MVP Deep Dive + Steph Curry’s Return

Summary

The Athletic NBA Daily — April 2, 2026
Episode: MVP Deep Dive + Steph Curry’s Return
Hosts: Dave DuFour, Zena Cata, Sam Amick

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Overview

This episode of The Athletic NBA Daily dives deep into the red-hot MVP race—primarily focusing on Victor Wembanyama, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA), and Luka Doncic—and unpacks Steph Curry’s upcoming return for the struggling Warriors. The hosts also tackle the significant news surrounding Jaden Ivey's release from the Bulls under troubling circumstances. Regular panel: Dave DuFour, Zena Cata, and Sam Amick, with candid discussion, insider insight, and a dash of humor.

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Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. MVP Race Heating Up

[03:43–15:26]

• Victor Wembanyama’s Push

  • Sam Amick reiterates his earlier stance: Wemby could only seriously challenge SGA for MVP if the Spurs earn the 1-seed, highlighting how voters’ minds often require a dramatic narrative swing to unseat a frontrunner.
  • “The thing I love…is that it feels like Wemby is pushing the whole group… if you’re SGA and you were giving any thought to coasting… you look up and you’re like, ‘Alright, I’m about to lose another Michael Jordan trophy if I do that.’” — Sam Amick [05:25]
  • Wembanyama has been “doing some serious work” lately, scoring 41 against Chicago and making his case with public statements.
  • Wemby is portrayed as not "too cool for school," actively campaigning for himself without arrogance (Zena Cata: [06:47]).

• Players’ Approach to the Conversation

  • SGA and Luka both deflect public MVP campaigning but do so with their own style and confidence:
    • “SGA…says, ‘No, I let my play speak for itself’—even that was slick enough…a fun moment.” — Sam Amick [08:16]
    • “Luka got asked about it…he took a pass too…said, you know, that he feels like they've been winning and that's the only statement he's going to make.” — Sam Amick [08:33]

• Defense as a Topic in MVP Voting

  • Wembanyama’s impact on defense is reframing how media and fans view MVP candidacies.
  • Draymond Green’s support for Wembanyama’s emphasis on defense: “He loved it because he agreed with it, and he hated it because it shouldn't have to be said that defense is half of the game.” — Sam Amick [10:43]
  • SGA and Luka’s defensive improvements are noted, with SGA defending at “near All-NBA level” and Luka showing real growth ([10:59] – [11:27]).

• Luka Doncic’s Incredible March

  • Luka scored 600 points in March; he’s on a historic run, tallying as many 40-point games as he has technical fouls this year—16 (Zena Cata: [14:46]).
  • The Lakers’ trade for Luka looks increasingly lopsided, especially after recent comments by Mark Cuban ([12:11] – [13:50]).
  • “Luka has a legit shot at MVP—I think there’s no doubt that he has dragged a subpar Lakers roster to the three seed…” — Dave Dufour [11:52]
  • “It’s a group of four—1, 1A, 1B, 1C to some degree.” — Sam Amick [12:11]
  • Historic perspective: Wilt had 62 consecutive 30+ point games; Luka’s at 13 now ([15:00]).

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2. Steph Curry’s Impending Return

[18:04–24:22]

• Curry is expected to play Sunday after being sidelined since January 30.

• Dave questions the logic of bringing Curry back for a likely lost-cause play-in push, but Sam and Zena both defend the decision:

  • “He's a competitor and he wants to compete. Why’s it gotta be any more complicated than that?” — Sam Amick [19:11]
  • Missing almost an entire calendar year of real NBA games is not something Curry wants as he ages.
  • The return offers valuable “tape” to evaluate the Curry–Porzingis pairing before Porzingis hits free agency ([22:23]).

• The panel frames the Warriors’ motives in both short and long-term terms:

  • Short-term: Give fans a show and see if lightning strikes in the play-in.
  • Long-term: Gather roster data, respect a dynasty’s pride, and reinforce organizational loyalty by supporting star input ([22:23]).

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3. Jaden Ivey’s Release and NBA’s Mental Health Landscape

[24:22–29:46]

• Bulls released Jaden Ivey for “conduct detrimental to the team” following discriminatory and concerning remarks on social media.

• Sam outlines league-wide reactions:

  • “Once you are incredibly discriminatory towards any individual group, it's just not tolerated in a workplace.” — Sam Amick [25:08]
  • Recognizes that star status can affect how discipline is handled, citing the Kyrie Irving situation as comparison ([25:54]).
  • Reports indicate no red flags pre-draft; Ivey grew more outspoken during his Detroit tenure.

• The conversation pivots to broader issues of mental health:

  • “All we know is…the things that he is saying is hurtful…put a circle around this man…before it gets even worse.” — Zena Cata [27:39]
  • Sam references the NBA's progress since the days of Royce White—improved, but not solved ([28:57]).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If the spurs get to the one seed, it’s the only way you can really make the case for Wemby over SGA…that is going to compel and force people to reevaluate Victor.” — Sam Amick [04:00]
• “Wemby is not disrespecting any of his peers with the way he frames his own candidacy.” — Sam Amick [07:16]
• “SGA was asked by Tim McMahon…he says, ‘No, I let my play speak for itself.’ Even that was like a slick enough statement…” — Sam Amick [08:12]
• “Luka has as many 40-point games as he has technical fouls this season: 16.” — Zena Cata [14:46]
• “Once you are incredibly discriminatory towards any individual group, it’s just not tolerated in a workplace.” — Sam Amick [25:08]
• “I like the fact that if Steph wants to play, they’re going to have him play.” — Sam Amick [24:16]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• MVP Race Deep Dive – Wemby vs. SGA, Defense, Luka’s March: [03:43]–[15:26]
• Steph Curry’s Return: Is it Worth It? [18:04]–[24:22]
• Jaden Ivey’s Release & Mental Health Discussion: [24:22]–[29:46]

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Tone and Style

• Conversational, humorous, and occasionally nostalgic, especially when comparing today’s storylines to NBA history.
• Hosts do not shy away from tough or uncomfortable issues, including athlete mental health and public relations crises, while remaining fair and empathetic.

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Summary Prepared For:
Listeners seeking sharp insight on the 2026 MVP race, fans of Steph Curry and the shifting fate of the Warriors, and anyone concerned with the intersection of athlete conduct, social media, and mental health in the NBA. This episode offers great context, real reporting, and a human touch.

Transcript

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[Dave Dufour]

Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily for April 2, 2026. I'm Dave Dufour here with Zena Cata and Sam Amick. Coming up, we go deep with Sam on the MVP race why Luka has had such a ridiculous month. And we talk about Steph Curry's impending comeback. Good morning, everybody. What is up, Xena? Sam, welcome. Been a minute. How you doing, buddy?

[Sam Amick]

What's up, friends? Good to see you. It has been a minute. Glad to be with you here.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah, we're. We're almost to the playoffs, man. What's your travel schedule like? What's your travel schedule like?

[Sam Amick]

The.

[Dave Dufour]

The next couple weeks, I. I know that you like to get out and check in with as many teams as possible right now.

[Sam Amick]

It's funny though, Dave.

[Commercial Narrator]

You.

[Sam Amick]

You would think that'd be the case, and it is true, but you end up downshifting a little bit. At least I do when I have the luxury of doing that ahead of the playoffs, knowing that it's a long haul first round. It's funny, as we speak, I am in a hotel room In San Francisco, I will occasionally, even though I live a couple hours away near Sacramento, I'll occasionally camp out down here if there's back to backs. The warriors have a back to back right now. So coming down into a Warriors game, get to see the spurs, get to see the Cavs tomorrow, but trying to recharge a little bit before the playoffs. And the warriors part is funny because selfishly, for the longest time throughout their dynasty, they made my logistical life a little easier because, you know, the most relevant team in the NBA was right down the road. So this whole prospect of them bowing out early and me having to get on an airplane in the first round is, is a new one. And so probably the Kings aren't helping you out there. Forgot about them.

[Zena Cata]

Oh, don't even worry about it, Sam. This, this. At our morning shoot around, we were thinking about team names for Las Vegas and I was like, you know, like they could, they can't take the Aces. Maybe they could be the Kings and Escoes. There's already.

[Sam Amick]

I was like, oh, man. Yes, indeed, indeed. Yeah, but I think a lot of Lakers in my future in the first round, most likely. But, but we're, you know, it's that time of year.

[Dave Dufour]

Well, we're, we're recording this beforehand, but you're going to see Victor Weyama against the, the warriors tonight. The spurs are in town. You, you mentioned last week in one of your pieces you wrote about the Shea vs. Wemby MVP debate and what's. What I think is actually fascinating about it is that you actually, you put it out there. If the spurs get to the one seed, it's the only way that you can really make the case for Wemby over Shea. You still feel that way a week later because, I mean, a lot has happened in the last week and I think Wemby has done quite a bit to, to try to at least make his case for mvp.

[Sam Amick]

Yeah, it's funny, I forget where I saw this. I saw some and it wasn't pushback on me individually, but pushback on the idea that, you know, them needing to be first would be a qualifier. And I thought that was fair. It's not that I'm saying that that's what would make me vote for him. I just think in terms of the way that voters minds work when a team passes a team like a reigning champion, you know, OKC Thunder and does it after a season where the spurs didn't even make the playoffs, that is the sort of kind of, you know, event, if you will, that that is going to compel and force people to reevaluate Victor. And I think even with all the recent noise, you're going to need a lot of people. You got to really pull them away from SGA and make them reevaluate Wemby's case, because I think Shea has been out in front by a pretty significant margin for a while now. Now. It's funny, you highlight accurately, Dave, that Wemby has been doing some serious work and cutting into. I mean, I don't know if he's cutting into lead or just making his case, but. But the thing I love across the board, not even just with Shea, with Luca, you know, Joker's just doing his thing, um, but with all these guys, is the idea that it feels like Wemby is pushing the whole group. That, you know, when he came out publicly, said he wanted it, said he was coming for it. That, you know, man, if. If you're SGA and you were giving any thought to coasting down the stretch and just getting ready for the playoffs, then. Then you look up and you're like, all right, I'm about to lose another Michael Jordan trophy if I do that. And then Shea has been absolutely killing. I mean, his outing against Detroit was so much fun to watch. Coming right after Wemby scores 41, I think, against Chicago. And, I mean, SGA was spectacular. Like, and so I kind of found myself. And this is a good problem to have just got, you know, going. Damn. Like, I think I'm still on sga, but. But, you know, I love what Wendy's doing. And. And today will be fun, because this morning I went to. Right before joining you guys to spur shoot around, got some insight from spurs people about kind of behind the scenes on how Victor has gotten better and why he's gotten better and how much better he's gotten. That was really interesting. And whether he wins it or not, I mean, this guy is having an incredible year. We could do the whole pot on it, and we'll see what happens in this race.

[Zena Cata]

I think what I love most about what you're talking about regarding Victor pushing these guys is that Victor's not being too cool for school about it. Right? Like, he wants it, and he's being. He's advocating for himself to be in the running for it. And that has always been the mix. It feels like whenever someone's asked about, oh, the MVP race, when someone's asked about the number one seed, what do coaches and players say? Oh, we're not thinking about that. It's just the opponent in front of us. We're not thinking about that. We're just trying to win games. It feels like Victor's, you know, slowly changing that narrative in the way that he's advocating for himself. But what would you make about how these players are all handling the conversations around their MVP race?

[Sam Amick]

Yeah, I mean, I know it's self serving because we're in the media, we want stuff to talk about, but. But I'm here for it, especially if it's not done in a. In an arrogant or just obnoxious type of way. And I don't think Victor has been that way. He's not disrespecting any of his peers with the way that he frames his own candidacy. It's funny that the inverse of what Wemby has been doing that was on my mind the other day was, I think this was last season. I remember talking to somebody with the Nuggets, and behind the scenes they were kind of quietly saying, man, trust me, like, joker really wants this mvp. Like he really wants it. And I was like, well, then freaking say it. Just like, right. You know what I mean? Like, don't be too cool for school in this together. When it comes to, like, we're all trying to talk about the game that you guys are amazing at and that we enjoy watching and covering. And so after Wemby does his campaigning, it was funny because SGA was asked by Tim McMahon of ESPN, he kind of said, you know, certain players have been out there being outspoken for themselves. Did you want to chime in? And what I love is that his answer was no. But my God, Shay's got the shades on, he's got the fit on. He looks like he could be on, you know, any red carpet on the planet just looking at like a million bucks. And he kind of says, no, I love my play, you know, speak for itself. And even that was like a slick enough statement. That was kind of a fun moment. Luca got asked about it after last night's game and he took a pass too. And, you know, it wasn't quite as smooth as SGA's, but. But said, you know, that he feels like they've been winning and that's the only statement he's going to make. But yeah, it's fun stuff. And again, it's at this time in the league where competitiveness, whether it's just like the level of intensity itself or the tanking discussion, there's so much stuff that we are highlighting of a negative sort when it comes to the game. Just not being played at the appropriate level or the appropriate way. It is refreshing to have this kind of little corner where things are going pretty well.

[Zena Cata]

Yeah. I think the idea that you are not saying something publicly about this individualized award feels like you're a better teammate, you're focused on the team aspect of it. And so it makes sense that they're playing this humble card. But like hell, we like a little bit of arrogance. We like a little bit of, oh, I deserve that. So we'll see what happens.

[Dave Dufour]

But I mean, I remember. I remember Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson going head to head, trying to outscore each other for the scoring title back in the day.

[Sam Amick]

I.

[Dave Dufour]

This is good.

[Sam Amick]

I mean, that's what's happening now. I mean, luka, we are seeing 30 plus in 13 straight games. You know, and Wemby and said we. This point should be made too. Beyond Wemby's own candidacy, the thing that I think is healthy for the game is the fact that, like, his discussion about defense is more important than even his own candidacy. Like, I think we do need to reshape the way we talk about defense. And as you guys saw, you know, I loved Draymond's response to Victor's speech where he said that he loved it and he hated it. He loved it because he agreed with it and he hated it because it shouldn't have to be said that that defense is. Is half of the game. And. And that is where. When I dug into the numbers and. And, you know, video and looking at the impact that Victor has had, I mean, I would sleep plenty well at night voting for him. It's not even close. Like he, you know, the. The impact he has is. Is absolutely incredible.

[Dave Dufour]

Shay has been defending this season at a near all NBA level.

[Sam Amick]

I.

[Dave Dufour]

He's not going to make all NBA just because there are guys that have been better on his own team. Even James really defended. Excuse me. Yeah, all NBA defense.

[Sam Amick]

Yeah.

[Dave Dufour]

He has been defending very, very well this year. Luca's been better than we have been used to. And especially here in this run lately. I think part of the reason why the Lakers have been so good and what we've been seeing in this run is because Luca's individual effort on defense has been better.

[Sam Amick]

Right.

[Dave Dufour]

I want to talk about Luka. Luca just had a ridiculous month. He scored 600 points in March. That is a. That's a crazy number. Should we readdress the trade and is there a way to give some kind of a negative letter to the Dallas Mavericks for what they got for Luka Doncic. I mean, he is a legit. Like, he has a legit shot at mvp. I think there's no doubt that he has dragged a sub subpar Lakers roster to the three seed with the way that he's played. And I do think he has a really, really compelling case. It's not just one that people are making because he plays for the Lakers, but he's in the mix for mvp. To me.

[Sam Amick]

No, I'm with you. I think he's third right now, which is insane to say when you look at Joker's numbers. So, by the way, like, it's a group of four. That is, it's 1 1A, 1B, 1C to some degree. But he's been incredible. I agree. It's. It's not the Lakers hype. It's not the Lakers spotlight. If anything, you could argue it might be the opposite at times that he kind of takes an L, no pun intended, just because of, you know, the, the lack of respect for the Lakers as title contenders, even with all the winning. But he's been fantastic. And then you mentioned the trade, Dave, to have a backdrop this week where Mark Cuban decides to go on a podcast and apologies, I forget which platform he was on, and talk about the trade again and to kind of out Jason Kidd in his discussion where he shares that Jason was an advocate for this trade, which we kind of knew, but it never been said out loud all the way. You know, if you guys remember the night of the trade or the day after, you had Nico Harrison and Jason sitting side by side and Nico saying that Jason didn't know about it, you know, presumably covering for him. And so, yeah, I mean, the optics of that trade look worse and worse over time. And the guy's an incredible player. And the Lakers, you know, I don't know when they're going to win a title. I don't know where they go from here, but. But they have that guy again and they're going to keep trying to build around him. And I mean, you know, again, the scoring has been incredible. The playmaking has been incredible. I loved his game against Cleveland last night. Not to, like, you know, pull open an old wound, but it made me laugh because if you think back to when Bam had 83 and I took all this gruff because I didn't like the way that Bam scored his 83. Luka, listen. But I did. These are the types of, you know, scoring moments I do enjoy. Lucas at 37, I think the Laker

[Dave Dufour]

35, when he came out.

[Sam Amick]

Yeah. And the Lakers think they're going to be able to rest their guys. They give up the lead and it was like the best kind of stat padding possible because they did have to put him back in. And they put it back in and he ends up continuing his 40 point streak, which I forget what he's at now. But you know, like, so he, he, he kind of boost the box score a little bit, but it was with good reason. So he's been killing and LeBron deserves a shout out there too. I wrote about this recently, but you know, what he's doing as a third option and being willing to play that role and the efficiency and the shot volume going down and, and, and the effort on both ends going up has been an X factor during this run too.

[Zena Cata]

Just one thing that Dave helped me remember last night about Lucas 40 point streak. Luka has as many 40 point games as he has technical fouls this season. 16. There you go.

[Sam Amick]

That's pretty good. That's so by the way, I found this stat today. I was wondering if Luka was getting, you know, the 30 point streak is at 13 games. That's, that's a big number. And I was just curious since shay has the 20 point streak now at 139 or whatever it is, I was like, man, what's the 30 point streak in the NBA? Oh, Wilt had 62. So little, little ways to go here, Luca. But you know, 62 straight games he

[Dave Dufour]

was playing against plumbers. We could say it. Guys, we're going to take a quick break. When we come back, we're going to talk about Steph Curry's return.

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[Dave Dufour]

This message comes from Jackson. Taxes aren't something you can only think about once a year with investments planning for tax days year round. Fortunately, Jackson offers tax efficient products. Visit Jackson.com for more information on how our products can make your tax bill a little bit less painful. Jackson is short for Jackson Financial Incorporated, Jackson National Life Insurance Company Lansing, Michigan and Jackson National Life Insurance Company of New York Purchase, New York Foreign. Easter Sunday Steph Curry coming back for the Golden State Warriors. Our guy Sam broke the news the other day. Sam, I'm not sure what sense this makes necessarily. I mean this team isn't very good. I don't feel like they're going to even get out of the play in. Is this just a matter of we gotta. We gotta just finish the season out or. I mean I'm assuming Steph wants to play, but it feels like the risk to reward is pretty low. Man.

[Sam Amick]

Dave, I. You know, you're a competitor. You're like an old school guy and

[Dave Dufour]

I love Steph Curry.

[Sam Amick]

I don't. I'm kind of disappointed he's right now, man. Like. Like he's a competitor and he wants to compete. Like why's it got to be any more complicated than that? I must be in the minority in this because I see a lot of people feeling the way you do. I like and I'm just asking Questions here.

[Dave Dufour]

I'm not saying that's how I feel.

[Sam Amick]

You think old man Steph should just stay on the couch? That's what you think? It feels like that. I mean, listen, I'm one of those people that thinks the Bucks need to let Giannis play, even though there's nothing to play for. The dude makes 500 grand a game or whatever it is. Like, let him go, earn his money.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah.

[Sam Amick]

You know, the fans want to see him. Even with playoffs being out of the picture at this point with the warriors and their fan base, that that element is even elevated even more because, yeah, you know, being 10th, having to take that route in the play in. Nobody with kind of a sane basketball mind thinks that they can survive that and then go on to knock off San Antonio or okc. But, you know, Steph wants to play. That's all there is to it. I think one thing, you know, that to remember is that he hasn't played since January 30th. Obviously, you know, you get to this stage of your career, you want to be out there as much as possible. The prospect of going from January 30th to the following October without being in an actual game, it's safe to assume that's something that Steph would want, you know, doesn't want. I will qualify my reporting from yesterday just a little bit, like always. There's that caveat of, you know, he has to keep progressing. He scrimmaged on Tuesday. That went well, I believe. Had more action scheduled for today. And so it's a daily process of reassessing him, but the target for him and the goal has been Sunday against the Rockets, which talk about a tough team to come back against. I mean, you. You know them well from the playoffs and many playoffs before that, but, you know, having Amen Thompson and that crew coming at you after being on the shelf for two months could be challenging, but, you know, I have no problem with it. The warriors want to give their fans a decent show for the playing and see what they can do.

[Zena Cata]

You say the goal is Sunday, and I'm thinking more so the long term, almost existential goal for the warriors and having stuff in play. Marcus Thompson and I debated this at length of whether or not you play him. And my big thing was ramp up time being able to give him the space to test the waters of seeing what he feels like and looks like in general, but then also particularly around this duo that we've been very curious about him and Kristaps Porzingis. 16 losses in 25 games. Makes you feel like it. Is this a ramp up for long for the Warriors? Is it worth it, et cetera. But what would you say as Curry's getting back for the Warriors? What's the goal? Is it to ramp him up for the play in? Is it just to get him back on the court and give him the opportunity to, you know, see what his body's like? Where. Where would you say that they kind of land on that?

[Sam Amick]

Yeah, I think it's both. I mean, I think the Porzingis point that you make, Xena, is definitely relevant. He's going to be a free agent this summer. Not to talk like an executive, but they, they need as many data points as possible when it comes. Yeah, if any tape. That's a better old school, old school way of saying it. They need to see those guys together. You know, Porzingis has had some moments and had a little momentum recently that I'm sure make them feel a little bit better about the trade. But you now are, you know, the clock is ticking and you're getting even closer to that free agency period where not only do you have to decide if you want them back, and I think they do want it back, but you have to figure out, you know, the economics of it. But you have to assign value not only in a vacuum to him, but of course because of the way the warriors are structured and their culture and their, their ethos is in relation to number 30. So you want to see them together. I think that matters a lot. And, and I do think this, this, this is more of the. The corny side, but probably also genuine, is like, this is a. Not even a fading dynasty, it's a dead dynasty contending, but it's a proud group with four rings, you know, with six finals appearances, and they, that, you know, if they can get into the playoff party, they're going to do it. You don't roll over. You know, it's a very different landscape. Like I mentioned, the Giannis situation, the one. The reason that, that's uncomfortable to me is that you have a similar partnership between player and organization in terms of length. Like, Giannis is the third longest tenured player with. With an organization in the league, I believe behind Stefan Draymond. But now that they are very seriously considering moving him, you know, then he becomes. He goes from being a player to being an asset, which is not what. What an elite player would want at, at this stage. So that's why I like what the warriors are doing and I like the fact that if Steph wants to Play. They're gonna have him play.

[Dave Dufour]

I want to talk about Jaden Ivy before we get out of here. He was released by the Bulls for conduct detrimental to the team. Obviously, he made some abhorrent statements on a live stream and seemed to have been going through some kind of a mental health crisis of some sort. I mean, from an outside observer here sitting, you know, however many miles away, what happened there with him, and is there any kind of, you know, behind the scenes news, like, did the Bulls have any idea that he was going through this sort of stuff? I mean, where did this come from?

[Sam Amick]

Yeah, I mean, the sense that I've gotten from talking to people around the league is that, you know, in terms of, you know, Jaden and how outspoken he'd become about his religion and about some of his more extreme views and honestly, you know, we can cut to the chase. The one that. That is just not going to work if you're in the NBA. It's not going to work if you're in any professional setting is once you are incredibly discriminatory towards any individual group, it's just not tolerated in a workplace. Right. So his choice to be very critical of the league's alliance with the gay community and to highlight Pride Month. And I mean, we talk about, and this is the unofficial stuff, you know, then you start pulling other superstars into the conversation like you did with Steph Curry, and then calling his faith into question. You know, that's just not going to work. This is, you know, we can all be adults about this. You have what's right and what's wrong. Then you also have that this is a business and, you know, this league is not going to tolerate that. Now it's a longer discussion to be had about how there are different levels to it when it comes to the type of player you are when you are, you know, if you are an absolute superstar who does something like this, maybe you don't get cut right away. I mean, if you go back to Kyrie and a lot of the things he said, you know, he offended a lot of communities and, and wasn't cut and eventually parted ways with the Nets and. But, you know, that was handled differently. Well, you know, there's a, a much larger salary number attached to him at that time than there was to Jaden. To your question, though, about how we got here, Dave, you know, it's interesting to me that when Jaden was coming out in the draft, you know, and I know from being based where I'm based, the Kings were looking at them really Closely. And I do find it interesting that, like, whether it was the Kings or a lot of other teams that looked at him, you know, there's no. There were no red flags in terms of this potentially being an issue for the team that ended up drafting him or taking him. It seems like in some of our reporting on the website from James Edwards and Hunter Patterson and Joel Lorenzi had a good piece today talking about how over the course of a couple years in Detroit, you know, he became more and more outspoken about the way that he saw the world. And you know, listen, I'm not a mental health expert. You want the best for all these guys. He seems to be in a very troubled place right now. It's also a testament to the era we live in. The fact that anybody can grab their phone and be connected to the world immediately is not always a good thing. And so, you know, we'll see where it goes from here. But, you know, safe to say around the league, nobody expects to see him on an NBA team anytime soon. And, you know, and it's unfortunate situation for sure.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah.

[Zena Cata]

Obviously we are. We are not doctors here, so we are not in the business of diagnosing and saying what something is. All we know, and all I know is the screens aren't helping. The. The mics aren't helping. The platforms that he is utilizing to share his thoughts. Whether you agree with them or not, their things that he is saying is hurtful. Things that he is saying is deeply, incredibly personal. And I just wish, you know, I hope someone within his circle understands the calamity of him continuing to say these things and hopefully takes those opportunities away for now. The thing that comes to mind is Delonte West. There's so many different players. There was a player on okc. See, I'm blanking on his name. A big. That had some mental health issues as well. And it just feels as if even if you are cut, the NBA is a brotherhood. These leagues talk about this, find a way to reach out and help put a circle around this man. Put a frame around this man before it gets even worse. That's all I have to say about it.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah. Hopefully he does get some help. Yeah.

[Sam Amick]

Yeah. And Kyle Singler, I think, is who you're thinking of. Xena.

[Zena Cata]

That's exactly. Thank you so much. Yes.

[Sam Amick]

And it does. The last thought would be, I would be curious to learn more about. We are not that far removed from a time when there was almost no mental health infrastructure within the league. Actually, in the course of talking to people about Jaden's situation had this fascinating trip down memory lane talking about Royce White and his experience with the Rockets when say what you will about Royce, Royce did rightfully highlight the lack of support, the lack of infrastructure. And you know, so the league has taken a lot of measures since then, you know, certainly probably still has a long way to go. But you know, at its core, that's what we're talking about here is is a guy that, you know whose career appears to be going down the tubes because of the choices he's made here.

[Dave Dufour]

Yeah, and hopefully again that the people around him get him some help. Sam, thanks for hanging out with us. Sorry to end on such a down note. Xena, thanks for being around as always.

[Sam Amick]

I'm Dave DeFore.

[Dave Dufour]

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