1
00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:04,360
Speaker 1: Welcome to this League Uncut in the rule of twenty

2
00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:05,480
Speaker 1: four hour NBA News.

3
00:00:05,680 --> 00:00:06,840
Speaker 2: This's you'll.

4
00:00:08,600 --> 00:00:12,840
Speaker 1: Chris Haynes. It's so time, Mark Stein. It's so time.

5
00:00:17,120 --> 00:00:21,799
Speaker 1: This League Uncut is underway and on fire. This should

6
00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:23,160
Speaker 1: be a good one.

7
00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:28,360
Speaker 2: Friends of the show, good evening. Welcome in to a

8
00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:33,240
Speaker 2: new edition, the latest edition of this League Uncut. Mark Stein.

9
00:00:33,320 --> 00:00:37,520
Speaker 2: Here with Chris Haynes. We are together on Sunday night,

10
00:00:38,080 --> 00:00:44,440
Speaker 2: basically fifty one ish now, actually fifty two ish hours

11
00:00:45,080 --> 00:00:48,160
Speaker 2: into free agency. As Chris and I record this thing,

12
00:00:49,479 --> 00:00:52,080
Speaker 2: our producer, the Great Ryan Music, is going to have

13
00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:54,200
Speaker 2: this thing turned around quickly, so by the time you

14
00:00:54,280 --> 00:00:57,040
Speaker 2: start listening to it, this will have been out on

15
00:00:57,200 --> 00:01:04,120
Speaker 2: Sunday night as usual, free agents flying off the shelves.

16
00:01:04,560 --> 00:01:07,560
Speaker 2: You will never see again what we saw almost a

17
00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:13,319
Speaker 2: decade ago, twenty fourteen, when Lebron James didn't make his

18
00:01:13,440 --> 00:01:18,920
Speaker 2: decision until July eleventh to leave the Miami Heat and

19
00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:23,520
Speaker 2: go back to his home state Cleveland Cavaliers. Free agency

20
00:01:24,720 --> 00:01:27,920
Speaker 2: in the modern NBA just and modern NBA it's not

21
00:01:27,959 --> 00:01:32,000
Speaker 2: even a full decade later, but this stuff happens faster

22
00:01:33,080 --> 00:01:36,960
Speaker 2: every single year. Chris Haynes, our friend from spot Track

23
00:01:37,040 --> 00:01:41,680
Speaker 2: Keith Smith Catman Supreme, who keeps track of every single

24
00:01:41,880 --> 00:01:46,080
Speaker 2: dribble of free agency. I checked with him before we

25
00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:51,880
Speaker 2: hit record. At the time of this taping, seventy nine

26
00:01:51,960 --> 00:01:55,880
Speaker 2: free agents have already made commitments to new teams. Seventy

27
00:01:55,960 --> 00:01:59,440
Speaker 2: nine we are two days in change into free agency.

28
00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:05,960
Speaker 2: N contract extensions agreed to as well. Total spent total

29
00:02:06,080 --> 00:02:11,799
Speaker 2: committed money exceeds three point three billion, and according to Keith,

30
00:02:12,760 --> 00:02:19,800
Speaker 2: agreed upon trades have already included fifty two different players.

31
00:02:19,800 --> 00:02:22,000
Speaker 2: And as we're recording this, we don't even have the

32
00:02:22,040 --> 00:02:25,359
Speaker 2: full picture yet of the mechanism that is going to

33
00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:29,040
Speaker 2: get Dylan Brooks to the Houston Rockets. We assign and trade,

34
00:02:29,480 --> 00:02:33,000
Speaker 2: and man, do we need those full details because we

35
00:02:33,040 --> 00:02:37,240
Speaker 2: need some explanations on how what was initially projected to

36
00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:40,519
Speaker 2: be a two year deal in the fifteen million dollar

37
00:02:40,639 --> 00:02:43,320
Speaker 2: range got to be a four year deal in the

38
00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:46,960
Speaker 2: eighty million dollar range for Dylan Brooks. The money spent

39
00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:49,960
Speaker 2: on Fred van Vliet, I get it. The money spent

40
00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:55,200
Speaker 2: on Dylan Brooks, I got questions. But look, we've got

41
00:02:55,520 --> 00:03:00,960
Speaker 2: many more trade issues to discuss because since we last

42
00:03:01,080 --> 00:03:07,640
Speaker 2: visited you live from elk Grove Sacramento with Chris Haynes

43
00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:13,400
Speaker 2: and kingsguard Davion Mitchell from Charlene's Beauty Supply. Since the

44
00:03:13,440 --> 00:03:19,080
Speaker 2: first live show in this league uncut history, James Harden

45
00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:22,880
Speaker 2: opted in and asked the Sixers to trade him. Damian

46
00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:27,360
Speaker 2: Lillard has asked the Portland Trailblazers to trade him, so

47
00:03:27,400 --> 00:03:30,480
Speaker 2: we will obviously get into all of that. Kyrie Irving

48
00:03:31,120 --> 00:03:35,600
Speaker 2: swiftly recommitted to go back to Dallas on a three year,

49
00:03:35,720 --> 00:03:38,520
Speaker 2: one hundred and twenty six million dollar deal with a

50
00:03:38,560 --> 00:03:42,600
Speaker 2: player option, not a team option in year three. Yet

51
00:03:42,640 --> 00:03:47,360
Speaker 2: another surprise, another development that has people around the league

52
00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:52,760
Speaker 2: asking questions and raising eyebrows. First thing we got to do, though,

53
00:03:52,840 --> 00:03:57,120
Speaker 2: is check on our suffering co host, because sources say

54
00:03:57,840 --> 00:04:00,120
Speaker 2: and have I only have one source on this, and

55
00:04:00,160 --> 00:04:04,200
Speaker 2: I don't think I need a second source. Air Conditioning

56
00:04:04,320 --> 00:04:09,640
Speaker 2: is out at the Haynes mansion and it cannot be

57
00:04:10,440 --> 00:04:17,400
Speaker 2: put back online until Thursday. I man, I feel you're

58
00:04:17,440 --> 00:04:20,000
Speaker 2: living out one of my worst my worst fears, a

59
00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:21,320
Speaker 2: house with no air conditioning.

60
00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:26,440
Speaker 3: Rio I'm maintaining well. Listen.

61
00:04:26,520 --> 00:04:32,279
Speaker 4: I think we're definitely doing during our listeners a great

62
00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:36,960
Speaker 4: service because it is important, especially important for this episode

63
00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:40,480
Speaker 4: that this podcast be audio only because i am shirtless.

64
00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:43,719
Speaker 4: I've been shirtless the whole day. I'm not putting any

65
00:04:44,120 --> 00:04:47,360
Speaker 4: I'm putting bare minimum clothes on today, and I'm sorry

66
00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:51,520
Speaker 4: if you have a really good ear my our podcast,

67
00:04:51,560 --> 00:04:54,880
Speaker 4: The great Our great podcast producer Ryan told me he

68
00:04:54,920 --> 00:04:57,960
Speaker 4: doesn't hear anything, but I have about four fans on

69
00:04:58,120 --> 00:05:00,560
Speaker 4: in my living room with you know, with then reach

70
00:05:00,680 --> 00:05:03,000
Speaker 4: of me right now. So if you're hearing a little

71
00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:05,800
Speaker 4: blowing sound, you have a really good ear if you

72
00:05:05,800 --> 00:05:08,600
Speaker 4: can hear that. But I'm sorry, everybody. Those fans are

73
00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:11,240
Speaker 4: going to stay on while I'm doing this podcast because

74
00:05:11,240 --> 00:05:12,800
Speaker 4: I'm trying to make it through. I'm trying to get

75
00:05:12,800 --> 00:05:16,800
Speaker 4: through and without melting. So thank you for your support,

76
00:05:16,880 --> 00:05:20,440
Speaker 4: Starn But yeah, I'm gonna make it. I'm gonna make

77
00:05:20,480 --> 00:05:20,800
Speaker 4: it through.

78
00:05:21,440 --> 00:05:23,880
Speaker 2: Luckily for you, I guess the trade winds are blowing

79
00:05:23,920 --> 00:05:27,240
Speaker 2: and there's no time to even think about the rough conditions.

80
00:05:27,279 --> 00:05:32,560
Speaker 2: Because Damian Lillard, it finally happened. He met with Blazers

81
00:05:32,839 --> 00:05:37,520
Speaker 2: management last Monday. There was no change in status after

82
00:05:37,560 --> 00:05:43,600
Speaker 2: that meeting, but free agency has now begun. The Blazers

83
00:05:43,880 --> 00:05:46,320
Speaker 2: commit to a five year one hundred and sixty million

84
00:05:46,320 --> 00:05:50,760
Speaker 2: dollar deal with Jeremy Grant on Friday night, and by Saturday,

85
00:05:51,240 --> 00:05:56,000
Speaker 2: Dame Lillard has formally lodged that trade request. It's bringing

86
00:05:56,080 --> 00:05:58,080
Speaker 2: Dame some heat because people are asking why did he

87
00:05:58,160 --> 00:06:00,400
Speaker 2: do it? Why is he doing this now right after

88
00:06:01,880 --> 00:06:05,400
Speaker 2: the Grant move? And sorry, Ryan Music, I know I

89
00:06:05,440 --> 00:06:07,400
Speaker 2: have my phone too close to the microphone. I know

90
00:06:07,520 --> 00:06:12,520
Speaker 2: that postpod lecture is coming. My bad, And then I

91
00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:15,080
Speaker 2: have to flip it around and say, well, the Blazers

92
00:06:15,360 --> 00:06:19,280
Speaker 2: could have taken charge of their own situation a lot sooner.

93
00:06:19,440 --> 00:06:22,760
Speaker 2: They didn't want to take charge of this situation. They've

94
00:06:22,800 --> 00:06:28,160
Speaker 2: had more than ample time to proactively say, Dame, we

95
00:06:28,240 --> 00:06:30,520
Speaker 2: love you, but we need to make this We need

96
00:06:30,560 --> 00:06:33,359
Speaker 2: to seek trades for you instead of waiting for you

97
00:06:33,440 --> 00:06:35,760
Speaker 2: to tell us when to do it. So all that

98
00:06:35,839 --> 00:06:40,760
Speaker 2: kind of back and forth is going to be volleyballed

99
00:06:41,320 --> 00:06:45,040
Speaker 2: until we actually get a trade. But there is no

100
00:06:45,040 --> 00:06:48,960
Speaker 2: one better to discuss this with than you, because, of course,

101
00:06:49,080 --> 00:06:51,480
Speaker 2: Chris Haynes or Turner Sports, you were the one who

102
00:06:51,520 --> 00:06:55,279
Speaker 2: broke the news that Damian Lillard had taken this step

103
00:06:55,360 --> 00:06:58,120
Speaker 2: that so many around the league had been asking and

104
00:06:58,320 --> 00:07:03,480
Speaker 2: wondering when will Dame finally decide that this is the

105
00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:07,040
Speaker 2: time to push for his exit? Take it wherever you

106
00:07:07,080 --> 00:07:10,600
Speaker 2: want to go? Where are we? What do you see next?

107
00:07:10,680 --> 00:07:13,320
Speaker 2: How did we get here? The floor is yours.

108
00:07:13,720 --> 00:07:15,960
Speaker 4: A lot of people have been waiting for Dame to

109
00:07:16,040 --> 00:07:18,720
Speaker 4: ask out, and I think a lot of people also

110
00:07:19,920 --> 00:07:24,480
Speaker 4: never it expected him to do so, you know, aren't

111
00:07:24,480 --> 00:07:27,640
Speaker 4: going to be the greatest Blazer in history. The all

112
00:07:27,720 --> 00:07:31,960
Speaker 4: time franchise is all time leading score. You know, he

113
00:07:32,080 --> 00:07:36,600
Speaker 4: wore he wore the Blazers on his sleeve. He loved

114
00:07:36,600 --> 00:07:40,600
Speaker 4: that community, he loved the city, raised his kids. There's

115
00:07:41,240 --> 00:07:43,440
Speaker 4: a lot of his family from Oakland moved to Portland,

116
00:07:44,200 --> 00:07:47,120
Speaker 4: so it was very It's a city and the organization

117
00:07:47,200 --> 00:07:49,440
Speaker 4: that's very near and dear to his heart, and that's

118
00:07:49,480 --> 00:07:51,360
Speaker 4: why it was tough for him to get to this point.

119
00:07:51,520 --> 00:07:55,680
Speaker 4: But you know, just just for context, you know, when

120
00:07:55,720 --> 00:08:00,360
Speaker 4: he had that meeting last Monday, I think out, I

121
00:08:00,360 --> 00:08:01,960
Speaker 4: don't know if we didn't we didn't talk about that

122
00:08:02,040 --> 00:08:02,559
Speaker 4: on this spot.

123
00:08:02,680 --> 00:08:03,760
Speaker 3: Huh, Yeah we did. We didn't.

124
00:08:03,800 --> 00:08:05,880
Speaker 2: Probably wouldn't have been good to make Da Mitchell have

125
00:08:05,920 --> 00:08:07,480
Speaker 2: to have to address this.

126
00:08:09,560 --> 00:08:11,280
Speaker 3: Yeah that's true.

127
00:08:11,680 --> 00:08:15,560
Speaker 4: But yeah, he so he met with the Blazers last Monday,

128
00:08:16,680 --> 00:08:19,200
Speaker 4: and I was told that meeting was for what was

129
00:08:19,200 --> 00:08:21,400
Speaker 4: about two and a half hours. It was Damian Lillard,

130
00:08:22,040 --> 00:08:26,120
Speaker 4: his agent Aaron Goodwin, and general manager Joe Cronin. And

131
00:08:26,400 --> 00:08:28,720
Speaker 4: in that meeting, Dame was a lot. You know, he

132
00:08:28,800 --> 00:08:32,880
Speaker 4: was able to vent and you know, voice his frustration

133
00:08:33,120 --> 00:08:37,959
Speaker 4: with the direction of the team. And the Blazers have

134
00:08:38,120 --> 00:08:42,320
Speaker 4: always maintained, especially Joe Craning, excuse me, especially Joe Cronin,

135
00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:46,440
Speaker 4: that they want to build around him. That and they said,

136
00:08:46,520 --> 00:08:49,320
Speaker 4: Joe Cronin said it, We're going to do everything within

137
00:08:49,400 --> 00:08:54,800
Speaker 4: our power to build a contended team for Dame. He said, quote,

138
00:08:54,880 --> 00:08:57,959
Speaker 4: we owe him that. And so you look at it.

139
00:08:58,080 --> 00:08:59,920
Speaker 4: Let's let's go back, so you look at the draft,

140
00:09:00,640 --> 00:09:02,760
Speaker 4: because let's go before the draft.

141
00:09:03,440 --> 00:09:04,280
Speaker 3: The regular season.

142
00:09:04,960 --> 00:09:07,840
Speaker 4: Damian Little having a career year, just coming off of

143
00:09:07,840 --> 00:09:09,800
Speaker 4: that core injury where he had to sit out the

144
00:09:09,880 --> 00:09:14,680
Speaker 4: year before to get surgery on that that core, came back,

145
00:09:15,240 --> 00:09:17,400
Speaker 4: had the best year of his career at thirty two.

146
00:09:19,320 --> 00:09:22,680
Speaker 4: Then remember he sat the final ten games of the

147
00:09:22,720 --> 00:09:27,760
Speaker 4: regular season. Remember that he sat the final ten games

148
00:09:27,760 --> 00:09:28,720
Speaker 4: of the regular season.

149
00:09:29,880 --> 00:09:30,679
Speaker 3: A lot of other.

150
00:09:30,520 --> 00:09:37,080
Speaker 4: Players core players sat the remainder of the season, so

151
00:09:37,760 --> 00:09:40,640
Speaker 4: they got a higher pick. They get the number three pick.

152
00:09:42,840 --> 00:09:46,240
Speaker 4: Dame was under the impression, I'm not even gonna say

153
00:09:46,280 --> 00:09:47,880
Speaker 4: under the pressure, I don't think I have to code that.

154
00:09:48,280 --> 00:09:54,600
Speaker 4: Dame was told that the Blazers will look to move

155
00:09:54,640 --> 00:09:57,800
Speaker 4: that pick. Moved the pick to get help. Dame made

156
00:09:57,840 --> 00:10:01,160
Speaker 4: it clear he does not want to play with young guys.

157
00:10:01,160 --> 00:10:03,640
Speaker 4: That's not what he needs to win. He needs to

158
00:10:03,679 --> 00:10:06,760
Speaker 4: have a player that's more on his timeline, that is

159
00:10:06,880 --> 00:10:09,920
Speaker 4: ready and prepared to compete now to help them contend

160
00:10:09,920 --> 00:10:14,080
Speaker 4: for a championship. Well, I can say two days before

161
00:10:14,480 --> 00:10:19,040
Speaker 4: the draft, Joe Cronin called Damian Lillart and told them

162
00:10:19,040 --> 00:10:22,440
Speaker 4: that they were likely keeping the pick, and from there

163
00:10:23,280 --> 00:10:25,960
Speaker 4: I know Dame didn't have any conversations with the Blazers

164
00:10:26,240 --> 00:10:31,480
Speaker 4: at that point, which led to Monday's meeting, which would

165
00:10:31,480 --> 00:10:33,920
Speaker 4: have been what three days later, three or four days later,

166
00:10:34,920 --> 00:10:39,640
Speaker 4: voice his displeasure with the direction of the team, talked

167
00:10:39,679 --> 00:10:43,560
Speaker 4: about promises that weren't made and weren't kept, and so

168
00:10:43,720 --> 00:10:48,120
Speaker 4: leaving that meeting, the Blazers understood that they had a

169
00:10:48,160 --> 00:10:50,080
Speaker 4: little bit of a little bit, a little bit of

170
00:10:50,160 --> 00:10:53,520
Speaker 4: time to try to improve the team via a trade,

171
00:10:53,640 --> 00:10:55,960
Speaker 4: not free agency via a trade.

172
00:10:55,679 --> 00:10:57,840
Speaker 2: Because we all knew the signing Jeremy Grant, I mean

173
00:10:57,880 --> 00:10:58,640
Speaker 2: that was expected.

174
00:10:59,760 --> 00:11:02,160
Speaker 4: Yeah, that was expected. But I got something to say

175
00:11:02,160 --> 00:11:04,720
Speaker 4: about that too, Stein. But they had a little bit

176
00:11:04,760 --> 00:11:09,280
Speaker 4: of a window via a trade to show Dame, we're

177
00:11:09,320 --> 00:11:13,040
Speaker 4: gonna do everything we can to make you happy, to

178
00:11:13,160 --> 00:11:16,960
Speaker 4: give you a finally give you a contended team. Well,

179
00:11:17,240 --> 00:11:22,319
Speaker 4: the period went and gone, came and gone, free agency

180
00:11:22,400 --> 00:11:28,880
Speaker 4: hits DA ain't recognized. Nothing happened. They did sign Jeremy

181
00:11:28,880 --> 00:11:32,880
Speaker 4: Grant to that massive deal, which I was surprised by that,

182
00:11:33,240 --> 00:11:38,840
Speaker 4: but kudos Jeremy Grant, kudos to Rich Paula's agent. But

183
00:11:39,160 --> 00:11:44,400
Speaker 4: Dame didn't see the vision wasn't kept. It in his eyes,

184
00:11:45,120 --> 00:11:49,040
Speaker 4: the promises weren't kept. And the timing of the trade

185
00:11:49,120 --> 00:11:52,800
Speaker 4: requests coincides with the fact that listen, you want to

186
00:11:52,800 --> 00:11:58,560
Speaker 4: make sure that these teams haven't trade away all their

187
00:11:58,600 --> 00:12:02,760
Speaker 4: assets or these didn't make moves that they would have

188
00:12:02,840 --> 00:12:06,640
Speaker 4: made if they known that he was available. So timing

189
00:12:06,800 --> 00:12:08,760
Speaker 4: was up the essence. So that was the that was

190
00:12:08,800 --> 00:12:12,080
Speaker 4: the why. That was why timing, that's why it happened

191
00:12:12,080 --> 00:12:14,959
Speaker 4: at that time, the trade request. So I'm trying to

192
00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:17,480
Speaker 4: give people a little context and background of how we

193
00:12:17,520 --> 00:12:18,439
Speaker 4: all got to this point.

194
00:12:18,600 --> 00:12:18,840
Speaker 3: Yeah.

195
00:12:18,880 --> 00:12:22,600
Speaker 2: Look, I mean I'm just from a little bit further away.

196
00:12:22,960 --> 00:12:25,160
Speaker 2: I mean I've said this before and you already know this.

197
00:12:25,360 --> 00:12:28,560
Speaker 2: I am a basketball romantic. I wanted this to work out.

198
00:12:28,760 --> 00:12:34,320
Speaker 2: I love that Dame wanted to make this work in Portland.

199
00:12:34,360 --> 00:12:36,760
Speaker 2: He wanted to win in Portland. I mean, you know,

200
00:12:37,880 --> 00:12:41,160
Speaker 2: I guess that's over now, and you know he wants

201
00:12:41,160 --> 00:12:45,080
Speaker 2: to go to the Miami Heat. The Blazers are obviously saying, hey,

202
00:12:45,080 --> 00:12:46,600
Speaker 2: we're going to look around. We're going to make the

203
00:12:46,640 --> 00:12:49,280
Speaker 2: best deal we can for the franchise. There's a fair

204
00:12:49,320 --> 00:12:53,200
Speaker 2: bit of skepticism about that when you talk to other teams,

205
00:12:53,280 --> 00:13:00,880
Speaker 2: because given Lillard's stature in Portland and everything he's done

206
00:13:01,160 --> 00:13:04,079
Speaker 2: across his eleven years, Like you said, the leading scorer

207
00:13:04,600 --> 00:13:08,400
Speaker 2: in franchise history, a proud franchise that has a championship

208
00:13:08,440 --> 00:13:11,760
Speaker 2: from the Bill Walton era and two finals trips in

209
00:13:11,800 --> 00:13:15,560
Speaker 2: the Clyde Drexler era, and Damian Lillard is the leading

210
00:13:16,320 --> 00:13:21,760
Speaker 2: score among all Blazers, and you know, it's hard to

211
00:13:21,760 --> 00:13:25,600
Speaker 2: see them just dispatching him somewhere that he doesn't want

212
00:13:25,640 --> 00:13:31,800
Speaker 2: to be but they all to me, they all waited

213
00:13:31,840 --> 00:13:35,320
Speaker 2: too long. I mean, that's just this path. This was

214
00:13:35,360 --> 00:13:37,880
Speaker 2: the second sorry ran if you can take out that

215
00:13:38,080 --> 00:13:43,480
Speaker 2: stutter three two one. This was the second season in

216
00:13:43,520 --> 00:13:46,840
Speaker 2: a row, really after the All Star Game that the

217
00:13:46,840 --> 00:13:51,679
Speaker 2: Blazers basically shut it down to tank. I should have

218
00:13:51,720 --> 00:13:54,200
Speaker 2: looked up the stat and I don't have it at

219
00:13:54,240 --> 00:13:56,199
Speaker 2: my fingertips, so that's my bad. But I want to

220
00:13:56,240 --> 00:13:59,480
Speaker 2: say I've written it before. I think they've won seven

221
00:13:59,559 --> 00:14:02,880
Speaker 2: games after the break over the last two seasons. It's

222
00:14:02,880 --> 00:14:05,360
Speaker 2: really been two tank jobs in a rowan look, and

223
00:14:05,440 --> 00:14:09,920
Speaker 2: that's you know, that's when Blazers fans want to point

224
00:14:09,960 --> 00:14:12,319
Speaker 2: to something good. Even though they're they're in this situation

225
00:14:12,480 --> 00:14:16,800
Speaker 2: now that they have to find a workable Lillard trade.

226
00:14:16,960 --> 00:14:20,320
Speaker 2: They just drafted his heir apparent in Scoot Henderson. They

227
00:14:20,320 --> 00:14:23,680
Speaker 2: have Shaden Sharp from a year ago. They have Simons

228
00:14:23,760 --> 00:14:27,480
Speaker 2: on a very very reasonable contract to either keep or

229
00:14:27,520 --> 00:14:31,000
Speaker 2: maybe move for better roster balance. So they're they're not

230
00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:35,600
Speaker 2: going to be just taken down to zero like Houston

231
00:14:35,800 --> 00:14:38,920
Speaker 2: was when it traded James Harden away. The Blazers do

232
00:14:39,040 --> 00:14:42,400
Speaker 2: have something to start over with, and with Scoot Henderson,

233
00:14:42,480 --> 00:14:48,080
Speaker 2: something exciting to start over with. But again, the basketball

234
00:14:48,200 --> 00:14:52,480
Speaker 2: romantic in me would have loved to have seen Damian

235
00:14:52,520 --> 00:14:56,800
Speaker 2: Lillard go out a Blazer. I think that would have

236
00:14:56,800 --> 00:14:59,600
Speaker 2: been an amazing story and a cool story. But I mean,

237
00:14:59,680 --> 00:15:02,960
Speaker 2: they're they're not getting any closer to competitive. They just

238
00:15:03,040 --> 00:15:07,000
Speaker 2: continue to slip farther and farther away, And so I

239
00:15:07,080 --> 00:15:11,800
Speaker 2: do understand the frustration. I'm gonna be asking many more

240
00:15:11,880 --> 00:15:16,200
Speaker 2: questions about the Blazers. They why didn't they try to

241
00:15:16,240 --> 00:15:21,360
Speaker 2: force his hand sooner and speed up this timetable because

242
00:15:21,400 --> 00:15:23,960
Speaker 2: now you've got a situation where the whole league knows

243
00:15:23,960 --> 00:15:28,160
Speaker 2: he wants to go to Miami, and that complicates the

244
00:15:28,160 --> 00:15:29,160
Speaker 2: process even further.

245
00:15:31,440 --> 00:15:33,200
Speaker 4: You know, there was a there was a I don't

246
00:15:33,200 --> 00:15:36,720
Speaker 4: know if people know this as well, but a few

247
00:15:36,760 --> 00:15:41,440
Speaker 4: years ago. It was after the Blazers lost to the

248
00:15:41,480 --> 00:15:44,120
Speaker 4: Denver Nuggets in the playoffs, and that was when the

249
00:15:44,200 --> 00:15:47,760
Speaker 4: Nuggets were they were missing some key pieces. Jamal Murray

250
00:15:47,840 --> 00:15:52,440
Speaker 4: was injured. He didn't play. I want to say, I

251
00:15:52,480 --> 00:15:54,840
Speaker 4: want to say Porter probably didn't play as well in

252
00:15:54,840 --> 00:15:55,400
Speaker 4: that series.

253
00:15:55,720 --> 00:15:58,840
Speaker 3: But they lost to a Nuggets team that was wounded.

254
00:15:58,960 --> 00:16:01,760
Speaker 2: Wasn't it. Austin is in Composo in the backcourt for

255
00:16:01,760 --> 00:16:02,400
Speaker 2: the Nuggets.

256
00:16:02,480 --> 00:16:06,080
Speaker 4: Yes, yes, yes, they lost to that team, and that

257
00:16:06,320 --> 00:16:12,240
Speaker 4: was really the first time Dame was really considering requesting

258
00:16:12,240 --> 00:16:19,000
Speaker 4: the trade. And from that standpoint, nil O'Shea was a

259
00:16:19,040 --> 00:16:22,800
Speaker 4: general manager at that time, it was known that he

260
00:16:22,960 --> 00:16:25,320
Speaker 4: was leaning towards hiring Chauncey Billups.

261
00:16:26,200 --> 00:16:26,880
Speaker 3: And so let me just.

262
00:16:26,880 --> 00:16:35,120
Speaker 4: Tell you this and so, and for background again, James

263
00:16:35,120 --> 00:16:40,840
Speaker 4: Harden had left when Steven Silas got the head job

264
00:16:41,560 --> 00:16:45,320
Speaker 4: with the Houston Rockets, and this was at a time

265
00:16:45,360 --> 00:16:48,840
Speaker 4: where you know, we just weren't seeing a lot of brothers.

266
00:16:49,000 --> 00:16:52,960
Speaker 4: Wasn't seeing a lot of Excuse me, I can answer

267
00:16:53,040 --> 00:16:56,320
Speaker 4: that call later, but we weren't seeing a lot of

268
00:16:56,320 --> 00:16:59,080
Speaker 4: brothers getting head coaching jobs at that time. And Steve

269
00:16:59,160 --> 00:17:03,360
Speaker 4: Silas was somebody who's been an NBA lifer who finally

270
00:17:03,400 --> 00:17:09,040
Speaker 4: got his first head coaching job and then the best

271
00:17:09,040 --> 00:17:13,679
Speaker 4: player on the team. James Harden requests the trade and

272
00:17:13,720 --> 00:17:17,840
Speaker 4: put Steven Sallace in a difficult predicament. And we've seen

273
00:17:17,880 --> 00:17:19,960
Speaker 4: what he had to deal with during his time with

274
00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:23,600
Speaker 4: the Rockets and he's now gone. I know for a

275
00:17:23,680 --> 00:17:30,760
Speaker 4: fact that when they hired Chauncey Dame had so much

276
00:17:30,800 --> 00:17:34,560
Speaker 4: respect for Chancey that even though Chauncey didn't have anything

277
00:17:34,560 --> 00:17:37,840
Speaker 4: to do with the shortcomings of the Blazers in previous years,

278
00:17:38,720 --> 00:17:42,280
Speaker 4: he didn't want to do to Chancey what was done

279
00:17:42,280 --> 00:17:46,840
Speaker 4: to Steven Sallas. So that that played a factor in

280
00:17:46,920 --> 00:17:51,480
Speaker 4: him staying giving the team another chance. His relate to

281
00:17:51,480 --> 00:17:53,720
Speaker 4: his love for Chancey and wanted to give him a chance.

282
00:17:54,359 --> 00:17:56,720
Speaker 4: And so, you know, that was the first that was

283
00:17:56,840 --> 00:17:59,480
Speaker 4: and so there's been multiple times, you know, where he's

284
00:17:59,480 --> 00:18:03,119
Speaker 4: thought about this, and this was this was it. And

285
00:18:03,160 --> 00:18:05,240
Speaker 4: then Joe Cronin came in, you know him and Joe

286
00:18:05,280 --> 00:18:07,320
Speaker 4: R's you know, they're they're cool. Joe Cronan is a

287
00:18:07,359 --> 00:18:10,200
Speaker 4: good dude. Number of respect for Joe Cronin. He's been

288
00:18:10,240 --> 00:18:15,000
Speaker 4: there for a long time, somebody who's earned his stripes,

289
00:18:15,040 --> 00:18:17,680
Speaker 4: earned his opportunity to get this, get this chance to

290
00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:21,280
Speaker 4: lead a front office. And so Dame wanted to give

291
00:18:21,359 --> 00:18:24,800
Speaker 4: him a chance as well, you know, give give him

292
00:18:24,840 --> 00:18:30,200
Speaker 4: some time to make to make those promises coming to Fruition.

293
00:18:31,520 --> 00:18:34,880
Speaker 4: And I know it's been only two years, but Dame

294
00:18:35,000 --> 00:18:38,080
Speaker 4: is looking at his timeline, he's looking at the roster

295
00:18:38,240 --> 00:18:41,200
Speaker 4: is not getting any better. There's still a team that's

296
00:18:41,240 --> 00:18:45,439
Speaker 4: going to struggle to make the playoffs at best, and

297
00:18:45,480 --> 00:18:47,439
Speaker 4: he wants to win, and he wants to win. He

298
00:18:47,480 --> 00:18:51,080
Speaker 4: wanted to win in Portland so bad, you know. So

299
00:18:51,200 --> 00:18:53,720
Speaker 4: I know the memes Tombody's running from the grind. No,

300
00:18:53,800 --> 00:18:57,359
Speaker 4: he's not running from the grind. He just I believe

301
00:18:57,400 --> 00:19:01,199
Speaker 4: he just doesn't feel like his goals are aligned with

302
00:19:01,760 --> 00:19:02,800
Speaker 4: the organization's goal.

303
00:19:02,920 --> 00:19:04,719
Speaker 2: Well, I don't know him like you know him certainly.

304
00:19:04,760 --> 00:19:06,320
Speaker 2: I mean, you know him much better than I do.

305
00:19:06,400 --> 00:19:09,200
Speaker 2: But I I kind of have the impression that he's

306
00:19:09,200 --> 00:19:12,120
Speaker 2: a basketball romantic too. I think he did want this

307
00:19:12,200 --> 00:19:16,560
Speaker 2: to happen with the team that drafted him, and you know,

308
00:19:16,680 --> 00:19:20,440
Speaker 2: it was a small market team that is perpetually under

309
00:19:20,480 --> 00:19:23,600
Speaker 2: the radar, and that's how he came into the league.

310
00:19:24,040 --> 00:19:28,679
Speaker 2: And he, you know, has grown into the player that

311
00:19:28,760 --> 00:19:31,120
Speaker 2: we all know him. And Dame time and the whole thing.

312
00:19:31,480 --> 00:19:33,880
Speaker 2: I mean, you mentioned the previous administration. I mean, look,

313
00:19:33,920 --> 00:19:39,119
Speaker 2: I I remember writing it years ago, and I said

314
00:19:39,119 --> 00:19:41,800
Speaker 2: this as a CJ McCollum fan, and I felt like,

315
00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:43,960
Speaker 2: you know, I never actually kept the stats, but I

316
00:19:43,960 --> 00:19:47,920
Speaker 2: felt like CJ's shooting percentage in games that I attended

317
00:19:48,200 --> 00:19:50,639
Speaker 2: had to be about sixty seven percent. I feel like

318
00:19:50,720 --> 00:19:54,160
Speaker 2: the man never missed a shot if I was watching him.

319
00:19:54,560 --> 00:19:57,120
Speaker 2: But I said it, I mean, I wrote it years ago.

320
00:19:57,200 --> 00:19:59,119
Speaker 2: I think my first year at the New York Times,

321
00:19:59,440 --> 00:20:01,480
Speaker 2: when I, you know, every at the start of every season,

322
00:20:01,480 --> 00:20:05,920
Speaker 2: I always do a you know, my eight bold almost

323
00:20:06,000 --> 00:20:10,159
Speaker 2: bold predictions at the start of every season. And I

324
00:20:10,520 --> 00:20:12,240
Speaker 2: think it was the first year at the Times. Maybe

325
00:20:12,240 --> 00:20:13,760
Speaker 2: the second, but I do think it was the first

326
00:20:13,920 --> 00:20:15,720
Speaker 2: that I thought they had to break them up then

327
00:20:15,880 --> 00:20:20,320
Speaker 2: because for roster balance, CJ was closer to his peak

328
00:20:20,359 --> 00:20:22,360
Speaker 2: and they could have gotten more from I think they

329
00:20:22,400 --> 00:20:27,040
Speaker 2: waited too long to trade him because as much as

330
00:20:27,720 --> 00:20:29,800
Speaker 2: as close as they were and as good as they

331
00:20:29,800 --> 00:20:33,840
Speaker 2: were together, you could make the argument, a strong argument

332
00:20:33,880 --> 00:20:36,879
Speaker 2: that they would have been better served with more roster

333
00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:41,719
Speaker 2: balance than having two guards as the two best guys

334
00:20:42,119 --> 00:20:44,840
Speaker 2: on the team and neither one being a defense first guy.

335
00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:48,480
Speaker 2: So I mean, there, you know, there will be you.

336
00:20:48,440 --> 00:20:52,320
Speaker 4: Know asti ASTI remember, like I forgot to mention when

337
00:20:52,359 --> 00:20:55,480
Speaker 4: I was giving context and background, you know, they draft

338
00:20:55,560 --> 00:20:59,399
Speaker 4: a player who plays his position, drafted his replacement.

339
00:21:02,160 --> 00:21:04,359
Speaker 2: All right, So let's let's spin it forward. What do

340
00:21:04,400 --> 00:21:08,160
Speaker 2: you think happens. I mean, I'm struggling to find anyone

341
00:21:08,200 --> 00:21:12,480
Speaker 2: in my conversations with people around the league who who

342
00:21:13,119 --> 00:21:16,199
Speaker 2: don't think game's ending up in Miami one way or another.

343
00:21:18,280 --> 00:21:20,160
Speaker 2: I tend to think he's gonna end up in Miami,

344
00:21:20,240 --> 00:21:24,520
Speaker 2: And honestly, that's more a statement about the Heat than

345
00:21:24,560 --> 00:21:29,680
Speaker 2: anything after. I mean, the Heat had less than three

346
00:21:29,720 --> 00:21:32,520
Speaker 2: million dollars in cap space and still found a way

347
00:21:33,119 --> 00:21:37,560
Speaker 2: to trade to sign and trade for Jimmy Butler with

348
00:21:37,920 --> 00:21:40,919
Speaker 2: Philly arrival in the East. So after the Heat pulled

349
00:21:40,920 --> 00:21:43,960
Speaker 2: that off, you know, I know it doesn't look great.

350
00:21:44,040 --> 00:21:47,320
Speaker 2: Their best asset is Tyler Hero who Portland apparently doesn't want.

351
00:21:47,359 --> 00:21:51,240
Speaker 2: But I am not betting against the Heat finding a

352
00:21:51,280 --> 00:21:53,919
Speaker 2: way to get this tone, whether that needs three teams

353
00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:57,080
Speaker 2: or four teams or whatever. We know that's where Dame

354
00:21:57,160 --> 00:22:01,040
Speaker 2: wants to go, and I'm just I'm really struggling to

355
00:22:01,040 --> 00:22:02,800
Speaker 2: come up with a scenario that prevents that.

356
00:22:05,760 --> 00:22:06,800
Speaker 3: Yeah, I don't know.

357
00:22:06,960 --> 00:22:10,480
Speaker 4: You know, obviously that's his first choice, that's the main

358
00:22:10,560 --> 00:22:15,240
Speaker 4: place he wants to go to. You know, I see

359
00:22:15,240 --> 00:22:17,920
Speaker 4: a little bit of a debate going on about do

360
00:22:18,040 --> 00:22:20,920
Speaker 4: the Blazers owe it to send Dame where he wants

361
00:22:20,960 --> 00:22:24,240
Speaker 4: to go. You know, people are pointing to his contract.

362
00:22:24,280 --> 00:22:29,520
Speaker 4: You know, he was paid very handsomely over his eleven

363
00:22:29,600 --> 00:22:32,560
Speaker 4: year career, and they don't owe him anything. He signed

364
00:22:32,600 --> 00:22:36,840
Speaker 4: a contract. I hear all that, I get it, But

365
00:22:38,119 --> 00:22:40,879
Speaker 4: Dame situation is a little bit different from any other player.

366
00:22:40,920 --> 00:22:43,280
Speaker 4: I think the only player that can probably relate or

367
00:22:43,320 --> 00:22:47,160
Speaker 4: has a similar path is Kevin Garnett, somebody who held

368
00:22:47,200 --> 00:22:51,080
Speaker 4: it down in the organization for so long, did everything

369
00:22:51,119 --> 00:22:53,240
Speaker 4: he could, didn't complain.

370
00:22:54,720 --> 00:22:57,520
Speaker 3: It, just stayed the course, and.

371
00:22:58,280 --> 00:23:00,520
Speaker 4: It was like it was I wasn't covering the league then,

372
00:23:00,560 --> 00:23:03,199
Speaker 4: I wasn't NB a reporter at that time, but I

373
00:23:03,240 --> 00:23:06,080
Speaker 4: remember people were saying, like KG, all right, it's time

374
00:23:06,080 --> 00:23:06,320
Speaker 4: to go.

375
00:23:06,680 --> 00:23:08,880
Speaker 3: It's time to go. It's time to go.

376
00:23:10,040 --> 00:23:16,159
Speaker 4: So I feel like for the Blazers, I think that,

377
00:23:16,440 --> 00:23:18,720
Speaker 4: you know, because the league is watching, players are watching.

378
00:23:18,760 --> 00:23:22,760
Speaker 4: They're watching how the Blazers are gonna treat Dame. After

379
00:23:22,800 --> 00:23:27,600
Speaker 4: way he held down the organization, the community and just

380
00:23:27,600 --> 00:23:31,560
Speaker 4: just being a noble citizen and spokesperson for that team

381
00:23:31,560 --> 00:23:34,720
Speaker 4: that he was for decade. They're watching to see how

382
00:23:34,800 --> 00:23:37,679
Speaker 4: this is going to play out. Young guys, young players

383
00:23:37,680 --> 00:23:45,360
Speaker 4: are watching. I think the Blazers. I think they should

384
00:23:45,720 --> 00:23:47,960
Speaker 4: look to see how they can get him to Miami,

385
00:23:48,040 --> 00:23:52,080
Speaker 4: but also figure out how they can get the best package,

386
00:23:52,320 --> 00:23:55,040
Speaker 4: which meaning meaning if you know, if it involves a

387
00:23:55,080 --> 00:23:57,120
Speaker 4: third team, which it would have to involve a thirty

388
00:23:57,119 --> 00:23:59,800
Speaker 4: team at least, or if it involves a fourth team,

389
00:24:00,119 --> 00:24:03,920
Speaker 4: like trying to go out, go out your way to

390
00:24:03,960 --> 00:24:06,240
Speaker 4: make to make to appease both sides.

391
00:24:06,880 --> 00:24:09,600
Speaker 3: I think there's a way that that can be done.

392
00:24:10,400 --> 00:24:12,840
Speaker 4: And so that's what I that's what I kind of hope,

393
00:24:13,200 --> 00:24:16,120
Speaker 4: you know, so it can kind of so that situation

394
00:24:16,240 --> 00:24:22,640
Speaker 4: won't be such a at tension feel exit between Dame

395
00:24:22,680 --> 00:24:25,000
Speaker 4: and the Blazers. I'm hoping that both sides can come

396
00:24:25,040 --> 00:24:29,200
Speaker 4: to a to come to a situation of where they're

397
00:24:29,240 --> 00:24:34,320
Speaker 4: both taken care of. And I think that solution does exist.

398
00:24:34,880 --> 00:24:38,959
Speaker 2: And you know, one counter that people will say in

399
00:24:39,000 --> 00:24:41,399
Speaker 2: response to what you just laid out is, well, the

400
00:24:41,440 --> 00:24:43,679
Speaker 2: Blazers are not getting free agents anyway, so what do

401
00:24:43,760 --> 00:24:46,360
Speaker 2: they care about what other players think of how they

402
00:24:46,359 --> 00:24:48,760
Speaker 2: handle this? Well, you know who else is watching how

403
00:24:48,800 --> 00:24:52,480
Speaker 2: this is being handled. Scoot Henderson. He's the new face

404
00:24:52,520 --> 00:24:55,720
Speaker 2: of the franchise the minute they complete this trait and

405
00:24:55,800 --> 00:24:58,600
Speaker 2: he will be watching to see how this goes down,

406
00:24:58,960 --> 00:25:04,159
Speaker 2: because you know, at some point in the future Scoot

407
00:25:04,200 --> 00:25:07,280
Speaker 2: Henderson will likely be in that same position where he

408
00:25:07,359 --> 00:25:09,560
Speaker 2: has to decide if he wants to stay with the

409
00:25:09,600 --> 00:25:12,560
Speaker 2: Blazers or go elsewhere. So I do think there's an

410
00:25:12,600 --> 00:25:15,080
Speaker 2: element of that. But you know, as I was sitting

411
00:25:15,080 --> 00:25:17,960
Speaker 2: there with my long winded I can't see an alternative

412
00:25:18,359 --> 00:25:21,359
Speaker 2: to Miami. You know, there is that chatter about Utah,

413
00:25:21,640 --> 00:25:26,000
Speaker 2: and I will just say, with Danny Ainge in the

414
00:25:26,080 --> 00:25:30,439
Speaker 2: CEO chair in Salt Lake City, Danny will do it

415
00:25:30,520 --> 00:25:32,960
Speaker 2: if there's a trait. You know, Danny won't worry about

416
00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:36,359
Speaker 2: does Dame want to be here? You know, you saw

417
00:25:36,440 --> 00:25:39,920
Speaker 2: what you saw how Danny Ainge responded to the playoffs

418
00:25:40,560 --> 00:25:44,040
Speaker 2: last season. Utah goes out in Round one and he

419
00:25:44,640 --> 00:25:51,159
Speaker 2: traded Rudy Gobert, he traded Donovan Mitchell. You know, Utah's

420
00:25:51,359 --> 00:25:56,439
Speaker 2: kind of lurking here. I have to say that that

421
00:25:56,520 --> 00:25:58,560
Speaker 2: has fascinated me because.

422
00:25:58,920 --> 00:26:03,280
Speaker 4: STI but nobody, nobody would blame Danny Ings. Danny Aings

423
00:26:03,320 --> 00:26:07,280
Speaker 4: wouldn't receive backlash for going forward. It would be Joe

424
00:26:07,359 --> 00:26:10,000
Speaker 4: Crona and the Blazers for sending them there to a

425
00:26:10,040 --> 00:26:13,760
Speaker 4: place that he doesn't want to be at. So again,

426
00:26:14,160 --> 00:26:18,119
Speaker 4: that is an element of which players are watching to

427
00:26:18,200 --> 00:26:20,840
Speaker 4: see the guy who had the most, the guy who

428
00:26:20,880 --> 00:26:24,000
Speaker 4: held the organization down for so long, repped them, did

429
00:26:24,080 --> 00:26:25,879
Speaker 4: everything he could to try to bring a winner to

430
00:26:25,920 --> 00:26:31,679
Speaker 4: that that franchise, and when it's clear as day that

431
00:26:31,760 --> 00:26:36,159
Speaker 4: there is no path to contending under his in his

432
00:26:36,359 --> 00:26:39,639
Speaker 4: within his timeline, you go and ship him to a

433
00:26:39,680 --> 00:26:44,040
Speaker 4: place he doesn't want to be at. That again, Blazers

434
00:26:44,080 --> 00:26:48,600
Speaker 4: are within their right. Danny Aings wouldn't be receiving criticism,

435
00:26:48,600 --> 00:26:50,120
Speaker 4: It would be the Blazers for.

436
00:26:50,119 --> 00:26:53,760
Speaker 2: Doing We once saw Toronto trade for Kawhi Leonard with

437
00:26:53,960 --> 00:26:57,480
Speaker 2: one year left on his deal and a belief that

438
00:26:57,560 --> 00:27:00,200
Speaker 2: Kawhi had zero interest in going there. He only sad

439
00:27:00,280 --> 00:27:03,160
Speaker 2: that one year, but they didn't win a championship. If

440
00:27:03,440 --> 00:27:07,480
Speaker 2: that scenario happened, how hard would it be for Team

441
00:27:07,720 --> 00:27:11,040
Speaker 2: X to try to talk Dame into, Hey, you're with

442
00:27:11,119 --> 00:27:14,359
Speaker 2: us and we've got you under contract for multiple years,

443
00:27:14,400 --> 00:27:17,560
Speaker 2: and or do you do you do you think that

444
00:27:17,680 --> 00:27:20,160
Speaker 2: he's just so set on Miami that there's.

445
00:27:19,960 --> 00:27:25,080
Speaker 3: No Miami Miami style? Are you moving Miami?

446
00:27:25,320 --> 00:27:26,920
Speaker 2: If it happens are you moving to Miami?

447
00:27:28,160 --> 00:27:31,800
Speaker 4: I will say this, I would be in my uh.

448
00:27:32,119 --> 00:27:33,919
Speaker 4: I don't know that I'll pull a winter horse, but

449
00:27:34,040 --> 00:27:37,399
Speaker 4: I would. I would be I would. I would be

450
00:27:37,480 --> 00:27:40,000
Speaker 4: in Miami probably a little bit more if that were

451
00:27:40,080 --> 00:27:44,960
Speaker 4: the case. That's no shot at wind you need. That's

452
00:27:44,960 --> 00:27:45,800
Speaker 4: no shot at Winded.

453
00:27:46,520 --> 00:27:52,080
Speaker 2: We love, we love one of our beloved former he's

454
00:27:52,119 --> 00:27:53,000
Speaker 2: a legend anyway.

455
00:27:53,640 --> 00:27:56,600
Speaker 3: But I would make Miami.

456
00:27:56,280 --> 00:28:02,800
Speaker 2: Finger Well, you'll need air conditioning in Miami if that's

457
00:28:02,840 --> 00:28:03,520
Speaker 2: where you're headed.

458
00:28:03,920 --> 00:28:06,000
Speaker 3: Wooh oh man the humidity.

459
00:28:06,680 --> 00:28:09,639
Speaker 2: But I will not becoming a visit after March October

460
00:28:09,680 --> 00:28:12,800
Speaker 2: to March. Will be excited to visit in Miami after

461
00:28:12,880 --> 00:28:18,520
Speaker 2: April first, Nope, no Miami for me, all right. I

462
00:28:18,560 --> 00:28:20,560
Speaker 2: suspect this was not the last time we will be

463
00:28:20,640 --> 00:28:23,440
Speaker 2: discussing Damian Lillard in his future. And look, one of

464
00:28:23,480 --> 00:28:26,159
Speaker 2: the key questions here is how fast will this go?

465
00:28:26,240 --> 00:28:29,840
Speaker 2: I mean, the vibe with both Lillard and Harden. I

466
00:28:29,880 --> 00:28:33,520
Speaker 2: don't think the Blazers want to move as fast as

467
00:28:34,240 --> 00:28:38,320
Speaker 2: the players want this to go, whether we're talking Portland

468
00:28:39,600 --> 00:28:43,640
Speaker 2: or Philly. Let's shift gears and talk about hardened a

469
00:28:43,640 --> 00:28:47,080
Speaker 2: little bit, because these two stories now just dominate everything

470
00:28:47,120 --> 00:28:50,680
Speaker 2: in the NBA. There are still free agents on the board.

471
00:28:51,840 --> 00:28:56,160
Speaker 2: There are other trades that will certainly happen, but to

472
00:28:56,280 --> 00:29:02,360
Speaker 2: have both Damian Lillard and James Harden in play so

473
00:29:02,360 --> 00:29:05,200
Speaker 2: soon after the draft, so soon after free agency, these

474
00:29:05,240 --> 00:29:09,000
Speaker 2: are the runaway two dominant storylines in the league. And

475
00:29:09,080 --> 00:29:11,320
Speaker 2: you know we'll both be in Vegas soon. Summer League

476
00:29:11,360 --> 00:29:15,560
Speaker 2: starts later this week, and you know, Victor Weinbin Yama,

477
00:29:15,680 --> 00:29:19,280
Speaker 2: Scoot Henderson, Brandon Miller on the floor. Yes, there will

478
00:29:19,320 --> 00:29:23,160
Speaker 2: be a lot of buzz and attention, but in in

479
00:29:23,240 --> 00:29:27,360
Speaker 2: the gym, in the hallways, in hotels up and down

480
00:29:27,400 --> 00:29:32,480
Speaker 2: the strip, we're gonna be talking about Harden and Lillard.

481
00:29:32,720 --> 00:29:35,800
Speaker 2: So sorry, now that's my phone ring, and I really

482
00:29:35,800 --> 00:29:37,960
Speaker 2: should take this call, but I'm I'm gonna. I'm gonna

483
00:29:37,960 --> 00:29:39,959
Speaker 2: call them back. Man, this is a good one too.

484
00:29:41,920 --> 00:29:42,120
Speaker 1: Ah.

485
00:29:42,640 --> 00:29:43,840
Speaker 2: Why does that always happen?

486
00:29:44,520 --> 00:29:44,920
Speaker 1: All right?

487
00:29:45,520 --> 00:29:48,200
Speaker 3: Uh? Stuh, don't let us stop. No, no, no, it's

488
00:29:48,240 --> 00:29:48,640
Speaker 3: all good.

489
00:29:48,960 --> 00:29:50,920
Speaker 2: I'll get back to them. I'll text them while you're

490
00:29:50,960 --> 00:29:54,640
Speaker 2: answering and get back to them. Tell me James Harden,

491
00:29:55,440 --> 00:29:59,120
Speaker 2: same thing. I mean, much like Dame anyone, pretty pretty

492
00:29:59,200 --> 00:30:02,160
Speaker 2: much anyone you around the league, says he's going to

493
00:30:02,280 --> 00:30:03,880
Speaker 2: end up a Clipper and that's the way it's going

494
00:30:03,960 --> 00:30:06,200
Speaker 2: to play out. What's your feeling on the.

495
00:30:06,120 --> 00:30:06,880
Speaker 3: Heart of innovation.

496
00:30:08,080 --> 00:30:10,920
Speaker 4: Yeah, I think you're right, But I will say the

497
00:30:10,960 --> 00:30:16,240
Speaker 4: Clippers reached out to Portland and try and tried to

498
00:30:16,280 --> 00:30:18,040
Speaker 4: see if there's a way that they can get into

499
00:30:18,080 --> 00:30:23,320
Speaker 4: that sweepstake. So in the the Dames sweepstakes, yes.

500
00:30:24,200 --> 00:30:27,560
Speaker 2: Yes, Clippers are something else man Before the draft, Before

501
00:30:27,560 --> 00:30:30,440
Speaker 2: the draft, the Clippers are gauging Paul George's value and

502
00:30:30,480 --> 00:30:33,239
Speaker 2: thinking about is it time to break this thing up?

503
00:30:33,280 --> 00:30:35,760
Speaker 2: But what I think, what I think we're seeing now

504
00:30:35,880 --> 00:30:41,200
Speaker 2: is that though they quickly discovered that the return for

505
00:30:41,280 --> 00:30:45,040
Speaker 2: Paul George would not be as robust as they hoped

506
00:30:45,120 --> 00:30:47,960
Speaker 2: if they traded him. And it has nothing to do

507
00:30:48,040 --> 00:30:52,280
Speaker 2: with talent. Paul George is obviously a you know, two

508
00:30:52,280 --> 00:30:55,560
Speaker 2: way monster when he's on the court, but it's getting

509
00:30:55,640 --> 00:30:58,440
Speaker 2: him on the court. It's the injury history, his age.

510
00:30:58,480 --> 00:31:02,360
Speaker 2: Now he's thirty three and he can opt out at

511
00:31:02,400 --> 00:31:04,600
Speaker 2: season's end. You might only have him for one year,

512
00:31:04,680 --> 00:31:07,720
Speaker 2: so you're not gonna get a huge trade return. So

513
00:31:07,800 --> 00:31:10,680
Speaker 2: now we're seeing the Clippers. The Clippers are you talked

514
00:31:10,680 --> 00:31:13,320
Speaker 2: about pulling a wind horse. The Clippers are pulling the Suns.

515
00:31:13,960 --> 00:31:17,800
Speaker 2: They went from let's explore our options with maybe what

516
00:31:17,840 --> 00:31:20,520
Speaker 2: can we get from Paul George to we're trading for

517
00:31:20,640 --> 00:31:23,240
Speaker 2: James Harden. No, wait, Damian Lillard's available. Let's see what's

518
00:31:23,280 --> 00:31:27,160
Speaker 2: up there. Let's I mean, hey, Phoenix has a super team.

519
00:31:27,200 --> 00:31:29,920
Speaker 2: Miami wants a superteam. The Clippers want a superteam.

520
00:31:31,200 --> 00:31:31,800
Speaker 3: Yeah.

521
00:31:32,080 --> 00:31:32,120
Speaker 2: No.

522
00:31:32,840 --> 00:31:35,440
Speaker 4: And the fascinating part about that is, I think it

523
00:31:35,600 --> 00:31:39,120
Speaker 4: just showed the pecking order. Once Dame requested the trade,

524
00:31:39,200 --> 00:31:43,280
Speaker 4: all of a sudden, he became the top target and

525
00:31:43,400 --> 00:31:46,360
Speaker 4: kind of I didn't say, I won't say put a

526
00:31:46,360 --> 00:31:50,200
Speaker 4: hold on the league, but it did cause teams to pause. Okay,

527
00:31:50,240 --> 00:31:53,040
Speaker 4: hold on, let's wait this, hold on, this hold on

528
00:31:53,080 --> 00:31:55,680
Speaker 4: what we p had planned. Let's look to see if

529
00:31:55,720 --> 00:31:58,160
Speaker 4: we got a shot. The Clippers one of those teams

530
00:31:58,200 --> 00:32:02,080
Speaker 4: who did that, the Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans, New Orleans Pelicans,

531
00:32:04,360 --> 00:32:12,600
Speaker 4: Boston Celtics. That, yeah, those are the teams that I

532
00:32:12,640 --> 00:32:14,400
Speaker 4: off the top of my head. I'm pretty sure there

533
00:32:14,400 --> 00:32:16,320
Speaker 4: were more the teams the top of my head that

534
00:32:16,400 --> 00:32:20,040
Speaker 4: I know called out to reach out to see what

535
00:32:20,120 --> 00:32:20,640
Speaker 4: it would take.

536
00:32:21,440 --> 00:32:23,720
Speaker 3: And you know, Minnesota.

537
00:32:23,880 --> 00:32:27,480
Speaker 4: Obviously, if they're trying to get in the Dame sweep state,

538
00:32:27,560 --> 00:32:31,720
Speaker 4: you know it would take Karl Anthony Towns. But that's quickly.

539
00:32:32,480 --> 00:32:37,080
Speaker 4: That was quickly eliminated, as well as all the other

540
00:32:37,120 --> 00:32:41,640
Speaker 4: teams that tried to well, I'm not gonna say eliminated.

541
00:32:41,720 --> 00:32:44,680
Speaker 3: I could say New Orleans are eliminated.

542
00:32:44,680 --> 00:32:47,160
Speaker 4: But the Clippers, you know, I think they know they

543
00:32:48,200 --> 00:32:52,560
Speaker 4: the chances are unlikely. But yeah, so James Harden is

544
00:32:52,880 --> 00:32:56,120
Speaker 4: the focal. But if there was it was a chance

545
00:32:56,200 --> 00:32:58,320
Speaker 4: that they could get in the Dame, they would have

546
00:32:58,400 --> 00:33:00,920
Speaker 4: swooped in on Dame and then James Harden with a

547
00:33:01,840 --> 00:33:02,920
Speaker 4: figure something else out.

548
00:33:03,200 --> 00:33:05,680
Speaker 2: You saw the Clippers make this little trade the other

549
00:33:05,760 --> 00:33:10,120
Speaker 2: day with Detroit where they paid cash to get the

550
00:33:10,200 --> 00:33:15,280
Speaker 2: draft rights to Balsa KOPEI visa if I'm saying the

551
00:33:15,360 --> 00:33:17,800
Speaker 2: name right, and I will count on my Serbian friends

552
00:33:17,800 --> 00:33:19,600
Speaker 2: to let me know if I'm at least in the

553
00:33:19,640 --> 00:33:23,080
Speaker 2: ballpark there. But you know a player, he was drafted

554
00:33:23,120 --> 00:33:25,600
Speaker 2: fifty seventh by Charlotte in twenty twenty one, but not

555
00:33:25,760 --> 00:33:29,680
Speaker 2: exactly a player that people are super familiar with. And instantly,

556
00:33:29,720 --> 00:33:32,640
Speaker 2: the reaction I heard from a couple teams was Clippers

557
00:33:32,680 --> 00:33:35,200
Speaker 2: just need him to throw into their next big trade something,

558
00:33:35,280 --> 00:33:38,800
Speaker 2: you know, that's that's just a piece for whatever big

559
00:33:38,960 --> 00:33:44,640
Speaker 2: is coming. Because we we haven't even seen Coporu Viza

560
00:33:44,720 --> 00:33:48,440
Speaker 2: yet in the NBA, So I know it's frustrating for followers,

561
00:33:48,480 --> 00:33:51,800
Speaker 2: for readers, for listeners that we don't have it pinpointed

562
00:33:51,880 --> 00:33:54,920
Speaker 2: yet exactly how this is going to go down. But

563
00:33:55,000 --> 00:33:57,480
Speaker 2: you know, the Clippers are exploring all kinds of scenarios.

564
00:33:57,480 --> 00:34:01,200
Speaker 2: But it's interesting the Sixers might be operating with even

565
00:34:01,280 --> 00:34:05,200
Speaker 2: more patients than the Blazers when it comes to moving

566
00:34:05,360 --> 00:34:08,440
Speaker 2: James Harden because obviously James Harden has opted in. He

567
00:34:08,520 --> 00:34:10,799
Speaker 2: is now on the final year of his deal. The

568
00:34:10,880 --> 00:34:15,200
Speaker 2: Sixers really have control of the timetable here. I reported

569
00:34:15,760 --> 00:34:18,600
Speaker 2: earlier Sunday in My notebook. Jake Fisher of Yahoo has

570
00:34:18,600 --> 00:34:21,520
Speaker 2: reported this as well. The messaging coming out of Philly

571
00:34:21,600 --> 00:34:24,040
Speaker 2: is the Sixers are not going to put Maxie on

572
00:34:24,120 --> 00:34:26,440
Speaker 2: the table, so they're not trying to get into the

573
00:34:26,520 --> 00:34:31,279
Speaker 2: Dame sweepstakes with Maxy. They it sounds like Wannu. They

574
00:34:31,280 --> 00:34:36,560
Speaker 2: don't necessarily want to rush into a hardened trade, and

575
00:34:36,600 --> 00:34:40,640
Speaker 2: they do have some controllers. It's you know, Darryl Moury

576
00:34:40,800 --> 00:34:44,560
Speaker 2: arrived in Philly and basically spent the first fifteen months

577
00:34:44,560 --> 00:34:48,960
Speaker 2: of his tenure trying to acquire James Harden. James Harden

578
00:34:49,320 --> 00:34:53,160
Speaker 2: more than any other player until Joel EMBII came into

579
00:34:53,160 --> 00:34:56,719
Speaker 2: his life. That was Darryl Mory's guy. But you know,

580
00:34:56,760 --> 00:34:59,919
Speaker 2: we are again seeing the ruthless streak that Darryl Morriy

581
00:35:00,080 --> 00:35:05,399
Speaker 2: possesses because his his fondness for James Harden is well known.

582
00:35:05,440 --> 00:35:08,200
Speaker 2: They were together in Houston for almost a decade. But

583
00:35:08,239 --> 00:35:11,600
Speaker 2: here it is. You know, James Harden a year ago

584
00:35:12,040 --> 00:35:15,240
Speaker 2: takes a two year deal worth south of seventy million.

585
00:35:15,760 --> 00:35:20,080
Speaker 2: It enables the Sixers to sign PJ. Tucker signed Daniel House,

586
00:35:20,719 --> 00:35:25,399
Speaker 2: trade for DeAndre Melton. That's all thanks to the pay

587
00:35:25,440 --> 00:35:27,880
Speaker 2: cut that James Harden took. And now a year later,

588
00:35:28,520 --> 00:35:31,960
Speaker 2: James Harden doesn't get the big money deal that you

589
00:35:32,080 --> 00:35:34,200
Speaker 2: heard a lot of wink wink, you know, wink wink.

590
00:35:34,320 --> 00:35:37,320
Speaker 2: The Sixers have promised James Harden this big new contract

591
00:35:37,760 --> 00:35:41,520
Speaker 2: for his sacrifice the year before. No, they are basically

592
00:35:41,560 --> 00:35:43,759
Speaker 2: they took a very hard line. Now they have him

593
00:35:43,800 --> 00:35:47,880
Speaker 2: on essentially a one year deal, They're most likely going

594
00:35:47,960 --> 00:35:50,840
Speaker 2: to trade him but we saw how long the Sixers.

595
00:35:51,680 --> 00:35:54,240
Speaker 2: It was a very drawn out process before they traded

596
00:35:54,280 --> 00:35:57,799
Speaker 2: Ben Simmons. So I mean, Darryl Morey is showing us

597
00:35:57,880 --> 00:36:00,839
Speaker 2: yet again he's capable of anything. But I do still

598
00:36:00,880 --> 00:36:03,560
Speaker 2: at the end of the day's I think the Clippers

599
00:36:03,560 --> 00:36:05,080
Speaker 2: are a favorite here for a reason.

600
00:36:07,719 --> 00:36:12,200
Speaker 4: Okay, now, if they do get James Harden, what does

601
00:36:12,200 --> 00:36:19,040
Speaker 4: that look like? Can this team coexist together James Harden?

602
00:36:19,680 --> 00:36:21,920
Speaker 2: I just you know, I was, I was just saying it.

603
00:36:21,920 --> 00:36:24,880
Speaker 2: It's like it was less than two weeks ago to

604
00:36:24,920 --> 00:36:28,440
Speaker 2: the Clippers were exploring the prospect of trading Paul George

605
00:36:28,440 --> 00:36:32,480
Speaker 2: and maybe breaking up the Kawhi Leonard Paul George tandem,

606
00:36:32,920 --> 00:36:36,120
Speaker 2: and now you're adding Hardened to it. So it really

607
00:36:36,239 --> 00:36:38,600
Speaker 2: is Phoenix. Like I think what the Clippers are saying is,

608
00:36:38,680 --> 00:36:41,480
Speaker 2: we know we're you know, we're pretty you know, we're

609
00:36:41,520 --> 00:36:44,560
Speaker 2: in the tax and so let's just zoom past it

610
00:36:44,600 --> 00:36:47,120
Speaker 2: and deal with the consequences and get load up on

611
00:36:47,239 --> 00:36:51,160
Speaker 2: as much talent as we get because one trade can't

612
00:36:51,160 --> 00:36:55,920
Speaker 2: really get them out of this cap situation. But I mean,

613
00:36:56,040 --> 00:36:59,000
Speaker 2: I like the Phoenix situation better than this trio for

614
00:36:59,040 --> 00:37:02,600
Speaker 2: the Clippers, because again, you know, the injury histories for

615
00:37:02,680 --> 00:37:06,839
Speaker 2: Kawhi Leonard and Paul George haven't changed, so they're gonna

616
00:37:06,840 --> 00:37:09,800
Speaker 2: be carrying those same injury histories. You've got to decide

617
00:37:09,840 --> 00:37:12,760
Speaker 2: if you want to extend those two guys this summer

618
00:37:13,120 --> 00:37:16,759
Speaker 2: at different points this summer. But you know, by September,

619
00:37:16,800 --> 00:37:19,760
Speaker 2: both of them will have become eligible Leonard and George,

620
00:37:20,040 --> 00:37:22,839
Speaker 2: both of them will have become eligible for new four

621
00:37:22,920 --> 00:37:25,879
Speaker 2: year extensions worth an excess of two hundred million each.

622
00:37:25,920 --> 00:37:29,839
Speaker 2: And now you throw the mercurial Hardened into this mix. Yes,

623
00:37:29,880 --> 00:37:33,319
Speaker 2: he would essentially be on an expiring contract, but man

624
00:37:36,040 --> 00:37:38,719
Speaker 2: Tyler will be busy. I guess I'll say it like that.

625
00:37:40,200 --> 00:37:45,560
Speaker 4: I think somehow, some way, PJ. Tucker will make his

626
00:37:45,640 --> 00:37:47,960
Speaker 4: way over there as well. I don't know if it'll

627
00:37:48,000 --> 00:37:51,640
Speaker 4: be a part of a James Harden trade or separate,

628
00:37:52,480 --> 00:37:58,080
Speaker 4: but keep hearing people say somehow they they feel.

629
00:37:57,800 --> 00:38:01,080
Speaker 2: Like, yeah, I mean, look, PJ and j Hardener're super tight?

630
00:38:01,160 --> 00:38:04,600
Speaker 2: Are they a package deal? Not that hard to imagine?

631
00:38:06,320 --> 00:38:09,120
Speaker 2: I mean you you, I mean, what what combo of

632
00:38:09,160 --> 00:38:11,880
Speaker 2: stars would you? I mean, that's that's in the you know,

633
00:38:12,320 --> 00:38:15,560
Speaker 2: putting aside the possibility of Dame landing in Miami. That's

634
00:38:15,600 --> 00:38:18,720
Speaker 2: two super teams in the same division, Phoenix and the Clips.

635
00:38:18,880 --> 00:38:21,600
Speaker 2: I don't want to go crazy over their minimum signings,

636
00:38:21,600 --> 00:38:23,880
Speaker 2: but as it was happening, the thing I was thinking was,

637
00:38:23,960 --> 00:38:26,680
Speaker 2: this is the this is the upside of having so

638
00:38:26,840 --> 00:38:30,600
Speaker 2: much money spent on your four main guys, is that

639
00:38:30,840 --> 00:38:33,000
Speaker 2: you can move right into the minimum market. And they

640
00:38:33,000 --> 00:38:35,560
Speaker 2: were moving pretty quickly, and they got Utah Watson Abi

641
00:38:35,600 --> 00:38:38,120
Speaker 2: who had a great year shooting the ball, and obviously

642
00:38:38,200 --> 00:38:41,560
Speaker 2: that's that's a pretty encouraging pickup. Today on this Sunday,

643
00:38:41,600 --> 00:38:43,440
Speaker 2: they were able to add Eric Gordon, so they have

644
00:38:43,520 --> 00:38:47,600
Speaker 2: had a nice little run of minimum signings. And you know,

645
00:38:47,840 --> 00:38:50,640
Speaker 2: you know you reported this the Suns. After having some

646
00:38:50,760 --> 00:38:54,520
Speaker 2: serious DeAndre Ayton trade talks with Dallas, the Sons are

647
00:38:54,560 --> 00:38:58,359
Speaker 2: now saying they're going forward with Ayton, which I think

648
00:38:58,400 --> 00:39:00,200
Speaker 2: is code for they don't like the trade off is

649
00:39:00,200 --> 00:39:04,600
Speaker 2: they've been getting for Eton, but you've got Durant Booker,

650
00:39:04,960 --> 00:39:10,320
Speaker 2: Beale Ayton, and now we know their bench. I still

651
00:39:10,360 --> 00:39:13,960
Speaker 2: like the Denver Nuggets better than anyone in the West,

652
00:39:14,000 --> 00:39:19,200
Speaker 2: but the Sons. The Sons look much closer to an

653
00:39:19,239 --> 00:39:23,160
Speaker 2: actual team as opposed to a collection of three four

654
00:39:23,239 --> 00:39:26,680
Speaker 2: stars than they did a week ago. The Clippers thing

655
00:39:26,719 --> 00:39:30,560
Speaker 2: will be fascinating if Harden does end up there and

656
00:39:30,600 --> 00:39:34,359
Speaker 2: look that you know you've reported, You've reported a ton

657
00:39:34,400 --> 00:39:38,920
Speaker 2: about the Tylo contract situation. Man extend that man if

658
00:39:38,960 --> 00:39:41,160
Speaker 2: he's got to coach, he got to coach all three

659
00:39:41,160 --> 00:39:43,600
Speaker 2: of those guys. Get this man a contract extension.

660
00:39:44,760 --> 00:39:50,320
Speaker 3: He got his work cut out on the Sunstein.

661
00:39:50,960 --> 00:39:53,719
Speaker 4: I'm actually gonna tweet this momentarily, but i'll say it

662
00:39:53,760 --> 00:39:56,160
Speaker 4: here first. I don't know if I'm really saying it

663
00:39:56,200 --> 00:40:00,440
Speaker 4: here first, because this pod is gonna drop, then I'm

664
00:40:00,480 --> 00:40:04,560
Speaker 4: already have had it. I'm already then tweeted it. But

665
00:40:05,760 --> 00:40:10,239
Speaker 4: Darren Collison, who retired a few years ago, he worked

666
00:40:10,239 --> 00:40:12,680
Speaker 4: out for the Suns last week and I was told

667
00:40:12,719 --> 00:40:15,759
Speaker 4: he had a great showing. So that's an area of

668
00:40:15,840 --> 00:40:18,799
Speaker 4: the you know, the point guard position that you can

669
00:40:19,200 --> 00:40:22,920
Speaker 4: you can see the Sons looking into and trying to

670
00:40:22,920 --> 00:40:26,280
Speaker 4: figure out who are the best players on the market.

671
00:40:26,280 --> 00:40:28,680
Speaker 2: I'm looking at Twitter. You haven't tweeted yet. Theoretically I

672
00:40:28,680 --> 00:40:31,799
Speaker 2: could just tweet that faster than you.

673
00:40:31,800 --> 00:40:33,880
Speaker 3: You go still, you go steal the stin. That's how

674
00:40:33,920 --> 00:40:36,040
Speaker 3: we're doing the stink If you're I thought.

675
00:40:36,239 --> 00:40:38,239
Speaker 2: Air conditioning was on. I might have thought about it,

676
00:40:38,280 --> 00:40:40,399
Speaker 2: but since your air conditionings off, I'm not going.

677
00:40:40,360 --> 00:40:40,600
Speaker 1: To do.

678
00:40:43,800 --> 00:40:45,840
Speaker 3: Yeah. So that I don't know what they're gonna do.

679
00:40:45,840 --> 00:40:47,920
Speaker 3: I don't know if he's gonna be it is.

680
00:40:48,040 --> 00:40:50,319
Speaker 2: It does illustrate that they're still looking around and not

681
00:40:50,360 --> 00:40:52,880
Speaker 2: necessarily done. Should we let this man have some peace,

682
00:40:52,920 --> 00:40:55,319
Speaker 2: let him tweet, let him let him fire this tweet off?

683
00:40:55,800 --> 00:40:56,919
Speaker 3: No good, We're good.

684
00:40:57,160 --> 00:40:59,640
Speaker 2: So, as I mentioned off the top, we've had almost

685
00:40:59,719 --> 00:41:04,480
Speaker 2: eighty free agents find new teams or find their new contracts.

686
00:41:04,560 --> 00:41:06,480
Speaker 2: A lot of them stayed with their current teams, and

687
00:41:06,480 --> 00:41:08,000
Speaker 2: we're going to talk about one of them in a sec.

688
00:41:08,120 --> 00:41:10,799
Speaker 2: But you know, it's too soon to me, not even

689
00:41:10,880 --> 00:41:13,600
Speaker 2: three full days into this, to talk about winners and losers,

690
00:41:13,760 --> 00:41:18,680
Speaker 2: especially because we've got these two considerable trade situations to

691
00:41:18,719 --> 00:41:21,239
Speaker 2: deal with. So there will be plenty of time down

692
00:41:21,280 --> 00:41:24,760
Speaker 2: the road for full on winners and losers. I certainly

693
00:41:25,600 --> 00:41:28,680
Speaker 2: like what the Lakers have done to get Gabe Vincent

694
00:41:28,840 --> 00:41:31,680
Speaker 2: at eleven million a season, and all the other small

695
00:41:31,760 --> 00:41:35,080
Speaker 2: moves they've made to just really round out their depth.

696
00:41:35,200 --> 00:41:40,439
Speaker 2: I think the Lakers have been pretty unanimously praised for

697
00:41:40,680 --> 00:41:43,719
Speaker 2: their free agency to this point, and we got a

698
00:41:43,760 --> 00:41:46,520
Speaker 2: lot to talk about with Houston. They go to the

699
00:41:46,600 --> 00:41:51,040
Speaker 2: third year to convince Fred van Vliet to leave Toronto.

700
00:41:51,440 --> 00:41:54,640
Speaker 2: But then we hear the four years eighty million for

701
00:41:54,760 --> 00:41:57,880
Speaker 2: Dylan Brooks. I remember reporting within the last week or

702
00:41:57,920 --> 00:42:01,200
Speaker 2: two that Dylan Brooks was seeking a above the twelve

703
00:42:01,280 --> 00:42:04,800
Speaker 2: point four mid level exception, and I was hearing fourteen million,

704
00:42:04,840 --> 00:42:08,439
Speaker 2: fifteen million, sixteen million a year, but twenty million a year.

705
00:42:08,760 --> 00:42:10,759
Speaker 2: But again, we don't have the whole picture on the

706
00:42:10,800 --> 00:42:14,080
Speaker 2: sign and trade yet. Maybe that will emerge later tonight

707
00:42:14,120 --> 00:42:16,400
Speaker 2: after we finished recording this, but we don't have it

708
00:42:17,120 --> 00:42:19,080
Speaker 2: at this second, and so there are still a lot

709
00:42:19,080 --> 00:42:22,080
Speaker 2: of variables that I think we need to know a

710
00:42:22,120 --> 00:42:24,200
Speaker 2: lot of blanks to fill in before it's time to

711
00:42:24,239 --> 00:42:27,160
Speaker 2: really get into winners and losers. So let's but let's

712
00:42:27,200 --> 00:42:29,759
Speaker 2: talk about Kyrie Irving because that's a situation that both

713
00:42:29,800 --> 00:42:32,440
Speaker 2: you and I have spent a lot of time covering.

714
00:42:33,040 --> 00:42:36,600
Speaker 2: You reported that Kyrie Irving was lined up to take

715
00:42:36,600 --> 00:42:39,840
Speaker 2: a meeting with Phoenix. I think when free agency started

716
00:42:40,200 --> 00:42:43,000
Speaker 2: on Friday night, there was a feeling in Dallas that

717
00:42:43,120 --> 00:42:47,080
Speaker 2: this wouldn't be an instantaneous process that there was the

718
00:42:47,239 --> 00:42:50,239
Speaker 2: likelihood that Kyrie would at least take a meeting with

719
00:42:50,320 --> 00:42:52,640
Speaker 2: the Suns and maybe try to take a meeting elsewhere

720
00:42:52,920 --> 00:42:55,799
Speaker 2: to put some pressure on Dallas to try to gain

721
00:42:55,840 --> 00:42:58,879
Speaker 2: some leverage, because as we've been saying for weeks now,

722
00:42:58,920 --> 00:43:01,400
Speaker 2: really months now, it's the end of the season. In

723
00:43:01,440 --> 00:43:05,240
Speaker 2: early April that there had been no other confirmed suitor

724
00:43:05,640 --> 00:43:08,799
Speaker 2: for Kyrie Irving. But in the end that didn't really matter.

725
00:43:08,880 --> 00:43:12,000
Speaker 2: He got a three year deal one hundred and twenty

726
00:43:12,040 --> 00:43:16,200
Speaker 2: six million and that third year of player option, so

727
00:43:16,760 --> 00:43:21,480
Speaker 2: he still got a tremendous deal. I know the Mavericks internally,

728
00:43:21,800 --> 00:43:26,120
Speaker 2: they feel very good about it because it's nine ish

729
00:43:26,160 --> 00:43:29,560
Speaker 2: million less than the first year max he settled for

730
00:43:29,600 --> 00:43:32,600
Speaker 2: a number a little bit shy of forty million in

731
00:43:32,719 --> 00:43:36,000
Speaker 2: year one. The Mavericks have their full mid level available

732
00:43:36,040 --> 00:43:39,520
Speaker 2: to go after wing help. So Dallas feels good about this.

733
00:43:39,640 --> 00:43:43,239
Speaker 2: But I mean, look to me, it's at least it's

734
00:43:43,239 --> 00:43:47,000
Speaker 2: a season too long, especially because it is a player option.

735
00:43:47,120 --> 00:43:49,640
Speaker 2: But tell me the give me, give me, give me

736
00:43:49,640 --> 00:43:53,439
Speaker 2: the perspective from Sacramento with Kyrie Irving getting this deal

737
00:43:53,520 --> 00:44:01,160
Speaker 2: to stay in Dallas for three more years.

738
00:43:58,600 --> 00:43:59,040
Speaker 3: I didn't.

739
00:43:59,280 --> 00:44:03,640
Speaker 4: I'm gonna tell you, I was surprised. And you have

740
00:44:03,719 --> 00:44:09,320
Speaker 4: to give give credit to Kyrie and his agent Stilia Irving.

741
00:44:10,280 --> 00:44:13,000
Speaker 4: They did a phenomenal job. I didn't see that coming

742
00:44:13,800 --> 00:44:16,080
Speaker 4: three years. What is that three that's what forty two

743
00:44:16,080 --> 00:44:20,840
Speaker 4: a year? That's about forty two a year, right that?

744
00:44:20,840 --> 00:44:24,640
Speaker 4: That is mand We didn't see that. Didn't see that

745
00:44:24,680 --> 00:44:29,120
Speaker 4: at all, and especially I did. I could not identify

746
00:44:29,160 --> 00:44:32,479
Speaker 4: a team out there that would pay him anywhere close

747
00:44:32,520 --> 00:44:36,120
Speaker 4: to that. So to be able to pull that off

748
00:44:36,719 --> 00:44:40,879
Speaker 4: with only having one one suitor that can pay you

749
00:44:41,680 --> 00:44:45,160
Speaker 4: anywhere close to your value, that was that was a

750
00:44:45,239 --> 00:44:47,680
Speaker 4: pretty significant haul right there.

751
00:44:48,560 --> 00:44:49,320
Speaker 3: Player options.

752
00:44:49,400 --> 00:44:52,280
Speaker 2: For me, this has never been about talent Kyrie Irving.

753
00:44:52,480 --> 00:44:55,600
Speaker 2: I mean there was there were highlights on Twitter today

754
00:44:55,680 --> 00:44:58,920
Speaker 2: of you know, just the dribbling magic that comes from

755
00:44:59,000 --> 00:45:02,320
Speaker 2: Kyrie Irving that own he is capable of. But that's

756
00:45:02,480 --> 00:45:06,279
Speaker 2: not what this is about. I mean, the reality is

757
00:45:06,600 --> 00:45:09,000
Speaker 2: fair or not, like it or not. For the last

758
00:45:09,120 --> 00:45:14,560
Speaker 2: six seasons, Kyrie Irving has only played sixty five games,

759
00:45:14,680 --> 00:45:18,760
Speaker 2: or the equivalent of sixty five games in a seventy

760
00:45:18,760 --> 00:45:21,640
Speaker 2: two game season. It's only happened once in the last

761
00:45:21,719 --> 00:45:24,759
Speaker 2: six seasons, they need to see a lot more of

762
00:45:24,840 --> 00:45:27,960
Speaker 2: him if you're going to give him a deal like this.

763
00:45:28,080 --> 00:45:32,719
Speaker 2: But the larger issue for Dallas and where I have

764
00:45:32,840 --> 00:45:38,919
Speaker 2: my questions, you have to get your star to someome

765
00:45:39,000 --> 00:45:43,400
Speaker 2: right in this new CBA unless you're gonna do a

766
00:45:43,440 --> 00:45:46,920
Speaker 2: Phoenix or a Clippers or a Heat and spend crazy

767
00:45:46,960 --> 00:45:49,520
Speaker 2: money on three guys. But most teams are not going

768
00:45:49,600 --> 00:45:52,279
Speaker 2: to do that. Most teams are going to try to

769
00:45:52,400 --> 00:45:56,640
Speaker 2: get their two stars. Make sure you get the right

770
00:45:56,719 --> 00:46:01,360
Speaker 2: to and build around it. And would you build a

771
00:46:01,440 --> 00:46:06,160
Speaker 2: team around two ball dominant guards like Luka Doncic and

772
00:46:06,280 --> 00:46:10,200
Speaker 2: Kyrie Irving? And would that would that be where you

773
00:46:10,239 --> 00:46:13,240
Speaker 2: start building your team from The reality though for Dallas

774
00:46:13,400 --> 00:46:17,720
Speaker 2: is they made this choice in February when they traded

775
00:46:17,760 --> 00:46:20,440
Speaker 2: for Kyrie Irving. They traded a lot for them, and

776
00:46:20,480 --> 00:46:24,759
Speaker 2: they didn't want to just walk away from that and

777
00:46:24,880 --> 00:46:27,719
Speaker 2: see how they would do with cap space and take

778
00:46:27,760 --> 00:46:30,560
Speaker 2: that chance, because cap space that's two evil words in

779
00:46:30,680 --> 00:46:34,600
Speaker 2: Dallas given their history with chasing free agents. But it's

780
00:46:34,719 --> 00:46:37,240
Speaker 2: it's going to be a challenge to build a team

781
00:46:37,560 --> 00:46:40,800
Speaker 2: around these two guys. It didn't go well last season

782
00:46:40,920 --> 00:46:44,239
Speaker 2: in the second half they were five and eleven when

783
00:46:44,280 --> 00:46:48,040
Speaker 2: both Luka Dancic and Kyrie Irving were in uniform, and

784
00:46:48,800 --> 00:46:53,000
Speaker 2: you know, speaking for myself, it's not my team, and

785
00:46:53,680 --> 00:46:55,799
Speaker 2: you know again this is me, it's this is not

786
00:46:55,920 --> 00:47:00,680
Speaker 2: the direction I would have gone in February. And it's

787
00:47:00,760 --> 00:47:04,399
Speaker 2: a big contract now. But it's on them to make

788
00:47:04,440 --> 00:47:09,600
Speaker 2: it work now. Mark Cuban, Nico Harrison, Jason Kidd, Luka

789
00:47:09,680 --> 00:47:13,759
Speaker 2: Doncic and above all Kyrie Irving. They've got to They've

790
00:47:13,760 --> 00:47:15,440
Speaker 2: got to make this work. You know, the MAVs are

791
00:47:15,440 --> 00:47:17,600
Speaker 2: still trying to make moves to round out their team.

792
00:47:17,680 --> 00:47:20,960
Speaker 2: They went into free agency beyond trying to re sign

793
00:47:21,040 --> 00:47:24,000
Speaker 2: Kyrie as their number one priority they need. They wanted

794
00:47:24,000 --> 00:47:26,360
Speaker 2: to get a new starting center, and they wanted to

795
00:47:26,400 --> 00:47:30,520
Speaker 2: get a defense first wing. And at this point they

796
00:47:30,560 --> 00:47:33,080
Speaker 2: don't really have either one of those other two pieces.

797
00:47:33,080 --> 00:47:36,359
Speaker 2: So still a lot for the Mavericks to get done.

798
00:47:36,440 --> 00:47:39,720
Speaker 2: They still have their full mid level to go after wings.

799
00:47:39,880 --> 00:47:44,239
Speaker 2: I reported today that you know, they're in the mix

800
00:47:44,280 --> 00:47:48,880
Speaker 2: for Matisse Tible and Grant Williams, both restricted free agents.

801
00:47:48,880 --> 00:47:51,680
Speaker 2: But with a restricted free agent, you can't even sign

802
00:47:51,680 --> 00:47:56,160
Speaker 2: a restricted free agent to an offer sheet until July sixth,

803
00:47:56,239 --> 00:47:58,719
Speaker 2: which is Thursday, and then you got to wait out

804
00:47:58,760 --> 00:48:02,440
Speaker 2: the new shortened twenty four our match period for a

805
00:48:02,480 --> 00:48:06,000
Speaker 2: restricted free agent. But still a lot for Dallas to

806
00:48:06,080 --> 00:48:09,479
Speaker 2: do even after getting this done. But I will say

807
00:48:09,520 --> 00:48:13,600
Speaker 2: the Mavericks they're they're tuning out the noise and internally

808
00:48:14,239 --> 00:48:17,000
Speaker 2: they believe that they got a good deal. They're gonna

809
00:48:17,040 --> 00:48:19,920
Speaker 2: have to prove it to people, because you know you

810
00:48:20,000 --> 00:48:25,080
Speaker 2: said it forty two MILLI year when you're essentially bidding

811
00:48:25,120 --> 00:48:28,759
Speaker 2: against yourself, that is a cost. That's Chris Haynes money.

812
00:48:28,760 --> 00:48:29,759
Speaker 2: That's a costly check.

813
00:48:31,360 --> 00:48:35,600
Speaker 4: What Stein tell me? What did you what did you

814
00:48:36,480 --> 00:48:41,480
Speaker 4: think would be the terms of a new Kyrie deal

815
00:48:41,520 --> 00:48:42,080
Speaker 4: with Dallas?

816
00:48:42,160 --> 00:48:45,800
Speaker 2: It ended up basically money wise, it ended up basically

817
00:48:45,800 --> 00:48:47,600
Speaker 2: where I thought. But if the third year is a

818
00:48:47,640 --> 00:48:51,239
Speaker 2: team option against as opposed to a player option, I'm

819
00:48:51,239 --> 00:48:55,480
Speaker 2: looking at it completely differently. I have been saying it

820
00:48:55,760 --> 00:48:59,000
Speaker 2: really since the season ended in Dallas. If it's me again,

821
00:48:59,040 --> 00:49:02,560
Speaker 2: if I'm in charge and the magic wand is put

822
00:49:02,560 --> 00:49:06,120
Speaker 2: in my hand and I'm the orchestrator here, I'm offering

823
00:49:06,200 --> 00:49:09,759
Speaker 2: a one plus one with a team option in year two.

824
00:49:10,280 --> 00:49:13,880
Speaker 2: But I realized that Kyrie Irving would have wanted no

825
00:49:14,080 --> 00:49:16,719
Speaker 2: part of a deal like that, and that was the

826
00:49:16,800 --> 00:49:20,280
Speaker 2: difficult challenge that the Mavericks faced her. What the Mavericks

827
00:49:20,280 --> 00:49:25,000
Speaker 2: would say, The Mavericks would say, we weren't bidding against ourselves.

828
00:49:25,080 --> 00:49:28,680
Speaker 2: We were trying to find the deal that was as

829
00:49:28,719 --> 00:49:32,600
Speaker 2: close to team friendly as we could make it. But

830
00:49:33,000 --> 00:49:36,880
Speaker 2: where Kyrie felt good about it, felt respected, and is

831
00:49:36,920 --> 00:49:42,000
Speaker 2: ready to come back, hungry to make this thing flow

832
00:49:42,080 --> 00:49:44,719
Speaker 2: a lot better than it did last season after the trade. Now,

833
00:49:44,760 --> 00:49:47,239
Speaker 2: in his defense, he didn't have a training camp with

834
00:49:47,280 --> 00:49:50,400
Speaker 2: the Mavericks. He showed up in February with a team

835
00:49:50,440 --> 00:49:54,400
Speaker 2: that was already off to a very rough start last season.

836
00:49:54,520 --> 00:49:57,239
Speaker 2: So this is not to suggest that the five and

837
00:49:57,280 --> 00:50:00,160
Speaker 2: eleven record when he and Luca were in uniform was

838
00:50:00,160 --> 00:50:03,520
Speaker 2: all on him, because offensively, the numbers look good with

839
00:50:03,600 --> 00:50:06,600
Speaker 2: the two of them on the floor, for any of

840
00:50:06,640 --> 00:50:09,880
Speaker 2: the concerns that I'm raising, but you know, it was

841
00:50:10,040 --> 00:50:13,320
Speaker 2: not a team that was trending in the right direction

842
00:50:13,680 --> 00:50:18,040
Speaker 2: when he got there, and the second half was even worse.

843
00:50:18,320 --> 00:50:20,520
Speaker 2: But they're going to have a training camp now and

844
00:50:20,560 --> 00:50:23,680
Speaker 2: they are going through a slew of roster changes. They

845
00:50:23,719 --> 00:50:26,759
Speaker 2: had a pretty productive draft night. It'll be easier to

846
00:50:26,840 --> 00:50:29,719
Speaker 2: judge things when we see where the Mavericks end up

847
00:50:29,840 --> 00:50:32,000
Speaker 2: at the end of free agency, rather than now when

848
00:50:32,000 --> 00:50:36,480
Speaker 2: they're still in the middle of their roster assembly. But

849
00:50:37,280 --> 00:50:39,600
Speaker 2: you know, to me, if it's a if it's a

850
00:50:39,680 --> 00:50:43,880
Speaker 2: pricey two year deal with year three in the Mavericks control,

851
00:50:44,800 --> 00:50:48,040
Speaker 2: I would have a different perspective.

852
00:50:50,280 --> 00:50:50,760
Speaker 3: Understood.

853
00:50:50,920 --> 00:50:54,080
Speaker 4: And that's right, that's you know, that's probably what I

854
00:50:54,120 --> 00:50:57,799
Speaker 4: was expecting. You know, I I that number. I didn't

855
00:50:57,800 --> 00:50:59,680
Speaker 4: expect that number. That's why you know, I'm giving a

856
00:50:59,680 --> 00:51:03,200
Speaker 4: shot up to Cecilia irvn what she was able to do.

857
00:51:03,280 --> 00:51:06,520
Speaker 4: And now I know the Dallas members one at Kyrie

858
00:51:07,160 --> 00:51:11,000
Speaker 4: Irvan's deals, they wanted the agreement done early so he

859
00:51:11,080 --> 00:51:14,160
Speaker 4: can start recruiting. And with the moves that they made

860
00:51:14,200 --> 00:51:17,799
Speaker 4: and see the they re signed d white pal who else, So.

861
00:51:17,760 --> 00:51:22,200
Speaker 2: They've resigned and they've resigned White Powell, They signed Seth Curry,

862
00:51:22,480 --> 00:51:24,879
Speaker 2: They signed Dante Exam for the minimum to see. If

863
00:51:25,120 --> 00:51:27,080
Speaker 2: you know, Dante Exam shot the ball real well in

864
00:51:27,120 --> 00:51:28,600
Speaker 2: Europe the last couple of years, so they're going to

865
00:51:28,640 --> 00:51:31,600
Speaker 2: give him another chance in the NBA. But look, you're

866
00:51:31,640 --> 00:51:34,360
Speaker 2: exactly right. That's another reason why the Mavericks were excited

867
00:51:34,360 --> 00:51:38,520
Speaker 2: about this to get this done early on day one

868
00:51:38,560 --> 00:51:41,120
Speaker 2: of free agency so they can move to the rest

869
00:51:41,120 --> 00:51:43,880
Speaker 2: of it because they look, they tried to trade for

870
00:51:43,920 --> 00:51:47,840
Speaker 2: Clint Capella, they tried to trade for DeAndre Ayton. Those

871
00:51:47,880 --> 00:51:50,719
Speaker 2: trade talks didn't lead to a deal. They would have

872
00:51:50,840 --> 00:51:53,080
Speaker 2: loved to have had a shot to use that mid

873
00:51:53,200 --> 00:51:56,520
Speaker 2: level and signed nas Reed, but naz Reid did an

874
00:51:56,560 --> 00:51:59,360
Speaker 2: extension with Minnesota before he even made it to free agency,

875
00:51:59,360 --> 00:52:02,719
Speaker 2: So the Mavericks still have to find a center. They

876
00:52:02,800 --> 00:52:06,280
Speaker 2: have to find a wing defender. With this mid level

877
00:52:06,280 --> 00:52:08,520
Speaker 2: that they created and the Draft night moves they made

878
00:52:08,640 --> 00:52:12,720
Speaker 2: put them in position to have the full mid level

879
00:52:12,760 --> 00:52:15,279
Speaker 2: to go out and upgrade the team, So you're right

880
00:52:15,320 --> 00:52:19,000
Speaker 2: they want it. In their perfect scenario, the Kyrie Irving

881
00:52:19,040 --> 00:52:22,040
Speaker 2: deal gets done quick, they don't have to mess with meetings,

882
00:52:22,280 --> 00:52:24,080
Speaker 2: and then they can move on to the other business

883
00:52:24,080 --> 00:52:26,360
Speaker 2: because they got a lot of other business to get done.

884
00:52:28,560 --> 00:52:33,680
Speaker 4: Speaking of business, Dian, how is your business been since

885
00:52:33,719 --> 00:52:37,240
Speaker 4: Twitter has been acting up and doing this crazy stuff

886
00:52:37,239 --> 00:52:40,320
Speaker 4: that Elon has implemented over I gotta.

887
00:52:40,080 --> 00:52:43,960
Speaker 2: Say, man, it has been a wonderful surprise and I

888
00:52:44,000 --> 00:52:47,399
Speaker 2: feel so lucky, you know, one of the coolest things

889
00:52:47,400 --> 00:52:52,960
Speaker 2: about substack. They give us so many tools, you know,

890
00:52:52,960 --> 00:52:55,440
Speaker 2: because I am not a tech savvy person. I'm in

891
00:52:55,440 --> 00:52:58,759
Speaker 2: my fifties now, I am like, but it is so

892
00:52:58,880 --> 00:53:02,560
Speaker 2: easy to publish my stories. And we you know, we

893
00:53:02,640 --> 00:53:05,759
Speaker 2: have substacked notes, which is like Twitter, and we have

894
00:53:05,840 --> 00:53:15,400
Speaker 2: substacked Chat, and so many readers have been flocking to

895
00:53:15,840 --> 00:53:19,680
Speaker 2: the substack chat even when I'm not in there. Sometimes

896
00:53:19,680 --> 00:53:22,560
Speaker 2: I'm in there sometimes I like, I've done multiple live

897
00:53:22,680 --> 00:53:26,000
Speaker 2: chats since all this Twitter chaos happened. But there's there's

898
00:53:26,040 --> 00:53:29,960
Speaker 2: many hours that I'm not even in there, but everybody's

899
00:53:30,000 --> 00:53:33,080
Speaker 2: congregating in there, posting updates because you know, people are

900
00:53:33,080 --> 00:53:35,680
Speaker 2: missing so much on Twitter. And I have to say,

901
00:53:35,719 --> 00:53:38,920
Speaker 2: it's been really cool to watch and I love going

902
00:53:38,960 --> 00:53:41,799
Speaker 2: in there and uh and just mixing it up with everybody.

903
00:53:42,280 --> 00:53:46,000
Speaker 2: So for me, it's actually been I've actually enjoyed it.

904
00:53:46,040 --> 00:53:48,360
Speaker 2: I mean, it's been disruptive, no question. I mean, you know,

905
00:53:48,400 --> 00:53:50,879
Speaker 2: I'm a I'm a huge tweet deck guy and look

906
00:53:50,920 --> 00:53:53,600
Speaker 2: I'm I'm looking at tweet deck as we speak, and

907
00:53:53,920 --> 00:53:56,839
Speaker 2: two of my main columns are lists that are just

908
00:53:56,880 --> 00:54:00,400
Speaker 2: not even working. I did see your Darren Collis and tweet.

909
00:54:00,440 --> 00:54:03,960
Speaker 2: By the way, So congratulations on.

910
00:54:04,000 --> 00:54:08,080
Speaker 3: You probably wanted a few you probably you probably wanted

911
00:54:08,080 --> 00:54:08,880
Speaker 3: a few that see it.

912
00:54:09,480 --> 00:54:11,399
Speaker 2: Well, Look, I was doing live I was doing live

913
00:54:11,520 --> 00:54:13,920
Speaker 2: radio Saturday, and I saw right before I walked in

914
00:54:13,960 --> 00:54:16,759
Speaker 2: the studio, I saw your Dame Lillard has requested a

915
00:54:16,840 --> 00:54:20,160
Speaker 2: trade tweet. So I guess I'm still seeing stuff. But yeah,

916
00:54:20,200 --> 00:54:24,040
Speaker 2: it's been the timing of this has been horrendous.

917
00:54:24,560 --> 00:54:31,040
Speaker 4: Yeah, I'm not seeing anything, but oh well, whatever, Eli, uh,

918
00:54:31,640 --> 00:54:32,240
Speaker 4: get it together.

919
00:54:32,280 --> 00:54:34,879
Speaker 3: El. He did this.

920
00:54:35,160 --> 00:54:38,400
Speaker 4: He had to have he had to have known he

921
00:54:38,560 --> 00:54:40,960
Speaker 4: was going to do this during NBA free agency.

922
00:54:41,840 --> 00:54:43,799
Speaker 2: And I feel like I feel like Chris Hayesen and

923
00:54:43,840 --> 00:54:45,840
Speaker 2: I just missed another good call. We gotta wrap this up.

924
00:54:45,880 --> 00:54:48,400
Speaker 2: I gotta get back on the phones. Man, I'm missing

925
00:54:48,440 --> 00:54:50,040
Speaker 2: some good I'm missing some good call.

926
00:54:50,360 --> 00:54:54,439
Speaker 3: League cut this league cut, all.

927
00:54:54,400 --> 00:54:57,680
Speaker 2: Right, everybody. Look, I realized that there is much, much,

928
00:54:58,160 --> 00:55:01,799
Speaker 2: much free agency the action that we haven't gotten to.

929
00:55:01,840 --> 00:55:06,000
Speaker 2: And again, the Houston Rockets alone will merit a long

930
00:55:06,520 --> 00:55:10,880
Speaker 2: detailed conversation once we see the Dylan Brooks sign and

931
00:55:10,920 --> 00:55:14,040
Speaker 2: trade go through and see how Houston is gonna make

932
00:55:14,160 --> 00:55:16,680
Speaker 2: use of this extra cap space. So we went for

933
00:55:16,719 --> 00:55:18,600
Speaker 2: an hour. We went longer than we normally did, and

934
00:55:18,600 --> 00:55:22,160
Speaker 2: we really focus this on Damian Lillard, James Harden, and

935
00:55:22,239 --> 00:55:25,880
Speaker 2: Kyrie Irving. We will broaden our scope the next time

936
00:55:26,000 --> 00:55:30,080
Speaker 2: we do this. And I have to say, I cannot wait.

937
00:55:30,360 --> 00:55:33,000
Speaker 2: I can't even remember the last time we were in

938
00:55:33,080 --> 00:55:36,560
Speaker 2: the same place. It must have been you on assignment

939
00:55:36,640 --> 00:55:40,239
Speaker 2: in Dallas, because I haven't been anywhere lately that you've been.

940
00:55:41,040 --> 00:55:43,759
Speaker 2: But soon we'll both be in Vegas. You'll see Chris

941
00:55:43,800 --> 00:55:49,600
Speaker 2: Haynes on the sidelines doing multiple Summer League games, and

942
00:55:49,680 --> 00:55:53,640
Speaker 2: we're gonna get together and we got some special podcast plans.

943
00:55:54,239 --> 00:55:56,960
Speaker 2: That's as much as I can reveal at this point,

944
00:55:57,520 --> 00:56:00,719
Speaker 2: but like I said, I think I think you guys

945
00:56:00,719 --> 00:56:07,120
Speaker 2: will enjoy enjoy what we have planned for podcasting in Vegas.

946
00:56:07,440 --> 00:56:09,920
Speaker 2: We will reveal more of that once it is locked

947
00:56:09,960 --> 00:56:14,360
Speaker 2: in and set and nothing can derail us. But we

948
00:56:14,440 --> 00:56:16,319
Speaker 2: covered a lot of ground today and we will do

949
00:56:16,400 --> 00:56:21,440
Speaker 2: this again soon to discuss more free agency madness, presumably

950
00:56:21,520 --> 00:56:26,279
Speaker 2: trade chaos, and Summer league goings on both of us

951
00:56:26,920 --> 00:56:31,840
Speaker 2: in Vegas for a good chunk of the Summer League. Remember, friends,

952
00:56:31,880 --> 00:56:37,279
Speaker 2: please rate, review, and subscribe to this league Uncut via

953
00:56:37,280 --> 00:56:41,560
Speaker 2: Apple Podcasts or Spotify, wherever you get your pods and

954
00:56:43,000 --> 00:56:46,440
Speaker 2: sources say, I actually don't even need sources. Chris Haynes

955
00:56:46,600 --> 00:56:49,919
Speaker 2: has left the scene to take a phone call, even

956
00:56:49,960 --> 00:56:52,719
Speaker 2: after I missed two important phone calls. I'm going to

957
00:56:52,760 --> 00:56:55,440
Speaker 2: go return those calls now. Chris is on the line.

958
00:56:55,560 --> 00:56:58,279
Speaker 2: We'll do this again soon. We'll be back with you soon.

959
00:56:58,719 --> 00:57:02,279
Speaker 2: Thanks so much for listening to us here on this league.

960
00:57:04,840 --> 00:57:07,080
Speaker 1: And that'll do it for us. See you next time.

961
00:57:08,719 --> 00:57:09,160
Speaker 2: This league.

962
00:57:09,200 --> 00:57:10,800
Speaker 1: Uncutta is an iHeartRadio production.

963
00:57:13,160 --> 00:57:17,520
Speaker 2: Suck a Locket Chris Hanes and Mark Stein