don't?You don't want to want to? Nabe

(01:03:04):
too? I think then he's yougot I don't know if we got you,
but I know we got um.We got one of the the heat
scraps day chill. Now we gotwe have max Us. You guys did
get Max Streus. I swear Ithought you just you just signed with the

(01:03:27):
He did. Oh he went tothe Suns. Oh oh yeah, I
did see they were recruiting him.I saw that. And they can listen,
they can get anybody they need,anybody who they can get for like
you know, point I saw thatit was Kevin Durant and Devin Booker were
hard recruiting him. Oh oh yeah, yeah, I forgot he played with
he did play Kevin Durant. Imany fish you with three point shooting and

(01:03:51):
watching watching Darius Garland and and DonnieMitchell kick it out due to uh ok,
just missed in Clint three is NonStopreally hers the offense, especially when
you don't have students from your base, like when you have Jared Allen,
Evan Bumblety average Yeah, yo killedthe Hercy average is very nice. Killed.

(01:04:14):
But the the I do think they'rethey're a team to watch out for.
They they got, they got swapped, and it was it was that
they did did they got? Itwas ugly, It wasn't it wasn't pretty
watched it. It was them likebrisont y'all be more competitive than that too.
Yeah man die, but uh yeah, it's like you don't always remembered

(01:04:40):
these tams this year the young game, Like you know, Jared Allen hasn't
had like I think he've been inone playoff series before that, Jared Mobley's
second year. Darius Garland's never seenthe playoffs. Donovan Mitchell well, it's
some Dylan Brussel, you know,a solt, So it's what it is.
I think the signing is solid,though I don't think it's you guess
the other scraps gave visas and youguys got George Niang. Yeah, another,

(01:05:08):
what's what I'll think? Our threepointing was our biggest weakness and we've
we've had to two signings now toaddress that. Hopefully have emobily takes another
step, so we'll see real realquick. Before I forget, we talked
so much about the Eastern Conference andgot to the kaz before we even talked
about the Sixers, and we didn'tmention the fact that James had Harden opted

(01:05:30):
into his player his option. Yeah, but I mean you should be talking
about James Harden wanting to trade Christapsgot traded in to the Celtics and then
agreed through a two years deal.Listen, I hear more about Ristaps scorning
the Celtic's gonna do about what's phone? I want Philly like, what are
they gonna do? You trade Jamestoo? Because they've already said the Clippers

(01:05:56):
are. They're in a conversation withthe Clippers. But the Clippers aren't throwing
in Paul George. They're talking aboutthe package around, uh Morris and oh
who's the other one? Was itMorris? And how I think what the
package? But it was this thestuffing I think. I mean, I

(01:06:17):
think this this this kind of soI mean that that works out. But
it's like, all right, so, I mean, this is the day.
I it's not it's not like theseason. It's like, all right,
that's it's it's cool because it's abig name that often, but this
day it's like how much you havefaith and Joel and beat No, I
mean to be to be honest,dude, I think to me this this.

(01:06:40):
I don't know how any team reallytakes James Harden seriously anymore. That's
what I'm saying. That's why Ididn't didn't even retest me, because it's
like it's like you're all right atthis point, like I don't. I
was like, I'm not a hugeJames hard but you know, I defended
James Harden more often than not becauselike I feel like people were way too
harsh on him, Like it's kindof like the meme became like way too

(01:07:03):
like kind of overshowowed like how hedid. How good of a player he
actually was. Yeah. I waswatching old harden Hard highlights the other day
and I was like, God,lay, this guy was a scoring phenome.
Bro. Yeah so bro in termsof in terms of regular seasons,
man is one of the best todo it at all time. Just like
this. But it's like again,once you get once you get the playoffs,

(01:07:25):
it's just like again, I'm nota guy who like oh mad,
because I think I rarely feel thosekind of turns around. He he just
doesn't live up to the pressure.Well, I think I think the Hardened
piece becomes way more I mean,like, like you said, the Hardened
conversation is probably more in depth thanJalen Brown and Jimmy Butler because the Hardened
piece. I think it gets overstatedhow bad Hardened plays postseason wise, because

(01:07:49):
I think a lot of the teamshe's lost to, most times you would
say that team was better. Ithink it's the thing of like, you
can play bad, you can playgood and lose. There's nothing wrong with
it. I've always needed that givencrapping on the players from playing extremely well
and losing to a team that's justsays that's like that's just stupid, Like

(01:08:10):
there's not many times a single playersin not just completely dominated team and leading
to a victory. I think themain problem why I have to say,
I think sometimes it gets overstated howbad he plays. I think it.
I think there is a bit ofthere's a middle ground there because Harden has
performed well in play postseason moments,but then he also has moments, and

(01:08:30):
it's normally these moments where you know, when people say where the lights shine
brightest, where it's like the momentsthat matter the most, like a Game
seven against the Words without Kevin Durant, sorry not not without Kevin Durant,
but a Game seven without Andre Gudala, and when you guys missed twenty seven
straight threes. The I will listen, there's a lot of things I will
never decay. I would offend thatthat game to the end of me.

(01:08:55):
I will never I will never inmy life see another thing like that where
you missed twenty that's that is inconceivablethat will I will go on record right
now and say that will never happenagain. The Celtics almost did something similar,
though they almost keyword almost, butit's like the thing is Game seven

(01:09:21):
and you inconceivable. I can't,you can't believe this a right, There's
a lot of things like bro,you know, last thing I wanted to
say, I don't know what itis about that moment, but a team
missing twenty seven three against against eighteenin a game seven situations, you missed

(01:09:45):
the most reason leagues that year,you missed twenty seven in a row.
Absolutely like some some some super youknow, listen, I don't I don't
believe in supernatural like that some ofthe supernat What's happening that night, I
don't know what it was or anything, but that that is a freak event
you will never see again. ThatChris Paul hamstring will forever live on series.

(01:10:11):
I will. I will crap onJay's time for every other game series
of his career. For whatever reason, that one is not one of them.
I just will never understand it.Well, then I think we we
then referenced the year the follow upyear, or maybe it was a year
after. Yeah, I think itwas the fallo up year where then Kevin
Durant gets hurd and six games hastwenty plenty to four from That's that's the

(01:10:34):
thing, like, And I thinkI posted, um, and we talked
about this before when they were ithink when they were playing against Boston,
and it's like he his numbers,just like his personal numbers creater in elimination
games like not bad, not notlike oh that's just slightly below average or

(01:10:57):
whatever. Creater. I mean likehe averaged I think like twenty one or
twenty two a game on just likeabysmal shooting, like like like a bysmal
shooting is seeding ninets, like itslike forty percent shoot the thirty nine forty
percent shooting. And it's like,you're this is a guy. It's the
same thing that happened with jellab Ifyou're a guy who's putting a thirty plus

(01:11:19):
a game on Elite efficiency, butthen it come to a big moment,
you're eat, You're you play likethat and this is this is a good
a sample size, it's not likea game or two like that that goes
to a bigger issue of you can'ttrust this guy in big moment. Yeah,

(01:11:39):
And that's where and that's where Ithink James Harden now is kind of
like that conversation is kind of likeI'm just kind of like who cares because
it's like unless he goes to asquad where he's like, man like the
Clipper, Like I think you saidthe Clippers would be like they do.
Just played the past ball to PaulGeorgian QUI entered, literally, yeah,

(01:12:01):
and you take the occasional you takethe occasional spot at three. You don't
we don't need to take you know, seven step back three of the game
or anything like that. And onlyin those find situations. Am I Like?
Okay, that that's fine. It'sa point guard. He you know,
been paid thirty five million dollars.He's still a great That's a funny

(01:12:24):
fart because he's still a great playmaker. He's still he passes a ball,
he's still a really good rebounder.But it is like one of those things
like are we getting like we're gettingalmost We're not at Ben Simmons levels of
scoring here, but we are.So this is like a really good James
or Ben Simmons. You're a septfor the fact that he can shoot,

(01:12:45):
right, Like it probably is.But for example, right when when you
evaluated the Brooklyn Nets Big three,did you see James Harden as a better
player than Kyrie Irving? Yeah,Now do you see James Harden as a
better player than Kyrie Irving. Yeahyou still do No, Yeah, I

(01:13:11):
say, no way, there's noway. I was like, there ain't
no way for watching the two samethe two same players. Bad no no,
no, um no. But thatwas two years ago. No no,
no a goo. But like,all right, let's also putting the
perspective that James Harden also now hashad two major hands for Andrews. I

(01:13:32):
mean that's fair, but I meanit's I mean, we're just talking about
facts though. Is he's not betterthan karr h We're just saying like,
oh, Harden after Yeah. No, it's not just that, it's like
it's also you know, he didAndrews. He's like, there's clear there's
clearly points in time where he lookshe looks like he's for you on the
court. Yeah. But yeah,it's just like and that's the tough ways

(01:13:55):
when and when he had those gamesthat pop off and balked. It's like
it's not that James Harden like completelyyou know, completely washed or anything.
It's just that you're not going toget those moments from him, like you'll
get them everyone's in the Blue movie. Well, I think this is where
it messed up when James James Hardenmessed up his own career in a sense
when he left the Rockets. Ithink I don't think the decision to lead

(01:14:20):
the Rockets was wrong. I thinkhow he went about it was wrong.
James Harden came into camp go ahead. I think the thought because it's like
two things, two major things happenedthat kinder out of his control. That
think that that thinks that that's seenyes and no, because him how he

(01:14:44):
worked his way to leave the Rockets, he came into camp out of shape.
He did that. I watched,dude, So I when I made
I made a recent TikTok about JamesHarden, and when he had not when
he announced his often right and Iwas going back and I just watching his
highlights, I was like, thisdude looks like he's an incredible shape,
right, James Harden. Never JamesHarden didn't look like Lebron, but for
his body type, he has ahe had a look that he looked like

(01:15:06):
he was sturdy, strong and likehe was lean. Now it's like and
I'm not I'm not really trying totake it like I'm not trying to take
a dump here on James Hardin,but his conditioning when he came in.
Just go look up James Harden's finallike the last few games in Houston,
and you will see the difference inhis body versus when he just a year
prior when they lost the Golden State. James Harden looks entirely different. And

(01:15:31):
part of that was him trying touse that as leverage, like, hey,
I'm not gonna I don't care,I'm just gonna show up and and
then you guys, if you're gonnakeep me here, I'm not gonna put
in any effort. But that backfiredon him. He played great when he
got to Brooklyn, but then becausehe wasn't in shape, his body wasn't
prepared for the seasonal wear and tear, and he pulled his hamstring. That's
not that's James Harden's fault. Nobodycould playing at a hamstring poll. But

(01:15:57):
that's I mean Lebron Lebron normally throughouthis whole for most of Lebron's career,
he has been and granted I'm nottrying to say everybody else, Yes,
Lebron's a freak. Lebron's freak.But James Harden was too. That's the
point though James Harden never got hurt. Yeah, okay, and then he
when he when he decided to usethat one offseason to now not putting as

(01:16:20):
much effort. He I mean,he messed himself up. That's the frustrating
part because then once you now gethurt, it's like that's the that's the
main flaw on the armor now andnow like Lebron got hurt once and now
he's always consistently gotten hurt, andit's the same thing for James Hardens,
the same thing for Russell Westbrook.These guys that when they're perennially healthy,

(01:16:41):
the minute they get hurt, nowthe doors open for them to get hurt
more and more in the future.And I just never think James harden't handled
that offseason right, or him tryingto get traded out of Houston, I
just don't. And even his lackof effort on the court, it was
so demonstrative. But I don't know, I don't know where they trade him
to. If they trade him tothe Clippers, that's gonna be interesting to

(01:17:01):
see how that that works, right, But I don't know, I don't
know where. I mean, ifhe's gonna the Rockets. I think Jalen
Green made a comment on Paul George'spodcast that then people said, what did
he say, Oh, he's talkingabout a player. He said that he's
talking about James Harden. He madea comment about James Harden or something,

(01:17:25):
and then apparently it turned in JamesArden off and wanting to go to the
Rockets. Oh. He was saying, um, he was saying that it
would hinder he was talking about itwould help splash hinger in his career and
his growth. And he was sayingthat, you know, kind of kind
of picked the ball out of hishands and kind of say you don't kind
of you have to give you know, the James James at the a shot

(01:17:45):
basically blah blah blah blah blah,that kind of stuff. It was like,
you know, I mean, it'strue, it's true. And so
that and then apparently that became ina thing where James Harden was deterred from
wanting to go there. Now.So I don't I don't really know what
James Hardens fit is, but thisdusk grew over the Sixers say that.
Granted, I don't think anybody wasreally Last year was the Sixers' best chance.
Realistically, that's the that's the thing. It was like the Sixers,

(01:18:10):
like, yeah, it's like afterafter last year, it's just like I
think everybody just like they'll play rightin the regular season and it's like it's
just full the faces until until untilthey show off the show out into the
postseason. Yeah, it's not thatbetter. Yeah you can you and literally

(01:18:30):
and the bead MVP season just kindof just fell off. Literally just I
mean, granted, maybe Nick Nursecan get the better out of the team
than Doc Rivers could, but that'sso kind that he fell off. He
went from a he shot fifty fivepercent in the regular season to forty forty

(01:18:54):
six forty seven I think, yeah, right, the largest drop in and
I think it was the largest dropin history from a from a from a
guy after like thirty on fifty pluspercent you here or something like, uh
yeah, yeah, it was likethere was there's a bunch of of stats
that show that that NBA's drop offwas was not was not normal slash very

(01:19:21):
very defining and again but the samethat's that's that's not the first thing.
That's not the first time, uh, and be going out like that no,
it's not. That's not Oh yeah, it's just like they have so
many issues and it's like even ifthey I don't think jam Corningfall is not

(01:19:45):
gonna be that great. I'm gonnabe honest with you. I don't think
it's gonna be anything. That's like, no, it shouldn't be. It's
I don't think in The bigger problemstill persists is unless it be, you
know, if it be shows upin plays like eating the Beat like you
donna have, You're gonna have,you gonna have drop off, but you
can't. You can't fall off likehe did and and still expect to when

(01:20:09):
win a series. M B playedlike the number one option and played kind
of like regular season and B there'sthere's no there's no point talking about that
tame No, I agree, Iagree. Let's talk about some other noteworthy
free agency transactions. So some ofthese were just going to skim through.
But yeah, we're pretty pretty muchmost of these. But so, Harrison

(01:20:29):
Barnes signs a three year, fiftyfour million dollars extension to stay with the
Kings. Then the Kings renegotiate theMontes Sabonus's contract to make it where five
years, two hundred and seventeen millionfor him to stay with that team.
That yeah, yeah, yeah,I think that's that's why Warrnton they got

(01:20:49):
they had the third seed, hada good first playoff run with that team,
and yeah, I think that's that'smaybe to the what were the third
teas? Yeah right, and mostpeople, most people didn't even don't even
think, you know, they're gonnaeven make the playoffs. They shoot all
the way to the third teas.No, yeah, I think that team

(01:21:09):
had a really good you know goodstill Sabonis is still only twenty seven ish.
Yeah, and you're pairing him hefits perfect twy he you're pairing with
the with the Aaron Fox. Theteam has shooting left and right that you
can pass through. Uh kays ofour team of like, listen, we

(01:21:33):
have we have young talent. Wewe aren't gonna shop around that young talent
just yet. We'll see what theydevelop into and then if you know,
a situation arises where you know,maybe that star slash super star comes on
the barkets that fit their team,they'll you know, they have pieces to
move for him. Yeah, JaronFox is the most clutch player last year.

(01:21:55):
So that's gonna be. He's good. It's a good building block for
them to build around him. It'sabout this. The Hornets signed LaMelo Ball
to a five year extension, thenno brainer. Yeah for real. Then
the Rockets. Rockets has started givingcontracts out to everybody, so that makes
even the James hard to think alittle bit more tougher to do. But

(01:22:15):
the Rockets go out and land Fredvan Vleet on a three year, one
hundred and thirty million dollar contract,as well as signing Dylan Brooks to a
four year eighty million dollar contract,and they agreed to Jack Landale being there
for a four year, thirty twomillion So Rockets definitely have their their guards.

(01:22:38):
Say again, I didn't know aboutI didn't know job the shallenge Jock
Man, you know I was.I was talking on him last five shalt
Jock eight eight million year. I'mhappy for him, yep. And then
look at the Mavericks. The Mavericksagreed to a three year, one hundred
and twenty six million dollars deal withKyrie Irving, and they also agreed to
a two year, eight million dollardeal with Seth Curry and they get a

(01:23:00):
three year deal worth twelve million toresign Dwight Powell, And I think for
the Mavericks really the biggest Obviously,resigning Curry and Kyrie Irving are huge rights.
That's really big because you get ashooter that's and Seth Curry is a
really good player. I'm surprised moreyou know, big name teams don't try
and lock Seth Curry down. Butor maybe that I mean, that's maybe

(01:23:21):
the Mavericks in this case. ButI think that them signing Kyrie because they
signed Kyrie below the max, sothey get to keep their twelve point four
million dollars option to use on anotherguy. And I definitely think they need
to use this to go in shureup that interior, to go get a
quality big man to protect the rimfor them, because when you have two

(01:23:45):
guys on your perimeter that aren't thebest defenders, you need to have sound
rim protection. And whether it bethat or go out and get a really
good wing that can play that threeand D style that you need is very
paramount to how this team is goingto be able to be effective. Because
their defensive rating or the defensive efficiencylast year they were in the bottom the
bottom third of the league. Ohman, you don't have to stat when

(01:24:08):
they uh for when they traded forfor step for hire. Oh well,
they were five and eleven when himand when Luca and Kyrie or Kyrie played
in games together, and I believeit or not, they they somehow got
a lot worse it was they were. They were bottoming botty five I think

(01:24:30):
in defense. Yeah, yeah,that team was too offensively focused that the
league now is so versatile, youjust can't have uh offensively or even a
defensively all in team. You needto have a mixture of both. And
if you're gonna be one of theother, you honestly hope it's a defense.
But oh so yeah, hyry findingall right, so they oh,

(01:24:55):
I would say, you know,I find it really interesting that love and
next role players are just going backto guys who they played with. I'm
wasn't really interesting. Yeah, butthat's that's one of those things that makes
me laugh. Because then when youheard all the reports out of Brooklyn,
it made it sound like every relationshipthere was verily bad, And I'm like,
well, where the player relationships bad? Or was it the management and
the team? A little bit ofcolumn, a little of Columbat, yeah,

(01:25:18):
some something like that. I meanthey because I would say that they
they were dead, turned it around, they were winning, and then like
the Kyrie trade came out of nowhere. But that's where I say, was
it management relationship with the players orbecause even after the Kyrie trade, no
Brooklyn player has come out and saidanything negative about Kyrie. They're shocked he

(01:25:40):
requested the trade. But yeah,I always I don't think how he's a
bad person. I mean, ifyou watch like his live stream group,
you watch like any videos, ifyou look a cool dude, it's just
like the other stuff. Well,I think I think the Brooklyn situation,
there's more. There's more there thatwe're just kind have to wait for a
thirty for thirty or something on becauseKevin, we're never gonna get it.

(01:26:01):
But Kevin, because even Kevin Durantand his introductory postpressor with the Sons,
he definitely laid he said he wasshocked by the trade request, but he
definitely laid the seats there to saya lot of how the Kyrie stuff was
handled was very, very off putting. A lot of people would say that,

(01:26:21):
yeah, and so the you know, not to say that Kyrie has
devolved any any blaming this at all, obviously, but it definitely doesn't seem
as though the team was on thesame page as the players in terms of
how many people thought it was gonnabe handled or how it should have been
handled, and they got caught offguard at times with how the team decided

(01:26:41):
to handle things in themselves. Sothat's just another respect. Do you believe
Kyrie will will finish his contract withthe mass I yea three years? Only
three years? He's only gonna makeit three years? Well, I guess
another question is this Lucas still theLucas stayed with the MAVs. If Luca

(01:27:06):
Lucas stays with the mask I couldsee it. But if Luca eventually wants
to leave, No, no,I don't see it. You don't think
he WANs to stay there anyway?No, no, I don't think.
I don't Kyrie, Kyrie's not thedame type to just toil. I mean,
we obviously see even when Kyrie isin a good situation, he wants
to leave. So Kyrie's ready tobounce whenever he can get out. So

(01:27:27):
there ain't no shot Kyrie's gonna sitthere if Luca's gone, ain't no way,
there's no shot on this earth.No, it's no way. The
only problem, the only problem,the only problem. I has to say
that is and let's all right,Kwry has to be spotless. Right,
Let's say let's say a year anda half. Right, Let's say they
do a year and a half.And then Luca's like, now this ain't
working. We're not championship. Sayyou know, I want I wanna.

(01:27:51):
I want to see you gotta putbe on the market. I want to
see what's going on. If Kyrieain't, then spot listens, then Hyrie
and got no kind of the manKyrie Irving that I don't get what you
mean. I get what you mean. Can't go off one of some new

(01:28:11):
tangent of like Kim Trails or somethinglike that. I'm look, man,
this is one of those things whereI think talent speaks louder than man.
Every single time people have told menobody wants Kyrie Irving, somebody wants Kyrie
Irving. Every single time that placeof people are talking about this man's market

(01:28:31):
is he I don't know, no. But part of the market that Kyrie
had is also because of the cap. But everybody's true anytime that. And
listen, you also some of thosethings with Kyrie is twenty seven. You
know, twenty to twenty seven.Bro, it's harder when you started getting
up in the thirties and you stillhave to kind of kind of take on
deal with that kind of stuff goingon in the background. Man, No,

(01:28:55):
I don't. I don't disagree withthat. But if Kyrie is still
like this caliber of player and hebecomes in like the MAVs all of a
sudden, I want to trade himor he wants to leave, there's gonna
be a team that wants him.I just don't like I could even see
the Clippers wanting Like, if theClippers are in this a very same situation,
you don't think the Clippers are goingto try to take a flyer in
Kyrie. There's always the suckers.There's always one. There's always a sucker.

(01:29:17):
There's always one. Okay, Nicksign Dante DiVincenzo for four years fifty
million. Oh I didn't. Ididn't see that. I thought he got
signed. I couldn't find the Ididn't. I'm not gonna like that super
search for it. But I thoughthe got sign any other contract for fifth,
four for fifty. Wow. Yeah, so Nicks they tied themselves to

(01:29:38):
him, for sure. I meanhe's a quality player. Well that's an
average of about like, it's anaverage about twelve point five a year.
So yeah, so he would hehope better they better hope he carried that
what he did last year into intothis season. Um, for sure.
Okay, yeah, because let meanthe Knicks, it's an interesting thing.

(01:29:58):
I would let's talk about at somepoint. Okay, Warriors resigned Draymond Green
four years, one hundred million dollars, so he even took I don't know
why people ever had the idea Draymondwas going anywhere. As I said this
last time, he ain't going nowhere. Stef cur he was faking the door

(01:30:19):
down, making sure they're like,hey, listen, I know Draymond opted
out, but he's getting signed,right, He's not going Yeah. It's
it's when we talked about it lasttime. I mean, even the stats
you brought up about how like SteffStreet point shooting versus playing with Draymond versus
not when he's not on the court. It's so claringly different that Steff is

(01:30:41):
probably just like, dude, look, I don't care if he punches freaking
Steve Kerr bringing him. You can'tliign up everybody on the team right now.
Let him punch them except for me, And I'm fine with it.
Yeah, I guess. I don'tknow. We talked about the fact that
Jordan Poole got traded last time,but yeah, Jordan Pool gets traded.
They bring back Chris Paul on anexpirment contract. Now, I didn't I

(01:31:04):
think we last time we spoke,we talked like probably about a week or
two after the NBA Finals, SoI don't know we we did because we
talked about Bradley Beal. Oh yeah, yeah, you're right, Yeah,
yeah we did. We did.Okay, so we don't need it.
We don't need to reash that.Coming back again now was a no brainer.
Uh I some more I sit backand look at the Chris Paul I

(01:31:27):
really like to sign it. Imean, that's trade. I think it's
a depending on his health, wesee, but Chris, it's always it's
always the questions. Always. Lookat this point, you got to accept
the Chris pauls in this time.He's probably gonna NECESSI a playoff series.
Yeah, so that's one of thosethings. For me, I'm just like,
I think it's a really good signing. I think I think for what
Chris Paul can give you, it'squality, right, it's quality minutes,

(01:31:48):
quality gameplay for how long how oftenhe can give it to you? That's
that's the question. Okay, BrooklynNets signed resigned Cam Johnson to a four
year, one hundred and eight milliondollars deal the Pacers. We talked about
this a little bit earlier, butthe Pacers signed Bruce Brown to a two
year, forty five million dollars dealas well as a five year max contract

(01:32:09):
extension with Tyrese Haliburton. Then theGrizzlies signed a five year max contract ascension
with Desmond Bain as well as atwo year deal with Derrick Rose. So
Derrick ros is moving on from NewYork. So yeah, for real,
then, I think Derrick Rose isalways going to be like the People's Champ.

(01:32:29):
I made a video about the DirekRoles years ago, I think,
and I called him to People's Champand I still stand by that to this
day. I think Derek Roles willalways be the player everybody roots for.
Yeah, I wasn't even I wasnot a usy Derek roths fan I was.
I was not a huge Deric Rothfan. And what I didn't think
he did should have won VT thatyear, cric cler blah blah blah,
um. You know. And nowat this point in time he got just

(01:32:50):
like man, I hope he rose. It's a ring. I hope he's
you know, hope he does well. Hope he gets to play. Though.
Derrick Rose is one the mostest thingI think we have in this gen
to like Alan Iverson, Like AlanIverson's love and adulation was next level.
Of course, different people hated theyhated him, but the thing is that
people loved AI. So I meanthe league. You saw a league culture

(01:33:14):
change around AI, and they kindof people wanted to be like Derek Rose.
Like Derek Rose had like a differenttype of sway. He just didn't
talk. So it was you knowthe other day, I was thinking about
that video of you know when theyhad that the Allstar introduction. Yeah,
and it was and like Lebron,I think it was Lebron with the mind
was forture in Miami and like thebecause they're all like high up and celebrating

(01:33:34):
everything, and they because of DerekRose and Derek was just standing there.
Yeah, because always and everybody alwayswanted to be the Derek Rose guy of
the group because Derek ros is justso fun to watch play during that time
period. But yeah, wish himwell, okay, Lakers. Lakers did
a lot of good signings, fouryear, fifty four million dollars deal for
Austin Reaves, and honestly, thatdeal they put him a lot there to

(01:33:57):
keep him because apparently in that contracthe has a fifteen percent trade kicker,
he has a player option on hisfourth year, and he has the maximum
advance allowable. So they pretty muchdid everything they could in their power to
make sure Austin Reeves wanted to staya Laker. But in terms of contract
terms, I do so what theyhad to. Yeah, they had to

(01:34:19):
for sure, There's no way thatthey could. Like after I think every
every ghost, the ghost of AlexCaruso just hangs around, right and yeah,
you know, you know really Ithink that was like Daniel was like,
oh, you know Alex Cruso,but he's like, the thing is

(01:34:39):
he's like gone down to like this, like he's cold couple with just third
option. It was like, yeah, he wasn't even like the Caruso leading.
It sucks, but it's like youcould, you could, you could
try and find the Caruso the place, right, Yeah, and it's like
you weren't doing that was off theReeves. Yeah, Crusoe was not as

(01:35:00):
that as Austin Reeves. Like AustinRees ran the offense like he was legitimately
the third off. He averaged overWait wait, he's over twenty in the
Nugget series like Crusoe. I mean, sorry, Rees was legitimate that dude.
So yeah, there's no way toseries leave he was he Like,
there's nothing that That Nugget series justsolidified that they have no choice Leo to

(01:35:26):
keep this man. Yeah, forsure, without a question. I mean
even that if he would have playedas bad as Dangel Russell and would get
to him in a second, butthat it's just so funny because he's he
Alice rus Sorry, Austin Reeves livedup to his billing in every single facet
of the word. The Denver DenverSeries twenty one point three boards five or
sent fifty four percent fifty five percentdid. Yeah, Yeah, there's no

(01:35:56):
way they're letting like he was strikingbro like he was so good against Denver.
It was absurd. He was ridiculousthe entire playoffs forty six percent shooting
from the field, forty four percentfrom beep eighty nine and a live seventeen
one and four. I mean,he is the archetype of guy you need
playing with Lebron and ad like youneed that type of guy, like a

(01:36:18):
shooter who's a playmaker and a Imean you can only assume he hopefully he
would get better, right, Sothere's no reason that I think he could
have gotten more money out on themarket too. So him he wanted to
stay in LA. I mean hesaid it was Brookelys game four for eight.
Autho rationally got something like that.Yeah, he could have got more
money, but there's perks that come, like unseaid perks to being a Laker,

(01:36:40):
So I think maybe those things comeinto a play as well. But
D'Angel Russell agrees to a two year, thirty seven million dollars deal, and
I was so happy to see thiscontract. I mean, not the fact
that retaining Dangel Russe. I meanit's cool and I you always want to
retain talent, but it also comesyou want to make sure you are pricing
that talent as apt as possible,because when people were talking about Dangel Russell

(01:37:04):
wanted to get paid like a maxor over twenty million. You know,
that's when all Lakers fans had trepidation, like nah, dude, like you
come on right, let's be realyear and yeah, and that's what gave
everybody cost to pause, especially becausethe Angel Russell has such a weak playoffs.

(01:37:24):
I mean, he had a coupleflashes here and there in the Warriors
series and the Grizzly series. Hewas an obombaation against the Nuggets, and
so you know, you're go andyou go and bring him back. So
I think that also secures another ballhandler and the Lakers in essence, outside
of not resigning Dennis Schroeder, theLakers are just running it back, and

(01:37:44):
I think that's gonna be big forthem. I think running it back,
I think this team, this teamwas one of the best teams after the
trade deadline, and they really onlyplayed twenty something games together in the regular
season, and they were one ofthe better teams in the league. So
you get a full season with thisteam. I think that's what the Lakers
are seeing here, Like, hey, we especially with the new CBA the
new CBA is is making sure teamstart to prioritize depth over top heavy rosters.

(01:38:09):
And yeah, I think this isthis is the only you know your
your main quandary is this that yourtwo primary stars are a bit injury prone
now at this point, but youhope that they're deep enough that you can
make a run and be viable onthe deep playoff run. Okay, Then
they signed Jackson Hayes to a twoyear deal with him being their center,
so he'll he's officially the biggest guyon the roster. Now, I think
they waive Mo bamba. Yeah,these actually signs are just bodies. Yeah,

(01:38:32):
and well, no, I wouldn'tsay this next one because gave Vincent
three years thirty three million dollars deal. I thought you'dready mentioned him. Yeah,
I don't think about him Jackson andCamp. Yeah, so gave Vincent
three year, thirty three million dollarsdeal. He essentially slides into that Dennis
Schroder role. And yeah, Ithink they to get him away from the

(01:38:53):
Heat was huge, and I thinkthat he showed his value in that Heat
series. He was really good.I mean gave Vincent was a consistent I
think the guy that got scorchingly hotwas Caleb Martin and the Eastern Conference Finals.
Absolutely, you'll never never see anythinglike again. Man. Yeah,
he was so hot and then hefell off in the Eastern Conference Finals starting

(01:39:14):
the finals, but gave Viscus stayedsteady with his production throughout. So I
think the Lakers saw that and we'relike, hey, we're comfortable giving this
guy at eleven mil for three years. And the thing I like about these
Laker contracts, they're all not justthese super long, you know, and
trench contracts. Outside of Reeves andbut really outside of Reves has the longest
contract of anybody. All these otherguys, they're all one to three.

(01:39:38):
So I think that's then they alsoget a one year deal with Torrey and
Prince for four point five mil.I think that's solid. That's another body
like you said, Yeah, andPrince is a three and D three loose
No, No, absolutely, Ilike no. I like him too.
I just think into for what hisrole would be, he would be a

(01:40:00):
three and D guy. I thinkthe three is a bit loose when you
say three, but he's a he'sa three and D guy that they would
have, so I think and healso can be a guy that they throw
at different wings, so on.He's a guy that you can just throw
in there to try and slow somebodydown on defense, whatever the case might
be. And I think last yearhis three point yere he shot thirty eight
percent from three last year in Minnesota. So yeah, that's why your tone

(01:40:25):
like, oh, I mean heshot like thirty, I want to play
shot. Yeah, okay, I'mtrue thirty. Yeah, I'm his career.
He's a career. He's a careerthirty seven percent shooter. Yeah,
let say I think you're I thinkyou're missing him up with. Oh there's
another one. He's also a freeagent. And I can't think of his
name right now, but I knowhe was thinking of it. He's not

(01:40:45):
more of a D guy. Butyeah, yeah there's another Like Torrian Prince
and another person are like interchangeable almost, and I'm mixing. It's not Jick
crowd because I know he get hit. It's so it's somebody goes but I
know I know what you're talking about. Um. Yeah, like so those
and then they you know, youget low Um was with the low risk,

(01:41:09):
hide reward kind of player and JackNay, you know, I's like
if he if he pops off andhe puts it together, it looks great
being next to Lebron, it canit can look you know, he's a
long, athletic guy, you know, just kind of like just a body.
If you put it together, great. If he doesn't, it doesn't,

(01:41:30):
it's not it's not killing you.Yeah. And then you signed Ruey
Hachimura to a three year, fiftyone million dollar dealt Ruey. And then
you signed cam who Cam Kim's awfulbut should be Yeah, Camra, sorry,
yeah you signed he signed Cam Raddish. He's off, got awful off,
but as long as he can playdefense, one thing he can do.

(01:41:54):
Yeah. So I think I thinksolids solid. You know, resign.
I think the Lakers signed all theplayers. They resigned all the key
pivotal players, which is what youwanted to see from them, and then
they filled in the gaps for areasthat were a bit lacking or that they
needed to fill from departures like DennisSchroulder with bringing in Gabe Benson. So
I'm happier that I think Gabe isdefinitely a more of a negative on the

(01:42:14):
defensive side, and the comparison toSchroulder but on offense, I think Gabe
Is I think offensively he might havea better capabilities than Shoulders, So we'll
see. Then I think it's worththe train off. Yeah. So then
especially when you have Anthony Davis asyour center. Yeah, I think that's
always just comes out there. It'sjust like you know, if you if

(01:42:35):
as long as you're producing offensively andyou can and you have Vini Dnison behind
you, I think you're fine.And credit to Dennis. I mean,
Dennis also played solid on offense aswell. I think he was really good
against Jamal Murray in the West Finals. He gave he gave a lot of
the point guards. So I don'twant to make it sound like Dennis's contribution
was minimal, but I think theLakers are trying to max out more of

(01:42:56):
their offensive capability because I think thatwas exposed against the nug It's yeah,
they had too many scenarios where theywere depending on guys to hit some big,
big shot moments or create shots,and they just couldn't do it.
And dennis Is decision making to me, was very questionable at times in the
Western Conference finals. But I mean, I mean that's kind of just been
the story of Dennis at times.But okay, I mean it's so crazy.

(01:43:19):
I was the one that this fanwas a a hundred million dollars player
at one point. Almost. Yeah, it is nuts. It's nuts.
That's what they call fumbling the bag. It's not even looking what that long
ago. It's not like he's evenold. Yeah. Times changed. Sometimes
it's better to take the money.Okay, most most times it's better to

(01:43:42):
just take them one. Kyle Kuzmanagrees to a four year, one hundred
and two million dollars deal to stillstay with the Wizards. Okay, brous
get your money, cous bros.Kind of the kind of the same situation
with the old boy Jimmy cry Ohyeah, bro yep, what's it called?

(01:44:06):
You know, you're on a badteam. He's he got badly got
you got paid, buddy out?Uh, Kuzmas, you know life it.
You know, he seems like seemslike a cool guys, Like he
doesn't call the issue. He doesn'tyou know, he doesn't doesn't have any
bad brings outside of him and Spencerden Witty. Yeah outside outside does that

(01:44:32):
be outside of that? You know, col Cooler. I was like,
you know, he's here for whatfour year gets. What do you fel
That's fine? So you have acore of Kuzma and Jordan Pool and man,
that's gonna be a lot of alot of shots, thinking a lot
of shots, Man, a wholelot of shots. Okay, Orlando Magic
two year twenty twenty or two yeartwenty two million dollars deal with Joe Ingles.

(01:44:56):
Then they signed Moe Wagner to atwo year, sixteen million million dollars
deal to resign him. So thesolid signing. The Rafters signed Yako Peurtle
to a four year, eighty milliondollars deal, and Yako Petles is like,
it's like it's frustrating because he's acenter that's a really good player,
but he always ends up on theseteams that are just irrelevant. But okay,
then the let me not say theRaptors are relevant and they have Pascal

(01:45:19):
Siaska Man and fred Og they are, they're not contenders. Let's just say
that Denis Shoulder agrees to its twoyear, twenty six million dollars deal with
the Rafters. Then the Bulls signedNikola Vukovitch to a three year, sixty
million dollars extension for him to staythere. Naz Reid signs a three year,

(01:45:41):
forty two million dollars extension to staywith the Timberwowls. Timberols are spending
almost two hundred million dollars a yearor almost wait, almost one hundred and
fifty dollars fifty million dollars a yearbetween all three of their centers. Like
that's nuts, um, yeah,probably down right out of the gotta be
on the market, right, thatis nuts, dude. I just don't

(01:46:03):
know. That's such a bad catmanagement, you know what. More power
to him man, More power tothe Timberwols. That's where that's why the
Timbers are the Timberwolves. That's whythey are Yeah, you know usual we
say that. It's like they madelike you know, I wonder when did

(01:46:24):
they get when did they get anego? Because they they never be go
bear trade it said as that reallygo bear trade is probably one of the
worst trades you can in recent memory. That's probably one of the worst trades
I've ever seen, considering situation faster, yeah, considering situation, that's just

(01:46:48):
an awful trade. I just can'teven Yeah, he immediately, he immediately
came in. It was a newGM immediately came in and traded for really
go Beart. That's so bad.Like the team, the team that I
imagine, like the team that Iwould imagine it could have benefited from Rudy
Gobert, probably a team like theSuns. If you want to swap Gobert

(01:47:12):
for eighton, right, you swapout Aten's offensive capabilities for defensive players,
that your capabilities for Rudy Gobert.No, but the problem is still leaves.
Uh oh yeah. So that's oneof those things. I just I
don't get what the Timberols we're tryingto do. I don't care if Kat
wants to play forward or if Idon't care, like Anthie Davis wanted to

(01:47:32):
play forward. To guess what,he's a center now. So at some
point you just kind of got toprioritize what your roster is. Dude,
you know who cares, right,You gotta do what is best for your
roster and how your roster plays best. In well, even when the Lakers
were rostering, had White, Howardand Daville McGee, you go and look
at their playoff minutes at each positionand how often those guys. Antie Davis

(01:47:56):
was still a center most of thetime, even when they had why harden
Deville mcge he came in there towear down your kitchen. And then besides
that, it was like okay,yeah, eighty Gatton Center. There there's
no world where I'm sitting here saying, you know, let's just run a
cat and Rudy go Barry lineup right, like that's that's gonna win us a
championship. Fair last year he didget hurt. He missed fifty Missy games,

(01:48:18):
to be fair, and in hiswords, you know, them making
the making the plan was more impressivethan another making it to the final.
And on that note, guys,has been a great podcast, has been
fantastic. I could do that.It's been so fun recording this podcast.

(01:48:40):
Guys. Of course, you know, guys, make sure you are subscribed
to the podcast wherever you catch yourpodcast. Make sure you follow the podcast
on whatever platform you send your podcastson. If you enjoyed this episode,
make sure you, guys, goahead and hit leave a review. Leave
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out a lot. Also, followthe podcasts on all social media platforms,

(01:49:01):
whether it's Instagram, Twitter, orFacebook, go ahead and follow on there
as well as follow myself on allthose platforms as well as TikTok. And
if you guys want to suggest anytopics or anything like that, you can
definitely send me a DM on Twitteror you can comment on whatever podcast episode.
And I think DM on Twitter ishelping your best That's where I most
likely see it. But guys,until next time, appreciate everybody tuning in. I'm out

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