OverDrive - Marks on the Thunder's championship roster, Gilgeous-Alexander's incredible skill and Durant's next team

Episode Date: June 19, 2025

ESPN NBA Front Office Insider Bobby Marks joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around the NBA, the Lakers selling a majority stake of the team, the outlook of the roster, the Thunder's dominance and becoming the top team, Sam Presti's integral management, Kevin Durant's sweepstakes in the league and more.

This is Fred. Hey, how's it going? This is fraud. Hey, how's it going? Can you tell the difference? Bell can. We'll identify unwanted calls and help block them. For more information, visit bell.ca slash call detection.

Bell. Peace of mind. Just got better. This is Pam. Congratulations. This is Spam. Congratulations. Can you tell the difference?

Bell can. We'll identify unwanted calls and help block them. For more information, visit bell.ca slash call detection. Belle, peace of mind, just got better. from dance anthems to pop icons, let's celebrate diversity and love, and hits from two SLGBTQ plus Canadian artists. Be yourself and stand proud. It's your soundtrack for Pride and beyond. Just ask your smart speaker to play iHeartPride Canada. Stream us on your phone or listen now at iHeartRadio.ca. Happy Pride from iHeartPride Canada.

Here is ESPN insider Bobby Marks joining us. Bobby, I guess we'll ask you that. Ownership change with the Lakers. How different could it possibly look in terms of the way the Lakers actually win and lose in the future based on this ownership change? Yeah, I mean, I think it's going to be different than what they were able to do with the Dodgers where, you know, you don't have a salary cap in Major League Baseball You can basically go out and pay and and they paid a lot of money to put that roster together here

it's it's different when you're working within the confines of of a salary cap and You know if you want to further prove just look at Steve Ballmer you know, he's one of the wealthiest men in the world and what it teaches you, you can't outspend your competition based on how stringent these rules are. I do think it will help whether it be from a staffing standpoint, from an infrastructure, because that organization, it's as much mystique

or they have, and everyone says it's the Yankees and the Lakers, there's a huge comparison. It's run like a mom and pop organization. It's not heavily staffed. Their basketball operations department is really small. So I do think from the non, on the court resources, I think when you have a wealthy owner like that who can come in

and they don't own their arena and I don't think there's any plans to build a new arena. So you're looking more of the things, more of the services that you can provide your players whether it be, as I said, kind of beefing up that basketball operations department. Do you have any reason to believe that Luca will not sign his extension with the Lakers this summer? I would be surprised if he didn't. I mean just based on you know he has said all the right things and I just think it's going to be is it going to be three years or it's going to be four years I think it's probably if you're asking me I would say I would lean more

towards three years and player option a third year and get some back out in the market uh... a few years from now here so yeah i would i would think so i i think you know when you know he said he said i think that all right thing after the trade and selling a as of late here uh... if he didn't it would be uh... i would probably get caught up card here bobby do you know if there's been any conversations between LeBron and Luca where he said,

go take your two weeks in Europe and then you're not leaving my side until the season starts or anything like that? Because that's what I would do. Well, I'll tell you what, the videos and the pictures actually, those two weeks in Europe have looked pretty good on him, man. He's lost a lot of weight, unless someone's been doctoring those photos and everything here. This is an important year for Luca. We all know the brilliance of Luca when he's in fit condition. It's funny, I saw him in, I was in LA in March I want to say and he didn't look heavy to

me man. i don't know maybe we just fluctuate up and down here but that's going to be an important offseason for him uh... whether uh... which he in europe where he comes back and he trains with lebron here i'm expecting i think he's i think he's been awakened as far as how this season has ended certainly at the scrutiny that that came with it well he's twenty six luca and another twenty six-year-old is on the verge of how this season has ended and certainly the scrutiny that came with it. Well he's 26, Luca, and another 26 year old is on the verge of winning his first title

tonight and that would be Shea Gilder's Alexander. I feel like Oklahoma City likely wins tonight even with Halliburton playing. And if that happens, we're going to look back on this season and this is truly one of the great seasons ever. They ran off so many wins and this is truly one of the great seasons ever, you know They they ran off so many wins and they kind of lapped the field and they Cruised to the NBA finals and if they win the final in six and she wins MVP I think he likely wins finals MVP, maybe Williams But if you're any other team in the West or for that matter, I guess the East

How do you how do you catch up to Oklahoma City? Like do you picture anyone this time next year actually being on par with the thunder i don't i mean they've got all fifteen players in the contract for next year uh... they've got to pick an address fifteen at two in the first round fifteen and twenty four they've got potential on four first next year in june um... this team is at the playoffs have kind of gone on they've gotten

better. Certainly Shea will likely sign an extension this offseason the same with Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren here. I think it's going to be you know I don't want to say it's Golden State level basically you know we saw them in 2015 to 2018 range, but it could be awfully close here as far as how good this Oklahoma City team could be. Because I do think they're kind of just scratching the surface as far as where they're going to be. I think it's interesting if you have a minute and you go back and you look at the article that Sam Presti, the president of the basketball operations wrote in 2019, it's in the Oklahoma. And he laid out with the vision of this roster what he thought this roster could be and how

much patience it was going to be and what if it did come to fruition, you know, that it could be a championship team and it's like, you know, we're one game away from that reality hitting in Oklahoma City. Well, Presti, man, what a run and what an operation, clearly in Oklahoma City. Well, Presti, man, what a run and what an operation, clearly, in Oklahoma City. And it in many ways started, I guess, with that Paul George deal that brought in Shea and all these picks. And you mentioned they got two in the first round, possibly four in the next round or first round next year.

Like how would you think he's going to weaponize that? Because you can't bring in six new players in the next two years like that's just that doesn't make any sense how do you expect him to weaponize that i think for this year's draft i would be i think one of them probably go to you know a draft and stash and keep player over overseas you know you gotta remember to they picked in the lottery last year and they picked in the Nicole topich who a young point guard from overseas who's been, who had an ACL injury and he's really good.

I mean, he's a point guard and he's, he's coming. So you have him. And then I think what the beauty of the draft picks is, is that, and we're going to talk a lot about, you know, you know, the finances and the apron levels and can they keep this roster together? And well, here's, here's the proof. When things become a little bit more expensive value have some of these low cost players on first round rookie contracts that maybe could replace

i don't know if they are hard to find two years from now or new door two years from now and you basically just kind of turn that the only build around your three-quarter i think but alice cruz so in there and that's how you get tell you what the nice all these traffic that are coming for them. With Bobby Marks, up here in Toronto naturally there's a lot of revisionist history and people reviewing what's happened here the last few years and you look at Pascal Siakam and how

well he's played and that trade, the Raptors didn't seemingly get as much as a lot of people wish they did at the time and even more so now you see some of these deals happening with four or five first rounders going out. How do you review the Raptors with the exit of Van Vliet, the trade of Ananoby and the trade of Siakam now that the dust has settled? I think probably a window that probably, an opportunity that you missed as far as the window that closed or shrunk as far as the max value that you an opportunity that you missed as far as the window that

closed or shrunk as far as the max value that you cut could have maybe gotten for. You know OG is a little bit different because you have you know with RJ and Emmanuel two players that you have two good players that you have I think Pascal is you know certainly different here as far as what's what's left of. Certainly, Bruce is no longer there. One of those picks was traded to New Orleans in the Brandon Ingram trade. I guess you could say you got Brandon Ingram. But yeah, I do think, and that's why I think, and besides that a great job, and why Sam Presti has done a great job in Oklahoma City is he kind of realizes he knew when to move off Paul George. He knew when to move off Paul George

he knew when to move off Russell Westbrook and did some of those deals and You know you once you kind of get past an expiration time The value of a player becomes extremely lower and I think we probably saw that firsthand with what's happened with Pascal Where do you expect Kevin Durant to land? Do you think the Spurs might be the best spot for him or maybe somewhere else? Yeah, you know what they have the most to go out and get them. I don't think they are as interested as it makes it look like. They're certainly one of three teams I guess that he's interested in.

Houston is another team that's got a lot to offer. Miami, not quite as much. I'm interested to see if there's gonna be one of these wild card teams. You know, maybe we see Kawhi Leonard part two up in the, up in Toronto there, as far as taking a flyer on a guy on an expiring contract and we call it pre-free agency,

the ability to try to sell. I don't know, I mean, I think Phoenix is open for business with all 29 teams, even though Durant has a list, but it comes down to the ability to how much are they going to get for him is he going somewhere where he might not sign an extension does a team care if he doesn't sign an extension I think some of these Eastern Conference teams look at what Indiana

has been able to do in a wide open Eastern Conference next year especially with some especially with Boston and who knows what goes on with their roster and we'll see what happens in Milwaukee with Giannis and some other teams, Miami and other teams. So I think there are teams that would be a little bit more aggressive if they don't have to give up a ton to get Kevin. I thought he would have been moved by the weekend. It's funny, I was texting with somebody on Sunday and I said, can I believe my house like two hours to go to the is this gonna happen and i know

you're good and i saw what you're kinda waiting and now it's not as probably hot as it may be was about a week ago yet it's interesting what we're channel bobby marks like what you just mentioned seems very clear that teams are looking at indiana and they could be used could be wide open. I think that's why Orlando just made the deal that they made. If you're the Raptors, presuming you're not giving up Scotty Barnes, is there any way

to acquire Kevin Durant, because we're speaking of him, where Durant is on the Raptors and they don't give up so much where you could actually reasonably picture them in the NBA finals next year. Is that possible? Because if it's going to be quiet 2.0, that's the bar. Not just getting it, you've got to win it. I would say if you were doing Durant like, I just hypothetical, like Brandon Ingram in nine and whatever salary filler. Is that too much. I don't know I mean the ninth pick could be pretty good and you've got Ingram for three more years and he's you know We just haven't seen him just because he's been injured

but you still have Scotty and you would have Duran and you'd have quickly and you'd have Barrett and you'd have Pertle and you'd have some of the younger players still and you'd have most of the you have all your traffic to move forward i think that's kinda like if you're trying to do a deal like that in you mitigate the risk of him leaving next year that's probably what you would probably you know try to put the package i like that idea let's see what happens here let's see what happens in the next couple weeks

hypothetical hypothetical we don't believe that we can we got you Let's see what happens in the next couple of weeks. Hypothetically. Hypothetically, I agree. We know. Believe me, we got you. Game six tonight. Enjoy it and we always appreciate you finding time. Thank you, Bobby. Appreciate it, guys. Thank you. Bobby Marks, ESPN, NBA front office insider.

This Pride season. Celebrate with the station that's as bold, vibrant, and diverse as you are. I Heart Pride Canada. From dance anthems to pop icons. Let's celebrate diversity and love. And hits from 2SLGBTQ Plus Canadian artists. Be yourself and stand proud. It's your soundtrack for Pride and beyond. Just ask your smart speaker to play I Heart Pride Canada.

Stream us on your phone or listen now at iHeartRadio.ca. Happy Pride from iHeart Pride Canada.