Could Powell trade bring Bradley Beal to the Clippers? | Will Luka Lock It Down in L.A.?

Summary

Hoop Collective Podcast Summary

Episode: Could Powell trade bring Bradley Beal to the Clippers? | Will Luka Lock It Down in L.A.?
Release Date: July 9, 2025
Hosts: Brian Windhorst, Tim McMahon, Tim Bontemps
Guests: Rafa (Producer)

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1. The Three-Way Trade: Norm Powell to Miami Heat

[01:30 - 06:26]

Brian Windhorst opens the discussion by highlighting a significant three-way trade involving the Miami Heat, Utah Jazz, and LA Clippers. In this trade:

• Norm Powell was sent to the Miami Heat.
• John Collins moved to the Clippers.
• Kevin Love and a second-round pick were also part of the deal.

Windhorst explains the Clippers' strategy behind the trade, emphasizing their focus on clearing cap space for future contracts like Kawhi Leonard's and James Harden's. He remarks, "The Clippers have prioritized clearing cap space for 2027" ([03:16]).

Tim Bontemps underscores the benefit for Miami, stating, "they just got a lot better adding him to their team" ([03:37]). Tim McMahon adds, “Norm Powell obviously gives him a lot more juice offensively... but this is a no brainer for the Heat” ([05:27]).

The hosts agree that the trade is a clear win for Miami, enhancing their competitiveness in the Eastern Conference without sacrificing long-term assets.

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2. Potential Bradley Beal to the Clippers

[06:26 - 15:29]

The conversation shifts to the LA Clippers' potential acquisition of Bradley Beal. Windhorst posits, "Bradley Beal at $50 million is underachieving Bradley Beal at $4 million" ([06:26]), suggesting that a trade could significantly increase Beal's value and fit within the Clippers' roster.

Tim Bontemps elaborates, "Bradley Beal would obviously slot right in there, play a huge role for them" ([08:36]). He also notes that with Miami acquiring Norm Powell, Miami is no longer a likely landing spot for Beal, further pointing towards the Clippers as the probable destination.

Tim McMahon adds insight into Beal’s situation, mentioning, "He's going to have to give back about $14 million on the buyout to make the math work for the Suns" ([09:47]). The hosts discuss the potential structure of Beal's contract and the benefits of him joining a competitive team like the Clippers, enhancing his career prospects and financial standing.

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3. Jalen Williams' Injury and Performance

[16:57 - 26:07]

Brian Windhorst introduces a spotlight on Jalen Williams, who detailed his injury struggles in a YouTube video. Williams tore a ligament in his wrist on April 9 during a play with Devin Booker. He shared his experience of managing the injury through painkilling shots, recording "28 or 29 painkilling shots that he took throughout the four playoff rounds" ([16:57]).

Tim McMahon and Tim Bontemps discuss how Williams' determination and performances, despite his injury, have elevated his status. McMahon notes, "This guy had the best playoff performances of his career" ([21:06]). Bontemps echoes the sentiment, highlighting Williams' resilience and the critical role he played alongside teammates like Jacob Saxon and Chad Holger.

The hosts commend Williams for his honesty and perseverance, suggesting that his efforts have increased his stock in the league and set him up for a promising future if he remains healthy.

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4. Nikola Jokic Declines Extension with the Nuggets

[26:07 - 30:26]

The discussion turns to Nikola Jokic and his decision not to accept the contract extension offered by the Denver Nuggets. Windhorst reveals, "Nikola Jokic and his representatives have informed the Nuggets that he will not be accepting the contract extension" ([26:07]).

Tim McMahon explains the financial reasoning behind Jokic's choice, comparing it to previous decisions by players like De’Aaron Fox. He states, "it completely makes sense from a financial perspective for Joker to go ahead and wait" ([27:50]).

Bontemps anticipates that this decision will place a significant spotlight on Denver next season. He warns, "if they do lose in the first round or lose in the second round again... there are going to become natural questions" ([29:11]). The hosts agree that while the Nuggets have managed well around Jokic, his departure could pose challenges for their future playoff success.

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5. Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers Extension Talks

[31:12 - 42:31]

A major portion of the podcast delves into the potential contract extension of Luka Doncic with the Los Angeles Lakers. Windhorst discusses the strategic benefits for Doncic in signing a short-term extension, emphasizing the importance of building a partnership with the Lakers' new ownership: “There is something to be said for signaling to especially the new ownership group that I want to be your partner” ([32:11]).

Tim McMahon agrees, suggesting a short-term deal would maximize Doncic’s flexibility and financial position. He speculates, “I do think that the short term deal is... it puts him in the best possible position” ([33:28]).

However, Tim Bontemps expresses skepticism about Doncic's loyalty to the Lakers, pointing out the franchise's recent tumultuous moves and lack of cohesive talent around key players. Bontemps argues, "I think the Lakers have to show Luka Doncic they deserve to have a partnership with him" ([35:06]).

Windhorst highlights Doncic’s public statements post-trade, noting Luka’s optimism towards the Lakers despite uncertainties: “I look forward to working with both of them to win championships” ([40:51]). The hosts conclude that Doncic’s decision will significantly impact the Lakers' future and his own career trajectory.

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6. Celtics' Rebuilding and Roster Adjustments

[43:20 - 47:26]

The podcast shifts focus to the Boston Celtics and their ongoing rebuilding efforts. Brian Windhorst references Brad Stevens' statements about the Celtics needing to rebuild their role players while retaining their core: “They have three core players that they're keeping and Jason Tatum hopefully will make it back” ([43:20]).

Tim Bontemps discusses the Celtics' recent roster changes, including the departure of key players like Al Horford to the Spurs and Anthony Simons, emphasizing the team's move to cut luxury tax burdens and prepare for upcoming drafts. He states, “They have to rework the roster... They moved on Chris Porzingis for George Nang” ([44:19]).

Brian notes the Celtics are aiming for a "gap year" to develop young talents like Nevis Keita, a promising seven-footer expected to take on a starting role. Tim McMahon speculates on Boston's strategy to integrate new players and rebuild their depth to become competitive in the future ([47:26]).

The hosts agree that the Celtics' decisions are strategic moves to reset their team structure, focusing on long-term growth and sustainability rather than immediate competitiveness.

---

7. Upcoming Events and Closing Remarks

[48:40 - 50:23]

Brian Windhorst mentions upcoming live shows, indicating high demand with nearly sold-out tickets for an event at the Brad Garrett Comedy Club in Las Vegas. The hosts humorously discuss whether Tim Bontemps will join them from Portugal.

In their closing moments, the team thanks their producer Rafa and wraps up the episode, emphasizing their commitment to delivering insightful NBA analysis.

---

Notable Quotes

• Brian Windhorst: "The Clippers have prioritized clearing cap space for 2027." ([03:16])
• Tim McMahon: "Norm Powell obviously gives him a lot more juice offensively... but this is a no brainer for the Heat." ([05:27])
• Tim Bontemps: "Bradley Beal would obviously slot right in there, play a huge role for them." ([08:36])
• Jalen Williams: "I didn't want to tell the world I was hurt." ([16:57])
• Tim McMahon: "This guy had the best playoff performances of his career." ([21:06])
• Tim Bontemps: "They couldn't have him on the roster; they might win too much with him." ([11:21])
• Brian Windhorst: "Nikola Jokic and his representatives have informed the Nuggets that he will not be accepting the contract extension." ([26:07])
• Tim Bontemps: "The Lakers have to show Luka Doncic they deserve to have a partnership with him." ([35:06])
• Brian Windhorst: "I look forward to working with both of them to win championships!" ([40:51])

---

This episode of Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective provides an in-depth analysis of recent NBA trades, player contracts, and team strategies, offering listeners a comprehensive understanding of the current landscape and future implications for key franchises and players.

Transcript

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[Brian Windhorst]

Hello and welcome to the HOOPP Collective podcast. We talk about the NBA, which we are doing on Tuesday evening except for Tim Bontemp's where it is already, I believe, believe Wednesday morning because he is joining us from Lisbon, Portugal. Mr. Bontemps, incorrect.

[Tim Bontemps]

It's Tuesday evening, 11:17 at the moment.

[Brian Windhorst]

Oh, it's still Tuesday evening in Lisbon, Portugal.

[Tim Bontemps]

Now, Bon, if we had an incorrect timing situation.

[Brian Windhorst]

So Bontemps is in Portugal. Will he be at this live show in Las Vegas on Saturday night? Unbelievably. Well, I guess we'll, I guess we'll find out. All right, I kind of just tipped it. Joining us from Dallas, Texas, Bam McMahon.

[Tim McMahon]

Howdy partners. I, I've suggested that he do it via Zoom and we can call him Lisbon Tims, but I don't think he was too keen on that idea.

[Tim Bontemps]

It was a rare, and that was a rare half decent idea from Tim McMahon. I'll give him full credit on that.

[Tim McMahon]

Listen, when it comes, when it comes to ways to keep you half the globe away, I've got a lot of great ideas.

[Brian Windhorst]

All right, so we have some significant NBA news and there's going to be some more and I think we're going to get a fairly newsy second week here. So we'll see and by the time this comes by, spot comes out. But I would say the most interesting thing that's happened so far this week, as least as we're recording this is the three way trade between the Heat, Jazz and LA Clippers, where Norm Powell went to la, I'm sorry, went to Miami, John Collins to the Clippers and Kevin Love, a second round pick. And I don't even remember what the other piece was. And that guy Kyle Anderson, slow mo. So the Clippers have prioritized clearing cap space for 2027. That's how they set Kawhi Leonard's deal. That's how they have elected to set James Harden's deal. And they just were not interested in extending Norm Powell, at least not at a number he was interested in doing. And so Norm Powell was probably not going to be a Clipper for very long. And so they traded him. Miami was able to essentially really do well in this trade. You know, Slow Mo is a backup. Kevin Love only played 23 games last year, although some of that was to be with his father who was. Was dying. It wasn't all due to injury, but still, Kevin Love was, you know, a bit player for them. Kyle Anderson a backup, and they were able to deliver themselves a borderline all star friend of the pod, Norman Powell. So Bottemps, that was a. For a team that was in need of a talent influx. And certainly I'm not saying they're ready to win the east, but that was just from their transactional value. That was an excellent move from Pat Riley and the Heat front Office, Andy Ellisberg, etc.

[Tim Bontemps]

Yeah, I mean, this is a fascinating deal on a lot of levels. I mean, obviously you just laid out the Miami part, right? They turned a couple spare parts of the second round pick in Norm Powell. And whether Norm starts or come off, comes off the bench for Miami next year, they just got a lot better adding him to their team. You look at the Jazz, we go back. Well, we'll go, I guess about a month ago.

[Brian Windhorst]

We're going to go.

[Tim Bontemps]

We're doing this one team at a time. Okay.

[Brian Windhorst]

We're going to start with the Heat.

[Tim Bontemps]

Well, for. Well, yes, for Miami certainly. We have talked a lot about how the Heat are sort of stuck in no man's land and it's unclear what direction they're going in overall, but they are a team under Pat Riley and Andy Ellsberg and Eric Spoelstra that is always going to try to be competitive day to day. And this is a move that without sacrificing any long term assets, allows them to be a lot more competitive this year. And what is, as we've talked about many times, a very down and very wide open Eastern Conference. And you know, you can make an argument adding a guy like Norm essentially for free that Miami could be a team that is a top 14, maybe in the east at the end of the day or at least has a chance to be. And before this trade, you wouldn't have said that. So I think it's a. I think this trade's a clear win for everybody involved, but that's why I think it's a clear win for Miami.

[Brian Windhorst]

So McMahon, if you look at Jimmy Butler, he was making $50 million. They have essentially broken that 50 million into Andrew Wiggins, who they acquired as part of the Jimmy Butler trade. Norm Powell and Davion Mitchell, who they Picked up kind of in an ancillary part of that, that Jimmy Butler trade and they resigned. He finished the season really well for them. They resigned. Obviously that's not going to lead any NBA Today broadcast, but they have pieced it together a little bit. And you know, considering that there's, there's a, there's not a clarity after like number three or four in the East, I suppose that there's something to be said for piecing those three guys together out of the Butler trade.

[Tim McMahon]

Yeah. And you know, Norm Powell obviously gives him a lot more juice offensively. You say he was a borderline all star. Didn't make it last year. His chances of being all star certainly increased by, by moving competitions not quite as tough now. You know, we'll see how much of his success last season with the Clippers was influenced by playing with a table setting point guard like James Harden has really become at this stage of his career. But this is a no brainer for the Heat. Like Bon Tim said, they gave up, you know, a backup and kind of an end of the bench veteran. A guy who's had a great career. But Kevin loves an end the bench veteran. They didn't even, they weren't even the ones who threw in the second round pick. So it's, it's a no brainer, talent acquisition move for the Heat. I think probably the team that's most interesting in this deal is the Clippers though.

[Brian Windhorst]

Yeah. So the Clippers, they needed a frontline power forward. It's hard to, you know, to expect Kawhi Leonard to play huge minutes there. They had Batum, who they did bring back. They talked him out of retirement. Batum's been talked out of retirement for like three straight years now. How many more years are you going to get talked out of retirement?

[Tim McMahon]

Every year you can make five or six million dollars.

[Brian Windhorst]

That's a good place to start. That's a good place to start. So they obviously had Batum there, but you know, I don't know if you want Kawhi playing huge minutes there. So now they have a frontline power forward. They had Brook Lopez. So they've really bulked up their size. Look, Collins is a player who is limited. He has been limited throughout his career, but he's also got some positives, otherwise there wouldn't be teams who would want him and pay him what he's making. But the, you know, the, the Hawks struggled to trade him for a while, the Jazz struggled to trade him for a while. There's a reason he's got Limited value. The interesting thing is they've opened up this hole at shooting guard because Norm Powell was a really important piece for the Clippers last year. He played a very important role, especially scoring, especially while Kawhi was out. And so there's been this, you know, maybe not assumption, but belief that that could be Bradley Beals landing spot who is potentially on the verge of getting bought out from the Suns. It's been on the verge for quite some time. It's. We'll see. Maybe by the time this pod is out, it'll be there. But you know, Bradley Beal at $50 million is underachieving Bradley Beal at $4 million, which would be the minimum. Or maybe he, maybe they can give him the biannual. I'm not sure. Whatever it is, all of a sudden there's a whole different value proposition. But I'm sure there's going to be other people bidding for Bradley Beal. That said, if, if Bradley Beal had a starting level role sitting there with the Clippers to go to, that would be compelling. And one wonders if the Clippers have, if they are not uncertain about Bradley Beal's intentions by making this trade bont ups.

[Tim Bontemps]

Yeah, from the moment this trade happened, the only logical thing you could look at was that Bradley Beal would wind up with the Clippers with John Collins and they would get remarkably better as a result because the Clippers are trying to compete next year. And while John Collins and Norton Powell are similar players, I think in value, which is why they end up getting swapped for each other, they aren't similar players in terms of fit. And when you look at this Clippers roster, they right now basically only have James Harden who can do anything with the ball. So Bradley Beal would obviously slot right in there, play a huge role for them. And I think the reason we've been waiting to see where Bradley Beal will go and when this buyout process will start is because there hasn't been any clarity on where he'll land. And I think that's been part of what the hold up has been. And ironically, one of the other places that has been rumored as a place for him to land was Miami. And with Miami getting nor Powell in this deal, on top of the fact the Clippers open up the spot at shooting guard, you certainly wouldn't think Miami's an option for Brad Beal anymore either. So all that points to the Clippers winding up with Beal, who I think is similar to Norm Powell and John Collins in the same deal pretty Good return for that.

[Tim McMahon]

Well, it's a great situation for Beal. He's going to have to give back about $14 million on the buyout to make the math work for the Suns. He won't make that up in year one, but I assume it'd probably be like a one plus one, you know, two year deal with a player option, that sort of a thing. Have a chance to more than make it up next year and to be put into a situation where he's got a starting role on a competitive team, a team that certainly expects to be back in the playoffs. You know, I think there's some family ties for him in la. Certainly a lot of NBA players enjoy Los Angeles. And you know, if he's moving his family that I'm sure there'd be some appeal there. And then John Collins to me is really interesting. I'm not sure that he starts. To me, it makes a lot of sense to have him paired with Brook Lopez as often as possible. Lopez obviously is not a role man. You know, he's a guy who at this point in his career he spends a lot of his offensive possession spaced about 27ft from the hoop. John Collins is still one hell of a lob catcher. And you know, the problem with John Collins in Utah was he was too damn productive last season. I don't even remember all the injuries they came up with to make sure he didn't play. But seriously, they limited him to 40 games last year. He played less than half the schedule. He played in 70 plus percent of their wins. They, they won. They didn't win a lot, but they won too often with John Collins in the lineup. And he was a reason like they were. They had to get rid of them. They couldn't have him on the roster. They might win too much with them.

[Brian Windhorst]

Was he, they got fined for protocols. Was he, was, I can't remember. Was he the reason they got fined or was that something else?

[Tim McMahon]

Come on. They had him. They had Sexton comments.

[Tim Bontemps]

Yeah, it goes back to Austin ages. The comments month ago when he got hired when he said we're not going to manipulate lineups anymore. People took that as they were going to try to win. What it really was was they're not going to stop sitting. They're going to stop sitting guys and just not playing guys who are on the roster. They're going to play young guys and see how it goes. And we've seen over the last month they moved on from Kyle Sexton, moved on from Jordan Clarkson. Now they moved on from John Collins, it's very clear what the motive is. Okay, so that brings the question guys, minutes to play.

[Brian Windhorst]

Are they going to move on from Lowry Marketing?

[Tim McMahon]

That's, that's the question that you're hearing a lot of. I would say I don't think it will be immediately because I don't think that, you know, just logically selling low on marketing doesn't make much sense. I think if they're going to trade Larry Marketing, they need him in the lineup and they need him playing well. They need him, you know, showcasing that he's a seven footer who can do a lot of things in terms of scoring the ball. Last year was, was a bad year for him. It was obviously a wonky year and in and out of the lineup with all that stuff going on. But I think they can have Larry Markin in the lineup and they're still going to be the 15th best team in the Western Conference this year.

[Brian Windhorst]

He also has four years and 196 million left on his deal.

[Tim Bontemps]

Yeah, I think he's got you a bit to get to the place where they would like to turn him into asset wise.

[Brian Windhorst]

At the end of the day the Jazz have to meet the salary floor and they have a $27 million trade exception that they're using basically to stay above the salary cap that was created in this. They could use it for a number of different things as the season goes along. They could still use it in free agency if they wanted. But I will say that, you know, while I agree with you that I don't think marketing is getting traded in the next few weeks, I know that this is not necessarily what he signed up for. So keep an eye on market.

[Tim McMahon]

I hear you but it like did market and think they were going to be good soon. No, I agree with you on the keep your eye on him though. But I'm not going to sit here and play violin.

[Brian Windhorst]

I don't think is what he thought they were going to do is I think that's the first you may not be able to do anything about it.

[Tim Bontemps]

He also made sure he's going to be on the team all last season too.

[Tim McMahon]

So yeah remember he timed at least.

[Tim Bontemps]

Willingly signed up for this thing.

[Tim McMahon]

Yeah he had a one year no trade clause but yeah like hey Larry Markin I think might have the most games played if anybody now without a, without a playoff appearances in terms of active players. If not he's right up there and, and I think you look at like they're very early in a rebuild and again they need Ace Bailey to pop because there's none of these other guys have flashed star potential. We'll see if you know if a Cody Williams or one of these other guys might but they haven't to this point. And they dumped all their vets. They dumped Clarkson, they dumped Sexton, they dumped John Collins and they for a net of no picks, they attached a pick to Sexton which I, I still that I'm confused still. And then they got a pick back for Collins and then Clarkson was just a buyout but they cleared it out to where they will be. You know, if there was a if it was a 24 and under league, I think the Jet well, I don't know because there's some league teams not even that good. I was gonna say I think they'd.

[Brian Windhorst]

Be really Thunder might win that one.

[Tim McMahon]

The probably by a lot.

[Brian Windhorst]

The the Jazz still have Yousef Nurkic on their books. Who knows for how long. I would be quite surprised if he finishes the season there. So. All right.

[Tim McMahon]

I don't think Kevin Lovell I don't think Kevin Lovell spent a whole lot of time in Salt Lake City.

[Brian Windhorst]

I would agree.

[Tim Bontemps]

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[Brian Windhorst]

1-800-Contacts. So Jalen Williams put up a 20 minute video on his YouTube channel, which is not that active. I don't think he'd put anything up since the All Star break. And so I feel like by the time this pod comes out, it'll have more traction. But he basically goes through an explanation of what he went through with that torn ligament in his wrist during this, during the end of the season. He suffered the injury on April 9, right before the end of the season when he, when he dove for a loose ball and got tangled up with Devin Booker. And he said he felt like something tear. He could almost hear the tear. And he'd had a sprained ligament in his wrist for a while and then it tore. And so it was a little bit known that he was dealing with a wrist injury because he would, he would be icing his wrist sometimes during timeouts. But there's a lot of players dealing with injuries during the playoffs. And he was playing every game and look, he is, he was a little up and down, but, you know, it's the playoffs. You know, it's his first deep run of the playoffs. Like you're expecting guys to be up and down. Like, you know, I mean, he definitely got some criticism for his struggles. But what he, the story he told was fascinating about what he went through to stay on the court was pretty remarkable. He said that he was getting shots, painkilling shots. He said lidocaine shots in his wrist that would, you know, dull the pain before every single game and including before some practices because he wanted it to, you know, even to be able to practice it. And he said that he counted, he had 28 or 29 painkilling shots that he took throughout the four playoff rounds. And he talked about how some games, depending on how things would go, that the shots would wear off and he would deal with, you know, basically problems in the fourth quarters of the games because he was having difficulty with it. He talked about how he could barely sleep because his hand would really swell up and be very painful after the games when the shots wore off, he still shot the ball pretty good. His three point shooting was the thing that, that suffered the most. He only shot 30 in the Regulars in the postseason after Shooting, I think. Let's see what he shot in the regular season. He shot 37 in the regular season. And some of these quotes were pretty good. Let me, let me get some of these here. So he said my main hand, his shooting hand, it was on his right hand was just not the same. My jump shots of just felt different. He said, I didn't want to, I didn't want to tell the world I was hurt. And so the world just ganged up on me about how I wasn't ready for the moment. I'm not sure that the world ganged up on him, but I can certainly see when you're, when you're getting criticized, it feels like the world's gang up on you, which is obviously wrong now, but that was the most annoying thing because human nature is you just want to scream that you're hurt because I was able to lock in and use that and not use that as an excuse. And of course he, guys, he had several spectacular clutch games. Like McMahon, he had the 40 point game in game six, I'm sorry, game five, which was basically the turning game five, the turning point game where the Thunder got leverage for the down the stretch. He had the 34 point in the final, in the finals. I'm sorry, he had the 34 point game in, in the Minnesota series. In Minnesota in Game 4, where again that series was essentially clinched. They went up 3, one bounced back.

[Tim McMahon]

From a loss with that, what was then a career high. But look, he was criticized in the second round and the context there was that last year in the second round he came up short.

[Brian Windhorst]

That's against the Mavericks.

[Tim McMahon]

And you know, he sat in that all summer long and you know the big question we talked about in the pod, did the Thunder have that second score and they didn't last year he wasn't up for that challenge while also taking the second toughest defensive assignment. And then in the second round, he had the worst three game shooting stretch of his career. He was 10 of 43, I believe it was, including 3 of 16 in their game six losses. And the people covering the team, we knew there was something going on with the wrist, yet we didn't know the severity, obviously we didn't know that there was torn ligaments. It was going to be a surgery right after the season. But you could see in his pre, he wears a big shooting sleeve on that wrist so you couldn't see the tape job during the game. But we went into his pregame. I mean that thing was like heavily taped from wrist all the way Basically up to the elbow, you know, the magnetic tape. And he was asked about it after that. 3 is 16 and completely downplayed it, Said, hey, everybody's some along the lines of everybody's banged up at this time of year. That's not the reason why I'm making or missing shots. But here this guy is playing for a team that, you know, has championship expectations. I mean, best record in the league, best point differential in NBA history, and he's having to figure out not just how to manage the pain, but how to remake his jumper on the fly so he can be that number two guy on a team that's trying to win a championship. And never bitching, never moaning, never whining or complaining, never leaking just how severely was hurt. It's, it's pretty remarkable stuff for a guy who, like you said, the two biggest pressure games of, of the conference finals and then again in the finals. This guy had the best playoff performances of his career.

[Tim Bontemps]

Yeah, I mean, there are a few people who had their stock raised in the playoffs more than Jalen Williams, both with the way he played in the conference finals and finals and the moments he had to help get over the hump in that Denver series. And now with the way this has come out after. I mean, I was completely enraptured watching this 15 minute video of him talking about all this stuff. It was pretty remarkable to hear him go through it in the detail that he did. You never hear guys talk about stuff like this and it both shows you the lengths that guys are going to to stay on the court in a run like this. I mean, he's talking about having a callus on his wrist from the amount of times he's getting shot up, like Brian said, is 28 or 29 times he said. And you look at the way he played, where he carried himself, the way he delivered for the Thunder down the stretch. I mean, the combination of him and Jacob Saxon and Chad Holger. We've talked about it a ton of all season long, but those guys together going forward are as good as it gets. And if you're the Thunder, you have to be just thrilled to have that trio together. And he answered every question and then some in this run. And you know, if he's. Imagine how good he's going to look next year if he's actually healthy in the playoffs instead of dealing with a wrist injury like this after he had a 40 piece in the finals and did all the stuff he did down the stretch with all this stuff he had going on physically as Bontemps was.

[Brian Windhorst]

Saying, he was talking about how the hardest thing for him mentally and physically was that Denver series. He said that's where it was giving him the most problems. By the time they got to the finals, they had figured out a tape job that was a little bit more useful as you were talking about McMahon. But he just said he had to basically, and I don't love this terminology, but he said he basically had to man through it in that Denver series and he also kept banging it. I think he had an issue where he got got it hit by Aaron Gordon. He was like, listen. He goes, it's. It's absolutely killing me out there. And I am guarding Aaron Gordon and at times having to deal with Jokic, Nikola Jokic and. And he's like, it was a really hard thing. So yeah, that stretch again.

[Tim McMahon]

And then he gets to deal with Julius Randall and then the treat after that's Pascal Siakam.

[Brian Windhorst]

Right. So he said the Denver series was the hardest one that he had to go through and that was where he's having the most issues with it. And you know, after the series was over, you know, when Sam Presti did his end of season media, he spoke, you know, very glowingly about Jalen not ever using that as an excuse and he didn't. That's absolutely true. And so I really appreciated him. You know, obviously some players are always going to be a little bit careful, but I think it, the fact that he was willing to be so honest with this enriches the story. I really liked it. So I'm sure that that's going to get more attention in the next few days.

[Tim Bontemps]

I'd encourage anybody to go watch it who's a basketball fan. Like I said, it was fascinating to hear him go through all this stuff in detail weight and it was just never see or hear guys talk about stuff like this. It was really, really fascinating.

[Brian Windhorst]

Speaking of Jokic, the Denver Post first reported and then Arom Young Masuk confirmed it and followed up that Nikola Jokic and his representatives have informed the Nuggets that he will not be accepting the contract extension that was offered this this summer. This is not a stunner because even Josh Kroenke, their governor said in his season ended media that he was going to offer it and he wasn't sure that it was actually going to be accepted. He has three years left on his contract but and only and the he has an option for the last year. So he's got two years left guaranteed with the Nuggets and he could have done a two year extension. Basically there would have been a three year extension. You'd opted out and replaced it. But basically it would have been only two years of new money. Next year he can sign for a much larger deal with three years of new money. So it's actually kind of four years when you look at he'd get paid for this year and then add three more. So. So it kind of made sense that he would not sign this. You know, like Josh Kroenke said, the team was prepared for it. That said McMahon, when your franchise player doesn't sign an extension, it is going to stutter you a little bit. Especially when the team has had, you know, some fumbles the last couple of years with the roster.

[Tim McMahon]

Yeah, and again, not a surprise. It completely makes sense from a financial perspective for Joker to go ahead and wait. Just like it made sense from a financial perspective for Dear and Fox to go ahead and wait not to commit to the Sacramento Kings last summer. Now we all know how that worked out. Having said that, Joker's got a little bit more playoff equity, championship equity in Denver, I would say having won a title as opposed to never having won a playoff series like Darren Fox did in Sacramento. And I do think that the Nuggets have done a really good job despite what Bond Tims might want to complain about improving the supporting cast around Joker. And you know, hey, Denver is the team that pushed the Thunder to seven games this year. I think Thunder win regardless. But Aaron Gordon playing on a, you know, ripped hamstring certainly didn't help Dimmer's cause in game seven went out and improved the bench depth from there. So there. I don't see this as some kind of danger sign for the Nuggets, but you're always more comfortable when you've got your guy locked up as long term as possible.

[Tim Bontemps]

Well, what it is going to do is put a whole big spot on Denver next season. And you know, the Nuggets are going to have to show that the moves that they made actually did improve the roster and actually do give them a better chance of going deep in the playoffs. Because look, for everything that we have said here about and you guys are correct and that it didn't, you know, it certainly makes sense why Jokic didn't extend and it would make sense. You know, Josh Crockey himself brought up the fact that he might not. It still doesn't change the fact that he didn't. And for a team that has come under fire, I think fairly for some of the moves they have made in recent memory. It is going to, I think put a further magnifying glass on this upcoming season. And if they do lose in the first round or lose in the second round again and Jonas Valentunas isn't playable in the playoffs and Bruce Brown doesn't replicate what he did a couple of years ago and Tim Hardaway isn't that effective or, you know, the young guys don't step forward or whatever, you know, there are going to become natural questions going into next summer about all right, well, is Nikola Jokic going to extend now and if he doesn't, what's Denver going to do? Like that's going to be hanging over him now?

[Tim McMahon]

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[Brian Windhorst]

What about Luka Doncic extending now? He doesn't have much incentive financially either.

[Tim McMahon]

Well, I think the what would make sense there is to do the short term extension to get him to 10 years when he's renegotiating the next one and then, you know, get you to a higher level financially. But hey, I. I don't know. I don't know where Lucas stands right now in terms of what's been going on with the Lakers. You know, I. I do know one.

[Brian Windhorst]

Thing, one thing I'll say about Luca. There is something to be said for signaling to especially the new ownership group that I want to be your partner. And there are worse Bontemps doesn't like that there are worse brands to commit to and worst ownership groups to commit to than the Lakers and Mark Walter. So what what Luca could do, even though there may not be a financial benefit for him, connect, you know, him connecting right now there is something to be said for saying to the new ownership, let's get into business together and let's begin a process of doing this together. There is a value to that because if the Lakers know that Luca is invested, even if it is for a short deal, McMahon they can make some decisions that are a certain way. And I do think there's a value to that that at least has to be considered. So like de' Aaron Fox, if you know when Darren Fox didn't extend it was a message that he wasn't necessarily for firmly committed to the partnership. Even if Luca can leave his options open, there's something to be said for saying that you're committed to the partnership.

[Tim McMahon]

And again, which I do, yeah, I do think that shorter term extension makes a lot of sense for a lot of reasons financially puts him in the best possible position. And let's, let's just be honest. The Lakers aren't a bad franchise to bid on, especially now that they have the deepest pockets of any ownership group in the NBA. They've got a lot of.

[Brian Windhorst]

It's not deeper than Ballmer, but okay.

[Tim McMahon]

Well, sure, okay.

[Brian Windhorst]

Much deeper pockets than they had extraordinarily.

[Tim McMahon]

Deep pockets and the, the best brand in the NBA in, you know, in terms of marketing and all those kind of things. And we'll see how the deandre Ayton thing works out. But I believe Luca was on board with that obviously. Same representation, same draft class, all those sort of things. The LeBron stuff.

[Brian Windhorst]

Not.

[Tim McMahon]

Not ideal. And that is a guy that Luca grew up, you know, he was his favorite player growing up and, and just quite frankly like the way the Dorian Finney Smith thing went down. Not ideal. It's one of Luka's all time favorite teammates and you know the contracts came out and I get the Lakers prioritizing cap space in the summer of 27. Wendy, did you see. Is there any guaranteed money enduring Finishmas contract after 26, 27?

[Brian Windhorst]

There is not. It's just a two year guarantee.

[Tim Bontemps]

Huh.

[Tim McMahon]

I thought I found that to be interesting. I don't think it was the. I don't. I don't think that Dorian Finney Smith left real thrilled with how the Lakers front office handled that whole situation, which isn't ideal. Not ideal.

[Brian Windhorst]

All right, well, Bon Temps is wants to say something before you get to.

[Tim Bontemps]

Dorian, Finney Smith, entire conversation, insane. I don't understand why it gets up to Luka Doncic to like just bowed out to the Lakers to say, hey, we should have a partnership here going forward. To me, the Lakers have to show Luka Doncic they deserve to have a partnership with him. I mean, this is a team that is a mess at the moment. And I mean the Dorian finish Smith thing does not look great for them and they do not have a lot of talent on the roster and this is not a team that Luka Doncic has any sort of loyalty to. They traded for him out of the blue five months ago and now he's there. And I don't see why. To me, if I'm Luka Doncic and I'm his representation, to me I'm keeping all my options open till next summer. It doesn't do them any good to sign an extension now and take options off the table next summer. To me it doesn't do any good to take any pressure off the Lakers to try to improve. Luka Doncic isn't to me in a position where he should be cool with them having some two or three year rebuilding plan. The Lakers could hardly put contending teams around Anthony Davis and LeBron James. Like they've made one conference finals in the last five years. Like, this is not a team that, this is not a team to me that deserves some sort of long Runway for, oh, hey, trust us to some sort. Three years, your career into our hands and we're going to build a good team around you. Like if I'm Luke, I'm saying I'm Bill Duffy and his, his representation, I'm saying, all right guys, like let's see what you're going to do. Like you're going to wait two years to sign players that the plan. You're going to wait till next summer to sign players. Like okay, like let's see, like there's going to be a lot of cap space next summer, a lot of options next summer. I just think that some sort, to me the only this is a one way transaction. If Luca signs this extension where Luke is doing the Lakers a gigantic favor, some sort of doing any favors for himself. Whereas to me, I'm putting all the pressure on the Lakers to try to continue to do smart things to build this team around him as opposed to putting blind faith in them to do so for the next three years of his career. Some sort. Some sort. Some sort. Some sort. Some sort.

[Tim McMahon]

Some sort.

[Tim Bontemps]

Some sort. Some sort.

[Tim McMahon]

He was in the eye of, you know, the storm in terms of being the focal point of the most controversial trade in NBA history. Having his life uprooted. There was all kinds of stuff swirling around him after that. If he doesn't extend, what's the primary focal point of the Lakers day to day coverage going to be? It'll. It'll be, it would be like KD in his last year, no OKC or his last year in Golden State. Do you want to deal with that block black cloud covering and those constant questions day after day after day after day, knowing the season is going to be a complete circus. And if he does a short term extension, he still has leverage because we all understand if he demanded a trade next off season, he would have power because he wouldn't be locked up long term. He wouldn't be locked into a four year deal like Dame Lower was when he finally tried to get his way or did successfully got his way out. Just not where he wanted to go from Portland. So that's why I think, I think the short term deal is I, if he, I don't anticipate Luke will call and ask for my advice. Hasn't happened yet. But if he does, that's what I'd.

[Brian Windhorst]

Tell him in a vacuum. I understand what you're saying, Bontemps. And if that's the route that he goes, there are certain. It is certainly defensible because of the change in ownership. I think there is a window for him to say let's get into business together.

[Tim Bontemps]

Is Mark Walter the governor of the team?

[Brian Windhorst]

I understand that Jeanie Buss.

[Tim Bontemps]

Is Mark Walter the governor of the team? Is there a new, is there a new general manager of the team?

[Brian Windhorst]

Well, these are the conversations where Luca would be able to have the conversation and find that out. And if he didn't like what he heard on that, then there'll be a different story.

[Tim Bontemps]

Well, I'm just, I'm just, I think.

[Brian Windhorst]

You'Re getting into business. You're getting into business Mark Walter is what you're doing.

[Tim McMahon]

What I would say, I think Luka.

[Tim Bontemps]

Doncic can get into business with whoever he wants and I would keep all of my options open as long as possible. And then if I want to sign a two year extension next summer, I could still do that. Like that's all.

[Tim McMahon]

Well, I think Luca, I just don't.

[Brian Windhorst]

I think one of the things, without speaking for him, I think he has learned what ownership means and how ownership can be a big factor in the NBA. So.

[Tim McMahon]

And he's learned. Yeah, he's learned how when the ownership loves you, life's great and when things change, you know, you lose leverage. But I'm just. Let's just use Luke's own words. June 19, right after the sale, his tweet the Lakers are an amazing organization. I'm looking forward to meeting Mark and excited about the future. I am also grateful to Jeanne and the Buss family for welcoming me to la, and I'm happy that Jeanne will continue to be involved. I look forward to working with both of them to win championships with an exclamation point. Now, I anticipate that Laura Beth Sager, Luca's business manager, probably pinned those words, but Luca certainly approved them before they went out on his social media. So that's the last thing we heard. And again, I think if you're looking forward to working with them, but you'd like to maintain leverage, flexibility and maximize your financial position, the short term extension makes sense.

[Tim Bontemps]

I'll say his actions over words and we'll find out on August 2nd.

[Brian Windhorst]

I love it. We will see. Probably. Hello. You know what?

[Tim McMahon]

I don't rule out this thing not being settled until after Eurobasket.

[Brian Windhorst]

Of course.

[Tim McMahon]

The whole reason, the whole reason, it's an August 2nd, that's fine.

[Tim Bontemps]

Sure.

[Tim McMahon]

I just wanted just to let people know who.

[Tim Bontemps]

Yeah, no, it's a good point.

[Tim McMahon]

The whole reason it's August 2nd and not like July 2nd is because it has to be time to win. The contract was signed and the reason it was signed Aug. 2 is because his deal with the Mavericks was, hey, I'm gonna go play for Slovenia. This is the year when they qualified for the Olympics and then, you know, made the run in the Olympics and we'll, we'll take care of business after the Olympics. And so I wouldn't be surprised at all if he told the Lakers, hey, Euro basket's coming and I'm going to play in Euro basket for my, for my national team. And we'll take care of this after that.

[Brian Windhorst]

Which by the way, euro pointing out.

[Tim Bontemps]

St. Jean Lakers assistant is working with the Slovenian national team this summer. Also just sign of the partnership between Luca and the Lakers too.

[Brian Windhorst]

Yeah. And by the way, they the Euro Basket goes from August 27 through September 14, but there's exhibitions leading up to it. So he certainly could do his business if he wanted to before that, but it wouldn't be out of the realm of understanding that he would do it after. So we may not get the the the but, but he will in theory do interviews between there he doesn't have To I guess it's not the NBA.

[Tim McMahon]

What he did last time, what he did last time was that I'm focused on my national team. I'm not talking about the Mavericks or the NBA.

[Brian Windhorst]

And by the way, that would be understandable. Brad Stevens gave a press conference on Tuesday talking about the Celtics and their situation. And look, he said what you have to say, which is that the reason that they had to make these trades to take their team down was the second apron. They knew this was coming to a certain extent. He said rather definitively, we will not use the term rebuild. However, they do need to rebuild now. They don't need to rebuild their core players. They have three core players that they're keeping and Jason Tatum hopefully will make it back and everything like that. But they do need to rebuild their role players.

[Tim McMahon]

And whether, okay, a rebuild is like ground up, not with two supermax guys.

[Brian Windhorst]

Want to do it. That's not, It's. They need, they're going to need to get some more players, bottom line.

[Tim Bontemps]

Correct, Correct. They have to rework the roster. I mean, look, they, they moved on Chris as Porzingis for George Nang, essentially they moved on for Jihadi for Anthony Simons, who I think is a stop gap option. And I could see them potentially move on from if they could save some more money on his.

[Brian Windhorst]

I mean, they are like. I have talked to other teams who have said the Celtics are actively trying to trade Anthony Simons. Like whether they can or not.

[Tim Bontemps]

The Celtics. It would behoove the Celtics for a variety of reasons to get out of the luxury tax this season, to reset their repeater mover and to like, look, you know, I think we're going to get into Al Horford in a minute. Lou Cornet was introduced I believe Tuesday in San Antonio with his new team, the Spurs. He is no longer with the Celtics.

[Tim McMahon]

You see. Hey, why he said he was. He took number seven. He. Because he hopes. He said because he hopes to be one third the player that.

[Brian Windhorst]

Tim Duncan. Tim Duncan.

[Tim Bontemps]

That's. That is that. I could see Luke. I could actually see Luke saying that. It's pretty funny. But no, look, they. And, and as Brad also said, you know, Al Horford, very unlikely to return to Boston. This is also not a surprise based off where the Celtics are at. Again, go back to the Jason Tatum injury. The Jason Tatum injury set off a whole cascading series of events across the league, let alone in Boston. And if Jason Tatum is healthy and the Celtics are trying to win the east next year, Al Horford is not Going anywhere. But with the Celtics very clearly in a rebuild, retool, you know, reset, whatever you want to call the 20, 25, 26 season, what it is not, is a season where they're trying to win the Eastern Conference. And if you're Al Horford, who's approaching his 40th birthday, who has, you know, at most a couple of years left probably in the league, even though it looks like he could play another 10, he wants to be competitive. And so he to me, is the number one free agent available in terms of guys that can really move the needle in terms of the championship picture.

[Brian Windhorst]

Next year, the unrestricted guys, there's some good restricted players, but he's again, he.

[Tim Bontemps]

Is in terms of guys who are moving the needle for next season to change the championship picture, Al Horford is the best player available, period.

[Tim McMahon]

And I think you could ask Steve.

[Tim Bontemps]

Kerr is going to make them better.

[Tim McMahon]

You could say Steve Kerr, hey, who would you rather have in your roster next year, Al Horford or Jonathan Kaminga? And tell me what tell me tells you. Ask him over.

[Brian Windhorst]

He would answer that one very diplomatically is what he would do.

[Tim McMahon]

Ask him, ask him over. Survey.

[Brian Windhorst]

Well, he might have both. So he would say, you'd probably say, I'd like to have both, which he might have.

[Tim Bontemps]

Say like that, both. And I'll. And Al Horford would have a really good home if he lands in Golden State. But look, wherever Al winds up is going to be on a team that's got a shot to win and he's going to have a big impact, especially if he can be in a situation like he was in Boston where He can play 50 to 60 games and be fully ready to go in the playoffs. Because I thought the Celtics vanished in the last couple of years perfectly and had him ready to go when it mattered. And when he ramped it up against big opponents or in the playoffs, he still could have a massive impact even though he's approaching his 40th birthday.

[Brian Windhorst]

Yeah, and speaking of Porzingis, Ansi Sala, the general manager of the Hawks, spoke today and he said they have no concern about Chris Epsourzingus's health. So I thought I'd put that out there as well.

[Tim McMahon]

You know, the Celtics lost their number one Euro basket. Yeah, but you know the Celtics, so the Celtics, their four string center is penciled in as their starter now, but it's not like a major concern going in the season because it's a gap year for them and you know, maybe, maybe a Luca Garza or, or help Me out with it.

[Brian Windhorst]

Josh Minor.

[Tim McMahon]

And no, he's not a big Keita.

[Tim Bontemps]

He's talking about Nevis Keita, who is Portuguese actually where I'm at at the moment, or Portugal. My guess is he'll be. My guess is he'll be starting and he, look, he's a super interesting player. I mean, he's a seven footer who can really jump. He can move his feet. Like he's an interesting developmental guy that was on a two way in the past. Boston converted him and he like, I think he's going to get a lot of minutes next year. He's going to get a chance to develop. He could be a really good long term piece for them. But that's what next season is going to be about. It's going to be about. You just said, Brian, can Josh my to turn into a piece for them? Can Luke Garza be a piece for them? Maybe. Can they find some other guys? Can who you go Gonzalez, the guy they drafted from Real Madrid play for them. That, that's what, 25? And look, here's the thing about.

[Brian Windhorst]

Not if it's going to, if it's going to be a gap year, make it a gap year. So this is what I'm saying. People may say, well, why would the Celtics try to retrade Anthony Simons? The guy is an electric scorer. They need something like that. The answer is not because they don't like him. The answer is because they're trying to make it a true gap year. Get out of the tax, reset the repeater, reset the luxury tax, put themselves.

[Tim Bontemps]

In a position to Dallas Mavericks and jump up in the lottery and get Aaron Peterson or Nate Amen or AJ Debancer or Cameron Boozer or whoever.

[Tim McMahon]

Although it's a hell of a lot easier to land in the lottery in the west than it is the East.

[Brian Windhorst]

That's true. The Jazz are going to make that clear. As a reminder, there are still some tickets left. By the way, I was told it's close to a sellout, and I wouldn't just say that to try to get people to buy tickets. I was close to a sellout. So. So whatever that's worth to you, it's a Saturday night at the Brad Garrett Comedy Club at the MGM Grand. McMahon and I will be there. Will Bon Temps make it from Portugal?

[Tim McMahon]

God, I hope not.

[Brian Windhorst]

We'll literally fly back and forth across the Atlantic just to do this, this podcast because I believe he's supposed to be in Portugal for multiple weeks. Oh, guess we'll find out that is correct.

[Tim McMahon]

How committed is Bond?

[Tim Bontemps]

We will find out.

[Brian Windhorst]

Yeah.

[Tim Bontemps]

We will find out.

[Brian Windhorst]

Hoopcollectivelive.com all right, thank you to McMahon. Thank you to Bontemps. Thank you to Rafa, our favorite Mexican who is producing today. Thank you for watching and listening.

[Tim McMahon]

Hold on a second. The IT Department.

[Brian Windhorst]

Because you're married?

[Tim McMahon]

My God. I'm sorry, Rafa. You're nowhere near my favorite.

[Brian Windhorst]

You know. You know, I wouldn't. I was gonna say the podcast, but, you know, you wouldn't be on the air half the time. It wasn't for your favorite Mexican. All right, thank you for listening and watching Hoop Collective. We'll see you soon.

[Tim McMahon]

Adios, amigos.

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[Tim McMahon]

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[Tim McMahon]

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