The Ringer NBA Show - Dame Requests Trade, Class of 2020 Max Contracts, and More From Day 2 of Free Agency

Episode Date: July 2, 2023

J. Kyle Mann and Tyler Parker join together to talk about the latest news on the second day of NBA free agency. They start off with Damian Lillard’s trade request from the Blazers and the team destinations that sound most intriguing (03:14). Then, they discuss the max contracts signed by LaMelo Ball, Tyrese Hailburton, and Desmond Bane (16:02). After, they go into Houston’s latest acquisitions, the Lakers’ resignings, and more (28:43). Hosts: J. Kyle Mann and Tyler Parker Producer: Eduardo Ocampo Additional Production Supervision: Ben Cruz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello, friends, and welcome to a golf podcast unlike any other. This is Fairway Rowland on the Ringer podcast network. I am your starter. Joe House every week on Fairway Rowland. It is myself and our PGA tour correspondent on the ground, Nathan Hubbard, talking all things professional golf, amateur golf, amateur betting, professional betting, amateur drinking, professional drinking, my birdie buddies. If you want to hit them straight out there, please check out Fairway Rowland every week.

Available on Spotify. Folks basketball is very good. It's a news heavy day. I am back in the saddle on the ringer NBA show, obviously, obviously. And I am joined by author. I don't know. Do you want me to do the whole thing where I praise you and you deflect, deflect, deflect. I feel like your life should be interesting.

Like your your authorship, your life as an author, your life has changed, I would assume, Tyler. Are we at the point where you're like at fancy parties with like, I don't know, with like Timothy Oliphant or something? Like, I mean, how, I'll tell you what point we're at. We're at the point where my wife was out of town the other day. and I picture her from the airport today and she immediately left out of the car to go throw something in the recycling can that's outside and she said six pizza boxes

so that's where that's that's that's kind of parties I'm going to right now maybe wait wait you you participated in the destroying of the pizza you had a party I participated in the destroying of the pizza you had a party I participated in the destroying of the pizza. It was not pizza on six consecutive nights. There was a night where it was just one of the girls and I were back. And so it was like, oh, father, daughter, pizza night.

Sure. So she got her own little personal pizza. I got mine. That same night, obviously you're going to spring for some cheese sticks. So that's a third box. You know what I mean? So the number of boxes is deceptive. don't blame her. I would have gone with the same thought. But, you know, these days I do feel

the number of boxes can be deceptive. I see. I see. Well, you know, I remember back when I was a kid and the pizza party was the highest. That was the biggest event in my life. And I think there are a few teams today that kind of had, I would say, veritable pizza parties, you know, in terms of like their acquisitions, like what they were able to accrue. We got a lot of news. I mean, some of the news that we have to cover is sort of the foreshadowing, the projection of things to come in the imminent future. Dame Lillard, obviously, by now I'm sure you've heard Dame Lillard formally put in the request to be traded. This has been going on for years. Tyler, are we, are we at the point where this is like stinky rancid way past the expiration date? Like, how overdue is this do you

think and do you think? I mean, you're a huge dame guy. You're a huge dame guy. You're always have been. I know you were really, you were really affected, I think, by that, the wave, you know. I mean, how dare, how dare you just, I'm just trying to have a happy Saturday here and you're trying to bring in, you know, hurtful things. Just trying to stir up some trauma. I think it's good for you. I mean, but the dame thing. I have never, just so you know, I've never turned a TV off faster in my life. Oh, you did? Was that an ang? That ball was not through the net.

That ball was like, I turned the TV off. The TV went black while the ball was still in the net. I was like, okay, that's in. Okay, I'm going to just log off the earth for an indetermined period of time. Was that one of those go outside and smoke a cigarette even if you don't smoke moments or what was that? I mean, I used to go get pissed and go on the time. driveway and shoot. That was one of my like I can't even talk. So I'm just going to go outside and shoot. I don't know. I, uh, I'm sure I sought, uh, the help of some, uh, some inebriance of

some kind for sure. Yeah. Um, I'm sure I was already, uh, in the bag a little bit, uh, when that shot went in knowing how that postseason had been going and knowing how that game had been going. Um, uh, that one doesn't let that one doesn't let that. That one doesn't let that doesn't live as like storied as other thunder you know play game six heartbreaks like that sure that will always be the one

that is uh you know the that's my rose bud you know what I mean right right well to get you know to crush somebody's dreams I learned this in the in cars too we were just talking about Pixar movies you know you get to crush someone's dreams you have to get their hopes up really high and I would assume that uh your your hopes were higher in that in that clay game six But Dame, you know, it was obvious when, when, you know, the pick fell to number three, the Blazers hired Poo Jeter.

I don't know if that was the exact reason, but they bring him in. And them drafting Scoot obviously was a statement that, like, I think they would have been happy with Miller or Scoot based on the reports that I heard. But that sort of signified that they are headed in this new direction. So they've got Scoot, they've got Shaden Sharp, they've got Anthony Simons. We'll see if that three-headed monster stays together. I'm not so sure on paper that it will. And then today, well, yesterday, Jeremy Grant gets that gigantic deal, which looks a little worse now. You know, I'm not sure what role Jeremy Grant is going to be, I didn't understand doing it anyway,

because I've been on this train for a while where I was like, there's really no move on the board out there with the assets that they had and what they were up against. I was like, let's just say hypothetically, they made some big swing. You've got, you know, you've got the nuggets, you've got the sons are ramping up. The warriors are going to retool and be back, the Kings, the Lakers. You just go on and down the list. I felt like this was really, I don't know, it seemed like they were just sort of back and forth. I made this comparison the other day to you, that office comparison about like it just felt like the Andy and Dwight thing where they were just courtecing each other to death to the point, to the point. It was just like, oh, no, thank you.

No, after you, after you. And they kick this can down the road for a long time. So now they're looking at this situation where Dame says that he wants to go to Miami. How loyal do you think Portland should be in this situation? Because I feel like they've met the threshold, the quota of loyalty. We've hit the mark, I feel like. How beholden do you think they should be to him in terms of like getting him to his most desired spot? What do you think?

I think they owe it to him to put him somewhere that's a good that's a good spot where he's got a chance to win. I think they owe him that. I don't think that they owe him. I want to go here so we got to send you right here. I think if somebody comes calling with a package that's sexier than Hero and Jaime and Yovitch and whatever else. then that doesn't get my blood pumping.

That that deal doesn't get my blood pump. I don't know. I guess it's just kind of a question of should you be after like sort of future, you know, hypothetical asset type things, i.e. picks or I'm just looking at the type of player they should get go after. I think they should really be trying to get,

A, somebody positionally solid, probably in that three spot. You've got Grant, who's come a long way defensively. You got him now. You might as well figure him into your plans. unless you can move that contract, you're probably not going to be able to. But I was thinking, rim protection feels like the way to go, right?

You're going to have to upgrade your rim protection with these types of guards, I would think. Yeah, I mean, it's funny. Like, the team that I thought, well, I mean, I guess the first thing I would say is all their initial posturing sort of after the trade request suggests that they're not going to feel. beholden to just deal with Miami. I mean, it's like whatever the Wojj's exact language was, I'm not sure, but it basically was like that front off, well, here it is, front office is talking to Portland today. We're left with the impression that GM Joe Cronin is pursuing a star level return package for Damian Lillard and that Cronin plans to look well beyond the Miami heat

to find one. And obviously Woj is probably working fairly closely with Portland's front office on the wording there, right? Like he, so that's what they're, you know, they're trying to say, you know, business is open, you know, come according. But like I, the first team that came to mind after like, if we're getting beyond just the first two teams that he's talking about being interested in in the heat and Brooklyn, the first team kind of that I thought about was the Spurs. Like, you go, you. you basically say give us everything but wimby and we'll go from there. I mean, you get

Sohan, you get Keldon Johnson, you get Vassel, and then you can say, you know, either Malachi Branham or Blake Wesley, something like that, and some draft compensation. I, you know, smarter people than me can do the math and that might not even work. But that like, in terms of like, because I don't think there is some, I don't think there's a team that's going to, that could trade for him. The only other team that could trade for him that's got like a young dude who and some other solid pieces around him that you could talk me into would be somebody like the Raptors. Yeah. If like they would, I don't think they would do it because it seems like they love Scotty and I get,

and I love Scotty. I get it. The, but you put you, you know, you center the package. around Barnes, you know, whatever. Grady Dick. But you get the Pascal's, the Pascal deal there is, is big enough to take a big bite out of it. I mean, that's, that's the hardest thing. It's just taking a big enough bite out of it and finding a deal. But I'm looking at the, you know, just looking at the packages and like what's the most attractive thing to me here. I mean, I don't know, like the Spurs thing, you just start talking about timelines. I don't, the Spurs, they, I don't know why they would, unless they just have like an outrageous belief that Wimby's going to be like out of the box ready. Like,

No, and I don't think, I was just more thinking like teams that could put together an attractive package. I'm with you that probably the Spurs would say, no, let's just see what we're dealing with here before we get wild. I'm with you on that. I'm just more thinking like assets. That'd be kind of an ishpia type of. Just lean, like, let's just go. We haven't even seen, like, because Wimby out of the box, I think, is going to be defensively. He'll be further along than he will be offensively, I think.

but sure i don't know i'm trying to get into that conversation but that that deal is going to be something that's just going to be prepare yourselves folks i think you know i mean that's going to be the big one that's going to be the one that's going to be the one that's going to be the one with um i don't know do you think that that is the move that has the most like tidal immediate implication i mean other than i don't know if if he went to miami obviously that could work it doesn't seem like hero is going to be able to fit into what they're trying to do i just think like that combination of guards specifically sort of it puts caveats in conditions on what you're going to be able to do like you're like you're automatically probably not going to be bringing in a Tyler Hero like a Tyrese

Maxi I think it would just assume I don't know then you would have four guards that are under six foot five um I don't know I feel like whatever deal they're going after I just think in terms and then well also though if you're talking about like the the rim protection thing if you're wanting to like think about this in the basketball sense I don't know that that there's going to be a rim protector out there that's going to be able to eat up enough salary just because of the way these guys are paid these days. These creators are probably going to be where the heavier salary

sort of matchup is going to be. Yeah. Do you, what do you think of the like, hey, T. Wolves should just say, all right, Kat, here you go. Like, we've, you know, like, Blazers might say yes to that, right? I mean, that's not giving you rim protection,

but it's at least giving you young talent and somebody that you can point to the fans and say hey look at this dude you know like that's an interesting one man I'm not a I'm not a I'm not a cat guy

like you know he's he's a rough hang but in terms of like you know like if you're just talking about we want star level return plus draft compensation when you start looking around at, you know,

dudes that might be available at that number where, like you're talking about, they can take a significant bite out of that. Like, I don't know. I mean, who, who else is there?

I mean, he's not, you know, he's not going to Phoenix. You know, like it's, right. Well,

I mean, like, if you were looking at, okay, I mean, what about, let's see, a Carl Anthony Towns and Kyle Anderson trade

package that gets you to, I love slow-mo. That's not what this is about, but didn't slow-mo just the best to watch? He is very fun. I don't know how he pulls it off. I don't know how he pulls off the jumper. Yeah, I mean, that trade package gets you to 45.2 incoming for the Blazers. So, I mean, that's a near match. And then you get a little bit of Lillard. You get a little bit of him and aunt together in a backcord. I mean, that would be pretty fun. And you look at some of the defensive kind of upgrade stuff that they've done. That's one. I don't know if they would want to help an in-conference rival like that. It makes more sense to maybe get him out of sight. But that, I don't, I probably, I probably

wouldn't wind up doing it just because if I don't want to, I just soon put the ball in Edwards hands even more. You know what I mean? They're a little dissonant in their play style, honestly. Yeah. I mean, like not big time passers, neither one of them, both dribble pull-up guys. I don't know. We're getting way down the road here. A lot of stuff went on. So pay attention or keep your eyes peeled because, or did you have any like wrap up thought on Dame before we move on? No, I think like, I'm glad that it's finally happening and that we can just sort of move on from the

will they won't they, Jim and Pam, season one, season two of it all. Like, like it, uh, we're in like season five where it's like, you know, the, the mysteries worn off. The will they won't they think. You know what I mean? It was like the will they won't say was interesting for a minute, but I definitely think we're kind of season 5e, you know, Ben Cruz, I know another office guy. You know, Rob Mahoney famously not an office guy. I don't know what the hell's wrong with him.

But I don't know. I'm just thinking, you know, that's kind of where I'm feeling it. I don't know. Some of the other sort of broad points here is the class of 2020 got paid. Yeah, they did. Interesting in this sort of, I was trying to see if there was any kind of commonality. between the types of players. I mean, they're both, like, all three of these guys are good to great passers. I think Desmond Bain is a pretty good pastor. He gets a five-year, $207 million-dollar max contract with the Grizzlies. Tyrese Halliburton, he's 23 years old.

He was the 12th pick in that draft. He resigns on a five-year contract worth up to $260 million. That is, I mean, I can't. If you had told me, I feel like, I feel. like that would have caused draft Twitter to go into like just a catatonic state if you had said that because he just had so many fans. I mean

it's just funny that Halliburton used to be, I'm trying to think of a band that made this this progression. Like they, Halliburton is like the indie band that had the insanely niche following and then became the biggest band on MTV. I'm trying to think of a band that

did that. I don't know if there's one off the top of my head if Eduardo and Cruz can think of one. And then in Lamello Ball, 21 years old was the third pick in that draft. These are all skill guys. These are all fluid, skill guys, movement shooters. And he resigns with the Hornets on a five-year deal worth up 260 million. So any kind of broad takeaway, I mean, these, you know, for the Pacers, there's more to talk about with them in terms of them sort of going from a year ago.

Tyler, I don't know what your thoughts were on the Pacers a year ago. we were kind of looking at the Pacers and being like, they're going to stink. They're probably going to just strip this thing to the studs and start over. They have healed. They have, you know, they have Aaron Neesmith on the roster. They pick Mathuron. They get Halliburton.

They trade away. Subonis, obviously. And we were in another will they won't they on Miles Turner. We were just thinking, well, Shirley Miles is out of there. They have really shifted into this time now for the first time in a while where it's like, Pacers basketball kind of makes sense. And it's like, Halliburton and like, yeah. No, I was, I mean, I was going to say in more like, and is fun, like is a lot of fun.

Yeah. That's all it. Keep going. I was thinking today on a walk, I was like, Portland and Indiana are sort of mirror images of each other in terms of like franchises that have kind of sniffed the summit a little bit, but never quite get over the hump. They never, they haven't, they've never had that like tippy, tippy top superstar. They've had very good superstars.

You think Clyde Drexler, you think Reggie Miller. Both of these guys ran up against Michael Jordan. I'm not trying to go that direction. But I mean, you just think about these two franchises. They're kind of in parallel states now. But the Pacers, you think now you've got, you draft Jarrett Walker. The Bruce Brown signing, I think, is really interesting because, like, COC and I, throughout the year when we were talking about the draft,

we were talking about, man, like a connective playmaker, like a guy in that two, three spot that doesn't necessarily need to be a great shooter, but it would help. But that sort of Lonzo DNA where they are very heady about ball reversal, very heady about getting in the teeth of the defense and being like manipulative passers. I think Bruce Brown gives them that and, you know, gives them a little, it's a skinny back cord. It gives them a little more defensive, like, solidity too. I like what the Pacers are doing, man. They seem like Halliburton, seems like an awesome vibes guy, like a guy to like build, like he is a franchise guy in the sense that he's a culture, he's a culture dictator. And they go and get Obie Toppin basically for,

you know, like a bag of chips. I just, I just like what the Pacers are doing right now. No, I'm the same boat as you. They were one of my favorite league pass teams to watch last year. Those, the three-headed kind of perimeter monster, whenever they were all healthy and singing when, especially when Matherin was really going, and you had Halliburton and Nimhard there too. I mean, they just played a really fun brand of basketball and just felt like the ceiling for entertainment was far higher with this particular team than it was with, you know,

a lot of pastures teams that we've seen recently, right? And I mean, Halliburton's the main reason for that. Like, I think that I think that Bruce Brown will plug in wonderfully there. And he can be a part of small ball lineups. Or if they want to shift him in there for one of those dudes I just mentioned, I think they can do that. And Brown's one of these scrappy weirdos, six-four guys that can kind of, you know, shift up in the lineup and, you know, scrap with somebody in the post for a few possessions

and you're not terrified of it. And he's the, I think on a team like that where you want the ball in Halliburton's hands a lot, Matherin's a guy who wants it a lot, right? Like, I think that it's good to go get a guy like this that's going to be the go-between and be able to make plays out of these short-roll situations and just kind of sure things up, right? Like it, it, uh, there's, there was just something so, um, he was steady, but there was also something a little bit unpredictable about him in like, particularly in transition, I think. And to bring those abilities to the mix, how he's weirdly good at getting downhill and

getting to the rim and stuff. I just, I think that he will, um, he'll open up a lot of things for for some of those other guys. And I think that, I think Halliburton will have a lot of fun playing off him too. Yeah. Like there'll be a lot of little like ones ones and twos kinds of situations where they kind of give and go, I think. Um, yeah, I see that. It like, well, I was going to say Miles too, you're talking about like their lineup options are going to be interesting too, because Miles shot almost 38% from three last year. We know if he gets open shots, he can hit them. And overall, I just think it from the macro perspective,

I think it's interesting how we always talk about like, you know, ball skills, guard skills migrating across heights across tall guys, whereas it's true, this is a frustrating thing whenever I hear like guys going into the draft talking about their draft spot. I'm like the skill sets have migrated both directions, you know, like guards like, And I think Bruce Brown is going to be. That's a great point. I never thought about that.

Like he's, yeah. Well, I just think it's going to be, you're going to see these archetypes. I mean, like, Draymond was sort of that. But I mean, this is even an even more exaggerated pronounced version of it where I just think we're going to see more guys in this mold becoming, you know, bought in screeners, becoming bought in cutters becoming, you know, it's just a sort of interesting inversion in basketball that I've been tracking right now. I love what the Pacers have been doing.

So we'll continue to keep an eye on that. And then, you know, obviously the Lamello thing, you know, the Hornets, the Hornets are going to be, they're going to be skinny also. So I think it's sort of, they lost DSJ. They lost Dennis Smith. Kudos to him for sort of for re recharge in his career. Seart and I did an episode back in the fall about, about his rejuvenation. So that's really cool to see.

It's just, it's so fun to see somebody like that too, who like just, you know, when you came in, you knew he had like tools defensively, but that wasn't exactly what he was, and then he just turns himself into this just Goliath. I'm sure that's what y'all talked about, but yeah, it's very cool to see. Please scroll way back and find that episode

if you want. It's quite a task. But yeah, the Hornets, but they have a little ways to go, needless to say. Desmond Bain, obviously they fortify. I forget the exact language that woes used. Can we, I think we got to talk about how difficult it is to follow this shit with Twitter.

Yeah. What do we do it? I don't even know where to start. I mean, it's been, what a disaster of a day to try to keep up with anything. Yes, if you have notifications set for certain people, at least you can go see their stuff. Sometimes, it seems like. How many times did you ram your head against the wall with like the reset, the refresh thing where you drag up? up and like I did it probably 10 times in a row.

Before I figured out what was going, that it was sort of an epidemic, I was very much like, ha, ha, and the really funny, really funny AT&T, but not today. You know, let's, let's get it together. No, I mean, one of the, one of my favorite, like little, you know, wogey subplots of all of this is, you know, I don't remember at what point. he decided to start having a zone breaking news graphic go along with his tweet. And the breaking news graphic has his, has breaking news from Adrian Woznerowski and then his Twitter handle all right there.

And I'm fascinated because some guys don't get that. Not everybody gets that, gets the graphics treatment, A, it's Javon Carter gets it but then Metsu signs with the sons and he doesn't get it and it's like I get Carter's going to get a little bit more get more minutes maybe There's some kid fresh out of Syracuse who is Who has a Photoshop sort of setup going on right here

And I'm sure that's what is going on here He's like you know he's getting he's getting the ping He's like you know he's this is worth his time This isn't worth his time you know I feel like that's probably what's going on I don't think Woj is you know, I don't think he's got, you know, mobile Photoshop. You don't think, you don't think Woj is crafting these himself?

I don't. I was glad to see Chris Haynes coming through with his own graphic today. I thought that was exciting with the dame. He sort of took his rightful place as someone who also has graphics that accompany their tweets, which I think is exciting. I'm going to start doing that with some of mine, I think. But just like if it's like if I'm praising, you know, the how great, you know, the Wendy's value menu used to be. Sure.

Then I'll put that, I'll put that like, you know, man, the rodeo cheeseburger. Oh, that's, I guess that was, no, that was Burger King. I apologize, Wendy's. That was, but I, you all used to be next door to each other in college. Sure. Yeah. I was going to say, yeah, Tyler Parker, man, just, just rewatched the old French horse. sketch, they thought Brooks sketch.

It was great. You know, like that could be the headline. Yes. Breaking is from Tyler Parker at my, at my handle. It just feels like a lot. It feels like it feels like he's it's just he's really embraced, you know,

maximalism here I feel like. Sure. Yeah. Yeah. I just, last thing on this, it just kind of feels like one of those technological things where it's like you get conditioned to the point where you're just like useless like this tool this tool that you didn't know you needed in the past has made you just unable to deal with the world kind of like when I get in my wife's car and I go to back it up I'm like I can't see anything I can't see anything because it's

you know it's a 2011 doesn't have the backup cam it's just it's ruined me and that's all I'm saying so let's hope we can get this I mean even even through all the struggles I still think I'll be like you know screaming in my sleep you know agent Mark Bartolstein of priority sports, you know, just like I think that that'll just be something that lives with me. For some reason, his name is like, etched in my brain now. I feel like when I close my eyes, I see Mark Bartlestein. It's, it's been a year of like agents getting credit and you got to give it. You got to, you do in fact have to take your hat off to him. So this is a quick segment we're going to talk about here called Houston doing a bunch of shit. So this is Houston. Houston obviously is getting out there and spending money. They're slapping their money dung on on the table. they are really, really getting after it. You know, Houston gives Dylan Brooks today. I mean, the much maligned and disgust Dylan Brooks still managed to get a bag.

He's still got bag, you know, potency. He's, he's, he is virile in the bag since. He's four years, 80 million. His annual salary is going to descend year by year, though. Jock Landell, Phoenix decides, I thought he was somebody maybe worth keeping around. He almost seemed like Aiton. And it's, you know what I mean? Yeah.

I know he was like kind of Pat Naten on the back. Like, God, he's so great. You know, just like singing his praises. Meanwhile, we're all just like, okay, you just maybe like took his job. Yeah. But they had Jack Landale. And then they were working on a trade to acquire Patty Meals. But they made a lot of moves.

And the other one, the other huge one that they did was Fred Van Bleet. So what do you think basketball-wise on the court this does for a team, which Houston was, you know, kind of like the pop operative? rest of development thing. They just looked like turds out there defensively a lot of last year. They were aimlessly trying to play both ends of the, you know, it seemed like their shot. Distribution was all over the place. There didn't seem to be a semblance of order a lot of the time, Tyler. And I feel like, no. What do you think basketball-wise this does to address that? What do you think? I mean, Fred's an adult. Patty's an adult. They'll, I'd like to think that there... I noticed you didn't include Dylan in there. There's, I, I don't know. I think,

I think you can be an adult up to a certain point and that point is when you own more than 10 vests. And if you own more than 10 vests, I think unfortunately you don't get to be an adult anymore. I think you have to go down to no longer being in it. Is this a vest indictment on Dylan Brooks? Is that, of all the things you could go after, you're going after his vests. I'm enjoying it. No, what I'm saying is I think that that should have been a red flag for a lot of people out there. I think if you're embracing the vest with that kind of enthusiasm, then it's got to, you know, it's got to make you scratch your head a little bit. And then, you know, I think we saw how it played out. You know, I just, I'm not saying you can't trust people who wear vests.

I'm just saying that you need to, if they're just wearing the vest with no shirt underneath, they're either the coolest guy that ever lived or one of the worst human beings you're ever going to meet. and there's only one coolest guy who ever lived. You know what I mean? And I don't know who that is yet. Shade Gil, I think I haven't met him yet. But, you know, but no, I mean, we're way off the rails here. Eduardo cut all this shit.

What the hell am I doing? No, it's good. But like on court, I think, I'll answer my own. I think that, like, you're right. I mean, I think that Fred is going to, they automatically get like an upgrade in ball pressure. I think they say what you want about Dylan. He does defend his ass off. I mean, he can be a liability.

and Van Vleet like they're all going to compete I mean Van Vleet's obviously given up a lot physically he's held up wonderfully in the past at times

and then sometimes it looks a little porous like it you know it I I totally think that some of these moves have the potential

to shore them up defensively it's going to be like what do you think they're going to do in terms of the like

guard rotation like jalen green's obviously still going to be starting and fred's going to be starting are you putting brooks at the three is he coming off the bench making all this money like is it like what are you how do you think they're going to go about i know they got rid of they they they off like kj martin's gone tie tishington's gone grouva's gone they got rid of Josh Christopher, like, you know, they've, they've cleaned out some of the stable of some of the perimeter dudes, but there's still guys there. Like, what do you do? Yeah. Yeah. You need, I mean, they needed to clear, we talked about this on the draft show. One of the things I was kind of wondering about is with Amman Thompson and with Kim Whitmore, you know, they both, Amin is more dependable

on ball. We talked about a connector. He's somebody, I mean, I'm not sure about him starting, but they're full rotation now. Fred Van Vleet, Jalen Green, Dylan Brooks, Jabari Smith, Alper and Shingoon, Amin Thompson, Tari Eason, Jock Landale, and then Kevin Porter, Jr. You got to figure out what's going on there. I don't think that the board is done shaking up. And then Cam Whitmore. They've probably gotten more guys than they can play at this point, you know? And I'm just kind of looking at like, they definitely have given themselves options in terms of like getting better defensively, obviously. Like Brooks, I don't know if he'll start. I mean, they're for sure going to be better. I mean, like, clearly that's the, like, they're trying to go up a level here. They're sick of, they're sick of losing. They're trying to, like, fortify, right? Like, this is like, they're deciding like, all right, we're done being laughably bad, hopefully. Right.

Like, this is the idea. In a tough West. I mean, they're still going to be, you know, they're going to be at best dreaming of the playing game, I think. But they have more adults on their team anyway. It's going to be less of a, of a crap. show out there. And I think some of these guys are going to be in a better position to shine. You know, Jabari Smith probably is going to get better looks, more open looks, I would assume. I'm really excited to see how the Whitmore-Aman-Thompson dynamic is going to play out in terms of, like, getting them enough time.

I hope they start, Amit, like, I hope that even though they're trying to, you know, bring in some reputable dudes, I hope they still priority. the development of these blue chip young dudes who like I you know I I want to see I'm in you know with the keys you know like quite a I would like to see that quite a bit we might be seeing him with the Vipers a little bit this year I'll see you're right yeah but anyway let's go to Grand Rapids man let's take a trip let's see I'll go I'm down all right let's keep it moving the Lakers obviously today you know they they didn't do

no team stepped up and fulfilled the Bill Simmons dream of offering Austin Reams the full 94 million. Nobody did it. I guess people were maybe afraid that it would backfire on them. But he signs for four-year, 56 million. There's a player option in the fourth year. And then let's see. And then they re-signed Delo to a two-year, 37 million. I thought this one was a really, this is the most Lakers ass signing ever.

Jackson Hayes, continuing, you know, Jackson Hayes from the Pelicans, continuing this them betting on like RSCI guys or just like, you know, lottery talent, sort of rehabbing lottery talent. You know, you know, Ruiz coming back, obviously. This continues this trend.

Running it back makes sense, you know? I think, you know, defensively just sort of trying to improve. You got to think that they just have Denver in mind. What do you think that the Lakers are thinking about here just quickly, of is this going to be enough? Is running it back

with this group going to be enough, do you think? I think that they probably still need to get a little bit bigger. I don't know. I mean, Davis can't stop Yokic, right? So nothing they do is going to be able

to fix that. And, you know, I don't think you can make a bunch of moves necessarily with just one team in mind, especially when, even though I think the Nuggets are, even though I think of the Nuggets are the clear kind of frontrunner next year, they don't have the same, you know, it's not the Warriors coming back in 2018 with all those guys again, right? So Tyler Parker undermines Nuggets run.

He's in the camp with Chris Mannix. he's in the camp with Nick, right? It's a shame, folks. It really is a damn shame. And I see what you're saying. And I'm not sure. I don't know if Yokic is a top five guy in the league. I don't know.

I don't know. Ben, do this breakout. I don't know. I'm not sure. I'm not sure if you, if, if, if I'm starting a franchise today, I don't, I don't take Yokicch is in the first 15 picks. If we're at the park, you know, and they're all lined up on the fence, you know, and I'm just like.

Kenny guard. Kenny guard. Can he guard? Can he guard? You can't answer. No, okay. No, I think, I think that if I'm the Lakers, I would imagine what they did was they went back and looked and they were like, you know, we lost in five, but we played them very close. And it wasn't some easy five.

It wasn't a trouncing. It wasn't a trouncing. It was like. It felt they weren't, it didn't feel like they weren't competitive, I guess. Like, if I was a Laker, I wouldn't watch that series and think like, oh, we're super far away. You know what I mean? Like, I think it is like, I think LeBron was obviously pretty hurt. You know, it's so funny even talking, because you've got to start thinking about like,

okay, like we're going to be talking about LeBron. What does LeBron next year look like after all this stuff? I mean, obviously the foot was really, really bothering him. there's a lot of stuff that has to regret like that could regress or like come back come back to earth i think that's uh that we got i think the i think the vincent signing is pretty big and it's another key thing to point yeah gave vincent signs with the lakers huge i think that i think that gives them just even more fun lineup flexibility in the playoffs whenever you get into this nitty gritty stuff, you need guys that are going to be able to play off of LeBron and make open shots.

And he showed he could do that this year. And he held up defensively fine. And, you know, it's if DeLo is chucking, you know, I think that's a better, you know, Vincent's a better option there in some of those situations than Deelow. And I mean, I know they're going to have to kind of do the same thing. they, you know, did this year with him, you know, and kind of appease him. I don't know if it'll be ceremonial starts for him or not, probably. But like it, you know, that guard rotation with the two of them and Reeves there coming back.

Like, you know, that's that, like, I think that those are guys that play well off of LeBron. And that's all that matters. And Anthony Davis. And that's the biggest thing. It's guys that can make open shots and have some playmaking and can put it on the floor if teams are scrambling out of doubles that they've brought on AD or LeBron in the post, right? Like it's just, it's another guy who tends to make good decisions with the ball and can put it in the basket in, you know, big moments turns out. Yeah, yeah, gives them a little more flexibility. Let's keep rattling through here to get the rest of this just banged out.

The Bucks brought everybody back. Middleton coming back. Brooke Lopez coming back. Two years, $48 million contract. Had a lot of interest throughout the league. Brooke Lopez, despite his age, he's still really impactful as a stretch guy and as a room protector. So we'll see if Milwaukee can just be healthy and run it back. I hope so.

Speaking of the heat, Max Struis, headed to the Cavs, we were kind of talking about like shooting, I like what the calves have done here. George Nying and then Max Druss, assuming that he can sort of maintain what he's doing here. Are you not going to bring up Ty Jerome too? When you talk about the shooting the calves out of it, are you not going to bring up Ty Jerome?

That one wasn't in my dock. Ty Jerome. No, I like those ads. I don't know that perimeter defensively, it's exactly what they need, but I do like the shooting. You know, Strus can hold up okay. I mean, I get what you're saying.

Like, he showed, Struce has more to his game than an, like, I think some casual fans might realize. Oh, how dare you? Okay. Wow. No, no, no. I'm talking about you.

I'm saying like, I'm talking about, I'm talking about, I'm talking about, I think, you call the people of Virginia, you, you allude to, to some unsavory things. And then you, you imply that I'm a casual. No, no, no, no, I didn't mean that. I moved on. But you are, I mean, obviously, you are a casual.

like, you know, you don't even talk to P3 that much, you know? Haven't lately. Haven't lately. No, the, no, I'm saying like, Struz, they needed somebody else there who could do anything off the, like, attack any sort of disadvantage, right? And like, he can, like, if he gets a little tilted defense or something like that, and he can put it on the floor and actually do some stuff, you know what I mean?

So, like, I think mainly the movement should. shooting is the thing that is going to be the biggest. I mean, he's a volume movement shooter, which is, which is good for them. Let's just bang off the other, the other quick ones here. I mean, Devin Chino's signs a four-year, $50 million contract to further fulfill the transition from the Knicks being the Kentucky team to the Villanova team. So from one white, from the archaic wildcat to the more modern wildcat here, which is, I don't know, is is, is Cal done?

Is this the last, you know, is this the last nail? in his coffin. Maybe, I don't know. Good pickup for the Knicks, though, adds another ball handler, adds another guy who's been in big games. I like that deal. Any other, I mean, the other one that I think that is interesting here is there was an interesting little like Euro injection that happened today. One of them to your team. Let's, let's do this pronunciation together here, Tyler. It's, I believe it's Veselye Mitzich. That's what that's, it seems like that's what the Euro League announcers are saying. Yeah.

Vasselier Mitzich. How do you feel about this? This is a guy who was like a heavy, heavy volume pick and roll guy for his team in the Euro League was a really, he's very, he's a touch god basically. He's a flicky, flicky touch god.

I got a stat here that Mitzich in the pick and roll this year, Tyler, 44.7% from three. This is just a guy who's going to give them, well, you know, for a team that is really star for ball handlers. I think that this was a move. You know, this is a good. Finally, we get some playmaking. Finally, we get somebody that can make a pass.

This is good. Yeah, I like it. I like it. It's fun. No, I mean, they're going to be, he's going to add some more, you know, maturity. He's going to add some more just, he can play on or off ball. He's an awesome spot up player, too, really good catch and shoot three point shooter. He can shoot it in a variety of ways. I just, I think he's a really interesting ad for Oklahoma City. It seems like he's got a lot of feel. And he's, he's, like processes things very quickly you know like the release is very fast not just on the shot but on some of these like little

quick hit assist to cutters in the lane and stuff like that but yeah it just seems like a pretty cerebral dude that's um just not going to get rushed you know what I mean like he's not near as big as Luca and he doesn't finish like Luca, but that kind of like, you know, it's a Euro game. It's kind of straight up and down, kind of like, he's not trying to like, he's shifty, but he's not going to get super wiggly. That doesn't even do a good job of describing him. It's a start, stop style.

You know, you have the Wiggly style players like your Shays and things like that. Shea's Hercie, jerky and Wigley. I guess that speaks to why he's. It's. It speaks to why he's. hard to stay in front of. But yeah, like, Mitzich is more of that. He just has that it's that Euro game. I mean, like, you know, he was originally in the 2014 draft. He was second rounder. That's another Serbian guy, but it'll be a nice add.

Another one here is the Kings. The Kings added Sasha Vesenkov, who is the reigning EuroLeague MVP. Another big time shooter, man. I mean, this is a guy who's going to be a stretch big. I know you had some thoughts, but he's a super you know, he's just a super efficient offensive weapon, I think, can just add to their rotation.

He was, you know, not a huge sample, but he shot 48.1% on his pick and pop threes this past year in their yearly. I mean,

that's, I mean, that's some, that's some pretty, that's some pretty, some pretty lethal shooting out of ball screens. It gives them another, another option there.

I like it. Yeah, he's kind of like, he's like one of these, like, creative-ish little lefty guys. And I know you joke whenever, or you laughed whenever I said a little earlier

because he's like six and I or something. But there's something about the way he kind of holds shoulders, like there's something a little bit slinky about him or something. I don't even know what I mean. But like the, like you talk about, you, you talk about Mitzich earlier with the touch and stuff like that. Like, there's a lot of, there's a lot of touch here too. And some of the, like, he'll take bombs from a long ways out with no warning whatsoever.

and feel really good about it and then shout about it afterwards. Like he's, there's one of the Euroleague announcers, he hit a big three at one of the games. The announcers just started screaming, Opa, which is like,

I like anybody that can get that sort of thing going, you know? Yeah, if you can get an opa after a three, I mean, if you just add to kind of the elbow, sort of orbiting the elbow thing, the movement handoff shooting thing that they like to do,

I still eat. He's going to eat. He's going to, yeah, I mean, if he's shooting that percentage on picking pop shots, the Kings produce a lot open threes. I just, I like that fit. Anything else you want to add on Free Agency Day here, Tyler, anything, or all hearts clear, anything else that you wanted to hit before we get out of here? All hearts clear. Are all hearts clear and all eyes full? Let me see. No, yeah, no, that's all I've got. I'm excited for the Kings adding another weirdo lefty. Just throw it on the pile. Boy is a lefty. I'm thrilled. They're committed to a lifestyle there in Sacramento, and I appreciate them doubling down on it.

Yeah, as sponsored by the Leftorium here, I think that it's a team, I don't know why no team's ever done this, that like just go all lefties, so it's going to be, it's an interesting thing. Did we say enough about Bain? Like, it's amazing that he has got to sign the fun mat. Like from where he came from, what he's become.

I was just saying, I think it's an interesting sort of, I was talking to somebody about this. I don't want to get fully into this because it's very, you could go a lot of ways with this. But it's just an interesting thing in terms of like how you look at the draft that like there are these guys that kind of aren't at the top of sort of the high school eval process. They're kind of hanging down. They're on the margins a little bit. and then they surge once they hit that like that age range where they're a little older. And I just I just think it's interesting because, you know, Halliburton played a couple years of college.

You know, Bain, if I'm not mistaken, played all four years. You know, Lamello did. He's an exception. But I just think it's an interesting thing that all three of those guys kind of rose to the top of the crop. But, uh, yeah. So that'll that'll do it for the ringer NBA show. I mean, keep an eye out. Obviously, as the dame stuff continues to roll in, we're going to be covering it.

this is our bag. This is our bag. This is what we like to do. We got all kinds of, they're talking about the, we've got like all kinds of free agency discussion going on on the website. You know, every all manner of podcasts coming your way, coming at you like a freaking firestorm. So just be prepared, Tyler. It was good to see you. Always good to see you. Buy Tyler's book. And we will catch you next time. See you later.