Local Hour: Jimmy Butler Trade Reaction

Summary

The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Episode: Local Hour: Jimmy Butler Trade Reaction
Release Date: February 6, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, the hosts and guests delve deep into the recent trade involving Miami Heat superstar Jimmy Butler. Recorded live from the Elser Hotel in Downtown Miami, the conversation provides a comprehensive analysis of the trade's implications for both the Miami Heat and the Golden State Warriors.

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Initial Reactions and Trade Breakdown

The discussion kicks off with the hosts expressing their immediate reactions to the trade. Stugotz opens the floor, highlighting the unexpected nature of the deal and setting the stage for a nuanced conversation.

Notable Quote:

Stugotz [12:11]: "I see Heat fans trying to spin this as a win. It just sounds pathetic."

Who Won the Trade?

David Samson steers the conversation towards identifying the clear winners and losers of the trade. He argues that Jimmy Butler emerges as the primary beneficiary, citing the substantial $121 million extension offered by the Warriors.

Notable Quote:

David Samson [25:31]: "The clear winner is Jimmy Butler because the Warriors gave him a $121 million extension."

Conversely, Pablo Torre and Chris Cody express skepticism about the Warriors' decision, questioning whether Butler's presence will truly elevate the team's performance or if it’s merely a strategic move to offload salary cap space.

Pat Riley's Influence

A significant portion of the discussion revolves around Pat Riley's role in orchestrating the trade. The hosts analyze Riley's history with high-profile trades and his ability to maneuver within the NBA's financial constraints.

Notable Quote:

Amin Alhassan [13:11]: "They're the Stockton and Malone of this. They're amazing. Like, Bernie's doing this over here and Jimmy's doing that over. I don't even know, by the way, they're so good at it."

Impact on Team Dynamics

The conversation shifts to the strategic fit of Andrew Wiggins as Butler’s replacement. The hosts debate whether Wiggins can fulfill the role Butler played and how his integration into the Warriors' system will pan out.

Notable Quote:

Jeremy [37:14]: "Andrew Wiggins and his skill set actually fit within that offensively potentially better than how Jimmy Butler fits."

Additionally, Kyle Anderson's acquisition is scrutinized as the Heat attempt to balance their salary cap. The discussion highlights the challenges Miami faces in shedding salary while acquiring valuable assets.

Negotiation Tactics: Jimmy Butler and Bernie Lee

Amin Alhassan provides insights into the negotiation tactics employed by Jimmy Butler and his agent, Bernie Lee. The conversation suggests that Butler’s consistent demands and strategic negotiations have positioned him advantageously in this trade.

Notable Quote:

Amin Alhassan [27:34]: "Jimmy Butler has a track record of demanding he gets paid, like what he thinks he's worth. And when he doesn't, he basically says, well, I'm gonna go somewhere where they will pay me..."

Financial Implications and Salary Cap Considerations

David Samson and Amin Alhassan delve into the financial intricacies of the trade, discussing the Miami Heat's need to stay under the salary cap apron by shedding salaries. They highlight the difficulty Heat faces in finding suitable players to move, emphasizing the limited options available.

Notable Quote:

Amin Alhassan [15:21]: "They got Kyle Anderson is the new guy. Now, the irony is I think he could actually help this team."

Cultural and Strategic Fit

The hosts assess the cultural and strategic impact of the trade on both franchises. They debate whether Butler's gritty playing style and leadership will mesh well with the Warriors' existing dynamics and coaching strategies.

Notable Quote:

Amin Alhassan [37:26]: "Don't you put that evil on me, Ricky. That's completely different."

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

As the episode wraps up, the hosts reflect on the broader implications of the trade. They ponder the future trajectory of the Miami Heat without Butler and how the Warriors might leverage his skills to contend for championships. The conversation underscores the complexity of NBA trades and the multifaceted factors that determine their success or failure.

Notable Quote:

David Samson [39:43]: "The odds are that's fluid playing team at best."

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Key Takeaways

• Jimmy Butler as the Trade Beneficiary: Butler secures a lucrative extension, positioning himself favorably in the NBA landscape.

• Challenges for Miami Heat: Balancing the salary cap while trying to remain competitive poses significant challenges for the Heat.

• Warriors' Strategic Moves: Integrating Andrew Wiggins and Kyle Anderson presents both opportunities and uncertainties for Golden State.

• Pat Riley's Mastery: Riley's adept handling of trades continues to shape the futures of the teams involved.

• Negotiation Dynamics: Butler and his agent demonstrate effective negotiation tactics that influence major trade outcomes.

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Conclusion

This episode provides an in-depth examination of the Jimmy Butler trade, offering listeners a blend of strategic analysis, financial insights, and cultural considerations. With engaging discussions and expert opinions, The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz delivers a comprehensive perspective on one of the NBA's most talked-about trades.

Transcript

[Dan LeBatard]

You're listening to giraffkings Network.

[Stugats]

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[Mike Ryan]

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[Stugats]

This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugats podcast. I was already excited to be in Miami. I am so excited to be in this room with these specific people we have on the show today. It's gonna be David. I don't want to set expectations too high, but when I tell you that Steve, God, I sound Like Dan, when I say when I tell you, when.

[David Samson]

I tell what I find interesting.

[Stugats]

I'm. I can't.

[Amin Alhassan]

What am I supposed to do with all of this?

[Stugats]

Stephen A. Smith is polling in actual polls for candidate, Democratic candidate for president. And that's not what we're doing to lead the show, just to give you.

[Amin Alhassan]

A sense of it, is it not.

[Stugats]

We're not. We're not going to.

[Amin Alhassan]

You mean to tell me I'm leading in polls and you don't want to talk about it? This is despicable by you.

[David Samson]

Pablo, that was decent. That's not. Lorne Michaels wouldn't call you back. Do better. Try again right now.

[Amin Alhassan]

Here we go. David Sampson, who I know very, very well.

[Stugats]

Oh, there it is.

[Amin Alhassan]

Wants to say that my Stephen A. Smith isn't up to par for Lorne Michaels and snl. Let me tell you something. SNL been on the air for 65 years.

[Chris Cody]

Oh, come on. It's a good show.

[Amin Alhassan]

Oh.

[Jeremy]

Ooh.

[Stugats]

So. So, wow.

[David Samson]

We'll lose Lorne Michaels.

[Stugats]

The emergence of executive producer Chris Cody is a subplot that I was not totally prepared for when I got here, but he is. He's in full bloom. He's. He's heat checking.

[Pablo Torre]

Chris Cody, who came in saying bowling, maybe got to him a little bit last night.

[Jeremy]

Wow.

[Chris Cody]

Long night of bowling.

[Stugats]

Where were you, Chris? I want to go around the room. Where were all of us when we found out? And let's get Pat Riley in the room, by the way. He's not here. Get him back. Thank you. Where were you when you found out that we're going to laugh at the Miami.

[Chris Cody]

I was at a bowling alley and you could see. Yeah, with my dad. My dad actually had to leave after game three games is usually bowling. After game two, it happened like, midway through game two, he got a call from his boss. He's like, guys, I got to go. Wow.

[David Samson]

Right from the alley.

[Chris Cody]

I was like, you should, like, just, like, dictate it. So, yeah, I was there and I just saw people, like, looking at their phones. It was one of those things. Well, that was startling to see that hand enter the room.

[Amin Alhassan]

I just saw a finger pointing at me.

[David Samson]

There's really no reason for you to have been late, though.

[Chris Cody]

No, I mean, me being late had nothing to do.

[Stugats]

I thought you were talking bowling.

[Chris Cody]

Yeah, me being late was me waking up at 7:15 and my wife being like, are you going to work today?

[David Samson]

And I was like, huh? Yeah, it was bad.

[Jeremy]

It's nothing to do with bowling, though.

[David Samson]

Nothing to do with you can't leave Pat. For those of you watching on Dan LeBatard Network, are you. We're going to leave him right there. Right behind Pop. Was he pointing. Is he pointing at you?

[Amin Alhassan]

He's reaching out to you so you can awkwardly dap him.

[David Samson]

I'd snuggle him right now.

[Stugats]

It's like that portrait of God touching the finger of the other guy in the portrait. That's right. That's Roy shouting out Renaissance art.

[David Samson]

Hello, Botticelli.

[Pablo Torre]

Yeah. What have you said?

[Stugats]

What have you said, Bonicell? Yeah, I would ask Jeremy where Jeremy was, because Jeremy is, of course, the most plugged in. In the building that's across the street from this building reporter that we have. But Jeremy is not allowed to talk about the m. He does something that we. That we said we wanted yesterday.

[Amin Alhassan]

Deliverables.

[David Samson]

You have to be able to do your job.

[Jeremy]

What did I. What did I do wrong?

[Chris Cody]

Thong song make it.

[David Samson]

You promised you guys were.

[Jeremy]

You guys were serious.

[Stugats]

So David Samson calls his. His flip flops. Not flip flops, but they're thongs.

[David Samson]

I'm wearing. I'm wearing them today, actually. Comfortable.

[Stugats]

And this right now, Jeremy would be a great time for me to gesture to you and you hit play instead. We don't have anything.

[Jeremy]

I haven't done this to sell the bit.

[David Samson]

What were you doing?

[Stugats]

So. So what?

[Jeremy]

We need other things.

[Chris Cody]

Touching your nipples to Andrew Wiggins. You can't. Don't answer that.

[Stugats]

No, no.

[Amin Alhassan]

Can't.

[Stugats]

No.

[Amin Alhassan]

You're forbidden.

[Stugats]

We are edging towards heat discourse, and. And Jeremy is going to just have to. Have to. You know.

[Jeremy]

So you're telling me that literally the only way we get to talk about this trade is if I go?

[Stugats]

The only way. Then you can talk about this.

[Jeremy]

I can talk.

[Pablo Torre]

We're gonna talk about p. What happens after the edging?

[Stugats]

Well, Izzy, we're about to find out.

[David Samson]

Oh, I was at a great restaurant when the text came in.

[Amin Alhassan]

What was the restaurant coat?

[David Samson]

Miami.

[Amin Alhassan]

Where is that?

[Pablo Torre]

Isn't that Cody Miami?

[Chris Cody]

Yeah.

[David Samson]

Oh, it's. Is it pronounced Cody?

[Pablo Torre]

It's spelled the same.

[David Samson]

It is spelled the same. It's a Korean barbecue steakhouse in midtown.

[Stugats]

Incredibly fancy.

[Pablo Torre]

Michelin award winner.

[David Samson]

You could get the Michelin A5 tasting. I didn't quite get that. However, then the phone started going off, and my first thought was, well, we're in Miami. Let's go do the show right now.

[Amin Alhassan]

Live.

[David Samson]

Right now.

[Amin Alhassan]

Yeah.

[Pablo Torre]

Call the phone. And I can't taste anything, right?

[Amin Alhassan]

Nope.

[David Samson]

So why are you going to such.

[Pablo Torre]

An expensive restaurant there's a lot of spice.

[David Samson]

Follow up a lot of spice.

[Stugats]

So.

[David Samson]

And I was with people who feel.

[Pablo Torre]

Spice or you taste spice.

[David Samson]

I feel it.

[Amin Alhassan]

It's hot.

[Pablo Torre]

It's hot like around your temples, like up in the jaw area. Nasal.

[David Samson]

Nasal.

[Amin Alhassan]

That combined with the texture of the.

[David Samson]

Texture of beef is. It's a great restaurant.

[Stugats]

Let's clip that.

[David Samson]

I want Pablo ready to go. I want you ready to go. And the only word I get back as I'm trying to spring into action. Pablo, quote, I'm in a towel at spa.

[Amin Alhassan]

I believe I was working.

[Stugats]

I was. I was. I was decompressing in a towel in a pre scheduled spa setting.

[Chris Cody]

Did you have cucumbers on your eyes?

[Stugats]

I wish. What happened was I. I have a routine. You can imagine what the first part of the routine is. I don't even say what the routine is, but I go and I lie down and I forgot that my contacts were in. And when I awoken, I cannot specifically give you the pantone color of red that my eyes were. But it was bad. I wish I had cucumbers on my eyes instead. I had shriveled up contact lenses.

[David Samson]

And that's why you couldn't detail. Get dressed.

[Stugats]

And I was not camera.

[David Samson]

Come do some work.

[Stugats]

I was not camera ready.

[David Samson]

And are you now?

[Stugats]

Wait to see.

[David Samson]

We had an opportunity, guys. Yeah.

[Stugats]

David wanted to come into the studio to talk about this trade. I said we should wait till everybody's ready to talk about the trade.

[David Samson]

How are we not ready? It's not like this came out of. We've been talking about Jimmy Butler for how long?

[Amin Alhassan]

Like since January 1st.

[David Samson]

Okay. Does that give you enough time to be ready 35 days. Were you gonna learn about his stats or try to guess what Pat Riley was gonna do? We needed to be here. And I wasn't gonna come alone. Cause I told Cody I was scared.

[Stugats]

Well, hold on. Chris was offended that you did not invite him to a restaurant that had named after his.

[Chris Cody]

If I was going to a restaurant called Samson last night, I would have invited you.

[Amin Alhassan]

Sounds like a terrible restaurant.

[Pablo Torre]

Very plain, very unseasoned food.

[Chris Cody]

Sampson's little bags of candy.

[Stugats]

It was an insane dress code. For no reason, I wore a Robert Graham shirt.

[Amin Alhassan]

Damn glasses.

[Stugats]

The steaks. Sloppy, sloppy steaks.

[David Samson]

If the restaurant were pronounced Cody, I would have invited you. But it's not.

[Stugats]

We actually have no idea how the restaurant's name is pronounced.

[David Samson]

I believe it's called coat.

[Stugats]

I believe that Amin Alhassan's night. When it comes to who is struggling the most on the road to giving takes this morning, I believe Amin is going to win that contest.

[Amin Alhassan]

Yeah, I was recording it to like one in the morning. I hate this weekend.

[Jeremy]

Are you.

[Stugats]

Are you already empty of takes? Do you have to regenerate?

[Amin Alhassan]

No, because it's not like I get in this argument with Dan a lot. Dan's like, I need new stuff. I'm like, this is the stuff. It's like no one's coming up and saying milk is boring. Give me something different. No, milk sells. It does numbers. Everyone wants to talk about this Jimmy Butler trade. Everyone wants to talk about what the Lakers did last night. Everyone wants to talk about Kyle Kuzma, right?

[David Samson]

The Wizards, Brandon Ingram.

[Amin Alhassan]

Like there's a bunch of deals. Just cuz I said it on Sirius XM Radio last night doesn't mean. Well, that's expired. Turn that one away. Give me a new one. Make someone else get tripped it. I mean right now so that we could talk about that. That hasn't talked about anywhere. It's fresh because.

[Stugats]

Hold on. Amin is arguing for the Nico Harrison Nike pitch approach. Yeah, look, I gave this to Kevin Durant. I'm going to change a couple of names. It'll be all good for you.

[Amin Alhassan]

There's no such thing as tailor made trade talk. Like, that's the thing I don't understand.

[Stugats]

But that on the poll, is there such a thing as tailor made trade talk?

[Amin Alhassan]

They don't do bespoke trade talk.

[David Samson]

But your bread is buttered here, Dan. What? He says he did it to us. He said, I want 30 seconds of new takes on Luca and all of a sudden in the container. Well, it's our job. Your job is to come in here live and give us something we can't get anywhere else.

[Stugats]

David, David, this is already a time.

[Amin Alhassan]

To say you can't get it anywhere else. Assumes that the consumer is hanging on every syllable with bated breath. They're not anywhere that we talk in the world. If I'm at a club and the bouncer is there and I'm giving him 15 minutes of show. Well, I just gave away 15 minutes of show. It could have been done.

[David Samson]

No, you are on till 1am Talking about the Jimmy.

[Stugats]

What I'm not getting enough of from the people I need takes from is takes.

[Pablo Torre]

So thank you.

[Stugats]

So Ryan Cortez, I texted him.

[Mike Ryan]

So you went to Cortez?

[Stugats]

I went to Cortez and I said, cortez, you prepared to zoom in tomorrow? Because Cortez is the minister of heat propaganda and Cortez says, quote, Zoom in, question mark. I'm going to jump in front of a train.

[David Samson]

That's a horrible text.

[Amin Alhassan]

Bright line.

[David Samson]

Don't do. Not that we did not prep that pre show.

[Stugats]

I'm just saying.

[David Samson]

He really is saying that there's places to get help.

[Stugats]

Thank you.

[David Samson]

You don't trigger warning for the description. That's terrible.

[Stugats]

What I want a sense of is how it feels to be a Miami Heat fan right now. How does it feel?

[Chris Cody]

I see Heat fans trying to spin this as a win. It's just like, okay, we got Wiggins. No, you sound. You sound pathetic. Fans.

[Pablo Torre]

It's a little numbing.

[Chris Cody]

This is like break glass in case of an emergency. Last resort. Andrew Wiggins. No, I mean, especially with all the Durant rumors yesterday, it felt like that's.

[Amin Alhassan]

That's Me and Izzy talked about this yesterday. Fording. That was another conversation. No, the. The reality is this deal feels less than for people like Chris and other fans. Because, you know, what could have happened. What could have happened was the ultimate prize. What could have happened was that guy right there, Pat Riley, coming back to life and saying to everybody, hey, let's do it again.

[Chris Cody]

How many times has he gone after Kevin Durant?

[Jeremy]

Wow.

[Amin Alhassan]

Okay, so it's 2016.

[Stugats]

Good question. Chris.

[Amin Alhassan]

There was when he went to the Nets. There was when he went to the Suns. This is the fourth time now. He'll get a winner.

[Izzy]

They're not quitters.

[Chris Cody]

What is Pat Riley saying this morning?

[Amin Alhassan]

We're almost there.

[David Samson]

Oh, no. What he's saying is I've got till 3pm to get rid of Anderson because otherwise the whole trade I. Speaker 1 Kyle Anderson. Thank you. The whole thing that people are not talking enough about. But I assume you were on till 1am you covered this. The fact that the Heat couldn't move Anderson. Toronto is crushing to them because of luxury tax buyout market, the trade exceptions.

[Pablo Torre]

They have money. If you would have gotten what you wanted yesterday, told everybody. Hey, you get out of your towel. Pablo, get over here. Amin, get over here. I don't care about Sirius xm. You would have started with Kyle Anderson talk.

[David Samson]

I would have started with. I would not make this trade without Toronto. Remember the way it was announced?

[Pablo Torre]

I wouldn't have stayed up for that.

[David Samson]

Was that Kyle? Well, that's why I didn't call on you. Was that cuz you need your beauty sleep? I get it. I'm with you and you look great today. But Kyle Anderson.

[Stugats]

I cannot believe we're doing Kyle Anderson.

[David Samson]

He was.

[Stugats]

I like the idea that someone out there Is like I rely on the Dan Levatard show to inform me not only only of takes, but of news. And we have led with Kyle Anderson.

[Pablo Torre]

Even his game is boring.

[Chris Cody]

I'm nowhere else learning that he's involved in this right now.

[David Samson]

Well, that's the difference between someone who's paying attention to the business side and not bowling. The fact of the matter is that they've got till 3pm to make a move or I would not have made the Butler.

[Amin Alhassan]

So what David is talking about right now, the heat are $2.5 million over the apron. In order to get under that apron, they've got to shed salary. And the problem is all the names that would accomplish that are like guys they would want to keep or. And slash or guys that can't move. So, like, if you look around that salary level, you've got Jaime Hawkez Jr. Obviously, they're not going to move him. Jovic, obviously they're not going to move him. Khalil Ware, obviously they're not going to move him. Heywood Highsmith, they like him a lot. They're not going to move him. And so Kyle Anderson is the new guy. Now, the irony is I think he could actually help this team. He's a good player, but at that point, the margin of improvement that he brings does not, I don't think, make up for the lack of getting tax disbursements because in the NBA and now this is really the.

[Stugats]

We've said tax disbursements before. Steph Curry, I'm doing a great job hosting.

[Pablo Torre]

Also, Chris Cody just looked up Kyle Anderson so he could, quote, see what this guy looks like.

[Stugats]

Can we. Can we look?

[David Samson]

I win.

[Stugats]

I led.

[David Samson]

Dan, we're doing great.

[Stugats]

I led with. How are all of us learning about the trade? I want to show everybody, in case you missed this, how Kevin Love, member of the Miami Heat, heard about the trade. Got Kyle Anderson, Dennis Schroeder and Andrew Wiggins.

[Pablo Torre]

Okay, we robbed them.

[Amin Alhassan]

First round pick, protected. They didn't get out the air.

[Stugats]

Wa.

[David Samson]

Are you kidding?

[Amin Alhassan]

Wait, are you kidding? She's my favorite now.

[Stugats]

I love that. So that guy who is breaking the news, like the person whispering into George Bush's ear on 9 11, that is.

[Pablo Torre]

The moment of his life.

[Stugats]

Sitting, sitting behind the bench as Kevin Love is just with bait, wondering, not playing what had just happened to his life and his team. That dude, we. We. What did he say?

[David Samson]

We.

[Stugats]

We killed them. We robbed them.

[Pablo Torre]

We robbed them.

[David Samson]

Rob them.

[Stugats]

Robbed. Robbed.

[Pablo Torre]

We got Wiggins.

[Amin Alhassan]

I think it's again, if the Name Kevin Durant had never come up. You'd be like, all right, given everything that's happened since January 1st, this is a pretty good deal. The problem is, you know that for a window of time, and I'm telling you right now, I didn't talk about it yesterday on the show because I'm not clear to talk about it. But that conversation was real. Kevin Durant for Jimmy Butler straight up was a real conversation.

[David Samson]

What does that mean? You're not clear to talk? Clear about who? Air traffic control. Clear by the source, who you speak to, Pretty much.

[Pablo Torre]

Who is controlling you? Amin.

[David Samson]

Well, that's very bizarre to me.

[Amin Alhassan]

I'm not a newsbreaker, David. So when people tell me stuff.

[Stugats]

No, there's a good. I like this. I like the gradations of the terror alert. That's a loaded metaphor for Amin. Just the gradations. The gradations of. I am cleared to say this. I have been told I am hearing sources close to the situation.

[Pablo Torre]

I happen to know nine times out.

[Amin Alhassan]

Of 10, when I'm told stuff, it is not for public consumption. I only will reveal it when it has been reported somewhere else, and then I confirm, yeah, I heard the same.

[David Samson]

So I'm the same way. We don't break news on nothing personal. But that doesn't mean I can't talk about a subject I talk about.

[Amin Alhassan]

I'm not gonna say, hey, by the way, Kevin Durant for Jimmy Butler is imminent. I can't say that fair. Which is what was happening.

[David Samson]

Other people were saying it, though. That's what people are saying on air.

[Amin Alhassan]

That happened after we got through.

[Stugats]

That's true. Look, it is true that you guys both know things that you don't say aloud. I often am the beneficiary of those things because I then get to launder it as my own sometimes. But what I want to point out about. Oh, God, Cortez has just texted me.

[Amin Alhassan]

Oh, God.

[Stugats]

Have you guys even mentioned PJ Tucker yet? Bro, we got PJ Bleeping Tucker back.

[Amin Alhassan]

Put the town on alert.

[Stugats]

Cortez is basically that guy in the video we just played.

[Amin Alhassan]

Oh, behind the bench.

[Stugats]

Yeah, yeah.

[David Samson]

Certainly not Kevin Love.

[Stugats]

But that guy. Do you think that guy knew. Do you think that guy knew, Chris, that he was about to go again? One of the great clips of. Of the NBA season.

[Chris Cody]

It's also inaccurate, correct?

[David Samson]

Yes.

[Amin Alhassan]

Schroeder. Schroeder ended up getting rerouted to Utah, which was convenient because the warriors are playing the Jazz last night, so.

[Pablo Torre]

Well, this guy was on top of it, though. He was quick because the ESPN story originally had exactly what he said. And I remember texting Jeremy, I was like, wait a second, there's got to be another move here, right? That's too many people. And then he had mentioned P.J. tucker in his text and I was like, what the hell is happening? This ESPN story is bare bones. It doesn't have all the good information. So I had to search the Internet for the rest.

[Stugats]

Are we saying this guy choked? He had a moment in the sun.

[David Samson]

It didn't show exuberance.

[Chris Cody]

You should have said, hey, Kevin love, you're in the trade.

[Amin Alhassan]

Yeah, sorry buddy, get up. Get your thing.

[Stugats]

The power that he had to control news and information to freak out the entire Miami Heat.

[Izzy]

Stugach here. I want to tell you a story. I'm serious here. My wife and my two daughters, they begged me to buy a peloton. So I bought a peloton. And then I watched that peloton sit in my office and stare at me. So you know what I did one day I looked at it and so I decided to get off my ass and I just jumped on the peloton because no one else was using it and I paid for it. I mean, so why not? Then I realized eventually that they bought it for me. And I got to tell you, way more challenging than I could have ever imagined. Peloton coaches are walking the walk. I love the coaches. I do the Grateful Dead one. It's fantastic. They have a sub 3 hour marathon runner, military trained athlete, a former college basketball player, and so many other well rounded coaches on their team. All this experience really shows in their classes, which are never short of challenging, especially for me. So I jumped on it that first time. It was challenging, more challenging than I thought. And then I wanted to beat the bike and so I kept jumping on it. And I absolutely love it. I mean, I'm the only one who uses it. But again, they got it for me. I mean, I had no idea. That's a little passive aggressive, don't you think? Find your push. Find your power with [e-mail] when you.

[Dan LeBatard]

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[Jeremy]

Friends it's Jerbear, and you know that I'm obviously a bit of the romantic type. And Valentine's Day is coming up, and for me, there's only one place that I trust, 1-800-flowers.com Every year I order stunning, high quality bouquets from 1-800-flowers that my wife absolutely loves. And this year, I'm partnering with 1-800-FLOWERS to make sure you're a Valentine's hero with an exclusive offer for my listeners. Double the roses for free. When you buy one dozen, they'll double your bouquet to two dozen roses. It's the perfect way to say I love you without breaking the bank. Trust me. 1-800-FLowers always delivers. In the Lebitard Studios, we received a beautiful arrangement of long stem red roses accompanied in an hourglass red vase. They're timeless, luxurious and romantic. A must have this Valentine's Day. And seeing and smelling the freshness of that bouquet as I walk into work every day has me prepared for any hate that Dan may throw my way. To claim your double your roses offer, go to 1-800-flowers comm slash Dan. That's at 1-800-flowers.com. dan.

[Amin Alhassan]

Dan LeBatard.

[Jeremy]

Teammates can't shoot from three now they're gonna see a different Jimmy. Now he's just, just playing nickel back in the locker room.

[Amin Alhassan]

And stugats. As they chase the nets for the six seed. These five words in his head scream away winning games.

[Stugats]

Yeah. This is the Dan Levatar show with the stugats.

[David Samson]

You think they were freaked out that Jimmy Butler was?

[Stugats]

I. I think it's, well, actually a fair question if you're on the Miami Heat right now, Jimmy Butler. The temperature of this thing in the locker room has mostly been communicated through Kevin Love's memes.

[Amin Alhassan]

Yeah.

[Stugats]

On Instagram. In which it's conveyed to me they're not freaked out. They're joking about it.

[Amin Alhassan]

Yeah.

[Stugats]

What does it actually feel like, do you think?

[Amin Alhassan]

Well, I mean, obviously Kevin Love is launched into a second career of superstardom just by posting movie clips that are relevant to the situation. But the funny thing is, David, I heard you talking the other day about telling players that they got traded. And Dan being like, well, there's a broken trust. I think it was talking about Cooper Cup. And it reminded me years and years ago, Alvin Gentry told me a story that they were going to trade. He was working for the spurs, and they were going to trade Ken Norman. And Ken Norman was notoriously like a tough guy. And so Alvin. You got to tell him. And so Alvin's all nervous and stuff, and he's practicing in front of the mirror. Alvin's still kind of a young guy in the game at this point. And he goes up to Ken and says, ken, you know, we want to thank you for all everything you've done for the organization. Unfortunately, we've decided to go in a different path. And so you've been traded.

[David Samson]

You gotta lead with the. You've been traded.

[Amin Alhassan]

You've been traded to Milwaukee. Right? And Ken looks at him and says, do they have banks in Milwaukee? And Alvin's like, yeah. He's like, then I'm fine. Cool. And he just says, that's it. And that's most players. Most players, yeah. Like, this is a part of it. Now, obviously, the Luka deal is an example of, like, no one saw that coming. But if you aren't Luka Doncic, if you are a regular rank and file NBA player or someone who was suspended several times since January 1st, everyone knows something is coming. So it's not a shock. Or like, oh, my God, what are we going to do?

[Stugats]

Who won this trade, though? Who won this trade? With Pat Riley. With cardboard Pat Riley as my witness. I want a verdict.

[Pablo Torre]

Two things. One, it kind of looks like what I imagine other people feel when they turn on the show for the first time and see Pablo instead of Dan. And it's just like, oh, this guy puppet strings.

[Amin Alhassan]

We should get strings hanging from his face.

[David Samson]

There's one clear winner to me. I can't believe we're even debating it. To me, the clear winner is Jimmy Butler because the warriors gave him $121 million extension 111. So he did not. Is 100. I thought it was 121. I'm gonna have to do a correction on nothing personal. Are you sure it's 121? Can you reveal your source?

[Amin Alhassan]

Bobby Marks.

[David Samson]

Okay. Bobby Marks says 111, not 121. Okay. All right, I gotta go retape Something. But listen, player option gone. It's now guaranteed two years and age, 36 and 37 making. So now it's only 55 and 56. I thought it was 60 and 60.

[Amin Alhassan]

Yeah, 54 and 58.

[Pablo Torre]

But he's also in a place that is probably better suited for him to actually win something even more so than Phoenix, if he would have been there with Durant, because that would have been still a collection of random stars brought together. Maybe by Coach Bud, but probably not. Versus the Golden State Warriors. And I keep pointing to that 2022 title. Like history is going to show that one of the biggest anomalies, one of the weirdest championships ever. And they did it with what, half the team that was that, you know, best team ever, 2017, 2018 team. So the idea that Jimmy can go in there and win a championship seems kind of real.

[Amin Alhassan]

By the way, do you guys know what the warriors also accomplished beyond gaining Jimmy Butler and giving them that deal?

[Stugats]

Did it involve an apron or a second apron?

[Amin Alhassan]

They got under the first apron.

[Stugats]

God. At some point we're going to explain aprons.

[Amin Alhassan]

Sure. It's the thing that you wear when you're cooking.

[David Samson]

When you're cooking. So you don't.

[Pablo Torre]

There should be an NBA related, like cooking show. Right. And it becomes more restrictive the more aprons you wear and you just kind of go from there.

[Stugats]

Our merch store has failed in not offering aprons. NBA, NBA deadline.

[David Samson]

I'll wear that.

[Stugats]

I don't. I don't want to see that.

[Pablo Torre]

Just an apron and thongs.

[David Samson]

Apron and thongs. I regret, by the way, that's a Wednesday.

[Stugats]

I regret. Never look at me like that so much that has happened already. I regret the question I asked who won the trade? Really what I wanted to know was who lied to us?

[Amin Alhassan]

Who lied?

[Stugats]

Well, I told there. I want to know. There was Jimmy Butler. There was Bernie Lee, Jimmy Butler's agent. There was the Miami Heat.

[Amin Alhassan]

Bernie's always the answer. Who's lying? The agent. The agent is always lying.

[Stugats]

So what did he lie about? And was he lying successfully to the point where he got exactly what they wanted?

[Amin Alhassan]

Yeah, look, the idea was that Jimmy wanted money. That's all this has been about. It's not about the offense changed around me. It's not about they didn't get me enough help. It's about Jimmy Butler has a track record of demanding he gets paid, like what he thinks he's worth. And when he doesn't, he basically says, well, I'm gonna go somewhere where they will pay me and every step of the way, that's where it's happened.

[Stugats]

So this is not a culture story. No, this is a money story.

[David Samson]

Isn't a Shams story where Shams had the list of teams that the agent said, don't be ridiculous. Well, shams is a total lie. Am I misremembering the story here where the warriors were one of the four teams that Shams had, and the agent for Jimmy Butler said, this is absolute horse hockey.

[Amin Alhassan]

So this is an example of something where I can reveal where Bernie told me that. And I'm not saying that this is the truth. I'm just telling you this is what Bernie told me. Bernie told me they never requested a deal until the Heat suspended Jimmy the first time. And they said, well, if you feel like that, then you might as well just move him. Basically, if this is how you feel about Jimmy Butler, that enough to suspend him for conduct detrimental. Sounds like you kind of are done with him and you just want to get rid of him. That was the first time the words trade him had ever been uttered from the Butler side, but the reports and rumors had preceded that by a couple of weeks. And so that's Bernie Lee's point is he never asked.

[Stugats]

Okay, but this is an interesting dissection of what a lie is, because I imagine Pat Riley is saying, okay, you didn't say it, but you were pretty much making us feel like this was on the way.

[Amin Alhassan]

Well, no, the idea that we want to go to Phoenix or Golden State or, like, the list of teams or all that, that's what Bernie.

[Pablo Torre]

Oh, the specific conversation was.

[David Samson]

But this all started when the Heat went off for him. An extension.

[Pablo Torre]

Right, but this is why Jimmy is both the winner and the loser here, because it was clear, based on all the reporting, that he wanted to get himself to Phoenix because he knew they would pay him. And maybe there was something else about Phoenix that he liked better. Sure, maybe he thought the warriors were past their ability, state tax, anything at all, but they backed him into a corner approaching the deadline. The both the warriors and Jimmy are kind of losers here. Because the warriors didn't want to pay him, they ended up having to, and they were desperate for another star. Jimmy didn't want to go to the Golden State, but he's over there anyway. And so it's one of those deals where Jimmy had to back off and probably thinking, hey, they'll just leave me on the roster all year long, because that's the threat that the Heat had.

[David Samson]

Wait, why did the warriors have to pay him? I Missed that part of your.

[Pablo Torre]

Because in order for them to trade for him, he wouldn't play for them. He wouldn't sign an extension with them. Therefore, don't trade for me. That whole act, that's what he did with the Warriors. Same thing he did with Memphis.

[David Samson]

But let him just play out the year and.

[Stugats]

Okay, see how that worked out.

[Amin Alhassan]

They gave up assets to get him. That's the whole point you would like. It's the same thing you just said. I wouldn't have done that deal without having a landing spot for Kyle Anderson. Oftentimes, teams, when they've agreed to terms with the teams with the principles, the numbers work, the next point part is you give permission for that team to talk to the agent.

[David Samson]

Baseball does that, too. But the talks happened before that. You know that. Of course, Butler did that. But if you're the warriors, you can also just call the bluff.

[Amin Alhassan]

No, no, but. But David, you're not going to risk it. That's the point. You don't do that deal unless you know he's going to sign the extension. And so they talk to him and they figure it out, and that's why they do the deal.

[Stugats]

Well, part of. But I mean, to your point. Part of, like, what I want to wonder about here is whether Jimmy Butler and Bernie Lee are good at this, Right? The idea of, like, excellent. We're so unpredictable and volatile that we might just get out of here as soon as you trade for me for all that stuff.

[Amin Alhassan]

Are you kidding me? They're the Stockton and Malone of this. They're amazing. Like, Bernie's doing this over here and Jimmy's doing that over. I don't even know, by the way, they're so good at it. I don't even know if it's premeditated. I think they're both just doing their own chaos individually. That's my question, and it just fits perfectly.

[Stugats]

Is this a strategy or is this just exactly the right temperament? You need to scare teams that are increasingly desperate for talent.

[Amin Alhassan]

I say this all the time in the NBA. They tell you, be professional and da, da, da. And you don't like it, it's okay. You could put your request in, but you show up and you do your thing and be a good soldier. And I'd say it time and time again, if you do that, you're never gonna get what you want. The only way you get what you want in the NBA is you make a big effing mess. And Jimmy Butler and Bernie Lee are masters of. We're done here. Okay? Let's start effing up this place, flipping up tables and spilling drinks in people's faces. And David, you could shake your head, but at every step they've gotten to where they wanted to go and they've gotten compensated.

[David Samson]

There's no question.

[Stugats]

Who is the hour there?

[David Samson]

Owners. It's owners, presidents. It's. You give in and I can't stand it. Of course they're going to keep behaving that way. If you. There's no consequences.

[Stugats]

You have a we don't negotiate with terrorists position.

[David Samson]

I learned from the best, Golda.

[Amin Alhassan]

Oh, I thought you were going to say Harrison Ford in Air Force One.

[Stugats]

Hi. Jeremy is back and I don't know why.

[Jeremy]

Allowed to talk or.

[Amin Alhassan]

Do you have a song?

[Stugats]

Yeah, there's a song you're allowed to sing.

[Jeremy]

Chris. These things right here for letting all the ladies know what I'm all about, you know, the finer things in life. Check it out. Ooh, that man so sandalous Breathe me in comfort rocking it Feet so bare Colin Paddington at the meeting Fit right in Am I a human or not? Not wondering what, what, what I got wrong all because my thongs, baby My thong, thong, thong, thongs Tell me that I mean nos or maybe Pablo.

[Amin Alhassan]

My.

[Jeremy]

Thongs are thong, thong, thongs.

[Amin Alhassan]

The word toes was right there. Oh, look at my toes.

[Mike Ryan]

Put your foot down.

[Amin Alhassan]

Look at my toes.

[Stugats]

Put your goddamn foot down.

[Pablo Torre]

There was one word that made that entire song. Like sometimes one word makes a song and Sandal.

[Amin Alhassan]

Sandalous is amazing. I wonder who wrote that one.

[Jeremy]

It was a meme.

[Mike Ryan]

Guys.

[Jeremy]

I didn't know I was actually supposed to do this. I did that in 20 minutes. But thank you. Thanks. Thanks for the criticism.

[Pablo Torre]

He looked so tired when you came back in here and like exhausted.

[Amin Alhassan]

I. I should have just ghostwritten the song and gave it to him. But then we'd have to hear his.

[Stugats]

Takes and now we have to. Anyway, he did call. He did call what I presumed was. Yeah, a pretty intimidating bluff. But I guess, yeah, you're welcome, I guess.

[Chris Cody]

Jeremy's been saying for weeks there are Wiggins away.

[Jeremy]

So look, I have been saying as a joke, you know, they could really use a wing that's a two way player that you know, can help create for others occasionally. Sort of like a Jimmy Butler. But Andrew Wiggins is really helpful to what they're doing right now. I actually, obviously, as I was making this. Don't know what we were talking about for the last 25 minutes. I assume it was talking about how having Durant floated for the last eight or so hours of these negotiations really deflated what should be looked at as a pretty solid deal considering the circumstances. You had a player completely force his way somewhere else. I'm happy that Jimmy ultimately got what he wanted in his money. I think the Heat are probably in whatever petty parts of them a little bit happy that it wasn't Phoenix, the team that he initially was trying to get himself.

[Stugats]

Okay, this is the question I have.

[Amin Alhassan]

For you, is that's a fine Venmo Bucket.

[David Samson]

Venmo bucket immediately.

[Amin Alhassan]

Chris, do we have the Venmo fine?

[David Samson]

We need the. We need the login.

[Stugats]

I can't get fined because Cortez is texting me more about P.J.

[Chris Cody]

Tucker.

[David Samson]

No, you're fine because your phone was on.

[Amin Alhassan]

Phone interruption. That's $10, Pablo. Luckily, it's not a Tuesday.

[Stugats]

Do have Venmo.

[Chris Cody]

Double Venmo bucket is presented by, you guessed it, Venmo.

[Stugats]

Jeremy, what is. What is the. The propaganda spin here for the Heat? You were beginning to say that.

[Jeremy]

Why am I always positioned as having a propaganda?

[Stugats]

Because you.

[Jeremy]

Why can't I just cover basketball?

[Stugats]

You were just saying that Jimmy Butler getting paid 100 plus zillion dollars by the warriors was something that he could feel good about because it wasn't his sons.

[Jeremy]

No, I'm saying whatever little petty parts of them want to feel good about waiting it out and trying to get the deal that they wanted as opposed to the one that Jimmy wanted in only for Jimmy. But the reality is, is it probably would have worked in some sort of mechan nations like this one to get him to Phoenix. Either way, if Durant had just been willing to go to Golden State, so it would have been Wiggins and some sort of pick and. And what they got. David mentioned Kyle Anderson earlier and needing to reroute him. That's something maybe we'll see later today. Only to me, the importance of that is because if the Heat, I believe, get under the first apron, that they can go get someone on the buyout market when the time comes. They could use another ball handler, a point guard that can help them initiate offense. But what we and what Wiggins does for them, in what the present machinations of their starting lineup is, in particular is huge. He's a gigantic upgrade offensively from what they have in Haywood High School, but not a downgrade.

[Stugats]

Is this a Heat culture? Bethgen? Bring Wiggins in into our system and we can do some things.

[Amin Alhassan]

Don't you put that evil on me, Ricky. That's completely different.

[Pablo Torre]

As far as the Heat is concerned, they get themselves a two way replacement for a superstar that goes elsewhere.

[Amin Alhassan]

But there's the difference is Lu all was guy that you knew showed up every night. And Andrew Wiggins, even at the championship peak, Andrew Wiggins, the consistency has been a concern. And so you look at his career going from Minnesota to Golden State and yes, Tibbs and Jimmy can be rough, but this is going to be a cultural awakening for him. Coming somewhere where the entire organization, not a couple of people are very demanding.

[David Samson]

Jimmy Butler is not a superstar today. He's his name. Fantastic way to go. Had a great run with the Heat. He's not. They're talking about him and Steph Curry, one of the top five now duos in the NBA. I was trying to think like how quickly I could come up with those. I'm putting Wemby and Fox ahead of Curry and Butler today.

[Amin Alhassan]

Not. Not right now.

[Jeremy]

We also have a difficult time discussing Jimmy Butler generally because his regular season performance and playoff performance are so drastically different.

[Stugats]

Yes.

[Jeremy]

In terms production and reputation.

[Stugats]

The thing that infuriated the Heat, it turns out this season, is the thing that makes him special. Is the thing that makes him. Actually I think Miles Brown put it on Twitter. He's like an aging old pit bull that can still like strangle you to death, but generally he's just not going.

[David Samson]

To be as mostly just sits around licking himself.

[Stugats]

But he's still afraid of him.

[David Samson]

That does make you a top five duo.

[Pablo Torre]

Pit Bulls are very friendly.

[Amin Alhassan]

The way Pablo started that statement, it sounded like you said it turns out the friends. The thing that we discovered were the friends we made along the way or whatever. Look, here's the deal. Jimmy Butler is every bit as potent as he's been the last couple of years. The biggest question is just like, are you healthy? That's the biggest question. And so if he's healthy, it is a remarkable upgrade for Golden State to get us a secondary scorer who is consistent, who can score in a different way than kind of Steph Curry's whirling chaos around the court and defensively keeps them at an elite level. The question is though, is that enough to overcome Oklahoma City? Probably not.

[David Samson]

They're still ninth in the Western Conference. Yeah, the odds are that's fluid playing team at best.

[Pablo Torre]

There's also the idea that there's a difficulty to play. You can't just drop in and play in the Steve Kerr Steph Curry offense like they're. There's a period of time that you have to learn everything. Whether Jimmy's willing to do that. Whether he wants to break the plays more often and just get his own. That might be the bigger problem there because he is not just a natural flowing offensive player. He's more of a rugged guy getting yeah, ball stop.

[Amin Alhassan]

He's a ball stop.

[Jeremy]

The irony for that is that that was part of the issue and what they spoke about in terms of the on court stuff for Jimmy down here is Eric Spoelster worked with Steve Kerr at the Olympics over the summer. Bama Tobias saw the way he could benefit from being part of an offense to look a little more like that. They brought some of those principles here. Free flowing offense, shooting a bunch more threes. Andrew Wiggins and his skill set actually fit within that offensively potentially better than how Jimmy Butler fits. You're not saying he's a better player. I'm not saying that in a playoff game when you need guys to go get their own bucket, that Jimmy still wouldn't have been the most potent version. But if you're building now around Tyler's skill set and Bama Tobias skill set, getting someone who can shoot more from distance as opposed to clogging up the paint like Jimmy was doing for Bam seems like a good match.

[Pablo Torre]

Are the only two places things get clogged are the paint and the toilet throat.

[Mike Ryan]

Hey folks, it's Mike Ryan. It is big game week and I've got just the thing to make your big game time a Miller Time. From fireside conversations to football Sundays, winter means more moments with the coolest people in your life. Make these moments even better with Miller Light, the great tasting light beer for people who love beer. A new year is a perfect time for friends, family and great tasting light beer tastes like Miller Time. Miller Lite is brewed for taste. It hits different than other light beers. When you're hosting your ultimate game day party, why don't you bring out a beautiful silver platter of that amazing white can and know you will make everybody there happy. Because Miller Lite is the original light beer since 1975 and still the very best one. Miller Lite great taste 96 calories. Go to millerlight.com dan to find delivery options near you or you can pick up some Miller Lite pretty much anywhere they sell. Beer tastes like Miller Time. Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Co. Milwaukee, Wisconsin 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces.

[Jeremy]

Friends, it's JerBear and you know that I'm obviously a bit of the romantic type and Valentine's Day is coming up and for me, there's only one place that I trust. 1-800flowers.com Every year I order stunning, high quality bouquets from 1-800-flowers that my wife absolutely loves. And this year I'm partnering with 1-800-FLOWERS to make sure you're a Valentine's hero with an exclusive offer for my listeners. Double the roses for free. When you buy one dozen, they'll double your bouquet to two dozen roses. It's the perfect way to say I love you without breaking the bank. Trust me, 1-800-FLowers always delivers. In the Lebitard Studios, we received a beautiful arrangement of long stem red roses accompanied in an hourglass red vase. They're timeless, luxurious and romantic. A must have this Valentine's Day. And seeing and smelling the freshness of that bouquet as I walk into work every day has me prepared for any hate that Dan may throw my way. To claim your double your roses offer, go to 1-800-flowers.com dan that's at 1-800-flowers.Com dan.