Can Bradley Beal help the Clippers?

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Athletic NBA Daily – "Can Bradley Beal help the Clippers?"

Release Date: July 9, 2025
Hosts: Dave DuFour, Law Murray, and Esperaheni Baraheni
Featured Guests: Regular appearances by The Athletic’s NBA reporters

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1. Introduction

In the July 9, 2025 episode of The Athletic NBA Daily, hosts Dave DuFour, Law Murray, and Esperaheni Baraheni delve deep into the recent strategic moves by the Los Angeles Clippers, particularly focusing on the trade of Norm Powell and the potential acquisition of Bradley Beal. The discussion provides a comprehensive analysis of the Clippers' current roster dynamics, future prospects, and the broader implications for their championship aspirations.

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2. The Norm Powell Trade

Timestamp: [03:12]

Dave DuFour initiates the conversation by discussing the Clippers' significant trade, sending Norm Powell to Miami in exchange for John Collins, an expiring-contract forward. Law Murray provides an in-depth analysis of this move:

"Norm's also an expiring contract extension eligible. Just turned 32 years old. And I think the reason Norm is not on the team and John Collins is on the team. Two words, Aaron Gordon."
— Law Murray [03:43]

Law highlights that Powell's performance had declined post-injuries, particularly in high-stakes games like Game 7 against Denver, where he scored only nine points on 11 shots. Additionally, concerns about Powell's versatility and defensive capabilities influenced the Clippers' decision to pivot towards Collins, who brings a fresh dynamic despite his expiring contract.

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3. Addition of Brook Lopez and John Collins

Timestamp: [07:07]

The trade isn't just about exchanging players; it strategically enhances the Clippers' frontcourt by adding Brook Lopez and John Collins, thereby increasing both size and versatility. Esperaheni emphasizes Lopez's impact:

"Adding Brook Lopez is a big part of that size. Like how different the team looked with Zoo off the floor versus when he was on the floor, both offensively and defensively, it was so different."
— Esperaheni Baraheni [06:14]

With Lopez's ability to stretch the floor and Collins's prowess as a play finisher, the Clippers are poised to bolster their defensive standings while maintaining offensive flexibility. Law also notes the defensive improvements and the broader roster options this trade affords the team, especially in playoff scenarios.

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4. Potential Signings: Bradley Beal and Chris Paul

Timestamp: [10:55]

A significant portion of the discussion revolves around Bradley Beal's potential move to the Clippers following his reported buyout by the Phoenix Suns. Dave poses the critical question:

"Can Bradley Beal come over if, you know, if we're recording before. He's been bought out by the Suns, but the reporting is that he's going to be bought out by the Phoenix Suns. He's interested in the Clippers, he's interested in the Bucks. Clippers have a good shot at this. Like, is he able to, to be what Norm was?"
— Dave DuFour [10:55]

Law Murray responds by focusing on Beal's mindset and fit within the Clippers' system:

"Brad had two different situations in Phoenix. A team that punted point guards and then the team that brought in all the small guards... If Brad is like, hey, I got to feel my way out as a third option, you know, if the fit was weird in Phoenix, well, it's not going to be a whole lot more touches coming his way with the LA Clippers."
— Law Murray [10:55]

The hosts express skepticism about Beal replicating Powell's role due to Beal's ball-dominant history and the potential challenges in integrating him into a system led by Kawhi Leonard and James Harden. Additionally, Esperaheni brings up the possibility of reuniting with veteran point guard Chris Paul:

"Is not a bad deal though. You know, you can get paid that's good for him."
— Esperaheni Baraheni [15:15]

However, Law cautions against adding another ball-handler like Chris Paul, citing the Clippers' need for shooting and roster flexibility over traditional point guard play.

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5. Team Dynamics and Offense Considerations

Timestamp: [07:07]

The conversation shifts to the Clippers' offensive strategies and the essential role of shooting. Dave raises concerns about the lack of reliable shooters:

"The big question about Bradley Beal... is he able to, to be what Norm was? I guess is the big question."
— Dave DuFour [10:55]

Law elaborates on the Clippers' historical struggle with three-point shooting and the need for players who can create space:

"This is already a Clippers team that was dead last in catch and shoot three point attempts... The closest they came to trying that last year was Mo Bamba and Mo was pretty much unplayable."
— Law Murray [08:08]

The addition of Brook Lopez and John Collins is positioned as a strategic attempt to address these gaps, providing the necessary floor spacing and offensive versatility.

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6. Law Murray’s Player Tiers and Player Analysis

Timestamp: [23:04]

Law Murray shares insights into his player evaluation methodology, emphasizing the importance of team dynamics over individual prowess. Reflecting on his "player tears," Law discusses the impact of injuries and team fit on player performance:

"I needed to develop my own methodology. I needed to understand and really change and challenge what I thought about the game of basketball and how individual players fit in that."
— Law Murray [23:59]

He candidly addresses his challenges in placing players like Tyrese Haliburton and Jason Tatum within his tier lists, especially in light of recent injuries affecting their performances. Law underscores the fluidity of player rankings based on team context and individual contributions, rather than just isolated statistics.

Esperaheni adds to this by discussing the broader implications of player movements and how team context can elevate or diminish a player's perceived value:

"What they provide, but also what the team context provides for them."
— Esperaheni Baraheni [27:16]

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7. Conclusion and Future Outlook

Timestamp: [34:08]

As the episode nears its end, the hosts speculate on the future trajectories of key players and the Clippers' strategic direction. Law Murray expresses concerns about the longevity and evolving roles of veteran players like Paul George and the potential decline in their performance:

"I think about a Paul George, I think about, you know, those guys who, they've been really good for so long, but their effectiveness, their ability to win is not there anymore."
— Law Murray [32:14]

Esperaheni concurs, highlighting the unpredictable nature of player development and injuries, using Zion Williamson as an example:

"Honestly, the one guy I think of when you mentioned that is like Zion Williamson... availability is such a big part of him."
— Esperaheni Baraheni [33:46]

Dave wraps up by teasing an upcoming discussion on player tiers and predictions for teams like the Toronto Raptors, reinforcing the episode's focus on strategic analysis and future projections.

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Key Takeaways:

• Clippers' Strategic Moves: Trading Norm Powell for John Collins and adding Brook Lopez enhances the Clippers' frontcourt, addressing size and versatility needs.

• Bradley Beal's Fit: While Beal is a talented shooter, his integration into the Clippers' system poses challenges due to his ball-dominant style and the need for role clarity.

• Shooting and Offense: The Clippers continue to struggle with three-point shooting, making the acquisition of shooters like Collins and Lopez critical for creating offensive space.

• Player Evaluations: Law Murray emphasizes the importance of team context in player performance and challenges the traditional tier-based evaluations, especially with the fluid nature of team rosters and player roles.

• Future Prospects: Concerns remain about the longevity and evolving roles of veteran players, with potential shifts in team dynamics influencing future performance and championship aspirations.

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Notable Quotes:

• Law Murray on Norm Powell's Trade:
  "Norm was a huge part of the consecutive winning seasons. But the concerns with Norm are he's position locked... he doesn't handle the ball great to be running your offense through."
  — Law Murray [03:43]

• Esperaheni on Brook Lopez's Impact:
  "Adding Brook Lopez is a big part of that size. Like how different the team looked with Zoo off the floor versus when he was on the floor."
  — Esperaheni Baraheni [06:14]

• Law Murray on Bradley Beal's Mindset:
  "Brad misses too much time. And that is another good way to just look at Norman Powell."
  — Law Murray [12:08]

• Law Murray on Player Tiers:
  "There is no perfect player in the league. There are just guys who are so much better at what their strengths are and using those strengths to affect winning at a high level than everybody else."
  — Law Murray [26:46]

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This episode of The Athletic NBA Daily offers a nuanced exploration of the Los Angeles Clippers' strategic decisions, player dynamics, and the broader landscape of NBA player evaluations. For listeners keen on understanding the intricacies of team-building and player fit within elite basketball teams, this discussion provides valuable insights and forward-looking perspectives.

Transcript

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[Dave Dufour]

Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily for July 9, 2025. Coming up, Law Murray is in the house with me and Esperaheni. We're going to talk all things clippers that Norm Powell trade Bradley Beal and we're going to get an update on his post playoff tears. Good morning everybody. Good morning guys. Welcome back. Law. Been a few weeks. Hope you've had a chance to recharge and made it through the draft okay.

[Law Murray]

Absolutely not. I've been locked in, man.

[Dave Dufour]

We got, we.

[Law Murray]

We got a good. We got two good weeks left. So let's get it.

[Dave Dufour]

Also I love that you, you let me catch you right before you fly out to summer league. Look, we, we got to talk about this Norm Powell trade. Norm Powell sent to Miami. John Collins winds up at the Clippers. The Clippers now have gotten huge adding Brook Lopez and John Collins to that front court. Let's talk a little bit like what was the motivation here to to move Norm after a almost all star season last year in exchange for John Collins who's an expiring contract?

[Law Murray]

Well, Norm's also an expiring contract extension eligible. Just turned 32 years old. And I think the reason Norm is not on the team and John Collins is on the team. Two words, Aaron Gordon. Like if you saw. I'll give you two more words. Game seven. You saw how game seven went in Denver. The Clippers with an opportunity to go to Oklahoma City. I think you got to remember the Clippers finished the regular season extremely well. 18 3. But Norman Powell wasn't playing his best ball at that point. That was Kawhi Leonard returning the form. That was the defense. They had some slippage in the middle of the year. They got back to defending at a high level. They played desperate ball because they needed every single one of those wins to avoid the play in tournament. You saw how that ended in Golden State's regular season finale. And I think Norm had a fantastic season. He embodied. This is Lawrence Frank's words. But anyone who watched the Clippers to start the season could say this. He embodied the meaning of addition by subtraction. Paul George leaves and people think the Clippers were going to be bottom five in the west because they casuals and don't understand how the Clippers get down. And all they did is extend their active streak of consecutive winning seasons. And Norm was a huge part of that. But the concerns with Norm, he's position locked. He doesn't handle the ball great to be running your offense through. Especially when James is off the floor, James Harden and then he's not the most versatile defender. You know, you gotta hide him a little bit. He's not someone who's going to break your defense. The Clippers are Top five defense with Norm playing a heavy minute low. But, you know, it limits how many guys you can have on the floor, how many different guys you can have on the floor. And then came the injuries. Back to back injuries right out of the All Star break. First the knee, then he comes back, immediately injures a hamstring. It wasn't his first hamstring injury. And so he played his worst basketball in the biggest moment, Game 7, only nine points on 11 shots. Aaron Gordon had a. He shared the game high with 22 points. But it's much more significant coming from Aaron Gordon than it is coming from Kawhi Leonard, who also had 22 in that Game 7. So the Clippers, they were determined not to let someone like Aaron Gordon run circles around them in a series again. I think it makes them better in the playoffs because of the roster optionality. It's just a question of fit now. Yeah.

[Esperaheni]

And I think the thing with the Clipper is obviously you mentioned size. Adding Brook Lopez is a big part of that size. Like how different the team looked with Zoo off the floor versus when he was on the floor, both offensively and defensively, it was so different. So you add Brook Lopez, you add Collins, you have that size. Versatility in the front court is so important. There's also the question of, like, where does the offense come from? And I guess that's more of a Kawhi Leonard question than anything because Dave and I and Zena, we've talked about it over the last couple days. It's like the. The plan they had with Kawhi last year to kind of bring him along slowly and get him to a point where he was comfortable and then bring him in fully. It worked. It felt like that was the recipe. Moving forward. Is this now saying, hey, we're expecting Kawhi to play more. Obviously you're expecting Kawhi to play more games next season, but are you. Is he shouldering more of a load next year, them offensively?

[Law Murray]

I don't know how much of shouldering a. A. A bigger load is really going to be the case here because again, we just saw Norm not. Not play, you know, four weeks, and Kawhi got real comfortable in that time. It's almost like Kawhi absorbed the elevated role that Norm had enjoyed for most of the first half of this past season. They're going to ask other guys to do more as is. I think there's plenty of mouse, plenty of guys who can eat, but also plenty of guys who can kind of touch the ball a Little bit. They're going to miss Norm because Norm's ability to get to the free throw line and to get as hot as he could get.

[Dave Dufour]

Yes.

[Law Murray]

Is going to be missed. Like this is already a Clippers team that was dead last in catch and shoot three point attempts. Not just last year, but the year before. Like that's just kind of how the Clippers are.

[Dave Dufour]

It's crazy with James Harden, right.

[Law Murray]

Like James is going to have to involve his bigs a lot more naturally. You just, you just use some roster. There are going to be a lot more minutes to guys who literally weren't, you know, their arch type weren't on the team last year. Brook Lopez is a reliable three point shooting big who is still effective inside the arc. They. The closest they came to trying that last year was Mo Bamba and Mo was pretty much unplayable like he could.

[Esperaheni]

Not comparable.

[Law Murray]

Yeah, it's not comparable at all. Right. And that's a guy who's going to be your backup five. John Collins is going to be in first and second units playing the four and the five where again, he can make threes, but he's incredibly good as a play finisher inside the arc as well. And that is going to be the relief for a guy like Kawhi or a guy like James. Like Kawhi is a guy, they don't ask him to bring the ball up a ton. They don't ask him to be the guy who's, you know, they don't. Jason Tatum, him, for example. Jason Tatum, yeah. You know, rest in peace to Tatum's 26th season. But like when you watch the Boston Celtics, they play through him. Kawhi has never been asked to be that guy.

[Esperaheni]

Yeah.

[Law Murray]

Outside of Doc Rivers one season coaching him, T. Lewis always said, I'm going to have Paul George be the guy. And when Paul George said he didn't want to be that guy anymore, that's how you get Russell Westbrook and James Harden on your team. So James is going to still be the guy that you play through. Kawhi is still going to be your number one option. The secondary option is a little bit more up for grass, but it's going to involve a lot more zoo. John's going to touch the ball plenty. And we understand that the Clippers are not done maneuvering yet.

[Dave Dufour]

I was about to say, where's the shooting coming from? I mean, this is, you know, this is the big question in the playoffs that every team has to answer. I think that you can trust the Clippers defense and you Know that Kawhi and James Harden, you know, you kind of know what they're going to bring to the table. But those shooters that create the space for those dudes to operate in just don't exist on the Clippers roster right now. And Norm was, was at least a guy who could spot up right around those other guys. One of them, yeah. You had to think about him as a shooter constantly. I guess that brings me to my question about Bradley Beal. Can Bradley Beal come over if, you know, if we're. We're recording before. He's been bought out by the Suns, but the reporting is that he's going to be bought out by the Phoenix Suns. He's interested in the Clippers, he's interested in the Bucks. Clippers have a good shot at this. Like, is he able to, to. To be what Norm was? I guess is the big question.

[Law Murray]

I think the big question with Brad is going to be mindset for whatever team he winds up playing for. It's going to be mindset. I mean, Brad had two different situations in Phoenix. A team that punted point guards and then the team that brought in all the small guards. You know, he had to play with Devin Booker and Kevin Durant on both of those teams. Let's say he comes to the Clippers. James Harden is a lot more ball dominant than either one of those guys. And Kawhi Leonard is a lot more deliberate than KD is. That is going to be. So if Brad is like, hey, I got to feel my way out as a third option, you know, if the fit was weird in Phoenix, well, it's not going to be a whole lot more touches coming his way with the LA Clippers, and that's if he's in a first unit. There's a lot of argument. One thing that Clippers fans got real comfortable with is saying, okay, Norm, thanks for starting and doing great while Kawhi was out, but you need to go to the bench. Because they felt so comfortable with Norm killing second units and being comfortable again having his own unit where he's going to get a heavy percentage of the touches while he's on the floor with certain guys. With Brad, we saw that not work in Phoenix.

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[Dave Dufour]

So how much of that was attitude and sort of buy in and would you get what it is about?

[Law Murray]

Right.

[Dave Dufour]

Would you get more of that with the Clippers?

[Law Murray]

Right.

[Dave Dufour]

It's a winning situation. You're coming in. You're, you know, you're coming into Kawhi and James Harden, the success that they had last Year where they probably feel, I'm assuming the Clippers feel like they had a shot at winning the title last year because of the way they pushed the Nuggets, the way the Nuggets push the Thunder. So you're coming into that environment. I mean, it seems to me like it'd be pretty easy to buy in on that.

[Law Murray]

That is why off season conversations for players, especially veteran players, right. Is so critical. If you tell a guy in the offse season that we plan on starting you, then the disruption when that changes in the regular season is profound. We. I've seen it with the Clippers. Bradley Beal played with Russell Westbrook for a year. And you know what? So much of what happened with Russell Westbrook when he left Washington to go to the Lakers correlates with what happened with Bradley Beal when he went to Phoenix, right down to Frank Vogel having to coach those dudes. And what happened when James Harden came to the Clippers. Russ spent that whole summer like Camp Clippers camp Russ, I'm going to help you guys and it's going to be how we're going to do things because I'm the leader of the team, not just the starting point guard. But when that changed a month into James being on the team, things got disruptive. It's going to be the same thing with Brad where, you know, you saw when he came into a season and was expected to be the starter, he kind of shut down. If the Clippers can convince Brad that, hey, look, we might need you to come off the bench and Brad can buy in, then that is going to help him, at least offensively because yes, talent wise, skill wise, the man can still put the ball in the basket. Any decline of value for Brad outside of what he's making contractually, if you just look at, you know, does he still finish effectively? Is the shot still looking good? Is he still getting to his spots? He can do those things. It's mentality. And then the big thing that has nothing to do with basketball availability. Brad misses too much time. And that is another good way to just look at Norman Powell. Norm was looking like he could be an MIP candidate, some kind of award. But once he missed four weeks, couldn't get that rhythm back. And the team that he left was not there when he got back. Kawhi was apex. Kawhi again. That's what, that's what you got to be concerned with with Brad. What are the conversations to get his mind right, especially after not just a soulless basketball he played in Phoenix, but We're talking about the Washington Wizards. We had free Bradley Bill Memes recently. It's four years ago. He got freed. He about to get freed again. But no matter what, he's got to be available on the court no matter how those conversations go about his role.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah, rip to the Bradley Beal. No trade clause. By the way, that thing is Stretch.

[Esperaheni]

Is not a bad deal though. You know, you can you get paid that's good for him.

[Dave Dufour]

Especially if he crazy la.

[Law Murray]

That thing has kept him happiest.

[Dave Dufour]

Exactly.

[Law Murray]

Yeah.

[Esperaheni]

Okay. Law, I have to ask you, since we're talking about Bradley Bill, there's also another free agent on the market that the Clippers have been rumored to, and that is Chris Paul. A potential reunion with CP3. I know he's talked about maybe this being his farewell tour. I feel like that would be poetic if it ends with the Clippers. But what do you think about CP3? Especially because I feel like ball handling, you know, Beal can alleviate some of the ball handling pressure off of James Harden, but adding another guy like Chris Paul would make a lot of sense for this team too.

[Law Murray]

Well, I think it would make a lot of sense considering how bad the Clippers were from a ball handling control aspect. The Clippers has said that they had three goals. I feel like it was more like A one, a one B and A and A two. The two being shooting. It's like anybody that you add to the team. I think they wanted to make sure that they had shooting threats. They lacked that. That's why Ben Simmons was slashed from the rotation. He doesn't shoot and he doesn't even score anymore. So like he lost his utility and he would have helped positional size ball handling. But they couldn't use Ben because he was a non threat offensively. Chris Dunn basically got Shadow banned by the Clippers by the end of the series. Like Nuggets refused to guard him, basically taunted him, said Nico B should start and Game seven Chris Dunn finally did lose his starting job and played with no confidence in game seven. Bradley would help your ball handling compared to Norman Powell. Norman Powell one of the is a subpar ball handler and passer at his position. John Collins does not help that. Brook Lopez does not help that. Chris Paul makes sense on paper. But Chris Paul probably does not make sense for a Clippers team that does not want to get older and smaller and probably does not make sense for a Clippers team. If Chris is going to insist on playing and being a 30 minute guy still or a 25 minute guy he's not going to start and he's relatively position locked. I keep using this term because the Clippers are getting to be, you know, even with Kawhi, let's say Kawhi misses 20 games. You still got, you know, if you add one more guy, that's nine guys you got to find minutes for and you whoever joins his team, whether it's Brad, Chris, Paul, someone like Malcolm Brogdon, has to be actually bought into the fact that minutes are going to be allocated to those who are helping the team win and that's it. And if there are any other agendas, especially with a bunch of dudes whose contracts are either going to be decided on next summer or in 2027, that's when Kawhi's up, then you can't have that. So there's a disease of more. If guys are going to be bought in, this is looking like a team that will be really good and Chris can contribute to that or Brad can contribute to that. But if guys are going to be carrying on about what they feel like they're owed because they were in the league 10 years ago at a high level, that's not going to work. And so it's going to be fascinating to see what the Clippers decide on in the coming days and weeks.

[Dave Dufour]

I can't believe it's 2025, almost 2026 and we're still talking about Malcolm Brogdon on contenders. What are we doing? Like, come on, we can stop with that. Guys, stick around after the break. We're going to talk to Law about his player tears and whether he feels any vindication after the playoffs.

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[Law Murray]

Hi, this is Frances from Fixable, a podcast from ted. These days every finance leader is under pressure to save money.

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[Dave Dufour]

In case you guys weren't aware. Law, does the NBA player tears over at the Athletic? He took over after Seth Part, now left. And you do it in a little bit of a different way than Seth. You have your own method. That being said, I mean, I think your peer, your tears this year were great. Very on target with the way I felt about most of the players. Nobody, nobody. Seemingly too high. Right. Like, which is really the big thing in a tears. I think we get out ahead of ourselves when we start talking about players. I mean, Anthony edwards in that 1D, which is essentially like the fourth level of level one. As a guy who can win a game for you, I thought that was pretty perfect and I thought the playoffs, pretty good example of, of why he was there. So Law, I want to ask you, after the playoffs, any changes to your tears, any regrets about where you finished up on your tier list heading into the playoffs?

[Law Murray]

Man, I'll, I will say putting this together was a year long thing. Even though you only see the end project. Like, I thought about not just what it needed to look like to present to an audience, but I needed to develop my own methodology. I needed to understand and really change and challenge what I thought about the game of basketball and how individual players fit in that. Because I'm a big team guy, I don't look at basketball as a guy alone in the gym. And I think that's what winds up happening when you start evaluating players. Everyone's like this guy, that guy. Like it's, he can do this. What does a player look like in relationship to all the guys that they can affect on the floor, on both ends of the floor? That is hard, you know, and so Tyrese Halliburton obviously called out, you know, everyone who called him overrated. And that was a theme. Right? And I will say the best thing that I had going for me is just I had some feedback from some people that I really trust. You know, some people at the Athletic, some people who work for teams, some people who I just am like, you know, ball and I trust you. So can you beat this list up for me? You know, and it's like, I think the toughest part is a guy like Tyrese and he plays as well as he did. It's like, man, he's got to be a tier one guy and something. It's like, you know, I, I feel good about where he's at, but I also feel like I could have put him in two way and no one would have, no one would have got mad at me. You know what I Mean, yeah, if anything, I gotta. If. You know, the injuries in this playoffs were tough because it's like, I can't put. I can't keep Tatum where he's at. I would probably drop tyrese.

[Dave Dufour]

And you've got tatum in. In 1B, which is essentially, you've got to be as the fourth or fifth best player in the league. And. And obviously that injury is probably going to affect that.

[Law Murray]

Yeah, it's. It's tough because Jason Tatum is a guy who I feel like I hate using. Over and underrated. You will never hear that from me unless you guys bring it up first. But the thing with Tatum is I feel like he's underappreciated for sure. People look at him and compare him to guys who. Honestly, Tatum's role is so unique to me. The Celtics did not play with a traditional point guard while he's been ascending to first team all NBA status year over year over year. Like, people don't understand how hard that is. They're going to lose that, and the Celtics are going to look unrecognizable next year. And that was the biggest things for me.

[Esperaheni]

I want to emphasize underappreciated, and people will figure out why next season.

[Law Murray]

Yeah, yeah. I wanted to emphasize touches. Who guys play through, how they win, how they get to their spots, and every single player, even the guys in 1A. I got three 1A guys. They all have their weaknesses, too, that have to be accounted for. There is no perfect player in the league. There are just guys who are so much better at what their strengths are and using those strengths to affect winning at a high level than everybody else.

[Esperaheni]

Yeah, I love what you said about how it's in relation to their team and what that. What they provide, but also what the team context provides for them. Like, I think about what people. You know, people are talking about the Paolo Ben Caro conversation online right now, and it's like, man, is he worth the rookie scale, Max? But, you know, they were. Orlando was going to pay him regardless, first and foremost. And second of all, like, there is a team context that will play a part to how good Paolo looks on the court. Ball handling, shooting, etc. When it comes to guys that maybe have moved to a different team this offseason. Think of Kevin Durant, think of other guys. Do you think they might shift in those tiers next season when you plan on doing this?

[Law Murray]

Well, look, man, the biggest challenge I had putting this together was the damn Luka Doncic trade. Like, yeah, I'm like. Because you get To a point. People used to love talking about guys who are untouchable. That doesn't exist anymore. No. Okay. The MVP of the NBA Finals, MVP scoring champion was a. Was the guy who got traded after his rookie season. Okay. Like, I think you gotta completely remove assumptions that guys are just going to stay where they are. And yes, Kevin Durant has embodied this. Kevin Durant changed teams after his team was in the conference finals with a 31 lead. He changed teams while he had a torn Achilles in the NBA Finals. We saw that happen. We seen KD change teams in the middle of a season, and now we're seeing KD change teams after not making the playoffs to a team that was the damn two seed. And, like, you have to account for those things. Yes, Kevin Durant is an established talent, but he's going to a situation that is not established. How does that affect things? And yeah, that is a. That is a huge challenge for me because I keep saying it can't just be about the individual. It has to be in the concept of what that team does, how do they play. Yeah. And where are they going to line him up? You keep hearing stuff like, kevin Durant's going to be a small forward. What is that supposed to mean? Are you expecting KD chasing perimeter guys around? Because I don't want to see that.

[Esperaheni]

Yeah.

[Law Murray]

Katie protects himself by, you know, having bigger or slower matchups. Defensively, if he's going to be chasing around, you got to see how that works. But offensively, yeah, like Kevin Durant, it's going to be harder to put your bigger guys on KD on that end of the floor. And I think that's going to be, you know, that. That is always my challenge. If that's the case for stars role players, man got the guys who are high level role players, the ones who will make this list. That, that's the fun part is trying to project. We're doing a lot of projecting and we got four months of projected left.

[Dave Dufour]

I was gonna ask you, all right, project now, project early. What's the biggest change between last year and the start of this year? Like, who's made the biggest leap in your mind, I mean, from the start of last season to the start of this coming season, biggest week and biggest.

[Esperaheni]

Fall is what we're putting you on the spotlight. This is tough.

[Law Murray]

You definitely are. And, and you know, I'm buil. You know what I'm saying. You see the jersey I got on today? So let me tell you something. No one, the Thunder don't win a Championship. If J Dub doesn't have the leap that he did. Compare. And, and I, I, I love, I love that dude. The fact that he played with Brandon Miller's wrist injury, Brandon Miller didn't play after January. This dude played two months and won 16 playoff games with a torn ligament and shooting wrist. And we knew it affected his game because we saw nasty shooting performances. But we also say, I gotta, I, I got an ability to beat the best defenses somehow. Still, we saw him put up 40 in the finals with all kinds of moves to get to his spots, finish effectively. And while defending at a high level. This dude was not just defending guys. His body type when guys were out, Isaiah Hartenstein, Holmgren, who was taking jump balls and whatnot, it was, it was J Dub at 6, 5 and a stack, 215, whatever he is, that dude is special and he probably shouldn't be in the tier that I had him in. On the flip side, I think y' all gotta get, you know, some of these vets, you know, you gotta just understand that the name doesn't hold up as much as the game. It just doesn't hold up as well. So there are going to be some guys who, I gotta see something next year, you know, I don't think anyone's.

[Dave Dufour]

Ready for how much change we're gonna see in the next two to three years when it comes to the, the star power of the week. Like the name gotta rip the band.

[Law Murray]

Aids off.

[Dave Dufour]

In a major way. Like the list of guys, the hall of Famers who are about to just be out of the league, you know, before 2028 is kind of nuts.

[Law Murray]

Yeah. Like I think about a Paul George, I think about, you know, those, those guys who, they've been really good for so long, but their effectiveness, their ability to win is not there anymore, you know, like, I don't know, Paul's. I'll be surprised If Paul's a 20 point game, 20 points per game guy anymore, you know what I mean? We talked about Brad like we gotta, we gotta see him get, get his, get his game back. And we don't talk about Brad like we did when he was coming to Phoenix, you know, like, guys, there is a certain point where it's like you're just not that guy anymore, you know? And a guy like Chris S. Razingas is going to be interesting too because now we've seen back to back playoffs where for a while we didn't see this dude in the playoffs. Now it's like something always comes up. Availability and Durability can't just be a. If healthy. People love to say if healthy. And it's like, nah, if we have a track record of you not being on the floor, then it affects these kind of things where it's like, what can you do? Because then it also starts to be like, well, we can't put you in these situations. We can't rely on you as our fulcrum of offense because you're not there. Injuries might have sapped your physical ability. You cannot keep assuming that what you've seen in recent years is going to be what you continue to see in the years coming. And that's, and that's a consideration that we have to make for all these guys.

[Esperaheni]

Honestly, the one guy I think of when you mentioned that is like Zion Williamson. Like, we've seen him reach heights where you're like, whoa, this Kai can be a top 10 player. I mean, going toe to toe in the playing tournament and you're like, wow, this, this is the version we want to see. But just availability is such a big part of him and the Pelicans getting to where they want to go. Hopefully Brandon Ingram will be in a different tier next year, by the way.

[Law Murray]

And dependability. Because the thing about Zion, I cover Kawhi Leonard, right? Kawhi Leonard is injury prone and has availability issues. But you don't hear people talk about his work ethic or his will to get the very most out of when he is going to be able to play the game of basketball. And you don't get that vibe from New Orleans when it comes to Zion. A dude who got suspended because he missed a flight, you know, that kind of stuff, you gotta eliminate that from your. And again, stuff that doesn't have a whole lot to do with basketball or even your physical body. Can you be reliable and dependable as a main guy. And a lot of that has to. It's a life thing, this game.

[Dave Dufour]

That's why Skinny Luca is going to be moving up a tier. I'm calling it right now. Skinny Luca is moving up a Tier in the 25, 26 season. He's going to be Andre Aiden.

[Law Murray]

He's been challenged.

[Dave Dufour]

That's right. Well, all right. Well, I will tell you once we, once we wrap here, that s about S's prediction for the Toronto Raptors next year and why he's so high on Brandon Ingram. But go make your flight, Law Murray, go and read them at the Athletic and you can hear him on this podcast all the time. And next season is not going to be any different. Hopefully for Law, Murray and Esperahenny. I'm Dave Dufour and this has been the NBA Daily. Thanks for waking up with us.

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