WEBVTT - 2025 NBA Draft Recap | Round 1 Winners, Surprises & Trades 0:00:00.040 --> 0:00:02.120 What is your biggest basketball superstition? 0:00:02.440 --> 0:00:06.360 Biggest basketball superstition Before every game, I gotta take a 0:00:06.440 --> 0:00:10.400 dunk with my shoes off and no clothes on. I 0:00:10.400 --> 0:00:13.560 gotta sit on the toilet and take a big ass dump. 0:00:14.280 --> 0:00:16.279 That's my superstition before every game. 0:00:16.320 --> 0:00:19.079 If I don't take my dop, what a game? 0:00:20.200 --> 0:00:22.880 If I don't take no dump with no clothes on 0:00:23.079 --> 0:00:25.239 before the game, it's a wrap. I don't have a 0:00:25.280 --> 0:00:30.240 good game. Yeah, I gotta I gotta take my dog. Okay, okay, 0:00:31.080 --> 0:00:32.200 I'm gonna be ready for the game. 0:00:33.159 --> 0:00:34.000 Get them all out. 0:00:39.280 --> 0:00:42.280 Welcome to no dunks here on the Athletic Podcast Network. 0:00:42.320 --> 0:00:45.200 We won't be talking about Dwight Howard and his superstition. 0:00:45.840 --> 0:00:48.479 Can't believe it. It's Thursday. We had a draft, baby 0:00:48.520 --> 0:00:51.440 on a Wednesday. I'm tasmells with me. It's the man 0:00:51.479 --> 0:00:55.160 in the middle, Trey Kirby Ayo and the man making 0:00:55.200 --> 0:00:57.000 it happen as always. 0:00:57.080 --> 0:00:59.040 JD. Hello, what's up? 0:00:59.120 --> 0:00:59.279 JD? 0:00:59.480 --> 0:01:02.160 What's well? We had a draft? 0:01:02.360 --> 0:01:03.440 We got ourselves a draft. 0:01:03.520 --> 0:01:07.360 Yeah, let's jump right in. Let's jump right in because 0:01:07.440 --> 0:01:11.720 there's a lot to get through. Obviously Cooper went number one. 0:01:12.120 --> 0:01:15.240 We will see it here. What a shock, Yeah, big 0:01:15.319 --> 0:01:18.920 time shocker. I was a little surprised by Adam Silver 0:01:19.040 --> 0:01:22.880 coming out with his opening spiel, welcome to a new 0:01:22.920 --> 0:01:24.040 era of basketball. 0:01:24.640 --> 0:01:27.800 Every team has a chance. Yes, yeah, I was a 0:01:27.840 --> 0:01:30.520 little surprised too. It is always such a funny start 0:01:30.560 --> 0:01:32.960 to the draft where the Mavericks have known they've had 0:01:32.959 --> 0:01:35.759 the number one pick for a month at this point, 0:01:36.040 --> 0:01:38.120 and then they get five more minutes to decide on 0:01:38.160 --> 0:01:40.119 who they're going to take number one in a draft 0:01:40.120 --> 0:01:42.399 where everybody knows who they're going to take number one. 0:01:42.640 --> 0:01:45.360 But you know they're a huge winner of this draft, 0:01:45.480 --> 0:01:47.760 jumping up in the lottery to be able to draft 0:01:47.800 --> 0:01:49.880 Cooper Flag. You can tell they were going to be 0:01:49.880 --> 0:01:52.080 a winner because the draft started with a hot mic 0:01:52.160 --> 0:01:56.080 moment somebody yelling the draft was ragged. That was hilarious 0:01:56.120 --> 0:01:59.440 to me. But Adam Cooper Flag an obvious choice, the 0:01:59.480 --> 0:02:02.640 main event, one of the best nicknames already in the NBA. 0:02:02.720 --> 0:02:04.960 Once he comes to it, I was reminded just how 0:02:04.960 --> 0:02:07.600 sweaty this guy is when he's playing. When he was 0:02:07.640 --> 0:02:10.840 there for Duke. But yeah, what a fortunate turn of 0:02:10.880 --> 0:02:13.520 events for the Mavericks to have the Luca dontch trade 0:02:14.120 --> 0:02:17.440 completely throw away an era of Dallas basketball. But this 0:02:17.560 --> 0:02:19.680 is the start of a new era. We'll see how 0:02:19.680 --> 0:02:23.240 he fits alongside Anthony Davis Lively and then you know 0:02:23.320 --> 0:02:25.679 gafferd and PJ. Washington. There's a lot of big dudes there, 0:02:25.720 --> 0:02:27.679 as we've been talking about, but they got to be 0:02:27.720 --> 0:02:30.720 super excited to get this guy. In interesting timing, decided 0:02:30.720 --> 0:02:32.560 to go with a go tee though I thought. 0:02:32.560 --> 0:02:36.519 Uh huh, interesting, what else would he do? Really? 0:02:36.680 --> 0:02:37.919 And keep it clean, I guess. 0:02:38.360 --> 0:02:41.200 Yeah. I will say this about Cooper Flag. 0:02:41.400 --> 0:02:44.160 Yes, it's probably it's kind of anti climactt when you 0:02:44.200 --> 0:02:46.160 start the draft and you get five minutes of you 0:02:46.160 --> 0:02:49.360 know his backstory. We know it's coming, but we have 0:02:49.400 --> 0:02:51.600 to start here with our winners with Cooper Flag because 0:02:51.600 --> 0:02:54.359 he is the best player in the draft, and we'll 0:02:54.360 --> 0:02:58.360 get to some surprises and who we perceive is questionable 0:02:58.400 --> 0:03:01.519 picks a little bit later. But Cooper, I think some 0:03:01.560 --> 0:03:03.959 good signs here at the draft is that he gave 0:03:04.000 --> 0:03:07.680 his mom his phone, because even I was surprised. 0:03:07.919 --> 0:03:08.600 I was surprised. 0:03:08.680 --> 0:03:11.840 I think it was probably half an hour later where 0:03:11.880 --> 0:03:14.160 he was on the desk and they asked him, Hey, 0:03:14.160 --> 0:03:19.239 you've got your fans in main there in different environments, 0:03:19.240 --> 0:03:22.679 at your gym, at other restaurants, cheering you on. He said, 0:03:22.680 --> 0:03:24.720 Oh really, I had no idea, like this guy must 0:03:24.760 --> 0:03:27.040 know everything. He said, well, my mom's got my phone, 0:03:27.080 --> 0:03:29.240 so I haven't. I haven't heard anything. And again I say, 0:03:29.280 --> 0:03:31.799 it's half an hour. He didn't know anything for half 0:03:31.840 --> 0:03:33.880 an hour. That's great sign. All I'm saying is a 0:03:33.880 --> 0:03:36.800 great sign to be present in the moment to play 0:03:37.040 --> 0:03:38.880 basketball because he seems like he's got a great head 0:03:38.920 --> 0:03:42.280 on his shoulders and he'll be ready to play from 0:03:42.360 --> 0:03:43.880 day one in Dallas. 0:03:44.000 --> 0:03:46.000 Yeah, I mean, that's got to be The exciting thing 0:03:46.080 --> 0:03:48.720 is that not only is the youngest player in the draft, 0:03:48.800 --> 0:03:51.680 he's the most talented player in the draft, and by 0:03:51.760 --> 0:03:54.480 all accounts, one of the hardest workers in the draft. 0:03:54.520 --> 0:03:56.920 So you put those three things together and things are 0:03:56.960 --> 0:04:00.320 looking up in Dallas, which is just amazing considered that 0:04:00.360 --> 0:04:03.400 four months ago things were looking totally down in Dallas. 0:04:03.480 --> 0:04:06.320 I mean, would you rather have Luca or Cooper Flag? 0:04:06.440 --> 0:04:08.720 I don't know. They got Cooper Flag now, and that's 0:04:08.920 --> 0:04:09.680 that's just crazy. 0:04:09.840 --> 0:04:13.560 Well, let's start towards the top there, because we got 0:04:13.640 --> 0:04:17.719 Dylan Harper number two, and then you know, I uh, 0:04:17.880 --> 0:04:20.960 the number three was slightly questionable with the Philadelphia seventy 0:04:21.000 --> 0:04:23.640 six ers, but we've kind of got the standard one, two, 0:04:23.680 --> 0:04:24.839 three here at the top. 0:04:25.200 --> 0:04:27.960 Yeah, people knew that Harper was going to go number two. 0:04:28.279 --> 0:04:30.640 A lot of draft experts were saying he could have 0:04:30.680 --> 0:04:33.040 been a number one draft pick in another draft or 0:04:33.080 --> 0:04:35.080 in some of these previous drafts, like he probably would 0:04:35.080 --> 0:04:37.320 have went number one over Resa sche last year if 0:04:37.520 --> 0:04:40.480 Harper was available. I think interesting that the Spurs did 0:04:40.520 --> 0:04:43.839 give Dylan Harper number two. Kawhi Leonard's number, the last 0:04:43.839 --> 0:04:45.880 guy to wear it there in San Antonio. He is 0:04:45.880 --> 0:04:49.160 the number two draft pick. I'm a little curious how 0:04:49.320 --> 0:04:51.960 Harper will fit next to Diaron Fox. You know, Harper 0:04:52.000 --> 0:04:54.640 is a guy who likes to handle the ball. Obviously, 0:04:54.680 --> 0:04:57.560 Daron Fox is a point guard there. I wonder if 0:04:57.560 --> 0:05:00.480 the Spurs would have traded for Darreon Fox, if they 0:05:00.520 --> 0:05:02.479 could have had a crystal ball and saw that they 0:05:02.520 --> 0:05:04.640 were gonna end up being able to draft Dylan Harper. 0:05:04.920 --> 0:05:09.240 I don't know. Nonetheless, they got Dylan Harper's gonna be 0:05:09.240 --> 0:05:12.880 cool to see him and Wenby growing together going forward. 0:05:12.880 --> 0:05:15.760 They've got the past two rookies of the Year as well. 0:05:15.800 --> 0:05:18.560 Stefan Castle like he's easy to overlook at this point. 0:05:18.600 --> 0:05:20.640 I feel like it's easy to overlook Fox at this point. 0:05:20.640 --> 0:05:23.280 The Spurs are getting some talent together, and who knows 0:05:23.720 --> 0:05:26.160 the way the Fox thing turns out. Maybe he carries 0:05:26.200 --> 0:05:28.599 the team from the perimeter for a couple of seasons 0:05:28.600 --> 0:05:31.799 as Harper is getting his feet wet in the NBA, 0:05:31.920 --> 0:05:34.320 and by the time Fox's contract is ready to be 0:05:35.440 --> 0:05:37.640 moved on from San Antonio, it's time for Harper to 0:05:37.680 --> 0:05:40.240 take the reins on the outside. I think a smart pick. 0:05:40.240 --> 0:05:42.880 Everybody knew it was gonna happen. The draft definitely started 0:05:43.040 --> 0:05:46.279 at number three with VJ. Edge come going to Philadelphia. 0:05:46.320 --> 0:05:50.800 I loved his interview afterwards. We came from nothing, great intensity, 0:05:50.839 --> 0:05:53.440 his mom's cry and finally like steadies herself and she's like, 0:05:53.520 --> 0:05:55.600 he's right. We came from nothing and he's gonna work 0:05:55.640 --> 0:05:58.520 super hard. The guy gets comped to Victor Oladipo, and 0:05:58.640 --> 0:06:02.280 even his draft interview reminded me of Victor Oladipo when 0:06:02.279 --> 0:06:03.600 he went to the Magic He's like, I'm going to 0:06:03.640 --> 0:06:06.800 outwork everybody. I think kind of weird going on in 0:06:06.839 --> 0:06:12.080 Philadelphia right now. Yeah, the back court is all young dudes, Maxi, McCain, Edgecumbe. 0:06:12.080 --> 0:06:14.280 Now maybe they're able to bring back Quentin Grimes. Those 0:06:14.279 --> 0:06:18.279 are guys who are super athletic, younger dudes on the perimeter. 0:06:18.400 --> 0:06:20.640 Then they're front court is all old guys. Joel Embiid 0:06:20.640 --> 0:06:23.040 thirty one years old, Paul George thirty five. You can 0:06:23.040 --> 0:06:26.160 even look at Andre Drubbing at thirty two, Yabucela at thirty. 0:06:26.800 --> 0:06:29.159 I don't necessarily know how those two mix. How do 0:06:29.200 --> 0:06:33.320 you play through the athletic guys, the up tempo guys 0:06:33.400 --> 0:06:36.200 in the backcourt? Well, the front court just wants to 0:06:36.240 --> 0:06:40.080 be a little bit more methodical, a little bit more established. 0:06:40.080 --> 0:06:42.960 I think it's an interesting two timelines thing that's going 0:06:43.000 --> 0:06:44.000 on in Philadelphia. 0:06:44.640 --> 0:06:47.680 Yeah, I guess kudos to Maury for going with the 0:06:47.760 --> 0:06:51.120 best available in their eyes at this point, because really 0:06:51.200 --> 0:06:54.240 we talked about the old guys. The question is, yes, 0:06:54.279 --> 0:06:57.920 it's two tiers here in two different directions, but will 0:06:57.960 --> 0:07:00.840 they play? And so you probably make a smart move 0:07:00.880 --> 0:07:02.360 by going to be j Edgecumb and just saying, hey, 0:07:02.400 --> 0:07:05.279 we're going young now we will we see Edgecumb playing 0:07:05.560 --> 0:07:09.320 with Maxie even or is there too much of a 0:07:09.400 --> 0:07:13.600 duplicity there that you may just need to keep Maxi 0:07:13.840 --> 0:07:16.000 on the floor while Edgecumb comes off the bench. 0:07:16.080 --> 0:07:17.480 But the fact is the. 0:07:17.480 --> 0:07:21.760 Guy is an extremely athletic player and we will see 0:07:21.840 --> 0:07:23.560 him in the NBA for a long time. Whether it 0:07:23.560 --> 0:07:25.560 takes a couple of years, whether or not they can 0:07:25.640 --> 0:07:28.960 merge these this this young old thing that they got 0:07:28.960 --> 0:07:30.920 going on, who knows, but I do like he has 0:07:31.000 --> 0:07:35.520 mom bounced back. Edgecumb also met Buddy Heald after and 0:07:35.600 --> 0:07:38.720 Buddy held it's yes, he's Buddy Heeled. He's not necessarily 0:07:38.880 --> 0:07:42.160 a mentor in the NBA, but the fellow Bahamian guy 0:07:42.520 --> 0:07:46.239 who did a great job in Round number one here 0:07:46.440 --> 0:07:48.720 with the Golden State Warriors. I mean he really shut 0:07:48.760 --> 0:07:51.600 down Jalen Green one game that was his best defensive 0:07:51.600 --> 0:07:53.400 game ever. So if there's anybody to be a mentor, 0:07:54.400 --> 0:07:56.000 you wouldn't think it's Buddy Heeled. But I think it's 0:07:56.200 --> 0:07:59.040 just a great guy to have around. So that's yeah. 0:07:59.080 --> 0:08:02.280 Sixers are very very very interesting. Obviously the talk not 0:08:02.840 --> 0:08:05.680 going with Ace Bailey there, which we'll get to later. 0:08:05.920 --> 0:08:08.360 Yeah, Pacers also give Buddy Healed like a ton of 0:08:08.400 --> 0:08:12.560 credit for helping Aaron Nesmith turn his career around in Indiana. 0:08:12.600 --> 0:08:14.400 So definitely not a bad guy to listen to it. 0:08:14.720 --> 0:08:17.520 And I think you're right about the athleticism, Like the 0:08:17.520 --> 0:08:21.200 Sixers really need some perimeter defense, they really need some athleticism. 0:08:21.240 --> 0:08:23.760 They were on the slower side of things. I mean 0:08:23.800 --> 0:08:25.160 a lot of that is because they brought in like 0:08:25.240 --> 0:08:29.320 a Yabu sel A Drummond. They gave Eric Gornon minutes 0:08:29.400 --> 0:08:31.920 last year, like Kyle Lowry's getting minutes. They needed an 0:08:32.200 --> 0:08:36.120 injection of youth. So yeah, I don't necessarily know that 0:08:36.559 --> 0:08:39.560 three small guards in Maxie McCain and edgecomb is like 0:08:39.600 --> 0:08:42.400 the perfect mix now, but they need some young dudes 0:08:42.400 --> 0:08:43.800 who are going to get out and run. It's a 0:08:43.800 --> 0:08:45.840 long season and those guys have a better chance of 0:08:45.880 --> 0:08:48.080 staying healthy and contributing all year long. We'll see if 0:08:48.160 --> 0:08:51.040 edgecumb ever develops a three point shot, if he gets 0:08:51.080 --> 0:08:55.000 better at finishing like in half court situations. But he's 0:08:55.040 --> 0:08:57.000 an exciting player and he's definitely got a lot of 0:08:57.080 --> 0:09:00.320 upside and he fits needs for Philadelphia as well well. 0:09:00.600 --> 0:09:02.520 It's just going to be a matter of keeping everybody 0:09:02.600 --> 0:09:04.800 on the court and figuring out the best way to 0:09:04.880 --> 0:09:06.720 maximivee ever everybody's talents. 0:09:06.840 --> 0:09:09.600 Yeah, it is a huge question with the Sixers as 0:09:09.600 --> 0:09:11.920 to who they bring back period, because you mentioned Embiat 0:09:11.960 --> 0:09:12.800 and George guaranteed. 0:09:12.800 --> 0:09:14.480 Maxie also guaranteed money. 0:09:14.480 --> 0:09:18.880 But beyond that gwent Grime's free agent Kelly Ubre player option. 0:09:19.200 --> 0:09:21.440 Who knows who they bring back other than the young 0:09:21.440 --> 0:09:24.240 guys that we mentioned. Onto the san Antonio side, they 0:09:24.240 --> 0:09:27.120 get Dylan Harper, very fun. I liked how dad Ron 0:09:27.120 --> 0:09:29.880 Harper wasn't even part of the interview. It's the same 0:09:29.920 --> 0:09:33.640 for me. This is Dylan's time, so we will see 0:09:33.640 --> 0:09:35.800 how he plays with Daron Fox and to Fox Castle. 0:09:35.880 --> 0:09:38.839 You make a good point about whether or not if 0:09:38.880 --> 0:09:40.960 they knew that this was coming, whether or not they 0:09:40.960 --> 0:09:44.120 would have made the dearon Fox trade. It's a very 0:09:44.120 --> 0:09:48.600 interesting way to think about it, because, yeah, they now 0:09:48.640 --> 0:09:50.760 have a young glut like will he play with Fox 0:09:50.800 --> 0:09:53.600 and Castle? They go at number fourteen and get Carter Bryant, 0:09:53.720 --> 0:09:57.880 who looks awesome, looks like a prototypical san Antonio spur 0:09:58.040 --> 0:10:01.600 on the wing, will work harder than anyone. Like you 0:10:01.679 --> 0:10:04.120 just mentioned about guys working harder than anyone, This guy 0:10:04.120 --> 0:10:06.200 looks like he's going to be an incredible defender. You 0:10:06.240 --> 0:10:09.280 mentioned Kawhi. I shouldn't say him in the same sentence, 0:10:09.320 --> 0:10:11.480 but this guy is gonna play that hard. He's nineteen 0:10:11.559 --> 0:10:15.400 sixty seven, an incredible defender. So it looks like all 0:10:15.440 --> 0:10:17.720 good for the San Antonio Spurs. I would say I 0:10:17.760 --> 0:10:18.760 like the Bryant pick as well. 0:10:18.760 --> 0:10:20.680 I think they got him at fourteen, right, And he 0:10:20.720 --> 0:10:22.720 was a guy who was could have gone top ten 0:10:22.840 --> 0:10:25.240 depending on how the draft shook out, if it was 0:10:25.360 --> 0:10:28.520 different teams up there. Who knows, But yeah, I mean, 0:10:28.559 --> 0:10:30.160 is he going to be Kauhi? Who knows? He doesn't 0:10:30.160 --> 0:10:31.720 need to be Kawha. They've got a lot of other 0:10:32.200 --> 0:10:34.559 mouths to feed there in San Antonio. 0:10:34.640 --> 0:10:36.840 So the timeline, well, yeah, he fits. 0:10:36.640 --> 0:10:39.480 The timeline perfectly. They need some wing defense, they need 0:10:39.600 --> 0:10:42.120 some athleticism as well. Like he'll be in the mix 0:10:42.240 --> 0:10:44.320 with Vasal, will certainly be ahead of him in the 0:10:44.320 --> 0:10:46.600 pecking order, but like he'll be in the mix with Johnson. 0:10:47.280 --> 0:10:49.559 I believe Jeremy Sohan, like the Spurs are trying to 0:10:49.559 --> 0:10:52.160 figure out the perfect pieces to fit around Wemby and 0:10:52.200 --> 0:10:54.320 a guy who can hit open threes and run the 0:10:54.360 --> 0:10:56.800 court and play defense is always going to have a spot. 0:10:56.960 --> 0:11:00.440 Let's move on to the Atlanta Hawks, who are a 0:11:00.559 --> 0:11:06.160 winner lock, not necessarily for the who they drafted, although 0:11:06.160 --> 0:11:08.400 obviously it's a good pick at number twenty three, but. 0:11:08.640 --> 0:11:11.640 Business lock, at least business lock for sure. 0:11:11.880 --> 0:11:15.040 They traded the number thirteen pick to the Pelicans for 0:11:15.080 --> 0:11:19.000 the twenty three pick and an unprotected twenty twenty six 0:11:19.240 --> 0:11:23.720 first round pick, which is the most favorable favorable of 0:11:23.800 --> 0:11:26.960 New Orleans and Milwaukee. You don't see that very often, 0:11:27.080 --> 0:11:29.640 the more favorable pick. Usually it's the weaker pick. But 0:11:29.679 --> 0:11:33.240 we're talking about New Orleans or Milwaukee, and if one 0:11:33.280 --> 0:11:35.640 of them could be bad. You traded the thirteen pick 0:11:35.640 --> 0:11:37.640 for the twenty three pick this year, and one of those, 0:11:37.720 --> 0:11:40.640 which could be a replication of another thirteen pick, easily 0:11:41.080 --> 0:11:44.200 could be a higher Oh definitely, I mean one of 0:11:44.200 --> 0:11:45.280 those teams could be bad. 0:11:45.679 --> 0:11:48.080 Everybody's looking at New Orleans as the team who would 0:11:48.120 --> 0:11:50.600 most likely give up a top five pick if things 0:11:50.640 --> 0:11:52.880 went poorly. You know who knows if Zion's able to play. 0:11:52.920 --> 0:11:54.640 They've made some weird moves. We are going to get 0:11:54.640 --> 0:11:59.600 to them in the surprises portion of today's show. Yes, absolutely, 0:11:59.679 --> 0:12:02.800 but I don't think it's completely out of the realm 0:12:02.840 --> 0:12:05.679 of possibility that the Bucks are the ones who are 0:12:05.720 --> 0:12:08.320 for that pick. Lillard is going to be missing the 0:12:08.360 --> 0:12:10.480 majority of the season, if not all of the season, 0:12:10.559 --> 0:12:12.800 so it would have to be kind of like San 0:12:12.840 --> 0:12:17.199 Antonio Spurs David Robinson goes down, so then they can 0:12:17.240 --> 0:12:19.080 tank things out and get the pick, you know, if 0:12:19.559 --> 0:12:21.680 want to get yeah, like I mean a Kyle Kuzma 0:12:21.760 --> 0:12:24.120 led team I don't think would be getting out of 0:12:24.160 --> 0:12:27.920 the lottery, but that would require Giannis going down. Nonetheless, 0:12:28.000 --> 0:12:30.199 the Hawks get two looks at it, right the Pelicans, 0:12:30.360 --> 0:12:33.880 which is more likely. Maybe the Bucks happens all to 0:12:34.000 --> 0:12:35.719 just be able to trade down ten spots and get 0:12:35.720 --> 0:12:38.320 a guy that they could have maybe taken at thirteen 0:12:38.400 --> 0:12:42.319 in Asa Nouel, who has Atlanta ties, played at University 0:12:42.360 --> 0:12:44.440 of Georgia and now we'll be playing here in Atlanta. 0:12:44.559 --> 0:12:46.920 Pretty cool, good stuff, I think for the Hawks to 0:12:47.240 --> 0:12:50.640 offset the pick that they owe to the Spurs next season, 0:12:50.679 --> 0:12:54.000 it's like Hawks are not tanking right now. Right sure, 0:12:54.040 --> 0:12:56.240 they made the trade for Porzingis, they had the number 0:12:56.280 --> 0:12:58.920 one draft pick last year, Trey Young is sticking around. 0:12:59.000 --> 0:13:01.200 They're still trying to win and now they have a 0:13:01.280 --> 0:13:04.480 chance of getting a lottery picked next year. Auncy Sala 0:13:04.520 --> 0:13:06.120 has been in the job for like a month and 0:13:06.160 --> 0:13:08.760 a half at this point, and he's made two great 0:13:08.760 --> 0:13:09.840 trades in my opinion. 0:13:09.920 --> 0:13:12.600 Yeah, we talked about the Kris STAPs Porzingis deal and 0:13:12.840 --> 0:13:16.040 wondered how much of a risk this is for the Alantahawks, 0:13:16.120 --> 0:13:17.920 or that was for the Alannahawks giving up the number 0:13:17.920 --> 0:13:19.880 twenty two pick for kristaphs Porzingis. We got to be clear, 0:13:20.360 --> 0:13:22.000 it may be we may have seen the best day 0:13:22.000 --> 0:13:25.080 of kristaphs Porzingis in the past. We seriously don't know, 0:13:25.120 --> 0:13:27.360 so maybe that was a risk. But then you turn 0:13:27.400 --> 0:13:29.760 around after trading the number twenty two pick and getting 0:13:30.440 --> 0:13:33.480 the number twenty three pick in this one for the thirteen, 0:13:33.720 --> 0:13:37.040 they draft Asa Newell, who, yes, maybe not a prototypical 0:13:37.440 --> 0:13:41.040 star in this league, but by some accounts, the analytics 0:13:41.080 --> 0:13:44.280 model view him more favorably than the eye test. 0:13:44.240 --> 0:13:45.440 And that's a good sign. 0:13:45.720 --> 0:13:48.920 And then, yes, as you said, Aunci Salle making the 0:13:49.040 --> 0:13:51.480 move to get that twenty twenty six first round pick 0:13:51.520 --> 0:13:54.440 as well, so they are making sure that things don't 0:13:54.440 --> 0:13:57.360 go awry immediately by giving up a pick for Kristaps 0:13:57.400 --> 0:13:59.760 Porzingis and if that doesn't go well, then there's the 0:13:59.800 --> 0:14:03.400 real but you get the pick next year again, which 0:14:03.440 --> 0:14:05.959 could be very solid. I doubt it's going to be 0:14:06.000 --> 0:14:08.920 the Bucks just because, yeah, I said to Kumpo is 0:14:08.920 --> 0:14:09.520 the guy. 0:14:09.440 --> 0:14:12.880 But more likely the Pelicans for sure. But all it 0:14:12.920 --> 0:14:15.920 takes is Jannis missing forty games or something, you know, 0:14:15.960 --> 0:14:18.679 and then the Bucks are definitely falling down the standings 0:14:19.080 --> 0:14:22.080 either way. Betting against the Pelicans right now is probably 0:14:22.080 --> 0:14:23.120 a smart move for Atlanta. 0:14:23.400 --> 0:14:26.400 It sure is, yeah, which we'll get to. But Ason 0:14:26.400 --> 0:14:29.680 Nowell again, as you said, sort of a local guy 0:14:29.880 --> 0:14:33.320 at six po' nine, it makes sense that he could 0:14:33.320 --> 0:14:36.280 be part of the Atlanta Hawks path, you know, giving 0:14:36.320 --> 0:14:39.920 him a couple of years to get better. And yes, 0:14:40.040 --> 0:14:43.360 kudos to ense Sola and then the new hires there 0:14:43.520 --> 0:14:46.520 and Brian Graham, Pierre Dunwitty made something happen here, so 0:14:46.760 --> 0:14:47.320 kudos to that. 0:14:47.480 --> 0:14:50.800 Hawks are gonna need to be looking for another ball handler, 0:14:50.920 --> 0:14:53.720 I think off the bench, probably like Laverte is a 0:14:53.760 --> 0:14:56.480 free agent. I believe maybe they find a good deal 0:14:56.560 --> 0:14:59.360 for him to come back for a little bit cheaper. 0:14:59.400 --> 0:15:02.280 But right now, if Trey Young were to miss any 0:15:02.280 --> 0:15:04.920 sort of time, there's not necessarily somebody to take the 0:15:04.960 --> 0:15:08.720 reins and lead the offense, like Jalen Johnson can be 0:15:08.800 --> 0:15:10.680 a good creator. I think he's better out of like 0:15:10.720 --> 0:15:13.080 the short role in making plays off of Trey Young. 0:15:13.600 --> 0:15:17.880 Daniels is really erratic as a playmaker. Sometimes he makes 0:15:17.880 --> 0:15:21.440 beautiful passes, you're not necessarily confident when he's driving into 0:15:21.480 --> 0:15:23.680 the land to shoot floaters. It's just very up and 0:15:23.720 --> 0:15:25.440 down with him. So I think that'll be the next 0:15:25.560 --> 0:15:29.520 area to address. Somebody else who can take back up 0:15:29.560 --> 0:15:32.040 point guard minutes for the for Atlanta here. 0:15:32.120 --> 0:15:33.360 Yeah, that's a very good point. 0:15:33.640 --> 0:15:36.080 Looking forward to see what they do because it would 0:15:36.080 --> 0:15:37.880 be great to see Jalen Johnson on the floor because 0:15:37.920 --> 0:15:40.160 he does so much on the floor. Yeah, would be 0:15:40.200 --> 0:15:42.240 good to see Kobe Buffkin in a backup role. 0:15:42.720 --> 0:15:43.960 He was banged up last year too. 0:15:44.160 --> 0:15:47.800 Yeah, they seem to have enough guys to handle the ball. 0:15:47.840 --> 0:15:51.080 If Dyson Daniels kind of takes a few steps down 0:15:51.080 --> 0:15:53.240 on the pecking order in terms of ball handling, then 0:15:53.280 --> 0:15:56.240 we were seeing some things a zacharyisa Che obviously having 0:15:56.240 --> 0:15:58.320 that as well. There's a lot of guys there. Looking 0:15:58.320 --> 0:16:00.720 forward to seeing what the Hawks become even here in 0:16:00.720 --> 0:16:03.160 twenty five twenty six. Moving on to the Phoenix Suns, 0:16:03.800 --> 0:16:06.760 who are a winner at the draft. Didn't think I 0:16:06.800 --> 0:16:09.520 would be saying that, but for a couple of reasons. 0:16:09.880 --> 0:16:12.240 Do you want to start with drafting a seven to 0:16:12.320 --> 0:16:14.200 two kid from Duke or do you want to start 0:16:14.200 --> 0:16:15.320 with the trade? 0:16:15.680 --> 0:16:16.200 Uh? 0:16:16.240 --> 0:16:19.760 Okay, let's no. I guess we'll start with Mallowatch because 0:16:19.920 --> 0:16:21.720 to me, he was one of the best fits in 0:16:21.760 --> 0:16:26.200 the draft. The Sons need a center, they got a center. 0:16:26.480 --> 0:16:28.520 It hit me right. The thing though, is that he's 0:16:28.560 --> 0:16:32.280 ten years younger than Devin Booker, so maybe Maliwatch isn't 0:16:32.360 --> 0:16:34.720 hitting his peak when they need him to be hitting 0:16:34.720 --> 0:16:37.040 his peak, because if Devin Booker's still trying to win 0:16:37.080 --> 0:16:39.520 in Phoenix, he's not waiting around for a teenager to 0:16:39.560 --> 0:16:41.360 be good. So that's why they swung the deal from 0:16:41.400 --> 0:16:43.960 Mark Williams. Pretty weird that the Sons are just like, 0:16:43.960 --> 0:16:46.800 we want what the Hornets had last year Nick Richards 0:16:46.840 --> 0:16:50.120 at the trade deadline. Now they've got Mark Williams coming in, 0:16:50.680 --> 0:16:54.200 kind of similar to what they did when they got 0:16:54.360 --> 0:16:56.480 the two big men from the Portland Trailblazers. That his 0:16:56.560 --> 0:16:58.840 use of Nurkic and Drew u Banks at the time 0:16:59.160 --> 0:17:02.440 that didn't work out out for Phoenix, apparently looking at 0:17:02.760 --> 0:17:05.359 teams with bad defenses and saying we want the backbone. 0:17:05.800 --> 0:17:08.680 Maybe not the smartest move. So the twenty twenty nine 0:17:08.760 --> 0:17:11.720 first that the Suns traded is the worst of Cleveland, 0:17:12.200 --> 0:17:17.080 Utah and Minnesota, right, not the biggest risk. I don't 0:17:17.119 --> 0:17:19.240 think for Phoenix to throw this trade in there because 0:17:19.240 --> 0:17:20.879 they need somebody who's a little bit more ready to 0:17:20.880 --> 0:17:23.199 play in Mark Williams. The risk to me is the 0:17:23.240 --> 0:17:26.320 health for Mark. Oh. The deal was done with the Lakers, right, 0:17:26.359 --> 0:17:28.159 they looked at his physical and maybe they were just 0:17:28.200 --> 0:17:30.560 having buyers remorse and said we want to get out 0:17:30.560 --> 0:17:33.520 of this. But there are definitely concerns for Mark Williams 0:17:33.600 --> 0:17:35.560 if he can stay on the court. But when he plays, 0:17:36.040 --> 0:17:39.320 he's pretty effective, right, Like he scores inside, he gives 0:17:39.359 --> 0:17:42.919 it an effort defensively, and he's a really, really big body. 0:17:42.960 --> 0:17:45.679 So I think the Suns addressed their center position. They 0:17:45.720 --> 0:17:47.639 might have spent a lot of money to do it, 0:17:47.720 --> 0:17:50.240 but yeah, they're just are a lot of pick capital 0:17:50.240 --> 0:17:51.720 to do it. But they're just trying to dig their 0:17:51.920 --> 0:17:54.359 way out of a hole that they've been in for 0:17:54.400 --> 0:17:56.400 the past season and a half since the Bradley Beald 0:17:56.400 --> 0:17:57.159 deal got done. 0:17:57.400 --> 0:17:59.720 You're right in that it just seems like maybe two 0:17:59.760 --> 0:18:01.919 picks for Mark Williams is a little bit much. So 0:18:01.960 --> 0:18:04.560 they traded the twenty nine pick here in this draft 0:18:04.920 --> 0:18:07.880 and a twenty twenty nine first round pick, So it's 0:18:08.080 --> 0:18:10.760 down the road and it's going to be the worst 0:18:10.760 --> 0:18:13.480 of Cleveland, Utah, or Minnesota. So you'd think one of 0:18:13.520 --> 0:18:14.679 those team is going to be good. So it's not 0:18:14.680 --> 0:18:16.280 going to be a great pick for a guy that 0:18:16.840 --> 0:18:20.840 just failed a physical. Yeah, now, and everybody ridiculing this 0:18:21.040 --> 0:18:22.640 saying why would you pay so much for a guy 0:18:22.640 --> 0:18:24.640 who failed physical? But at the same time, I think 0:18:24.880 --> 0:18:27.680 a lot of media would say when the Lakers made 0:18:27.680 --> 0:18:29.679 that deal for him. 0:18:29.840 --> 0:18:30.560 That's a good deal. 0:18:30.640 --> 0:18:32.920 I mean, he's gonna play with Lebron, he's gonna play 0:18:32.920 --> 0:18:37.440 with Luca at that point. And at the same time, 0:18:37.960 --> 0:18:41.240