The Ringer NBA Show - Exploring the Trade Candidates That Could Shuffle the League | The Corner 3 (Ep. 354)

Episode Date: December 14, 2018

The Kings are our kings and we hope the trade market might heat up soon for guys like Kevin Love and Tim Hardaway Jr.. Plus, we throw an outlet pass to the games we’re looking forward to this weekend. Hosts: Kevin O’Connor, Jonathan Tjarks, Danny Chau Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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dollars on free play. Welcome to the Ringer NBA show. This is The Corner 3. I'm Kevin O'Connor and joining me here in beautiful Los Angeles. It's Ringer Associate Editor, Danny Chow. Hello. I'm from Dallas, Texas. It's from Ringer staff writer Jonathan Charks.

What's up, guys? Tay's NBA show is produced by Bobby Wagner and we're recording at 207 p.m. on Thursday, December 13th. This weekend's important in the NBA because December 15th is the day free agents that signed the summer like Trevor Areza and Cameron Anthony are officially eligible to be traded. but before we get to that, let's hit some other topics. After the Kings beat the Tim Rulves 141 to 130 while hitting a franchise record 193-pointers on Wednesday, somehow, miraculously, the Sacramento Kings are 15 and 12 and currently occupy the 8th seed in the Western Conference.

Danny, finally, the Kings are in the playoffs. They're back. They're back. This is fun. I can't imagine there being a more exciting time than back. in the early aughts when, you know, it was the Jason Williams days and then the Mike Bibby days. This is amazing. The Bonzie Wells days.

It was some good times. And especially because this was supposed to be a dreadful year where they don't have their first round pick. It's going to either the Celtics, if it's between 2 to 30 or the 76ers, if it's number one, Charks with the Sacramento Kings and their surprise start so far this season. What is it that has driven this for them?

Well, I think the big thing it was B. Elitza. that really, getting him in there and going to a four-out system, it's really unlocked the Aaron Fox. And just they've kind of embraced modern basketball. It took them like a decade. But they're playing NBA basketball now with four shooters. We saw that on Wednesday night, too, against the Tim Rolves last year.

Venge game. Yeah, absolutely. Revenge game, man. That was vicious. Under Tom Tibidal last year, Bialita was pretty much exclusively a spot-up shooter this year. Dave Yeager's running him off picking pops. Well, he was a three in Minnesota.

It was crazy. Yeah, it was very awesome. last year's used off screens and handoffs, picking pops. He's 30, you know, signed through a cheap contract through 2021. Danny, in what ways, like Charch just mentioned, he's helped open up the floor for Fox. How was he fostering development for a lot of the younger guys on this team? Even back when he was a prospect, you read a lot of the scouting reports and you'd watched a lot of him, you know, during his younger years.

He was kind of like a proto-Dario Sarich, a big 6-10, you know, basically guard who plays in this forward's body, who developed his shot later on in his career, but was always very comfortable with the ball in his hands, making plays on the move. And he was one of the best players in Europe by playing that exact style. And by putting him in this situation

in which he can play in space and he can create for others, you're bringing all of that EuroLeague Biala back. Speaking of Eurole, we've got to talk about my Bogdan. They've got two yearly MEPs in this team. Bogdan's been killing it

as he came back from his knee injury. Yeah. So he has been incredible. coming off the bench. I think we talk about all of these players who have benefited the most with this kind of

stylistic change with the Kings. I think Bogdan might be up there. So per 36 minutes he's averaging 20.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists.

And he's attempting 7.7 3 point attempts per 36 minutes. The only players who are actually doing that Kemba, Steph, Paul George,

James Hardin, and Damien Lillard. Nice company right there. What a list. With Bogdan-Bogdanovich, he was kind of the afterthought in that trade that the Kings made with the Phoenix Suns on draft night. But at this point,

he has become the player that he was overseas as somebody who can fill it up as a shooter, to your point, Danny. Also, somebody you can do a little playmaking off the dribble as well. And that's the interesting thing with this team, right? De Aaron Fox is obviously the centerpiece. He's their young star player. We've talked about him before,

and all the progress he's made across the board. But it's other guys as well, like Bogdan Bonavich, and Buddy Heald, who at the wing position, have made significant progress this season, building on what they have in the past. Bogdanovich specifically, like you said, Danny, the numbers don't lie with him. But I think the production as well,

when using the eye test with Bogdan Bonavich, he's somebody who I still think has room to grow even further with his playmaking ability, if that continues to improve him over time, like it did overseas. Yeah, and if you look at their starting lineup numbers, So the Kings start nominally, Dierrin Fox, Buddy Heald, Iman Shumpert, Bielitsa, and Colleystein. They have a net rating of plus 1.2.

If you replace Heald and slot in Bogdan, it rises up to plus 20.7. And then if you replace Shumpert with Bogdan and you leave Heald and Bogdanovich, it raises to 21.7. So they're killing it when you have just a wide open floor. with four shooters and a rim and a rim runner. And speaking of the wide open floor, that's where Marvin Bagley, their rookie first round of draft pick,

has excelled this season. He's been extremely productive in the open floor, ripping down rebounds, going coast to coast. He's play-maked a little bit as of late as well. We've talked about him a lot

last season on draft class. Charks, have you seen Bagley make any strides in his game over the course of the season since his last year at Duke? Are you surprised at all with how he's developed early on with the Sacramento Kings?

No, I mean, I think he's doing what we thought he would in the NBA. It's more open floor, more shooting around him, more up-tempo. I mean, Duke had those two bigs to kind of play a little slower. I mean, he's doing what he's supposed to do in his first season, playing with Boggan off the bench. Like, we knew he was going to put up stats. It's just a matter of, we still have to see where he fits long-term in the starting lineup. That's for the question with Bagley. And with this team, Dave Yeager, the entire season has talked about the importance of pace for them.

A lot of their young guys thrive in transition as we've talked about Buddy Heald, Marvin Bagley. they're playing at the fastest pace in the league, logging in average possession time of only 13 seconds. That's according to impredictable.com. And they're also the most efficient in transition. However, their half-court offense has been a different story. After an opponent makes a shot, they rank 20th in scoring efficiency. And their schedule coming up is really brutal. See, that's what I'm wondering.

They've been fattening up on some bad teams lately. It's supposed to get real serious for them. It does. From now through January 5th, they have 12 games, which includes two. Two versus the Warriors, two versus the Lakers, and then single games versus the Mavs, wolves, thunder, grizzlies, pelicans, clippers, blazers, and nuggets. Yeah, every game is one of those top 14 West teams.

We'll see where they are after this stretch right now. This is what I really get serious for them. The difficulty level is getting turned up, Charks. Is there any reason for optimism that they can come out of this with a near 500 record? Or are you thinking that this is going to be really tough and they're going to slide far out of the playoff race by the time it's over? I'd say the biggest reason for optimism is all. of home games. Like a young team I think is going to play better at home. They only have,

they don't have two, none of these are road trips. The longest one's a two game road trip. There's only one back to back. So I think that, I think that might keep them around 500. But I think they're not to make it try to make the playoffs though if we're going to talk big picture. And I also think that when you play at a pace like that and when you're shooting the three as well as they are recently, I think that's always going to be something of a great equalizer. When we're talking about threes, one thing we have to note, Darren Fox is killing it from three. When you kind of break the season down into 10 games segments, you kind of see how Deeran Fox is kind of bucking most trends that you see with shooters. So he started off shooting pretty

average, 35% in his first 10 games. The middle 10 games went up to 40. Over the past seven games, he's shooting 52% from three. If he's going to make three, she's going to be maybe a top player that draft. That was always a question with him was the three. Everything else he had. Me and Chris Vernon talked about this on Tuesday, I think it was. And I think with Fox, maybe he's not going to sustain 40 plus percent from three. However, I think his improvements as a shooter are absolutely for real. And it's because he's not just shooting spot-up jumpers, where he's standing still on the corner or above the break. He's hitting tough shots off the dribble, tough shots off screens, you know, running around the corner, balancing mid-air. It's not just hitting standstill

jumpers here. And he's the fastest player in the league. And so when he's running full speed and he can just pull up and rise up, there's nothing you can really do about that if, you know, you're anything slower than him, which is basically every player in the league. Another player who is extremely fast, extremely unique is Yana Santinacumpo. Their one team that has struggled as of late, their five and five in their last 10 games.

Over that stretch, their offense ranks 13th, and their defense ranks 12th. That's after previously ranking in the top three in offensive defense. And on Wednesday they had perhaps their roughest game of the season. They got owned by the Pacers 113 to 97. Is there any reason to be? alarmed by their regression on the offensive and defensive end of the floor as of late?

Or is this just a mid-season little bump for a team that had a new system installed, and maybe this is a little bit of a growing pain? I mean, it kind of feels that way. Like, they're, I mean, they got started to the season, just red hot from three. And obviously, Bud System is very live or die by the perimeter shot. I think over the past 10 games, they've dropped to like 32%, which is. down near the bottom of the league. They've still hit more threes than any other team in the league.

They've attempted more threes than any other team in the league. When you take enough three, she'll make them eventually. Yeah, that's their philosophy. But, I mean, yeah, with a game like yesterday where Chris Middleton is still in this really rough slump. Malcolm Brogden said after the game that he's sick, which there was no indication of that before. Wait, that Middleton was sick or? Middleton is. Interesting.

Yeah, I don't know. Regardless, this team is certainly in a slump. And a lot of that has to do with the way Yiannaisand Akumpo has been playing, the way he's been defended. Over the last four games, he's averaging only 17 points on 11.8 field goal attempts per game. The Pacers especially, they just built a wall. Anytime Yanis was bringing the ball up the floor in transition, they were helping off anybody. Whether it was Middleton or Brooke Lopez or Malcolm Brogden, they're helping off those players and be like, you get a beat us.

Because Janice isn't going to be the guy who's been this. Because as Zach Kram wrote on the ringer, Janice is essentially scoring like Shaquel O'Neal around the rim, shooting over, I believe, 75% on shots within the restricted area, but outside of that, he has not been a productive score. So they're turning Yannis into a playmaker. I think this speaks to last year in the playoffs, he's still produced against the Celtics.

He still put up numbers, and he's going to continue to put MVP numbers this season. But with the lack of a jumper for his game, is this at all something to look at that's going to hold them back down the line in the playoffs with Yonison and Nogubu? Because not every team that they're in the regular season is going to defend.

like the Indiana Pacers are. But when you get to that point in the season, you're going to face tough defenses like this that are going to game plan for you that are going to build that wall and make other players beat you. Does it speak to me honest, as great as he is?

There's still one big missing piece of him that's going to prevent him from reaching that next level. See, I don't know. I mean, I think he's going to get his no matter what. But to me, it's like, he's kind of dependent on the rest of his players.

So to me, like, Jan's going to get his points. Like, he's always going to do that. He'll figure out a way and he'll make the passes to open guys. but the thing with a guy like Janice is you have to have those guys who can shoot threes and defend.

And like I wonder about their depth of two-way players because that's what you have to have a guy who can't shoot like that. And I guess that's where I'll bring it back to Lopez. I'm just not sure Lopez can hold up in the playoffs and he's one of their best shooters.

And that's what I think is my big question with this team right now. Right. And you're going to have to basically take Lopez off the floor for defensive reasons and you're going to slot Janice at the 5 in, you know,

pressure crunch time situation. And yeah, I agree with Charks. They probably need one or two more reliable veteran three and D type players. Are you buying George Hill, Danny? I'm actually interested in the idea of using him as a trade piece. Because at the timing of that trade, they were able to flip him before the deadline, if necessary. Like, the magic probably wouldn't do this. But would you do Terrence Ross and Jonathan?

and Simmons for George Hill. I would love to get two more wings in here for Milwaukee. That's pretty interesting. You got to give more if you're Milwaukee, but... Sure, sure. You mean as like a construct. Yeah. I mean, I think that would help Milwaukee, but I think ultimately the reason behind that deal was

for greater dreams this summer where they're opening up cap space where it's either going to help them re-sign Middleton and or sign other players who can help on the wing. But I'm saying, can they afford, if they're going to pay Middleton, Brogden, and Bloodsoe? They can't pay all guys and bring people.

Yeah, it depends on who's resigned and who's not. I guess that's the other question, too, is like, do you keep all three of those guys? I probably wouldn't. They've all played really well. They have. I mean, Brogden, who a lot of people called the worst rookie of the year ever, which is not true for what it's worth. I mean, MCW, man. Brogden's been quite good this season, 15.3 points per game, 3.3 assists.

Shooting 97.8% from the free throw line, notable. Best free throw shooter in the NBA at this point has only missed one. How many has he taken? 45. It's not a lot. Not a lot. Just notable. Yeah, the Milwaukee Bucks obviously have a lot of big questions coming up.

Oh, actually, with the Jonathan Simmons and Terrence Ross thing, sorry to bring this back up. But Simmons is only partially guaranteed. It's like one million next year. And then Ross would be cleared. He'd be a free agent. Ross is an unrestricted free agent. Yeah, he's an unrestricted free agent. For some reason, I thought Simmons.

basically it would be a rental. Interesting. I'm not sure. I don't know why the magic would do it, but you know. I mean, I think with Orlando, they're in a spot where they want to push to the playoffs right or wrong. I mean, you can argue against that. You could say they want to tank, but they want to make the playoffs.

That's why with them, a lot of the talk about Nikola Vosovich, I'm not sure anything would necessarily happen there. I think they can't afford to tank. They've been so bad. Their fans need playoffs. I don't think they'll do that. Circling back to Brooke Lopez, he's somebody who in the past, has had injury concerns, but as of late, he's been healthy since the 2014-15 season has played

over 70 games each year. So durability might not be the question. I think to your point, perhaps it's fatigue and de Manish returns for him over the course of the season. With the Milwaukee Bucks, you mentioned how he's somebody that might have to get pulled off the floor. They play a drop-style defense where Brooke Lopez drops to the paint. They want to force mid-range jumpers, even though lately that's turned into a lot of three-pointers for Milwaukee's defense. Your saying that you think at that point in the season, they're going to need to start maybe switching more screens? They're going to need to tweak their defensive style or or is it just by necessity? Well, see, that's what I'm wondering. You think about the Celtics

and how they hunted Joel M. B. last year in the playoffs and Ilyossova. Like, what's he going, who's he going to guard in the Celtics if Al Horford's picking pop? Remember that game against Boston where he had like, they had like 53 point attempts against the bucks? Like, I feel like that's all day against Lopez. What's he really going to do? out there. I think the counter argument would be then who's going on the floor instead of him because maybe that's a player who's just going to be attacked anyway. Like if you're putting

on a wing. Well, that's why we're talking about trading for wings. That's why we, that's kind of gives back into that. Yeah, this team isn't complete. Yeah. Put it that way. They are a finals contender because they have an MVP candidate and Yannis sent him to Kumpo, but they are complete. Yannis still needs to improve his jumper, still needs to improve

from both sides to make sure the defenses can't collapse on him that he can pull up from anywhere, and they still need to make more changes as well. One other team that could be making changes is a player that you wrote about on the ringer.com this week. John, you wrote an article titled, Does Brandon Ingram have a place on LeBron James's L.A. Lakers? Charks, what's that all about? Well, I mean, I was just looking at the last week, so Ingram's been out with a sprained ankle, and they've put in Josh Hart in his place, and you can see the difference. It's really noticeable.

That lineup when you have LeBron, Hart, Lanzo, Kuzma, and then one role man, has just been killing teams. And it's like back to your basics, Cleveland, LeBron. Three shooters, a role man, and LeBron holding the ball. And really this year, LeBron and Ingram have not fit together. They both need the ball. And it just seems like Ingram is the odd man out in this young core. And I really like Ingram.

I think he's a really good player. I think he'll be really good down the road. But I wonder with LeBron's timetable, will they keep him? Or will they want to move him for guy with LeBron right now? Last season, Ingram's best stretch came when Lonzo Ball, coincidentally, was out. there was a 14-game stretch where he averaged 18.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.4 assists. And that was with 11 games, Lonzo was out. Basically a point card.

Yeah, I think that's what he has to be to be the best version of himself. But you got LeBron there, so. And even this season, you know, with LeBron on the floor, he's averaging 14 points, four rebounds, and two assists per 36 minutes. Without LeBron, it's 28.6 rebounds and five assists. Granted, small sample of only 121 minutes. it's, to me, I look at Ingram's production. I think you have to give it a chance.

You have to give it a chance when he comes back. I don't think you can give up on somebody who's produced at this level with the ball on his hands, who's only 21 years old, who has shown this much potential. I think he's, I think the, yes, he might not be a perfect fit with LeBron, but I think you need to give that a chance to actually happen because of the production that's been there. Now, for the short term, would you consider just bringing him off the bench? I would 100% bring him off the bench.

I think they'll stagger for sure whenever he comes back. Whatever, like, if he's starting or not, he's going to play the whole second news, I think, pretty much. I think obviously there's a question, would Ingram be happy if he's told to come off the bench? Maybe not, but I think Lakers need to try to sell him on that sixth-man role. I mean, nothing's final. Like, he could come off the bench this season and be plopped back in the starting five next season if he excels. it shouldn't be a hard sell. Tell Engram about Manu Genoblee,

future Hall of Famer. Tell him about Andre Godala, the finals MVP. Tell him about Lamar Odom. I think that's a really hard sell. I mean, he's 21 years old. He wants to play all he can play. Sure.

He's not trying to put himself in a box. Sure, of course. But it can be for the best, though. It's just a title. You can still finish games. Tell him about Lamar Odom. His move to the bench with the L.A. Lakers was pivotal

and being able to stagger him more often with Kobe Bryant, added another ball handler off the bench and it helped lead the back-to-back titles. There's a chance Ingram would end up back in the starting five as his shot improves over time and therefore he can coexist more with LeBron. But right now he's just not there, but he can still be an extremely important piece in the team.

It's interesting because like Jalen Brown's kind of going through the same growing pains with the Celtics, number two and number three in the 2016 draft. And they're both linked obviously with, you know, the big thing hanging over both those teams. Anthony Davis, yeah. It's also this, right? I mean, in the article, I think you mentioned an idea for a trade. Is there anything that you might have had in mind involving Brennan Ingram for this particular season? Beal's the guy.

Like, if that was the guy, you might move. And if you trade it for Beal, you could flip him again for Davis next summer, possibly. I think that would be the guy. Like, you don't give up Ingram for nothing. I mean, you get an all-star like Beal. He'd be great in L.A. Yeah, I feel like that's the real dividing line. And we've talked about this for weeks now.

the idea of Ingram for Beal being one of, are you willing to stay patient in a LeBron-led team in which he is, you know, mid-30s? Or do you go for a guy who's already like right there in his prime who can already produce exactly what you need? I don't know. I don't really have a... Here's my question too.

Like, you look at the West. After Golden State, who's L.A. really scared of, right? And then even with Golden States, it's destined to hurt to the last four playoffs. If he gets hurt again, it's wide open. I just think the order of operations would be all wrong if you traded Ingham during the season because you're hindering your ability

to make free agent signings this coming summer, and that's not just superstar players, it's other guys, it's role players. If you're sucking up your cap space with Bradley Beale, and we talked about this the other day, John, where Beal could be an asset for AD, and I've since thought about that more,

and I'm thinking about it from New Orleans' perspective, if it did come to that, I'd be looking at it, oh, Beal only has two years left on his contract, and he overlaps with Drew Holiday, where Holiday's best is in a two-guard role. That's what Bill is, is a two-guard. Maybe if you're the Lakers and you do have your site sent on AD, Ingram would be the better asset.

So not only would you be retained cap space to sign guys this summer, you also might retain the better asset in the deal. I just think there's a lot of reasons to keep Ingram. A, he's a young player who's produced, and he can become an important player next to LeBron James, whether he's on the floor or not, it's worth giving in a chance with his playmaking ability

and you retain cap space and your retain trade flexibility with a really young player who, as we all agree on, has produced. Yeah. He has produced just not with LeBron James

and not with Lons of all. Maybe what Ingram means is his own team. Maybe L.A. is not the best for him, but it could still be really good for him if he sacrifices a little bit. And seriously, so producer emeritus, Isaac Lee,

was like... Superstar, music's super, Music superstar. Hala Luka artist, Isaac Lee, was like, I just find it so funny that the Lakers are probably going to trade a future MVP candidate in Brandon Ingram.

He's just sold on Brandon Ingram being that good. Isaac's just trolling the Lakers. No matter what they do. Even if he's not an MVP candidate, where is Ingram's upside? If he's not on the Lakers, if you're a team looking at the Lakers and you want to trade for Wenderingham, Do you see him as an all-NBA player, Danny?

Sure. Like, give him the opportunities, and I think he's easily a primary playmaker for a good team. Yeah, I mean, a 6'5-9 primary playmaker, that's a pretty high ceiling. I said this this summer when the Kauai trade rumor stuff was happening. I think if, if Ingram were on the Spurs this year, he'd be averaging like 25 and 5.

Oh, man. I think he'd be- That'd be a fun thought. Yeah, they don't space a floor. I'd see their, they're getting too far into the weeds there. He just, he needs to be like in a yana situation. Or like, he needs four shooters, we can tack downhill. That's what he needs. Before we move on, we actually just got some breaking news.

Live on the podcast from Adrian Ordenowski. The Brooklyn Nets extended Spencer Didwit to a three-year, $34 million contract, who just scored a career nine, 39 points the other night. In 30 minutes. Talked up. What is going to get paid, man. Get paid, Spencer. Yeah, a corner three favorite, I would say.

He's a blog boy favorite. Oh, yeah. Is this a good signing for the Brooklyn Net? This is a smart move to make. It's a good value at $34 million over three years. I think so. I mean, I don't feel like the Nets are really going to get a bunch of stars anyways. I feel like sometimes bad teams can overrate cap space.

So I think, and this is a lot of $10 million a year is good money for a sixth man. That's a great deal, I think. I agree. And that's currently the role he's in right now in Ayer. He's in a six-man role. He's excelling in that role. He's somebody who, that's what you want. And a backup point car, somebody can get buckets for you,

can stabilize the offense with solid playmaking. And at 6'5, granted he hasn't been necessarily great on defense this year. If that team builds a culture and a system that is a positive on defense, I think he's somebody that can fit in, switch screens, and be versatile for your team. Then what he's a perfect guy to have moving forward. Yeah, I think I actually brought this question up earlier in this season. I think when he first started showing really great times of improvement, you know, how much is he worth?

Like, would you consider him a starting caliber point guard in the NBA? And I was just throwing out the number. Like, is he worth $15 million? Like, there could be a team out there that would give him that money. I think the magic might have given him that money. But, yeah, this is a great deal for both parties. And I'm looking forward to seeing how he improves. We're going to talk about some players who might be available

following the December 15th trade restriction date. They'll come this weekend. But first, we're going to hear from our sponsors. The Corner 3 is brought to you today by Zoom. Video conferencing has changed the way we do business. Fewer long distance trips and more face time at the click of a mouse. And in 2018, the clear winner is Zoom. Zoom delivers flawless video, pin drop clear audio,

and instant sharing across any device, desktop, laptop, tablet, or mobile. Share anything with anyone. A word file, a spreadsheet, a presentation deck. Zoom is everything you've always wanted, video communication to be with some amazing features you didn't think of. wonder how you lived without them. We use Zoom every day here at the ringer for meetings when connecting our LA and New York offices. It's fast. It's easy. It's reliable. And it makes our life's easier when we're trying to plan how we're going to make the content you read and

listen to every day. Visit zoom.us to set up your free account today. That's zoom.com. Meet happy with Zoom video communications. Hey everyone. Producer Bobby here. Just wanted to let you all know that we had some technical difficulties with the last 10 minutes or so of Charks's audio. apologies that's on us. Hope you still enjoy the rest of the pod. All right, let's get back into it. December 15th is the first day that teams are able to trade players that they

sign in the summer, which means guys like Trevor Arisa are available, Carmelo Anthony, Catavius Caldwell Pope, Wayne Ellington, and Jeff Green, so on and so forth. Trevor Arisa right now is the most immediate guy that's been in conversations this week. And perhaps we might even hear more by the time this podcast is published on Friday. We're only recording this on Thursday. The noise right now is that the Lakers are the number one team for Trevor Areza. Danny is that a move that for the Lakers that swings the needle at all? Does it make sense for them to add Areza over KCP, who only 25 years old and has produced this year?

Or is this just LeBron James wanting his old vet? Yeah, I think it's more just get me a guy who's been there. Get me a guy who knows what, you know, playoff pressure feels like. get me a guy who is solid across three positions, four positions, defensively. I mean, yeah, he guards bigger wings, so LeBronos doesn't have to do it. Like, LeBron's like, give me a guy who can make my life easier. That's what I'm about. I don't want to spend too much time on Areza because of the possibility that stuff comes out after we record here.

But, you know, Shams Sharani reported this week on The Athletic that there was a possibility that Houston would be the third team in a deal for Areza where KCP would go to Houston. Rieza would go to the Lakers, and then Phoenix would get something in the deal. And one thing I heard earlier in the week is that Atlanta could be a team that would take on the Brandon Knight contract with a draft pick. So they could be the fourth team? And when you look at Atlanta, I wonder, what could they send to Phoenix? Right. I'm looking at somebody like Jeremy Lynn, because Phoenix does need a point guard desperately.

Lynn could stabilize that team. He's having a solid year off the bench behind Trey Young. Does that make sense for Phoenix, or should they be seeing out a younger asses? sit at this point? Or is Jeremy Lynn somebody who, like we talked about with Bialica, helps enhance and foster development for the other own players on that team? Honestly, I don't think it moves in the needle like much in either way. I think have anybody. No, for the sun specifically.

I just think that, you know, for this team's pretty much done with the season. And I think he would obviously help from a leadership standpoint and literally getting them to actually go to practices and care. but, you know, I, sure, I would do that trade. Charks, is KCP being an underrated asset and all of this, only 25 years old. Danny is team KCP, right? Yeah. Sell us on your guy.

Like, I don't have much to sell. I think when he's engaged, I think he's... You're fading on us? I'm just a man of very little conviction. I just think when he's engaged, he's one of the absolute best individual perimeter defenders in the league. He's had highlight real shows against Steph Curry, against some of the best players like Bradley Beal. A lot of really good perimeter players have been shut down by KCP.

It's just, does he really change the culture in Houston the way Robert Covington has with Minnesota? I don't think so. But, you know... At least he's not a theoretical. They're playing like Daniel House and Gary Clark and James Ennis. KCP's proved more than those guys. A lot more.

Another guy who could be available is Wayne Ellington from Miami Heat. Another solid 3-&D player who also has veto power like KCP does, both of those guys because of the type of contract they sign have veto power through the season. Ellington is another guy that I think should place a call for him. Solid 3-&D player. You wish he was bigger. You wish he was bigger. That's a concern with a lot of guys.

Charks, is there any players available on this date that you'd be placing calls for if you're an NBA general manager? So kind of like with Danny and KCP, I've always liked Rodney Hood. He's actually on a bill with January 15 because of his contract. But I think Hood and Birx, I've watched that they were good. But they aren't actually good at basketball. I'm not even sure anymore. But they've got size. They've got scoring ability.

They've got shooting ability. I think those two guys are for sure going to get moved from Cleveland because they don't care anymore. And they could help. They might could help to make the Pelicans. I could see them trying to move like Solomon Hill and a pick for Hood and Burks, gives them some wing depth with some size. I think with New Orleans,

they have intentions to use that pick to get something bigger and better. I'm just not sure that's going to be there for them. So I actually like that idea, Charx. I think you get two wings for a team that, you know, and in the playoffs,

when Anthony Davis is playing 45 minutes in a game, your defense is going to be great at that point. Adding wings is going to be a necessity. So granted, you might not feel great about giving a first round pick for those guys. You know what? When you have AD, it could pay off.

The Pelicans are already past that. Like, they've done so many picks. We're living in the moment now. You did mention Cleveland. They are a team that's in a spot where they don't have to make a trade, but they are really the number one team at this point that's a candidate to make a trade. We talked last week about Kevin Love, who can be traded on January 23rd.

I have no reason to believe this, but it wouldn't surprise me if a team like Phoenix went after him. For Kevin Love? Yeah, it just wouldn't surprise me. When you think about that Ryan Anderson deal, if they were to flip that with an asset, to get Kevin Love, bring him in at a veteran president, presence. He's one of his best friends is James Jones. Maybe you still continue to stink. You

still have a high draft pick. How many years does he have in his contract? A lot of years left on his contract. But I'm playing a little bit of devil's advocate here. I don't know if it's really that good of idea to trade for Kevin Love when you're the Phoenix Suns, but you're not going to be contending for the foreseeable future. Right. Kevin Love, who is at least somebody who can make your team appealing, who can dig them out of this pit that they're in right now. And Can he, though? I mean, the couch were 0 and 4 with him before he got hurt,

and he's hurt all the time anyways. Right? theoretically. I would love to see... Theorityity. I would love to see... the rebounding is horrible. in a situation where he's able to do a couple a little bit more things like he did in Minnesota. I just want to see him fed the ball more on the offensive end of the floor. How about another guy?

How about Tim Hardaway, Jr.? I think he's a guy who can move too because the Knicks want a clear cap of space for next summer and he might help a team. Yeah, the Knicks are a team that, you know, speaking of Hardaway, just jump ahead here. Like, that's the Knicks signed undrafted two-way player Alonzo Trier just this week

to a two-year $7 million contract using the biannual exception. There's a team option on that second season. So the Knicks do retain flexibility into next summer where they plan to pursue Kevin Durant, but the way that they do need to cut salary in order to open up the cap space for Katie by either trading Courtney Lee or trading Tim Hardaway Jr. Charks is Hardaway Jr. a guy who has struggled with scoring efficiency this season and over the course of his career. Is there a team out there that you think makes sense for Hardaway? I got a trade for y'all. Okay. I'm thinking about my math.

How about Wesley Matthews for Tim Hardaway? Straight up. Yeah, straight up. Wesley's expiring contract. Wesley Matthew shoots a lot, and he's not really good in defense anymore anyways. I think THJ with Luca look really good, spotting up off Luca. So this is for playoff push for the Dallas Mavers.

Yeah, I mean, what's the difference? Matthews, I'm not for something that much anyways. I'm into it. I guess I'm just not sure a hardaway is that much better. He's a volume score. I don't love him in that spot-up role. I mean, Wesley Matthews, at least, he's shooting 39% from three.

I don't know. I'm just not sure Hardaway offers a lot more else for you within the context of his role on the Mavericks. I like the idea though. I, especially for the Knicks, got to get off that deal. Right. So, Charles, you'd be, you'd be willing to take the next two years of Hardway? Yeah, I don't think the Mavs have, are going to use that much for their cash base in anyways. And they're, they're so low right now. I think they have like $50 million in the books. Right. I don't, I don't see the Mavs as like being a free agent destination for a while. So I would rather just use that X-Sperkins to get a good player now and not wait for the summer.

Another team to watch is the Miami Heat. They have a lot of salary that they would like to unload. You're laughing, Danny. Why is that? Why laugh at it? They got a lot of players who are just paid in that kind of mid tier of expensive contracts. Like between 16 to 20 mil per... Tyler Johnson making 19 million.

Gorin Drivers making 18. James Johnson, 14, Killing Illenic, 12.5. Dion Waders, 11.5. They got unloaded. something here. Again, to circle back to Phoenix. Their team to watch for Tyler Johnson. Okay, sure. He's grantees more of a combo guard. Or a team to watch for Goran Drogh, which is well.

Do that be the third time frame of Phoenix? There's no way they would be there. I wonder, would that be a record? I wonder can somebody listening who's... Well, actually, Devin Harris has done. Yeah, Devin Harris is won. A bunch of times. I wonder how many guys have been back on a team three times over the course. career. I feel like Luke Ridenauer probably just off like... Luke Ridenauer, he had

of. Yeah. I mentioned this in my article this week in regards to the Rockets. James Johnson is a guy that I'd be making a call for from Houston or a team like that. I think with his defensive versatility, ability of space to floor, I like James Johnson. It brings intensity that I think

this Houston defense could absolutely need. Kind of like another PJ Tucker for that team. He would fit their switchy system for sure. Yeah. Circling back to the Knicks with Alonzo Treer, this deal he signed. Obviously, it's incredibly impressive for an undrafted guy to get this contract this soon.

Charks, is there anything Trier has done differently this season compared to Arizona that has made him worthy of this young deal? What kind of development have you seen from him? I mean, I think he's the same guy, but we just are seeing him a different role. I think in Arizona, we all kind of got cut up

and how he would freeze out and start big men. But the man always had skills, right? Six-foot-five guard, gets his own shot pretty easily, good shooter. it's just like we're seeing him in different context. I mean, I think, I feel like we all knew he had game coming out of college. It's just that whole Arizona team. There was like a stink around them.

And I kind of heard all their stuff. It was pretty frustrating watching him, as you said, freeze out those guys. But, you know, who else were we watching on this Knicks team? So it's been refreshing to see a guy to actually take up that mantle and be like, I'm just going to drop buckets. Well, he's like, if Frank's not going to show. I personally love watching Frank Milakina. And I hate the slander against French.

Frank, give him some minutes, man. Frank can defend. Give him some time. Come on. Give Frank a chance. One of their piece of news we have to get to. Jonas Valanchunis is out four weeks after undergoing surgery on a dislocated left thumb suffered in Toronto's victory without Kauai over the warriars on Wednesday. They still crushed them, man.

They crushed the peppers too. They still did. Charks, what are the Raptors going to be missing over the next four weeks in Valentunus? I mean, they'll probably play Greg Monroe some. Maybe they'll go to Pascal with the five, get my fever dream line up. out there. I think they'll be okay, though. I don't think they're going to be going to, I'm not too worried about it. I'm only four weeks anyways.

Yeah, I mean, I think Jonas has been great this season. He's really improved his conditioning. He's looked great. Just playing the role that he was supposed to be playing as a five. Like, I think the role is very simplified, very simplified for him. They're just going to be missing those innings that he took up as a five for Sergei Baca. You know, I don't really trust Greg Monroe in the role for much.

longer than, you know, the five minutes he played last night or whatever, but, you know, I wonder if, there's what it is. They have so much speed around Monroe. I think, I mean, they're just so deep, man. No one of just going to stop these rafters. Even Hawaii, it's crazy. I wonder if Nick Narris will, one of the things he's done this season, he starts Valanchunis in lineups where it makes sense when you're going against Biggs.

And then other times you start, Sergei Baca, those guys have alternated that starting spot. I wonder if that will continue or Ibaka will stick in the starting five. Because it might make sense to continue with what you're doing. Maybe you do start, Craig Montiard. row, even if it's just for short amount of minutes. And rather than just continuing to start Ibaka, that's just a little thing.

It may not even make a difference, but I'm curious to see what he does. Throw an outlet pass to the weekend. Danny, what's your number one game you're looking forward to? You know, this is great. I'm looking forward to tonight's game, Kings versus Warriors. Fun fact, you guys, the Kings have won against the Warriors since the start of 2017 three times. Over the last two years? Seriously.

Yeah, since the start of 2017. I have a theory about that. Golden State's at home base. Those are home games for Golden State, right? So, you know, it's the Kings. They're going out. They're not really too hard about it. I'd be my guess.

Yeah, and it's funny because this is just completely cherry-picking because the Kings have won three games, sure, but they've played nine times. So it's like their win percentage isn't even very good. But, you know, it's still an accomplishment. It's impressive. What you can get, man? Charks, what's your game you're most looking forward to this coming weekend?

So I'm going to shout out to our college guys. I'm going to say Gonzaga, UNC. see, there's a lot of NBA players in this game. So I'm looking forward to that. Rui Hachamur versus Zizier Little. I mean, there's MBA process up in on these lineups. We're getting into college basketball season, Mbae draft season.

I'm getting ready for this. Charks, would you rank Rui Hachemar ahead of Nasir Little at this point? Or no, because of the age difference. I don't think so. That's a tough one. I think I believe in Little's shot more. I think, really, I kind of think it's like dominant

younger players. I'm not totally so long him yet as a prospect. That's absolutely a game. to watch. Game I'm most looking forward to this weekend is Nuggets Raptors on Sunday. Right now, they're currently the two number one seeds in their respective conferences. Really no other reason besides that. I just want to see two really great teams facing off.

It's the new Luggets. It's a new Luggets and they made a big free agent signing recently. Oh, the biggest. They signed Nick Young. NBA champion. I just hope this doesn't take away from Malik Beasley. It better not take away from Malik Beasley. One random thought, you know, to tie up.

this back quickly to the trade conversation. Isaiah Thomas is still on that team. Totally forgot about that. Not a lot of minutes available. I wonder if he's somebody where if he shows that he has his scoring spark, but there's not a lot of available minutes for him

on the Denver Nuggets. He's somebody that maybe you place a club. I wonder, yeah, like will he take Monta Morris's spot? Morris is playing so well for them. I don't see how you can. I don't see how you can take more. He's our best true point guard. That'll be interesting to monitor. Isaiah Thomas is due back this month. supposedly. We'll see if that happens. We'll see if Nick Young gets minutes as well.

But more importantly, Nick Young guest co-hosted on Catfish this week. So you called the TV event of the year, didn't you? It was the TV event on air. Did you guys watch? I can't say I did. No. You're our Nick Young correspondent. Tell us about it. You really want me to tell you about it. It's TV event of the year. We could save it for another podcast. Yeah, let's save it for another podcast. But it was a fantastic episode of TV. Let's just say that. I'll take your word for you, man.

An hour of humor, I would say, let me just say this, Nick Young is the Michael Jordan of Catfish guest co-coast. That's all I'll say. Wait, Kev, do you watch a lot of catfish? It's a good show. Are you ranking this? Okay. It's a great show.

But we don't have time to talk about it. Danny, John, have a good one. Thank you guys. Thank you. All right, y'all. And thank you for listening to The Corner 3. Please give us a five-star rating on iTunes. Make us really happy if you do that,

and if you tell your friends as well, special shout out to Bobby Wagner for producing the show and to my good friend Elon for listening to it. Thank you again for listening. Have a beautiful weekend. We'll be back next week.