The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - Alley Oop 152: NBA Trade Chaos Incoming Kuminga, MPJ, Morant & Zion Rumors + LeBron Retirement Talk

Episode Date: January 16, 2026

NBA trade season is heating up — and things are starting to get REAL shady Juju and Trysta break down some wild trade predictions involving Jonathan Kuminga, Michael Porter Jr., Ja Morant, and Zion Williamson, and debate which rumors actually make sense. Plus, they react to LeBron James’ looming retirement, Tony Allen walking back his Cooper Flagg take, and what all of this means for the future of the league. Trades, apologies, legacies, and chaos — classic Alley Oop Basketball. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When he said maybe you'll love me when I fade the black. Come on. I swear to God, Juj, it's happening again. It's happening again. My eyes started to water up. Oh, your eyes started. So it's so it hit your heart. Yeah, hit my heart.

Oh, damn. Okay. So you're getting emotional about the king, my baby, Mufasa. I'm not ready for LeBron to retire. No, damn. Breaking news. Mercher has a heart, and it starts with Mufasa himself. Say more, bro.

I'm sorry for interrupting. Go ahead, brother. Listen, you see what we can talk about how corny he is, and I love that Kevin Hart's telling him on the draft king segments, hey, we don't believe you. We think you lie all the time. But what he continues to do at 6 feet 8, 6 feet 9, 40 years old, with the force and the skill level,

that we see him play with and then imagine he's just gone. He just doesn't play anymore. The league doesn't have him. And he knows that he's underappreciated and underloved. And maybe, like, it's almost a plea. Like, he heard that song and was like,

I need to tell David McMenaman, maybe you all will love me when I fade the black. and the fading to black is like right around the kona. But see, the thing about that is that we both got to understand about LeBron and Jay-Z. Jay-Z put that song out, what, six albums ago? I was in high school. That boy said, this is it. This is the black album.

It's over with it. I love you. And, boy, we don't have him in De Carter. We don't have him in Kanye. We don't got so many tracks. So I think this is one of those situations where I understandably, I do not think LeBron will ever try to play or cheat the game. I'm not one of them the tractors in the screech that just be like,

ah, LeBron Lane, ah, LeBron B, you know what I mean? I respect the greatness. You feel me? Like, LeBron been doing this thing for so long and with that impeccable resume. Like, my boy ain't, I don't even think I remember my boy getting a DUI. I don't think I remember. You feel? I don't think I remember my boy ever punching a guy.

let alone a domestic violence dispute never not one on his record so as a black man in these streets we just got to salute lebron more than anything else that basketball that's a whole another thing that's a game they're playing he getting paid for that imagine you getting judged for your job about your performance on your job like who gives a damn how i'm at work i'm a stand-up guy out of work and so that's what i think we should lend lebron a little bit more uh bro my brother's a stand-up guy Of course, I'm still playing. Look at me. Not as the J-Walk.

I'm so into my craft. Yeah. Listen, no matter how much we love what we do. Yeah. No matter what we do in our careers, though, before we go to the funny. Yeah. There are days where we want to cheat the motherfucking game. Are you kidding me?

I'm tired. I got a migraine. I got cramps. I'm on my cycle. My puppy just threw up. But no. LeBron, the only thing LeBron's ever tried to cheat the game with is his hair line. There we go, preach.

Check out my boy on the bench, man. You can tell my boy, check that out, man. This is a shit that makes me fucking lose it with LeBron. He got J.J. Reddick trying to talk to the team, right? Where is LeBron? Anybody see LeBron? He's over there, pouting like a little bitch. Now, I see.

Now, I see that. And look, we can play that one. time, but we can mute, bro. Brough hang like hell. You get your house, recording your TV, hanging on a guy, on a multi-dam near billionaire. So first of all, you can sit yourself down.

But yeah, bro, I relate to LeBron. How do you feel about that video, Brad? You know, it's, maybe it's just the emotions in me, the heart that's been touched by LeBron. Yeah. But the besmircher, I don't even think

would go that far. To be honest. I don't think. Exactly, man. I think it's mostly like, what does LeBron need to learn from JJ Reddick's ass, truthfully? Come on, man. They were part in about two months ago. Then they, oh, shoot, now you're the coach.

Salute. I'm not hanging. Get your money to JJ Redd it. But yeah, bro. It would be like, Juju, it would be like all of a sudden, me and you doing this pot. And it's like, now I'm your coach. The fuck. What?

No, you're my podcast co-host, fam. You're not. What are you trying to drop up right now? You can be my Gino Aurema, man. You look like Pat Summerall for real. If you cut your hair and went with the ball. Pat Summerall or Pat Summitt? Look, see that?

I was wrong. I said Pat Summerall. I got you a football coach D-Line. I have a question for you. Yeah. About, and I texted you about this yesterday. Shoot. Tony Allen, a legendary besmircher.

Yeah. Came out and issued an apology to Cooper Flagg. Let's play the clip. I have something really important. I want to ask you about this on. Okay. Give me two seconds. I know which one this is.

It's happening. Let her shoot. Mama's got it. We're right here. We're right here. Okay. Here we go. Mama's right there.

Mama's right there. Here we go. I feel like Mama ain't right. there. The mom is never right there. Right. Uh-oh. Who?

Yeah, he said he owes an apology to somebody. He does it. It's like Ving Rames. Oh, man. The boy Cooper Flagg. Run the cups, Peter. Oh, man. Listen, bro.

Who do you compare Cooper Flagg to? What was your comparison? So I thought he would be more like a Andre Carolenko, you know, Brent Barry kind of guy, right? I was absolutely wrong, man. And I truly want to take that take back, But it's unfortunately I can't, man.

And, man, he's been showing me so many signs of a superstar. It was one game he had 40, not too long ago. And he playing both sides of the floors was surprising to me. And like that, like I say, them break away dunks and all that is just electric fans. His ceiling is way higher than I thought. I can't front. It was way higher than I thought. I like it, man.

Okay, so this is the question I have for you, Juju. Okay. Why did every 40-year-old man inside the culture? Yeah. Pre-judged Cooper Flagg like he was the second coming of Christian Leitner. Bray, you know what I think it is? First of all, before I say anything, I want to say, salute to Tony for being accountable. You did because a lot of folks, I don't think that gets enough play as it should.

Like we, as podcasters and sports analysts or sports talking heads, we don't admit when we wrong enough, bro. You ain't got to come in here and concoct 12 reasons why you steal right. Brough, say, you be in me, bro, oops. Damn, I messed up right there. So salute for Tony for that right there. But I do think that's one of them factors of, you know, how folks be talking about stuff that they don't necessarily watch.

You feel me? I think a lot of them 40 talking heads when watching a lot of Duke basketball at this time of last year. They might have tuned into the tournament. They saw him go down in attorney but against where Auburn

but they didn't watch how he was playing all year. So I think that that's just a result of that. It is. I don't think he, because if you saw Cooper Flatboy, what the hell? You would never say no damn Andre Carolenko or salute the AK-47.

But this ain't that, and that ain't this. I think it's one of those scenarios where it's one of the only scenarios of reverse racism that you can find. Of prejudice, because it's really just the Cooper flags white. That's really it. It's like he's, and he looks as white as they come. And he played for Duke. It's thin slicing at its finest. He had the pitchfork on Slam magazine.

What did they say? It said something crazy that was like very racist. Like it was like he's coming. It was really wild. I forget what the slam cover said, but I remember being like, this is a bad look for Cooper Flag. It's a little slam.

So he goes to the whitest school with the whitest, like, sniveling, like villain reputation. Yeah. He's long and lanky like Christian Leitner. Christian Leitner goes to Duke. He's on the team, on the dream team, flames out. And so then it's like Cam, because Camus said this to me.

I remember being like, they use the exact same analogy. Oh, he just reminds me of a Christian Leitner. I think he's going to be an Andre Carolenko. And I'm like, I think it's your age, first of all, you're scarred from how bad Christian Leitner was. And I think it's just Cooper flagging his, his, his, white-ass haircut, like the bull cut. And he's a killer. I don't know.

I don't know what it is, but I needed your thoughts on it. You think that's like a fair analysis of what happened? Yeah. I mean, and the new balances didn't help along the way. This is further down the line. But new balances, the grass cut and new balances did not help. But I think is that what you said as well as shoot, bro. Duke games, come on at 7 p.m. Eastern time.

That's that 4 p.m. on the West Coast. That's 4 p.m. in Vegas, what can I be? Man, ain't fined no damn Duke play North Carolina State, man. They just saw him, that boy in the tournament, and his tournament was a little bit sub-up part, so they judged him off that. But salute the coup, man. Salute the Coop.

Gonna go down as one of probably the best two-way players in the last 15 years. You got to know. Moving on, though, man. Donovan Mitchell, he had a controversial move in the NBA last night. They went up against, I forgot who the hell. But, Mr. Rebecca, do you got the Donovan Mitchell clip?

All right, now we pick up here. All right, Donovan Mitchell, a controversial move last night. And I know the besmircher, Mrs. Prostep herself, I had to understand what she comprehended from this move from the Spider-Man. Hold on. I need to see this many times. All right. Jump off the floor.

then bounce the ball, still dribble, Quinn Grimes, like, what universe is this? And then you did his ass. That's the problem. Nah, hell now, don't not call it, and then I get dead. Nah, uh, hey, uh, did he touch the ball? Hold on. Okay.

Did Quentin Grimes touch it? No. No, he did not touch it, bro. Travel, man. I'm going to just say it, walk. Ain't no way in hell you can jump. That's a walk. That's a walk.

That's absolutely a walk. And then he jumpstop, floater, cooked you. Why would you think you could do that? I don't. You know what he tried to do is he tried to dribble as he was up, which is technically you can jump while you're dribbling. Yeah. But it's bad.

This needs to be called. This needs to be called to travel. Exactly. Whatever the name of that referee is right there in the corner, brother, you are on watch. We are watching you. We are watching these. Look, salute the draft kings. We love you.

That's all I'm going to say. We've got our eyes on you. This is a travel. Moving on. Breaking news out of the NBA, Jonathan Cominga has demanded. Not, please trade me, sir. Please, sir.

No, no, no, no. Get me the hell up out of here right down now to the Warriors. What you think about that, bro? Is it justified? I don't think Jonathan Caminga has played. a game in 30 days. Come on, man. I'm ready to say

there are certain coaches that are built for certain things. And like, you know, you know, trick daddy is like, oh, trick love the kids. Yeah.

It's like the exact opposite for Steve Kerr. Steve Kerr doesn't want anything to do with pacifiers or bottles or ball handling drills or teaching you how to be a pro. You need to be a pro as soon as you walk in these doors. Now the problem is that he has an owner trying to do the whole two timeline thing. You can't have two timelines if there's one timeline that doesn't have a pacifier.

They all need diapers. The second timeline needs to be in diapers and pacifiers and basically beyond their AAU coaches teat, essentially. Also coming out of the Warriors camp, they say they are not interested in MPJ. And this is from my boy, Sean Sharania. They say they are not interested. Like, who even puts out that statement?

Why would you, you know what I mean, take the chance? I wouldn't even do that. Like, if I'm not interested, I'm just let you wonder, Oh, taste to see. You did. But what you think about that? Are they tripping? Should they be having my boy, M.P.J.

on his radar? On their radar? Have you ever done that to a girl before? Like, listen, I'm just, I don't even know where your level of interest in me is. I'm not interested in you, though. Exactly. Hell no, bro. I'm just sitting here randomly.

I know you didn't text me, but I'm not thinking about you. Let me just text somebody and be like, listen, I just want to let you know I'm not interested. If I see you in San Francisco, we're not. we're not laying up together I'm sorry It's like nobody Listen Maybe MPJ don't want

Chill Exactly Because I saw my boy Laying up this week I saw some photos And my boy Linked up in a new relationship I'm pretty sure

He would love to stay in the BX The South Bronx You did Across the bridge is over The bridge is over Putt bye bye The Golden State needs to do something fast They are

It's a wrap for them Yeah man Because they The problem with them I think it's going to be the injuries because once you get a little older and older, that ankle injury take a little two extra weeks that that Wolverine quality you used to have in your back. Ah, I'm going to need three more sciatical excuses.

You did. So yeah, get well soon, Warriors. Lastly, before we go to the boy stop, Zion Williamson, man, he been in the streets. Now, he's been getting a lot of headlines for the wrong damn reasons. just stopped before lines. My boy been in the streets, man. My boy, we got to, he need a bit now, bro. Like, we got to get my boy a bit out to be like, bro, this is the roads.

Don't go over here. Don't go over here. This is cool. My boy keep getting played by Only Fan after Only Fan. I don't even see nothing in his roster that's even like, I ain't even going to. Matter of fact, I'm not going to go there. I'm not going to go there. I'm just saying as crazy as I off the court.

season as my boy has had, bruce deal got it, man. I say all that to say, my boy still got it, man. Will you right now, sitting on the Portland or whatever team you got, if you were the GM, are you going halfway in, if not all in,

on the Zion Williams and trade right now? It depends where city my team is in. There we go. Talk about it. So let's talk about the cities we don't want him to go to. Let's go. Miami. There's a lot of temptation in Miami.

Temptation on all levels and all fronts. Right. You can't go to Miami. Houston. We already know what time it is in Houston. You can't go over it. Hell yeah. Houston, Atlanta, Vegas.

Atlanta, you're not going to Atlanta. And the lemon pepper, listen, magic city is not just for the wings. Exactly. And the girls will eat you alive. They will see you coming and they will get your Venmo so fast that is drained. You will be drained in both ways. Oh, the court and on the court. And they will drag you through the streets and talk about your name.

Professions. L.A. They're different in L.A. They have pretty faces, a lot of ambition. Girls from all around the world. Russia, Slovakia. Thank you, son. And like middle America. They're coming for you, Zion.

So no. How much? Listen, how much is. Oh, bonita. Oh, it's a very guapo. No, sotros. Activitat B. Okay.

So you can't go there either. Yeah. We need to get Z. And I think, maybe even Utah is a no-go. Oh, hold on. Oh, I see what you're saying. Yeah, you tip the scale.

Yeah, there's something else. They'll come at you with the good news. Yeah. And it'll be all bad. You know what I mean? They'll hit you with the LDS book. And it's a wrap for you. So you need a place with a bunch of uglies.

Yeah. Br, I don't think you can say that. because now I can't ask the follow-up question. We got to stop him from bumping uglies. That's what we got to do. There we go. Now, totally non-related to that. What cities do you see him being safe in?

This is not saying these cities got uglies for the record, not allegedly. Listen, ultimately, ultimately. Ultimately. I add somebody that's from here. There's not a lot. going on in Portland. And as

as fine as I would like to consider myself, I think I got finer when I left this city. Hello. I saw the world. Okay, I found a contour brush. All right? I found a way to get my hair blown

out. I found my swag outside of Portland. Listen. Maybe she's born with it. Maybe it's Mabelin. The granola chicks, even if you get caught up with the granola chicks. They're not hitting you for more than an Alberta food co-op card. Okay, we got very, very low standards in terms of what tricking looks like. So you didn't hit up with that Portland lingo, bro, like right there.

That was like an L.A. guy hitting us with Rosecrans. Like he just gangbanks, you just gang banged us with Portland. Listen, it's $5 every six months for the Alberta co-op card. but you get 20% off on February's between the first and the seventh. So that's what they will do for you. They'll hit you with the juice card. So I think Portland, I think San Antonio, I think there's very little. Maybe Denver.

Denver is a good spot. I mean, these are not basketball situations that I'm talking about. I'm just talking about to keep Zion off the streets, where should he go? Yeah, see, and that's why I was surprised or, I mean, still at the, The time of this taping right now, everybody is still playing for their team. There has been no John Morant move. There has been no trades, no blockbuster moves in case by the time this come out, it happens. But that's why I'm surprised that people are even kind of putting respect on Jai when to go to Miami.

Excuse me. How about no? How about no thing? We go. my boy my boy messing up in memphis out there my boy got Memphis going crazy like I'm sorry like I don't know now Memphis is one of them pro super pro pro black towns you did so you want to be extra extra black if you ain't come up from that's another town Zion can't go to is Memphis no extra not extra no like but at the same time I think John Morant is in that same boat as Zion

because John Morant come from that too John Morant come from South Carolina What is it down from Sparmbird, wherever Zion from. So they got that same now that we pop-in vibe like it's up. And so yeah, I think you're right bro, we got to send one of them boys

to Portland. We got to send them boys to Milwaukee. You know what I mean? Toronto. Oh, no, no, no, no. I'm going to take that back. No, Toronto. I'm sorry, I got a head of myself. But yeah, somewhere like that because that's where you're going to get the most I don't think heat culture can overcome the booby trap culture in Miami. One time, Juju, I thought it was when the Super Bowl was down in Miami.

Yeah. And I thought I was going to one place. Yeah. And it sounded like the booby trap, but it was really the booby trap. I think I told you this story before. And I put it into my Uber. and the Uber driver was like, you sure you want to go to the booby trap?

And I said, isn't it just a bar? They're like, they're like, and I'm not going to stop you from going wherever you're supposed to go. You got people you're meeting there? And I said, yeah, I'll meet my friend there. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We got to get out of here? Dylan threw that one in because,

because we're on this, long time. We're already 28 minutes in. So I'm just letting you know. I'm just going to tell you, Google of a booby trap, Mr. Becca. I was the only white woman in there. It was, it's a, you don't want to go to the booby

like Jock can't go to the booby trap. Exactly. And heat culture can't overcome Opelah Kagoon culture. No. But moving on, man. And we will be right back after these messages. You'll

take the shot. And welcome back to the alley who we are about to head into a segment that we like to call boy stop. To set this up, it's two men they're about to square off. One of them has to strip down. The other one is in skinny jeans and church shoes. And that's that's all I need to hear right there. Skinny jeans and church shoes danger. Danger, brother. And a viz, and he ain't even, uh-uh. Bop. No, exactly.

See, that one lick, you're flying. Oh, my God. Two licks you're through. And you're lucky my boy was a good, good man. Did he try to pick him up? Did he try to pick him back up? Bro, you're lucky this man. They have hating their heart, bro.

He's like, he didn't even do this to you, bro. Like, do you not see the shirt shoes I have on in this club, bro, like you playing. Your extra playing, bro. What would you do if a girl in some church shoes and a vests walked up on you? I'll go the other way. I mean, listen, there's people that just let you know that they're a problem based on the sheer ridiculousness of what they've pulled up in. The amount of confidence and the ability to back it up is what is required for those tight-ass pants with church shoes.

He came in there rocking Krofmaga. Yes. He didn't even use his fist. He's got an earbud in, for God's sake. I'm not even sure he's paying attention. I mean, look closely. He's got an earbud in. The earbud didn't move.

Yeah. Right, bro. He's listening to a track. He hasn't even stopped his workout. It was legitimately light work for him. The dude took his shirt off for no reason just to get clapped up. I'm talking about it, bro. Baraka, Baraka trip.

into the front kick down to the ground. And then he tried to pick bra up like, you good? You good? Exactly. Bro, the first move is a baraka trip. That's where you know. Danger. Danger.

Because most intermediate fighters run up on you with a fist. Right. My boy said, oh, you're leaving that thigh wide open for me. How ya. Catch earth. Exactly. Had you hook it. How do you hook it?

Yes. Riyu. Boy, stop. Boy, stop, exactly. Taking your shirt off in the club to square up with a brother and some tight jeans and some church shoes. Boy, stop, man. Come on, man. I love this show.

Thank you, as always, for pulling up on us, man, at the alley, ooh. Thank you, as always to Mr. Distinguished Dylan, my boy, my brother, man, and Mrs. Rebecca Donahue, as always. Any last words on the way out, sis? Listen, if the hurricanes beat Indiana, I want to see Mario Cristobal at the booth. booby trap. And there it is. I'm pretty sure you ain't got a hope for that. My boy got a table I already paid for.

He's got a monthly membership. His shirt is the booby trap. Catch us on Tuesday. Same bad time. Same bad channel, man. Salute. Lock in. Booboo trap.