WEBVTT - Keith Smith on this weird, wild NBA offseason

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<v Speaker 1>On this episode of the Heat Check Summer League is here.

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<v Speaker 2>I am off to Vegas. By this time that you're

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<v Speaker 2>listening to this, I will be touching down on the

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<v Speaker 2>West Coast. I will report on the ground. Until then,

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<v Speaker 2>I will drop this interview from Spotrax. Keith Smith, one

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<v Speaker 2>of the smartest dudes in the game, actually dropped a

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<v Speaker 2>ton of wisdom on the free agent market, just some

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<v Speaker 2>of the things that I was curious about in terms

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<v Speaker 2>of the Paul George deal and how that got done.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm not gonna waste any more of my time, Anthony,

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<v Speaker 2>so drop that motherfucking beat that should be the.

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<v Speaker 3>Honest Tree is in charge.

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<v Speaker 4>Everybody knows it. So I'm just glad to be here.

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<v Speaker 4>We are about to walk into the show. Keith Smith

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<v Speaker 4>Keith Covers, Keith Covers the NBA. He is the co

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<v Speaker 4>host of the Front Office show. You can follow him

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<v Speaker 4>on x at Keith Smith NBA. Keith, what's up, big dog?

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<v Speaker 4>Welcome to the show.

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<v Speaker 3>How we do it?

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<v Speaker 1>Man?

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<v Speaker 5>I'm doing well. Thank you for having me.

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<v Speaker 4>Absolutely absolutely great to have you. Let's get into some

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<v Speaker 4>get into some NBA free agency talk. Obviously we've got Clay,

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<v Speaker 4>We've got CP three, we've got Paul George.

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<v Speaker 3>If I ask you right.

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<v Speaker 4>Now, the number one most impactful free agency move, the

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<v Speaker 4>one that we're gonna be talking about after a title

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<v Speaker 4>is handed out next offseason, and I ask you to

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<v Speaker 4>narrow it down to one, who's that guy? What's that move?

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<v Speaker 5>That'd probably have to be Paul George. It's hard to

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<v Speaker 5>beat that one. He's the only Max player who change

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<v Speaker 5>teams this offseason, So you know that's huge for Philadelphia.

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<v Speaker 5>They're good. Of course, they're health issues. We're gonna find

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<v Speaker 5>out because they got to be healthy, not not just

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<v Speaker 5>throughout the regular season, but when it matters. They got

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<v Speaker 5>to be healthy and pro mae in for their hopes June.

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<v Speaker 5>So we'll see what happened there. But you know, the

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<v Speaker 5>perfect fit between Max and and b. They did a

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<v Speaker 5>nice job filling out the roster around that edition and

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<v Speaker 5>getting good depths in, so you know Philadelphia is going

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<v Speaker 5>to be a tough team. That was a really good

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<v Speaker 5>pickup by them.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know if you saw it today, Keith, but

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<v Speaker 1>before today, the chatter from all of the insiders was

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<v Speaker 1>that Paul George wanted the full four years from LA

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<v Speaker 1>and they weren't willing to give it to him, and

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<v Speaker 1>they would go to the three years, But it turns out,

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<v Speaker 1>according to Paul George, that they were offering just two years,

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<v Speaker 1>and then when he said I'll take what quiet offer

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<v Speaker 1>was offered three years one fifty three with the no

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<v Speaker 1>trade clause. They bopped at that, and then the taste

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<v Speaker 1>got sour. Are you surprised at the difference between what

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<v Speaker 1>the perception was in terms of the deal and Paul

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<v Speaker 1>George's side of it to what we're hearing now.

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<v Speaker 5>Yeah, it's totally tough, right because I'm sure the Clippers

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<v Speaker 5>would tell a different variation of that story. I was

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<v Speaker 5>told a lot of the same things everybody else was

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<v Speaker 5>that he wanted four years, and then when he came down,

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<v Speaker 5>he was insistent that he get a no trade clause,

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<v Speaker 5>and it sounds like that was ultimately the thing that

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<v Speaker 5>the Clippers were not going to give on. They were

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<v Speaker 5>not going to give him a no trade clause at

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<v Speaker 5>any point, and then at that point, I think that's

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<v Speaker 5>where things kind of got a little sideways. And for

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<v Speaker 5>Paul George, it helped knowing, Hey, I've got Philly out

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<v Speaker 5>here who's willing to give me the full Max contract.

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<v Speaker 5>They were willing to give me that fourth year in

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<v Speaker 5>the playoffs, and they can't give him a no trade clause,

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<v Speaker 5>but he doesn't really need one from them because they

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<v Speaker 5>signed him. It's probably unlikely they're going to move him.

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<v Speaker 5>So it's always a little tough, you know. It's you know,

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<v Speaker 5>I love when the players are candid with us and

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<v Speaker 5>tell us everything like that, but I also like to

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<v Speaker 5>balance that out with this story from the other side too,

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<v Speaker 5>And we'll see, maybe we'll get it at some point,

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<v Speaker 5>but I think the Clippers at this point are just

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<v Speaker 5>kind of saying, aren't time to move on? But we're

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<v Speaker 5>headed in a different direction.

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<v Speaker 1>You mentioned some of the other moves that the Sixers

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<v Speaker 1>made to round out the roster. I thought the one

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<v Speaker 1>that was like very low key under the radar was

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<v Speaker 1>Caleb Martin. He turned down a big bag from Miami

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<v Speaker 1>and is getting quite a lot less to go to

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<v Speaker 1>sit in the Sixers. Was that a matter of him

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<v Speaker 1>kind of underestimate or overestimating his value or did he

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<v Speaker 1>really just want to go to a place with a

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<v Speaker 1>better fit.

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<v Speaker 5>Yeah, that's a really good question because he played such

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<v Speaker 5>a big role in Miami. But they've got a lot

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<v Speaker 5>of forwards on that team with Haimi Hawka is coming

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<v Speaker 5>into to play here, and then you've got you know,

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<v Speaker 5>Nikolai Jovich, who they're playing quite a bit. You still

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<v Speaker 5>have Jimmy Butler there, Josh Richardson, who can even play

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<v Speaker 5>up at times, is coming back healthy next year. So

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<v Speaker 5>there's just a lot going on, you know, with that

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<v Speaker 5>Miami team. And I wonder if he was like, all right, hey,

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<v Speaker 5>let me see if something else is bigger out there.

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<v Speaker 5>But money came off the board very fast this summer.

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<v Speaker 5>There were very few teams that were willing to kind

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<v Speaker 5>of go all in on free agent moves that they

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<v Speaker 5>were more gonna take this it around kind of approach

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<v Speaker 5>like Orlando did with KCP and then resigning a whole

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<v Speaker 5>bunch of their guys. And we're still gonna see, you know,

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<v Speaker 5>what Utah and Detroit are doing. But my guest is

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<v Speaker 5>Caleb Martin ultimately decided, all right, maybe I'm not going

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<v Speaker 5>to get that money from Miami, but I still want

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<v Speaker 5>to be in a good situation on a team where

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<v Speaker 5>I can compete and try to win. So I'm gonna

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<v Speaker 5>head off to Philadelphia. And he's still got a pretty

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<v Speaker 5>nice contract In the end, Keith I wanted.

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<v Speaker 4>To talk a bit about the Demarta Rosen trade. He

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<v Speaker 4>goes out to Sacramento, they end up sending Harrison Barnes out.

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<v Speaker 4>Chris Duarte gets moved in that trade as well. I'm

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<v Speaker 4>not a huge believer in this trade. Like I like

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<v Speaker 4>Demarta Rosen, I just don't think he's the big name

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<v Speaker 4>he's that key guy. I think he's a question mark defensively,

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<v Speaker 4>and considering he's not a big three point guy and

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<v Speaker 4>you just traded your best one in Harrison Barnes, I'm

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<v Speaker 4>kind of worried about where this leaves Sacramento. Why were

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<v Speaker 4>the Kings ultimately the team that ended up with Demarta Rosen.

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<v Speaker 5>Yeah, I think the Kings have hit a point where

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<v Speaker 5>their feeling was, if we have Demos to Sabonis anchoring

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<v Speaker 5>our defense, we're never gonna probably be more than an

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<v Speaker 5>average defense in the league. It's just too hard that way.

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<v Speaker 5>So I think now they're looking at it in a

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<v Speaker 5>sense of, you know what, let's go after being a

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<v Speaker 5>great offensive team. Now the fifth a little weird, we'll see,

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<v Speaker 5>but imagine on the nights when Malik Monk is out

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<v Speaker 5>there with Fox sa Bonis to Rosen keik It Murray

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<v Speaker 5>is now your fifth option like on those nights. That's

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<v Speaker 5>one of the best fifth options offensively in the entire NBA.

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<v Speaker 5>So that that is, you know, really really good work

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<v Speaker 5>by the Kings there. So we'll see. My guess is

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<v Speaker 5>they're just going to try to play entertaining basketball, outscore

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<v Speaker 5>a whole bunch of people, and you know, try to

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<v Speaker 5>win games that way, because defensively gave up somebody. It's

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<v Speaker 5>not like Harrison Barnes was lifting them to being, you know,

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<v Speaker 5>a great defense anyway, And I like Harrison Barnes quite

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<v Speaker 5>a bit. I think he'll help the Spurs as they

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<v Speaker 5>try to mature that roster a little bit here moving

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<v Speaker 5>into one Binyama second season. But yeah, I don't mind

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<v Speaker 5>it for the Kings. It's a weird kind of move,

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<v Speaker 5>but sometimes weird works out, and I.

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<v Speaker 1>Know the Kings Keith are looking to make some other

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<v Speaker 1>moves and maybe add one more piece. There's been rumors

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<v Speaker 1>around Brandon Ingram, There's been rumors around Kyle Kuzma. Sam

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<v Speaker 1>Vaccini today said that he thinks that a better fit

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<v Speaker 1>would be a player like Isaiah Stewart in the front court,

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<v Speaker 1>maybe a little beefier, no pun intended, maybe a little

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<v Speaker 1>bit more physical. Who do you think that player that

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<v Speaker 1>could round out that roster might be.

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<v Speaker 5>Yeah, I think the Ingram and Kuzma sauce is all

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<v Speaker 5>over after getting DeRose, and they're just there's not really

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<v Speaker 5>a way to make that work in a way that

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<v Speaker 5>makes sense for the Kings. Use your big trade chip

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<v Speaker 5>in Barnes to get that one. But Stuart's a guy

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<v Speaker 5>they could go get. He makes about half what those

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<v Speaker 5>other guys make, so that's the guy they could go get.

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<v Speaker 5>My thing is, though I've been told Detroit doesn't really

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<v Speaker 5>want to move him, they're very happy to have him

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<v Speaker 5>right now. That's the team that's kind of thinned up

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<v Speaker 5>front behind Jalen Duran at the moment, and so they're

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<v Speaker 5>seemingly pretty content with having Isaiah Stewart back and letting

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<v Speaker 5>him kind of, you know, work. I think they're planning

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<v Speaker 5>for now with Tobias Harris sign is to move Stewart

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<v Speaker 5>back to a bench role where he really excelled playing

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<v Speaker 5>in that role. But he'll move to the bench, but

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<v Speaker 5>he's still going to get twenty five thirty minutes the

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<v Speaker 5>night because right now it's Jalen during Isaiah Stewart and

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<v Speaker 5>not much else up from for the Pistons as far

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<v Speaker 5>as big men go. So I don't know what Detroit

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<v Speaker 5>would need to move him. They might need something kind

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<v Speaker 5>of really good back. And the Kings after making this

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<v Speaker 5>trade are a little bit out of stuff because they still,

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<v Speaker 5>you know, a pick to Sacramento from a previous trade.

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<v Speaker 5>They have a pick swap out there now with the

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<v Speaker 5>Spurs as a result of the Spurs helping him make

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<v Speaker 5>this trade. So I'm not sure that that's where it goes.

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<v Speaker 5>I think Sacramento might be resign a couple guys and

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<v Speaker 5>finish it out that way.

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<v Speaker 4>Keith Smith covers the NBA for spow Track. He is

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<v Speaker 4>also the host of the Front Office show. I'm glad

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<v Speaker 4>we brought up brandon Ingram there. I'm kind of curious

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<v Speaker 4>as to what's going on with the Pelicans going into

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<v Speaker 4>free age. And see, there was all the talk that

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<v Speaker 4>brandon Ingram was getting moved. They were looking the Pelicans

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<v Speaker 4>to dump that salary and move on. They've had a

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<v Speaker 4>couple of moves. Brandon Ingram still a Pelican, and not

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<v Speaker 4>only still a Pelican, but I really haven't heard anything

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<v Speaker 4>about bibing on the move. How the Pelicans reverse course

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<v Speaker 4>to hang on to the guy. Is it just that

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<v Speaker 4>nobody's interested in brandon Ingram? What's kind of the smoke

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<v Speaker 4>around him right now.

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<v Speaker 5>Yeah, they're still willing to move him if they can

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<v Speaker 5>find the right trade, but they're certainly not looking at

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<v Speaker 5>salary dump him. They're not looking to just give him away.

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<v Speaker 5>They're not going to give up any kind of assets.

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<v Speaker 5>So they're not in that kind of position with brandon Ingram.

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<v Speaker 5>What the Pelicans ran into a little bit though, was

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<v Speaker 5>teams don't want to necessarily give up a lot for

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<v Speaker 5>Ingram because it's a big contract to take on. And

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<v Speaker 5>then you're in a position he's a free agent, so

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<v Speaker 5>you have to pay him next year if that's where

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<v Speaker 5>it wants to go. And that's why this is taken

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<v Speaker 5>a while. But you know, there were some rumors Utah

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<v Speaker 5>might be interested, and there's some matches there that could

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<v Speaker 5>make sense, especially if Utah decided, you know what, we

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<v Speaker 5>are going to kind of go for it a little

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<v Speaker 5>bit this year. We will try to win. Maybe they'll

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<v Speaker 5>keep marketing. They could add Ingram, and they could move

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<v Speaker 5>out somebody like John Collins in a trade like that

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<v Speaker 5>and try to go in a direction that way. So

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<v Speaker 5>we'll see, you know, kind of how that comes together.

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<v Speaker 5>But I think right now New Orleans is just they're

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<v Speaker 5>looking for front courts eyes. They added Daniel Tykes today,

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<v Speaker 5>but he it's him and Eves Missy who are the

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<v Speaker 5>only two centers on that roster, and Zion Williamson's the

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<v Speaker 5>only other real rotation big so they've got to add

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<v Speaker 5>depth desperately upfront. So we'll see, you know, kind of

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<v Speaker 5>how that comes together right now. But if they're gonna

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<v Speaker 5>do it, it's probably gonna involve a Brandon an Ingram

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<v Speaker 5>trade or maybe less likely this CJ. McCollum trade to

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<v Speaker 5>get there.

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<v Speaker 1>I wasn't gonna ask you this, but I wanted to

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<v Speaker 1>get your thoughts on our tourist, Karnisovus as a GM

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<v Speaker 1>and he was really lauded well from his time in

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<v Speaker 1>Denver and all the things that they did to build

0:10:53.960 --> 0:10:58.200
<v Speaker 1>the Nuggets into a champion right and now I wonder

0:10:58.320 --> 0:11:01.600
<v Speaker 1>based on some of the decisions he's made for the Bulls,

0:11:02.160 --> 0:11:04.920
<v Speaker 1>moving off of De Rozan too late, still not you know,

0:11:04.960 --> 0:11:07.680
<v Speaker 1>paying Zach Lavine and now having to add a first

0:11:07.760 --> 0:11:10.720
<v Speaker 1>round pick probably to get rid of him the Voots

0:11:10.760 --> 0:11:13.520
<v Speaker 1>trade of course, as you know, living in Orlando being

0:11:13.800 --> 0:11:17.320
<v Speaker 1>kind of a disaster. Like, what's your thoughts on ak

0:11:17.720 --> 0:11:21.560
<v Speaker 1>And is it just the ownership is stifling him or

0:11:21.640 --> 0:11:24.800
<v Speaker 1>is he maybe not as good as people thought he was?

0:11:25.120 --> 0:11:27.400
<v Speaker 1>And Tim Connelly was truly the architect of Denver.

0:11:27.880 --> 0:11:31.160
<v Speaker 5>Yeah, the truth priorized somewhere in the middle there. I

0:11:31.200 --> 0:11:34.400
<v Speaker 5>think the Bulls owners have made it really hard to

0:11:34.400 --> 0:11:38.000
<v Speaker 5>build sustainable winners there because they they have everybody right

0:11:38.040 --> 0:11:41.520
<v Speaker 5>now is so much into hard caps and first Apron

0:11:41.559 --> 0:11:44.040
<v Speaker 5>and second Apron and all these other things. For years,

0:11:44.120 --> 0:11:47.160
<v Speaker 5>the Bulls owners have basically put a false hard cap

0:11:47.240 --> 0:11:49.920
<v Speaker 5>of the luxury tax on the team building and have

0:11:50.000 --> 0:11:52.160
<v Speaker 5>more or less said we're not going to pay the tax.

0:11:52.200 --> 0:11:54.280
<v Speaker 5>So this is, you know, this is what you can do.

0:11:54.440 --> 0:11:56.839
<v Speaker 5>If you can make the work in under the tax line. Great,

0:11:56.880 --> 0:11:59.640
<v Speaker 5>If you can't, just try to put together a playoff team,

0:12:00.160 --> 0:12:02.360
<v Speaker 5>you know, we we chase, you know, selling out the

0:12:02.360 --> 0:12:05.160
<v Speaker 5>building every night, being semi competitive, and and then it's

0:12:05.200 --> 0:12:08.679
<v Speaker 5>on the baseball season for the ownership. So it's been

0:12:08.760 --> 0:12:12.440
<v Speaker 5>really tough for various Bulls folks, and that's why they're

0:12:12.520 --> 0:12:15.960
<v Speaker 5>kind of stuck here in this spot where right now.

0:12:16.280 --> 0:12:18.400
<v Speaker 5>I like some of the moves that they've made, as

0:12:18.400 --> 0:12:21.320
<v Speaker 5>far as I don't mind the Josh Getty return for

0:12:21.360 --> 0:12:23.960
<v Speaker 5>Alex Cruso, even if maybe you could have got back

0:12:24.080 --> 0:12:27.200
<v Speaker 5>more later. I think the Jalen Smith signing was really

0:12:27.240 --> 0:12:29.760
<v Speaker 5>good because he fits if they're rebuilding or if they're

0:12:29.760 --> 0:12:32.400
<v Speaker 5>going for it. Uh, but they're right now, this is

0:12:32.400 --> 0:12:36.200
<v Speaker 5>a weird roster. It's just before you all called, I

0:12:36.280 --> 0:12:38.800
<v Speaker 5>was looking at their roster to really see, all right,

0:12:38.800 --> 0:12:41.160
<v Speaker 5>who's gonna start? What does this look like? And it's

0:12:41.200 --> 0:12:43.720
<v Speaker 5>just kind of messy because it feels like we're pulling

0:12:43.760 --> 0:12:46.560
<v Speaker 5>this team in about three different directions of all right,

0:12:46.640 --> 0:12:49.480
<v Speaker 5>these guys are, you know, fit for contenders, these guys

0:12:49.480 --> 0:12:52.080
<v Speaker 5>are fit for tasing the you know, playing tournament, then

0:12:52.120 --> 0:12:54.760
<v Speaker 5>these guys should be you're getting twenty five thirty minutes

0:12:54.800 --> 0:12:58.120
<v Speaker 5>a night playing in a rebuilding situation, So I don't

0:12:58.160 --> 0:13:01.160
<v Speaker 5>know if they're done or not. And for Cornel Silvis,

0:13:01.240 --> 0:13:04.520
<v Speaker 5>it becomes it all falls back on him. He's the one,

0:13:04.600 --> 0:13:07.520
<v Speaker 5>even if ownership is putting these limits on him, He's

0:13:07.520 --> 0:13:09.000
<v Speaker 5>got to make it work. He's got to build a

0:13:09.040 --> 0:13:11.480
<v Speaker 5>functional team, and he hasn't been able to do that.

0:13:11.600 --> 0:13:14.560
<v Speaker 5>I know we had those great few months when Lonzo

0:13:14.600 --> 0:13:17.559
<v Speaker 5>ball Derozen first got there and they had Levine and

0:13:18.040 --> 0:13:20.400
<v Speaker 5>everything was really going well for them, but that's all

0:13:20.480 --> 0:13:22.800
<v Speaker 5>it's then it was those first few months and then

0:13:22.800 --> 0:13:24.559
<v Speaker 5>they never able to get that magic back.

0:13:25.120 --> 0:13:27.440
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, and Keith, you mentioned the Jalen Smith signing, which

0:13:27.440 --> 0:13:29.760
<v Speaker 1>I love as well. But if they don't sign Jalen Smith,

0:13:30.160 --> 0:13:32.400
<v Speaker 1>then they have the ability to take back the Harrison

0:13:32.520 --> 0:13:35.600
<v Speaker 1>Barnes contract, get that twenty thirty one swap, and then

0:13:35.679 --> 0:13:39.160
<v Speaker 1>maybe move Harrison Barnes down the road. I do want

0:13:39.200 --> 0:13:41.920
<v Speaker 1>to get your thoughts on if there's anybody on this

0:13:42.080 --> 0:13:45.080
<v Speaker 1>roster that you would build around, or is everybody expendable.

0:13:46.080 --> 0:13:49.560
<v Speaker 5>Everybody should be expendable, because no one has shown the

0:13:49.559 --> 0:13:53.120
<v Speaker 5>ability to be like kind of a foundational franchise peace.

0:13:53.160 --> 0:13:54.800
<v Speaker 5>I know they took a lot of grief for the

0:13:54.840 --> 0:13:58.400
<v Speaker 5>Patrick Williams contract. I don't mind it that eighteen million

0:13:58.440 --> 0:14:00.240
<v Speaker 5>a year is going to be barely above the mid

0:14:00.320 --> 0:14:03.200
<v Speaker 5>level by the time that contract finishes out. I think

0:14:03.240 --> 0:14:06.200
<v Speaker 5>Patrick Williams, we're gonna find out canny scale or is

0:14:06.240 --> 0:14:08.920
<v Speaker 5>he just going to kind of be the like poor

0:14:08.960 --> 0:14:12.240
<v Speaker 5>Man's Virgin of Harrison Barnes, which is he's okay and

0:14:12.280 --> 0:14:14.680
<v Speaker 5>everybody likes kind of having him around, but he never

0:14:14.760 --> 0:14:18.120
<v Speaker 5>gets that much better. So we'll see how that comes together.

0:14:18.160 --> 0:14:20.680
<v Speaker 5>And then the closest thing beyond that would be Modus Brousellis.

0:14:20.920 --> 0:14:23.080
<v Speaker 5>But we have no idea. He's a rookie and you know,

0:14:23.120 --> 0:14:25.360
<v Speaker 5>we don't know how good he'll be or not. But

0:14:25.480 --> 0:14:29.040
<v Speaker 5>right now I think, yeah, they should be pretty much

0:14:29.080 --> 0:14:30.600
<v Speaker 5>open to just about anything.

0:14:31.040 --> 0:14:34.440
<v Speaker 4>Keith Smith covers the NBA for Spow Track. He is

0:14:34.560 --> 0:14:37.640
<v Speaker 4>also a contributor for the NBA front off. The show

0:14:37.720 --> 0:14:40.400
<v Speaker 4>joins us here on bet MG and tonight Keith my Man,

0:14:40.480 --> 0:14:42.640
<v Speaker 4>great stuff, Bud, thank you very much. We appreciate it.

0:14:42.680 --> 0:14:44.960
<v Speaker 5>Partner, I appreciate it. Thank you so much for having

0:14:45.000 --> 0:14:45.040
<v Speaker 5>me