No Dunks Podcast Summary

Episode: Kawhi's Money Trees Scandal, Cam Thomas Bets On Himself & EuroBasket Bracket Is Set

Date: September 4, 2025
Hosts: Tas Melas ("Tas/Tassos"), Trey Kirby

Overview

This episode of No Dunks focuses on three headline topics:

1. The explosive Kawhi Leonard/Clippers Money Trees Scandal and potential implications for the NBA salary cap.
2. Cam Thomas's decision to bet on himself with a one-year qualifying offer.
3. EuroBasket group stage breakdown and the newly set bracket for the knockout round.

The guys also react to the NBA All-Star format shakeup and mix in their humor and distinctive basketball-nerd energy throughout.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers, and the Aspiration “Money Trees” Scandal

Segment Start: [00:58]

• The Scandal Explained

  • Pablo Torre reports the Clippers may have circumvented the salary cap by funneling at least $28 million (potentially closer to $48 million with stock) to Kawhi Leonard via an endorsement "no-show" deal through the now-bankrupt tree-planting company Aspiration.
  • Ballmer was an investor; the deal was contingent on Kawhi staying with the Clippers.
  • Company’s co-founder arrested for fraud.
    • “As Pablo interviewed a bunch of people who said, quote, ‘he had to do nothing.’” – Tas [01:37]

• NBA Investigation & Optics

  • Clippers issued denials, but the league is investigating.
  • “It looks really bad. The optics of it are terrible.” – Trey [03:44]
  • "…So the richest owners can't use their pocketbook to bring in anybody they want." – Trey [04:51]

• Historical Parallels & Severity

  • Reference to the 1999 Joe Smith–Timberwolves case (loss of five first-round picks), questioning how severe modern penalties would be without clear “smoking guns.”
  • If payment is truly contingent on Kawhi being with the Clippers, seems "case closed" to Tass as a CBA violation.
    • “It feels odd… it’s too real to be fake.” – Tas [05:16]

• League-wide Impact & Potential Precedents

  • Will other owners "push for this" or be wary that they're doing similar things?
    • “Maybe they're going to say, we don’t want you looking into every one of our books because we’re doing the same thing.” – Trey [09:10]
    • Mark Cuban’s defense of Ballmer raises suspicions about how common this behavior might be.

• Possible Penalties & Next Steps

  • Penalties range from substantial fines, loss of draft picks, or worse depending on proof of intent and involvement.
  • “It’s all going to depend on what Adam Silver and the rest of the crew can show.” – Trey [12:09]

Notable Quotes

• “If that's the case, then it must be a scenario where Kawhi is getting paid through the owner in an indirect way just to receive more money.” – Tas [05:33]
• “You've got the richest owner in all of North American professional sports finding a way to use his pocketbook allegedly to bring in players.” – Trey [04:34]
• “It's just phenomenal seeing Kawhi, who is the, the Kawaitest guy in the league, not throw out a tweet... Not one.” – Tas [12:23]

2. NBA All-Star Format Shakeup

Segment Start: [14:00]

• New Format Announced

  • Three teams: Two USA squads and one “World” squad, playing 12-minute quarter round-robin games.
  • Positives:
    • “A 2:1 ratio, United States versus world. I think 8 slots for the international team is perfect. 12 would be too many.” – Trey [15:25]
    • Expansion opportunities for players like Jamal Murray, who now have a better All-Star shot.

• Player Assignments & Loopholes

  • Questions about eligibility (e.g., Embiid, Towns) and potential for more than 8 All-Star caliber internationals.
  • “They're going to pick 24 guys, like off the, off the top…” – Tas [19:11]

• Skepticism about Format

  • Concerns the minitournament won’t foster real competition, referencing previous All-Star “variety show” failures:
    • “They're going to be playing barely at all.” – Trey [16:37]
    • “They're just going to have 24 guys that are All Stars and then you may have an extra American or something.” – Tas [20:03]

• Comparison to WNBA/Other Events

  • WNBA’s “USA vs WNBA All-Stars” format cited as a positive, but skepticism remains.

Notable Moments

• “It was a Kevin Hart, come on up… Why don’t you come up for 30 minutes…” – Tas [18:07]
• “They're gonna be huge breaks in between this year. It’s gonna be Drew Ski instead.” – Trey [21:53]

3. Cam Thomas Bets On Himself: Nets Free Agency

Segment Start: [22:03]

• The Deal

  • Cam Thomas signs one-year, $6M qualifying offer with the Nets; bets on unrestricted free agency next summer when more teams have cap space.

• Hosts’ Reactions

  • “This is a major bet on himself. Move… but I actually don't think he's worth much more than $6 million. Not my style of player at all. All he can do is score…” – Trey [22:59]
  • “It's a low amount for a guy who definitely should be coming off the bench and coming off hot…” – Tas [23:45]

• Market Context

  • Possibility of being traded for a second-rounder; opportunity for Josh Giddey and Jonathan Kuminga to find new homes as Nets may now have cap space.
  • Brooklyn likely tanking and not invested in long-term deals or winning.

• RFA Market Woes

  • Notes on slow-moving restricted free agent market:
    • “I can't believe it's September. And Kaminga and specifically and Giddy, who was, you know, having such a good season. It is surprising, right, that Josh Giddy isn't inked to something.” – Tas [24:46]

4. EuroBasket Bracket Set & Group Stage Recap

Segment Start: [26:31]

A. Bracket & Storylines

• Unique Bracket Design

  • “A circular bracket. You don’t see this too often.” – Tas [27:30]

• Group A: Turkey Stuns Serbia, Sengun Outduels Jokic

  • Turkey finishes 5–0, with Sengun posting 28/13/8 vs. Jokic’s 22/9/4.
  • “Not baby Jokic… call him daddy Sengun. I don’t think I’m ever gonna do that.” – Trey [28:41]

• Serbia’s Struggles

  • Key injuries (Bogdanovic, Abranovic, Micic) and shooting issues drag them down.
  • “This is like playing with the Denver Nuggets. I don’t have enough help.” – Tas [31:16]

• Latvia Advancing/Porzingis Watch

  • Looks “a lot more normal… a lot more Kristaps-like” – Tas [34:08]

B. Other Group & Player Highlights

• Group B: Germany Cruises, Vucevic Retires

  • Germany dominant, +63 points vs. Great Britain.
  • “If we can't beat Britain, I'm out of here. I'm 35 years old. It ain't happening.” – Trey on Vucevic retiring [35:56]

• Group C: Defending Champs Spain Eliminated

  • Greece knocks out Spain, who miss the knockouts for first time ever.
  • Giannis “looks like he’s playing literally higher than everybody else out there…” – Trey [39:15]

• Bosnia's Team Play

  • “Everybody touches the ball… It's much more of a team-based approach.” – Trey [44:02]

• Group D: Luka & Deni Duel; Lloydinson Shines for Poland

  • Slovenia’s Luka Doncic drops 37, Deni Avdija 34 for Israel.
  • “Luka Magic” nickname debated as “a seven and a half out of 10… we could probably do better.” – Trey [48:21]

C. Fun Broadcast & Cultural Moments

• Wedgie Goes Global

  • “Wedgie is the universal term… made your mark.” – Trey & Tas celebrate seeing wedgie called during EuroBasket [45:23–46:06]

• Broadcaster Humor

  • Portugal-Estonia: “Every game is like a melon… it's like a big sweet watermelon.” – Recapping the announcer’s banter [33:37]

Memorable Quotes

• “It feels odd… it's too real to be fake.” – Tas (regarding the Kawhi scandal) [05:33]
• “You’ve got the richest owner… using his pocketbook allegedly to bring in players. That’s the exact reason we have this new CBA.” – Trey [04:34]
• “They're going to be playing barely at all… it's not going to work.” – Trey on the All-Star minitournament [16:37]
• “All he can do is score, doesn’t make his teammates better and doesn’t play defense… the biggest black hole in the league.” – Trey on Cam Thomas [22:59]
• “Wedgie is the universal term. Literally. Hashtag: make your mark. We did it, buddy!” – Trey & Tas [45:41]
• “Slovenia hasn’t been super impressive to me as a team, but Luka has been awesome… He was into this game as if it was a Game 7 of the NBA Finals.” – Trey [49:14]

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Kawhi/Clippers Money Trees Scandal: [00:58] – [14:00]
• NBA All-Star Format Reaction: [14:00] – [22:03]
• Cam Thomas & Free Agency: [22:03] – [26:31]
• EuroBasket Bracket, Recap, and Highlights: [26:31] – [53:00]
• Fun Distractions (Wedgie, Melon Game, Jurassic Pals, etc.): [45:23] – [54:18]

Tone and Style

• Language & Tone:
  • Informal, deeply knowledgeable, humorous with frequent lateral references and basketball nerd culture.
• Dynamic:
  • Trey's playfulness and hot-take humor bounce off Tas’ more reflective, stat-based deep dives.

Useful for Listeners Who Missed the Show

• Full context on the Kawhi/Clippers documentary-level scandal and why it could impact NBA team-building for years.
• Explainer on why the NBA’s latest attempt to fix the All-Star Game is probably doomed.
• In-depth, characterful recap of EuroBasket—all the big teams, upsets, and must-watch players.
• Quick-hit, no-nonsense take on Cam Thomas’s contract and where the RFA market stands.
• Several fun asides, laughs, and inadvertent learning about international basketball culture and nicknames.

Closing Reminders

• Next EuroBasket wrap comes Sunday.
• “Wedgie” is officially global hoops vocabulary.
• Jurassic Pals movie rewatch drops Friday!

(For further details or exact dialogue, reference the timestamps).