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- [00:03]
A
Welcome to the Athletic NBA Daily emergency pod. Lamelo Ball was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves this morning. I'm your host Andrew Schlecht. With me, I have Esperahini here to break it all down for you. We started to hear last night and you know what you may have already heard this morning on the Athletic NBA daily talking about Lamelo ball trade rumors. And they were here heating up last night, seemingly out of nowhere. I mean I think people thought like Charlotte needs to make a couple moves around the margins, maybe get a big man. I didn't necessarily see this coming for the Hornets and like they wasted no time. I think obviously the reports are that there were a lot of offers coming in for Lamelo, which is, yeah, the
- [00:54]
B
Raptors were interested in.
- [00:56]
A
Are you okay as, as a, as a person who covers the Raptors, how are you feeling now? Do you feel like this is like missed opportunity or do you think loaded
- [01:05]
B
question as they say? I, I think this was a missed opportunity for the Raptors. I think Lamelo would have been perfect for the Raptors. But that being said, this was an undeniable haul from the Hornets to get for Minnesota. Like breaking down this trade. You know, the Timberwolves send Nas Reed and Josh Green. Actually they get Josh Green, but they send Nas reed and a 2033 unprotected first round pick alongside three first round pick swaps in 2028, 2029, 2030 and then three second round picks. And then they get Lamelo ball and Josh Green. So this is, that's a lot. You know, it's a lot for Lamelo like there. Okay, there's two ways to look at this, right? You could look at it from the Timberwolves perspective and say this is a risk and this is a risk that they've taken before. They have sent a haul for Rudy Gobert before when they got too expensive. They traded Karl Anthony Towns for Julius Randle and Dante Divincenzo. Another risk. A few days ago they traded Julius Randle just to get off of his salary. Another risk. Like they are not afraid to take these swings. You know, they're not afraid to like restructure their roster around ants, around Jada McDaniels in any sort of way. And this is a major restructuring. Like adding Lamelo ball to the fold. Him being your another ball handler next to Anthony Edwards theoretically should be awesome, right? Like they've needed a guard in a major way and getting a guy who's this pull up shooter who's one of the best passers in the NBA. All of that makes a lot of sense for Minnesota. But also Andrew Lamelo has only played 60 plus games in two seasons of his career.
- [02:57]
A
I was about to say this is, this is obviously a sell high moment.
- [03:03]
B
Yep.
- [03:03]
A
And I would not recommend the GM say that into a microphone, but I would say that this is obviously a sell high moment for Lamelo because we thought. We've talked about Lamelo trades for years now. Right. Like we've talked about it's probably time for the Hornets to move on from. And that's when they would get maybe a pick swap and some seconds in salary for him. And now we're talking like getting a really valuable player in Oz Reed, who. I wonder how Timberwolf stands feel because he is like a, A huge, huge like cult figure.
- [03:38]
B
Yeah.
- [03:39]
A
In Minnesota. So moving on from him, I assume this will be like folded into the Julius Randle deal because financially this does not work.
- [03:47]
B
That was reported by Mark Stein that it is going to be folded into the.
- [03:52]
A
Okay, there we go. Yeah, that makes, I mean that makes way more sense. I mean you also have to like, it's. It's basically like all these picks, Randall and Nas for Lamello. If like you kind of, if you,
- [04:05]
B
if you put it all together. Yeah, yeah, it's.
- [04:08]
A
It's a lot like. It's. It's a lot of production. It's a lot of big men for a guard. When the league is getting bigger, like the, the. The top of the league is getting bigger. The. The Minnesota Timberwolves are somehow getting smaller and a little bit more. I would say that this probably raises their ceiling some, but it just in. In general makes them more unpredictable is kind of the way that I would say it.
- [04:34]
B
It also, you know, as much as Minnesota Timberwolves fans don't want to hear this right now, it also invites the opportunity for Anthony Edwards to get frustrated and not get to that point. Like if Lamelo is injured and he is hurt, then that makes it so that the Timberwolves aren't as competitive in a stacked Western Conference and which not only makes the picks that they just traded more valuable, but it also accelerates maybe how quickly Anthony Edwards starts to look elsewhere. So this is. It's a huge gamble for multiple different avenues where it's like you got this guy who at his best I think is like one of the best ball handling guards in the NBA. You know, when he's healthy, I know he's sporadic, I know he's chaotic and there's undeniably like a kind of like, bowl in a china shop type of mentality to watching LaMelo Ball play basketball. But he is undeniably an upgrade from what they've had at the guard spot. And between him, between IO d', Sumo, between Anthony Edwards, they now have a lot of ball handling and they have a lot of creation. Whereas last year, I think one of their biggest issues was that they were relying on Julius Randle to be their secondary ball handler and their secondary creator.
- [05:48]
A
Yeah, we were talking about this the other day.
- [05:49]
B
Yeah, that's just not good enough to beat San Antonio. Randle clearly struggled against the Spurs. It's not good enough to be okc. And this was a wall that they kept kind of bouncing against was they're good enough to make it to the playoffs, they're good enough to make it to the second round, maybe even to the conference finals, but they were not good enough to beat the very best of their conference. I do think with Lamelo Lamelo in the fold now they have a chance to beat the best in their conference. It raises their ceiling, but it also bottoms out their floor because that's LaMelo Ball. Like that. That is the LaMelo Ball experience in a nutshell. And you also have to deal with the bad as much as you deal with the good. And the bad is like, that ankle injury is chronic.
- [06:38]
A
Yeah.
- [06:39]
B
Like, if you ever have been to a Hornets game and you've been up close, and I say this as someone who, like, attended the Raptors Hornets games this season, the, the blocks that he has on his ankles is, is bigger than anything I've ever seen a player wear. Like, like, it, it's. Steph Curry wears these really heavy duty, like, ankle braces as well.
- [07:02]
A
Fox. Fox wears heavy duty ones too.
- [07:05]
B
Lamelos are really big. And I, I, I know that's like a silly thing to kind of look at and compare, but it just goes to show you how much of an injury concern his ankles are. And like, the Hornets are doing this for a reason, you know? And you, you are a fan of, like, what the Hornets were building with Khan and like, they were a fun group. They made it to the play in this clearly is kind of shifting them in a different direction with Khan and Brandon Miller and the guys who they drafted in this draft. I just, I think they clearly wanted to get out of the LaMelo ball business too, you know, and they did
- [07:44]
A
so in a very productive way because, like, Naz Reed's going to be great for them. I think he's, he's going to help them quite a bit. And then you are basically like, you're going to get a lot of reps for Khan. Certainly you have Kobe White in the fold. You kind of have to figure out what you're going to do. They're moving forward with him, but, like, I, I think that they have enough, like, shot making, ball handling. And we even saw in the playing tournament, like, Lamelo wasn't great in that second game.
- [08:13]
B
Yeah, he wasn't. It wasn't.
- [08:15]
A
Yeah. And you, you go to. This was, this was maybe what worries me for the Wolves. You, you go to lamelo Balls basketball reference page and you click on it and you usually, you have these two tabs. One says regular season, one says playoffs. There's not a playoff. Tab S. There's nowhere to click.
- [08:34]
B
It's because playing stuff doesn't count. They.
- [08:36]
A
Rob doesn't count. He's never played a playoff game. That would, that would concern me, especially whenever you are like, it's go time in Minnesota. Like, make no question about it, it is go time. It is time to win basketball games. They've been to the Western Conference finals. There's only one other level to go to.
- [08:54]
B
Absolutely.
- [08:54]
A
Yeah. And how did they get to that level? I don't, I think Lamel is a super fun player. And boy, are they going to sell. When you think about the, the star
- [09:03]
B
power of Lamelo and Anthony Edwards.
- [09:05]
A
Edwards, they're going to sell some jerseys, especially with the rebrand.
- [09:10]
B
I want a LaMelo Ball Timberwolves jersey.
- [09:12]
A
It's cool. My oldest son this morning was like that. He's like, that Lamello ball get your
- [09:18]
B
PayPal jersey is going to be fire.
- [09:21]
A
I, I, I struggle a little bit with this being, like, a huge upgrade for them. Especially now, like, thinking about how they match up against, like, the best teams in the Western Conference. They're going to have to, they're going to have to do more like, this can't, this can't be it for Minnesota. I don't think it is it for Minnesota, but this just frankly can't be it for them because I think that they need more help on the front court now, which has not been a thing that we've said for years.
- [09:49]
B
That's, that's the other part of this. Like Nas Reed is, you know, if we're kind of doing the comparison to the Raptors deal or whatnot, like a player, the outgoing player, I think that's where the Raptors probably got outbid. You know, the guys that they could have included in a trade is like either RJ Barrett Or Brandon Ingram or Emmanuel Quickley. And I think Nas is a much more snug fit for what the Hornets want to do, which is like space the floor. He's this like 4/5 who can obviously do a little bit of. Of everything for you offensively. And now the Minnesota Timberwolves don't have that. He's a fan favorite in Minnesota. You know, they have Nas Reed, towels in his name on their body, tattooed his name on their body. That's how big of a fan favorite he is. And now it's like they have Rudy Gobert. Jaden McDaniels can probably play some four for you. Josh Green might be able to play some four for you. Really small ball four.
- [10:52]
A
Oh, really small ball four.
- [10:54]
B
Terrence Shannon Jr. Might be able to play some four for you.
- [10:57]
A
He's gonna have to be. He's gonna have to be good. And this is. Yeah, this is like proving the point of like, they've got to go get somebody else. Like, this can't be it for them.
- [11:05]
B
Yeah. Because I don't. I don't think Joan Beringer is. Is ready. I don't think Roko Zakarsky is ready. Maybe they resigned Kyle Anderson. I'm. I'm very curious to see what the next moves are for. For the Timberwolves. Like, very fascinated because they do have some kind of like flexibility here. They have, they still have that trade exception that they created, although maybe the trade exception does not exist anymore because it's been enveloped into this Lamelo trademark. But. But they do have some flexibility cap wise to try and go out and like sign someone. They have full access to their mid level exception still. And so how does that work? Like, maybe they go out and get a forward or a big or another guy that they can rely on. I actually kind of like Mamu for them. I think he would be a pretty great, like a Nas Reed redux, you know, like, kind of play similarly. I think that would be pretty cool. What about for the Hornets, man? What do you. What do you think the Hornets do? Because this is also like deviating from what they. They stole the show last year in the regular season. Yeah, they were awesome. They were one of the most entertaining teams to watch. And I think part of that was LaMelo Ball being healthy like he was. He spearheaded a lot of their ingenuity offensively, and now that doesn't exist. So, like, what's next for Charlotte? Are they just back to rebuilding?
- [12:32]
A
I think they're still going to be good. I think they're still Going to be solid. They'll probably be a playing team again, in my opinion. I know that Lamelo provided a lot for them, but what if Lamelo's back to playing 40 games next year? Then, like. Then, like, you're up a creek trying to trade him. Then I think it's the right move to make for them. You have to develop con, like, con. Speaking of guys that didn't play well in the play and games, Khan kind of struggled in these games. He's got to get better. I think you put the ball in his hands a lot. I think Brandon Miller is another guy that. I think you've got to allow him to spread his wings a little bit and maybe even give him some opportunities on ball. They'll resign Kobe White, I assume now and like, use. Use Kobe as more of a primary guy for them. But overall, I really just. I really.
- [13:21]
B
They also just drafted, like, Christian Andersen and Han Steinbach. Yes, I. I love both of those picks.
- [13:26]
A
They got the two German. I think that that is. Is important for them. Yeah, I. I like. I like this. I like the ability to take a player who's. I mean, like, think about. It's almost like if John Morant next year had an awesome year, you know, like, would. Would you advise the. The Grizzlies to keep him and just, like, ride it out? Or would you be like, hey, you got to trade him now.
- [13:53]
B
You know, you got to trade him now.
- [13:54]
A
And like, this is kind of. Well, that's kind of where Lamelo was even last year. Last summer was like, what are they going to do? And it just somehow ended up being awesome. But I just think. I think it's really good business for the Hornets as a basketball organization. It may not be, like, good business as far as, like, selling jerseys because, like, Lamelo is the ultimate. But I do think it's good business for them, basketball wise, because I think it allows them to have a more sustainable path forward for what they want to build, because Lamelo is anything but, like, a sustainable path forward. Who knows where his health is? Who knows where his head is. Like, this is not. It's not a guy I would want to make a bet on, especially if I'm trying to win a title. But if you're trying to re, like, build yourself back up, I think that it's smart to trade him. And now you have flexibility, you have more draft picks. You can be a team that goes after somebody if they become available on the trade market. If you are the Charlotte Hornets, I just think, like, they're They're a organization that. It took them a long time to get their head on straight, but to me, this is like the ultimate. Like, we have our head on straight. We got all the. We got a ton of assets for him. We got Nas Reed, who I think will help us this year. They'll be. They'll be better in some areas. They'll be worse than others. But overall, like, I believe in what the Hornets are building here, and it is, like, for the long term, and it's not something where they have to have it right. Right now. Like, I think that they. They're giving themselves, like, some margin.
- [15:27]
B
So, yeah, I agree that this is them kind of cashing in at a high point with LaMelo Ball, but I also do think it's. It's a bit of pressure on Con Canipple, you know, like, he was. He was excellent. He literally had the most efficient rookie season for a guy who scored 15 points in his rookie year ever. You know, like, the true shooting percentage is. Is incredible. Can he create and carry a creation load for them more? Because I think that's what this requires. And I know they will resign Kobe White, and he'll be able to handle the ball for them a little bit and create. But this is an investment and a testament to how much they believe in Con Knippel and in Brandon Miller.
- [16:10]
A
Yeah, I just. I think it's the right move, personally.
- [16:13]
B
I will also say, you know, Kyle also says we're downplaying how good this is for Minnesota. I was just talking about how if everything goes right, this is like the championship move for the Timberwolves. Like, they could win a championship with LaMelo Ball if everything works out. But there is undeniable risk. It's undeniable in the sense of the injuries. It's undeniable in the sense of, like, the picks that they gave up and. And how this truly accelerates, you know, how quickly the Anthony Edwards conversation might happen. Like, it's just that simple. And I know people don't want to hear that because it's. It's the Timberwolves, you know, and Anthony Edwards is the Timberwolves. And you don't want to think about having to at some point trade or move off of that guy. But this trade right here is doubling down on everything that they're building. And by doubling down, by the way, like, Tim Connolly, never afraid to double down. He is constantly, like, it's kind of like John Horst with Giannis Antonokounmpo in the sense that every single time there's pressure under the Timberwolves. He kind of pulls a rabbit out of his hat and creates something for them. This is another rabbit. Lamelo ball is another way for them to try and compete. I. I will say I'm higher on Lamelo to Minnesota than. Than maybe you are, but I. I think I'm just saying this from a. From an optimistic perspective. If he's healthy, if he plays, if he's there for them, they do have a chance to win a championship. Like, that's. That's the. That's the ultimate ceiling for this team. I. I really do believe that. I know there's. There's so much, like, kind of skepticism around Lamelo's game. And you talked about the lack of playoff experience. Sure, that's a thing, but it is like, that's how good and that's how talented of a player Lamelo is.
- [18:11]
A
The thing that I do like about it is it puts Jaden McDaniels back into a more comfortable spot for him offensively. Because, like, Jaden, as much as, like, you want to talk about him being the number two guy and some of the ways that he performed against Denver, I think Denver's just a great matchup for him. Just, frankly, especially with Aaron Gordon's health being where it was, I think it's an awesome matchup for him. I don't think that going into next season with him as your number two guy made sense at all. And so I do like it from that aspect and that I don't think they could have done two things that they decided they couldn't do. Either was have Julius Randall be their number two option. I think, like, that was not on the table.
- [18:55]
B
Yeah, they can't. They couldn't have done that again and
- [18:57]
A
then make it pushing Jaden McDaniels in, like, saying, like, okay, now you are the number two option. Let's see how this goes. I don't think that was good either. So I will give them credit in that. I do think Lamelo as the number two option makes a lot of sense. They're going to be like a. They're. They're going to take so many threes. I mean, between they are Lamelo and Randall.
- [19:19]
B
It's very similar to Charlotte.
- [19:20]
A
Like Lamelo and Edwards. I mean, like, they're going to take 20 plus threes with just their backcourt per game. Just the two of them will take 20 plus threes, I believe, which I think there's, like, a Moneyball aspect to that. You know, like, let's. Let's just Take as many threes as possible and then I think McDaniels is going to get wide open shots because there's a lot of attention that's going to be focused on those two. If, if Lamelo is healthy, this could be awesome and they will be electric.
- [19:51]
B
They'll be a lot of fun as a basketball team.
- [19:55]
A
If, if Lamelo is not healthy and he plays 45 games like you said, this could be like the ultimate disaster. So like this is, like, this is kind of it for the Timberwolves because I don't, I don't think if you just, if you just take away Nas Reed and Randall from that team, who I know, like we love Nas Randall. The opinions of Randall aren't great, but Randall had a great season last year. He's a very productive player. He took a ton of offensive possessions for them. If you take those guys off and Lamelo is not healthy, this is not a great team in the Western Conference. This is a team that is probably a play in level team if Lamelo
- [20:36]
B
is not healthy and that, that is exactly the bet that the Charlotte Hornets are making. Yeah, that's exactly the bet that they're making is that, is that without Lamelo and if Lamelo is not healthy, then those picks for the Timberwolves, those swaps, especially in like this lottery reform era, are going to be wildly valuable. And, and just from a Hornets perspective, they also now have 12 first round picks from now until 2033. So they, they have, I believe I also saw this. They have the second most draft picks, first round draft picks in the NBA. Now they have a haul. They, they got themselves set up to build around Con Knipple, to build around Brandon Miller and to build around the, the rookies that they just drafted. Like there is, there's a shape to what the Hornets are building that I think is, is trying to. It's forward thinking. You know, it's not, it's not, it's not, it's not like believing in, in the, whatever it is that, that they created last season.
- [21:36]
A
Yeah.
- [21:36]
B
But understanding that like they can pivot and, and change in, in a pretty quick way. I also think that kind of applies to the Timberwolves. Like if you were a Tim Bulls fan two months ago, you might have been able to convince yourself like, hey, we just need to stay healthy. And I, I actually made this pitch, I think two weeks ago on the podcast when the Knicks won the Finals. Yeah. Where it's like they're the next team. They might be the next team because if you look at the champions of the last seven or eight years, whether it's, you know, the, The. The Raptors and the. The Nuggets and the Celtics and the warriors and all these teams. Obviously the Knicks last year, like, the one thing that rings true for all of them is continuity. Most of them did not trade, of course. You trade for Kawhi Leonard, you trade for Andrew Wiggins, you trade for Aaron Gordon, you. You add the final piece to the puzzle, and it's undeniable that that is a big part of this. Actually, I'm kind of convincing myself that this is it. Like, maybe this is the final piece of the puzzle for Minnesota. They. They do have continuity in Anthony Edwards McDaniels and Rudy Gobert.
- [22:41]
A
Yeah.
- [22:42]
B
And now they have that guard, that elusive guard that they've been looking for, they needed for a very long time.
- [22:48]
A
They needed a point guard. There's no question. Yes, this is true defensively. I do wonder where this goes for them, too, because that's not really Lamelo's calling card. No.
- [23:00]
B
No. He's not good at defense. No.
- [23:02]
A
This is also a bet for Baron J. Like, I think that there is a pretty strong belief in Minnesota that Baron Jay is going to be a player. And this could be also a bet on him being ready to be in the rotation next year. I would go get other big men. I don't know that that's the bet I'd be willing to make. They're making a lot of, like, risky bets here that are boom or bust. And Baron J is one of those, too, who I think has a ton of potential as a. As a. As a player. But I don't know that that would be the direction that I would go for them. I don't know if there's any free agents, like, on the margins that. That makes sense to you, that they.
- [23:44]
B
For the Timberwolves. I like big men. I don't necessarily know unless, like, Mitchell Robinson is. Is a guy.
- [23:50]
A
Yeah. I mean, Mamu like you brought up earlier, I think is a great call.
- [23:54]
B
Mama would be great for them. I think you. Because he fits kind of like the Nas Reed role of floor spacing 4, slash 5, who can play alongside Gobert. This is the. The other funny thing, like LaMelo Ball and Rudy Gobert is going to be the best lob threat. That never happens, you know, like, it will never happen between Rudy Gobert not being able to catch a basketball and the speed that LaMelo Ball plays at. They will never connect on an alley oop, not once in their life. They Will connect.
- [24:25]
A
We are, we are officially on OOP Watch right now in Minnesota. Okay. Officially on OOP Watch.
- [24:33]
B
That'll be funny. Can I just real quick, before we get out of here, talk about this from the Raptors perspective a little bit?
- [24:39]
A
Absolutely. Yeah.
- [24:42]
B
I do think this was a missed opportunity for them because as much as I just talked about how much I love the Lamelo fit for the Minnesota Timberwolves, I loved the fit for Lamelo in Toronto. Yeah, you know, he, he plays with the fast pace that the Raptors want to play with. He is obviously like a pull up three point shooter that the Raptors are so desperately missing. He is like the all world guard creator that you want to pair with Scotty Barnes. I think he would have been a perfect fit. I'm very curious to see, you know, once the report comes out of like what they offered. I know for a fact that last year in the summer they offered RJ Barrett and two first round picks for Lamelo Ball. I'm very curious to see whether that changed. I'm sure it improved. You know, I'm sure they, it would
- [25:30]
A
need to improve from that because like, you think about RJ on the Hornets and you're like, why would, why would they want to do that?
- [25:37]
B
It's just an expiring salary basically because he's, he would just be an expiring and you get two first round picks. I think that that is now probably different. I'm. I'm assuming more first round picks. And given what the Timberwolves just sent out, which is one first plus three pick swaps plus three second round picks, it feels like the Raptors did go all in. Like, because I'm sure that the Raptors were very close to doing something like that and the Timberwolves clearly stepped it up and, and offered more. And so I'm, I'm curious to see what the report will finally be of like what the Raptors ended up offering because I do think Lamelo would have been a perfect fit for them. This also I've kind of, I've said this, I just tweeted this out. But with every trade the Raptors don't make, there's kind of pressure building of okay, what's going on here? Because there is. They. They gotta figure out that roster around Scotty.
- [26:41]
A
Yeah. Where it's all going.
- [26:42]
B
Where is it all going? You know, because they're like a cool playoff team. The east got better. Yeah, they probably moved down in the Eastern Conference a little bit with some of the moves that have happened. You can't stay stagnant.
- [26:54]
A
No.
- [26:55]
B
You know, the Sacramento Kings stayed stagnant after light the beam.
- [27:00]
A
Oh, gosh.
- [27:02]
B
I mean, it's true. They did stay stagnant.
- [27:04]
A
Don't do that. Don't say that. Don't say that to, to your, to your Raptors people.
- [27:08]
B
I'm just, I'm not, I'm not saying that they're, they're going to be the Kings, but I'm, I'm saying that like, teams that stay stagnant usually end up, you know, kind of regretting it. I. I'm very curious to see what they do because it feels like they will make a trade this summer. There was. We talked about it on the pod earlier, but there was a report that the, that team, former teams of Kawhi Leonard are looking at trading for him. Obviously, the Raptors are a former team of Kawhi Leonard.
- [27:33]
A
Former teams of Kawhi Leonard is a hilarious report. It's a hilarious report.
- [27:39]
B
It's a very funny wording. So I don't know, it seems like they are trying to do something, but I also think that something has to be the right thing. I think Lamelo would have been the right thing. I don't know who else is out there right now that is the right thing. I don't think the right thing is Sabonis. I don't think the right thing is John Morantz. I could be convinced on a Kawhi reunion because it would just be fun.
- [28:00]
A
Yeah.
- [28:01]
B
But I also, I think that would be kind of tough to sell on, you know, 36 year old Kawhi Leonard. Yeah. I don't know who's out there for them. So with every trade that, that they don't make, the pressure increases. So that's the, that's the Raptor side of things.
- [28:18]
A
Yeah, man. It's. It's gonna be, it's gonna be fun. By the way, Kawaii's not 36.
- [28:24]
B
How old is he?
- [28:25]
A
I think he's 34.
- [28:27]
B
No way.
- [28:28]
A
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Hold on, hold on, hold on. Yes. 34. His birthday's in June, so he'll be 35.
- [28:34]
B
His knees are like 42 though, you know?
- [28:37]
A
Yeah, it's. Man, just hating on a guy that won y' all a championship is, is crazy.
- [28:42]
B
I got the look. His face is right there.
- [28:46]
A
I mean, sure. I mean, sure. You might as well take it down. You might as well take that down.
- [28:52]
B
It would be awesome. Kawhine and dine. Bring him back. Sure. Count me in, man. Do something, you know, do something is my motto. That's why I look in summation. That's why I love the Minnesota Timberwolves.
- [29:04]
A
Because they're doing something.
- [29:06]
B
They do something. You know, Tim Connolly. Every summer that man is busy. You know, whether it's trading for Rudy, trading cat for Randall, trading IO Dsumu. That man gets busy.
- [29:21]
A
He does. He does. The. The Timberwolves are always interesting. And yeah, they, they've been interesting in very good ways. And also shout out to the. To the. To the Hornets. This, this. If this does end badly and you have an unprotected 2033 pick like that,
- [29:41]
B
that could be like the first overall,
- [29:42]
A
that could be outrageously valuable. I mean, the good. Good on them for like pushing this as far out as possible and getting it completely unprotected. Because I mean that, that in itself as an asset is huge and could be like a huge part of the way that the Hornets function in the future. And now I know it feels so far away that it's like, what's even the point here? But I'm just telling you that is an outrageously valuable asset right now that is extremely volatile. Whenever you think about this deal for Minnesota, I'm very excited to watch the Timberwolves now. I'm very excited to watch the Timberwolves now. This next.
- [30:25]
B
They're going to be awesome. They are. They are. Must watch TV. LaMelo Ball. Anthony Edwards. Must watch TV. That's not two words. Chuck Ball. Edwards must watch TV. That's not two. I think that would be awesome. Look, it's Boomer bust potential. But a lot of the things that the Wolves have done is. Is Boomer bus potential.
- [30:49]
A
I can't wait.
- [30:50]
B
I'm very excited for it. Yeah, we'll see what happens. What a way to start this. This off season.
- [30:55]
A
This is fun. I love this.
- [30:57]
B
Giannis Brandle, Nick Claxton. Lamelo ball.
- [31:02]
A
Claxton. All these same things, all these second round pick trades, everybody. It's been nuts. Okay? In the, in the, in the comments section here on YouTube, give us your best attempt at a nickname for the backcourt of Lamelo Ball and Anthony Edwards. Because there's going to be a nickname that people are going to run with.
- [31:27]
B
Road runners.
- [31:28]
A
I don't know what it is. Roadrunners. That's the first attempt. It's a terrible attempt, but it's a tip. Yeah.
- [31:34]
B
Lamello ball. Driving.
- [31:35]
A
I understand it. The driving game will ever say no, but in. In the comments section, give us your best attempt at a nickname for the backcourt. Okay. Okay. We'll be back. We'll have another episode tomorrow morning. We'll get some athletic reporting in on this deal and everything else going on. If there is a Jaylen Brown trade, if there is another big trade, we will do more emergency podcasts just like this one. Appreciate you guys showing up and tuning in to our live stream. We appreciate you guys and we'll talk to you guys again tomorrow.