Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: WVUA FM, Tuscaloosa.
[00:00:09] Speaker B: Hello, everybody. This is WVUA 90.7 FM, the Capstone. And welcome to episode 71 of the full court press podcast. My name is Jamie Martinez, and I'm joined by Nick Atkinson and Kaden Johnson to stay up to date. Make sure to follow us on Instagram at fcppodcast UAe. With that being said, let's get into it. We are back. It has been a very long few months, very long summer, but your favorite full court pressers are back with some amazing podcast content. So y'all better be ready, you know? You know, real quick, let's get to a little bit of icebreaker. How was your guys summers? Because I'm sure all 13 full court press listeners are dying to know.
[00:00:51] Speaker C: I had a fantastic summer.
[00:00:53] Speaker B: Same to here.
[00:00:54] Speaker C: I went to Hawaii. Wow, that was pretty great. And I watched my Boston Celtics win the NBA Finals. That was pretty cool.
[00:01:04] Speaker B: Yeah, I'm sure. Sure it was.
Nick, how about you?
[00:01:08] Speaker A: Yeah, I took five classes this summer, so that's where I did. I went to Puerto Rico and then that's about it.
[00:01:15] Speaker B: Baller. I went to the Bahamas this summer and got scared because they drove on the opposite side of the road and they said bomba clat. And it was pretty cool. So culture shock. Yeah, very, very culture shock.
[00:01:27] Speaker A: You never experienced anything like that?
[00:01:28] Speaker B: No, never in my life. This dude was, like, drinking out of a bottle, like, of Tito's or something, like, while he was driving us back to the airport. I was a little bit of. A little bit afraid, but we made it very peacefully, so I guess we could dive right back into the content. Let's start with the news.
Surprising amount of news this week since we're so deep into the off season. But let's get started with Indiana. Pacers guard TJ McConnell has agreed on a four year, $45 million extension with the Pacers. McConnell's contract up to 54 million over five years. How are we feeling about this TJ McConnell deal? I know he kind of, he kind of balled out in the playoffs. So is this worth.
[00:02:04] Speaker C: Yeah, I think it's kind of great that the first thing that we're talking about this year is TJ McConnell.
[00:02:08] Speaker B: It's kicking. Kicking it off, right? TJ McConnell, I made sure of it.
[00:02:12] Speaker C: Yeah, he was good in the playoffs, especially in that Boston series. They got swept, but he was kind of like a bright spot.
[00:02:18] Speaker A: Yeah. He's one of the best backup point guards in the NBA. So, I mean, I think that's a good contract, even though he's old, you know, that'd be cool.
[00:02:26] Speaker C: How old is he?
[00:02:27] Speaker A: Like, he's like 31.
[00:02:28] Speaker C: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, he's been in the league forever.
[00:02:32] Speaker B: It's a good little deal. Moving on to Nick's former favorite center, Los Angeles Clifford center Vikasubach has agreed on a three year, $58.6 million contract extension with the Clippers. We kind of talked about this when it first happened back at our Casa that Nick kind of brought up that this is a pretty cheap deal for a very, very solid center. So how are we feeling about the Zubotz deal now that the Clippers look way different?
[00:02:56] Speaker A: Well, yeah, they're not going to be good at all, but I think that, like, the contract itself, though, that's a really cheap contract for a pretty decent player like Deandre Eyton isn't too much better than him. And he's getting paid 50 million more than.
[00:03:10] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:03:10] Speaker A: So really? I mean, aiden's like a 150 something million dollar deal. Yeah.
[00:03:15] Speaker C: Yeah. I, I think it's good signing, good rebounding, and I think it's kind of clear that they want him as their cornerstone. Yeah. Well, as their franchise. Bay. Yeah, he really is. Like, he's gonna spend his whole career in Los Angeles probably, unless they just blow the whole thing up, which, which could be coming soon. They need like a, I mean, they blind from Kawhi again, where he just locks in and plays 70 games.
[00:03:41] Speaker B: Yeah. So how much better do we think Zubats will get this season without PG and Russ?
[00:03:47] Speaker A: Not any. I mean, he has James Harden, but, like, off the bench, he doesn't really have nothing.
[00:03:53] Speaker C: I think we've seen, I think we've seen what Zubat is like. I don't think there's anything left to.
[00:03:58] Speaker B: He hit a ceiling cover. I agree.
[00:04:00] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:04:00] Speaker B: For sure.
[00:04:01] Speaker C: Which isn't bad. Like, it's not like he's bad. Great center of him is what he is.
[00:04:06] Speaker B: Yeah, I agree. Moving on to some bigger news that we probably should have started with, but Golden State warriors star Stephen Curry has agreed to a one year, $62.6 million extension that'll keep him under contract through the 2026 to 27 season. That is a lot of money for one year through 2027. He's going to be pushing 40 years old. He might be 40 years old by that time. Do we think $62 million is worth it for somebody who's going to be 40 by then?
[00:04:37] Speaker A: I mean, dude, no, no, I don't think it is. No.
[00:04:42] Speaker C: For somebody, even though he's one of.
[00:04:43] Speaker A: The greatest of all time. That's way too much money for. That's a two year deal.
[00:04:48] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:04:48] Speaker C: Yeah. I think as, like, for Steph as a player, it's not worth it. But for Stephen, from a business perspective, it probably is. I mean, it's gonna keep attendance high, merchandise sales. Merchandise sales gonna be through the roof, obviously, when you have one of the greatest players of all time. So I think it makes sense from a business perspective. I think I talked to Nick the other day about how, like, the warriors are kind of packing it in. They're kind of. I think they're just gonna ride out some of these old careers like Draymond and Steph, and then go into complete rebuild mode after that. And I think this kind of confirms it. They want to keep the core they have around. They don't really care about team success as much as just kind of keeping the core they have before they blow things up.
[00:05:28] Speaker B: Yeah. Because I think by then you're going to have a 40 year old Stephen Curry who's not going to be nearly the player he is now. He's going to be surrounded by, like, a Brandon Podzemski, Jonathan Kaminga, maybe Moses moody, maybe that team is not going to be that good. I'm assuming Draymond will retire by then.
[00:05:45] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:05:45] Speaker B: The warriors future, I couldn't tell. They have their cool young stars, but without Steph Curry, they are not nearly the same. And our last little piece of news, free agent guard Lonnie Walker has agreed on a one year deal with the Boston Celtics. His agent says this is a great deal for the Celtics. In my opinion, the Celtics really didn't lose much other than Stefie Mackayluk in the offseason.
[00:06:06] Speaker A: O'Shea Burchette.
[00:06:07] Speaker B: Yeah. And O'Shea Bursett. And this is kind of the O'Shea Bursett replacement in Lonnie Walker, who was great last season. I'm surprised he even lasted this long. Shot 38% from three with Brooklyn. I don't know how the Celtics landed somebody like him, but, man, that's great if they're looking for a repeat.
[00:06:24] Speaker C: Yeah, I love it. I mean, I just think he's a bucket getter. I think he can create instant offense and he's performed well in playoff games before. So kind of everything that Boston was looking for in a potential replacement for a backup wing, which we lost in OSHA percent.
[00:06:40] Speaker B: Yeah.
Alright. With that, we can move on to our main segment. Looking back at this NBA offseason, we kind of talked about starting with the finals, but I kind of forgot to put that in the docs. So if we have time, we can get to that at the end and maybe we can talk about Team USA and whatever, but I kind of want to start talking about trades, free agency, all that fun stuff that happened over the off season and what we think about it and how it will affect those teams.
[00:07:06] Speaker A: Should we rate the trades?
[00:07:09] Speaker B: Yeah, we can rate it for each team.
[00:07:11] Speaker C: What are you feeling? One through five? One through ten?
[00:07:14] Speaker B: One through, like 17 or something?
[00:07:15] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:07:16] Speaker A: One through five is cool.
[00:07:17] Speaker C: One through five.
[00:07:18] Speaker B: All right, let's get it started. With the first trade of the offseason happened. I don't even think it was during the off season. I'm pretty sure it was still playing.
[00:07:25] Speaker A: Yeah, it was right when OKC got eliminated.
[00:07:27] Speaker B: So the Oklahoma City Thunder acquire Alex Caruso from the Chicago Bulls, trading away young guard Josh Diddy.
[00:07:35] Speaker C: Giddy.
[00:07:36] Speaker B: So the Oklahoma City Thunder get one of the top perimeter defenders in the league, and the Bulls receive a great playmaker for, you know, his age. So how are we feeling about this? Let's start with Caruso to the Thunder. How do we feel about that?
[00:07:47] Speaker A: I'll give it a c minus.
[00:07:49] Speaker B: Interesting.
[00:07:52] Speaker C: Caruso to the Thunder. C minus. I mean, I don't think it's, like a bad move for either team. I think Caruso will bring a lot to the thunder. He kind of gives them something they already have, though, so it's more of like a depth piece, in my opinion.
[00:08:05] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:08:06] Speaker C: And I don't. I don't even know if he really starts, so I think he's going to a reduced role. I feel like that's kind of stating the obvious, but it will help strengthen an already really strong, probably top three defense in the NBA.
[00:08:21] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, I'll give it a b because I think they traded away one of their top, not just playmakers, but young guys in Josh giddy for an aging Alex Caruso, who I think is 32, 33 now and really only plays defense, not the greatest shooter on the planet and doesn't really create his own shot. So trading somebody that young and with that potential for a perimeter defender, albeit one of the best in the league.
[00:08:48] Speaker C: I'll give it a b. Yeah, I'm gonna go b, too.
[00:08:51] Speaker A: Yeah, that's valid. But the reason I don't think it's that good is because, like you said, he can't create his own shot. He's old. And even whenever you say he's this good of a perimeter shooter or whatever, like, he's been on the Chicago Bulls playing meaningless basketball for three years. Like, I don't know how much I value that defense or the amount of points he scored or the assist or the seals, because, I mean, him and Andre Drummond were like, you know, Magic Johnson and Kareem.
[00:09:17] Speaker B: Really just empty stat merch.
[00:09:19] Speaker A: Yeah, really.
[00:09:20] Speaker B: All right. Going to the other half of this deal, the Bulls acquired Josh giddy, kind of like we said. Nick, how you feeling about this one?
[00:09:26] Speaker A: A minus.
[00:09:27] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:09:27] Speaker A: Yeah. It's like a really high, high return, low risk.
[00:09:33] Speaker C: Yeah, I like that. Yeah. I'm going to go a minus as well.
I think Getty is better than Caruso, if not next year, the year after.
I think giddy has a lot of upside as a playmaker, and I think he's going to be a starting point guard in the league, you know, for his career, and he actually gets to play. I like the move for the Bulls. I know a lot of people hate it, like, pretty. They got a lot of flack when this trade went down, but, I mean, I just don't see how it's a bad trade for the Bulls. They're a rebuilding franchise and they just got a young piece and gave away kind of like a, you know, just an old player. Yeah. Yeah. An aging. An aging, decent player.
[00:10:13] Speaker B: Yeah. I really like this for the Bulls. I would give them an a minus to an a in that range. You get a great playmaker to pair alongside Kobe White, who had a huge breakout season, really boosted his points up. I can understand the empty stats type of thing, but Kobe White's legit.
[00:10:27] Speaker A: Oh, he was good.
[00:10:27] Speaker B: He's legit. Yeah, he's the real deal. It's good to see him really turn his career around because it was looking kind of down for those first couple seasons. But they get Josh good. He's going to playmake for them.
I think he's really young. He can grow right alongside Kobe White, and I think they'll benefit from this in the long haul. They had Matos Bozellus through the draft. I like what they got cooking over in Chicago, so I'll go a little a minus for them. Moving on, we have a draft day trade where the San Antonio spurs and the Minnesota Timberwolves made a deal. The spurs receiving two first round picks, one in 2031 that's unprotected, and a 2031 pick swap for the Timberwolves, who received the 8th pick, which ended up being Rob Dillingham. So, Nick, I'll start with you being our Rob Dillingham associate. How do you feel about this deal?
[00:11:16] Speaker A: I think it's amazing. I think. Yeah, I'll give, like an a plus because.
[00:11:20] Speaker B: For the Timberwolves?
[00:11:21] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. Because he. A lot of people don't really think that he has, like, good potential, but I think he does because, like, you know, he was coming off the bench 13 ish points per game.
I think he was the third highest in three point percentage in the nation. And then he also is a great defender. Like, I think a lot of people are trying to limit him to a six man role. I think he's gonna be an all star at some point.
[00:11:44] Speaker B: Interesting. You think he's gonna be the successor to Mike Conley?
[00:11:48] Speaker A: Yeah. He'll start over Mike Connelly next year. Not this upcoming season, but the one. I mean, Mike Conley will be 40 years old.
[00:11:54] Speaker B: Yeah, I like that.
[00:11:56] Speaker A: And then for the Spurs, I mean, two first round picks. Why not, you know?
[00:12:01] Speaker C: Yeah, I give it a. A for the Timberwolves, definitely. I think it's a low risk. The draft picks are like middle schoolers right now.
I guess it is, you know, two first for a top ten pick, but. And I don't. I don't know if Rob Dillingham is worth two first on any other year, but since it's 2030 and 2031, it's low risk. I think Rob Dillingham is a good piece for the Timberwolves. He gives them good bench scoring. They've been kind of searching for a bench guard, and I think he'll fill that role. Well, I'm not as high on him as Nick is, but I still think he'll be a pretty solid NBA player after a few years of development. Yeah. And he's a bucket getter. Mm hmm.
[00:12:44] Speaker B: I agree. I would give this Rob Dillingham part probably an a minus or an a. Dillingham's legit. I know it caught some hate on draft night because everybody wanted Dillingham to go to the spurs and play with Juan Banyama, and he got.
[00:12:57] Speaker C: That would have made so much more sense. That's why I was so confused that the spurs didn't just pick Rob Dylan. That would have made a lot of sense.
[00:13:02] Speaker B: Probably because he ended up with Castle.
[00:13:04] Speaker A: He's a little bit better than Dillingham.
[00:13:06] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:13:06] Speaker C: Who?
[00:13:07] Speaker B: Stefan Castle.
[00:13:08] Speaker C: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, definitely.
[00:13:10] Speaker B: Yeah. But for Dillingham, I think even if he doesn't reach that all star level and you get somebody on the level of, like, a Jamal Crawford or Lou Williams out of him, I think it was worth it.
[00:13:20] Speaker C: Oh, yeah.
[00:13:21] Speaker B: Yeah. That's really legit.
[00:13:23] Speaker A: And then in 20, Shannon.
[00:13:25] Speaker B: Yeah. And then. Exactly. I was gonna bring that up, too. Terrence Shannon looks really legit as a scorer and he can really create his own shot at the NBA level. And then for the spurs, you're getting two picks in 2030 and 2031. Yeah, it's a long time away, but by then, Victor Webignama is probably going to be the best player in basketball and you're going to get, you know, two guys that'll help him out at that time. So I guess it all works out. I think the spurs, I'll give them like a b or like a b for it. And the timber wolves, I'll give an a. I like this deal. I think it's a win win.
[00:13:53] Speaker C: I'd go c for the spurs to c area. I mean, I just think it was pointless. I see what you're saying about how you're preparing for the heavy, for the future, but I just don't know if I think that I would think that far in advance. I would kind of address needs that needed to be met now. You know what I'm saying? They could have drafted a defensive lane, they could have drafted a backup big for Zach Collins.
I don't know. I just don't see what was going on in their head. You have a top eight pick. You could have paired two lottery picks with the previous first overall pick that just won rookie of the year, and you just kind of give one away for nothing.
[00:14:32] Speaker B: Yeah, I can. I can also see them, you know, being like, this class is kind of weak. Maybe 2030. Like legit classes. Yeah, that's really all I can think of.
[00:14:42] Speaker A: I just don't think that even, even then, like anything ever is gonna be 28 in 2030. So it's not like you're getting a good pick then, unless, you know, he's injured or something.
[00:14:52] Speaker B: Yeah, they're both.
[00:14:53] Speaker C: Yeah, that's a good point, too. They both belong to the unprotected or not. It's gonna be a 25 pick at best.
[00:14:59] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:15:00] Speaker B: That's true. Moving on to the absolute biggest trade ever, the Wizards received Jonas Valanchunas and the Pelicans get a second round pick. I just put in this, put this in prematurely, not realizing how big the other ones after it were. So we could just, you know, be kind of brief with this one. Wizards getting valance, Yunus, how do we feel?
[00:15:17] Speaker A: I don't know why they did it. I really don't know why they did it.
[00:15:20] Speaker C: But, I mean, poverty franchise makes poverty moves.
[00:15:24] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:15:24] Speaker C: No one's surprised. This is a Wizards esque move. I think Jonas Valentunas is a pretty solid offensive center and a pretty horrible defensive softball. He's going to give the Wizards like 14 to 16 points per game and like nine to eleven rebounds and also get a 40 dropped on his head every time he plays embiid or any other competence center.
[00:15:48] Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, they went from having Daniel Gafford, who, I mean, went to Dallas and turned out to be really legit. And now you're stuck with a very old Jonas Valanchunas.
[00:15:59] Speaker C: What's Valanchunas? New contract.
[00:16:00] Speaker A: Dude. It's like.
[00:16:02] Speaker C: Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Yeah. And that's just dumb. You're just stupid.
[00:16:05] Speaker A: And why would you do that whenever you just drafted the best center in the class?
[00:16:08] Speaker B: Exactly.
[00:16:10] Speaker C: Yeah, that's. I. This is one of the worst moves we've had. We've talked about today. I'd give that a D on the Wizards.
[00:16:16] Speaker A: Yeah, I'd give it a d. Just.
[00:16:17] Speaker C: Because you're throwing money at a lateral.
[00:16:20] Speaker A: Old player that can't play any d, that's like. Yeah, I mean, he was a joke against the thunder.
[00:16:25] Speaker B: Yeah. And it's not like he could play power four next to Saar.
[00:16:27] Speaker A: Well, Sar could play the four.
[00:16:29] Speaker B: That's true.
[00:16:29] Speaker C: But I don't know. They're both big bodies.
[00:16:32] Speaker B: Exactly.
[00:16:33] Speaker C: They're just.
[00:16:33] Speaker B: Jonas can't move.
[00:16:34] Speaker C: That's not like a good combination to be on the court at the same time. They don't compliment each other.
[00:16:39] Speaker A: Well, because one of them's got to play the bench because Kulabale, they got.
[00:16:44] Speaker B: Rid of Denny Advia, too.
[00:16:45] Speaker C: Yeah. You can't run Coos sar and Koolabal. You can't even think about that.
[00:16:51] Speaker B: That'd be the worst team ever.
[00:16:53] Speaker A: They got Malcolm Brogdon, too, didn't they?
[00:16:55] Speaker B: Didn't they get Maldon?
[00:16:56] Speaker C: That's what I'm saying.
[00:16:57] Speaker B: They're so poverty, they're gonna give up 165 points.
[00:17:00] Speaker C: This is like such a wizards, Hornets move. Like, wizards and the Hornets are the only teams in the NBA that would make a trade like this.
[00:17:07] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:17:08] Speaker C: Like be your mid rebuild. Like you're blowing everything up. You have a top two pick and you trade for Jonas Valentin and sign him and extend them.
[00:17:17] Speaker A: Like. Yeah.
[00:17:18] Speaker B: Crazy.
[00:17:19] Speaker C: Like.
[00:17:20] Speaker A: And it's a long term deal.
[00:17:21] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:17:22] Speaker A: I mean, it's almost as bad as the Ian Mahimi.
[00:17:24] Speaker C: I w w for the Pelicans. Get rid of Valentine's. That's like 15 million.
You can get a better center. I give that like an a for.
[00:17:32] Speaker B: The a minus all right, moving on to a trade that happened the same day but is a whole, whole lot bigger. It also involves the Pelicans. The Pelicans receive all star guard DeJonte Murray from the Atlanta Hawks, and the Hawks get Dyson Daniels, EJ Liddell, Larry Nance, junior Cody Zeller, a 2025 1st from the Lakers and a 2027 1st that is least favorable of the Bucks Pelicans top four.
So this is big time because I think this pushes the Pelicans into being legit contenders, even though it is a absolutely stacked western conference. The Pelicans are going to be a threat to anybody as long as they stay healthy because I know that's been their biggest issue for a long time, and they get rid of Larry Nance, who isn't a huge contributor. Dyson Daniels, I think, is the biggest piece out of this.
[00:18:19] Speaker A: Yeah, I like Larry Hans Juniore.
[00:18:21] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:18:23] Speaker C: 2025 1st.
[00:18:24] Speaker B: That's pretty big.
[00:18:25] Speaker A: It's the Lakers pick, too, and LeBron will probably be gone next year.
[00:18:28] Speaker B: That's true this year.
[00:18:29] Speaker A: So they'll be all right this year.
[00:18:32] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:18:32] Speaker C: I mean, it'll. It'll still be like. It should be like a top 20 pig, I hope should be. But, yeah, I mean, I think the getting two first and then on top of that, some young players, two for the Hawks, is a good trade for both sides. I think the Pelicans needed a better defensive guard, if that makes sense. I mean, Dyson Daniels is what they wanted. They wanted Dyson Daniels to kind of be like a DeJante Mary, but he just doesn't have the offensive game, and I don't think he'll be able to achieve that. So D'Jonte gives them the kind of the best of the both worlds. They get a defender that defends just as well as Dyson Daniels but can create his own shot and give you 30 on any given night.
[00:19:10] Speaker B: It's true. It kind of sucks to see that the Murray and Trey young era didn't really pan out the way Atlanta wanted it to. It was a bit of a confusing move in the first place, having two primary point guards put together.
I mean, the Hawks got something out of it, at least, and the Pelicans got a whole lot better since they have a legit point guard that they have not had. That's what they've been looking for this whole time. So I think this is perfect. I would give both sides an a. Everybody kind of wins. So I like this.
[00:19:36] Speaker C: Yeah. Yeah, I agree.
[00:19:37] Speaker B: All right. Moving on to another huge deal that happened on the same day the New York Knicks receive Macau Bridges, Kate Abetz Diop and Juan Pablo Vallette, whoever that is, from the Brooklyn Nets, who receive Bojan Bogdanovich, Mamdi Dumade Dikita. Yeah, he's got that one. Shake Milton and six first round picks.
[00:20:00] Speaker A: Wow, that's ridiculous. Dude. That's more picks than they traded to get KD.
[00:20:04] Speaker C: Yes. The Knicks. I think the Knicks dropped the ball on this one. Like, I think you bought in a little too much to this Villanova stuff.
[00:20:11] Speaker B: This is an all hate Macau as.
[00:20:12] Speaker C: A player by any means. He's a really great, great two way wing, but he's not. Six first round picks, great. And then on top of that, throw in Bojon and shake Milton, who. I feel like we're being underutilized by the Knicks.
[00:20:27] Speaker B: And the Knicks. It just sucks because the Knicks have like the most stacked bench ever and they're just not going to get used. And now they get Macau Bridges, who you're going to have a full Villanova starting five or starting four, plus Julius Randall. So, I mean, that starting lineup is going to be good and their bench is going to be good, but if they don't win a championship within the next two seasons, this is a.
I.
[00:20:48] Speaker A: Think we not got some bad news.
[00:20:50] Speaker B: Because there's a team in that same conference that I don't know if they're going to be able to beat.
[00:20:54] Speaker C: And there's like four other teams in the west that they're not going to beat either.
[00:20:58] Speaker B: This is a big deal for the Knicks. I don't. I don't know. I'd give the Knicks like a c. Yeah, I agree.
[00:21:04] Speaker C: C is fine because it's like obviously, like you were saying and they, they kept og, too. So, I mean, yeah, they got a good, good, good roster. Probably the third best roster in the.
[00:21:13] Speaker B: East, maybe the next best roster in.
[00:21:15] Speaker A: Decades since like, since Pat, you gotta be start.
[00:21:19] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, they're pretty poverty, which, I mean, I guess if you want to talk about roster, they had like the early 2010s, Melody Mellow and Jr.
Exit for that team. Stoudemire.
[00:21:34] Speaker B: Yeah, but this team has way more depth and I think is a lot better defensively. Plus, you have Brunson, who could take over a game. We've seen. He's one of the best point guards in the league.
[00:21:45] Speaker C: Yeah. They got to stay healthy, too, though.
[00:21:46] Speaker B: Exactly. Julius Randall was dealing with a lot.
[00:21:48] Speaker A: You could trade him easy and get a. Get some depth at center.
[00:21:52] Speaker B: Get some of those picks back, too, maybe.
[00:21:54] Speaker C: Yeah. Six first is ridiculous. They're trading their entire future away for the first four Villanova people on the same team.
[00:22:00] Speaker B: So legit, they're only going to have a pick in 2026 and 2030. So you're not, you're going to have two first round picks for the next six years.
[00:22:08] Speaker A: They're just going to turn if this doesn't work out, which I think they'll keep Brunson there long.
[00:22:13] Speaker B: They were like another ten. He signed the extension. I think they'll keep on a really.
[00:22:17] Speaker A: Cheap deal, those guys there. But, you know, I don't know.
[00:22:21] Speaker B: Definitely a little bit of a head scratcher, but a move to try and get them back in contention, make them more of a contenders with a loaded Boston Celtics roster. So we'll see how that pans out. Moving on, we have the first ever six team trade in the history of basketball. That also happened on July 6. The Dallas Mavericks received Clay Thompson in a 2025 second. The Timberwolves received 2 seconds and cash considerations. The warriors received Kyle Anderson and Buddy Heald. The Nuggets received a little bit of cash. The Hornets received Josh Green, Reggie Jackson in 2 seconds, and the Sixers received a second. A whole lot going down. I don't know if we should really give a grade to all these teams like the Nuggets. We just got money, but we could just talk about the bigger ones, like, obviously Dallas. We'll start with them, who receive Clay Thompson, who's leaving the warriors after all of these years, a very storied career, and he goes to Dallas, who's coming off a finals loss. How do we think this benefits Dallas?
[00:23:20] Speaker A: Well, in my opinion, they're going to get worse because I liked Derek Jones junior there, I like Josh Green there, and they replace him with somebody that can't play defense anymore. Like, Clay Thompson is not a good defender anymore. He was elite, like, you know, three or four years ago when they winning the finals every year. But now he's just kind of a.
A liability on offense and defense. Yep, he is. He can shoot. But, like, even then, it's sometimes, you know, I think they good.
[00:23:50] Speaker B: I think they pulled the trigger on this because they shot so poorly in the finals. Yeah, in a few of those games, they shot like two for 50.
[00:23:57] Speaker C: From three is an atrocious shot.
[00:24:01] Speaker A: Oh, he's horrible.
[00:24:02] Speaker B: It was bad.
[00:24:02] Speaker A: Terrible.
[00:24:03] Speaker C: Like, literally so bad off and like, Kyrie was crumbling.
[00:24:06] Speaker B: Luca couldn't get it. Really gone from three. He had to do everything else. Derrick Jones wasn't hitting them. PJ Washington was missing everything. So I think they went out and got Clay to kind of. You know, when somebody's cold, you give it to Clay. But Clay went over ten in elimination game, so hopefully he could turn it around because I think Klay Thompson could be a really cool piece for the Mavericks. But who knows what kind of Clay Thompson they're about to get.
[00:24:30] Speaker C: Yeah. I think he's better than Tim Hardaway.
[00:24:32] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. That's not hard to do.
[00:24:34] Speaker C: Yeah. So, I mean, I.
[00:24:35] Speaker B: He didn't want to be there anyway.
[00:24:36] Speaker C: He'll start and I think he'll be good, but I don't know if they got better or worse, to be honest with you. I agree with what Nick said. I think DJJ was really good for them, and they should have prioritized Luca. They should have prioritized keeping him.
[00:24:50] Speaker A: I mean, I would kept him over PJ Washington.
[00:24:53] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:24:53] Speaker A: Honestly.
[00:24:54] Speaker B: Right. He went to the Clippers, right?
[00:24:56] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:24:56] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:24:57] Speaker B: Probably just for that starting role.
[00:24:58] Speaker A: Better. Best defender on the team, aside from Daniel Gaffer and Derek Lively. Bye. Not even close.
[00:25:04] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:25:05] Speaker B: All right, so Tim rolls, get 2 seconds in cash. You know, that's nothing. It's whatever. We'll move on to the warriors, who receive slow mo Kyle Anderson and Buddy buckets. Buddy healed, you know, they get older on a team that's already old, how does this make us feel?
[00:25:21] Speaker A: No, I think this is a very good move because I think that Kyle Anderson. I think buddy healed.
I don't know if it's crazy to say. I think he's better than Clay Thompson now in 2024. I think he's better then. Kyle Anderson gives them versatility that they didn't have last year. So you're replacing Chris Paul with D'Anthony Melton, and then you're replacing. You're just adding on Kyle Anderson, and then you're replacing Clay with buddy healed, who's a better offensive player. He's not that great on defense, but it's just. I think they're going to get better. I think they'll be better next year.
[00:25:52] Speaker C: Yeah, I do, too. I think this move makes them a decent bit better. One thing that the warriors have been lacking are role players that are consistent. Like, they'll have one of their young guys pop off for a week span and then kind of go back into the shadows. I think Kyle Anderson is a guy that knows how to play his role, and I think Buddy Hill does as well. I think they'll contribute their vets. You know, they've made a name for themselves, perfecting what they do. Kyle Anderson plays defense and can give you a little bit of a mid range game. And then Buddy Healden is just a knockdown shooter. And they've perfected, you know, what they're good at. I think having reliable role players is a step in the right direction for the warriors as they try to, like, put together one more playoff run in steph's career.
[00:26:33] Speaker B: Yeah.
And then we have the Nuggets who just get money. Who cares? And then the Hornets receive 2 seconds. Josh Green and Reggie Jackson. How do we feel about this? For the Hornets? Nothing.
[00:26:46] Speaker A: That's nothing. Reggie Jackson will probably be bought out bye. By mid season because he's just. I mean, what is, what value does he bring to that? He won't even touch the court, honestly, because, you know, got Trey man backing up lamello now.
[00:26:59] Speaker B: So, I mean, look at. Stay healthy.
[00:27:01] Speaker A: Yeah, I think you will. I think he'll be healthy this year, but, yeah, I think Reggie Jackson will get bought up. Dude. Honestly, I don't even know if Radio Jackson should be in the NBA with the, with the. Oh, I'm just saying, like, John wall is better than Reggie Jackson.
[00:27:12] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:27:14] Speaker A: Who else is a free agent? Isaiah Thomas is better than Reggie Jackson. Like, there's plenty of point guards that are better than.
[00:27:19] Speaker B: And then what about Josh Green? Do you think? He's a heel plant?
[00:27:22] Speaker A: He's good. He's a great defender. I think if he developed a little bit of offensive game, he could be in the NBA another ten years.
[00:27:28] Speaker C: Yeah, I agree. I think Josh Green will be solid for the Hornets. Probably off the bench. He'll probably back up miles.
[00:27:34] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:27:35] Speaker C: Bridges and the Hornets are kind of sneaky. If LaMelo can stay healthy, Brandon Miller takes another big step and then LaMelo stays healthy, then, I mean, they could mess around and snag the ten.
[00:27:49] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:27:50] Speaker C: Or the nine. For sure. They had the pieces. So I'm saying offensively that you got B Mill Bridges and Lamello. And Mark Williams. And Mark Williams. Yeah.
[00:27:59] Speaker A: And Trey Mann's really good, too.
[00:28:01] Speaker B: They have the pieces. They just got to put them together.
And LaMelo has to stay healthy because that's been a problem for the last two seasons. I want to see him and Brandon Miller just dominate really bad because I really like that combo. And I think they play off each other really well. It's just Lamelo, I don't know, can't stay on the court. It's probably because of those shoes.
Then the Sixers get a second round pick. It is what it is. Let's move on to July 8, where the Sacramento Kings and the Chicago Bulls are involved in a three team trade with the spurs. The Bulls receive Chris Duarte, Raekwon Gray from San Antonio, and two future second round picks. The Kings received DeMar DeRozan, and the spurs get Harrison Barnes and a 2023 1st round pick swap. I'll start with this one. Hallelujah is how I'll start this off. Sacramento. Getting to Marta Rosen to me, is huge. We had kind of been shopping around for a really good forward for a long time. I know we inquired about Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma and Laurie Marken.
[00:28:56] Speaker C: Ognobe og Ananobi, Alex Caruso. Yeah.
[00:28:59] Speaker B: I remember being so mad about not getting OG Ananobi last year on the trade deadline.
But we end up with DeMar DeRozan, which I think is perfect because, yes, three point shootings gonna be a bit of a problem. It is what it is, but DeMarc can create his own shot. He's one of, if not the best, mid range shooter in the league. He can get to the basket. He's a little bit older, I know that. But I think if the Kings are trying to get to the playoffs now in a loaded western conference, this was the necessary move to get somebody who needs to win now, plus DeMarcus to go back to California. So good for them. And we get rid of Harrison Barnes. Harrison Barnes has made me so mad on so many occasions. I had to break stuff because of Harrison Barnes. He was just missing corner threes. He would post pictures on his instagram of him missing corner threes. I don't know what that airball, the.
[00:29:41] Speaker C: One, like, the one that he, like.
[00:29:42] Speaker B: Straight up airballed, and he posted the picture of that. I don't know what goes through this dude's mind, but I'm so glad that Harrison Barnes is off this team. I know he'll be able to put some points up with the spurs and Wemby, but whatever. And the Bulls get Chris Duarte a couple pieces. Duarte didn't do anything in Sacramento, really.
So, yeah, I think I'm gonna give the Kings a little a minus on this. I think they got what they need to try and win now, even though they won't.
Spurs. I'll give them like a b minus or like a C plus. Bulls. I don't know.
[00:30:14] Speaker C: Like a c. Yeah. Bulls. Bulls messed around for too long, and now they get Chris Duarte in 2 seconds for DeMar DeRoza.
[00:30:21] Speaker B: That is true.
[00:30:21] Speaker C: So that's what happens when you are too scared to commit to a rebuild, when you're consistently in the play in. I think Chris Duarte has some potential. I think he showed that in Indiana, but not in Sacramento. Two second round picks could be nice for them. But as for the Kings, I think you nailed it. I think it's a good, good piece for them. Now, obviously it doesn't mean much for the future of the Kings. But this piece alone will ensure that they make the playoffs, in my opinion.
[00:30:50] Speaker B: I agree.
[00:30:51] Speaker A: I'll give the Kings a b. I'll give the Bulls a f. And I'll give the Spurs a c plus.
[00:31:02] Speaker C: It's just. I mean, it's hard not to be high on this trade for the Kings. Cause they didn't give anything up. Well, that's why. You know what I'm saying? It's like DeMar DeRozan's not like a crazy valuable piece, but it's like. But I mean, I'll take him if you're just gonna give them to me for free.
[00:31:15] Speaker B: To me, upgrading from Harrison Barnes and Chris Duarte to Demar DeRozan. Especially when Duarte got his job taken from Keone Ellis, who's starting now.
I just think this is a w all around. So I'm gonna give it a for the Kings. But I think everybody else kind of gets their stuff, too. Except the bulls. I don't know what they're doing. Spurs got Harrison Barnes. Good for them. Let's move on to the last trade that I have in here.
On July 18, the Clippers deal Russell Westbrook to the Jazz. In a sign in trade, the Jazz receive a second round pick, swap cash, and Russell Westbrook, the Clippers get Chris Dunna. Obviously, Westbrook was bought out and sent to Denver. So I guess we'll put it in that perspective with Westbrook going to Denver and the Clippers getting Chris Dunn and the Jazz getting whatever.
[00:32:00] Speaker C: Yeah. Nobody cares about the Jazz or the Clippers, this deal.
[00:32:02] Speaker A: No, nobody does.
[00:32:04] Speaker B: No, we'll just talk about Russ going to the Nuggets.
[00:32:07] Speaker A: I love when y'all pilot that one.
[00:32:09] Speaker C: Okay.
I think it's a good move for them. I think it's. It's a nice little boost they've had. They've been missing some dogs. Losing Bruce Brown and then this year losing KCP. I think he gives them a good winning mentality, a strong mentality going forward. He'll be nice in the playoffs. If he can play his role there a little bit better. He's not going to be feeling like he needs to do as much offensively as he's felt that he's needed to. The last couple of playoffs with the Clippers. So I think Russell Westbrook can kind of sit back and do what he does best in the playoffs, which is defend at this point in his career, which is defend and playmake. And I think he'll do just that for them.
[00:32:49] Speaker B: Yeah, I really like the steel for, for Denver as well because you're going to get Westbrook, who, like you said, is going to. He's going to be a beast in the playoffs, but he's going to play make in a new way that somebody like Michael Porter junior or Christian Brown is really going to benefit off of because a lot of their points come from Jokic kicking out from the post. Now they're going to get more passes from the perimeter off the drive and kick. I like this deal. Westbrook is going to play his role. He did it really well on the Clippers. He doesn't really have to do a whole lot. He doesn't have to do all of the playmaking either with Jokic there, so he can kind of do, you know, take a little break on that. And I really like this deal. He's going to be a great six man.
[00:33:27] Speaker A: Yeah, I agree. I agree with that completely.
Yeah, I think it'll be kind of weird to see him and Jokic on the court together because I really think them two are the only playmakers on the team.
[00:33:36] Speaker C: Well, hear me out. I don't know how much Russ will play with Jokic.
I think Russ gives them a different dynamic when with Jokic, he can kind of be the centerpiece and play from the paint, whether it be kick out to MPJ or kick out to another corner or pick and roll with Jamal. I think Russ gives them more of a downhill attack. I expect to see Russ play with like, Peyton Watson, Christian Brown a little bit, and Aaron Gordon some because if you get those guys cutting out a door, Russ is going to be able to hit them on a lob and the paint's going to be cleared from not having Jokic in there.
[00:34:10] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:34:10] Speaker A: Yeah. That's actually a really good point.
[00:34:11] Speaker B: Forgot about that whole Aaron Gordon pie. That's a really good point. That's great for him. And that is it for the trades for the off season. We can move on to free agency. I'll start with the Cleveland Cavaliers. They threw a lot of money at re signing people. They didn't add anybody. They didn't lose anybody, but they threw a lot of dollars at Jared Allen, Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobleye. Allen and Mitchell got three year extensions. Evan Mobley got five years. So how are we feeling about Cleveland? It's just.
[00:34:38] Speaker A: I mean, I don't know. I guess because they were injured, they kind of. I don't really think that they're going to be good at all in terms. Oh, no, they'll be good. I don't think they're going to ever get out of the first round, though.
[00:34:49] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah. I mean, at best, get out of the first round. But I will say that they're showing faith in Evan Mobley, and that's fine. You know, he deserves the money, I would say, and he deserves a long contract because obviously he's proven as a valuable defender in the NBA, but now it's just on him. Like, you got to get in the gym, man. Like, you've got to become a better offensive player. You've got to be able to shoot the ball better. You've got to learn how to at least create a little bit, especially get some better interior footwork offensively, because he's already got the weapons, he's got the frame, and he's got the shot blocking.
And defensively, he's almost a perfect center defensively, but his offensive game has been lacking and is killing them in the playoffs. He's got to improve there.
[00:35:35] Speaker B: Yeah, I agree.
I just think it's a little sad that they extended these three guys, but they didn't add literally anybody outside of the draft, which I don't really remember.
[00:35:47] Speaker C: Yeah, you're basically just committing to saying, like, okay, let's just do exactly what we did last year.
[00:35:52] Speaker B: Exactly. And it's proven that unless Evan Mobley takes a huge step forward, they're not going to compete in the east with a team like Boston KP, with Orlando next year. No, not even Orlando, who had a KCP, which we'll get to later because that was a really good signing, in my opinion. So, Cleveland, I don't know what's going through your mind? Donovan Mitchell, I don't even know if he wants to be there because he wanted to be a knick.
[00:36:15] Speaker A: He definitely does want to be there.
[00:36:16] Speaker C: Yeah. I mean, I think he does. He's happy with it. I don't know how many fans want this core to be together, but it seems like they want to trade Garland.
[00:36:23] Speaker A: And they want to trade Garland and Mobley and keep Donovan Mitchell.
[00:36:29] Speaker C: I mean, Jared Allen. That's what I was kind of hinting at with Mobley at some point. As a Cleveland fan, you got to get, like, pissed. Like, it's like, dude, we. You know, he was a top three, too big I think second or third, I don't remember cade, but there's just been no development on the offensive. And it's like, you can't just have that be your story every year. Every single year it's people saying, well, dude, you're an awesome defender. You make a great impact on the team. You can playmake a little bit too from the paint, but offensively, in scoring, like, you cannot give us buckets whenever don's having a bad night or DG's not having a great night, or Jared Allen can't get open because, you know, Jared Allen's obviously not going to give you offensive a lot.
[00:37:09] Speaker A: Offensively, Struz isn't consistent at all.
[00:37:12] Speaker C: Yeah, and neither is Kara subur.
He'll go one for 15 out there.
[00:37:18] Speaker B: All right, moving on. Our Isaiah Hartenstein leaves the Knicks and goes to the Oklahoma City Thunder on a three year contract.
I know some people that are big on this deal. How do you guys feel?
[00:37:30] Speaker A: You go first because I'm not big on it.
[00:37:33] Speaker C: Yeah, I am. I think this is the most underrated deal of the offseason. I think this is a bigger move for the Thunder than getting Alex Caruso. Hardenstein showed what he was about last year on the Knicks. He showed that when he's utilized the right way, he can ball like he can play, he can seriously play, he can score, and he's a big presence down low. He's an aggressive rebounder, which is exactly what the Thunder needed. They needed a quicker big to pair down there along with Chet, and I think they'll complement each other well because I think both of them can space the floor.
And with that being said, I think this move is what makes the Thunder the clear cut, best team in the west next year and a 60 win team, in my opinion.
[00:38:17] Speaker B: Yeah, I think I'd have to agree with that. I think this is a big a plus deal for the Thunder, who are going to get a really legit big man to pair with somebody like Chet Holmgren and play really well with that really loaded bench that they have. Playoff shake elder just Alexander and Alex Caruso and the Thunder are a threat in the Western Conference to say the least, and a threat in the NBA.
[00:38:40] Speaker C: They're probably.
[00:38:43] Speaker B: A top two, top three team in the league and they're young. They're going to only get better. And they have all those picks. They have it all. So, I mean, if you're OKC, they're set for the future. So I think this is a real knock out the park type of deal.
[00:38:58] Speaker A: Yeah, I'll give it a. I think it's a good deal. Regardless of, you know, bias and everything like that. I think it is a good deal.
Yeah, it's really. It negatives to say about it.
[00:39:10] Speaker B: Moving on. The Orlando Magic signed Katabius Caldwell Pope on a three year contract. I love this for Orlando, because last season, all they were really missing was that shooting ability. And you get KCP, who could shoot with the best of them. He's proven that time in and time out with Denver. He's got two rings on his finger now and looking to make it three. With a very young Orlando magic team who are only getting better from now. Paulo Bancro can playmaker really well. You got Jalen Suggs, who's kind of like the true holiday of that team.
Orlando's looking really good, and I think KCP's a big, big addition.
[00:39:44] Speaker A: Yeah, huge deal. It's an overpay, but how much is it, dude? I think it might be, like, 25. I think it's, like, roughly 75,000,003 years.
[00:39:56] Speaker B: Wow.
[00:39:57] Speaker A: I might be just talking, but I think it's a pretty big deal.
[00:40:01] Speaker C: It's three years, 66 mil, 22 mil a year.
[00:40:05] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:40:05] Speaker C: I mean, pretty insane.
[00:40:07] Speaker B: It's a lot of money, but I think for what they were looking for, and they haven't really paid a lot of their guys yet. Cause they're young. I guess it's cool for now because they're gonna get that shooting that they've been missing for so long.
[00:40:16] Speaker C: Yeah, they wanted Clay, and you got probably a better player than that.
[00:40:20] Speaker A: They wanted Paul George, too.
[00:40:21] Speaker C: I mean, I just don't know if I'm paying KCP. 22 mil kinda sucks for the Nuggets more than anything, because it's like, obviously they're not gonna match $22 million on KCP, but he was a really valuable piece to them. But the magic did have the money to spend, and they use it on KCB, who I think will be pretty valuable for them and kind of fits their scheme of everybody on the team can play on ball defense, and then on top of that, gives them shooting that they really miss bad. They really need some shooting.
[00:40:50] Speaker A: Yeah. Could you imagine if the Nuggets would have kept KCP and added Westbrook, though? I think then they'd probably be considered by far the second best team in the NBA if they kept KCP.
[00:41:03] Speaker C: I don't think they're better than the Thunder.
[00:41:05] Speaker A: They keep KCP, add Westbrook, add sarriage, keep Peyton Watson.
[00:41:12] Speaker C: Yeah, I think they might. In the regular season. Okay, maybe.
[00:41:16] Speaker A: I think they. I mean. I mean, I don't think that the Thunder are gonna beat them or the Timber Wolves or the Mavericks in a seven game series.
[00:41:23] Speaker B: I can see it. Moving on. I just have the Philadelphia 76 ers here because they were very busy in free agency. First off, they reese Kyle Lowry, KJ Martin, Tyrese Maxi, who had a five year extension, very, very good deal for him, and Kelly Oubre on a two year. But then they added Andre Drummond on a two year deal, Paul George on a four year deal, Eric Gordon on a two year, Reggie Jackson, Caleb Martin and Gershon Yabu Saleh, who really balled out in the Olympics and that landed him that contract. So Philly really loaded up for Joel Embiid this season because I think now is the time that they have to go all out.
A lot of these teams in the NBA really added. So how do we feel about Philly?
[00:42:04] Speaker C: They're so good, dude.
[00:42:06] Speaker A: But they're not gonna be good, though.
[00:42:08] Speaker C: Like, I hate it. I hate it. But this is the best Philadelphia team that I've seen.
[00:42:13] Speaker B: But when it comes to the playoffs, you have Joel, who, you know, not the greatest playoff performer, and he was hurt going into last season. I'll give you that.
[00:42:21] Speaker C: Yeah, but you have. And Paul George now prime 2016 Steph Curry hidden in there. But he's just by the alternate ego of Caleb Barton.
[00:42:31] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:42:34] Speaker C: They'Re specifically designed, dude, I'm telling you. I can already see it now. Caleb Martin is seven for seven from three in the third quarter. And where Sean Yabu Sully is like on his own binge game with like 25.
[00:42:46] Speaker B: He posterized Tatum.
[00:42:48] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, I could see it.
[00:42:50] Speaker B: Philly's really good. I'm gonna give him like an a plus type off season.
[00:42:53] Speaker C: They probably have the best offseason.
[00:42:55] Speaker B: Yes, definitely. Cuz you're gonna have Paul George. They were looking for that, that third star and they land pg 13. So I love that.
[00:43:02] Speaker C: Andre Drummond, Kelly Hubris playing for like nothing.
[00:43:04] Speaker B: Exactly. Chump change.
[00:43:05] Speaker A: But I will say last year, you know who you said had the best offseason?
[00:43:10] Speaker B: Who did?
[00:43:10] Speaker A: The Lakers.
[00:43:11] Speaker B: I did say that, didn't I?
[00:43:13] Speaker A: They ended up terrible.
[00:43:14] Speaker B: That was awesome. That was really awesome.
[00:43:16] Speaker A: I mean. Yeah, that's awesome.
[00:43:17] Speaker B: You know what? The Lakers had the best, best offseason this year, too.
[00:43:19] Speaker C: The Lakers really did real stuff, though.
[00:43:22] Speaker B: I put that in the air.
[00:43:22] Speaker C: The Sixers, I would say the Sixers, Thunder and Celtics had the best offseason.
[00:43:28] Speaker A: I'd say Celtics are one for me.
[00:43:30] Speaker C: Yeah, they're up there. Definitely. I was thinking about saying, well, it's just the fact that they kept everybody. We kept everybody. I mean, you got the JT deal done.
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it's, it's, it's close between Sixers, Celtics and Nuggets.
[00:43:46] Speaker B: Or not nuggets under thunder.
[00:43:47] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:43:48] Speaker B: Yeah. I think I would give it to Philly just because they got Gershon Yabuzale, who really, he proved that he could still play in the NBA, in the Olympics.
[00:43:56] Speaker C: He's better. He's significantly better than he was on Boston. I mean, I remember watching him on Boston. He wasn't doing half of the stuff. He's completely changed his playstyle. He plays on the ball offensively now, which is completely different than what he used to be. Used to be just like a stretch four sit in the corner. He was attacking the rim. I'd never seen him do that. I'd never seen him facilitate an offense. And I've never seen him create his own shot ever in the NBA. He's slimmed down. He's much more athletic. And he's a steal. Maybe like one of the bigger steals of free agency or is one of the biggest.
[00:44:32] Speaker B: I like the Andre Drummond dad, too.
[00:44:34] Speaker C: Eric Gordon. Eric Gordon's a good actor.
[00:44:36] Speaker B: They got two really good vets. Andre Drummond can come in for when Joel Embiid's out and still be that big body that, you know, that bench was missing without Embiid.
[00:44:45] Speaker C: We were just talking about Reggie Jackson, too.
[00:44:47] Speaker A: Yeah, I forgot. He went bought out already.
[00:44:48] Speaker B: Yeah. Philly looks really good. Yeah, they're gonna be legit.
[00:44:51] Speaker C: They will be good.
[00:44:52] Speaker B: And the last thing I put, Chris Paul goes to the spurs on a one year deal. I've liked this for the development of Webignama. Webby didn't have a legit point guard last year. Now he's gonna get the most point guard, point guard ever in Chris Paul. So I think those lob threats will be fun.
[00:45:08] Speaker C: The point guard.
[00:45:09] Speaker B: The point God, Chris Paul.
[00:45:10] Speaker C: Point God, Chris Pauldeh.
[00:45:12] Speaker B: I like the addition. What do you guys feel about Chris Bolton?
[00:45:14] Speaker C: Yeah, it's nice. It's nice. Good little mentor for Wimby and all the other young guys they have on their team.
[00:45:19] Speaker A: It's nothing crazy.
[00:45:21] Speaker B: Develop Castle, too.
[00:45:23] Speaker C: Yeah. There you go.
[00:45:24] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:45:24] Speaker C: Forgot about him. Castle should be pretty solid.
[00:45:27] Speaker B: Yeah. And we have a little bit more time. So I put a link in here to the NBA draft.
We can go through some of our favorite picks, some of the brain scratchers. You know, we'll go through it, see what's popping with the draft? So we can start with that 1st, 1st overall pick with Zachary Reese Sashay going to the Atlanta Hawks. It's caught a lot of hate. What do you guys think?
[00:45:48] Speaker A: I don't know what they were doing, honestly. I would have traded the trade the pick.
[00:45:50] Speaker C: Trade the freaking pick.
[00:45:51] Speaker B: Put it.
[00:45:52] Speaker C: You wanted to get rid of Dejante so bad, trade it with Dejante and get it all star, dude.
[00:45:57] Speaker A: Get a. I would've gotten Ingram at that point.
[00:46:00] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:46:00] Speaker C: Why not, dude, they would have given him to it.
[00:46:03] Speaker B: I mean, Risa shade literally averaged, like 3.2 points per game overseas, and he came off the bench because they would.
[00:46:08] Speaker C: Have went Risa shade, too. The pellets. Yeah. Yeah, they would have. I think Daniel tice, I guess. But, I mean, I just think they would need, like, instantly need to fill the Brandon Ingram like, wing scoring void. You know what I'm saying?
[00:46:26] Speaker A: Trey Murphy, herb Joe.
[00:46:28] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. True, true. I mean, yeah, definitely.
They don't really don't need him. I like, they don't, but they don't. I mean, and Trey. Trey young with bi would be awesome because Rhys, no offense to him, it would be lucky to end up being as good as Brandon. I think. That's not crazy to say, but I don't think the hawks got the best player in the draft with the number one pick, nor do they have a good track record of developing wings.
[00:46:56] Speaker B: Nope.
[00:46:56] Speaker C: So it's like, I don't really know how good this will be for him. And then you already got Trey young saying that he's a role player.
[00:47:06] Speaker B: I don't know, moving to the second pick. What do we think about Alex Saar? I know he really struggled in the summer league. Obviously, it's probably won't be like that in the NBA, but do we think he'll develop?
[00:47:17] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. Wemby was bad in the summer league, too, and so is Chet.
[00:47:20] Speaker C: Yeah, I think SARS fine. Yeah, I think he was. I think he's the most talented player in the draft. I think he's got the highest ceiling in the draft, for sure.
[00:47:27] Speaker A: He's the only one that is, like, I feel like really will be an all star.
[00:47:31] Speaker C: Like, he's the only one with superstar potential, I would say.
[00:47:34] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:47:34] Speaker C: But, you know, summer league opened my eyes. Like, he could also just end up being a bus, too. Like, everybody in this draft could just be a bus. But I am going to stay positive with Sar. I think he'll end up being something good.
[00:47:46] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:47:46] Speaker C: Just stinks that he is in Washington.
[00:47:50] Speaker B: Yeah, I agree.
[00:47:51] Speaker C: I was great mentor. And Jonas found Juniser.
[00:47:54] Speaker A: Well, he was actually think. He said he didn't want to go to it.
[00:47:58] Speaker C: Yeah. Yeah. He declined a workout. Low key. Like, who do you think you are?
[00:48:01] Speaker A: Yeah, like, low.
[00:48:02] Speaker C: Hey. And then be like, decline Atlanta so that you can, like, get locked into Washington.
[00:48:08] Speaker A: That is with Jonas Valjuna starting over.
[00:48:10] Speaker C: Nice, man.
[00:48:11] Speaker A: They would have traded.
[00:48:11] Speaker C: Real smart move there.
[00:48:12] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:48:13] Speaker B: Moving to the third pick. I don't remember who I was talking to about it, but somebody said they loved Reed shepherd to the Rockets.
Great. He's legit. He's the best shooter in the class.
And he goes to the Rocket tour, an up and coming team. And they, the Rockets have all the talent to be one of the top teams in the NBA within the next five, four or five years.
Jalen Green and all these other guys. You add Reed Shepard, who's a legit shooter. I love this for the Rockets. What do you guys think?
[00:48:43] Speaker C: Yeah, I think that's rookie of the year. It's not crazy because he's in the best position out of all the hydraulics. He's on the best team out of all the high draft picks. Even if he doesn't start. I don't think rookie of the year is going to be that competitive this year. You know what I'm saying? It's going to be like a Malcolm Brogdon, Michael Carter Williams type of rookie of the year race.
Reed Shepard can average, like, nine points, four assists, and he could win it. You know what I'm saying? Which is probably what's going to happen. But I think Reed Shepard's really good already. Like, he's an instant impact kind of guy.
Play good defense, and he can shoot the lights out. Great spot shooter, and can create a little bit.
[00:49:19] Speaker B: Yeah, I'm gonna skip around a little bit and go to bigger names. Yeah. 16. We were just talking about Philly, and they land Jared McCain, who I kind of forgot to talk about, but he was one of the bigger names coming out of this class.
Really legit shooter can create his own shot. And he goes to the Sixers, who really loaded up this season. I think he could be a great piece in the future.
I'm gonna start with Kaden as our Duke guy.
[00:49:43] Speaker C: Jared McCain's awesome. It's cool.
I don't like the 76 ers, so that stinks. It sucks. They just keep getting better. They keep making good moves. Hopefully, for the sake of Jared McCain's career, he doesn't get shoved too deep into their bench, because I do feel like he's a little bit of a project player, which is a weird move for Philly to make here because he's not going to get those reps early in his career.
But hopefully Jerry McCain can put in some work behind the scenes and then make a impact on the Sixers. In a couple years, I'm going to.
[00:50:15] Speaker B: Move to 32 or the Jazz draft Kyle Philipowski, another Duke guy. So I don't know, obviously, much about college basketball, and, you know, if you're the Duke guy, like I said, how does this Kyle Philipowski thing? Cause I know he was touted to go a lot higher than 32.
What do you think this does for Utah, and how do you feel about Kyle Philipowski?
[00:50:36] Speaker C: Well, I think that the Jazz probably had the best class, best draft class, really. I don't know how close it is either.
[00:50:43] Speaker B: Cody Williams.
[00:50:44] Speaker C: They got Cody Williams, Isaiah Collier, and Kyle Philippowski.
[00:50:48] Speaker B: Collier.
[00:50:48] Speaker C: Collier is going to be, in my opinion, one of the steals of the draft. And then Philipowski was a lottery pick.
Lottery pick. Talent. At 32, he's a facilitating seven. One center that can shoot from anywhere on the court and can defend. Well, I see why he fell a little bit. You know, there was the off the court drama that teams weren't really crazy about. And then on top of that, I think athletically, some teams see some red flags, but more than worth a second round pick, I think it would have been. I thought it was crazy that he was still on the board when it was in the early twenties, let alone day two.
[00:51:32] Speaker B: So, Nick, I want to ask you about pick 27, where the Timberwolves left, or draft Terrence Shannon, junior. How do you think he fits to the Timberwolves scheme in the future?
[00:51:42] Speaker A: Future, he's gonna be. It's gonna be like a bench union of him. Nasreed, I think Duncan's gonna start. So them too. I think that's, you know, that's, like, on par with trying to think of a team that's on par with, like, Nerland, Noel, and Anthony Morrow in 2017.
[00:52:03] Speaker B: That's on par with, like.
[00:52:06] Speaker C: Yeah, I was gonna say, like, anthony Morrow and Daquan cooks, probably. Yeah.
[00:52:10] Speaker B: Yeah, I think Daquan cooks. Yeah, he's legit.
[00:52:13] Speaker A: But, no, seriously, he's gonna be really good. I remember whenever he got drafted, I was texting all about it, and I was mad that we didn't take Collier, but, like, I mean, Terrence Shannon's gonna be a score.
[00:52:23] Speaker C: Well, I think Collier and Rob are a little too similar to tag together.
[00:52:27] Speaker B: I also like Terrence Shannon more than I like Collier. Terrence Shannon is so good at scoring. I think he was one of the top scorers in college, but he was the top scorer in college basketball.
[00:52:36] Speaker C: He averaged 24 points a game.
[00:52:38] Speaker B: He's so good.
[00:52:39] Speaker C: So I get why he wasn't as high up, but he's an athletic bucket getter. I think that's what he's going to be in the NBA, too. I think he's just going to go out there and get buckets. Him and Rob both are instant offense. And I think Terrence Shannon's game, even more so than Rob, is more suited for the NBA straight to the league. You know, I think Rob will develop and has more potential than TSJ. But I think right now, going into next season, I think TSJ could average, you know, up to eight points a game, even for the Wolves next year.
[00:53:06] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:53:07] Speaker B: Last thing. What kind of, what kind of basketball podcast would we be without talking about Bronny James, right? Without talking about the Lakers? The Lakers take the son of LeBron James, Ronnie James, at the 55th pick in the second round.
You know, I feel like everybody knew it was gonna happen. And I know the. What was his name? Was it Rich Paul was calling people or.
[00:53:30] Speaker C: Yeah, Roddy will not be playing in the gym.
[00:53:32] Speaker B: Exactly. He will be starting for the Lakers.
[00:53:35] Speaker C: He's already on, like, an $8 million fully guaranteed deal.
[00:53:38] Speaker B: It's crazy.
[00:53:39] Speaker C: 55Th pick.
[00:53:40] Speaker B: So how do we feel about Bronny going to the Lakers? Cause, I mean, you know, his dad plays there or whatever.
Do we think he will actually be serviceable?
[00:53:48] Speaker A: No, absolutely not.
[00:53:49] Speaker C: No. But they're going to play him. They're going to play him. They have to. They have to play him. I think we're all open that he's not serviceable. He's not. He's. I said I don't know. I think he's the worst player in the NBA by far. I think by far. I don't think it's close. Like, he's the most.
I don't know. There's nepotism everywhere in the world, kids, you know, like, sometimes a guy's going to get a job over you that maybe doesn't deserve it. This is a case of that. And it stinks for Bronnie because he's going to get a lot of hate, but he might as well take the opportunities that he has. Like, sure, he probably should have went back to college, but if I have the choice, and I know that, you know, given my circumstance, I'm going to get a guaranteed deal even as the 55th pick in the draft, I would take it, too. So nobody would do anything differently if they were in Ronnie James's shoes. But it just stinks that he has to be the one that goes through it. And it sucks that he gets the bulk of the criticism from the media and not, you know, like, rich Paul, someone that deserves it because he's in his ear, telling him, you're too good for the G League, you're too good to stay in college, all that kind of stuff.
[00:54:55] Speaker B: Yeah, he's gonna play.
[00:54:57] Speaker A: Like, this is what's gonna happen, is he's gonna have, like, two games. He's gonna have two games where he plays awful and the Lakers fans are gonna boo him off the court, and then he's gonna go to the G league. And then, I mean, that's how it went with Westbrook, you know, why not?
[00:55:08] Speaker C: But, like, why. Why even act like he's too good for the G League? I hate that approach so much. There's top five picks that go down and play in the G. There's superstars that today come back from an injury and practice with the G League, acting like you're above a developmental program when you just come off averaging four points a game on the bench on a bad college team. It's pretty wild. It's pretty wild that his team is taking that approach. And I think it's already, like I said, shattered the image of Bronny James, like, as a player and as a person a little bit, which isn't fair to him because I'm sure he's a cool dude, you know, probably a chill.
[00:55:46] Speaker B: Dude, but, you know, he's no Daquan cook. That's all we have for you guys this week. Thank you all for tuning into WVUA 90.7 FM and the Folklore press podcast. It was an amazing first episode back, so we'll see you guys next week.
[00:56:00] Speaker A: Peace.
Wvuafm tuscaloosa.
