The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 3 - Klay Thompson to the Mavericks

Episode Date: July 1, 2024

Jovan Buha from The Athletic joins the show and reacts to Klay Thompson signing with the Dallas Mavericks and other big breaking free agency news    #douggottliebshowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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What up? Welcome in. This is the herd. Wherever you may be in, however you may be making this part of your day. Thanks so much. I'm Doug Gottlieb in for Colin Cowherd. It's a Monday, a holiday week Monday. Right? And holidays on a Thursday can be tricky. And I think it'll be tricky. You're like, going to work on Monday. Is anybody going to be here?

What if I just take the whole week? I'm just gone the whole week. Who's going to know? Not me. I'm not going to know because I won't be there. Mondays of a, look, to me, I think you just kind of push through

because a lot of you have Thursday, Friday, company holidays, right? Company holidays, Thursday and Friday, you're like, eh, you have the work done. I know it's summer. You know, now for the NBA, lots of work is being done. We'll get to that in a moment.

But Thursday, Wednesday, obviously, is the best, right? Poise July, something in the middle of the week, you're like, oh, you know, listen, it's in the middle of the week, so the day before is the wash. I do think you've got to go in for probably two days this week. And then you're like, yeah, I'm getting out of town. Lake or beach, some of you go to the mountains. Some of you go to Europe.

Although, once you get, when it's kind of warm and sticky, like, I don't know. I don't know, Europe in the summer sounds like a good idea when you tell people and then you actually go there. You're like, eh, everybody says, I know August is supposedly the worst. So August is the worst. But nonetheless, here we are in the middle of summer and what does summer bring us, but NBA drama, NBA movement. And the biggest, most dramatic move is not Isaiah Hartnstein going to the Oklahoma City Thunder, nor is it with Grossbeck saying,

hey, we're going to sell the Boston Celtics. That happened today. Nor is it Derek White resigning to an extension with the Boston Celtics. 2A, again, it's monopoly money to all of us, but relatively reasonable deal,

considering what others are making as starting point guards in the NBA and how well he played this year in the postseason. Now, I think Paul George to the Sixers, there's three different layers to it. Layer one,

stop me if you heard this before, but it appears that the Sixers have a big three. Part two, that'll be it for this run of the Clippers. And part three, didn't the Warriors want him?

That's interesting. That's interesting. But there was a potential for a signing trade there with the Warriors. Not that the Clippers definitely would have done it, but, man, is this an interesting time. So let's just take the Sixers perspective of it. For the Sixers, they were trying to find kind of the perfect mix, and they've tried to find so many times in the past. And you mix in the fact that Maxi signs a massive contract extension. and B.D. coming off an outstanding year,

although didn't do much in their elimination game. And Paul George, who likely grew frustrated with the clippers, but more than anything, couldn't get that fourth year of the clippers. I do think it kind of all works together, right? Like there's no redundancies. And not that the sons had total redundancies, but they didn't have a point guard. They didn't have a big.

It didn't work. I'd say the Clippers, you know, until they went and got James Harden, they didn't have a point card. And then for them, you know, there was some Mitch-Mast beaches there. But the biggest thing for the Clippers were they just couldn't stay healthy. Couldn't stay healthy at all. But for the Sixers, for the league, it's gigantic. You have legitimate competitive teams in New York, Philadelphia, and Boston. That's big time.

If Charlotte's not good, nobody cares. even when Brooklyn was really good like people forget it was just a couple years ago that Kevin Durant had his toe on the line makes a three-pointer at the buzzer sends it to overtime

if the toe not on the line the bucks don't go to over bucks don't go to the finals bucks don't go to the finals they win in championship history changed and that was a team where remember Kyrie Irving had just gotten hurt James Hardin wasn't

quite healthy. And the margin for error is just so slight. But the really important thing to think about is that the Nets, and nothing I'm telling to anyone who's ever been in New York lived or worked in New York as I did work in New York, the Nets are like seventh in terms of importance of professional sports teams. They just are. The NICs, well, the NICs are a steady number two, but really number one. They just, no one's been able to crack the code with winning a championship.

All right. So, if the Knicks are good and the Sixers are good and the Celtics are good, they just want a championship, the NBA is like, we're all good, we're all good. And I like the Paul George move. You know, Paul George as the best player, I don't think he compete to win a championship. Paul George has the second or third best player can win a championship. Now, it's likely going to come down to the ancillary pieces around them. They do have Kelly Ubre back.

They're going to need to build a bench and whatever. But it's pretty good. It's pretty good. And then you factor in what New York did last week and what the Celtics already have and retaining what the Celtics already have, and you have three elite teams. The NBA, if Atlanta's good or not good with Trey Young doesn't matter.

We still don't know what happens with Jimmy Butler. And Miami's a team that no one wants to play. Everyone respects. But fans don't seem to want to watch, right? I mean, Detroit's been a flaming dumpster fire of poo for years now. They just paid $65 million for a one-year coach, right, to leave. And then they just went and hired a coach that got fired in Cleveland after having a really good season. Cleveland's still viable.

We'll see what they do with Donovan Mitchell with the roster. Atlanta, by trading away DeJante Murray, seems to go back all in with Trey Young. But the reality is those three teams in the East, they give you viability in terms of the number of viewers. It doesn't mean, and we had Rick Buecker on in the first hour, and Rick Buecker said, like, look, with the new TV, deals, it doesn't really matter what their ratings are.

No, but there is a bit of an ego involved, and you want to keep all of your television or streaming partners happy. So the fact is that it's embarrassing to look at some of these numbers, like, that's

all the NBA playoffs true. If you have New York, if you have Philadelphia, you have Boston, you have people watching TV or streaming your games. That's the reality. Those are massive markets, massive basketball markets, and competitive fan bases against one another. Here's Rick Buecker earlier on, Paul George, deciding to bolt for Philly.

Not surprised. I was told and believe it to be true that when they signed Kauai Leonard to his three-year extension, that they made a promise to him that they wouldn't be signing Paul George or anybody else to extensions longer than his. And Paul was set on getting forward. years. There was some talk about potentially a sign and trade to the Warriors. Clippers, I don't know that the Clippers wanted to send him to a rival and see him quite that often and create a threat. The Clippers couldn't make a deal where they were going to send him out and get something back. So in looking at the Clippers, I also have to believe that they're, like, they stuck to their guns because Paul George is 33 years old. I believe that they're,

setting themselves up for a year from now, where if you look at the number of unrestricted free agents, Evita Zubach is a free agent, PJ Tucker, Terrence Mann, Russell Westbrook, a beer coffee, they only have $110 million roughly committed to the 25, 26 season. And so I think it's going to give them an opportunity to get into their new building and then hit the reset button. Hit the reset button and we'll see what they're able to, what Lawrence Frank and them are able to build.

Doug Gottliebind for Colin, this is the herd. I just, I can't help. I don't want to see any sympathy, right? There actually is now. I've been doing national radio for 22 years. And I've always said there's no such thing as a lifelong Clipper fan

because having grown up in Southern California, there was like two years they were good under Larry Brown they played in the in the old sports arena outside of that no one was really a clipper fan it was I couldn't afford to be a laker fan so I went to a clipper game that was it but with now you have a generation of people who grew up lob city and then into this and now you have the new arena there's a chance but they there was a window there the Lakers have had a miserable basically decades right and they're moving into an arena which is in inglewood inglewood is the lakers city lakers don't play there anymore

but during the heyday of showtime they did at the forum the forum's still standing so here's what looks like like uh i think it's north to south is the forum which is redone but it's only for concerts then sofi then the into it don't so they're moving into lakers territory it's in much the way different but similar in remember the Chargers being right there

I mean one of the reasons it was hard for the Chargers to get going when they were in Carson is that's right in Raiders fan territory right the Clippers have always been there but it's a Laker Town and now you're moving to Inglewood which is the Lakers Englewood was known as City of Champions because of the Lakers

and there's there's no greater window they had all the resources in the world they had all the momentum they had the owner with untold billions of dollars and a desire to spend it to win, and they could never get over that hump. And now they hit reset and start again. I mean, as much as the story is about the Sixers,

and look, I know the Clippers are relatively irrelevant, and I think we'll get to with Yoban Buhas going to join us in like 10 minutes. We'll ask Kim about the Lakers and what they do now. But I really think the bigger story or as big a story, is not just the league, which is going to see, I think, a spike because of the volume of sports television fans and viewers that want to watch the Nicks, the Celtics, and the Sixers play at a high level. But the woulda coulda should have the clippers, it could have been their town. It could have been there. LeBron's not really an all-time Laker.

Like, he's, LeBron's a great player who played at the end of his career for the Lakers. People haven't embraced him the way they had so many other. They had a shot. Fascinating stuff, right? All right, coming up next in The Hurt is Clay Thompson close to the decision? And if he says no to L.A., who do the Lakers turn to? Yvonne Buha joins us next in The Hurt. Be sure to catch live editions of the HARD weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio,

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I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your

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So many things to get to in the NBA. Why not ask for help, right? Call it Lifeline. Yvonne Buha joins us. Of course, he covers the Lakers for a living. He thought he'd be just a great outlet, plus senior NBA, Lakers reporter for The Athletic. And let me start with, again, the news of the day

before we get to the Lakers specific because you cover the whole league. What's your reaction to Paul George choosing to leave L.A., his home area, and go to Philly and play for the Sixers? I was not surprised once the reporting came out that there was this quibbling

with the fourth year between he and the Clippers, and it feels like it's been trending this way since Kauai Leonard signed that contract extension, where you know, Paul George was eligible at the same time that Kauai Leonard was. And it recently just came out that Paul George was not even aware

that Kauai Leonard was signing that extension when he did. And he found out when we all did, when the news was broken. So it feels like it really was going to come down to the market for Paul George and if he could find a better offer with more years and more money. And ultimately, that's what he was able to do. And it sounds like the clippers were only willing to offer him a three-year deal. him getting a fourth year and really just a monster contract north of $200 million, you know, it makes sense that he would go for that.

And I do think Philly now with him and Bede and Maxie is in a position to potentially be the number two team in the east, I would put them right there with the mix. And if all, you know, Joel and Bede could stay healthy for a postseason, maybe they can get out of the east and potentially even won a championship. So I do think slotting him as like that number two, 2.5 guy. in Philly. I think it's a little bit better than what he was with Clippers being like technically the number two, but sometimes even the number one when Kauai was out. So I think he just has to do less offensively, which is, I think, a win for him and his

skill set right now. And then defensively, I think he fits him nicely with Indeed. So I think it was a really smart move. I do too. I mean, obviously the last two years of the contract, it gets interesting. You get to your mid-mid, you know, other side of 35. That's interesting to see what it looks like, but nobody seems to care about that. Let's get closer to home. Look, Michael Thompson's beloved in Lakersland, there's always been this infatuation with getting Clay to come home. But it's weird to be with the Warriors and then go to the Lakers.

And I don't know, is Clay getting close to a decision? It sounds like it. So the latest I've heard is the Lakers would love to sign Clay to their non- taxpayer mid-level exception of about $12.8 million. But all of the buzz over the past 36 hours or so has been that Dallas is the current front runner for him. And part of that is because Dallas has this trade exception that they created from salary dumping Tim Hardaway Jr.

onto the Detroit Pistons. So now they have this trade exception where Clay could sign, the Warriors could sign and trade with Clay rather, and then he would get more money. than that taxpayer MLE. So you get somewhere closer to $20 million and join the Mavericks that way. Now, the Lakers could technically do the same thing. So either they could do a form of a salary dump trade

where they trade a DeAngelo Lussell or a Ruehachamora to a different team, attach an asset, and create a similar exception for Clay. Or they could do a sign-in trade directly with the Warriors, but they would have to send out a salary in that, and the Warriors would have to accept the players that the Lakers would be sending them. So it would have to be something appealing to Golden State, maybe something like a Rui Hachamora and a Jailen Huchifino. And that helps them remain competitive and also gives them a former first round pick one year removed,

who is still pretty young and I think showed some flashes in the G League at least last season. So my read on the situation is that I would still peg Dallas as a slight favorite, but if the Lakers can get creative here and either execute a salary dump trade to create that trade exception or find a package with Golden State that Golden State is comfortable with, then I think there's a chance he could end up in L.A., but it would almost certainly have to be on a form of trade, and it's going to have to be more than that 12.8 non-taxpayer mid-level exception. And then the other thing is that potentially affects how big of a pay cut LeBron James has to take. So there's a lot of moving parts with this, but my read is.

is that if Clay ends up in LA, it's almost certainly going to have to be in a trade, and it's going to be more than that 12.8 number. Okay, so what are they willing to part with? I mean, they're not... That's the question. Do you take DeAngel Russell? Like, nobody wants DeAngel Russell. I mean, you have to get maybe a third team and somebody who wants to, I don't know, play

him, I don't know. What else do they have to offer? Well, I'll say this. They're not going to trade Austin Reeves, because their barometer for trading Austin Reeves has been a high-level All-Star and for as great as Clay is for obviously a future first ballot Hall of Famer, four-time champion, he is not currently that level of player. No. Right. So I think like often reads off the table, a Bron and AD off the table,

I think anything else is potentially on the table, again, a Ruby Hachamora, potentially a Jared Vanderbilt, like those types of guys, if that's what's going to get this done, I think they'd be willing to do that. Maybe a pick, although, again, like there's a reason why golden state is willing to let clay thompson walk here uh like i mean he's really regress and he's still an elite shooter uh but defensively he's no longer the same player he was just as a score and those nights where he'd score 37 in the quarter or score 60 on less than 10 dribbles it's like he can't do that anymore so um i think the like maybe a pick or a protected pick of some kind if it really comes down to it and that's what lebron really wants in this

pushing for. But I think they would prefer to maybe include like a jail and Huchifino as the sort of draft compensation or the nugget that they're dangling to get Golden State to do it. Gold State, as has been reported, is trying to find a sign and trade partner here just to get Clay the best contract possible. And they want to do them a solid on the way out of, hey, we're not going to pay you, but let's help you get the most money possible. So I think Gold State is open to making some sort of trade and potentially taking back some salary. but yeah it's just going to come down to a value on the Lakers what does that package look like and are the Lakers willing to potentially include a pick a pick swap something like that that seems a little high to me but again it just comes down to how they view Clay and what LeBron wants. Yvonne Buoy joining us he's of course senior NBA and Laker reporter for The Athletic.

Listen, I love that Rich Paul is working for his client but I don't believe what he said about teams being interested. I mean I mean thought, I even thought Bob looked foolish in the NBA draft saying they're telling people not to draft Ronnie James. Like, no one else was drafting Bronny James. But what's the, so what's the legit plan? I mean, because Rich Paul said, well, he's not doing it two-way. So he's going to sit on the bench the whole year and not play and not get any better? That doesn't make any sense.

What's the honest plan with Bronny? So the Lakers are still forming a plan because, and, Part of the holdup right now is JJ Redick doesn't have his full assistant coaching staff yet. I mean, he doesn't technically even have one assistant coach right now. So they need to build out the assistant coaching staff. They need to build out the play development staff. And once they have that, you know, he's also going to be doing an introductory press conference tomorrow. So I think we'll get some more insight tomorrow when we get to actually talk to Bronny James.

And it will be his first media availability as a Laker. But my read is similar to yours. I think he's going to spend a lot of time in the G League with the South Bay Lakers. And I think really the only way this becomes some sort of distraction is if the Lakers try to force him into a role that he's not ready for and he really struggles and it just becomes an awkward situation. But my understanding is, like, part of what Rich was getting at with that was not just the two-way situation, but like he wanted a team to really develop and to succeed and

and to put him in a position to succeed. And for me, that's got to be him getting reps in the G League. And that's something that Rob Polinka said was that he feels like Bronny just missed out on the reps with USC in part because of his cardiac arrest and the time that he missed. So just from a basketball perspective, he has not had the amount of reps that he would have liked over the past year or so. So playing in Summer League, playing with the G League team, and then I'm sure getting some garbage time minutes, all those reps are going to be invaluable for him,

and then also that first-hand experience of learning from and observing his teammates and practices and from the benching games. But I do not see him as a rotation player. I mean, look, you could always exceed expectations and maybe... No, zero percent change. They're not a competitive basketball team of his rotation player. Again, the problem is it's like you don't practice that much once the season starts.

so he's not going to be playing. He needs to develop. Yeah, you keep him up and you have him do at least a game, you know, or a game with his dad. And that's going to be, that would be really cool. And then after that, if he really wants to develop, that's what the G League is for. It used to be called the D League because it was the NBA Developmental League.

It only changed the name because of Gatorade. So, yeah, that actually makes sense. What doesn't make sense is the Rich Paul, we don't want to do a two-way thing. That sounds great, but it doesn't read us as, reality. What about Dalton Connect? I love them, but like we're drawing up pin downs and plays for them. What are we doing? Yeah, I mean, I think with any rookie, you have to see them play first, at least in Summer League before you can begin to set expectations. So, like, the Blakers were

ecstatic that he felt to them. Like, I think sometimes you see these war room videos, and it feels a little forced. It feels like they are performing for the cameras. And they know that this is about to be broadcasted on national TV. Millions of people are watching. And they're like, okay, we have to act like we love this pick or happy that this guy fell to us. The Lakers were genuinely happy that Dalton Connect felt to them. They requested a draft workout with him and him and his agent turned them down because they're like, there's no way he's going to be available at number 17.

So once he fell out of the top 10 because all mock drafts had him as a top 10 prospect, top 10 pick and once he felt to number 11 it became a reality for the lakers are like this guy's flipping and maybe he falls to us so they are very high on him and i'm i think in you know i wasn't really familiar with him because he wasn't a prospect that i had prepped for because again i didn't think he'd be there but in watching film and talking to people like it's clear he can shoot the ball and regardless of like any of the deficiencies of his game if he could just come in and shoot 37, 38% at a minimum for LA from three, like, that's a win. So I think if you come in and be like a 12 to 18 minute a night bench guy,

like the eighth, ninth, maybe even 10th guy on the roster, like that's a win because the Lickers did not get that last year with Jalen Hutchifino, who statistically was one of the worst first round picks in last year's draft and really didn't contribute in any meaningful way. So the two reasons that Connect Flips were his defense, and that's going to be a concern, and then he's going to have to figure out the defensive end of the floor, and then his age.

He's already 23, we'll turn 24 during his rookie season. So, I mean, teams are turned off by older prospects. There's less potential there, but that also means he's more NBA-ready. So,

like, he should be able to contribute in year one, but him being, like, a starter or a closer or, like, a significant piece of the rotation, I think that's a premature conversation.

Yeah, yes. He can shoot. He's tough. I mean, you can score, other end of the court, very much in question. And I would also be super, super surprised. I mean, they're going to have their own defensive issues now because because LeBron's no longer a defensive stopper at all. If they miss on Clay, who's next?

Oh, I'm sorry. I just saw this. Clay's going to Dallas. So Clay Thompson. Okay, so Clay's off the list. As we discussed earlier, Dallas was the front runner. for the last day and a half. Okay.

So where they turn their attention to next is the Mardorosen is a player that the Lakers have pursued back in 2021 before. They were going to get them and then LeBron said, no, no, we want Russ, right? Yeah, so that's like a fork at the boat moment for them.

So the one thing, though, that people, like people love to play fantasy basketball with roster building and... No, it's, it's, It's the trade machine. They think the trade machine is real life. Like, no, it doesn't work that way. So the one thing with here, though, is that the Lakers have 15 players of guaranteed contracts.

So the Lakers have a full roster, and for them to sign a Demar de Rosen, they're going to have to salary dump. Because if they use that non-taxpayer, mid-level exception, $12.8 million, they're going to be hard-capped at that first apron. So they're going to have to salary dump at least one player onto. a different team to create that roster spot and that financial flexibility to sign of the Mardorosen or anyone else for the non-taxpayer middle-level exception. ESPN reported that there's another name that LeBron James is coolest, but I'm not quite sure

who that is. I haven't been able to figure that out. I will say that Gary Trent Jr. is a clutch client. He's also someone that the Lakers have had interest in as a trade target multiple times over the past few years. And Buddy Heald, also a former client of. of Rob Polinka, some of the Lakers have pursued multiple times on the trade market.

Going back to 2021, they had it deal with it. It was Buddy Healded, it was Buddy Heald and Markerosen, and it was done. And Palinca said, pick one. And they're like, we want Russ. And that was a dumpster fire. That was- it's the railed the last few years of, like,

I think there's an ultimate universe with Lakers don't make the Ross trade, and they've essentially won another championship. It really was that debilitating. But yeah, so I think DeMarterosen will be the next guy that they target. He potentially could have a market for more than the non-tax pair and the level exception. I personally don't love the fit of the Marta Rosen with the Lakers because the Lakers need shooting and defense on the wing. The Mardorosen is a below average three-point shooter and he is a below average defender. And he's also aging into now his mid-30s.

So like the name is the sexy name. He is a former All-Star. and like you've got the cachet but like I don't quite put him on like that third star level and I also think from an actual fit if we're talking about the skills you need to thrive next to LeBron and AD

you need shooting and you need defense and DeMarterosen is a minus in both of those aspects so like yes he can hit some clutch shots yes he can score 20 a night and those are valuable assets to this Lakers team but they really need shooting and defense on the wing

and DeMarderosen falls a little short in both categories. Well, maybe they could somehow morph Dalton Connect and Jared Vanderbilt together into one human being in the offseason. If they did that, it would be amazing. It would be amazing. It would. Yvonne, great stuff, man. Thank you so much for joining us.

Awesome. Appreciate it, Doug. All right. The breaking news is Clay Thompson is going to join the Mavs. Three years, $50 million. How about that one? and they'll have, there'll be a signing trade there where Josh Green,

an elite shooter, will end up in Charlotte. Oh, poor Josh Green. It's like, hey, you just played the NBA finals. Now you're going to Charlotte. Let's get to rhyme music with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news.

Wow, Doug, huge, huge out of the NBA, as you just said. Clay Thompson's time with the Warriors is reportedly. coming to an end. He is expected to be a part of a sign and trade deal to make his way over to the Dallas Mavericks.

Do you know my dad's history with Clay Thompson? Refresh my memory. My dad coach Clay Thompson in the spring, spring AAU, and during the summer he joined a bigger club in L.A. And it was with a bunch

of really, really talented players and because they didn't really run offense or practice and it was just talent, go out and play, he didn't get the ball that much, and Clay would pout. This was in high school. And so Clay had a reputation of being, you know, too kind of emotionally frail, soft, if you will,

and he's definitely not. And no one, including my brother who was in the Pac-12 at the time, recruited him. So Tony Bennett, whose dad sat at the desk that I'm sitting at now and played here at Green Bay. Tony Bennett was the coach of Washington State. and my dad called up Tony, and Tony need players,

and he said, you should take two of his kids. One was a guy named Taylor Rochester, who was freshman year in the conference USA at Tulane, who's from Santa Barbara, and the other one is Clay Thompson. He's like, I don't know. Taylor Rochester, he just coming off an ACL injury, and Clay Thompson, Taylor Rochester's still playing overseas

and makes a million dollars, and Clay Thompson just signed for $50 million. Anyway, the point was that, yeah, that's how Clay end up at Wazoo. My dad's saying, like, he's not soft. He's super tough. It's kind of situational, and he's arguably or maybe inarguably the greatest player in the history of Wazoo. Wow. There you go.

The Gottlieb's fingertips all over the basketball world stretching over multiple generations now. There you go. All right. We'll quickly turn our attention to a couple of stories in the NFL before we go back to this breaking news out of the NBA. But you talked about Micah Parsons and Malik Hooker, the drama earlier today. You can add this to the list of Cowboys drama

according to the Dallas Morning News. Their star wide receiver, Cidilam, will not show up to training camp later this month without a new contract. So just another footnote in the Cowboys. You have the Micah Malik drama. You have Micah's new contract. You have Dak Prescott wanting a new contract.

You have Mike McCarthy going into a quote unquote lame duck. year of his deal and all of this on the heels of a disappointing exit from the playoffs last season. Yeah, where you're a quarterback who's as a record cap hit if you cut him through two terrible first half interceptions. Here's the thing with C.V. Lamb, okay? Remember, he's in the fifth year of his rookie contract, right? So this is the year he actually makes real money, $17.9 million. But remember, they can franchise tag him at the end of this year if they don't want. So, Is it one of those deals that, yeah, do you want to get it done?

Sure. But you're under no pressure to have to get it done. If not, you can get it done next offseason because you have the franchise tab that you can stick on it. So it sounds like, wow, last year of a contract. But the fact is that rookie contracts are first round picks, they can last seven or eight years without any negotiation. Now, the franchise tag would be a big, big number, so that would hurt the club against the cap. I would this one feels like it'll get done whereas other ones may not

and finish it up with this Doug another team looking to turn things around the Chargers a lot of questions in LA after they lost their two top wide receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams but they did draft Ladd McConkey out of Georgia their quarterback Justin Herbert has loved what he's seen so far

saying he's picked up the offense so easily he's like a four or five year vet he just really understands the game Doug both you and Colin are quasi-fans, if you will, of the Chargers, and you've also both been long defenders of Jim Harbaugh going back to his first season at Michigan. Yeah.

What's the question? Well, do you think Ladd-McConkie will be able to step into this role that is now being left open by the exit of Kenan Allen and Mike Williams? I mean, he'll never have the size of Mike Williams. Pause. But, yeah, I mean, he should be,

he's going to be really good. I think they're going to run the ball a ton. I mean, Greg Romans are offensive coordinator, right? They're going to run the football. They're going to use their tight ends a lot. A lot. But yeah, I think Lab McConkey's a good pick. I just, I don't know if in year one they'll be able to get to where they should have gotten to over the past couple of years, but I definitely think you can see Harbaugh and Romans' kind of fingerprints on this one and how they think they can protect him. You know, they drafted another offensive tackle. So you've got two bookend tackles that can really protect and can run the football.

And then you give Herbert time and he can make a lot out of a little. So I like Lab McConkey. I don't think he's as dynamic as Mike Williams at Mike Williams Peak. It doesn't have to be. Do I think he'd be a keen noun? Maybe not Pete Keen Allen, but the type of outrunner that he was, yeah, I like that. I like that role for me. And that's right.

And that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lie News. All right, coming up next in The Herd, the best for last. I don't know if you missed it, but you don't want to miss it. Next. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd, weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, it's Ben.

Host of The Fifth Hour with Ben Mallor. It would mean a lot to have you join us on our weekly auditory journey. You're asking what in God's name is the fifth hour? I'll tell you, it's a spinoff of the Ben Mallor show, a cult hit overnight's on FSR. Why should you listen? Picture if you will a world where we chat with captains of industry in media, sports,

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A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators,

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Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got? to do a little kill. Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jett. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it.

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with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tauntons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Doug Allie, bin for Colin, this is The Herd, and the breaking news is Clay Thompson, is a Dallas Maverick. Stick with you. Hold on for a second. Hold on now. Hold on. Okay.

I mean, think about it for a second. The Dallas Mavericks who just reached the NBA finals have added Clay Thompson to their team. Now, Clay Thompson isn't what he used to be, but if he's your third best offensive weapon and all he has to do is shoot off of Lucas penetration. Like, kind of love it. I'm saying that out loud? Like, I kind of love it. Because, man, this is a team that has, I think, a burgeoning star in Derek lively.

You know, it allows you to, I mean, the issue with Derek Jones Jr. is he can't shoot. So with PJ Washington on one wing or one corner and Clay Thompson and the other, like, have fun, that's, that's, that's pretty dynamic. You still run into some of the same issues, obviously, with, with Luca and his fitness and his ability to guard people, but I kind of, it's like one of those things like, I kind of like it. And this from Agent Worschenowski, Thompson has a four-year offers for more money, but taking less was offset by a chance to win a fifth championship with the Mavs and the difference in state taxes. State taxes. Greg Lawrence of Wasserman basketball led Thompson's series talks with the Mavs and the Lakers. Yeah, I don't buy the – you don't turn down a chance to play for the Lakers because of taxes. You just don't.

Especially when you got $150 million in the bank. like, yeah, you know, state taxes. That sounds really good to the common man. But the reality here is if you're from Orange County, your dad works for Lakers, there's something, just don't think he wants to play for Lakers. He had an opportunity to play for the Lakers. LeBron James said he'd take less money. And if it was a four-year deal, like that sounds pretty sweet. Sounds like he didn't want to play for Lakers.

I just I don't know whether he doesn't think they're title contenders I think that's part of it or whether he wants to be Look those guys in Golden State They looked at the LeBron James thing And they're like

That's not for us Because you know how it works with LeBron Right There's a lot of good things that go with it But if you don't win It is never LeBron's fault Never Lebron's fault Ever

You know Or even if it is Ace 40 So I just I just don't think that's their job that's a really hard one and it actually this is kind of what lebrons felt coming to l.A like that's coby's team that's coby's franchise it's hard to play for a rival's team it's just weird you know it's weird you know look will it be weird playing with kairi irving yeah but

they're both they're both kind of similar they're both really bright in their own way and kind of a little different in their own way and maybe that stuff comes together and they got tell stories about each other, but I also think that the reality is like, it's like one of those, eh, pass. He's awesome. I know, thanks.

That does not feel like my jam. I also think there's a little bit of respect for Luca that a lot of people, fans-wise, you know, don't understand that inside the NBA, the three best players, in no particular order, Luca, Joker, and Embed.

Those are the three. best players. Those are the guys that people go like. With Embed, it's been about injuries. With Luca, it's been about his defense and his weight maybe a little bit. And with Joker,

it's really more about his defense. His defense. But I mean, none of them are, I mean, Embedd's the one guy who can make an impact defensively. Obviously not as good when he has to come out and guard the perimeter. But and, you know,

like, let's not make it out like his Mark Cuban. because he no longer owns or really runs the Mavericks. This is the new group, and what a move it is. It's the end of the Splash Brothers. He'll get a tribute video, though, right? You get a tribute video? The tribute video thing is so weird. The guys get so bent out of shape if they don't have the long enough tribute video, whatever.

I don't know. My people don't believe in statues. We don't do that. But, yeah, if there's ever going to be a statue in front of Golden State's arena, then should have Clay and Steph. And I guess Draymond. Part of this also is, like, let's be honest, the Warriors, they allow that Draymond thing to continue. And I don't know how that sits with people.

That's a weird one. Let's see what the Warriors do next. Let's see what the reaction is to it. I still think there's a chance there were letting Clay walk away. way just because it's too hard for him to take a you know to take a tertiary or even lower role with the with with with the warriors there is a chance that they get better because of it there's also a chance that they go yeah we're going to go move to being young and and and try try try try and try and start all over I don't know but the idea of Clay Thompson trying to run

it back and saying no and do I not want to go to the warriors but I don't want to go to the Lakers actually love the fact that I want to go to Lakers. Like, wait, you want me to play? It's like the Clippers were their rival for a while, but the truth is the Lakers, yeah, I don't want to do that. I don't blame them. I don't want to do that either.

I understand your dad broadcast for the team. I understand you grew up watching the Lakers. Not every by the way he grows up in Southern California, like yourself, he grows up loving the Lakers, even during their last kind of golden era. but his dad working for the Lakers but it's pretty obvious he didn't want to be part of that circus and make no mistake about it

the Brony James Pick became a bit of a circus so all right back tomorrow as we'll see who else signs who else moves does anyone want to play for LeBron the Lakers find out tomorrow on the hurt another podcast from some

SNL late night comedy guy not quite unhumored me with Robert Smygel and friends me and hilarious guests from Bob Oden Kirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes.

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'll say. Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the Fourth.

You might have seen the skits. my basketball and college football journey or my career in sports media. Well now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve

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84 was big to me. I'm Sam Jay. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year.

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Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hardway with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games.

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