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Revisiting The Dejuonte Murray Trade, The Aging Bucks, & Knicks Keepers
38 Plays1 year ago
First episode go easy on me jesus man. We're doing Top NBA Story lines to kick off the last month or so of the off season.
1: Revisiting The Dejounte Murray Trade
2:Aging Milwaukee Bucks
3: Timberwolves Point Guard Conundrum
4: Hornets Sneaky Roster Construction
5: Who are the Knicks Keepers while Big Game Hunting?
6: What Sould A Succesful Jazz Season Look Like?
7: Ime Udoka Rotations
8: MIP Candidates 2023-2024
9: Projected Trade Deadline Sellers
10: Are the Hawks Contenders with Siakam?
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Transcript
Introduction and Significance of Lithuania's Victory
00:00:00
Speaker
recording this pod 10 44 p.m. central time Sunday night Lithuania just dominated the United States and the World Cup I've also always wanted to say what I'm doing and what time and what time zone
00:00:16
Speaker
that's never mattered to anyone ever for me. So pretty big deal in my mind. My name is Morgan Cahill. If you're listening to the Morgan Cahill podcast, you may ask yourself, who is Morgan Cahill? Genuinely, great question. It's not about who you are.
00:00:36
Speaker
It's not about who you are. Shut the fuck up, okay? Chill out for a minute. I am an avid NBA fan. I care about basketball, and unfortunately, I don't have a lot of people in my life that love basketball. I started making a little bit of YouTube stuff maybe about a year ago. I said that I love basketball, I love the NBA, but I don't have any friends to talk about the NBA with. I did that for maybe three months on and off.
00:01:01
Speaker
I only have one person reach out where they're like, hey, you piece of shit, text me about the NBA. And Chris, buddy, I will.
The Evolution of NBA Fan Identity
00:01:08
Speaker
But for most people, most podcasts, most sports content, of which I consume almost exclusively,
00:01:16
Speaker
It's about debate. It's about figuring out who was right and who was wrong. In the NBA now we follow players, we don't follow teams. The identity of being a fan is changing versus my childhood.
00:01:34
Speaker
I grew up, and I really loved NBA Live. That was my introduction to basketball. On my PlayStation and Xbox as a kid, I loved playing NBA Live. I loved Mellow, playing as those Denver Nuggets. I think they had Marcus Camby. Ricky Davis for the Celtics and Cavs went fucking insane. But I never really watched any basketball. Then I remember maybe it's around 2007.
Personal Basketball Memories
00:02:00
Speaker
My dad was living in DC at the time. He sold cars and I think I was living with my grandparents or I was staying with my grandparents and we were out. There's a fire in the backyard at my grandparents house. My dad's out. I'm stoked. My fucking dad is in. He's playing this Bill Ingvall comedy record that I still give him shit about to this day.
00:02:23
Speaker
And he tells me, because he's a Celtics fan, and I, by default, I'm a Celtics fan. I always play with the Celtics for NBA Live. We just fucking traded for Kevin Garnett.
00:02:36
Speaker
What? Are you kidding me? I thought it was awesome. Sebastian Telfer, Al Jefferson, some other pieces. And I remember going on ESPN.com on the family computer that weekend and sort of looking at the roster, trying to figure out what does shooting guard mean? Why does Paul Pierce look like that? That headband is ridiculous. That guy's gonna shit himself in a couple years. I just know it. I called it. Say what you want, I called it.
00:03:05
Speaker
But I started developing sort of a fandom and doing so. The team that I kind of liked won. I bandwagoned on the Celtics and immediately when they weren't good anymore I stopped watching. Girls were involved in school, sports, other stuff. I got addicted to video games for a couple years. But I was watching basketball.
00:03:26
Speaker
A lot is like a tweenager and not at all cut to maybe I'm 20 years old or something like that. I'm 26 now recording this about to turn 27 I'm working three jobs for the fuck of it. I don't really know why I dropped out of college figuring my shit out and
00:03:44
Speaker
It's the middle of the night. 2017, I think. And I'm working a night job in a Marriott in West Virginia. And the TV in the lobby is always on. And at a night job, they're just stoked that you're not doing meth or that if you are doing meth, you're polite about it. And it's Blazer's Thunder. And I'm watching this game.
00:04:07
Speaker
I don't know any of these players. I realize LeBron is still in the league. Pierce isn't. Kevin Garnett isn't. Kobe Bryant isn't. That might have been one of the first seasons without Kobe. Maybe the second season without Kobe.
00:04:20
Speaker
And I'm watching this game and it's kind of a shootout back and forth. Paul, George, Russell Westbrook were names that I knew. I knew that the Thunder were good. Damien Lillard was a name that I didn't. Well, it's getting close to the end of the game. And tie game 115, 115, maybe 15 seconds left in the game. And Damien Lillard is dribbling out the clock, roughly 37 feet away from the basket.
00:04:45
Speaker
In my history watching basketball as a kid, I just cannot wait for him to drive in, take the contested layup, or maybe try to create space with some sort of Chris Paul-leg extended mid-ranger. And what he did changed basketball in the way that I saw it forever, in my mind.
00:05:08
Speaker
eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two and a half seconds, he pulls out out of his deep bag. That was weird, out of his deep bag. He pulls out of his bag, this 37 foot contested, bye-bye shot, draining a game winner, sending the Thunder home and destroying the Paul George Russell Westbrook Oklahoma City reign forever. And from that moment,
00:05:38
Speaker
I became a basketball fan. I was jumping up and down and I now identify as a Blazers fan because I just, I felt that energy of being a fan. Dude, it was fucking cool. Cut to now, I'm a complete nerd over the sport. I'm all the time on fanspo, running mock trades, trying to figure out this year, what does the three guard lineup look like five years in a row with Portland?
00:06:04
Speaker
A three-guard lineup, by the way, when you have Anthony Simons, Scoot Henderson, and Shaden Sharp, is a little more exciting than when you're trying to win with Damon Lillard and CJ McCollum. But this podcast, for me, is not about creating content or competing with a debate show or having my name mean anything. I want to talk about what it is to be a fan of the league.
Purpose of the Podcast
00:06:29
Speaker
I wanna talk about all the thoughts that come up in my head in the middle of the night, thinking, ooh, I wonder what the Timberwolves look like this year. Towns was hurt most of last year. And I don't have an outlet to talk about that stuff. And there's certainly not a lot of media outlets where we can have those discussions and it's not about who's right or who's stupid or you fucking idiot, Bill Simmons, you're completely overlooking this player, you don't even know their name.
00:06:57
Speaker
I want to be a fan of basketball, and I'd like to do that with a community of people, and this is my way of reaching out. Today we're doing top 10 NBA storylines. Let's start with this. This is just a little thought that I had.
Analyzing Key NBA Trades
00:07:11
Speaker
Two seasons ago, in the offseason,
00:07:14
Speaker
The San Antonio Spurs and the Atlanta Hawks engaged in a trade and roughly the structure of that trade was Dejante Murray for three first round picks as well as salary filler from the San Antonio Spurs to the Atlanta Hawks. I want to revisit that trade, what it meant for both of those teams at that time and whether or not they would redo that trade today.
00:07:40
Speaker
At the time, it made a lot of sense. Trey Young is a dominant scorer and ball handler, really needs someone else to create offense in that offense. We had seen them be pretty competitive in the Sixers series of years past. I mean, they really gave the Bucks hell in that conference championship a few years back, but it can't just be isolation basketball. It was like Eastern Conference James Harden without the hairline.
00:08:08
Speaker
And what I thought was really neat about it was it gave the Hawks, which they did not have at the time, a point of attack defender. And you look at the rest of the team and maybe how they can build out around at that time. You don't know if John Collins three point shot is coming back.
00:08:25
Speaker
Onyeko Kongwu is still sort of like a guy in the background, but Clint Capella, solid rim protector. So point of attack defender, rim protector, two ball handlers and two creators. What they lacked is three point shooting. And that was heavily criticized at the time of the deal. What was also criticized is Trae Young's ability to play off ball, which in certain moments has still looked like an issue. I want to say that I am a Trae Young Jante Marie believer.
00:08:53
Speaker
I actually think that the hawks are gonna be dynamite this year, and that's something that we'll talk about a little bit later. But the spurs have a little bit different of a perspective on this.
00:09:04
Speaker
Kind of one of those nothing teams, in the middle, stuck, not really going anywhere. Finally, for the first time in basically my lifetime, commit to tanking. To do that, they trade away Dejante Murray. And to be honest, I think it landed the victory win, Benjama. I don't think that there's a chance they end up with the same lottery odds with Dejante Murray on the team.
00:09:26
Speaker
And because of that, this trade was worth it for them, without a doubt, even minus the draft compensation, which is TBD on the value. But now you have Victor Wintman Yama, and you have Keldin Johnson, you have Jeremy Sohan, and you have Devin Vissel, who I think is a monster. I think Devin Vissel is a monster. In 2K, he's an absolute monster, and in 2K, Keldin Johnson is too much of a monster, like one of those guys they get wrong in Madden every year.
00:09:57
Speaker
How do you build a team around Viktor Winbenyama? I think Dejante Murray would be a prototypical point guard. If you could have excellent point of attack defense, which I think he provides, although his defense is a little bit overrated, he gambles a lot, very steel heavy, but he has good size and good playmaking ability, more important than either of those, he has speed and he can get to it in the transition.
00:10:22
Speaker
If you're trying to maximize what Victor Rambagnolo brings to the table, I think Dejante Murray is a fantastic piece. And I think he's relatively cheap compared to some of the options on the market. Maybe Tyrese Maxi is available via some sort of Damian Lillard trade.
00:10:38
Speaker
Damian Lillard is certainly available. James Harden is available. Both of them, I think, are far too old to match on the timeline. But Dijante Murray being just 26 fits the timeline. He fits everything. So the question isn't whether or not it was a good trade at the time. It's whether or not these teams right now today would undo it. Let's say it wouldn't affect the odds and the Spurs still land with Victor Winban-Yama.
00:11:04
Speaker
Would the Spurs right now rather have three Atlanta first-round picks or Dejante Murray? And would Atlanta rather have Dejante Murray, who as, although I'm optimistic, an awkward fit with Trey Young? Would they rather have three more first-round picks as well as all of their young people to potentially take a swing at some sort of forward?
00:11:29
Speaker
I think it's fascinating. And I think it's less fascinating than I want it to be. So hear me out on this. I genuinely believe that if the Spurs could reverse that trade, they have the salary cap to do it. They have to spend it on some money that they would.
00:11:44
Speaker
What's difficult about this is you have to have the conversation on specifically a theoretical concept because it doesn't sound like Dejante Murray's experience in San Antonio was amazing. His relationship with the players, his relationship with the coaches, nothing has come out that seems ridiculous, but Murray in interviews has talked about things being strained. You wonder where that comes from. I mean, they weren't trying to compete. Maybe in a more competitive environment they can get together better, but
00:12:13
Speaker
I think this verse would redo it and I don't think that the Hawks would but I want to touch on that later number two on my list of top 10 NBA storylines is I want to talk about the aging bucks and I'm gonna take a sip from my course banquet here because this isn't like an IPA kind of podcast this is an Arkansas hotel podcast kind of sitch going on right now so you'll stick with me
00:12:41
Speaker
About a year ago, I made a YouTube short, which I understand is not the highest quality medium of content available, talking about the average age of the bucks. And I think it was early on, and I'm sure that there was somebody earlier, but two or three seasons ago, and we're talking about the Lakers and how they're so old, and what you expect to win with Dwight Howard. This is pre-Russell Westbrook Lakers.
00:13:11
Speaker
It was ridiculous. I think the average age of the team was 32 and a half or more potentially. And it's a really weird roster construction. You have to basically win now. And if you're going to win now, you have to stay healthy. And if you're going to stay healthy, you better sit those people fucking down for a couple months.
00:13:30
Speaker
The Bucks were within a year or so of that average age in that season. We have progressed with the Milwaukee Bucks have an average age roster of nearly 32 years. And it's worse than that. Milwaukee's top three, they're big three players and you can almost expand it to a big four because of how important he is to the team. Obviously, Drew Holiday, Chris Middleton, Giannis Ano da Cumpo, and Brooke Lopez.
00:13:58
Speaker
Brooke they kept this offseason, although I think it was a slight overpay and they brought his brother Robin in, who was actually formidable for Orlando last year.
00:14:07
Speaker
They're old. Brooke Lopez is 35. Chris Middleton is 33. Drew Holiday is 32. Gonna turn 33 this year. Chris Middleton turns 34 next offseason and he was just extended again. This isn't to shit on any of these players. I love Chris Middleton. I love Drew Holiday and I would have killed for my Blazers to have traded for either of them when they were available in the past, but they didn't. In Milwaukee won a championship and it's all worth it.
00:14:36
Speaker
But it comes at a cost. Chris Middleton looked like a shell of himself last year. And that's not a criticism, man. If Chris Middleton were 80% of his prime version of himself next season, it would not be enough to win a championship. And that's just next season.
00:14:56
Speaker
The lack of depth on this team and the lack of young talent or assets to make the team better relies on Drew, Chris, Brooke, and Giannis having significant luck in the health department and aging gracefully.
00:15:13
Speaker
And players are playing well with age. You know, Chris Paul is a decent player at 37 LeBron at 38 at a record season last year. Most players didn't, you know, and I'm not saying 32 33 34 is the oldest in the world. But if Brooke Lopez turns 36 during the season and we expect him to be what he has been. It's just asking a lot.
00:15:41
Speaker
I think that the Bucks window is short. I do not think when I look at the Eastern Conference that they're better than Philly. I don't think they're better than Boston. Philly pending James Harden transaction. I don't think that they're better than Miami. I actually, if I'm being honest, think that they would require perfect health to even beat the Atlanta Cleveland, New York sort of tier.
00:16:05
Speaker
This is a team that lost in the first round last year, and the Miami Heat were fantastic, do not get me wrong, but a first round exit to an aging team around a superstar who we expect to ask out. We're only not having that conversation, so nobody jumps on us to say, shut up, Giannis isn't asking for a trade, don't even talk about it. Whether he asks for a trade to Chicago, or he dies in a Milwaukee hotel room,
00:16:36
Speaker
The Bucks is done. It's just done. And Giannis can overpower. If they win the championship next year, it would not be the craziest thing in the world. They certainly have a better chance than my Blazers, but I just don't see it. I don't see how they do it. Maybe they're good. I don't know. But Mario and Bo champ is practically the only 25 and under asset that's remarkable in any way. And he's kind of terrible.
00:17:03
Speaker
Really good G-League ignite prospect. Great size, has the potential to be like a really solid three and D wing. He had that game this past off season in EuroLeague where he had like 27, four and four. He's yet to show even a little bit of that in an NBA game. And what he does, let's talk about it. But even so, he's an older prospect already. And the fact that he didn't demonstrate anything for a Bucks team who needed him last year,
00:17:32
Speaker
I think lowers what his ceiling is. Can he be an NBA player? Yes. Can he be a rotation player? Yes. But the Bucks need him to be so much more than that if they are to remain healthy. I don't think that they do. I think one year from today, the honest conversation is going to heat up significantly. And I think if we're unlucky on the injury side by the trade deadline, the conversation starts. That doesn't mean he gets moved.
00:17:58
Speaker
It doesn't mean he ever gets moved, but that does mean we start talking about it, which is cool for the podcast game. Number three on my list of top 10 NBA storylines is the Timberwolves point guard situation.
Team Roster Evaluations and Potential
00:18:12
Speaker
Anthony Edwards had 35 points today against Lithuania. Kevin Durant's World Cup record is 38 and you have to think that he knew that. They need at every point. Reeves was getting just pocketed and bodied. Raquel Bridges. Kerr's rotations are really weird because they're trying to play with such little size.
00:18:31
Speaker
which is almost more of a roster construction problem than it is a Steve Kerr issue. Like, whether it's Josh Hart or Brandon Ingram in the starting lineup, Jaron Jackson Jr. is a four. We know that. All that aside, Anthony Edwards is the guy. He was a top 30 player last year, first time All-Star. This year, it would surprise nobody if he was a top 10 player in the league.
00:18:56
Speaker
And what do you need to contend in the NBA? It's a top 10 guy. I love the Timberwolves roster. It's actually really well built and they added a lot of depth pieces. I think they're starting five going into the year. Mike Conley, Anthony Edwards, Jayden McDaniels, Carl Anthony Townes, Rudy Gobert, which on paper, which this goes back to like the Brooklyn on paper nets, is remarkable.
00:19:21
Speaker
Mike Conley is unselfish, he's excellent and lethal in the pick and roll with Rudy Gobert. Carl Anthony Towne is one of the best three-point shooters in the world and will have the ability to roam and operate off-ball in a huge way. Jayden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert are probably the best point of attack and rim protector asset duo in the league. I think Jayden McDaniels is like a low-key stud.
00:19:47
Speaker
He's up for a contract extension, which I don't think he's getting this year, just because I think they want to see the Carl Anthony Townes thing another year. He's going to get four for 90 at least, but I mean, he could be a sneaky like four for 120, four for 125 guy. Their bench is what improved a lot. I mean, last year they were playing Jalen Noel. They're playing Austin Rivers, significant minutes.
00:20:11
Speaker
Nas Reed was fantastic, but he heard his hand right at the start of the playoffs. Nikhil Alexander Walker broke out a little bit. I really liked him in New Orleans, and then he was a part of the trade package for CJ McCollum. And I was like, fucking, let's go.
00:20:27
Speaker
We've got Gnaw on the team. And we traded him for a second rounder, and basically nothing else to the Utah Jazz. Alexander Walker is fantastic. Kyle Anderson had a really productive season for them. His playmaking is really solid, and maybe if he keeps Rudy Gobert in line by punching in the mouth, that'd be pretty cool. A couple additions that I really liked. Shake Milton from Philly.
00:20:55
Speaker
Shake had that like 13 and a half point per game season, like two seasons ago. 6'5", really good size, decent score. He's just like a solid all-around wing, which is the kind of guy they need on the bench. Taking minutes away from dudes like Austin Rivers, who I want to like more than I do. They had a Troy Brown Jr., who's only 24 according to Fanspo, which doesn't sound right, but he does look youthful.
00:21:21
Speaker
He's got a good smile, his hairline, so he could very well be 24, thinking about it. I guess he's a clutch guy, born in Las Vegas, Centennial High School in Vegas. I think that their bench is solid, and then of course, Nas Reed, someone I really loved in the draft, Leonard Miller, who Sam Vasini had as a mid to late lottery talent. They got him in the second round, like the 41st pick.
00:21:50
Speaker
and he shined in the G League. I was in the Timberwolf subreddit and people were asking like, what is Leonard Miller's ceiling? Assume everything goes right. And two or three people said Lamar Odom, and I just think that's a remarkable comp for him.
00:22:07
Speaker
I think this team is going to be good and Mike Conley is the perfect point guard for them six years ago. It's a lot to ask of a 35 year old Mike Conley to make things work and maybe the Timberwolves win the chip this year. Maybe they won it next year. That would be the coolest storyline in the world. I love that green in their logo but if they don't
00:22:31
Speaker
I think they need to figure something else out. Mike Conley this year is on an expiring deal worth $24.5 million. I think we're going to know by the trade deadline whether or not the GoBaron towns things work.
00:22:45
Speaker
If it doesn't, one of them's getting shipped out and Kat is the one with trade value, Rudy is the one with negative value. It's just how it would have to happen. Bill Simmons got crucified for saying that Minnesota would be like a sneaky, fun Damien Lillard team, which I love. I think that that would be so cool to see him next to Ant with Gobert, McDaniels. Maybe you slot Kyle Anderson in as the fourth starter.
00:23:13
Speaker
But let's say the Go Bear Towns thing works. They have really minimal assets to figure something else out. Even if you combine all the minimum contracts available, you take Josh Minow, Leonard Miller, Jordan McLaughlin, Wendell Moore, their pick from last year, who I kind of think is sneaky good. You add Troy Brown in. You're really only looking at like 14 million in salary.
00:23:40
Speaker
And if you re-sign Mike Conley, I can't imagine it's for much less than his current deal, which could create a little bit of salary cap, but only in a sign and trade scenario because the Timberwolves are operating near or at the cap already.
00:23:55
Speaker
A name that I like, a number that you can get to, and I would look out for this because if things are moving this year, a lot of chips are already pushed in and the dude's already played there before. Look out for Tyus Jones. He's got an expiring $14 million deal in Washington.
00:24:12
Speaker
Previous experience in the Andrew Wiggins era, which I think is really interesting. He's the best backup in the league. And in his moments starting, he shined. 37% plus three-point shooter, really good playmaker and facilitator. And if Mike Conley has a longer term solution here, letting him come off the bench or Tyus Jones come off the bench or depending on matchup switching,
00:24:38
Speaker
I just think he would be a really good fit. And if Carl Anthony Towns doesn't work out, this is irrelevant. But if he does, I love Tyus Jones on The Timber Wolves. I think it's pretty cool, actually. I would love to see it. Okay. Let's check it out. What do we got next?
00:24:59
Speaker
This one I'm afraid to say out loud a little bit. And I'm only afraid to say it because I haven't watched a ton of Hornets games. So some of this comes theoretical. And when you look at the basketball reference page for different players, it could be misleading. So in saying that, correct me where I'm wrong.
00:25:18
Speaker
The Hornets were given more shit than anybody for passing on Scoot Henderson for Brandon Miller in this pass draft. I remember falling to my knees when that happened because I thought, oh my God, they're trading Damien Miller. This is happening. We're getting Zion Williamson. Well, that didn't happen. We selected Scoot and somehow Damien's still on the roster and I don't want to talk about it. But Brandon Miller is a good prospect.
00:25:43
Speaker
Whether he's great or not is up for grabs, but he's a good prospect. And I think that the Hornets team and the way that it's constructed now is in a decent spot, better than they're getting credit for. Let me start by saying, picks like James Booknight, Kai Jones, and everybody before them, atrocious.
00:26:03
Speaker
I mean completely atrocious with the obvious exception of lamello ball This team has had issues with the locker room They tried to replace Steve Clifford with Kenny Atkinson who took the job talked to his wife She probably said I'm not fucking moving to Charlotte Decline the job and they brought back Steve Clifford It is a nightmare of a front office Michael Jordan's thinks he's selling that he doesn't want to sell now he is selling and
00:26:32
Speaker
All of that being said, I love it. I love the way this team is built and I think they're better than expected next year. Let's talk about just their young core because they've got some older guys that are really on the fence like what ends up happening with them. Lamello ball.
00:26:47
Speaker
I think it's great, six, seven, 180, little lean, but one of the best playmakers in the league. Him and Tyrese Halliburton probably have it. And who knows who's the better playmaker? Halliburton's the better player, and I'd love to see someone try to correct me on that. Lomelo can very well go seven for 11 from three point, like absolute flamethrower, but he could play on selfish as well. And that's what's so unique about this. Despite his size, he is a cone on defense. I mean,
00:27:19
Speaker
He has the potential to be a great defender. And I think his brother Lonzo shows that. And if he can be a great defender, this team's ceiling increases drastically. But even if it doesn't, the total size they could play with, I think is pretty remarkable. Lamello Ball, Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges, PJ Washington, Mark Williams.
00:27:41
Speaker
Mark Williams, seven foot one out of Duke, two or so drafts ago. He had a really solid season last year. Post trade deadline, the Charlotte Hornets had one of the best defenses in the league. They snuck out that win that almost pulled Dallas out of the playoffs, or I guess did pull Dallas out of the playoffs. They have a lot of size and they have a lot of shooting.
00:28:02
Speaker
And they have the best playmaking, if not the second best playmaking guard in the league. So if LaMelo can stay healthy, the drive and kick opportunities with Miles Bridges, PJ Washington, and Brandon Miller, who all are 37, 38% plus three point shooters at their peak is crazy. Size and defensive ability and defensive effort are not the same thing, but
00:28:28
Speaker
with length, less effort becomes a little bit easier to hide. Miles Bridges, I think is actually only 6'5", it says 6'6 here, and he also, who knows what kind of player he is or how the locker room embraces him after all of his controversy, which I won't weigh in on at all. Prior to that, he had emerged as almost like a mini Jason Tatum. Like if Tatum's game was a wing, it would be Miles Bridges.
00:28:55
Speaker
And Miles Bridges and Jason Tatum aren't in the same category, but Bridges projects as a low-level all-star at his ceiling. Brandon Miller at his ceiling projects as like a poor man's Paul George. And PJ Washington, who they just resigned, I think it was a three for 48 deal, has small ball center capability. He can really shoot, although I think this last year percentage just sort of went down. He did have that skyrocket game where he scored like 41 points or some crazy shit.
00:29:25
Speaker
Love I love that. I love a team who can have several spot-up dudes That have good size I mean that that's what the fantastic Hawks team based on what I've read seemed like they were you know the Horford See I wasn't even watching basketball at that point but
00:29:49
Speaker
That Hawks team they had like 60 wins that year The way people talk about them make it seem like they could shoot the shit out of the ball And I think this team could shoot the shit out of the ball Where it's a little dangerous is that there's not a lot of creation ability by all accounts It doesn't seem like Brandon Miller can dribble Miles Bridges can create for himself. He can drive. He's a really explosive dunker. I don't know what
00:30:16
Speaker
how much court vision or basketball IQ he has. I mean, that's helpful that someone outside of lamella can handle the ball, but
00:30:25
Speaker
I don't know, I don't exactly see it. PJ Washington isn't a ball handler. Mark Williams has some potential low post game. I think he could definitely be a dude in this league, like a top half starting center. Clint Capella type, nasty in the pick and roll. I don't know that he's ever an offensive oriented center, but that's not what he was drafted for.
00:30:47
Speaker
Where this team gets weak immediately is their bench, and their expiring assets are extremely weird. Gordon Hayward on a one-year, $31 million deal. Terry Ruggier on a three-year deal. All of it guaranteed. No team option in any of it. Three years, $23 million in 2023, $24 million in 2024, $26 million in 2025.
00:31:09
Speaker
They owe him $75 million and he doesn't match at their timeline at all. I don't know that he matches their style of play either. I do not love the lamello ball Terry Rozier backcourt. I think Terry is a good player. Those Boston playoff runs weren't nothing. What to look out for this team this year is what happens with Gordon Hayward.
00:31:30
Speaker
Do they get rid of this expiring asset? Do they maybe extend them one more year to have a trade chip to go for the future? Are they like a sneaky see Occam team? All of that is something to look out for because the Hornets can't draft and they really don't have another way to improve their roster. They don't have expendable young players with any value next on the list.
00:31:56
Speaker
This is interesting to me, I think a lot. Who are the Knicks keepers while big game hunting? The Knicks have been bad the entire time I've watched basketball. And even as a kid, when I was playing NBA video games, the legend of Patrick Ewing and the what-ifs that came with that were just Bill Simmons-esque nightmares in New York residents' heads.
00:32:22
Speaker
They've been bad my whole life. I mean, I'm 26 years old. The Knicks have sucked most of my life. The fact that you have to even bring up Lynn's sanity. If Jeremy Lin played for a reputable franchise, we'd never talk about him in the world. But because he played for the Knicks, and because they stank just so damn bad,
00:32:43
Speaker
It's something to talk about. Staudemire, Mello, Jeremy Lin. I mean, those are the guys that I think about when I think about the Knicks. And I don't think Phoenix, Staudemire either. I think that says something.
00:32:58
Speaker
They're a team that has been good for the last few years. I really like this current team. Jalen Brunson ended up probably the best deal in the league. I think that Leon Rose could probably win executives year specifically for the Jalen Brunson deal. But when you look at their roster and you look at the assets they have available,
00:33:16
Speaker
I think everybody knows that they're angling to make a move soon. They were in on Donovan Mitchell. I don't know that the player they're looking for is available. But what the question is, is whoever that ends up being, Embiid, maybe Giannis in a few years asks out, maybe a lesser player like Siakam that they take soon. Who are the keepers in this Knicks core?
00:33:39
Speaker
I don't think that it's obvious. I mean, even just looking at some of the first names, you don't get that far without saying, well, he could be expendable. So Jalen Brunson, obviously, I think you have a ball handler. This is sort of why they're not in on the Damian Lillard sweepstakes. I don't think that Jalen Brunson and Damian Lillard as a backcourt is smart at all.
00:34:01
Speaker
And the same way that I don't think Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland is a good backcourt. But they have this Evan Fournier deal, $18.8 million with a team option next year. So you could sort of look at it as an expiring asset. But the team is operating just $4 million away from the cap. So it's not like they really get that space. If you don't look at it as an expiring asset for them, it could be an expiring asset as a trade chip.
00:34:28
Speaker
with a combination of Evan Fornier, Isaiah Hartenstein, and one of their wings, whether it's Barrett or Hart or DiVincenzo, you can get to 35-ish million dollars pretty easily by throwing guys together.
00:34:47
Speaker
So if Jalen Brunson is the core piece, who fits around him and does it depend what star is available? This is one of those weird scenarios where I think depending on who is available, that is what will dictate what players are untouchable because truthfully, I don't know that they have a single untouchable player available. This is my list. If I'm the next and we don't know the player that's available and I just have to commit to building around a core,
00:35:17
Speaker
It's Jalen Brunson. It's RJ Barrett. He's still young. I like what I've seen about him. And it's Julius Randall.
00:35:27
Speaker
I like Randall. I think he's completely underrated as a player. I think his contract was scoffed at immediately, but he's actually pretty good value for what it is. Where you go wrong with Randall is depending on him as your first or second option. But with the contract that he has, he could very well be your second, third, or fourth option.
00:35:50
Speaker
I don't know who else stays. Like, I don't think anybody else is a must. Emmanuel quickly is a guy who could be like, ooh, he's fantastic. Great offensive game and very great shooter, although he fell off in the playoffs. An excellent defender. He can fight around screens despite not having great size. He has great wingspan. In this year, he is on a $4.1 million team option. So after this year, who knows what happens with him?
00:36:19
Speaker
Very attractive in a trade asset to have a young player, only 24 years old, but the upside quickly has, at $4.1 million. He's not locked into one of these, Anthony Simons, four for 120 deals. Him and Quentin Grimes, I think, are your trade pieces if you keep Barret. Because if you're landing a major star and you don't trade Barret, I think you're gonna have to trade both of them.
00:36:44
Speaker
Just because the pick assets they have, well the quantity is great, the quality isn't. Most of these picks are trade swaps or good teams first. And we've seen those be devalued continually. Embiid is one of the players that we're looking at, but I don't even know that it's worth speculating. What I do think is certain is that outside of Jalen Brunson, RJ Barrett, and Julius Randall, we can see any player on this next roster change.
00:37:13
Speaker
when a player worthwhile becomes available.
00:37:18
Speaker
Let's move down the list. We're doing good. See, this is, this is fun. Otherwise I would just be in Arkansas and I'm looking at the sprinklers in my hotel room. Like, I guess I should explain. I'm not from Arkansas. Um, kind of not from anywhere. I've moved a good bet, but I'm traveling for work right now. I'm just outside of Memphis. I was telling my organization, I'm going to be on Microsoft teams, flashing a gun like jaw. Number six on the list.
00:37:49
Speaker
What would a successful season for the Jazz look like? It's interesting we talk about teams like the Chicago Bulls a lot as this in the middle disaster. But it doesn't have to be a disaster for you to be in the middle. And it's almost a luxury, as much as it is a curse, to be a team that is young with a lot of assets to be almost too good. Last year the Jazz got the ninth pick in the draft and they landed Taylor Hendricks, who I think is remarkably good fit with their team.
00:38:20
Speaker
But tanking seems to be the strategy of most major teams when they trade away their star players. And the Jazz, by all accounts, did not tank last year. Towards the tail end of the season, they started losing games. But they were a playoff team. They played like a playoff team. And this year, they got better.
00:38:41
Speaker
They're not going to rely on Taylor Horton Tucker playing 28 minutes a game down the stretch. I love this jazz team. I think they're constructed beautifully. They drafted Keontae George, who was a summer league darling at a Baylor combo guard who showed amazing playmaking ability. I didn't watch a ton of his tape at Baylor, but I didn't know he could pass like that. And he's efficient.
00:39:07
Speaker
he's really efficient he's explosive he can dunk like crazy he's kind of like a Razorback like he's not he's not Dylan Brooks on defense or anything but the way he plays the size that he has i just i like it i can see him projecting as a good defender
00:39:26
Speaker
They drafted this year obviously Taylor Hendrix out of UCF 6-9 forward who is a decent shooter really good playmaker a lot of draft experts talked is like a perfect connecting role player very Tobias Harris which seems like an insult but imagine if Tobias Harris made 5 million and not 45 million a year
00:39:52
Speaker
but they've got a lot of great pieces on this team too. Larry Markinen, the Finnish army soldier, is still pretty young and he's probably close to the prime of his career. I think he's 26 or 27. He had a breakout season winning most improved player and being voted an all-star in the West.
00:40:11
Speaker
Kelly Olenek is a really solid stretch big man, 6'11", 32 years old. I was listening to the No Dunks podcast earlier this year and they talked about how anytime somebody tries to drive in and pump fake on Kelly Olenek, he falls for it. And he's just like the worst defensive player. And then during the World Cup, right after that episode dropped, he had this monster defensive performance.
00:40:38
Speaker
Colin Sexton, who just a couple years ago averaged over 20 a game for Cleveland. Jordan Clarkson, who was a just flamethrower sixth man last year. And they added John Collins with just like a couple second rounders.
00:40:54
Speaker
And John Collins just a few years ago, with a jump shot, is basically an all-star. John Collins without a jump shot is just a tall guy, and I guess they're gonna figure out which version of him he is, but it's sort of the Danny Ainge thing, like buy low on players and sell high on them. This is a team who I wouldn't be shocked if they sold on marketing, and I wouldn't be shocked if they built around them.
00:41:20
Speaker
I wouldn't be shocked if they rehabbed to Colin's value and shipped him off for two firsts and a good young player next year. I just, I don't know the direction that they take. As we look to the trade deadline, I think that they're a really fun team to watch. Not what their record is, but how good their best players are. If they're best players,
00:41:41
Speaker
I guess not even how good their best players are. What is the distance between their best players and their developing players? If they could bridge the gap between the distance of their best and developing guys, they'll probably maintain the team. But, if Markinen is miles ahead of George, and miles ahead of Taylor Hendrix, miles ahead of Colin Sexton, of Abbaji out of Kansas,
00:42:08
Speaker
I think if that gap is large by Christmas, I wouldn't be shocked to see at least Clarkson traded, who's 32, and I don't know matches the timeline for the rest of the team. It should be interesting, they're at the very least gonna be a really fun league pass team, so something to look out for.
00:42:29
Speaker
Houston made a lot of moves this past year, the first of which bringing in Ima Yudoka from Boston or I guess from prison or wherever they got him and by proxy bringing in Ima Yudoka not bringing in James Harden. One of the most fascinating use of capsays that I've ever seen in my life and it's being praised as this genius move because the Fred Van Fleet deal is really only a three-year deal.
00:42:54
Speaker
And the Dylan Brooks deal is, I think it's a four-year deal, but three are guaranteed, or, I mean, most of the money that they tied up, the Jock Landale deal, four for 32 for Jock Landale, only one year is guaranteed, 24 million in non-guaranteed money. They could cut them next year and have no problem. Even the Kevin Porter Jr. deal, they signed him for like a four for 82, and only the first year was guaranteed. So he's projected to make like 17 million this year, and they can cut him the day before training camp, if I understand that correctly.
00:43:26
Speaker
All of that sounds good in theory, you know, you got to spend the money on somebody. Maybe when free agency comes up in a few years, this cap space becomes available and you could go and grab a guy, but not really. Because at that point, Jalen Green, Shingoon, Jabari Smith, Cam Whitmore, it really, all of their young guys would also be up to be paid an extension eligible by that time. Jalen Green's extension eligible, I think next season.
00:43:58
Speaker
With that being said, I love the team. And I don't think that it was a bad deal. And I think that they'd be good long-term contributors. Houston is going to be a really fun league pass team because of what they end up doing with their rotations. What is their starting five? Yudoka with Boston really loved a strong rim protector. And we saw Robert Williams have the best season of his career under Yudoka. I think a lot of that is the way that their perimeter defenders funnel defenses.
00:44:26
Speaker
If I understand it right, based on a YouTube video that I saw, it's very similar to what the Jazz used to do with Rudy Gobert. You funnel perimeter attackers in certain paths to your perimeter defender, or to your rim protector. Because of that, you can give them an angle of an advantage. It's sort of like the opposite strategy of the James Harden step-back, where he can create an angle advantage by taking the additional gather step and two steps backward.
00:44:56
Speaker
Regardless of how bad I butchered that, I think Amen Thompson showed out in G League. He is gonna be so exciting and he played point guard for the overtime elite team and his brother was more of a wing played shooting guard small forward. Amen Thompson, is he the backup point guard?
00:45:19
Speaker
Is he the backup second dude? Could he be a three in the starting lineup eventually this year? I'm really curious to see how they use him because I do think he gets minutes at the wing. And I think playmaking around your roster will be really solid because they have no variability in who their starting center is. Let's not kid ourselves. The Jock Landale deal was a good backup for too good of money because they had to spend it anyways.
00:45:47
Speaker
But that's okay because I'm high on Shin-Goon, who reportedly grew two inches in the offseason. Shin-Goon is this gifted passer. The former Turkish MVP can create all of this movement. I even talked about it on YouTube short last year, how it might be okay that Kevin Porter Jr. is at a real point guard because Alparin Shin-Goon has the potential to be.
00:46:16
Speaker
I think he's more demonus subonus than Nikola Jokic, but if that's a ceiling, holy shit, this team could be good. And Jabari Smith showed out proving he was far above the competition in the second year in summer league. It was crazy. He had that 38 point game, the confidence, he has some like off the drivel stuff that he's been working on.
00:46:37
Speaker
Last year, his shot was falling short a little bit, which happens to a lot of guys because the three-point line is just different in the NBA. But it looks silky, man. I mean, that thing is beautiful. It's not falling short. There's no rim-hitting.
00:46:54
Speaker
I think Jabari Smith and Shin Goon should be the best two players on this team, and both should be considered for most improved player. Van Vliet is your point guard, Jalen Green is your two, Brooks is your three, Smith is your four, Shin Goon is your five. When Shin Goon sits,
00:47:11
Speaker
I wonder how many minutes Jock Landau actually gets because Jabari Smith has the size and versatility to be a decent backup four. I mean he's a really versatile defender. I'm not saying he's a rim protector but or backup five. I think that he could be the backup center and if he's the backup center that opens up four minutes probably
00:47:37
Speaker
probably for Cam Whitmore who has some size. And I think he ends up being lost in the shuffle a little bit this year if I'm being honest, although I love the talent and to get him at the 20th pick is just an unbelievable skill.
00:47:52
Speaker
I just don't think there's a ton of wing rotation time for him. They already got rid of a couple dudes this year, which should open up minutes, but I don't think Yudoka is gonna play like an 11-man rotation. I mean, I think outside of the starting five that I listed, I think Whitmore gets some minutes, but for the most part, it's Kevin Porter Jr. and Jay Chante.
00:48:14
Speaker
Amen Thompson probably gets backup point guard duties, which gives KPJ off-ball duties on the two. And he's like a 50% three-point shooter off-ball when someone can create for him. And I think this team is gonna be able to create for him. So I would almost like to see a little bit of KPJ and instead of Jalen Green, not that he's a better player, but just to see what the fit is like, like some lineups where you run Amen Thompson,
00:48:41
Speaker
Kevin Porter Jr., Dylan Brooks, Jabari Smith, Alparin, Shane Gunn. I just think it could be really, really fascinating. And then the obvious question of Fred Van Vliet, who is he? How good of a player is he? What did the numbers mean?
00:48:59
Speaker
He is a staggeringly low field goal percentage player. It's it's weird actually But you wonder how much of that you can attribute to the Toronto Raptors lack of offensive identity and the Toronto Raptors inability to create any three-point action outside of Fred Van Vliet having to take these remarkably difficult pull-up shots and
00:49:23
Speaker
Fred's gonna have a lot of space in this offense as he's gonna be the defense's least concern I actually think he's kind of clutches shit He's a great mid-range shooter. He's a decent three-point shooter the question all Factors into around the rim and I think that because shin goon is such a playmaking threat He's gonna be able to draw bigs out from the lane to create driving room for Thompson for green for Fred Van Vliet
00:49:53
Speaker
I hope that we see it. I think they're the fifth seed this year. I don't know for sure. I think they're the fifth seed. Most improved candidates.
NBA Player and Team Predictions
00:50:03
Speaker
Last year, Larry Markinen won the award and he should have completely out of nowhere. Would Cleveland have still done the deal knowing Larry Markinen was gonna become who he became? And would Larry Markinen become who he became in Cleveland versus in Utah or who was handed the keys? I don't know. But most of the time, the most improved candidate ends up being someone who has increased opportunity. Whether it's deserved or not, Julius Randall, Larry Markinen,
00:50:31
Speaker
This year I set aside three people who I think will have increased media attention and or increased opportunity. The number one most improved candidate is Anthony Simons. Even if Damian Lillard doesn't play or isn't traded, I don't think he plays another second for the Blazers, which is heartbreaking but exciting in a way. I'm curious to see what we bring next and Anthony Simons averages over 26 points as the starter.
00:50:59
Speaker
I think he's the starting two guard as well. I think they probably run a three guard lineup. It's Scoot, it's Anferney Simons, it's Shaden Sharp, it's Jeremy Grant, it's Yusuf Nurkic.
00:51:11
Speaker
Grant is a decent scorer, and I think his two-man game with Anthony Simons is already good. He's an elite shooter, and because of Scoot Henderson's ability to get to the rim, to just run, to move on transition, I think he gets more open looks than he did when he was playing with Dame. I just think the ball moves better. This isn't going to be the isolation offense that it was in the past. I pray to God, and because of that, I think Anthony Simons average is like 27.
00:51:38
Speaker
three and five or something like that, um, would really love to see him go. Alternatively, my brother bought me an Anthony Simon's Jersey last summer. So I just pray to God he's not traded because it's the only Jersey I have beyond that. This one did get ready for no one to be mad at me about this. Kobe white. When Lonzo balls knees decided to eviscerate.
00:52:06
Speaker
The Bulls were in champles. The ones beloved, one seed, fell apart and missed the playoffs, just barely losing to the Miami Heat, who ended up making the NBA Finals last year. We all know that. We also all know the moves that they made this year. They brought in Jevon Carter. Patrick Beverly left, but they still have Alex Caruso.
00:52:29
Speaker
And the rotations are going to be really weird. Caruso is in a point guard. Jevon Carter, I'm from West Virginia, I have love for. I think he's actually like ridiculously underrated. I don't think either can play make. And this offense needs play making as an identity. It also needs three point scoring. And I don't think Kobe White is a playmaker.
00:52:56
Speaker
But I liked what I saw out of him last year. Tell me you didn't like Kobe White last year. I mean, he had a down season, but man, man, I just think he's so.
00:53:07
Speaker
gifted He's he's not like an all-star and I don't think he has the ability to be an all-star But I do think he can be an elite sixth man 18 and a half points per game with really really really good splits and I think he's probably the starting point guard for this unit and
00:53:28
Speaker
I think they're going to need the three point shooting. And if Patrick Williams takes a leap, it further secures Kobe white and having the opportunity in the offense. It's basically a feel thing. I loved what I saw out of them last year. I have no clue what the Bulls are going to look like this year. And I don't think Jevon Carter is going to average 12 a game. Someone's got to score points on this team and I think it's Kobe white. So look out for it. Finally, Jayden McDaniels.
00:53:57
Speaker
Jaden McDaniels won't necessarily have more opportunity. If anything, I'll have less, but I think he's going to win defensive player of the year this year. I think the Timberwolves are going to be good. And if they could get to the three seed, I think he wins defensive player of the year and most improved, which would be refreshing as fuck because in the last few years, defensive player of the year, most improved. A lot of these awards have been flawed in the way that we give them basically sixth man of the year and most improved are who scored the most points unexpectedly.
00:54:27
Speaker
Is that how the most improved player should look? I'm also ethically against giving it to second-year players like Jaw Marant. Jaw is incredible, and I should probably close the blinds in my Memphis hotel while I'm talking about this, but I don't think he deserved.
00:54:44
Speaker
I just don't. I think you're supposed to improve your second year in the league. It's just not what that award is for. He won Rookie of the Year. You don't have like year after Rookie of the Year award, so they just gave him that to give him something. He was an All-Star. He was an All-NBA guard. Isn't that damn enough?
00:55:06
Speaker
This Wolf's team is gonna be a lot better than people realize. And I talked about their depth earlier. Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert, I'm not saying is the dream combination, but what they are, are both top 35 players.
00:55:20
Speaker
If they stay healthy, there's no way they're not a five-seater above. And if Ant is who he's showing himself to be in the World Cup, I think they're even better than that. And he's gonna be allowed to do a lot more on offense and so will Karl-Anthony Towns because of the defensive anchors and Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert. I would love to see it. I would live to see a most improved player be a defensive-oriented wing.
00:55:47
Speaker
We've only got two more here, so I'm gonna try to blaze through them so I can get to bed and you guys can do anything else. Is my buddies listening? Does that have a beer? Text me. Pretty cool, pretty good friend, listening. If you're listening, you're not my buddy.
00:56:06
Speaker
kind of suspect seems like he might be my buddy nobody's enemy lesses them talk about basketball for an hour you might think you hate me but we're buds
00:56:20
Speaker
We're gonna talk trade deadline. These are trade deadline sellers this next year. There's some obvious ones and some more obvious ones. I wanna talk about specific players when we talk teams. The Raptors are an obvious answer for this. I think that there's no way they don't make moves, this trade deadline, and it really just depends on what their season looks like as to what moves those are. But they're an interesting deadline team because they just guaranteed four years of Jakob Purdle and
00:56:49
Speaker
Siakam is on an expiring deal. But being a deadline team doesn't necessarily mean they move Siakam, but if they don't move Siakam, then move Gary Trent. So successful season, they keep Siakam, they move Gary Trent. Unsuccessful season, they keep Trent, they trade Siakam. And I really don't see another way around it.
00:57:10
Speaker
Toronto sneakily, if the season were to go well, has the assets to go in on a lillard-like trade. Gary Trent Jr. makes $18.5 million. Chris Boucher, who is on a $12 million deal, gets us to $30 million. Fad Young and Otto Porter get us to $44 million with four players. They still have basically all of their draft assets, as well as Grady Dick and Precious Achewah.
00:57:38
Speaker
I don't think this will be a successful season for them, but you can imagine a world in which a legitimate shot creator, three-point shooter and leader like Damian Lillard could make them contender-ish. And nobody thought they would win when they got Kawhi, and nobody would pick them to win if they got Dame. But I think that's kind of the point.
00:58:02
Speaker
Speaking of dame Portland is an obvious trade deadline team But dame is gonna get moved and I pray to god He's moved before the deadline just because I want to think about who's gonna be on the team I don't like fantasize about how hamehakez is gonna be like a razorback on defense for us Portland has a couple guys that if dame goes we've got to get off of NERC's contract and
00:58:26
Speaker
Nurkic makes 16.8 million this year, and he's on the books two more years after this. And a lot of people think one of the hookups in the Miami deal is that we want Dame and Nurkic included. But that would be 45 million for Dame, 16 million for Nurkic. That's $61 million in salary.
00:58:48
Speaker
which means we would basically have to take back Lowry, Duncan Robinson, and whatever the filler from the Tyler Hero deal would be, which I would not be against. But this isn't about Dame. Dame is going to be traded. It's about Jeremy Grant, who this offseason signed a five-year, $160 million deal, and is in the prime of his career. He once again averaged 20 points per game on a bad team. We don't know how good Jeremy Grant is, but
00:59:16
Speaker
I watched maybe 30, 35 of the Portland games this year. He's fun. He's a great energy guy. You really love rooting for him when he's on your team. He hit that game winner against Phoenix. I think he had actually two game winners this year. And he's a hell of a three-point shooter. Pretty good team defender. Pretty good playmaker.
00:59:38
Speaker
Jeremy Grant is never going to be an all-star, but he's a player that a lot of contenders could use. Do not be shocked if Dallas comes up. I think Dallas is the perfect team for him. Imagining a starting five of Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic, Grant Williams, Jeremy Grant.
00:59:58
Speaker
Derek Lively, you pray to God, I think is really, really cool. And I think they could get them for not that much because of the contract. I think Tim Hardaway Jr. plus Jaden Hardy to a third team probably gets it done. Finally on the list, the Chicago Bulls cannot not be mentioned here because earlier we talked about the Utah Jazz. What would it take to have a successful Utah Jazz season?
01:00:30
Speaker
or when you look at the bowls.
01:00:33
Speaker
What do we take to have a successful season? It's almost a sad answer. Levine and DeMar, do they stay healthy? Can they maybe be the fifth seed in the East? There's no way they get home court for playoffs. It's just, it's not in question. Nothing could happen for that. Can Vouche maybe have a bounce back season? Can he hit threes more readily? Maybe Kobe White jumps off. DeSumu, who had a bad year last year, bounces back. Patrick Williams takes a jump.
01:01:02
Speaker
It's just not good for them. And this is the first year in a couple years that they've had their own pick. Because from the Vooch trade, they traded two firsts. But they could tank this year if they wanted to. Demarda Rosen is on an expiring contract. Levine is there for a while. Vooch is there for a while. Kobe White is there for a while. Tsumu and Javon Carter are there for a while. Aside from that, they don't have a lot of young talent. And they got to pay Patrick Williams this year.
01:01:32
Speaker
Who's to say he's worth paying? They're taking a swing in one direction or the other, and if they have any sense left to them at all, they'll sell, which probably means they'll buy. They'll probably trade Patrick Williams and Dalen Terry for Jeremy Grant later this year. But what they should do is tear the whole damn thing down and trade Levine and trade DeMar. I want to give a fun DeMar trade that I was thinking about.
01:01:57
Speaker
Because I'm like, you know, what value could you even get for Demar DeRozan? You know? I think Demar DeRozan to the Nets this season is fucking so fun. The Nets don't really have a good point guard. Maybe Ben Simmons comes back and is something like that. I won't dare put my name on that take, though. So you have to assume the starting guard is Spencer Denwini. Right now, they're starting five. Spencer, Mikel Bridges, Dorian Finney-Smith, Cam Johnson.
01:02:27
Speaker
Nick Clackston, who I love, Nick Clackston out of Georgia, also was kind of a good three-point shooter in college. Not only is he a really good defender, not only can he step out to the three-point line and recover, and he has good lateral quickness, but he once was a shooter, and you just hope that sample size was big enough that it could eventually project, because he's only 24.
01:02:52
Speaker
I think Demar would be really fun moving Dorian Finney-Smith to the bench. Imagine this, trade Ben Simmons, two first-round picks, one to get off the deal, one to add Demar.
01:03:02
Speaker
So they're new starting five, Spencer Denwini, McElbridge is Demarda Rosen, Cam Johnson, Nick Claxton. You have incredible point of attack defense and rim protection. And you have really great three point shooting. Let Demard take fucking a thousand shots a game. Let him and McElbridge trade off with the ball and Cam Johnson float around on the outside, pick it and pop in his way to 25 a game.
01:03:28
Speaker
I love it and it's a low risk deal because if the Nets want to go big game hunting, they get off the Ben Simmons money early. If it doesn't work out, Ben Simmons has two years left until tomorrow as one. So if this doesn't work, they get off the money this season and can maybe go grab a guy. If it does work, they still have the picks and assets to build around this existing core.
01:03:51
Speaker
I don't know for sure that it's the perfect deal, but I think it's sort of a win-win for teams that have lose-lose scenarios written all over them this season. The last storyline I want to touch on is, let's swing it back to the Hawks. We start with the Hawks, we'll end with the Hawks. It's are the Hawks contenders with Siakam? So let's do it. Let's do like the mock trade, what it would have to be.
01:04:23
Speaker
Raptors Hawks You basically to make the salaries work see I'll go makes 37 million dollars a year So it would have to be for them to consider DeAndre Hunter who makes 20 with AJ Griffin Kobe Buffkin and
01:04:48
Speaker
Let's see, how much salary is that? Still need 2.4 million in salary. Let's just say patty mills. If you only need two, let's do Bruno Fernando, because who the fuck cares about him?
01:05:02
Speaker
Yeah, I kinda like that. So the Hawks could trade De'Andre Hunter, AJ Griffin, Kobe Buffkin, Bruno Fernando, as well as three first round picks and maybe some additional pick swaps. And the Raptors would trade Pascal Siakam. So let's talk about it for each team because I think I really love it. Let's do Raptors first just to end it on the Hawks.
01:05:27
Speaker
They need a guard. If they're trading Siakam, they cannot trade him for another logjam, but forward. And AJ Griffin is a really sexy wing. The dude can shoot the lights out of the ball. And if it weren't for his knee, he would have been a top five pick. He stayed healthy all last season. He looked fantastic. He shot the shit out of the ball. De'Andre Hunter?
01:05:52
Speaker
is a guy, and I hate to say it, but he's mostly salary in this deal. The Raptors in this scenario, starting five, could be Kobe Buffkin, AJ Griffin, OG Inanobi, Scotty Barnes, Yaka Purdle. Kobe Buffkin, I read in an NBA draft comment on Reddit maybe four months ago, how impressive his finishing was.
01:06:14
Speaker
So I watched some gameplay from college and it just looked so clean. I liked him as a shot creator. I thought his ability to like create for himself and drive to the lane and finish with contact was so good. He looked terrible in G League. He did not look ready to be an NBA player and for the 15th pick in the draft you would want more out of it.
01:06:38
Speaker
But the G-League gives and the G-League takes because we all thought Kevin Knox was going to be like an elite, elite player, but he wasn't. And Kobe Buffkin could still be very, very good out of Michigan. I like that core. And I think that plus picks lets you figure out who OG Ananobi is, which is an important part of this aspect because he's going to need paid soon.
01:06:58
Speaker
It still gives you the trade chip of Gary Trent who's still on an expiring deal Maybe you can move him as well and get additional assets or have him start move AJ Griffin to the bench I think it makes a lot more sense for the direction of the franchise though What about the Hawks the Hawks starting five would be Trey Young Dejante Murray
01:07:21
Speaker
Sadiq Bae, Pascal Siakam, Clint Capella. Onyeko Okonwoo is sure to overthrow Clint Capella at some point. I keep being wrong about when that is though. And Clint still has two years left on his deal. Onyeko you have to pay after this year. You would think that this would be the year to figure out what you have in the guy.
01:07:41
Speaker
I think they know though. I think they know and I think they'll have versatility in these lineups because Unyeka can play the four and Siakam can play small ball five as well. Having a rotation of those three as your big dudes in your front court is really, really cool. Who ends up in that three spot I think can change a lot per lineup.
01:08:00
Speaker
I think you want bogged in on the bench Bogdanovich could be in a six-man role Just let him create with whoever he can patty mills. They picked up who knows how much he has left in the tank Pacific Bay and who he projects to be and
01:08:20
Speaker
I don't know, it could be all over the place. You can just remember that random 51 point Sadiq Bey game, he went like 8 from 11 from 3. He is a shooter, and he has a lot of confidence as a shooter. And if you can give him space in this offense, which a big 3 of Siakam, Murray, and Young would do, maybe he can thrive out of the player he's gonna be.
01:08:42
Speaker
But if he can't, Jalen Johnson is a smart, all-around perfect role-player for this team. He just doesn't have the shot and you do worry if Trey, Dejante, and Siakam can't shoot, what sort of lineups you're gonna get in.
01:08:59
Speaker
So I think if they believe in Sidique Bay, this team is a contender. I like them better than anybody than Boston in the Eastern Conference. If Sidique Bay can't shoot, they're not a contender, and I don't know if they're the fourth seed.
01:09:14
Speaker
I don't know how much weight you wanna put in the Sadiq Bay. You just traded four second round picks for him, so maybe not that much. This has been fun. If you enjoyed the podcast, please leave a rating wherever you're listening to it, if the podcast provider allows. If it doesn't, skip a stone for me. Walk down to the riverbank, pick up a smooth one with your hands, and try to get six or seven for me and my pawpaw.
01:09:44
Speaker
I am probably going to try to commit to doing these every Wednesday-ish, although that schedule is going to be kind of all over the place. There's nothing to talk about. There's nothing to talk about. And if I got to spend time with my cats, I'm going to damn do it because I got one that's kind of getting older. Thank you guys for listening. My name is Morgan Cahill. One Theory will be back here next Wednesday.