Ja Morant TRADED to the Trail Blazers EMERGENCY POD

Summary

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The Athletic NBA Daily: Ja Morant TRADED to the Trail Blazers – Emergency Pod

Date: June 29, 2026
Hosted by: Dave DuFour, Andrew Schlecht, and an unnamed NBA analyst
(Timestamps in MM:SS format)

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Episode Overview

This emergency episode of The Athletic NBA Daily dives deep into the shocking trade of Ja Morant from the Memphis Grizzlies to the Portland Trail Blazers. Hosts Dave DuFour, Andrew Schlecht, and a guest analyst discuss the surprise move, its implications for both franchises, Portland's seemingly confused team-building strategy, and ripple effects around the league. The pod also briefly touches on other NBA moves, including player options and roster changes, providing listeners with a comprehensive, real-time reaction and analysis.

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The Ja Morant Trade: Details and Immediate Reactions

Main Theme:
The hosts are incredulous about Ja Morant's destination, viewing the trade as emblematic of uncertainty and dysfunction in Portland's front office, and discuss the potential impacts on both the Trail Blazers and Grizzlies.

Key Points:

• Shock Value: Nobody had Portland as a logical destination, given their glut of ball-dominant guards.
• Portland's Motive Questioned: The move is characterized as "dumping a player," adding to Portland’s already questionable roster construction.
• No Asset Haul for Memphis: Notably, Portland received no draft pick in the Morant deal, signaling that Ja’s value (due to off-court issues and declining play) was minimal.

"This is probably the most shocking destination I could have come up with for Ja. I mean, it's basically you're dumping a player and Portland is supposed to be this team pushing for contention. It's a very odd, odd trade."
— Dave DuFour (03:32)

Portland’s Roster Logjam

• The Blazers now have Scoot Henderson, Damian Lillard (returning from Achilles injury at age 36), Deni Avdija, and Ja Morant—all players who need the ball to thrive.
• Confusion around team building: Are they rebuilding, contending, or just shuffling "bad parts"?

"How are you going to play Scoot, Ja, Dame, and Deni Avdija, who all have to have the basketball to be great?"
— Unnamed Analyst (08:26)

• Ja Morant's Fit:
  • Hosts question how Ja fits with Dame, especially as Ja's game (once built on rim pressure and athleticism) has diminished, and his lack of shooting further complicates fit.

"I don't think that you can start John Morant, Damian Lillard together and expect to win basketball games. It just, it's not that league, period."
— Dave DuFour (11:41)

Ja Morant’s Declining Value & PR Issues

• The analysts are skeptical Morant can recover his All-Star-level play.
• Off-court "attitude" and legal issues cited as major red flags.
• Morant’s presence is seen as potentially “harmful” to young players' development and Portland’s locker room culture.

"If you are a serious franchise...you wouldn't touch Ja Morant with a ten foot pole."
— Unnamed Analyst (09:29)

• The move is described as a "buy low" gamble with slim odds of success.

"If somehow he does [return to stardom]...this is going to be an all time trade for the Blazers. But I'd say that has, like, a 9% chance of happening..."
— Unnamed Analyst (10:49)

Memphis Moving On

• For the Grizzlies, this is an organizational “reset”—finally severing ties with Ja and his baggage, even if the return is minimal.
• Clearing the way for new development and possibly future moves.

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Broader NBA Notes & Trade Rumors

Potential Portland Moves and the Jalen Brown Angle (11:41 - 13:27)

• Portland could be setting up a package for Jalen Brown, possibly involving Scoot Henderson and other assets.
• Questions persist on whether Portland is stockpiling for one big trade or simply operating without a clear plan.

Around the League: Free Agency Updates (18:30 – 25:53)

Jonathan Kuminga (ATL)

• Atlanta Hawks declined Kuminga’s $24M option, making him a free agent (18:50).
• Speculation he could re-sign with Atlanta on a new deal or test the market (e.g., Detroit, San Antonio).

Julian Champagnie (SAS)

• Re-signs with San Antonio on a 3-year, $45M deal (20:37).

"That's a very, very good contract for Champ."
— Unnamed Analyst (20:43)

Andrew Wiggins (MIA)

• Opts into final contract year at $30M; extension follows for $64M over the next two years (21:26).
• Key to Miami retaining playoff competitiveness.

Draymond Green (GSW)

• Opts out of Warriors deal; buzz about joining with LeBron and AD; possibly a leverage play for a new contract for all three (23:06).

"This is the lamest thing in the world, man...how many kids are going to sit down and turn on their PS5 and pick the Golden State Warriors?"
— Unnamed Analyst (23:06)

The "Superteam" Era Gets Older

• Discussion on the futility of building teams out of 35+ year-old former stars.
• Concerns about health, age, and lack of postseason potential.

"You know, I don't know how you feel to team in 2026 with 10 guys over the age of 30. ... The season's too long."
— Dave DuFour (24:46)

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Quick Hits: Trades, Rumors, and Options (26:16 – 30:30)

• Bradley Beal: Opted out; speculation about landing in Miami.
• Lu Dort: Option picked up by OKC for 2026-27 (17.7M). Could be shopped for assets as OKC's youth movement continues.

"I think there are a lot of teams that would want Lu Dort. ... He's a great replacement for Smart [in LA]."
— Unnamed Analyst (29:32)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Ja Morant trade as a negative move:
  • "You're gambling with just the makeup of your team." (06:52 – Dave DuFour)
• On Portland’s direction:
  • "They're just shuffling deck chairs here." (09:29 – Unnamed Analyst)
• On 2K superteams vs. real NBA teams:
  • "They're making so many good 2K teams right now...I don't know how many of these are like actual good NBA teams, but the 2K teams are on fire this summer..." (23:35 – Unnamed Analyst)
• On NBA’s aging superteams:
  • "They're combining their ages. ... It would be the oldest starting lineup in NBA history, probably." (25:53 – Dave DuFour)

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Key Timestamps

• 03:32: Intro to Ja Morant trade: shock and confusion
• 05:20: Portland’s plan to start Dame and Ja together; concerns
• 06:52: The “buy low” gamble and locker room fit issues
• 08:26: Deni Avdija’s development and team-building contradictions
• 11:41: Potential ripple trade for Jalen Brown
• 13:27: Memphis Grizzlies' point of view (moving on from Ja)
• 18:50: Jonathan Kuminga’s option declined by Atlanta
• 20:37: Julian Champagnie’s deal with San Antonio
• 21:26: Andrew Wiggins’ contract details in Miami
• 23:06: Draymond Green opts out, “superteam” speculation
• 26:16: Beal, Lu Dort, and OKC’s roster flexibility

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Summary & Takeaways

The pod paints Portland’s gamble on Ja Morant as low-upside and potentially damaging, both on-court and culturally. The Blazers' lack of clear direction, combined with the awkward mix of timeline and skill sets, raises concerns for player development and team chemistry. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies finally move on, while the wider NBA landscape is filled with aging stars leveraging new contracts, and teams like OKC creatively managing their rosters.

Bottom Line:
Listeners come away with a sense of league-wide uncertainty and the feeling that, sometimes, NBA transactions make sense only in the hypothetical world of 2K, not on an actual NBA court.

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Transcript

[Andrew Schlecht]

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All right guys, let's talk about Father's

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[Dave Dufour]

Hello, everybody. Welcome to the NBA Daily it's emergency podcast season. Andrew Schlecht here with Dave Dufour and John Morant has been traded to the Portland Trailblazers. Andrew, this is probably the most shocking destination I could have come up with for Ja. I mean, it's basically you're dumping a player and Portland is supposed to be this team pushing for contention. It's a very odd, odd trade.

[Unnamed NBA Analyst]

Yeah. I don't think if I were to try to find a team that needs a point guard, I don't think I would have said the Blazers. I, I, I still hold, it's like they have a lot, I hold some scooters stock still. Not much, but a little bit. Denny Abdia is a guy that just needs to have the ball to function. And if you're bringing back Dame next year, I mean, what are, what are we doing? I feel like at this point we're trying to make the Blazers worse by just adding a player who does all kind of, I mean, he's, he's not too dissimilar from what some of the guys on the Blazers do, but just does it a little bit worse and also has attitude problems and he's got legal problems and he's a guy that the Memphis is just like, you know what? Let's just, we'll just, we'll just move you for two guys that are certainly not a part of our plan and we're okay with that.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah, I, the, I think another shocking part of this is that Portland didn't wind up getting a pick because it did seem like Jaws trade value was close to zero, if not just negative. Yeah, I, I had not heard really him being connected to anyone. Maybe Milwaukee, if they had, you know, tried to maybe field a competitive team this year or something. Just like desperate teams.

[Unnamed NBA Analyst]

Sure.

[Dave Dufour]

And Chris Haynes is reporting that, that the plan going into next season is to start John Morant and Damian Lillard, who's coming off an Achilles tear at age 36. And that's just not a competitive starting backcourt man, that's like what, what are, what are we actually trying to do? I think they're playing.

[Unnamed NBA Analyst]

I feel like some teams are trying to do this now. They're trying to make like some like maybe like a popular 2K team because like that, that is honestly a team that, you know, injury, sliders way off.

[Pablo Torre]

Yeah.

[Unnamed NBA Analyst]

Pretty fun. Pretty fun team. Theoretically. Not, not a great, not a great team on the court though. I mean really what they're hoping for is like a bounce back year from John Morant who at one point has been a superstar in this NBA and a guy that, I mean this is obviously just like a buy low on John Morant and hoping that just a change of scenery will help him. There's just a lot of weird stuff going on in Portland though. I will tell you that. Like there is an outrageous amount of weird stuff going on in Portland from the newly hired lame duck head coach to trading for John Morant. I get it. Like I wouldn't. The Jeremy Grant deal is like a big whatever. Like it's bad. It's not a good contract. But Jeremy Grant is not a guy that's like rocking the boat. He's just out there like buying fabric and you know, stitching together.

[Dave Dufour]

John has the same amount of time left on his deal. You know, I know this is. You swap bad for bad if you're Portland. Unless you really believe that John Morant can get back to where he was. I just, I, I don't know, man. I, I don't see it. He, he really, he never is available from a health perspective, much less any other things that might be going on. He can't shoot, he can't finish around the basket. He doesn't attack anymore when we've seen him out there. So I mean this is a, it's, I guess it, it's a small bet because you didn't really give up anything. You know, they, they, they traded away two parts that also weren't a part of their future. You know, it's not like Jeremy Grant is going to help push the, the Blazers into home court advantage in the playoffs. So I, I guess it's a small gamble, but I think you're gambling with just the makeup of your team. Drew Holiday very important to what they were doing last year. You know, part of the, the reason their defense was so good.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Very true.

[Dave Dufour]

And what, what happens with Drew now? I'm assuming there's more deals to come for Portland, so. Scoot Henderson. I mean, I think that the, what we saw from him in the playoffs Outside of the last two games of, of his playoff run, I, I think that the first three games were pretty promising. I mean watching a guy on the, you know, the stage with the brightest lights and he actually showed up and had some of the best games of his career and it feels like a guy that maybe you're, you're, it seems like they're giving up on a little bit by having two old guys in front of him. I mean it just, it's, it's a bit nonsensical.

[Unnamed NBA Analyst]

Yeah, I, I, I don't really understand the team building aspect of it because it did feel like they were in a good place with like Denny being your best player. Maybe build a little bit slowly, but they keep like pressing these like many fast forward buttons that are not good for them financially as a roster and then don't make sense at all when it comes to team building. I mean, how are you going to play Scoot Jaw Dame and Denny Abdia, who all have to have the basketball to be great? Maybe Dame doesn't have to, but the other guys certainly have to. How do you develop these guys? Because like Abdia is not like a super finished product. He could use some more developing. Scoot Henderson, some due to injury, some due to him not being very good, like deserves like a little bit more time. And John Morant is just like a guy that if you are a serious franchise, if you are a franchise that cares about the people that you bring into your organization, you wouldn't touch John Morant with a ten foot pole, man. You would. You just straight up wouldn't do it. And so it worries me a little bit for the direction of the Trailblazers because, and it's not even like, oh, they gave up, they didn't give up much at all. They're just shuffling deck chairs here. But man, I would not want him in that locker room. I would not want him being a part of what we're doing. I thought they made a step in the right direction bringing in Drew Holiday and even Damian Lillard because both guys are good leaders, guys that you want around some of these young guys. John Moran's the exact opposite. Like I would not want him a part of my franchise. Especially with what you've built to this point where it seems like pretty promising in Portland, but now it's like what, like really, what is the goal when you sit around the table? What is the goal when you bring in John Morant?

[Dave Dufour]

Denny Abdia is your best player and, and you now are adding two guys next season that are going to demand the ball. I mean Damian Lillard for is maybe still going to be a good player. We don't know. Ja, obviously I think that, you know, that star is kind of diminished quite a bit, but it's not like they're going to be out there sharing the ball, you know?

[Unnamed NBA Analyst]

Right.

[Dave Dufour]

I just don't, I don't see how this does anything but set your, like you said, like set your, the development curve back for, for the guys that are supposed to be your future. You know, I mean, I guess Donovan Clingan, he's gonna make some money because if that defense is passable, he'll be. Why?

[Unnamed NBA Analyst]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, I guess really like the, the only like redeeming thing here is that we've seen John Morant play at a really, really high level. Like, we've seen him be a superstar. He's made the all star team twice. He's, he has been one of the best players in the league before and I guess like really the only redeeming factor here is like can he reach those heights again? If, if somehow he does and he's a franchise player again, this is going to be an all time trade for the Blazers. But I would say that has like a 9% chance of happening and the other 91% is just like he is going to be harmful to what you're trying to build and he, he could be a PR nightmare for you.

[Dave Dufour]

Sure.

[Unnamed NBA Analyst]

Like, why would you want that? Like why in the world would you want to bring that upon yourself? I do not get that.

[Dave Dufour]

I, I do, I do wonder what's coming next for Portland because I, I just don't see a world in which it makes any sense to keep Drew Holiday around if you're going to have Ja and Dame. And then what does it mean for Scoot Henderson? I mean this could also. They're in the mix for Jalen Brown. This could mean, you know, hey, we're gonna send Scoot and, and maybe other stuff for Jalen Brown. I, I'm not, I'm not sure. I just again, I'm looking at. I don't think that you can start John Morant, Damian Lillard together and expect to win basketball games. It just, it's not that league, period. Jaws. Lack of shooting means that he has to basically be on the ball. So Damian Lillard, does he move? Is he a big time movement shooter? I mean, is this a guy that you expect to have a lot of gravity? I, I don't, I don't think so.

[Unnamed NBA Analyst]

Not exactly been his Game. He's a great, he's a great shooter but he's, it's often as pull up shooter which he's elite and is extremely valuable still if he can still do it.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah, I mean between the two, I would say, I mean as, as long as Dame is, is athletic again know coming off this surgery, I would rather Dame have the ball in his hands. I, I don't want J to be the decision maker or you know, the guy that, that doesn't get guarded when he's dribbling at the top of the key. You know, we've watched, we've watched teams get sunk by this sort of player and because he doesn't get two feet in the pain anymore, he doesn't put that rim pressure on a defense at all anymore. He doesn't really open up anything for anyone else. So I mean in, in a lot of ways like you know how harmful he is on the defensive end. Basically unplayable at times. And I, I think now he's just, he's kind of actively harmful on the offensive end when you have better options.

[Unnamed NBA Analyst]

Yeah. And then from Memphis aside, I mean you, you, you move jaw, you're enter a new era of Memphis Grizzlies basketball. You probably try to move Jeremy Grant at some point if you can. Maybe even for a player that could play on the perimeter a little bit, it would just be nice to, to kind of offload his deal. But he's not harmful to your team. He's a pretty low key guy from what I understand. Chris Murray. I think this is probably a. Chris Murray is like your 12th guy. But I, from what I understand it's, it's a good move to get Chris Murray out of there too. I don't know that Chris has had the best time and in Portland. So it's a good, good move for, for Chris there. It's, it is just like all about getting jaw away from this team.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah.

[Unnamed NBA Analyst]

As like we try to develop it, it's just all about that. All right guys, let's talk about Father's

[Andrew Schlecht]

Day because apparently hot dads use nanit. Look, it's a cheeky little line from them, but honestly they're not wrong. Dads today are wired completely differently. They're way more hands on, more in tune and truly co parenting. In fact, this generation of dad spends four times more time with their kids than dads did in the past. And honestly, knowing when your baby went down or how many bottles they've had, that is generally one of the most attractive qualities a man can have. And that's exactly where the Nanit Smart Baby Monitor system comes in. It's the ultimate monitor every new dad needs. It automatically tracks sleep with zero manual logging required. And it keeps you updated in real time right from your phone or its dedicated 8 inch touchscreen display. Long gone are the days when moms had to be the sole keeper of the baby monitor. Nanit offers centralized shared app access, so both parents are completely, completely in the know, sharing the load together. You can check in from absolutely anywhere, whether you're downstairs or traveling for work, so you never miss bedtime routines or big milestones. Plus, Wirecutter actually found Nanit to be the most stringent with security of all WI FI monitors tested, crowning it best WI FI video monitor in 2026. If you're expecting this is the number one item you're going to want to put on your baby registry. But if you need it right now or you want to give it to dad for the ultimate Father's Day gift, do not wait. Nanit has two big sales happening this month. Head to nanit.com that's n a n I t.com.

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[Dave Dufour]

someone asked in the chat how we're doing a Ja Morant emergency pod in 2026 and it's only because it's such a confusing deal. Yeah, and. And you know, we were setting up doing other stuff, but it is such an odd swap it's, it's swapping bad parts for each other, but in a way that for the team that's trying to be competitive, the Blazers makes no sense. It was just to me, better to have Grant on the books for another two years even. I mean, you know, again, one more year of that contract and he's a big expiring that you maybe could use next summer to go get a piece of, you know, and also he could have been a part of a potential Jaylen B. Jaylen Brown trade. And unless that's fallen through and they just don't have much of a shot at landing Jaylen Brown, I just, I can't come up with a reason to do this. There's no good basketball reason.

[Unnamed NBA Analyst]

No, no. There's also no good human reason either.

[Dave Dufour]

Or financial. I can't. Yeah, you're not saving that much money. It's a, it's an odd trade. Should we. Jonathan Kuminga, the Hawks. Yeah, the Hawks are.

[Unnamed NBA Analyst]

Yeah, let's, let's, let's go around the association a little bit because we just reached a deadline.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah.

[Unnamed NBA Analyst]

If you're in central time, which I am, 4 o'. Clock. If you're in Pacific Time at 2 o'. Clock. That's how time zones work. A lot of options had to be declined or picked up. And so let's, let's, let's go around the horn a little bit. Dave DeFore.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah. Okay, so the Hawks have declined their 24 million dollar player option on Jonathan Kaminga, making him a free agent. It's kind of, that's an interesting development actually.

[Unnamed NBA Analyst]

Yeah. You kind of thought maybe they would just keep him around a little bit, keep that off, like pick up that option, see what he has left. It's not a ton of money. I mean it. Okay, it's a ton of money, but it's, but in the NBA sense, like having a guy on that kind of contract, especially if it's expiring, is not detrimental to you. I'm a little surprised. It doesn't mean he's leaving the Hawks necessarily. Like he could re up on a longer term deal in Atlanta. But you also have to wonder like they, they traded for Aaron Wiggins. He's a guy that can soak up a lot of regular season minutes and he's, they're bringing in a lot of guys that aren't necessarily going to like demand the basketball and guys that like need possessions. And that's always been kind of the gripe with Kaminga is that he's a guy that just like believes that he deserves more than what he's getting. And so I don't, I'm not saying that to say that they're definitely going to cut bait on him and let him go somewhere else, but I think that's probably, that's something that's in the back of my mind as I'm, you know, seeing this happen is like perhaps it could be that and maybe they just want to have him around for the long term and they just, instead of working on an extension, they just want to give him a brand new deal here.

[Dave Dufour]

So maybe now he's an interesting guy though if he, if he does decide to test free agency, I could see like maybe Detroit would, would kick the tires on him.

[Unnamed NBA Analyst]

Yeah, maybe.

[Dave Dufour]

I mean San Antonio, it would be a weird fit, but like he kind of oddly would work there.

[Unnamed NBA Analyst]

Yeah. They are bringing back champagne, right?

[Dave Dufour]

Oh, is that, I didn't see that today.

[Unnamed NBA Analyst]

Yeah. Three year, $45 million deal.

[Discover Advertiser]

Wow.

[Dave Dufour]

That's actually, that's a little bit lower than I expected.

[Unnamed NBA Analyst]

That's an, that's a very, very good contract for Champ.

[Dave Dufour]

He was going to be in the 20 million range.

[Unnamed NBA Analyst]

He's worth more than that on the open market. So, and this is part of like having a good organization in place in San Antonio is like, it's always the conversation of you have, in order to be a part of this team that is probably going back to the Finals, if not next year, the year after year after that, whenever it is, you have to sacrifice like you have to sacrifice role, you have to sacrifice money, you have to sacrifice minutes, all of those things. And Champagne may not be like their long term starter, but he's certainly like a long term fit with that organization. So give, I give him and the organization a ton of credit for, for that deal. It's, it's a good one.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah. Let's see. Andrew Wiggins, he's going to stay with the Heat, but he did not take a pay cut for this coming season. So it's a, it's an opt in extend. So for this year he's going to do 30 million and then it's, it's 64 million over the rest of the deal. So good on the, the last two years. That's, that's good money for Andrew Wiggins, but it doesn't really help Miami now when they need to find every dollar they can because they can't afford to lose Norm Powell.

[Unnamed NBA Analyst]

Yeah, I, I, I think this is really just a good thing for Andrew Wiggins. Let's just be straight up about that. I'm sure that his agent and him were just, like, awesome. We'd love to. To be a part of this, and we'll eventually take a pay cut, but not now. And if you want the services of Andrew Wiggins, which they do, like, they need him, like, he's pretty pivotal. If they lost him and Norman Powell, which was on the table, yeah, they'd be up a creek. Like, it would be really, really bad. So I'm. I think it's a good thing for Andrew Wiggins. The flex and perhaps the flexibility was never going to be there this summer for them. You know, it's really hard to make trades, like, big, big trades like that and then have, like, the best version of your team. I mean, a lot of these teams, it takes, like, a calendar year for you to actually have the team that you want. And him taking less next year could help them inch closer to the team that they want, but they are kind of running out of time a little bit. Like, this is not a young team.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah. Draymond Green is opted out, and the theory here is that he can sign to a lower number and maybe help get AD and LeBron to the bay.

[Unnamed NBA Analyst]

This is the lamest thing in the world, man. I'm sorry. This is just ridiculous. Okay? I. It sounds fun. This is like another 2k team that we were talking about earlier that. Man, how many kids are gonna sit down and turn on their PS5 and pick the Golden State Warriors?

[Dave Dufour]

Oh, it's not gonna be kids. It's gonna be people in their 40s. These are. These are our favorite players. You know what I mean?

[Unnamed NBA Analyst]

Like, maybe. Maybe that's wishful thinking. You're. It's absolutely true.

[Dave Dufour]

The kids are gonna use the Timberwolves now.

[Unnamed NBA Analyst]

I will play y. So true. Oh, my gosh. We. They are making so many good 2k teams right now. So many. I don't know how many of these are, like, actual good NBA teams, but the 2k teams are on fire this summer because, like, that. I. Man, it's kind of an unfair position to put all those guys in, really.

[Dave Dufour]

Right.

[Unnamed NBA Analyst]

Because these are guys that none of them are expected to play 70 games next year. And so, like, how do you cover. Like, they almost have to stagger their injuries in the right way so that they can even make it to the postseason, because the Western Conference is going to be ridiculous again. Like. Like, how do you even get yourself there? And it's going to be about timing with the injuries with these guys, too. So it's. It's Just really tricky. Maybe it ends up happening and you get LeBron and Draymond and Steph and Zingus comes back, and maybe you do get Anthony Davis, but, man, that's a lot of money to contribute to a team that has, like, best case scenario, first round and out. Is that too crazy?

[Dave Dufour]

No, I. I think you're about right. That's. If they make it right. Can they get out of the play in. I mean, it feels like an 11 seed just because those guys are not gonna play.

[Unnamed NBA Analyst]

Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

You know, I don't know how you feel to team in 2026 with 10 guys over the age of 30. Right. Like, it just. That's too many. You. You. The season's too long.

[Unnamed NBA Analyst]

Over 35.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah. Well, that's true. Yeah. I mean, that's right. Al Horford's coming back. I mean, it's. They are too old for. For the modern NBA, and they stand to get older if they do this. Now, the. An interesting theory I've seen floating around is this is. And I think this might be the. The term of this. This free agency period. When you look at Kawhi kind of getting shopped or shopping himself or however this is working with the Kawhi trade scenarios and Jaylen Brown Leverage.

[Unnamed NBA Analyst]

Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

AD's trying to get a new contract. Draymond's trying to get a new contract. LeBron's trying to get a new contract. What if they just stay where they're at?

[Unnamed NBA Analyst]

That. That would not surprise me at all. I think it's a good leverage play, and I think everyone staying where they're at actually makes the most sense. Yeah. Like, this is not like a Captain Planet situation where you're combining all your powers into some championship level thing. I don't know what. I don't know what the. What the comp would be.

[Dave Dufour]

They're combining their ages. I mean, that's the one thing that you look at that on paper and you would. I mean, it would be the oldest starting lineup in NBA history, probably.

[Unnamed NBA Analyst]

Yeah. It would have to be.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah. Insane. Okay, before we go, Bradley Beal opted out of his five points.

[Unnamed NBA Analyst]

So Lugan Stork, he's going.

[Dave Dufour]

He's going to Miami, right?

[Unnamed NBA Analyst]

Lou Dort.

[Dave Dufour]

No, Bradley Beal.

[Unnamed NBA Analyst]

Oh, Bradley Beal. I mean, sure.

[Dave Dufour]

Why not?

[Unnamed NBA Analyst]

I mean, also why. But sure, whatever.

[Dave Dufour]

You got a Lou Dort update?

[Unnamed NBA Analyst]

Yeah, they picked up Ludoart's option for this next year, so 17.7 million, essentially. Back to OKC. We'll see what happens here. I think this is. This is the Kind of thing that allows the Thunder the most avenues for either change or keeping him. You know, I don't. There was like kind of this thought that perhaps the Thunder could decline or decline his option, bring him back on a lower salary, you know, long term. And I don't know that there was ever really a way to do that that made sense for both parties. It would have to be pretty low for it to work for the Thunder. And then if you're Lou Dort, like, why would you do that? You're literally in the prime of your career. This is where like you should get the biggest payday. And now could they bring him back and play him? Yes. Or could this be a scenario where now they're looking to trade Lou to a team that needs a defensive stopper like him? I think it, it opens up a lot of opportunities for them to kind of figure this out. If he's not staying with the Thunder long term, they're likely going to trade him because the Thunder don't let an asset just expire. There's also the fact of the matter that the Thunder are bringing in essentially four rookies that are first round picks to this team. And you may, you may want to just get a look at everybody first and keep Lou there. Because if none of those guys can really go and you trade Lou against Dort, your playoff rotation becomes a lot thinner in that moment. Because you do lose Isaiah Joe, you lose Aaron Wiggins, you lose Lou Dort. Whatever you think about those three, those are three guys that you can play in a lot of different moments. Whereas like these young guys, maybe Bennett Sturts can play. Like, I really like him. I think he's going to play at some point. Can he play now? I don't, I don't know if that's the case. Can Nikola Topic get healthy and play? I don't, I don't know if that's the case. Thomas Sorber, Adai Mara, two guys that have a lot of potential that were mid first round picks. Can they contribute? I, I don't know the answer to that. But we do know that Luigence Dort is a rotation player in the NBA and a high level one at that. So I, I think it gives the Thunder a lot of options moving forward and it'll be interesting to see how they move forward there because overall it doesn't make, with, with the additions that they've made through the years, Case and Wallace being one of them and then A.J. mitchell the other. I just don't know that you can continue to Start Lou Dort and play him starters minutes with those two there. And so now, now it's time to like e his role or have him move on. And so it'll be interesting to see how they kind of see that and how Lucy's that.

[Dave Dufour]

And I actually think he, he probably has a decent market that, I mean that contract at 17 millions for a year and then whatever it would take to extend. That's good money for a guy that you know can guard, he can guard the other team's best player.

[Unnamed NBA Analyst]

Yep. Typically you can easily, you can easily move it. I think there are a lot of teams that would want Lou Dortmund, you know, Charlotte just opened up a big trade exception. I think the Los Angeles Lakers are a team that make a lot of sense for Lugan, especially since it seems

[Dave Dufour]

like they're going to lose Marcus Smart.

[Unnamed NBA Analyst]

Yep. Feels like they're going to lose Smart. He's a great replacement for Smart. He doesn't have the ball handling as Smart does, but he's probably better defensively. Probably about the same reliability from three point line. But like he'll take them.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah, he will take them.

[Unnamed NBA Analyst]

And I think that, I think Luka would be awesome for, for Lou. I think that they, there would be a good connection there. So yeah, I think there's, there are plenty of teams that could use a defensive stopper that's like team first kind of guy. So we'll, we'll have to see what ends up happening there. I could also see him staying with the Thunder. I just think that this, this right now allows for the most options for Lou and the Oklahoma City Thunder at this point.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah. All right, that's gonna do it for us for now, but we'll be back tomorrow. We got Dan Woicke coming on. For all you folks that love to talk about the Lakers or hear us talk about the Lakers, we got a lot for you. We're gonna dig into that. I'm gonna test my theory. Is LeBron making a leverage play to try to stay with the Lakers? That's what I want to know. For Andrew Select, I'm Dave Dufour and this has been NBA Daily Emergency podcast. Thanks for hanging.

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