Drafting the Bleakest Futures in the NBA

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Athletic NBA Daily Episode - "Drafting the Bleakest Futures in the NBA"

Release Date: July 17, 2025
Hosts: Dave DuFour, Zena Keita, Esfandiar Baraheni
Special Guest: Keith Parrish
Regular Contributors: Andrew Schlecht and Alex Spears

---

Introduction to the Bleak Futures Draft

[01:51] Dave DuFour opens the episode by introducing the segment:
"We're doing another draft. This time the bleakest futures, right?"
He explains that the discussion will focus on predicting the most challenging futures for all 30 NBA teams, altering the traditional draft order to foster unbiased perspectives.

[02:04] Andrew Schlecht concurs:
"That's right."
The hosts agree to commence the draft, with Andrew receiving the first pick.

---

1. Milwaukee Bucks: A Challenging Path Ahead

[02:23] Andrew Schlecht selects the Milwaukee Bucks as the number one bleak future:
"I'm taking the Milwaukee Bucks, number one. I think it's going to be really tough for this team to make the kind of run they need to make to keep Giannis."
He elaborates on the Bucks' difficulties in maintaining their competitive edge around star player Giannis Antetokounmpo, highlighting the team's limited control over crucial draft picks:
"They have control of one draft pick right now. And those are the draft picks that are most important to you." [02:51]

[03:05] Dave DuFour critiques the Bucks' financial decisions:
"They took a risk with the Damian Lillard wave and stretch that money's just dead on their books for five years."
He points out the hefty commitment to player salaries, particularly Miles Turner’s four-year, $107 million deal, which strains the Bucks' financial flexibility.
"They tied up like $50 million in player salaries in Miles Turner and just getting him on the roster." [03:05]

[03:26] Keith Parrish adds depth to the analysis:
"Kevin Porter Jr., Gary Trent, Bobby Portis—have a solid year, but you don't have a strong enough point guard."
He underscores the lack of depth and star power beyond Giannis, questioning the Bucks' ability to contend even with Giannis performing at an MVP level.
"Giannis is going to have to have an MVP level season and then some. He's going to have to do something that makes his best season look ridiculous." [03:57]

[04:19] Andrew Schlecht raises concerns about Giannis' future and potential injuries:
"Even now, like you trade Giannis now, you get a lot for it, but if they hang on to him for even two more years... I think there's an ideal time to trade these guys to get the most value for them."
He emphasizes the risk of relying heavily on Giannis as he ages and the team's vulnerability if he faces injuries. [04:37]

---

2. Brooklyn Nets: Struggling with Roster Moves and Strategy

[07:01] Keith Parrish shifts focus to the Brooklyn Nets, expressing skepticism about the team's direction:
"I am not a believer in the Brooklyn Nets. I have a belief, controversially, that you have to have good basketball players to win NBA games."
He criticizes the Nets' inability to secure transformative talents despite accumulating numerous draft picks:
"If you don't get a transformational, game-changing player, if you don't get your own Cooper Kupp or your own Victor Wembanyama... you have nothing." [07:35]

[09:13] Andrew Schlecht reflects on the Nets' questionable acquisitions:
"The Damian Lillard wave and stretch is such a huge mistake to me. You just tied up this... you have no assets to trade."
He highlights the Nets' poor decision-making in trades, such as acquiring Jordan Poole, who he deems unsuitable for the team’s needs:
"They brought in Jordan Poole... he's not gonna be able to switch. They've thrown it away very fast." [10:14]

[11:16] Dave DuFour shares his disillusionment with the Nets' recent performances:
"What just happened in New Orleans and think they're going to do anything... They brought in Jordan Pool for a team that's allegedly trying to compete. This is not a winning player." [11:16]

[13:25] Andrew Schlecht continues to dissect the Nets' strategic mishaps:
"They traded the pick that became Franz Wagner... the Vusovich trade is one of the darkest."
He underscores how the Nets' front office decisions have consistently failed to yield positive outcomes, leaving the team in a precarious position. [30:36]

---

3. New Orleans Pelicans: Organizational Confusion and Player Management

[13:25] Dave DuFour critiques the Pelicans' management decisions:
"They traded away Cam Johnson as a gift on top of that. I'm lost at what the Nets have done."
He emphasizes the Pelicans' inability to effectively rebuild, citing the mishandling of promising players and undervalued assets.
"How do you come in and... the Pelicans are just... confusing." [13:45]

[14:53] Dave DuFour and [14:34] Keith Parrish discuss the acquisition of Jordan Poole and its impact:
"Jordan Pool... how do these rookies fit in? What like in what world are we going after Jordan?" [14:34]
They express doubt over Poole’s fit and the Pelicans' strategic direction, suggesting that such moves undermine the team's potential for growth.

[19:33] Dave DuFour reflects on recent player performances and coaching instability:
"Coaching situation there is also not great. Like changing coaches too often is really bad for players."
He highlights how frequent coaching changes disrupt team chemistry and hinder player development, further darkening the Pelicans' outlook. [21:54]

[23:02] Keith Parrish compares the Pelicans to other struggling franchises:
"This is where the Sacramento Kings were for 16 years, just floating around... It's another team that doesn't do a good job of maximizing the pieces when they do have to."
He underscores the Pelicans' inability to leverage their assets effectively, drawing parallels to historically underperforming teams. [30:36]

---

4. Brief Mentions of Other Teams with Bleak Futures

• Sacramento Kings:
  [30:25] Dave DuFour:
  "You're not going to take the Kings with the last pick. And I promise this is not a repeat episode, but I'm going to take the Philadelphia 76ers..."
  The Kings are flagged for poor draft choices and ineffective trades, leading to a stagnant performance.

• Chicago Bulls:
  [27:38] Keith Parrish:
  "They got rid of Michael Jordan... 40 years of incompetence."
  The Bulls are criticized for long-term management failures and poor strategic decisions that have consistently hindered their success.

• Utah Jazz:
  [31:20] Keith Parrish:
  "I find Utah almost equally as upsetting as the Nets."
  Despite showing some potential with young players, the Jazz struggle with inconsistent performances and strategic missteps.

• Philadelphia 76ers:
  [24:11] Dave DuFour:
  "Their entire future really hinges on Joel Embiid being healthy... that is a potential albatross if he can't play."
  The 76ers' dependence on Joel Embiid poses significant risks regarding the team’s future success.

---

Conclusion: Assessing the NBA Landscape

[31:44] Dave DuFour wraps up the segment:
"Well, that's going to do it for this show from Summer League. Thanks Keith Parrish for hanging out for an hour with us."
He summarizes the discussions, emphasizing the pervasive challenges facing several NBA teams due to poor management decisions, lack of strategic planning, and overreliance on star players.

[32:20] The episode concludes with acknowledgments and sponsor mentions.

---

Key Takeaways

• Financial Mismanagement: Teams like the Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets have committed substantial financial resources to players without securing long-term strategic value, hindering their flexibility and future prospects.

• Roster Instability: Frequent coaching changes and poor player acquisitions contribute to organizational instability, as seen with the New Orleans Pelicans and Brooklyn Nets.

• Overreliance on Star Players: Teams like the Bucks and 76ers depend heavily on their star players, making them vulnerable to injuries and performance declines.

• Ineffective Asset Utilization: Poor trade decisions and undervaluing draft picks have left several teams with limited options for rebuilding or strengthening their rosters.

• Comparative Performance: Historical underperformance by franchises like the Chicago Bulls and Sacramento Kings illustrates persistent organizational issues that extend over decades.

---

Notable Quotes:

• Andrew Schlecht [02:23]:
  "I'm taking the Milwaukee Bucks, number one. I think it's going to be really tough for this team to make the kind of run they need to make to keep Giannis."

• Dave DuFour [03:05]:
  "They took a risk with the Damian Lillard wave and stretch that money's just dead on their books for five years."

• Keith Parrish [07:35]:
  "If you don't get a transformational, game-changing player, if you don't get your own Cooper Kupp or your own Victor Wembanyama... you have nothing."

• Dave DuFour [09:13]:
  "The Damian Lillard wave and stretch is such a huge mistake to me. You just tied up this... you have no assets to trade."

• Keith Parrish [30:36]:
  "The Vusovich trade is one of the darkest. It's like, oh, the team that traded the picks to bring in the good player never once was better than the team they gave the picks to."

---

This episode of The Athletic NBA Daily provides a critical examination of several NBA teams' strategic missteps, highlighting the precarious futures that many franchises face due to a combination of financial mismanagement, poor player acquisitions, and overreliance on star talent. The hosts offer insightful analysis, backed by specific examples and candid opinions, making it a must-listen for fans interested in the deeper dynamics shaping the NBA landscape.

Transcript

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[Dave Dufour]

Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily Live from Summer League. I'm Dave Dufour here with Andrew Schlecht, our good friend Keith Parrish. And we're doing another draft. This time the bleakest futures, right?

[Andrew Schlecht]

That's right.

[Dave Dufour]

We're doing the bleakest futures in the NBA from all 30 teams. And we're gonna switch the draft order up from from yesterday's show. I'm still gonna go last because it's just not fair for me to put myself ahead of you guys. So, Andrew, you're going to get the first pick in the bleak draft.

[Andrew Schlecht]

I'm taking the Milwaukee Bucks, number one.

[Keith Parrish]

Wow.

[Dave Dufour]

Harsh. But fair.

[Andrew Schlecht]

I think it's going to be really tough for this team to make the kind of run they need to make to keep Giannis. I think it's going to be really, really difficult. They also, if they decide to be bad, they have control of one draft pick right now. And those are the draft picks that are most important to you.

[Dave Dufour]

2032.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yes. Whenever, whenever you decide that we're going to be bad, those are the most valuable draft assets are your own. And when you don't have control of that. Yeah, you put yourself in a really weird spot.

[Dave Dufour]

And they took a risk with the Damian Lillard wave and stretch that that money's just dead on their books for five years. And they did it to sign a guy to a four year, $107 million deal. So they tied up like $50 million in player salaries in Miles Turner and just getting him on the roster.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Who are their five best players right now?

[Dave Dufour]

This is a great question. Who's the guy that's going to dribble besides Giannis? 5 best players on that team. If we're going, I mean, it's Giannis, Miles Turner.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yep.

[Keith Parrish]

Kevin Porter Jr. Gary Trent. I mean, Gary Trent, Bobby Portis, have a solid year.

[Dave Dufour]

Bobby Portis, they signed Gary Harris.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Gary might be on the list, but.

[Dave Dufour]

Who'S the point guard?

[Andrew Schlecht]

I mean, it's, it's going to be an awful lot of kpj, which is not a recipe for winning.

[Dave Dufour]

That's a nightmare. And the thing is they still have Giannis, so they can still win 50 games. They could still maybe win a playoff series. I just don't know. I mean, it's going to be a hard road for them. I mean, Giannis is going to have to have an MVP level season and then some. He's going to have to do something that makes his, his best season look ridiculous.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

At age 31, when we feel like he's probably taken a little bit of a step back, especially defensively. He has. I think he's tough.

[Keith Parrish]

Are you weighing in the thought that they could have a couple more Giannis and then that's. It also is part of the bleak future.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah, for sure. Because, I mean, even now, like you trade Giannis now, you get a lot for it, but if they hang on to him for even two more years, then. Giannis is 32. He's had a lot of injuries. Yeah. Especially come playoff time whenever he's like he's been overtaxed in the regular season every year for a while, then he gets to the playoffs and it. He's fallen to injury. So I just worry about that for him and I worry about that for the Bucks. Like there's, I think there's an ideal time to trade these guys to get the most value for them. And I think it's. It's now for them. But they clearly don't want to and.

[Dave Dufour]

Can'T trade Giannis unless he asks out. Like that is. That is their Steph Curry. I mean, if he wants to stay, I get it.

[Andrew Schlecht]

You win a title, but I just don't know where they go. Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

The. The Damian Lillard wave and stretch is. Is such a huge mistake to me. You just tied up this, you know, as. Even though the cap's going to go up, you've just tied up a player salary that could be a starting level player for you.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

In dead money. And they. Again, their guard play was already a problem. Even with Dame on the roster. It was a problem.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

They had no one behind him Wings. Is it going to be Andre Jackson? I mean, what are we looking at here? Who's. Who's going to guard the best player on the other team just this year.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah. And I just don't know what the path is for them getting better players.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah, tough. I mean, like, they have no assets to trade. It's going to be Kyle Kuzma in the 2032 pick. What does that get you?

[Keith Parrish]

I don't know. I liked how when we were ranking their best players, none of us said Kuzma, you can't.

[Andrew Schlecht]

No, I mean, you shouldn't.

[Keith Parrish]

Yeah.

[Andrew Schlecht]

You said kpj. I wouldn't say his name either, but he did have a good second half of the season for them. Yeah. I'm still just not a believer.

[Keith Parrish]

Yeah, I mean, I mean, you would think some guard would, in the style of Gary Trent Jr. Take a pay cut to come play with Giannis with this opportunity, but still. Yeah, you guys convinced me. I was having a hard time reading Bleak, even though I don't. Obviously, I don't love the situation they've found themselves in.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Keith Parrish]

But it's like you still have Giannis, but. Yeah, you guys convinced me this. Actually. I.

[Dave Dufour]

They couldn't sign Tyus Jones, just any. Any ball handler whatsoever. I, I'm. I think that's a great pick. Great number one pick, Keith. No pressure.

[Keith Parrish]

So I'm going to. I'm going to zag a little bit. I think I'm going to pick a team that in their minds, what they're selling to their audience, to their fans, is the future. Yeah, they're only selling the future. But I am not a believer. In the Brooklyn Nets. I have a belief, controversially, that you have to have good Basketball players to win NBA games, it helps.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Who is their best player? Michael Porter.

[Dave Dufour]

Thomas.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Michael Porter Jr.

[Dave Dufour]

Probably Michael Porter.

[Keith Parrish]

I mean. Yeah, yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

Like Nick Claxton.

[Keith Parrish]

I don't know. They don't like what starter level players do they have and beyond that, I mean, I mean, maybe some of these guys who've been playing the summer league, their whole team is here, you know, like one of those guys pops. They obviously have many future draft picks coming their way, but if you don't get a transformational, game changing Giannis level player, if you don't get your own Cooper Flag or your own Victor Wembanyama. Yes. You have nothing.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah.

[Keith Parrish]

And it's like, when, when's the plan to start winning? And so I don't know if we capped this timeline of like the future. Like, this is like starting a team from scratch.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah.

[Keith Parrish]

This is like an expansion team without the actual expansion players you drafted. Like, this is like, I mean, maybe, maybe Michael Porter Jr. Rises to that level.

[Dave Dufour]

Like, I don't see it.

[Keith Parrish]

I mean, Keon Johnson, like, like who's the. When, when, when Nets fans are talking and they're saying, hey, let's trade for this guy or like they're saying we want to. This team wants to trade. Like, like for so and so when you're a Nets fan talking, who do you say is our untouchable guy?

[Andrew Schlecht]

There's nothing exists. Not even exist. Not even after you draft five guys in the first round.

[Keith Parrish]

Yeah, like, like who do you take in the 2025 draft? You're like the coach, but it's coaches.

[Dave Dufour]

Maybe the best like asset they have outside of the, you know, they got their.

[Keith Parrish]

I mean, are people going to bat for Nick Claxton who makes like a pretty fair amount? Like, he's not a cheap contract.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Keith Parrish]

He's just like, well, you've paid that guy who's maybe a starter.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Right.

[Keith Parrish]

But you've paid him like a starter. And so I don't know. I mean, I don't see the vision for, for the Brooklyn Nets. They have nothing. And they'll say, well, we got, we got picks. But even it's color, I guess it's totally colored off also for me by their off season where it's like you traded for Terrence Mann.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Like, yeah, why'd you do that?

[Keith Parrish]

Yeah, like essentially you gave away camp for me. Gave away Cam Johnson.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Right.

[Keith Parrish]

You took an unprotected first round pick, good job for a bad team to absorb Michael Porter Jr's contract, and then you threw in Cam Johnson as a Gift on top of that. So, like, I'm. I'm lost at what the Nets have done. And like, if I were a season ticket holder, if I were a podcaster about the Nets, if I were someone who took my kids to watch basketball, what are the Nets selling me? We're gonna be good in three years.

[Dave Dufour]

They're selling you cap space.

[Keith Parrish]

Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

And free agency. Yeah, we just saw and so doesn't really have any free agents in it anymore.

[Keith Parrish]

It's like, oh, have you opened up a lot of cap space the same time as, like, a bunch of other, like, Lakers are gonna have some. Maybe they want it. Or the Clippers or like, they basically.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Have two years to, like, really hit in the draft.

[Keith Parrish]

Yeah.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Like, they've got. And that will turn things. If they hit in this next draft and the year after, then I think they'll be fine. But, like, they have to hit in the draft.

[Keith Parrish]

And again, when you. When we say fine, it's like, you're going to start having a couple good players. Like, I mean, how many do you need to win a playoff series?

[Andrew Schlecht]

You need a lot.

[Keith Parrish]

It's more than like, five.

[Andrew Schlecht]

You need a lot.

[Keith Parrish]

It's like, I don't. I don't know. I mean, maybe there are other. There certainly could have been other situations I could have picked where it's like, I don't understand what the front office is doing, but I think the Nets front office has hit that for me. I understand asset accumulation.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Keith Parrish]

But this, to me, this is nowhere. This is a bleak nowhere. Saying, over the next eight years, we have 13 picks. I'm like, that is bleak. I'm sorry. That's bleak to me. When you're the Thunder and you tell me that, I'm like, oh, that's amazing because you have a bunch of awesome players already. When you're starting from scratch, it's like you're going to build for the draft. I don't know.

[Andrew Schlecht]

It's pretty bleak.

[Dave Dufour]

With my pick, I'm going to sound like a broken record because I have brought this team up every single time. We've talked about bad off seasons, but I don't know how you watch what just happened in New Orleans and think they're going to do anything.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

Ever much less than the next five years. They already have to make a decision on maybe moving Zion. It seemed like there's a lot of pressure there maybe to do that. They threw away a prized asset for nothing to move up in the draft and get a guy that might have even been there at the 23, third pick. They give that away to Atlanta. I don't know what they're doing bringing in Jordan Pool for a team that's allegedly trying to compete. Like this is not a winning player. No, he's a NBA champion.

[Keith Parrish]

Jordan Pool.

[Dave Dufour]

I'm not sure.

[Keith Parrish]

I'm sorry. Not sure how.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Excuse me.

[Dave Dufour]

He has won. But how did you know? How do these rookies fit in? Yeah, what like in what world are we going after Queen? The center like that doesn't really have like the skills that are modern. NBA big has to have like he doesn't really stretch the floor. He's not fast. He's not like super athletic. Definitely not gonna be able to switch. They've thrown it away very fast. They've thrown everything they had. And this was a team that a couple years ago we all were very high on because they had all this young talent. And it seems like that has just died. It's dried up. New Orleans is the place where players careers now go to die. Last place you want to be. And I think that that makes them beyond what they've done. It's just that players aren't going to want to go there, period. Dejante Murray, I was going to say.

[Andrew Schlecht]

This year they still have Dejounte Murray.

[Dave Dufour]

But he's not going to be there. He won't be playing for a while.

[Keith Parrish]

Right.

[Dave Dufour]

He's got Achilles. He's going to be a diminished player most likely anyway. How long is that contract right now? He's got three years left on that deal. Yeah, it's brutal. So they are in really bad shape. And then they took a double barreled shotgun and shot themselves in the feet.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah, three. Three more years for Dejounte. He's a player. He has a player option in 27, 28.

[Dave Dufour]

For how much?

[Andrew Schlecht]

31.

[Dave Dufour]

That's not too bad.

[Keith Parrish]

I mean the last two teams that acquired Dejounte Murray lost the trade. Yeah, kind of. I mean it's impressive for the Hawks to spin off of it. It's like, yeah, the whole.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Keith Parrish]

The Pelicans are just. They're a confusing team.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah.

[Keith Parrish]

And like you're excited about Trey Murphy and Herb Jones. Like he those guys. So exciting. And then you throw in the Zion, you're like, okay, they're competing to try to win, you understand? Maybe not totally tearing it down, but then they're in not the middle. They're like the lower middle where it's like, yeah, I understand. We have proof of concept from a couple of years ago. But like the Jordan Poole move doesn't make a ton of sense with the players they currently have. And then to give away that unprotected like Best of Pelicans and Bucks, it's like rid the room. How do you come in and that's.

[Dave Dufour]

The thing that you do your first summer. How is that the move? Like, how did you even get the job? Did you, did you come in and pitch this?

[Keith Parrish]

That was the idea.

[Dave Dufour]

You know, I just am confused. Your first summer seems like it would be the easiest one as you either can do nothing and say, hey, look, we're just trying to figure this out or you come in and you've cooked up this great plan and maybe that's how you got the job. I, I'm just, I am lost as to how the Pelicans are going to function, period.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

Over the next few years, this was.

[Keith Parrish]

Such a befuddling and even Moving off of CG McCollum's money, I mean Jordan Pool, I think in our community made Jordan Pool made a lot of progress last year. And again, it wasn't a winning situation, but maybe in the right situation he can blossom again. He's a talented player, but it's just, it's perplexing to move off of the expiring CG McCallum money to bring in a similar player and then draft a similar ish player.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Right.

[Keith Parrish]

You know, like the in freers.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Keith Parrish]

Pelican situation is not, not, not ideal right now.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Foreign.

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[Andrew Schlecht]

I'm taking Phoenix.

[Dave Dufour]

Probably a good pick. One of the dumb teams.

[Andrew Schlecht]

I just don't know where they're going. They just gave this extension.

[Dave Dufour]

They are going to Devin Booker trade. Devin Booker is really where they're going.

[Andrew Schlecht]

I mean they have to right? Like what other, what other direction do they have to go? I mean they didn't make the playoffs last year when they had Kevin Durant and Devin Booker played 75 games last year. It's not like he missed a ton of time and that was the reason that they missed the playoffs.

[Dave Dufour]

To be fair though, they were starting use of nurkic for a good chunk of season.

[Andrew Schlecht]

That was their choice.

[Dave Dufour]

I know like this is but this was the thing right? Like they don't have good players now.

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[Andrew Schlecht]

They made a lot of choices to get to this place.

[Keith Parrish]

It's strange where they have a lot of players. Last season they had a lot of players who I would not I would describe as pretty good NBA players.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Keith Parrish]

You know where it's like even, even the depth pieces, it's like Royce and Hill. He's all right player like Grayson Allen. All right was pretty good for a rookie. Yeah. And even like some of the rookies showed a little bit they could never figure out who to ever play.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Right.

[Keith Parrish]

Like it was always let's try a new game. Let's try try a new guy. You know like the end of the rotation. But like it's also perplexing when you think like they brought in Tyus Jones and like we thought that was going to help at least facilitate some and I, I remain honestly lost about Devin Booker. The player where I'm like I thought you were Maybe one of the 10 best guys in the NBA Finals.

[Andrew Schlecht]

In the Finals, not that long ago.

[Dave Dufour]

Well, how did we. We all felt so good about him coming off that Olympic run.

[Intuit QuickBooks]

And it's right.

[Dave Dufour]

They're adding. Oh, they're going to add kd. What if Booker can be like Olympic Booker? And it just didn't. It didn't materialize.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Keith Parrish]

But now they're in the situation where I actually feel like they have pivoted, at least in a reasonable manner. I felt like the return from Kevin Durant, that trade, totally acceptable. They got Malawatch, the big center. They trade for Mark Williams. Seems maybe aggressive to make that trade, but they're trying some stuff, guys. They, you know, I mean, maybe there's a world where Jalen Green pops a little bit more. I do honestly believe in the transformational power of Dylan Brooks.

[Andrew Schlecht]

I was going to ask.

[Keith Parrish]

Culture.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah, I was going to ask you.

[Keith Parrish]

Dylan Brooks has won an outrageous number of basketball games the last like four or five years.

[Andrew Schlecht]

True.

[Keith Parrish]

He basically only plays for two seeds. And so maybe, I mean, maybe there's something there, I don't know. But beyond that, the decision to say, all right, we're going to spend all our money and just try to go for it full bore. And then to be like, naturally, no, didn't work. And now we've traded all our picks and all our second round pick other swaps involved, but still, you know, losing control of those things. And then I mean, obviously Matt HP has proven he's going to. He will pay money.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Right.

[Keith Parrish]

But because there's a lot of teams, if they sign their best player to an extension that starts at over $70 million per season, I'm like, well, I know you're not going to fill out the roster now, so maybe Ishba will when the time comes. But yeah, you certainly have to wonder how long Devin Booker has at an elite level. And also why isn't his elite level a little bit more right now? Why is he losing so many basketball games? Yeah, I thought you were a certain player and maybe I was wrong. You're not that level of guy.

[Dave Dufour]

It feels like it's been a couple seasons since Booker went out and did a. Won a game by himself, you know, and, and part of that is because he's had some, I guess, more talent around him, although it hasn't really worked.

[Keith Parrish]

Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

Coaching situation there is also not great. Like changing coaches too often is really bad for players. How do you build in any consistency or, you know, have any sort of familiarity and comfort and chemistry with the people around you. That team has changed around Booker so many times and now he's on what, what number of coaches this.

[Keith Parrish]

Oh, I don't even.

[Dave Dufour]

I could not count on. I could not sit here and count without looking at a list.

[Keith Parrish]

Right.

[Dave Dufour]

Because he's had so many head coaches. That's another reason to me to not like their future.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah. I also just don't think you can't even sell hope. So when you're talking about like the Wizards or even with Brooklyn, like Brooklyn has like some draft picks coming up. You can't even sell hope to them. They're going to be in like the worst space in the NBA over the next few years where they might make the play in, they might not. They maybe make the first round, but they're not going to win a series. And that's going to be like, that's where they are for like probably the next five years. And that's where nobody wants to be in the NBA. And when you don't have your draft picks and you're in this like weird middle zone, you just get kind of lost. This is where like the Sacramento Kings were for 16 years, where they just kind of just were just floating around in this area where like, hey, maybe we can make the playoffs.

[Keith Parrish]

And they're on the board.

[Andrew Schlecht]

They're on the board.

[Dave Dufour]

I honestly, I'm sitting here staring at the Kings really hard.

[Keith Parrish]

No, I would, I would say wrapping up the Suns.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Keith Parrish]

I still personally give. Give me, give me Devin Booker and Dylan Brooks and an owner that's willing to spend over a bunch of like the Knicks first. Future first round picks that like the Nets have, you know, like, at least give me an all NBA level player and. All right. Yes. We don't have picks.

[Andrew Schlecht]

But it's always been your MO Though.

[Keith Parrish]

It has been. It has been where I'm like, I'll take a good player.

[Dave Dufour]

You got to have good players. The thing about it is they have no way to get good players.

[Keith Parrish]

It's hard.

[Dave Dufour]

It's very hard.

[Keith Parrish]

It's hard.

[Dave Dufour]

Don't have draft picks.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

Nothing to go out and get anybody with. Okay. So I'm not going to take the Kings with the last pick. And I promise this is not a repeat episode, but I'm going to take the Philadelphia 76ers because I don't know if you guys realize this, but their entire future really hinges on Joel Embiid being healthy and he's not been very healthy. Andrew, tell me again, what's his contract, how many years he got left and what's that player option on that last year? 67 million.

[Andrew Schlecht]

67 million.

[Dave Dufour]

28. 29. I mean, that is a. That is a potential albatross if he can't play. And it's not just he can't play every game and it's not good enough to do the Kawhi plan, in my opinion.

[Keith Parrish]

He's got it.

[Dave Dufour]

He's got to give him 60 games, 65 games a year, not 40. And because they need that. Because they need home court. Because he needs home court. Yeah, he needs home court rest. What happens if he has another season next year like this one? Like, how many seasons can Joel Embiid do this to himself? Physically?

[Keith Parrish]

I don't know where he's.

[Dave Dufour]

Where he's injured and having to go through rehab and surgeries and, you know, I start to think about his longevity. And if he's not there, you've got some young guys, so you've got a few assets, but, you know, you don't have another number one. Tyrese Max is not a number one. I don't think Jared McCain's a number one. VJ Edom, probably not a number one. Oh, maybe. Right.

[Andrew Schlecht]

But who knows?

[Dave Dufour]

But maybe they do have some talent. But it could get dark real fast with a beat.

[Keith Parrish]

Yeah.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah, it could. I think not even.

[Keith Parrish]

You didn't bring up Paul George.

[Dave Dufour]

I didn't bring up Paul. I was waiting. I was expecting one of you guys.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Keith Parrish]

Not.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah. The PG deal is rough.

[Dave Dufour]

No. They lost the PG for Tobias Harris swap.

[Keith Parrish]

Yeah.

[Andrew Schlecht]

That's unbelievable.

[Dave Dufour]

In year one, they lost it.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

Just overwhelmingly. Even when Paul George was healthy, he did not fit. He didn't look like he wanted to be out there sometimes.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

And maybe that was, by the way, a downstream benefit or effect of not being healthy. Hurting his knee in. In preseason definitely didn't help him, but.

[Andrew Schlecht]

He'S been dealing with injuries for a long time. Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

They signed a guy who was injury prone.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

You know, the Clippers were okay with letting him walk.

[Andrew Schlecht]

There was a reason for that.

[Dave Dufour]

Absolutely. He's not Kawhi and he's injury prone.

[Keith Parrish]

Also, the Clippers, they did offer him.

[Dave Dufour]

Right.

[Keith Parrish]

I mean, they offered him three years and not four. Right. And so it's one. That's another one of those things where it's like so much of the NBA, it's about making the right choices and scouting the right players and getting together with all your brightest minds and come up with spreadsheets and figuring out this is the best pathway to winning a thing. And then it comes down to glad the Sixers got Paul George, you know, like, like that. That three year deal looks not very good, you know.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah. So that, that's, that's where I'm at on it. Is there any honorable mention before we get out of here?

[Keith Parrish]

I'm almost certain I didn't make a second pick.

[Dave Dufour]

You said the Suns, did you not?

[Andrew Schlecht]

I did.

[Keith Parrish]

Andrew was the sun.

[Dave Dufour]

Oh my gosh, we talked about the sun so long.

[Keith Parrish]

I just, I, I am almost certain I'd make it and I feel like, I feel this, this team was in contingent for my first pick when I went controversial with the Nets. I think there's a lot of listeners who've been screaming, the Bulls. It's the Bulls. It's the Bull. Honorable mention kings. It's the Bulls. They don't have a Matt Ishbia who's willing to loudly, maybe brashly, maybe make some wrong steps, but he's trying. Yeah, they have, they have shown over and over. It feels like their goals. 39 wins and that's a weird place to be. And they, I mean Kobe White's solid player. Solid player. The rest of it, it's just like, what exactly do we have? How are we winning a playoffs?

[Andrew Schlecht]

You're not a modest guy.

[Keith Parrish]

Time soon. I mean Bozales, okay, he showed a little bit but like I'm going to need to see a lot more.

[Dave Dufour]

It's another team that doesn't do a good job of maximizing the pieces when they do have to on. I mean you look at the Alex Caruso trade.

[Keith Parrish]

Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

You know, just getting absolutely fleeced. You get nothing.

[Keith Parrish]

The spurs got the good stuff from the Zach Levine trade. It's like, how, how is this happening?

[Dave Dufour]

Right? Like just targeting like you want. Josh Giddy Lonzo ball.

[Keith Parrish]

People were offering picks for Lonzo Ball last year and you turned him into Isaac Okoro. And Isaac Okoro is a. What did we say?

[Andrew Schlecht]

A fine, fine guy guy.

[Keith Parrish]

He's like, he belongs in the league. He can do some things. He's also sort of similar to Patrick Williams and it's like.

[Dave Dufour]

And it's only a coral. Doesn't hurt my basketball like heart when he shoots the basketball. Right.

[Keith Parrish]

It has been a pattern of quizzical decisions from the front office and always a very low ceiling team in like.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Keith Parrish]

One of the biggest media markets in the country.

[Dave Dufour]

They fumbled. They were the kings of the NBA. They were they Michael Jordan. I mean, I don't want to get into the, the branding side of this.

[Andrew Schlecht]

I thought you meant the Sacramento Kings.

[Dave Dufour]

No, I mean that the Bulls were. Were. They were the biggest sports franchise in the world.

[Keith Parrish]

Yeah.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

In 1999, they blew that up.

[Keith Parrish]

I mean, this is. This is 40 years, at least, of incompetence.

[Dave Dufour]

It's not going anywhere. You're right. They've had the bleakest past.

[Keith Parrish]

They got rid of Michael Jordan.

[Dave Dufour]

Like, they. They pushed Michael Jordan out the door. It's tough.

[Keith Parrish]

Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

Pushed them to the Wizards.

[Keith Parrish]

So, I mean, while I do usually like a team that tries to win at some point, it's like, hey, you realize, though, you could actually. You can still win 39 games and also trade away players for picks.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Keith Parrish]

Like, that is the thing. You can actually. There is a narrow path. Sometimes your year goes bad, and then you say, okay, let's lose now. Yeah, our plan did not work. Let's go get a pick now. And the Bulls are like, what if we didn't? What if.

[Andrew Schlecht]

But what if.

[Keith Parrish]

But what if we ran back another year of Vucci, Maine?

[Dave Dufour]

Well, this is the other thing. It's guys like Vuch. You have Vucc on the roster. Every team in the league that's contending is looking for a center. Why is Vuch still on your team when you're in the play in.

[Keith Parrish]

I mean, they've even lost the. They said they keep missing the opportunity to move these guys, too, Right. Where it's like, now it's like, I don't want. You know, and then it's like, a team could be like, man, I justumu. Kind of like how he. How he goes. Like, can we have him? Like, no, he's untouchable. We have to win 36 games or whatever. It's like, all right, come on, guys.

[Dave Dufour]

It's extremely bleak. I mean, the Bulls just, again, they should be better. They should have better resources.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Well, they traded. I mean, they traded the pick that became Franz Wagner to.

[Keith Parrish]

Right.

[Andrew Schlecht]

To Orlando. I mean, that Vucovich.

[Keith Parrish]

The Vusovich trade is one of the darkest going back.

[Andrew Schlecht]

And look, it's very.

[Keith Parrish]

Where it's like, oh, the team that traded the picks to bring in the good player never once was better than the team they gave the picks to.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yep.

[Keith Parrish]

You know, it's like, that's pretty amazing. That's rough.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

You guys got anything else on bleak futures before we get out of here?

[Andrew Schlecht]

Shout out to the Kings.

[Dave Dufour]

It's gonna be so bad. But it's good to have dumb teams back in the NBA.

[Keith Parrish]

Congratulations. Hornets not being mentioned. That's right.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah. Good job, Hornets.

[Dave Dufour]

One good draft, and they're just out of the basement.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Utah Jazz.

[Keith Parrish]

I'm not even ready to call the Hornets drafted good draft yet. Yeah, but some other guys, Utah is.

[Dave Dufour]

Too confusing to maybe be bleak because what's, what's going to happen? I mean, I bought them out. Again.

[Keith Parrish]

I find Utah almost equally as upsetting as the Nets.

[Andrew Schlecht]

I was wondering if you would go.

[Keith Parrish]

At least there are. When I look at Utah's roster, there's at least like guys on rookie deals where I'm like, all right, I can trade for that guy. Like Larry Markin's very good player. Like Walker. Kessler's a good player. When I look at the Nets, I'm like, you can't even trade these people for anything. So. Yeah.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Keith Parrish]

All right.

[Dave Dufour]

Well, that's going to do it for this show from Summer League. Thanks Keith Parrish for hanging out for an hour with us. It was a long time on a late night for Andrew Schleicht. I'm Dave Dufour and this has been the NBA Daily. Thanks for waking up with us.

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