Lessons for the Celtics from the Conference Finals + Mid Level Exception Targets

Summary

Green With Envy: A Boston Celtics Podcast
Episode: Lessons for the Celtics from the Conference Finals + Mid Level Exception Targets
Date: May 21, 2026
Hosts: Will & Greg Manakis

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Episode Overview

In this episode, hosts Will and Greg dive deep into the Boston Celtics’ offseason roster strategy, specifically breaking down lessons from the current NBA Conference Finals and identifying potential targets for the Celtics’ mid level exception (MLE). Using recent playoffs as a lens—especially the Spurs vs. Thunder and Knicks vs. Cavs series—they assess what player archetypes the Celtics truly need to chase Banner 19. The latter half of the show focuses on specific free agent targets by position, with candid debate on fit, upside, and realism.

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1. Lessons from the Conference Finals

Epic Playoff Atmosphere & Celtics Envy

• The hosts kick off with reactions to ongoing Conference Finals, noting the quality and intensity of play, despite Boston’s absence.
  • “Pretty epic start to the conference finals. If the Celtics can't be in it, give me two weeks of what we've got in the last three nights...” – Will [03:10]
• Greg admits to rooting for Spurs-Nicks as the dream Finals matchup, voicing a strong distaste for the Thunder:
  • “I hate the Thunder.” – Greg [03:36]

Physicality, Defensive Officiating, and ‘Letting Them Play’

• The pod highlights the trend of physical, borderline illegal defense being let go by officials.
  • “Isaiah Hartenstein got away with like literal murder... grabbing Stefan Castle by the dreads, trying to yank his head off his body... they're just grabbing him anytime he goes to the paint.” – Greg [03:44]
• Comparison between series officiating—what’s called as a foul and when—affects game outcomes and player psyche.

Spurs’ Identity vs. Celtics’ Old Identity

• Greg laments that the Spurs’ current ethos, next-man-up mentality, and positional flexibility echoes what the Celtics were before reverting to ‘Tatum ball’ in the playoffs:
  • “This is how we played before Tatum came back. Like, why did we just change our entire identity going into the playoffs instead of just going back into Tatum ball?” – Greg [05:26]
• Will expands, noting the Spurs’ plug-and-play mentality, rebounding by committee, and successful integration of new bodies mid-series—contrasting with Celtics hesitancy to deploy young players against Philly.

Example of Rookies and Depth

• Will singles out Spurs rookie Carter Bryant being thrown into high-leverage defensive assignments—something Celtics never did with their own young athletes:
  • “Why wouldn't Jordan Walsh and Or Ugo Gonzalez be part of this...make life tough on [Maxey]?...If we just did this, we might still be playing basketball.” – Will [08:56]

Eastern Conference Weakness and Celtics Regret

• The hosts ridicule the Cavs’ collapse (and coaching), reflecting on how “preventable” it all seemed, and bemoan that Boston couldn’t at least test the Knicks in Round 2:
  • “That team sucks—the definition of failing upwards.” – Will, on Cavs [09:35]
  • “Congratulations, Knicks fans. You’re going to be in the Finals. But it just pisses me off that the Celtics couldn't at least give the Knicks a fight in the second round.” – Greg [11:35]

The Giannis Factor: Trade Value Skyrocketing

• They speculate that the dominance and youth of Western powers (Wemby’s Spurs, Thunder) push Giannis Antetokounmpo’s trade value ever higher. Teams will overpay, seeing him as the only answer for a Wemby-dominated league:
  • “Giannis Antetokounmpo's trade value goes higher and higher each passing day when you see what's going on in the Western Conference... Would you trade Jalen Brown for Giannis? Would you trade Jason Tatum for Giannis?” – Greg [16:26]

Youthful Mistakes and Media Narratives

• Both hosts note the double-standard between media/fan reaction to young stars’ errors versus veterans:
  • “Can you imagine if Jalen Brown had 20 turnovers in the first two games, what the media would be saying?” – Greg [18:17]
  • “Because of [Castle’s] age, it's just like, hey, just gotta roll with it, man.” – Will [19:45]

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2. Celtics’ Offseason: Roster Strategy & MLE Targets

Setting the Table

• The Celtics have the non-taxpayer mid level exception (up to ~$15M) to offer to a free agent.
• The framework: Identify five top candidates—two guards, two wings/forwards, one center—who could help in high-leverage series, mimicking the athleticism and versatility seen in the current playoffs.

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Guard Targets

Tier 1 (unrealistic/dream)

• Ayo Dosunmu (Timberwolves): Both agree he’s the best fit, but likely to be retained by Minnesota at a value north of the MLE.
  • “He's probably going to command 20 to 25, maybe even upwards of $30 million a year... but if we could somehow get him for the mid level, he'd be my first choice.” – Greg [21:48]

Tier 2 (realistic)

• Anfernee Simons (Ex-Celtic, Bulls): Could fill a glaring shot-creation void; familiar with the system.
  • “There were times in the series I was like, an Inferno would be nice right about now.” – Will [24:12]
• Quentin Grimes (Knicks): Defensive, athletic, likely attainable at MLE or less.
  • “I've always been super high on Quentin Grimes. I don't know that he's worth the full mid level... maybe 10-12 [million], which you could do.” – Greg [24:32]

Other Names Discussed

• Norm Powell: Might price out of MLE; versatile, offense/defense.
• Kobe White, CJ McCollum: Both offer offense, not needle-movers in Finals-caliber series.
• Bruce Brown Jr.: Best defender of the realistic options.
  • “I think there's a world where Bruce Brown Jr. is [the pick].” – Greg [29:11]
• Gary Payton II: Defense, lacks shooting.
• Keon Ellis, Colin Gillespie, Landry Shamet: Depth options, more likely for bargain contracts.

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Forward/Wing Targets

Top Options

• Kelly Oubre Jr.: Offense bursts, defensive toughness, fits Celtics’ culture.
  • “I like that he's just a bit of a wild card...you need that little bit [of unpredictability].” – Will [33:10]
• Rui Hachimura (Lakers): Consistent shooter, size, could be an ideal 5th starter or high-end reserve.
  • “Rui was well over 40% from three...give me Rui Hachimura all day, every day.” – Greg [35:02]
• Both Oubre and Rui are questioned if they will be available at MLE, but are considered worth a swing.

Others

• John Collins: Name value only; underwhelms in real impact.
• Simone Fontecchio: Shooting specialist, more likely available for $10M.
• Jae’Sean Tate: Defensive energy, age may be a concern.
• Bruce Brown Jr.: Again noted as a versatile piece.
• Ben Matherin (restricted): If available, that’s a clear top target (“he can hang athletically. He has a you to him.” – Greg [37:32]), but unlikely due to RFA status.

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Center Targets

Top Option

• Mitchell Robinson (Knicks): High-impact, limited-minutes big who changes games defensively.
  • “He's just a great curveball...such a good fit for playoff basketball...I think he's the only guy in the league that Joe Missoula is actually petrified of.” – Will [41:28, 42:20]
  • Limitation: Only 15 minutes possible per game, foul and injury prone. Pay should match the role.

Other Possibilities

• Robert Williams III (Ex-Celtic): Fan-favorite, but injury history is a red flag for any key role.
  • “I just can't gamble years of the Jays...on guys that I don't know if they're going to be available.” – Will [43:37]
• Nurkic: Flat rejection from both hosts.
• Nikola Vucevic: “Worst experiment possible” – ruled out [39:58]
• General theme: No more gambling big money on consistently injured bigs.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• “The solution seems to be maybe it's Giannis Antetokounmpo. Would you trade Jalen Brown for Giannis?” – Greg [16:26]
• “I can't waste a spot of my top three, four, five guys…on guys that I don't know if they're going to be available...” – Will [43:37]
• “[Stephon] Castle, we are making so many excuses for you because you’re in your second year and just so goddamn fun to watch. But we’ve watched Jalen for a decade, and if he ever did that or if Tatum ever did that, they’d be getting ripped a new ass.” – Greg [18:17]
• “Galaxy Brain Greg is going to be on full display [Sunday] when it comes to the Jason Tatum episode.” – Will, plugging next episode [45:13]

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3. Structure: The Celtics’ Offseason Playbook

Key Takeaways:

• Celtics should prioritize young, athletic, switchable players who can actually play in deep playoff series.
• Sacrificing flexibility or availability for ‘name’ value or injury-prone talent is a mistake in the current league context.
• The Conference Finals spotlighted the difference between teams with modern, adaptable depth and those clinging to outdated playstyles (i.e., "Tatum ball").
• The MLE, though useful, likely won’t land a home run, but can help secure the kind of strong, versatile role players Celtics need.
• More major changes (including trading Jaylen or Tatum) are on the table for discussion in future episodes.

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4. Segment Timestamps

• [02:35] – Playoff reactions, officiating, and lessons from Spurs-Thunder
• [05:21] – Comparing Spurs’ system to Celtics’ past identity
• [08:56] – Celtics reluctance to play rookies, Spurs praised for doing so
• [09:35] – Cavs collapse, Knicks Finals path, Boston regret
• [15:16] – Trade market: Giannis’ value and Celtics’ big-picture decisions
• [18:01] – Media bias for young stars versus veterans
• [19:49] – Transition to MLE and Boston’s off-season priorities
• [21:48] – Guard MLE candidates, who’s realistic/unrealistic
• [32:46] – Forward MLE candidates, depth, and philosophy
• [39:58] – Center options and the injury risk assessment
• [44:56] – Overarching team-building philosophy: No more health gambles

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5. Tone & Closing

The hosts maintain a mix of sharp frustration (over Celtics’ inertia and playoff collapse), analytic breakdown, and trademark wit. Their Celtics loyalty is evident, but so is a ruthless clarity about what the team needs to change. The podcast is ideal for fans craving a candid, in-the-weeds breakdown of both league trends and Boston’s real options.

Look ahead:
Next episode promises even hotter takes, with Jason Tatum trade hypotheticals on the docket.

• “Sunday's pod, we're trading Jason Tatum. Bring your fake Jason Tatum trades.” – Greg [44:56]

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This summary omits all ad reads and non-basketball talk for a focused, information-rich recap.

Transcript

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[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

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[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

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[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

This is Mike Gorman and you're listening

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

to Green with Envy with Will and Greg. All right, everybody. We are continuing our tour of the Boston Celtics roster this offseason. Tonight we're taking a look at the mid level exception. About $15 million the Celtics have to spend here. We're going to go through the options. We're going to try to settle on our top five options that you guys should keep an eye on. And we're doing this fresh off of. We're live on YouTube. Live on. We're doing this fresh off of the Thunder Jo just beating the spurs to tie up that series one one conference finals through three games on both sides have been so epic. We got to give you our thoughts on that. So we're going to talk a little conference finals. We're going to talk some mid level exception. Sounds like a pretty awesome Wednesday night if you ask me. So let's sit back, lock in. You guys know the deal. This is Green with envy. Let's lock in.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

Oh,

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

Welcome into another edition of Green with Envy. Technically agreeing with envy post game live, not the Celtics game. But instead of recording early night, we we just decided this Thunder Spur series is too epic. We can't miss it. We're going to. We're going to put off some of our, our, our sleep just to be able to record a podcast after that game and be able to watch it. Thunder tie the series 1 1. As always, this is your boy, Will. We're checking in. How you doing? How you living? Joining me as he does each and every time, my best friend, co host and the coach of our podcast, the one and only Greg Manakis. Greg, pretty, pretty epic start to the conference finals. If the Celtics can't be in it. Give me, give me two weeks of what we've got in the last three nights and, and you know, it's not the same, but I'll take it.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

It's fun, man. It's fun. Who are you rooting for?

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

Oh, I mean, I want Spurs. Nicks. Spurs. Nicks is one like thousand percent where I'm at. Thunder just, you know, we've talked a little bit about it. They. They kind of just don't do it for me. I don't hate them, but I just like, I don't want to go back.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

I hate the Thunder.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

Okay. We can. I mean, I mean it's pretty awkward. It's a good night for it.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

Oh, my God. Isaiah Hartenstein got away with like literal murder. Grabbing Stefan Castle by the dreads, trying to yank his head off his body. It's like, what are we doing, referees, allowing the Thunder to just grab what? Like the, the T. Wolf started to do this to Wemby in. In the previous series. Gobert, anytime he would be in the paint and when we would go up to block a shot, he would just hold one of his arms. And the refs are allowing people to do that. I get it. You can't call everything, but you can't allow people to do that. Like it's just a foul. It's like ruining the game when I'm watching because every time I'm just looking for it, I see it on every possession. Like they're just grabbing him anytime he goes to the pain. Like the Gore Todd screens, they're not clean screens. They're illegal. All the stuff that they're doing is illegal and the refs are just allowing them get away with it. So I was getting funny.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

It's kind of funny last comparing it to last night, right, where you think about that Nick Scabs game where Nick's have his epic comeback. But. But Cat nearly blows it because he's grabbing people and he did it twice in the second half and it wasn't nearly as like. I mean, it was. It was pretty obvious, but they just called it. Right. And so it's. If you're cat and you're sitting at home watching this game, you got to be sitting there going, what the man? Like, how does he get away with it? And like, I nearly cost my team an epic comeback with. With what I got called.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

I wasn't expect. I wasn't expecting a defensive cat to start the pod, but I. I like it. I like it. That's great. You know, I think it's fun watching this conference finals. Obviously, you have to think about the Celtics and you know what? I was thinking about? 2. 2 thoughts. How many guys on our current roster could hang in this series? Secondly, how much.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

You're specifically referring to the OKC spurs series when you say how many can hang in this year?

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

Correct. Okay. Okc. Yeah, the game we were just talking about OKC and Spurs. How many guys could actually hang in that series? And secondly, the spurs have the DNA. Obviously they have Wemby. But just like the ethos of everything that they do was what we were before Tatum came back, which is so frustrating. I was texting with Phil. I was like, this is how we played before Tatum come back. Like, why did we just change our entire identity going into the playoffs when just put Tatum into the identity that was there instead of just going back into Tatum ball. It just drove me crazy about the. About the playoffs and the way that we played. Just reverting back to bad habits.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

Yeah, on that. On that latter point, I've had very similar thoughts where, I mean, you see they're losing ball handlers. Jordan McLaughlin comes in and like, he plays okay, right? Like he steps like they just kind of go next man up and they're gonna play their asses off and they're gonna have multiple guys. And the thing is, like, to your point, like, the. The spurs play very similar to the Celtics in that pre Tatum. Like, we were very undersized. Like, we had two centers and then we were basically undersized at the power forward position or whoever you wanted to call the power forward. And it does show up at certain points in this game tonight for the spurs where it's just like, oh, like you guys are masquerading like Devin Vassell and Julian Champagne as your power forwards, who are like 6, 4, 6, 5. But in the same way that they have Castle and Harper before the injury and all these guys that are. That are getting five, six, seven, eight rebounds. That was Shireman, that was Gonzalez for us. That was Jordan Walsh. Like these guys where you look up and you're like, oh, man. Baylor shireman had a 10.13 rebound game at the end of the season.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

It was Josh Minot. You know what I mean? Like, we were just plugging all these dudes in that they just played, like, a very specific role. The one thing that the spurs have, they just have more talent on their roster than the Celtics have. Like, the shots. Devon Vesel sitting this game tonight, like, none of the dudes that we just spent.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

Give me your thoughts on Devin V.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

He's made me a believer, bro. Like, I. I was so.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

And we've dated him a couple times. Yeah.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

Yeah.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

And he.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

He's been great, man. Like, the games, all the. I watched every single game against the Thunder this year, and I thought his defense on SGA was the first time I, like, really started to see Devin Vassell beyond my bias, which was seeing him in person and him playing, like, every time I would go see him in person. But I'm a believer now in Devon Vesel. Man, shot making is crazy. He's just plays really well within the offense. Plays above his. Above his size. I think he's a little bigger than 6, 4, 6, 5. I think he's more like 6, 6.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

Yeah, he's like. He's. He's. Yeah, he's like. He's. He's probably the biggest out of anyone that plays consistent minutes, like, say, for Harrison Barnes and Carter Bryant I think is a little bit bigger as well, too. And he's another guy that Greg maybe trying to. Again, thinking of, like, how does this compare to the Celtics or what? Can you. What can you connect it to, you know, watching him more so in. In game one. I missed a few parts of this game doing. Doing dad duties, but watching the, you know, parts of. Of game one where Carter Bryant's in there. And you know what? He didn't play consistent minutes in the Timberwolf series. Right. Just wasn't the right matchup. He didn't. That's fine. But then watching him come in game one of the Western Conference finals, and it's like, listen, you're gonna play. And he ended up playing 13 minutes, like, but you're gonna guard SGA. You're going to be the head of, like, our defensive concept, which was showing bodies, and I saw that. I'm just like, damn, Carter Bryant's a rookie. And, you know, Mitch Johnson is like, this is part of our game plan. And I'm just thinking back to, like, the Sixer series, and I'm like, why wouldn't Jordan Walsh and Or Ugo Gonzalez be part of this for just throwing them at Maxi, like over and over again, right? Like showing bodies, showing athletic guys, physical strong guys that are going to make life tough on him. And we just so rarely. And B, never with Ugo Gonzalez really, because he didn't play until game seven and barely with Jordan Walsh did it. Two guys that kind of felt like they could have disrupted that rhythm. And I'm watching the way that Mitch Johnson to your point is amplifying the identity of the spurs and it's killing me to your exact point, to start all this, that it's like, man, if we just did this, we might still be playing basketball. We might still be actually doing podcasts on real games.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

I mean, you see the Cavs against the Knicks last night. Like, really? The Cavs are still playing basketball right now.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

That team sucks the definition of failing upwards. They failed upwards into the Eastern Conference finals. That's, that's how the Cavs got here with two horrible seven game series against the Raptors and the Pistons and then just a colossal choke job last night.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

Did you see Kenny Atkinson after the game? He was like, I, I didn't, I didn't think about taking James Harden out of the game. He's been one of our best defenders entire playoffs. It's like, yeah, you've been playing teams. Now you're, now you're playing, now you're playing against Jalen Brunson and the Knicks.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

Like, come on man, you played, you played the Raptors. Who's, who does. They don't like RJ Barrett was their end of game offense. Yeah, you, you, you play the Pistons who have Cade. No one else.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

Yeah, it's like, oh, Congratulations, you guarded S.R. thompson. Good job. James Harden. Like, like what?

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

Yeah, it was, it was just ridiculous to watch and like watching it in real time, like there was. It's one of these things that, that sometimes as you're sitting on the couch watching, you just don't know. But you, you want to know like what's going on inside the heads of the coaches and players where it's like, okay, you guys see what's happening, right? Like one, Kenny Atkinson, why are you not calling a timeout to change your defensive approach? Number two, Donovan Mitchell. Why are you not going to get the ball at all on offense? You're the best player basically all of fourth quarter in ot, I think you touched the ball twice maybe. And again back to Kenny Atkinson. Why are you not calling a timeout to get Donovan Mitchell the ball? Like, like how are none of these things happening and you're just watching it all collapse in real time. And as, as great as the Knicks were in that comeback, which felt way too reminiscent of Celtics Knicks last year, like just watching that again, I was like, oh God, this is making me queasy. I know what's coming right now. It's just like it was. And it felt kind of similar for the Celtics. Like if you're a Cavs fan, you're like, that sucked. And Knicks deserve credit, but felt kind of preventable. Like it felt like there was moments to at least attempt to prevent this.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

Call a timeout. Kenny Akit. They like, like literally I was like this. I texted in our group chat. I was like, this is just the Celtics. This is exactly what happened to the Celtics last year where they just forgot if they, if they just won a couple more possessions, you know, at the five minute mark, maybe it's back to 20. Instead they don't call a timeout. They have a couple bad possessions and all of a sudden it's eight and you're like, holy, this is a game now. And there were plenty of opportunities for them to stem the tide and they just didn't. And when you compare the Eastern Conference and it's going to be the Knicks, like the Cavs needed to win game one. The Knicks are going to be in the NBA. Ye. Congratulations, Knicks fans. You're going to be in the finals. Like, I'm, I'm, I'm truly, truly happy for like our friends that are Knicks fans. But like, it just pisses me off that the Celtics couldn't at least give the Knicks a fight in the second round. Like, what the hell were we doing this year? But I mean, when you watch the Thunder against the spurs, look, Tac texted us this. He was like, man, this is like best outcome possible for, for Knicks fans because you already see guys going down. J Dub went down tonight. Dylan Harper. Darren. Darren Fox hasn't even played.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

Mitchell might have got banged up a little bit at the very end of the game.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

You know, like Wemby, you saw what they were doing at Wemby tonight. By the end of this seven game series, he's going to be beat up after just getting beat up in the previous round. So the Knicks are going to be in pretty good shape going into the finals because they're not going to be getting a fully healthy team, either the Thunder or the spurs after this war of attrition that we're seeing in the, the Western Conference finals.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

Yeah, I think with the cavs blowing Game 1. I think a sweep is potentially on the table, but I still think probably a gentleman sweep, five or four one is probably what you're going to get on that side. Spurs, Thunder, I, I mean, number one, just for my own entertainment value, I hope it goes seven games. But like, even aside from like some of the. With the Thunder, like game one is like an all time historic game. Like I will forever remember like those moments this game tonight, like I know the Thunder one. The Thunder felt a lot more comfortable that the Thunder had a lot more answers tonight than they did in, in game one. I was still really impressed with the spurs losing Harper halfway through the game and already not having Fox, like just finding a way to remain competitive. And they kept making these runs where it was like, I almost texted you a couple times. Of course after last night, there was no way we were going to pod before this game ended. But there's a few times where I was like, we should probably start prepping. When it was like 10 points and all of a sudden it was like Vassell hit two shots or you know, Wemby hits. Wemby does the. I like that Wemby misses shots on purpose just so he knows he can go get the rebound. He does.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

But then he tried to do it at the end of the game and A.J. mitchell got in there and boxed him out before he could do it. That was the Same sneaky high IQ play by AJ Mitchell there.

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[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

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[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

Yeah, dude. And it's. And you know, and the other winner aside from the Knicks in this, Greg, it's probably the Milwaukee Bucks. Because I think you look at this and you're like a couple things. One, if OKC loses, specifically them. Like, they're right back in play as a. As a potential Giannis, whoever. They're like, yeah, we gotta get three years of Giannis and just deal with Wemby and then anyone else specifically, you know, Western Conference teams that are. Want to get in. Like, you got to be looking at this like, hey, if we got to deal with Wemby, plus this, plus the Thunder, like, maybe Giannis is our only chance for the next three years anyways. So if it costs us a prospect or two and a couple picks, like, maybe it's worth. And even the Celtics might be thinking that. I don't know. Like, I think this is. This series is a great point man for the Bucks right now.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

That's been the main thing that I wanted to bring up on this. On this pod, and I was gonna save it until Sunday when we do our Jason Tatum episode. But let's talk about it now. Like, this is. Giannis Antetokounmpo's trade value goes higher and higher each passing day when you see what's going on in the Western Conference. Because dealing with Wemby, like, okay, we saw what Hartenstein was able to do. Some, you know, schematic adjustments. You muddy up the game, you make it tough on them.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

But.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

But, like, Hartenstein is not going to be able to compete with Wemby game after game after game after game when the talent is going to win out eventually. And you saw that in certain moments from Wemby with Hartenstein, just like hanging on by. By a dread. That's. It's going to be a new. It's going to be a new. A new. A new saying here. Hanging on by a dread. Shout out Isaiah Hartenstein. I just think Web Wemby is. Is the problem that every single team is going to have to try to find an answer for. And the solution seems to be maybe it's Giannis Antetokounmpo. Would you trade Jalen Brown for Giannis? Would you trade Jason Tatum for Giannis? Who knows, man? Like those. Those conversations, I think it makes you think.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

It makes you think more. I mean, again, I. I prefaced it with. I think Western Conference teams is a little bit more pressing because at least in the east, you can be like, well, we still got to get to the Finals, right? And maybe we can get to the finals without. And then it becomes, you know, it's. It. It's just. It's tough to get back year after year, you know, that the Thunder and Spurs are going to be in the Mix, but only one of them can get through every single year, right? And of course there's, you know, Minnesota still is going to have a chance if they retool. Like, there's other teams that will have a fighting chance, but when you watch this particular series, it is just a different level of basketball, man. So I think so. So when you watch that, I think as a Celtics, if you're going to think of yourselves as a championship contender, then maybe it does come. Like, hey, we just. We gotta rip this band aid off, and it's Jalen for Giannis, and if we're gonna get there in the next three to four years, like, we need this guy to be there for us.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

You know, it's another thing I've been thinking about. Watching this series is just like the. The tolerance that we have for youthful mistakes, right? Stefan castle, in his second year, 11 turnovers in game one. I think he had nine tonight.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

Yeah, 22 games.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

Yeah, 20 and two games. And, like, people are kind of just like, glossing over the fact that he had 20 turnovers in two games. Can you imagine if Jaylen Brown had 20 turnovers in the first two games, what the media would be saying about him? Like, Stefan Castle, we are making so many excuses for you because you're in your second year and you're just so goddamn fun to watch. But we've watched Jalen for a decade, and. And if he ever did that or if Tatum ever did that, they would be getting ripped a new ass, right? And we're just, oh, Steph Castle. But he dunked on Hartenstein, and that was cool. You know, we make a lot of excuses.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

It's so true. And like, I. I mean, there's part of me that gets it because I'm just like, I'm. I'm still impressed that him and Harper have such impact. Like, Harper only having one. I don't know how. What he. What he had tonight before he went out, but, like, he had one turnover in that double OT game. And there was. Which. There was a couple times where I'm like, yo, he is just getting, like, basically punched right now, and I don't know how he's holding on. Like, Dylan Harper's a ox. Like, that dude is so strong. And, you know, that's. You know, that's probably gonna be what's decides the series is like, do they get their ball handlers back?

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

Right?

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

Because they had to play Jordan McLaughlin? Because it's like, Steph Castle's great, man, but he's just not meant at this Time to be able to. To be dribbling as much as he has to against this OKC team. It's. It's just not meant to be that way. And 20 turnovers will be a pretty, pretty solid IND education. But yeah, it's funny because of his age, it's just like, hey, just gotta roll with it, man.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

He's.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

He's pretty good at defense on, on sga and he dunks on people. So.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

Right.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

We just, we just, we just let it be. But it's a fun conference final so far. We're having a good time, as much as you can without the Celtics in it. But let's continue to take a look here at revamping this Celtics roster. We've gone down the Jalen Brown wormhole of what does that look like to trade? And we just rehashed it again here for a second. So that's going to be something that. A theme that you will see until it's no longer a theme this off season. We then talked about what about Derrick White? Derrick White, who didn't show up in the first round. Maybe, maybe that's the movie's a little bit older. Maybe you can get a two for one type of deal. We went down that, that lane of trying to see how that could change the Celtics roster. The next move that we're going to look at tonight is the mid level exception. So to kind of set you guys up here, the Celtics will have access to their mid level exceptions, a few different exceptions that teams depending on their tax bracket have, have different to. For the Celtics, the mid level is going to be about $15 million per year roughly, is what they're going to be looking at that they can offer. They can offer the mid level. It doesn't have to go all the way up to 15 million, but that's kind of. That's the max that they can get to with this particular exception. So I told Greg before we signed on here what I want to do. So I want to go through the guards, I want to go through the forwards, and I want to go through the centers. And my goal for us is to try to come up with five names. Two guards, two forwards, slash wings wherever you want to look at it. And a center, that would be the best options for the Celtics. And I think the Celtics kind of need help, Greg, in all of these categories in different ways, and some of it probably depends on other moves that they make. So I think it's gonna be interesting to see what guys jump to your mind as like the top candidates that the Celtics should look at. So let's, let's start with the guards here. And I don't know how you broke up your list. I have kind of a list of some of the top guys that I broke down from each, from each position. But I want to start with you here and just kind of take me through. If we're looking at the guards, who is it from this potential list of, of guys that, that jumps out to you.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

So I'm, I'm looking at everything through the lens of who's going to be able to hang in an important series. Like we're watching right now, that's kind of, kind of where I'm at. It's just like anybody that's on the current roster, anybody that we're going to bring onto the team, they have to be able to see the court in an important playoff game, right? That was my whole thing with Luca Garza all year. Like, I just don't think he's going to be playing important playoff minute for us, right? So like, when I'm looking at the list, there are some names that prior to the playoffs I may have talked myself into, but now I'm just like, I need guys that are young, athletic and that can hang in a series against the, where the league is trending, right? And the league is trending towards the Thunder, the Pacers, the, the spurs, like all those young teams that are athletic. So with that being said, I think the first guard that has to come up, I don't think he's going to be there for 15 million, but it's IO de Sunmo from, from, from the Timberwolves. Like I think he's Gonna probably command 20 to 25, maybe even upwards of $30 million a year. So I don't think he's in this conversation, but in terms of like, if we could somehow get him for the mid level, I would be my first choice.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

Yeah, I think there's, I think you're right on both accounts. One, he's the number one guy on this list. Number two, he's probably a guy that's going to be out priced of the, of the mid level. I would be shocked if he ends up outside of Minnesota. Is the other thing. If he had ended the season on a team where his role was either undefined or their future wasn't good. Like he's very clearly like fits into what they need and what they want their future to be with ant and Jaden McDaniels and the other guys that they have up front, like He. He fits very well there. So I would. I would guess that the Timberwolves are going to do a lot to keep him, which means going over that 15 million. But I agree that he is absolutely the number one name on this list. So if we remove him just thinking that he's not going to be. To be available. I think there's. And I think he's probably. Like I said, I think he's far and away the number one guy here. There's two other guys that jump out to me here, and honestly, one of them played for us last year. One of them beat us in this in the first round. Those are the two guys that I'm looking at. Can you name them? I'm assuming you can name the two guys that I'm thinking of.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

Yeah, Anthony Simons and Quentin Grimes.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

Yep. Those would be the. The top two guys from a guard perspective that I would look at. Simons, I think for reasons we know he's familiar with the system. We very clearly were missing another guy that can go get his own bucket in that series, like, very much. There were times in the series was like an inferno would be nice right about now. I could use that. Pretty good.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

He worked so hard when he was on the Celtics to become, like, a decent defender. Yeah. And, like, if you just, like, let that kid develop in Boston under Missoula, I feel like he would actually be a really nice piece to have for the next three years. Quentin Grimes, I think, is definitely fun. I've always been super high in Quentin Grimes. I don't know that he's worth the full mid level. I feel like he's more in that, like, 10 to 12 range, which you

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

could do with this mid level, by the way. You could give them.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

You could break it up. Yeah.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

You can't. I don't think you can break it up into two players, but you could do it as, like, 10 million, as the mid level or whatever.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

Okay. I thought. I thought you had the full mid level to spend. And then you could break it up into multiple.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

I'll check. I'll double check on that.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

Okay. And then I would say the other name once again, might be out of this price range. I think he's like the rich man's version of Quentin Grimes. I'd go Norm Powell. Norm Powell would be. That would be. Would be a guy that I would really like to see on the Celtics. I've always liked him. Super tough, super athletic, can d up when. When he's asked to, but probably gets a little lazy on the defensive. End just because he's so athletic. He relies on those tools a little bit too much. Good shooter. I would, I would be really interested to see if Norm Powell was available at the mid level, would he be willing to come to Boston? Because you know, Norm Powell could hang in a series like we're watching right now.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

Yeah, I've always liked Norm, Norm Powell, so he's definitely been a guy that I would be, that I would be into. My guess is I, I, I was kind of under the assumption that I think he would probably go for slightly more than the, than the mid level made the all star team last year. Like he's a little bit older than you think. I'm trying to look up his age.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

Yeah, but like at the end of the year, like things started getting weird with the Heat. He wasn't starting for them and like he was coming off the bench, he was getting kind of fell out of favor with Spolstra. So maybe it was because he was playing for a contract and he was like, yo, don't make me a bench player. But yeah, I think he'll probably end up at like the 20 to 25 range as well. I think he's going to be just beyond that, beyond that reach. But you know, who knows, man? You know, the market, the market is what the market is. So.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

Yeah. Anyone else?

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

Kobe White.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

Yeah, him. Him and CJ McCollum kind of like are both in like my, like, hey, we could just use some more offense. Like I'd rather have Anthony Simons back just because I know Anthony Simons. CJ's obviously older, so that would be like, maybe we can just do like a two year deal with him or something that's, you know, two year with a team option or something like that where it's just not a long term commitment. And then Kobe, yeah, Kobe White is a nice player. I, I don't think he changes a lot of the trajectory. Again, just a shooter, a guy that can handle the ball. Something we, something we were short of. Right. Guys can handle. Guy that can shoot and could at least play in the early rounds. Could Colby White play in these games? Maybe. I mean, Jerry McCain's in there and I, I think Jared McCain is obviously a better prospect than Kobe White. But like right now watching Jared McCain is, or him and Kobe White drastically different, probably not, not that far off.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

Kobe White's got much more positional size too. McCain's a little undersized there, but he's competitive as hell. I still don't know what the hell the think of the, the.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

I've liked watching Jared McKay, man. He's, you know, I'm stealing this from somebody who put it online. Just a theater kid that's good at hoops, man.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

Like I love the painted fingernails. The dances are so cringy. But he's, yeah, he's, he's, he's funny. Another guy. I mean, Landry Shammit's gonna be available. Like we just saw Landrew Shaman have

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

just won the game last night.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

Yeah, he's gonna be available there. Bruce Brown Jr. Is going to be available. Gary Payton II, all guys that are like really athletic, undersized guards.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

Those are guys that I would say are like a little bit cheaper, right. Than like if we're talking about the full mid level, those would be guys that I think can get a little bit cheaper.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

So Colin Gillespie.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

I think for me, I think for me, Rick, if I had to pick two guys and if I think AO is going to be be priced out, I would go with the two guys that I probably suggested to you that I think are actually going to potentially be in that mid range a little bit. And Simons might go above the mid range. Just to be, to be clear, like he might. I'm more thinking like he didn't get to finish out Boston. Chicago didn't work out at all because he played like two, three games before he went out. And so it's kind of this somewhat unknown as to how the league feels about Simons because he had a really slow start in Boston and then picked up right before he got traded the last like month and a half, two months. So I, I think Simons and Grimes would be my, my top two realistic guard options that I would, I would look at on this list.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

Yeah, I mean I, I, it's tough to argue with that. I think there's a world in which Bruce Brown Jr. Is that's a good one because he's the best defender of those three names. I think that would be really interesting.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

He's handled the ball.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

Yeah, he can handle the ball a little bit. I, I would be really interested to see what he would look like. And Gary Payton II is one of the best defenders in basketball. He just can't sh. I don't know how quickly he'd fall out of favor with, with Missoula, but Bruce, Bruce Brown could shoot a little bit. I think Gillespie, maybe that's too much Spider man meme him Peyton Pritchard.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

But I think we got enough white guys.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

Greg and then Keon Ellis is, is someone that's Interesting. Maybe this is, you know, he's not, he's not really playing for the Cavs, which is really interesting because I thought he was.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

He played a minute or two yesterday, right? Like a bit like.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

Yeah, but he didn't really play in the, in the round before that. He fell out of the rotation. I always liked him when he was on Sacramento, but maybe the bad. Ha. Sacramento have infiltrated his DNA. I don't know.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

Yeah, because it's one of those things where it's like he's, you know, if you're not getting mints in Sacramento, it's like, okay, Sacramento's bad evaluation, but you go to someplace else and you're not getting the minutes, then it starts to become okay. Maybe there's something up with you that we're not seeing.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

Can't play him over James Harden. Kenny Atkinson. What's up?

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[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

I don't know, man. I don't know what the Cavs are doing, but yeah, so I, I think some of those guys are a good call out there, but guard a little bit light. So let's, let's, let's go to the, let's go to the four words here, Greg. And again, I have two, two favorites that I really like in this that I think are just. Would be a top of my list in general. But before we get there, I've, I've seen Wei getting some, some segments out of this. Do we just want to. Do we even want to talk about LeBron or is that just a waste of our time?

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

Waste of time. He's not coming to Boston.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

He hates Boston. I don't know why. I don't know why they're. They're spewing that idea around. Yeah, LeBron is not coming here. If LeBron decides to go for the, the mid level, anywhere. It's.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

If LeBron said, I want to go to Boston, be like, come on, bro, come on. Yeah.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

I mean, he'd be number one, this list. Like, let's be real. Like, it's, it's LeBron. He's the smart, he's, he's Peyton Manning, but has more game than Peyton Manning did at the end of his career.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

Yeah. It doesn't have the noodle arm. Yeah.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

Yeah. So I would, we would easily take LeBron James as our nominal power forward option in our lineup. So that goes without saying. So let's remove LeBron from this. Greg. I've got two guys that I think I really like and a third guy who intrigues me. I just don't know if he's gonna, I think he might fall outside of this. But, but give me a name or two that, that you really like.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

Can I interest you in some precious Achua? I'm kidding, I'm kidding.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

I, I almost shut off the street.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

I mean, Kelly Oubre, I think I, we've mentioned him in the past. I think that he's one of the

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

two names I really like.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

Okay. Yeah. I think Uber would be nice in Boston. He seems to have a healthy respect for the Jays as well, so I think that he's got a little you to him.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

I, I like that. He's just, he's a bit of a wild card. Right? Like, I think sometimes you need that little bit. I mean, Caruso's more than a wild card because he's so good on defense, but, like, his offense right now, like, Kelly Oubre offensively can kind of do that sometimes where you're just like, oh, Kelly, uber just had 20 points and hit like five threes in this game. Like, where, where did that come from? You know what I mean? And on top of that, he's just going to give you consistent effort and defense. And so I, I, I really like the idea of Kelly Oubre being a guy that, whether he's in the starting lineup or he's coming off the bench, fits really nicely into that, like, wing power forward rotation the Celtics have.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

Yeah, my other guy, you know, I, I think he's probably out of this range. I think he's gonna get a little over 20 again. I think Rui Hachimura would be, would be a good fit as well.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

I've always been a big fan of Rui. I felt like, you know, early on in his career, I was like, oh, this dude is gonna be like, has like, potential to be some type of Star level and he's kind of stayed the same guy most of his career. Like he hasn't necessarily gone up too many levels, but he's been super consistent as just a really solid role player. And I think, I think it was last episode we talked about PJ Washington a little bit. I think of PJ and Rui in kind of a similar vein. They're not the exact same players, but I, I just feel like Rui Hachimura can be, he can be your. Much like Kelly Uber. He can easily be like your fifth best player, but if in some series he's your sixth or seventh best player, it's not going to kill you. But like he's, he's never. And he could have a game or two where he's like, oh, Rui just popped off for five threes, just like I talked about with Kelly Oubre. And yeah, I think Ruiz just a little bit more consistent than Kelly Uber. So I would, I would lean Rui. I think you're right. He might slightly end up outside of this and I would be surprised if the Lakers let him go. But Lakers got decisions to make on Reeves, on LeBron, like, there's a lot of moving pieces, so he might be a casualty of that. And maybe the Celtics could sneak in for, for something.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

Yeah, he shot the out of the ball this year. Rui was like well over 40 from three and I think him becoming a knockdown spot up three point shooter, you can't really shoot off the movement. But like if you think about who would you rather have in our starting lineup, him or Sam Houser? Like give me Ru Hachimura like all day, every day. Like he's stronger, better to better defender, better rebounder, can knock down the, the open shot. You lose the movement shooting. Right? Sam does add a lot with the movement shooting, but we don't even weaponize them enough. We don't weaponize him enough. We, we kind of just let him

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

roam around 15 minutes off the bench and that's, that's, that's perfect. The role I want for hauser is like 15 minutes off the bench. If he's super hot, maybe he plays 25 or 23. Like yeah, that's, that's, that's kind of the right role for Sam. Sam starting and playing 25 to 30 is, is a bit outsized and that's kind of where we were left this year. So yeah, Kelly Oubre, Rui, that jumps out to me. There's another guy on this list that I see here that I think probably is Going to fall outside of it. He's just like the, you know, trade machine. One of the trade machine kings over the last decade or so. John Collins, I think he's probably outside of this, I'll be honest. Haven't kept up a ton with his career with the Clippers, but just always,

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

always underwhelmed by him.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

Yeah, it's like the idea, it's. What's that line from role models? The idea of John Collins is better than like actual John Collins. I think he says that about like I like the idea of coke better than the actual taste of coke. That's kind of the. It's like John. The idea of John Collins is really fun and nice athletic power forward. Can shoot a little bit, can. Can be switchable and then you kind of watch them and you don't see a lot of these things unless you watch on the right night or at the right time.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

Yeah, yeah, no, I hear that. And I've been looking mostly at unrestricted free agents. There's a name in the chat here from shout out to clean music lover backup Ben Matherin. As a shooting guard, he was a good two way player. Matheran's gonna be interesting to see what he actually gets in the open market. Obviously the, the, the Clippers are going to have the opportunity to match whatever. So I feel like if it's.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

I did the same as you. I didn't, I didn't really look at the restricted free agents. Yeah,

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

if the Clippers see he's get only getting the, the mid level then they'll probably just resign him. So he's probably not someone that's attainable. But if the Clippers decided they weren't, they didn't want the Ben Mather experience. You saw what he did against the Thunder in the finals to you know, last, just last year he was a really important piece for the Pacers against the Thunder.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

He can play against these teams because

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

yeah, I mean he can hang athletically. He has a you to him. Like that's what the Celtics need to be going after. Like when you, you mentioned Anthony Simons, like he's such a, he's such a fluid, nice basketball player. Like I don't know that he has to you to hang in a series like this. That would be my concern.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

Bringing in Simons, my other kids are. We've talked about like Steph Castle having 20 turnovers. Anthony Simons dribbling against either of these teams is kind of a terrifying concep. It just, just in case we blocked that part of the Anthony Simons.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

Yeah. It's like, wait, Simons can't dribble. What happened?

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

Yeah, dude, that was the weirdest realization. Wait a minute. Isn't this guy like a combo guard who handles the ball all the time? What. What the hell's happening here? Jamal Shed is stripping him at half court in preseason. What. What is going on? He can D up. He can do up for. For sure. That's not always the, the best example, but. But yeah. So with these forwards here, any other names that. That jump out to you? And again, just for. For those listening, for the most part, we're just looking at the unrestricted free agents. And I think right now Rui and Kelly would be at the top. Rui specifically, maybe outside of that mid level range. Anyone else that, that you think the Celtics would. Would be interested in?

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

I mean, Fontechio can shoot it. He's got a little bit more athleticism. I don't know that I would give him the full mid level. He's probably going to be like at the ten million dollar range. I mean, Bruce Brown, he's a guard, but he can D up, so, yeah,

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

you can put him in.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

The other guy, Jason

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

is another name.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

Yeah, Jason Tate's over 30 years old. I didn't realize that. Yeah, no, that's about it.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

Okay. Yeah, I think we're on the same page there. I mean, I think I. I think Rui and Kelly really fit this team. And again, they. It's gonna be interesting to see how the market plays out because I think this summer could have a lot of moving pieces or there could be not a lot. I don't know. There's so many things that have changed between the CBA draft picks. Might be changing the way the lottery happens. So all of these things are going to kind of coalesce and create what could be a very interesting market that could be booming or nothing could be happening. We really don't know. And so before we wrap this up, Greg, let's take a look at the. I'll tell you right now, it might. He might come back, but I've already ruled out Nicola Vucevich. I can't do it, man. I. I tried to stop for him.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

No, come on, get out of here. He's not coming back, dude. Yeah, that was. That was the worst experiment possible. He's lucky if he's in the league next year, bro.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

Yeah, I can't. I can't do that again. So looking at the centers that could be available, I don't think it's necessarily the best Group of guys. I think a guy that we were talking about in our group chat last night is maybe my number. He has a case for my number one mid level target out of any of these groups, and that's Mitchell Robinson from the Knicks. I think he's the guy that, just when you think about building this stable of, of bigs. I see someone here suggested Nurkic in the chat. Absolutely not. I'm out on Nerc, but sorry, I just had to, just saw that pop up, had to address it. Mitchell Robinson. I mean, you, do you want to throw out what you, what, what you were curious of you might be able to make next year?

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

Here's my thing with Mitchell Robinson, okay? He can only play 15 minutes a game. That's it. He can only play 15 minutes a game. But, but he's so impactful in those 15 minutes when he's not getting hackamaged. Okay? Yeah, if, if the Knicks make it to the finals and they go up against, against the spurs, if he's able to like really push Wemby around and just like become a Wemby stopper for the 15 minutes he's on the court, how much above $15 million can Mitchell Robinson get for like, can he get 2 million per minute? I don't know.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

Like, I mean, that's his payday. That's, that's, that's the way he gets above this, right? Is, is the, the Knicks and the spurs. And he just has that crazy outsized impact because you're right, he plays 15 minutes a game. He probably like, you're lucky if you get like 50 to 50, 50 to 60 games. If you get that much out of him, like, that's a pretty good season. So it's tough to invest too much into Mitchell Robinson, but he is just like such a good fit for playoff basketball. And we saw him just completely tear the Celtics apart. I've said this multiple times. I think he's the only guy in the league that Joe Missoula is actually petrified of. Like, I feel like he's like, Joe Missoula immediately is just like, I will go to Hackamich every time because I don't want him in the game. I don't know what to do with him. Like, there's no answer for him that the Celtics have. And he's, he's just a great curveball, but it's so limited, man. And like last night when they were doing Hackamich, it was, it was really tough to watch. I think he went like 2 of 8 on like four straight trips and, you know, still wasn't enough for the Cavs to win. But it's, it's really, it's a really interesting dynamic of what people would give for Mitchell Robinson on their team. And mid level is probably the max in my mind you can actually give to a guy who, who plays that little. But his impact is so big for that little amount of time.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

Yeah, he's. He's got a few million dollars riding on the finals this year for sure, I guess. You know, I would love a reunion with Rob Williams. I think that would be really fun to see Rob come back home.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

He's the only other center that, that really kind of catches my eye. And I think he's a little, I think similar to Mitch Robinson because of the injuries and he played a decent amount this year and he played well. I think 15 million is a little much for Rob. Unless it's like a one year with a team option. I would be able to. I just, I can't do the POTS thing again, man. I'm out on the.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

Yeah, yeah. I, I don't. I don't want poisonous back in Boston, man. It's just like you literally don't know if he's going to be able to play basketball. So I was thinking you could wake up one day and just be nauseous from POTS and not be able to play right.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

So I was thinking about this like in general with the Celtics off season and now that the Jays are like in their typical like prime window, like that 27 to 33 range is kind of like, what's the stereotypical. Like, hey, this, this is the prime years that guys have. Like I. In general, any move the Celtics make, make if it's tied to a guy with known injury histories. Like, I can't trade for Zion. I can't trade for. I can't have Kawhi Leonard in the trade like Chris Staps if he's coming in for 5 million and like, whatever, like, you know, it's a one year, 5 million dollar deal. Like, that's a little bit different. I can kind of overlook that. But if anyone's coming in in an important way that needs to be on the court like at all times in, in big moments. I can't do to anyone that has that type of injury history. I just can't gamble years of the Jays or if one of the Jays is moved and it's still one plus, you know, Giannis or whatever, like, I can't waste a spot of my top three, four or five guys that are gonna be my best players. I can't waste those spots on guys that I don't know if they're going to be available. Just. I just can't do it. It's. If The Jays were 24, sure. But they're not anymore. Like, now you got to be like, yo, I need availability just as much as I need talent. Like, that's all. Not. It's almost as important.

[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

For sure. For sure. Yeah. No, I totally agree, man. For those of you that are listening, Sunday's pod, we're trading Jason Tatum. Bring your fake Jason. Jason Tatum trades. You talk about it opens up. Opens up pretty much anybody in the NBA. So bring your trades and we can talk about it.

[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

Galaxy Brain Greg is going to be on full display come Sunday when it comes to the Jason Tatum episode. So who knows? We're watching these conference finals here. We'll have a few more games before then. We'll have our thoughts. Shots put together on those. And, you know, watching this here, anything's. But anything's on the table because what we're watching out west is just a different brand of basketball that I don't think anyone else in the league can really match up to unless these injuries start to pile up. So we'll see come Sunday. We're gonna put our best player in the trade machine. We're gonna see what comes back. And hopefully you guys don't unsubscribe to our channels afterwards, but we appreciate you guys that did lock in with us tonight here. We'll check in on Sunday, conference finals and the Jason Tatum. Jason Tatum trade stream going down. We'll catch you guys this weekend. Enjoy the rest of your week. Peace.

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[Will (Green with Envy Host)]

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[Greg Manakis (Co-host, Green with Envy)]

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