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NBA Trade Deadline Special | The Clippers Trade Zubac, the Warriors Fail Steph Again + Much More
11 Plays7 days ago
The NBA Trade Deadline is in the books, and Who’s Got the Ball? is breaking down everything you need to know in this Trade Deadline Special episode.
We react to the shocking news that the LA Clippers traded Ivica Zubac, debate whether the move actually helps their title chances, and ask the uncomfortable question yet again: Did the Warriors fail Steph Curry at the trade deadline? From blockbuster deals to baffling inaction, we cover the biggest winners, losers, and unanswered questions coming out of deadline day.
If you want smart analysis, honest reactions, and no-filter NBA talk, this episode is for you.
🏀 In This Episode:
- Full NBA trade deadline recap
- Clippers trading Ivica Zubac: smart move or mistake?
- Golden State Warriors’ missed opportunities around Steph Curry
- Trade deadline winners & losers
- How the deadline impacts the playoff picture
🎙️ Who’s Got the Ball? delivers weekly NBA discussions, trade analysis, and real hoops conversations — no clichés, just basketball.
🎧 Listen if you’re into:
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- NBA previews & predictions
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- Underdog betting tips
- Draft-style sports debates
- Power rankings across multiple sports
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🌍 Based in Ireland | Talking global sports weekly
(1:13) The Cavs Upgrade Their Guard Rotation
(5:05) Jaren Jackson Jr. Traded to The Jazz
(11:30) The Sixers Duck The Tax Once More
(17:48) Boston Retools for Another Playoff Run
(20:46) What on Earth Are The Clippers Doing?
(25:39) The Warriors Continue to Fail Steph
(31:40) Ayo Dosunmu Lands in Minnesota
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Transcript
Introduction and NBA Trade Deadline Chaos
00:00:09
Speaker
So welcome back to another episode of Who's Got the Ball. This is an NBA trade date deadline special extra episode. Michael is with us. it Me and Michael here to break down all the trades that we haven't talked about yet because it was a bit of a mad one. How are you, Mike?
00:00:25
Speaker
Pretty good. Pretty good. spinning after a million Shams notifications yesterday. But ah other than than that, excited to be here. Yeah, it was, we were talking just before we jumped on to record saying like, it was a bit slow earlier in the in the week, at the start of the week, I guess. And then it was like, okay, is anything really going to happen here? Because it seemed like it was just a lot of clickbait from Shams about Giannis over and over again. And then hit.
00:00:57
Speaker
And it hit pretty hard. and Myself and Shane went into... Our thoughts on the James Harden and AD trade on the regular episode yesterday. So we're going to hit everything big outside of that that we think is worth noting.
00:01:11
Speaker
Everything that went down this week. So we're going to rewind back to the first the first of February, which was last Sunday.
Trade Analysis: Cavs, Bulls, and Kings
00:01:19
Speaker
And we're going to touch on three team deal between the Cavs, Bulls and Kings this kind of started getting everything in motion like I think this was the first move and the Cavs obviously then followed that up by adding Harden but they added Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroeder both from the Kings and then they got Emmanuel Miller from the Bulls then the Bulls got Dario Saric and two second rounders from the Kings And Sacramento ended up with DeAndre Hunter. So the DeAndre Hunter experiment in Cleveland is well and truly over.
00:01:56
Speaker
I like what they got for this. I think Schroeder is a very good player and he'll be a good backup to Harden and and Mitchell. And then Keon Ellis has a lot of potential as well. So I think it was worth it because Hunter just wasn't working out there.
00:02:11
Speaker
Yeah, I actually really like it for Cleveland. Keon Ellis, defensive-minded point guard, you know, I think he'll be great in minutes next to Donovan Mitchell or James Harden, you know, to kind of help on the defensive end.
00:02:26
Speaker
You know, DeAndre Hunter, he's a good... He's a good enough defender. I think he has a better name than anything at this point. But for for just DeAndre Hunter getting Keon Ellis, a younger player, I think it's his third year.
00:02:41
Speaker
Like you said, Dennis Schroeder can definitely facilitate as a backup. I like it. It's great. It just it seems like improving at improving in kind of like small ways, which I think you kind of have to be when it's Cleveland and you just got James Harden as well. You need to find any kind of way to get an edge and maybe two backups in case James Harden kind of falls out of the playoffs, but okay.
Cavs' New Guard Rotation: Beneficial or Risky?
00:03:11
Speaker
yeah Yeah, well, knowing James Harden, that's what we spoke about yesterday. We kind of said, i asked Shane, I said, like, going after Harden to rectify playoff issues, like, how does that make any sense?
00:03:27
Speaker
because he's probably the the the superstar with the worst playoff performances that we've ever seen. um And he's fallen apart so many times. And their whole guard rotation is completely switched up now because it was Garland, Mitchell and um Hunter, I guess, could play at the guard. And then they also had Lonzo Ball.
00:03:49
Speaker
And now that's just completely switched up to Keon Allen, it's really hard to Mitchell. So they've really gone and changed the whole thing here. Yeah, I mean, i don't even blame at this point.
00:04:02
Speaker
I think they kind of got a back on track for their regular season. And I think they're chilling at the four spot yesterday when I checked. I don't really believe in that.
00:04:14
Speaker
I don't think they were headed to anything different this year. I think it gives them something different, and I think that's all they needed. Once you hear that Donovan Mitchell asked for James Harden, you just listen to what your superstar is saying.
00:04:27
Speaker
Make sure he doesn't request a trade. Trade for his guy. Try and build around that. I don't really blame them for it at that point. They're kind of stuck in between a rock and a hard place. They'll probably look for something this offseason, whether it's some trade or some free agent or something. But in terms of their options, I'm fine with it. I i like it for them. This is like an A for me.
00:04:54
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. No, I like the move as well. I agree with you. And Kings and and the Bulls are just...
Jazz's Strategic Move for Jaron Jackson Jr.
00:05:01
Speaker
collateral in this basically as usual they like to team up together their trades so we'll zoom forward a couple of days then um into this week now because we're looking at february 3rd and this is the first major move we had jaron jackson jr on the move from the grizzlies kind of came out of left field i didn't expect to see this i thought ja would be the one traded um before this deadline but that did not happen so utah
00:05:27
Speaker
received Jaron Jackson Jr., Jock Landale, who has now been flipped since then. He's with the Hawks. Had a good first game for the Hawks, scored like 25 points last night. Then John Conchar and Vince Williams Jr. And then going in the other direction, Memphis got Walter Clayton Jr., Kyle Anderson, Taylor Hendricks, George Niang, who's always involved in every trade, it seems, and three first-rounders. So thoughts on this?
00:05:55
Speaker
I mean...
00:05:58
Speaker
I kind of mentioned it when we first got on call. I feel like this trade deadline was really good like baseline of seeing like where there was good organizations and bad organizations.
00:06:12
Speaker
The jury's out on the Jazz. I don't know, okay? I don't know if Danny Ainge is cooking here or not. Their biggest weakness is defense. They get a previous defensive player of the year. They get Vince Williams Jr., which is a young player who I've kind of been liking for the Grizzlies. at John Contra as well.
00:06:31
Speaker
You hope that they don't start winning games this year and next year. it all comes together and they start competing. But it just seems like a crazy left turn to take after having Markkinen on the trade deadline, on the trade block for like four years, it feels like. Every year, I'm talking about Larry Markkinen and everyone's saying, yeah, Danny Ainge doesn't want to trade because he needs to get the one up on everything.
00:07:02
Speaker
And then he just throws three first round picks at Jaron Jackson Jr. I mean, a d didn't go for three first round picks. Like, I don't know. i don't know if this is a good trade or not. I actually do like it for the Jazz. On paper, you look at their team next year, and you think...
00:07:23
Speaker
like Maybe they can do something. But that's like... i also kind of want to say that about the Wizards. But it's the Jazz and the Wizards, I'm kind of a little bit tentative before I say it it'll work out for them.
00:07:38
Speaker
For the Grizzlies, three first-round picks, you just say yes. I mean, you get Walter Clayton Jr. Maybe he can be something... They say that Cedric Herrod is their cornerstone with Zach Eady.
00:07:54
Speaker
So Walter Clayton Jr. going into that six-man role, I think that's fine. Kyle Anderson played four years in Memphis before, a veteran that the organization knows already. And and Georges Niang just does stuff, man. Death taxes in Georges Niang at the trade deadline. He's he's just flying everywhere.
00:08:15
Speaker
I think it's great for Memphis. The jury's out on the Jazz, but on paper, I think it's kind of good for both sides, actually. Begins that rebuild in Grizzlies that I think should have happened. I told you.
00:08:29
Speaker
i told you it was going to go downhill at the start of the season for the Grizzlies. That was because I didn't believe in Jazz, and that felt harsh, but I was right. And now...
00:08:39
Speaker
They began the rebuild. I get why nobody traded for him. It does feel like a very desperate move. And the Bucks did a 180 and decided to build around Giannis with nothing. um But yeah, I think it was great.
00:08:57
Speaker
Great for the Grizz. Yeah, I think they're in prime position now to rebuild as well. Like this is how you properly do a rebuild because they've got seven first rounders from Desmond Bain and Jaron Jackson Jr., which is a bit nuts to think of.
00:09:12
Speaker
So they're in prime position to rebuild now.
Sixers' Frustrating Trade for Draft Picks
00:09:15
Speaker
Like you said with the Jazz, the jury's out. I think... The Wizards one makes more sense for me to think they'll be better next season because at least they they look more complete. Like they've got Trae Young, they've got AD, they already had Sar, George, a number of other pieces there that are at least exciting.
00:09:37
Speaker
And I know the Jazz do have Markkinen. They've got Filipowski there. They've got names they've also got the other george brother which is uh interesting to speak with the two the two together probably the better one but then i'm like did they just grab another large player and go we're gonna put like a lot of big guys on the feet on the court at the same time because that seems like their tactic right now like they need more i think they need more at guard probably more playmaking
00:10:09
Speaker
And I don't know how much they're going rely on Ace Bailey as well. So they are definitely like a a big question mark to see how this works. But I guess it was worth the punt if nobody was ever going to come in for Lowry at the price that they had in mind. So, yeah, why not?
00:10:27
Speaker
Why not do it? And of course, the Grizzlies are going to just grab that chance when they have it. Yeah, I feel like the Jazz definitely do actually feel like they have it. Isaiah Collier just had 22 assists like two games ago with Keontae George out. I feel like they're like, oh, yeah, we have our our star playmaker. We've got Keontae George as a shot creator. We've got all these pieces around us now.
00:10:53
Speaker
I see why Ainge decided to go for it because you look at him. I don't know. Maybe I do kind of like him. I'm scared to say anything good about the Jazz. Okay. It just seems like perpetual nothingness. But maybe maybe they come on the scene like the Pistons in the Western Conference.
00:11:18
Speaker
yeah I don't know. That would be a big jump, but I don't know. I think it's probably something that's going to be hard to even predict going into next season and it'll just have to be a wait and see. Depends on what you believe in it. But...
00:11:30
Speaker
Moving into one then that went down on the 4th of February. Yeah, this one's going to hurt for both of us. Jared McCain was traded by the Sixers to Oklahoma City.
00:11:43
Speaker
In return, the Sixers got first rounder and three second round picks. So essentially, we got a late first rounder in return for McCain. I get that he struggled this season so far with his injury, but he looked...
00:11:58
Speaker
Physically not the same that he wasn't up to scratch and in the last few weeks He looked like the shot was just falling perfectly like it wasn't earlier in the season So once that physical side came back, I thought it only makes sense to hold on to him because We've got maxi and and vj as our two starters We're gonna need backups and grimes is now kind of our only backup guard outside of Kyle Lowry at this point after trading away Eric Gordon again as well. and So it's just consistent from the Sixers every year ducking the tax. Embiid literally asked like the front office six days ago and in and and a locker room interview, he said, like please don't duck the tax this year. We have a good chance of what we have.
00:12:45
Speaker
And literally never fails that they go out and they duck the tax they don't want to go anywhere above it the Paul George situation also helped them get under the tax too so they were only too happy with that and now the rotation is very limited last night you looked at Embiid playing like 40 minutes against the Lakers we can't do this like I don't understand what they've why they've done it um for this minimal of a return when you clearly hit on a good player here Yeah, this, I'll give you the exact context of where I was.
00:13:19
Speaker
I had an under-19s game. i was coaching, and I was standing at the hall because it had got postponed or canceled. And I was walking down the hall. My friend ran up to me. Shout out, Manny, who watches the podcast. My friend ran up to me, and he was like, Michael, come Look at this.
00:13:39
Speaker
And I went, oh. and i thought we were getting I thought we were getting some center. I thought something was happening. He turned it around. I saw McCain. Oh, my stomach flipped, dude.
00:13:52
Speaker
And I was like, okay, what did we get? said, first roundwe first round pick and three second round picks. And I was like, We don't need picks. We need a player. What do you mean? That doesn't make sense.
00:14:06
Speaker
So I thought, okay, he's going to turn around. Andre Drummond, three second round picks. Who wants it? No, we just salary dump Eric Gordon instead. I am so upset.
00:14:19
Speaker
It feels like, I said this to you as well. It feels like we didn't even look six months ahead. This summer, if we don't re-sign Quinton Grimes, who are we signing?
00:14:31
Speaker
No offense, but like we're not a free agent destination. I can't think... I've got like a sheet here with all the people from the trade deadline, and half of them are expiring contracts, right?
00:14:45
Speaker
I don't know who we're going to sign that is going to possibly grow into the player that Jared McCain was. yeah I know it's also a punt, but he tore his knee.
00:14:59
Speaker
just as he was about to start the season, then tore a ligament in it in his thumb. So obviously the shooting was going to take a while come back on top of his legs getting under him.
00:15:10
Speaker
But i I texted you this as well. I would have taken any player on the Thunder. Literally anybody. Osmond Dieng, who went to the Bucs, would have loved to have.
00:15:25
Speaker
Would have loved to have that. i just... Yeah, you said Isaiah Joe coming back. That would have been great. Just, I'm so upset that we just got picks. Okay, we got another first round pick for this year, which is supposed to be a super, super strong draft, which was demonstrated by all the front offices. There was three first round picks traded and five second round picks for this year traded with a couple swaps in and Like,
00:15:56
Speaker
in and out like i just I just don't see why we did this. And we're clearly not serious about playing to contend.
00:16:08
Speaker
And my disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined. yeah Honestly, it it is disappointing though. Like massively disappointing, especially Watching the team then after that and how frustrating it is, but how limited the rotation is. And yeah, you like you said, it was going to take time for it to come back. And now this pick has to be at least as good as McCain.
00:16:35
Speaker
And how often are you going to get that right? I know we've we've managed it a few times, but come on, it doesn't work every single time when you're picking in the 20s. You can't always get the right guy.
00:16:47
Speaker
and regardless of how deep the draft is, it's going to be a late pick. So I don't know. It just doesn't make any sense at all. And McCain is going to thrive in OKC, without a doubt. and And it's going to be another another tough situation. But like you said, I would have taken anybody from them because we needed rotation pieces. Like it just doesn't make sense. And there's a number of times that the Sixers have done things like this that didn't make sense. So this is just another
Celtics' Strategic Acquisition of Nikola Vucevic
00:17:15
Speaker
one. And I hope The fans aren't the ones that have to pay for it by another injury or another something ridiculous going on in the offseason. I mean, in the playoff season because of, you know, not enough shooting or Joel has to play too many minutes and gets injured again. That will be could be because of this. so
00:17:33
Speaker
Let's hope that that doesn't happen. Then on the same the next day, February 5th, so we're edging closer to the deadline. we're we're We're pretty much at the deadline at this point. This is the last one, I think, kind of going into the night before.
00:17:48
Speaker
And the Celtics added Nikola Vucevic. So they traded Anthony Simons and a second rounder to the Bulls for Vucevic and a second rounder. This is a great move by the Celtics. They took Simons, who they got for nothing, basically, and flipped him.
00:18:07
Speaker
You know, they he was he was part of the holiday trade, obviously, but they he was kind of an a bit of an added extra and for them. And it was like, he's just there. And now we've managed to flip him into somebody who can actually...
00:18:21
Speaker
probably contribute at a high level if they do make a run at this because they look like one of the best teams in the east despite Tatum being out so I really like this move I think it's smart they turned somebody who is kind of valuable can do a job but they already have guys that can do that into somebody that they don't really have and that could really work for them and maybe do what they wanted Chris Stapps to do at a bit of a lower level but at least more consistently because he's available more Yeah, this is like the Celtics know what they're doing.
00:18:54
Speaker
They know what their assets are. They know who their players are. They know what they want. Missoula is in lockstep with ah Brad Stevens.
00:19:05
Speaker
This is... I mean, you get rid of Anthony Simons, you get rid of Josh Minot as well, got dumped for the salary for the luxury tax, which he was also playing a couple of like rotation minutes for them.
00:19:20
Speaker
You get Vucevic in. And then with Missoula, I mean, you have Luka Garza playing, you have Baylor Shireman and Hugo Gonzalez that can also take a step up and play those extra minutes that Vucevic doesn't take.
00:19:34
Speaker
You're just so confident in this team. And then you say, oh, wait, our superstar isn't here. We're at number three of the Eastern Conference. We look amazing. And our biggest flaw, we just got Nikola Vucevic in for it.
00:19:50
Speaker
Now, I'm sure they would have loved to have Zubac. But Vucevic just found his three-point shot back this year.
00:20:03
Speaker
He's looking great. I mean, you saw how much Kristaps Porzingis thrived in limited minutes for them. I think any sort of versatile big that can shoot and can play on the floor is fantastic for them. Niemu Skieta is having a fantastic season as well.
00:20:23
Speaker
I mean... This is a great move for them. I saw a lot of people saying it was kind of like a B- minus move. like kind of ah Like an average move for the Celtics. I love it for them.
00:20:34
Speaker
For this season and for next season, I love it. Yeah, me too. I think it was a really good move. And yeah, future-proof as well because he's a solid player. and I think that leads nicely into...
00:20:49
Speaker
You mentioned Zubac there, so let's get into that one.
Pacers and Clippers: Short-term vs. Future Assets
00:20:52
Speaker
He obviously was on the move, but the value or what was given up for him was a lot more than the Celtics were probably willing to give up. and So he's gone a bit to Zubac, gone from the Clippers, who are...
00:21:09
Speaker
inexplicably now blowing the whole thing up after Harden left by getting rid of Zubac. I don't know what they're doing, their defensive cornerstone, but they gave him up to the Pacers. and In return, they got Benedict Matherin, who has some potential, and but is kind of like another guy who we'll talk about in in a few minutes in Jonathan Kaminga and just can go crazy on the court and may not follow the system that you want him to play.
00:21:36
Speaker
and but he has potential. They also got Isaiah Jackson and two first rounders. The Clippers gave up Kobe Brown as well. and So Clippers got a lot back for this.
00:21:47
Speaker
Getting two first rounders for Zubac is a lot. They're clearly retuning for the future now. So I think this one is quite interesting and I'm not really sure why the Pacers went about this in the way they did and gave up so much.
00:22:05
Speaker
um I don't know. i i feel like it's okay for the Pacers. I think they're pulling the slot wheel on the lottery, which has paid out for some teams, hasn't paid out for for others. We'll see if the gods decide to bless the Clippers with a 5-9 pick.
00:22:27
Speaker
But, I mean, for the Pacers... I like it. They might win a few more games, which might hurt them, but I'm sure they'll the first sign that Zubac has, all right, you can go sit in the back, man. Yeah.
00:22:41
Speaker
Because they do not want to be winning that many games, especially with this kind of protection on the pick. For the Clippers... What's the deal?
00:22:52
Speaker
We don't care about this pick for this year anymore? yeah like You traded James Harden, you got Darius Gerland, he can't play. And then you trade for ben earthth Benedict Matherin, who is also out right now, so he can't play.
00:23:08
Speaker
You don't have your pick for this year, you might have this pick, but if you don't get this pick... You are in the bucket. Even if you do get this pick, you're still in the bucket.
00:23:19
Speaker
You have no center. Isaiah Jackson, I'm sorry. I do kind of like you. But no, you are not Zubac. I doubt they'll get a center as good as him in this draft.
00:23:31
Speaker
I... It's a weird turn for the Clippers. What? Like, if these were stocks, they had just nosedived. Like, it just...
00:23:43
Speaker
I don't really know what the plan is. I don't know what they're doing. i don't know what the plan is with Kawhi moving forward. I don't know if they don't get this draft pick, how are they going to be recruiting young players? Like all of this seems like a mess from the Clippers that the Pacers just took advantage of, which I think is fantastic for them. It just seems like, you know, that move that they made in the finals, like the day before, oh yeah like game three or something.
00:24:13
Speaker
That's what it feels like. It feels like last minute, Give us Zubac. Here you can take this super heavily protected pick. And it just seems like, boom, they'll get the second pick. They have Zubac. They have Halliburton coming back next year. They'll look fantastic. I'm predicting that right now. Number two pick for the Pacers right here. If that did happen, then this makes it like so much better because they would be so complete at that point. They'd be able to pick up...
00:24:41
Speaker
like a a very, very, very good player in this draft, and they would have Zoo. and Like you're alluding to there about the protections on this pick. So essentially, the Pacers keep the pick if it's between 1 and 4 and between 10 and 30. So only between five and nine would it go to the Clippers. Obviously they'll they'll get it in a different year than otherwise, but as far a year ahead, they're kind of like, right, we're hoping that if it lands between five and nine or we just gave up Zubac for nothing in the meat in the immediate short term because the second pick then is 2029.
00:25:20
Speaker
Yeah, I don't know what they're doing. It seems like it kind of came out of nowhere. where They have no plan. They gave up their best defender. They gave up one of their best offensive players. And they were on the cusp of breaking into the playoff picture with the recent run they were on. So, yeah.
00:25:37
Speaker
Doesn't make a whole pile of sense to me, but I alluded to the fact that we were going to touch on Jonathan Kaminga and his trade involves another guy we mentioned, and that's Chris Stapps
Warriors and Hawks: Strategic Moves Evaluated
00:25:48
Speaker
Porzingis. So the Warriors, they traded Kaminga and Buddy Heal to the Hawks for Chris Stapps.
00:25:53
Speaker
I think it's smart by the Hawks because you take a punt on a guy like Kaminga who's very strong athletically. He has a good shot. He can do a lot of things, but he just wasn't Steve Kerr's guy. He did not like him. He did not fit with him. And then they get Buddy Heald, who's also a good and a good option off the bench, a good three-point shooter. And you give up Porzingis, who was proven to be...
00:26:16
Speaker
unreliable for a number of years including this year so they cashed in on him for for quite a lot and in another trade as well outside of that they got gabe vincent um for luke canard from from the from the lakers so they've got another shooter there a guy who worked very well with the heat and the lakers are grabbing luke canard who is a three-point specialist but i think they're very well done by the hawks all around to just give up Luke Kennard basically and Chris Tapps and you get Kaminga healed and Gabe Vincent in return.
00:26:49
Speaker
Yeah. I love what the Hawks did in their trades this season. I think they saw their team. They said, you know what? Don't believe in the small point guard.
00:27:02
Speaker
Got rid of Trey. Now, A lot of people complained about that. I thought it was going to be good. as far I thought it was going to be good in the short term as well. CJ McCollum...
00:27:13
Speaker
Did not have as much impact as I perceived him to have with this squad. And I don't know. i think it's partly a right reaction to that. And partly I think the Hawks are just trying to get better.
00:27:27
Speaker
This Porzingis trade is great. I think it's great. Porzingis has played 17 games this year. He's averaging 17 points. Almost three assists, five rebounds, 1.3 blocks.
00:27:40
Speaker
He's shooting 36% from three. He's not shooting lights out. He's not playing over the moon. Now you can say he's not playing with Trey. Okay, fair enough. He can go play with Steph for 17 games instead.
00:27:53
Speaker
i like ice I looked him up. This is a ridiculous stat. He has played over 60 games three times in his career. Once with his last year in Washington, that was three years ago.
00:28:08
Speaker
The other two years is his rookie year and his second year. There is no way he plays over 60 games next year. He literally had a phantom illness in the playoffs with the Celtics and they were winning a championship.
00:28:23
Speaker
And he just couldn't not be sick. No offense. This guy's immune system, I feel bad for. It's clearly not working at prime peak efficiency. Right. But like.
00:28:37
Speaker
I would have preferred a trade for Anthony Davis. Right. At least he's when he's on the court, he's playing out of his mind. he He was playing great for the Mavs when he's on the court.
00:28:49
Speaker
But he can't stay on the court. Chris Saps could come back and just be bad. That's it. He could just come back and be a bad center. And they also got rid of Trace Jackson-Davies.
00:29:01
Speaker
So, I mean, they have even less depth at center now. they And they got rid of Horford and KP there at the moment. Like that is not good enough. i like free Steph. I could go on about the Warriors for ages. I've made a very in our group chat. I've made a very evident. I think the Warriors has gotten away with being one of the worst organizations in the NBA for the last four years.
00:29:30
Speaker
But, I mean, for the Hawks, it's fantastic. It's a great turn. You have Kaminga. Maybe it'll work. Maybe it won't. Doesn't really matter. You've got a nice draft pick this year.
00:29:41
Speaker
Luke Kinard wasn't really playing that much. KP was always in. Vit Kareji was kind of an exciting wing. But you didn't love him that much that you couldn't let go of him. Trae Young was always hurt as well.
00:29:52
Speaker
So, you've got Jonathan Kaminga. Oh! Last thing I want to say about the Hawks trade stuff. They saved the Lakers from Gabe Vincent. Congrats, Lakers fans. You no need to worry about basketball terrorism edits with Gabe Vincent on the front of it.
00:30:12
Speaker
It's all okay. They gave you Luke Kinard. They have some offense. Probably won't work for the Lakers and they'll blow out in the in the first round, but yeah i don't get it you got to say Yeah, I don't think that's the right move for the Lakers. right Vincent is a much better defender than Canard. Just because he hasn't been shooting it like since he got there. Yeah, okay, have some more shots. you had enough shots already, you still can't defend. Thanks.
00:30:42
Speaker
You've got Aiden now. Oh, wow, yeah. the The elite defender, DeAndre Aiden that everyone is scared of. Can't wait to see him go against Jokic in the playoffs. Come on, like, give me a break with this Lakers stuff. I'm just sick of the Lakers, to be honest, because I just think that they're they're not making the right... They're making moves and their fans are like, yeah, look, we made moves, but, like, they're not the right moves.
00:31:06
Speaker
So, yeah, then you look at the Celtics and clearly they know exactly what they're doing. and And like you said, the Warriors are another team that are like, At least their fans aren't believing in this crap because what they're doing is really, really bad. Like to Steph, it's just not good enough. It's not been good enough. And they should have got rid of Pajemski before when his value was so high and Kaminga's value was so high. But no, they dragged the life out of it.
00:31:33
Speaker
And now you're left with Porzingis, who probably won't contribute much. um Final one that I have here.
Bulls' Trade Decisions: Progress or Setback?
00:31:43
Speaker
i know you've got thoughts on this one, so I threw in.
00:31:46
Speaker
um The Chicago Bulls have traded Ayoub de Sumnu to the Minnesota Timberwolves. So in return, the Bulls, of course, they get more guards here. They've got Rob Dillingham.
00:31:57
Speaker
They have about 10 guards at this point. Leonard Miller and four seconds. And in return, they got Sumnu and Julian Phillips. So you're you're a fan of de Sumnu. You like this move.
00:32:08
Speaker
Yeah, I really like this. I definitely like If you gave me an option between this and Ja Morant trade, I would have chosen this.
00:32:19
Speaker
I think this has way more chance of like working out. I think he'll have an impact right away. Anytime he gets over 30 minutes, he plays great. And that's only happened like three times this season.
00:32:30
Speaker
But hey, I'll take it. Mike Conley's out and they've they've badly needed a point guard to kind of grow into that role for a while. i think he I think he has that explosiveness at that position where he can his playmaking can get a bit better because I think right now it's a little bit raw but it kind of feels like Ann Edwards where it's just like oh he could get you like 23 or like he could get you 10 10 assists some nights like it just feels like a nice move for them
00:33:08
Speaker
I was really, I think if they didn't have this in the works, they might have pulled something for Ja. And I'm wondering if that's why the Grizzlies didn't have him ah traded late, because I can't see another team that was looking for that.
00:33:23
Speaker
But I really like it for Minnesota. I think it's nice, especially for this year. You keep Julius Randle, you keep Ant Edwards, you keep Nas Reed, you still have Gobert.
00:33:35
Speaker
The Rob Dillingham project was not working. so yeah yeah the bulls are only happy to take to take him off their hands at this point because they're just taking nonsensical players that don't fit for them whatsoever so i think you make a good point as well about how they get with him and they went for him instead of ja and in terms of even being less volatile like i can't imagine ja being there and If something goes wrong with him and Ant, that's just an explosion waiting to happen. Whereas this is going to be much more reserved than someone who will fall in line to Ant's team, because it is Ant's team.
00:34:14
Speaker
Yeah, i'm surprised I'm surprised Minnesota didn't do something bigger. You know what was in the back of my mind for the second half of yesterday was a Julius Randle Zion trade.
00:34:31
Speaker
Because, mean, they have the bigs to kind of facilitate that. And I think he gives him an extra level of explosiveness. But I don't think anyone wants to touch Zion right now. No. So I get that as well.
00:34:42
Speaker
He's not decent this season, to be fair. But it's still just the sample size is so small. Can't rely on them Yeah. The Bulls, you know what? I think this is the first year in three years I've said, you know what, Bulls?
00:34:58
Speaker
I like it. It got worse. Good job. I like it. Don't go for the play-in. Just suck. Just suck. Just see. i'm I think they dumped a lot of like talent. like I wouldn't have let go of Aya Desumu if you're taking away Kobe White. I thought he was having... like I'm kind of a fan of his, but maybe I'm overrating him a little bit. but I thought he was looking really nice this year.
00:35:23
Speaker
They waived Mike Conley. They got Jaden Ivey. Colin Sexton, they were they were looking to ship off again. They didn't get to. Gabriela just had a crazy game. Just had a crazy game last night.
00:35:36
Speaker
And then pro Nick Richards and Anthony Simons. I was looking at their roster here and I was like...
00:35:44
Speaker
It's just such a, like, they definitely got worse. And I'm happy for them. They still got Okoro there as well. And Trey Jones, man, what oh lordy. I don't know who's even going to line out for them at this point.
00:35:57
Speaker
I agree. At least they got worse and they can tank. But like, they didn't get any capital really in terms of draft picks for all the talent that they had. Like, Kobe White is at least worth something. Yeah.
00:36:09
Speaker
nine second round picks, I think. What use is that? Nobody cares about second round picks. I don't know. Like, i don't know.
00:36:21
Speaker
yeah It was really interesting seeing a lot of front offices try and, like, I have it written here. Clippers got a 26 first round pick. Now it's protected, like we were saying. But, like, Nuggets, bull nuggets Bulls, Warriors, Mavs all got second round picks. Mavs also got a first round pick. This is just for 2026.
00:36:42
Speaker
So you can see a lot of the contending teams scrambling to get a second round pick or something. Because there is really this belief of like, this is one of the most stacked draft prospects ever. And we all kind of know the second round is kind of like, you can just ask to not be drafted by by a team. Just go to whatever team. So it's like free agency, basically.
00:37:07
Speaker
So I can kind of see... you can kind of take a gauge for which teams are in the know and kind of who rates this draft, who doesn't.
00:37:18
Speaker
The other interesting thing is there was only three teams this year who did not make a trade. Can you guess those three teams real quick off the top your head?
Spurs, Heat, and Rockets: Future Strategies
00:37:27
Speaker
Gosh. Three teams that didn't make a trade the whole deadline? Yeah.
00:37:33
Speaker
The Blazers? No. they They made one. Oh. loie everyone Everyone that's coming into my mind did something.
00:37:46
Speaker
And then the Knicks got rid of Yabu. oh the piss No, they made a move too. Oh, man. You want me to give it to you?
00:37:57
Speaker
Yeah, just just give it to me because I can't. The Spurs, the Heat, and the Rockets. Damn. Which is so interesting because... I think those are the main suitors for Giannis this offseason. Yeah. Depending on how their playoff picture looks. And I think that's exactly why all of those three teams stood pat.
00:38:16
Speaker
They're holding back. Except for Miami. Miami, you suck. You should have done something. You should have done something three years ago. should have done something last year.
00:38:28
Speaker
I'm over it. Pat Riley, I really believed in you this year. I thought he was getting it done. I was watching him dance at whatever party it was that got posted on NBA Central. okay I really thought this was the year he was going to pull off Giannis trade. I was going to see some Giannis, Bam Adebayo, big man.
00:38:48
Speaker
No. So I'm over it. Miami. Do what the Bulls did. Get worse. Start sucking. Okay. I'll say Miami don't do what the Bulls did.
00:38:59
Speaker
Because they couldn't be worse than that. They'll have no hero, no BAM, and no picks. That would be, yeah, pretty bad. But I think that's... Trade BAM to the Sixers. Yeah. Trade BAM to the Sixers. Anybody. We'll take anybody at this point. Give us Larson. Give us Pella Larson. We'll just take him.
Conclusion and Future Discussions Teased
00:39:19
Speaker
All right. Well, I think that's a good place to leave it.
00:39:21
Speaker
We hit on everything little bit longer than we expected to, but you've got some extra, extra goodness in your feed on a Saturday morning that you didn't expect. So enjoy. and we hope that you enjoyed this extra episode back next week with the usual. And and then Michael will be joining us again the following week and as he does every second week. So,
00:39:42
Speaker
Thanks again, Michael, for jumping on and we will catch you all next time. Welcome back to another episode of Who's Got the Ball with Shane and James.