THE HERD – HOUR 3 – Did The Lakers Overpay For Walker Kessler?

Summary

The Herd with Colin Cowherd – Hour 3 (July 1, 2026)

Did The Lakers Overpay For Walker Kessler? | World Cup Takeaways | LeBron & Lakers Fallout

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Episode Overview

This episode of "The Herd" dives into several hot topics: the latest developments from the Men's World Cup (with a focus on Team USA, England, and Mexico), England’s Harry Kane magic, and the shifting NBA landscape with a deep discussion on the Lakers, their offseason moves—including the Walker Kessler deal—and the breakup with LeBron James. Colin is joined by soccer broadcaster John Strong, with Darren Fletcher and Rich Paul also weighing in on storylines. The banter is opinionated and full of insider insights.

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Key Segments & Insights

1. World Cup Fever: USA, England, Mexico, and France

[03:21 – 13:24] “Soccer’s different—and this World Cup feels bigger.”

• Team USA’s Next Test:
  Colin welcomes John Strong to preview USA vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina, discussing the US’s must-win expectations and how Bosnia’s disciplined defense and motivated young attackers pose a unique threat.
  • “They’re absolutely going to look to sort of, what we say is a low block... looking to compress space, looking to defend. But they've got quality attacking players as well.” – John Strong (05:39)
  • Key US players beyond the usual stars (Balogun, Pulisic, McKennie): Malik Tillman’s set pieces and Sergiño Dest’s attacking skill could prove decisive.
• Rising US Expectations:
  Colin and John reflect on how the 2026 tournament on home soil dwarfs previous Cups in scope and buzz.
  • “This feels like nothing I’ve ever seen before. For a guy that’s in the booth, has it transcended every other World Cup?” – Colin (06:55)
  • “Absolutely, ...we’re filling these stadiums and we have blockbuster TV numbers... Everyone’s paying attention.” – John (07:25)

Notable Quote

• On US pressure:
  “They've never been in a situation like this where it is do or die stakes… but they're expected to win... It would be hugely disappointing if they don't.”
  – John Strong (11:54)

• England’s Harry Kane Heroics:

  • Recap of England’s dramatic win over Congo, with two crucial Kane goals (including a late winner), and the storied call from Derek Ray.
    • “Majestic, Brilliant. Colin, he has more goals as Strong said than Pele in the World Cup.” – Darren Fletcher (20:04)
  • Electric anticipation for next match:
    “Harry Kane and the Brits against Mexico... most electric game arguably so far in the World Cup.” – Colin (20:43)

• Mexico’s Domination:
  Mexico crushes Ecuador, keeping a clean sheet through four games, building the narrative for a high-stakes showdown with England at Azteca.

  • “Mexico, four games, have not permitted a goal yet. Colin, look at the celebrations in Mexico City. That looks like New Year’s Eve.” – Darren (22:45)

2. NBA Offseason Drama: Lakers, LeBron, and Big Men Mania

[23:02 – 41:09] “The Lakers got big—was it worth it?”

• Anthony Davis Contract & The Overpaid Bigs Trend:
  • Lakers’ old bigs and new young talents (like Walker Kessler) spark debate over the ballooning contracts for centers.
    • “Walker Kessler, who’s 22 and hasn’t accomplished jack squat, okay, [gets] four years, 130 mil.” – Darren Fletcher (25:44)
  • Anthony Davis is eligible for a monster extension, causing speculation about whether any team will pay premium for uncertain production.
    • “Nobody that's paying attention is paying Anthony Davis that. No way.” – Colin (26:10)
• Lakers’ Roster Shake-Up Post-LeBron:
  • Rich Paul confirms LeBron wasn’t going back:
    “I understand where things are… but… it's probably not the best thing for me to do. I probably would just go away from that.” – Rich Paul on LeBron, reflecting on Lakers exit (33:09)
  • Colin analyzes Lakers’ underlying offseason philosophy—building around size and defense rather than big stars:
    • “You don't do this stuff in an hour and a half. You don't do this stuff overnight. The Lakers have been working on all this stuff, and look at the numbers. Kessler’s getting 130 million... They knew a month and a half ago they weren’t going to pay LeBron.” (34:46)
• The League’s Changing Value Equation:
  • Colin and Darren agree big men are overpaid out of need, not merit, in the post-Wemby era.
    • “The Lakers needed a big. Bigs are being overpaid. Walker Kessler’s coming off a year he played only five games, yet he got his money. That was a need transaction.” – Colin (41:09)

Notable Quick Takes

• LeBron’s future options:
  • “Is LeBron gonna play for the minimum?...I think it’s the only scenario.” – Colin (39:19-39:32)
  • Comparison to late-career icons: “Patrick Ewing in a Sonics jersey... Olajuwon playing for the Raptors. LeBron. We don’t need that, dude. We just don’t. You’re better than that.” – Darren Fletcher (40:51)

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Highlights & Memorable Quotes

• World Cup Stage:
  • “This is the most unique game that this US Men's team has ever played... they're expected to win... not hoping they can pull off an upset.” – John Strong (11:54)
• Harry Kane’s Brilliance:
  • “When you need somebody to step up, look no further than England’s captain, Harry Kane.” – Derek Ray, play-by-play (19:55)
• The LeBron Legacy:
  • “You don’t need to squeeze every last ounce of pulp and juice out of every career. There is some dignity in saying... I could still be a top 15 player... and I’m leaving.” – Colin (40:05)

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Timestamps for Notable Segments

• 03:21 – John Strong joins to break down USA vs. Bosnia and global World Cup buzz
• 07:25 – Why this World Cup feels historically big
• 09:51 – USMNT: Who needs to step up beyond the stars?
• 11:54 – The pressure of US expectations in a home World Cup
• 18:57 – Herdline News: Recap of England’s dramatic win; Harry Kane highlights
• 22:17 – Mexico rolls, not permitting a goal; anticipation for Mexico vs. England at Azteca
• 23:01 – NBA shifts: Anthony Davis contract debate & big men value
• 25:44 – “Bigs are being overpaid. Walker Kessler... hasn’t accomplished jack squat” – Darren Fletcher
• 32:51–34:46 – Rich Paul & LeBron’s Lakers breakup explained
• 39:19–40:05 – LeBron’s legacy, future options, and dignity in retirement

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Tone & Style Notes

• Colin's delivery is sharp, direct, and laced with wry analogies: “You don’t need to squeeze every last ounce of pulp and juice out of every career.”
• Frequent banter between Darren and Colin keeps the discussion lively, with playful jabs: “We don’t take that crap.” – Darren, on Team USA’s will to fight (13:39)
• Rich Paul's appearances are candid but defensive, especially on LeBron's narrative.

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Summary

This hour of The Herd is packed with sharp soccer analysis, hype for a transformative World Cup on US soil, and biting commentary on NBA contracts and front office logic. The show's blend of behind-the-scenes NBA knowledge and global soccer updates offers something for both casual and diehard sports fans. It’s particularly insightful for those following Team USA’s soccer journey or intrigued by the market realities reshaping NBA roster moves.

Transcript

[Colin Coward]

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Colin Cowherd]

Thanks for listening to the Herd podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio and noon to 3 Eastern, 9am to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the [e-mail] or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. Now, let's get this party started.

[Darren Fletcher]

You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.

[Colin Cowherd]

John Strong, a few hours from now, he'll be heading to the venue usa, Bosnia and Herzegovina tonight. John Strong, the voice of USA Soccer. He is now joining us and he is joining us live. He's called usa, France, Argentina, England, Brazil. You just watched Harry Kane with a couple of goals. England now is going to go to Mexico. Wow. What do we just talk about before we get to the game tonight? You know, everybody, you know, I feel like Portugal's too reliant on Ronaldo, who looks his age. Brazil is good. They don't feel as dynamic. Take France out of it and Messi out of it. I mean, England looks. I don't know who I like in that one. What, what did you make of England today?

[Colin Coward]

I think this is an example of, and I think we talked about this last week. Soccer is a different type of sport. You can make life really difficult for a superior on paper opponent if you're organized, if you're doing the work defensively. And the fact that Dr. Congo scored as early as they did, that was really significant. That set the tone for the thing. It's an interesting thing you bring up of sort of the level of reliance that teams have on stars. At the end of the day, that's the whole point, though. You're going to have to rely on those guys. England have quality players, but they needed to have a special player and that's what they have in Harry Kane. And I think, I don't know if we think of Harry Kane in the same terms as we think of Messi or Ronaldo or Mbappe, but maybe we should because he's put up numbers this season at his club team in Germany. He's putting up numbers at this World cup that are the same as those guys. He's got more World cup goals than Pele now. And I do think that combined with the rest of the quality England. Have you added Harry Keane to that? That's a differentiator. But listen, this is a different buzz saw that they're walking into in Mexico city. Estadio Azteca, 2 miles high in elevation, heat, not the best air quality, and about 100,000 Mexican fans screaming at you. And a Mexico team that is feeling confident. They're riding the wave of momentum. They know exactly what they are. They're going to do the same thing to England that Dr. Congo did. That is a massive, massive game coming up this weekend.

[Colin Cowherd]

Matchup with Bosnia and Herzkovina tonight. What will it look like, in your opinion?

[Colin Coward]

I think it would be unfair to overemphasize how defensive Bosnia and Herzegovina will play. They're absolutely going to look to sort of what we say is a low block, so they're going to start the game in their own half, looking to compress space, looking to defend. But they've got quality attacking players as well, and you're seeing some of the goals that they've scored. Karamola Begovic is 18 years old coming off the left wing. Esmeer Bayraktarovic on the right. This is the kid that was born in Wisconsin. His parents fled warfare in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the early 90s. They built a new life for themselves in Wisconsin, and they raised their son as a Bosnian. And even though he played for the US at youth level, began his career with the New England Revolution. He, as he said he was always going to represent his country, his parents country. So they have quality players. They're highly motivated, I think, for the US early goal is so important. Get out in front, force Bosnia and Herzegovina to have to come out and play and attack, and they can't just compress that space. I think it's one of the things Clint Dempsey said a lot yesterday on our studio shows. The longer this goes where it's either 00 or, heaven forbid, 1 nil to the Bosnians, that's gonna make things really difficult for the US Cause then you get impatient and then you get reckless, and that's where problems can get worse.

[Colin Cowherd]

Does this feel. I mean, you did World cup at Russia, Qatar, and I'm always cautious to be overly complimentary in this sport of America, but I watched the Russian World Cup. You announced it. I watched Qatar. It didn't feel this big. It didn't feel this loud. I mean, it's just this feels like nothing I've ever seen before. For a guy that's in the booth, has it transcended sort of every other World cup you've been part of?

[Colin Coward]

It has. I don't think there's any question about that. I mean, we do things bigger here. Our stadiums are bigger. The scale of our country is bigger. The amount of millions of people we can have watching a game on television is just bigger than most other countries. And this has been exactly what we would have hoped, that not only do you have people that have come in from overseas, not only do you have immigrant communities in the United States that are from a lot of these countries. I mean, I know right now there's a lot of Senegalese Americans that are in Seattle. My parents are at that game in a little bit between Senegal and Belgium. But then also the way I think American sports fans, this whole point is this is the legacy from 1994 that was still the most attended World cup in history until this one. But the way that, that transformed the sport in a slow generational way. And we're seeing that now, where we're filling these stadiums and we have blockbuster television numbers and we see on the talk shows and on the TVs at airports, everyone's paying attention to this. This is exactly what we would have hoped. But absolutely, I think the United States, along with Mexico and Canada, can feel very proud of the tournament that we've put on. The way it's been supported, the way it's been run. Still some time to go, but I think this has been a smashing success.

[Colin Cowherd]

You've seen France up close. Is that the best team you've ever called a game for?

[Colin Coward]

They are the most dynamic attacking team. How you define best again? Argentina. Until someone figures out how to beat them, they're still the best, right? I mean, I would surprise none of us to have another France, Argentina final. Those have been the two best teams, but France are scary good and they've been able to even since the last World Cup. Ousmane Dembele got healthy and he's had a couple great seasons. Michael Alise has emerged now as this remarkable two way midfield player. And Kylian Mbappe is just one of these guys where the World cup comes around. He puts on the blue shirt of France and he becomes superhuman. And the goals that he scored yesterday in that game against Sweden, few players in the history of the sport can score goals like that. He just raises his game to a different level. So France are scary good, but as I said, Argentina have an edge to them. They have a will to win to them that is just as terrifying for any potential opponent. We're going to see them a couple of days against Cape Verde. That's going to be a fist fight. That's going to be a tough game. But Argentina is very good at finding

[Colin Cowherd]

a way Baligan, Pulisic, Weston McKinney. People look at that as our top three. I think the depth goes beyond that.

[Rich Paul]

If.

[Colin Cowherd]

If I said, John, we know our top three are the striker, Pulisic, who's our kind of Magic Johnson. He can score, but he's such a playmaker. Weston McKinney, midfield, who else do you really needs to shine, play to his best level for us to keep advancing?

[Colin Coward]

I think Malik Tillman would be next in line, and he's someone who I think goes below the radar a little bit because he's not a very flashy player, but he takes a lot of set pieces. He's going to be the type of guy that, you know, Bosnian Herzegovina, they're going to make sure Baligan's got two guys around him at all times. Pulisic's got two guys around him at all times. We got to know where Weston McKinney is. So Malik Tillman is the type of guy that can pop up in those spots. And Serginio Dest as well. And we spoke with Sergino yesterday, and he gets this wonderful twinkle in his eye when he talks about those moments when he's on the ball and he can just try to invent stuff. This is exactly the type of game that is going to very possibly be won by everyone other than Pulisic, Baligan and Weston McKinney because they're going to get all the defensive attention. And so can you have someone else pop up in a key moment, make a key play? Everyone's going to have to have a good game today, but as I said, I think it's. It very likely comes down to some of those other guys. When that ball falls to them in the box, they got to score. You're going to get one shot at it. You got to put it away.

[Colin Cowherd]

Your third World Cup, Men's World Cup. Is this the biggest game you've called in macro here? Now there's expectations we've moved past. Wouldn't it be cool, John, if we won to we need to win tonight or, you know, this is different in my life, John, I vote knockout stage is always like, God, if we could just win one. I was so happy last time just getting a draw with England in the group stage. I don't feel like that anymore. Where does this rank for you?

[Colin Coward]

Personally, I actually think you've nailed it. This is the most unique game that this US Men's team has ever played. They've never been in a situation like this where it is do or die stakes. It's a World cup knockout stage game. But they're expected to win. They're supposed to win. It would be hugely disappointing if they don't win. It's different than playing the Netherlands at the last World cup or Belgium, the one before that. And it's different than other situations in the sense that you're going to have 20 million Americans potentially tuning in. More than that, maybe prime time on the east coast in a week when people aren't necessarily in their normal rhythms here where the 1st of July, and people are going to be tuning in expecting to see this team do well, not hoping they can pull off an upset. So this is, as I said, a very unique opportunity. My hope is that these guys can rise to the occasion because their reward for doing that is the next biggest American soccer game in history, which would be in a few days in Seattle. And to go back to Seattle with that incredible atmosphere the other week against Australia and now in a round of 16 game, you're talking about really making serious history. And now you're talking about can they make a quarterfinal? And now you're talking about really major. The whole country's dialed in. So this is a special unique opportunity for these guys. And that's kind of my thing is I want to see them take advantage of it to reward themselves for their hard work and to set up the next big opportunity.

[Colin Cowherd]

John, Strong as always, good seeing you. Thank you so much for stopping by.

[Colin Coward]

Appreciate it, Colin, thank you.

[Colin Cowherd]

You bet. J Mac, where'd you put your money tonight?

[Darren Fletcher]

Usa, baby. Bringing this one home easily. Easy. Easy money, as the kids like to say.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, they're big fans. There is no easy money.

[Darren Fletcher]

Yeah, there's no such thing. Obviously, I'm kidding. But yeah, strong articulated. Well, there's a big physical Bosnian team. They're gonna try to body us, push us around and you know, we don't take that crap.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, Bosnia tonight will try to do what we have done previously when we faced teams that were favored. Junk it up, muddied up, be physical. I mean, that's that. That was always our counter attacking style.

[Darren Fletcher]

Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

Which was we could score, but we needed great goaltending, goalkeeping, and we also needed to, you know, murky it up a little bit. There we are.

[Darren Fletcher]

Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio FS1 and the iHeartRadio app.

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Colin Cowherd]

with the news no, no, no, turn on the news.

[Darren Fletcher]

This is the Herdline news. All right, let's go to the game that just wrapped up England against the Congo. Colin, it was a thriller. Your guy, your countryman, Harry Kane with the header to tie it in the 75th minute, courtesy of Jack Gordon, the super sub who came on. Gordon was excellent with two assists and about 25 minutes of action. And then Kane with the game winner a few moments later in the 86th minute. An absolute missile. Here's Darren Fletcher with the call. Goosebumps. Coward

[Derek Ray]

Harry Kane. Still Harry Kane.

[Colin Cowherd]

Oh my word.

[Derek Ray]

Majestic Harry Kane.

[Colin Cowherd]

Unbelievable.

[Derek Ray]

England League Two 1. Arise Sir Harry. He's just done the business for England big time now. Who else?

[Colin Cowherd]

King Harry. I'll tell you what, Fletch, this finish gets it out of his feet.

[Derek Ray]

Shift. Bang. What a goal.

[Colin Cowherd]

What a brilliant goal.

[Derek Ray]

When you're in the mess, when you're in the mire, when you need somebody to step up, look no further than England's captain, Harry Kane.

[Darren Fletcher]

I love those guys. Majestic, Brilliant. Colin, he has more goals as strong said than Pele in the World Cup. Pele was supposed to be the greatest player of all time. Okay. A. Harry Kane is so underrated. And I'll just. I mean, like, when I watch that game winner, he's falling down. If you watch after he shoots it, he falls down. It's like one of those Patrick Mahomes throws that's just like, oh, my gosh, how's he doing that? That's unbelievable. Look at. He's falling down and fires it still into the top shelf. I mean, that's. That's just one that gets you out of your seat. Like, holy.

[Colin Cowherd]

Sunday night, 8 Eastern, Azteca Stadium.

[Darren Fletcher]

Yes.

[Colin Cowherd]

Harry Kane and the Brits against Mexico. That will be. It'll be the most electric game arguably so far in the World cup. Just in terms of. Oh, it'll be. Azteca is insane.

[Darren Fletcher]

Mexico hasn't been this far in a while. It's been a minute. England comes in, you know, they're not going to have the crowd there. Shocker. And one of us may have just been looking at flights to Mexico City, but, you know, that's another story. All right, let's move on to the Mexico aspect, Colin, of what they did last night. Again, they face England. They just destroyed Ecuador last night. I mean, it was not even close. This team came out flying, firing shots from everywhere. The teenager Mora ahead or wide. And I'm like, oh, man, Mexico's gonna kill him. And they end up winning against Ecuador. 2 nothing. It was such an unbelievable vibe there on the screen. And we have a call from Derek Ray on the first goal from Mexico last night. Here it is.

[Derek Ray]

And look at the green space. He was able to run into Julian Quinones and oh, that sounded it. Mexican magnificence. And a splendid finish by Quinones for his third goal at this World Cup. Well, it's to perfection the timing of the run. There is no chance he's seen this before. He's done this before. He's at the near post, but he buries it. And the stadium has gone wild.

[Colin Cowherd]

That's so good.

[Darren Fletcher]

So you never want to look ahead. Mexico, obviously, you got the England match Sunday, 8 Eastern on Fox. Should Mexico win that, then they're done playing at home, they come to US soil, they would likely face likely Brazil.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, first of all, Mexico does very well stocking American stadiums with Mexico fans so that it. It will still be overwhelmingly a home game for Mexico, 100%.

[Darren Fletcher]

And by the way, Mexico, four games have not permitted a goal yet. Colin, look at the celebrations In Mexico City. That looks like New Year's Eve.

[Colin Cowherd]

I mean, come on. Can you imagine if Mexico won against

[Darren Fletcher]

England or Brazil or the whole World Cup?

[Colin Cowherd]

It would just be great.

[Darren Fletcher]

Anything seems possible at this moment. All right, Colin, we'll wrap up with a little bit of NBA here. And there is a report. Remember the whole stuff about, oh, Anthony Davis, he could wind up with the warriors, with, with LeBron? Yeah, that was all pipe dream from Rich Paul. So the Wizards apparently are not even listening to trade offers for him. They're saying it's not happening. AD is eligible come Aug. 6 for a contract extension. Hold on to your chair. He's eligible for four years, $275 million because he's been all NBA. That would ad 68 million a year. I don't think any sane person on planet earth would give that to an aging Anthony.

[Colin Cowherd]

I can't believe they gave Trey Young that four year deal. They could have moved off him in a year. Like I, I, I don't get it.

[Darren Fletcher]

Well, that's the problem. Like Anthony Davis sees that. Like Trey Young has it. You gave him that much money. Well, you got to pay me. So now you've got this weird like Anthony Davis doesn't want to be there unless he gets paid. The Wizards aren't dumb enough to pay him, but they need him. Can they find a middle ground like a two year deal? Because you need him, Colin. You've got debona, Trey Young. I think this is a play in team, maybe a playoff team, top eight in the east if everybody's healthy. I just, I don't know what you do with Davis. You can't, he's unreliable.

[Colin Cowherd]

The pieces don't fit, you know, and I mean maybe LeBron or a Magic Johnson could walk into this league and overcome it. But generally speaking, I mean, Magic had great success early because he inherited a great owner, a great gm, a great coach and Kareem. But by and large, young people like I think Darren Peterson for Utah, they've got this collection of really young, interesting players. I think he'll absolutely average 22 a game and elevate them to a, like a six seed or a seven or an eight seed. I can see that. But generally young players to flourish like a Mahomes, you know, you need the right coach, weapons, you need Washington. I don't think it necessarily fits and you know, I just. You again. Larry Bird ended up getting a great GM and a quality coach and Kevin McHale. And most young people who flourish, like AJ DeBonsa, they, they really they come into a good situation. LeBron, I mean, was very rare when there was dysfunction everywhere. In Cleveland, he gets him to a finals. They got swept by Duncan and the spurs, but he got into a final. I mean, the last, I mean, think about this. The last two seasons, only one rookie has walked into the league and averaged 20 points. And that's Cooper Flagg. And that's because he's, he's taking most of the shots. Like Debaunt says, you know, Trae Young's going to take a lot of shots.

[Darren Fletcher]

Let me ask you though, we just spent a couple of days talking about big guys getting paid. If ADC's Walker Kessler, who's 22 and hasn't accomplished jack squat, okay, get four years, 130 mil. Don't you think Anthony Davis is going to be like, guys, look what I've done, look what I'm capable of. They just traded me in Dallas for Luka Doncic and you don't want to pay me anything? Does AD Have a case to say, yeah, fine, fine. Give me 40 mil for the next two years.

[Colin Cowherd]

Nobody, nobody that's paying attention is paying Anthony Davis that. No way. No way. I still can't believe Toronto gave up two. First two pick swaps, Brandon Ingram, Grady Dick, two seconds for a 35 year old Kawhi, who's going there for a payday.

[Darren Fletcher]

Don't you think though, in the west somebody says the shucks, we gotta contend with Wemby. We might as well get Anthony Davis, have him play less minutes half the season and save him for a playoff series. I'll tell you now, AD at his prime as a defender, if he's healthy against Wemby, I like his chances. He's gonna do well.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, in his prime four years ago.

[Rich Paul]

Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

Minimum J. Mac with the news. Well, that's the news.

[Darren Fletcher]

And thanks for stopping by the herd lie news.

[Colin Cowherd]

We've been so lucky at the Fox. Sometimes you just get lucky, right? You, you're a network and you get the super bowl and you know, the packers end up being in it. Or you know, you get, you get the Eagles in it or, or a big brand. This World cup, if you would have written five things we needed. United States not only wins, but is exciting. England, France, Argentina, Messi are great. Mexico looks unbeatable. I mean now Netherlands is now out and Germany, but those aren't in the States. Those aren't big brands. England's a big brand. No question. Mexico's a huge brand in this country. We're a brand. I think Canadians, Canada winning. Portugal's still in it. Spain still in it. Like everything's worked. The weather's been great. They got a heat wave in Europe now. We're getting a little warm now, but the stadiums have been great. Remember when you and I know everybody gets very uncomfortable just saying, you know, listen, we have, we have ice, air conditioning and public bathrooms. We are built for the Olympics and the World Cup. You can hold it in Los Angeles. And the stadiums are there. USC, UCLA, SoFi, the Rose Bowl. I mean, we just have an infrastructure that other countries do not have. And it has just been perfect. Mexico, England, Messi, France, U.S. canada. It is just all worked out. U.S. and Bosnia tonight in Herzegovina at 8 Eastern on Fox Live in Chicago, it's the Herd.

[Darren Fletcher]

Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific.

[Colin Cowherd]

All right. You know what deserves more attention? The assists. Everybody talks about the goal. A big moment that gets replayed on the highlight reels. But too often we overlook all the contributions and collabs that happen along the way. That's true in soccer and honestly, true in life. Halion is shining a light on the assists. As official partner of U.S. soccer, they got a whole lineup of brands ready to deliver for you. So here they are. Sensodyne Dentist recommended Defense of your sensitive teeth Centrum Fueling your day with science backed nutrients. Advil, of course, Powerful inflammation fighting pain relief. Voltaren Arthritis gel helps penetrate deep, keeps the joints moving and Tums ready to counterattack with fast heartburn relief. These are brands that are ready to deliver your essential wellness assists. Because every goal starts with an assist, learn how Halion can assist your game day [e-mail] Con Alienware's back to school events the perfect time to score top gaming gear with incredible features and Intel Core processors to go beyond performance, save big on gaming desktops, laptops and more. Start your Alienware journey with the Alienware 15 gaming laptop featuring Intel Core processors. Smoothly game live stream and multitask for hours on end. Plus play through every game exactly how you want with customizable Alien FX lighting across your Alienware ecosystem, creating your very own gaming profile and more. Finally, pair your incredibly smooth gaming experience and immersive visuals with and sound by saving on sleek Alienware monitors, headsets and more. This limited time sale awaits you [e-mail] deals. That's alienware.com deals.

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[Colin Cowherd]

so Rich Paul, LeBron James agent, works for Clutch Sports, owns it said leaving the Lakers wasn't just about the money. Here's Rich Paul once he got to

[Rich Paul]

a place to where he said, listen man, I I understand where things are and I get it. I know that's where I could probably make the most money. But you know, for me, where I'm at today, you know, it's probably not the best thing for me to do. I probably would just go away from that. So I'm and I said are you a hundred percent sure? And he said, yes, I'm 100% sure. That's not a place I would want to return.

[Colin Cowherd]

And I think a lot of that is because the Lakers made it very clear their number one priority was Austin Reeves this off season. And LeBron obviously feels I'm a much better player than Austin Reaves, and I'm also more durable. So that was the messaging. And I understand LeBron. I really get this. LeBron's like, okay, I understand that Luka's the number one option. I'm two and more durable than him. I'm not going to be the three. And then I think the Lakers also made it very clear. And I think without communicating with them, everybody in the world, everybody in the NBA knew the Wemby factor. You've seen the cultural shift in the league. It was small ball six years ago. Now everybody is overpaying for bigs, including the Lakers. And Walker Kessler. Bam. And Giannis Hartenstein, Holmgren, you know, you're seeing. You're seeing all this stuff. Adai Mara. Everybody is now doubling up on bigs. Even the Lakers now have Walker Kessler today, Jared Vanderbilt, deandre Ayton optioned in, and the kid they got from Muma from Toronto is a small ball.

[Rich Paul]

Big.

[Colin Cowherd]

Everybody's getting big. So only Minnesota, which went small, young and athletic, got smaller. Mamu. Excuse me, Sandomamu. So my take is I think they did what they had to do. I think they got bigger, they created more perimeter shooting excellence. Colin Sexton's always been able to score. He'll probably be the first guy off the bench. We talked about it earlier. If you look at the acquisitions by the Lakers today, obviously this stuff is in the works. And they were doing this knowing they weren't going to be able to afford LeBron. I mean, you don't do this stuff in an hour and a half. You don't do this stuff overnight. The Lakers have been working on all this stuff, and look at the numbers. Kessler's getting 130 million. Quentin Grimes 60 million. Sandro Mamu is getting 52 million. Sexton's getting 19 million. They knew. The Lakers knew a month and a half ago they weren't going to pay LeBron. And that's why all that stuff with LeBron and Rich Paul leaked for the last couple weeks. They wanted to create a market. I don't think there's much of a market. I mean, if I was LeBron and I was still as good as LeBron, I get it. Go back to Cleveland Got your crib there. It's beautiful. I think LeBron really likes LA. I think he'll keep his place in LA. But, you know, you heard what Rich Paul said. I don't think it's the spot for me. LeBron's right. And I think the Buss family would have really struggled to make this move because so much of it was about the brand that their father had created, the late, great Jerry Buss. And kind of like, you never. Let's resign. Kobe, let's. You know, it was, you know, remember the. The last contract late. Kobe Bryant got was. Was pretty massive. And there was a sense with their cable providers and their TV partners, hey, we can't. We got to keep a star. This is not about a star. It's really not about Luca. What they're doing today is filling out their roster that supports Luca, but its size, its defense, its shooting. So I like what they did today. I think the Chicago Bulls brought in a new front office, improved themselves by 10 wins. And I don't know if the Lakers improved in wins, but they improved in roster composition. Here's more on rich Paul, on LeBron leaving the Lakers. So you called Palinka. Yeah.

[Rich Paul]

So Rob and I. And we. And Rob and I, we talked. The first day that they could talk to their own player. I talked to him and J.J. we talked. And. And we've had cordial conversations throughout.

[Darren Fletcher]

And.

[Rich Paul]

And, you know, I know there were stuff. You know, there were public talks about us supposed to be meeting and things like that, and we were trying to figure out what that looks like and get things aligned. And it just got to a place to where, you know, Brian was like, there doesn't really need to be a meeting.

[Colin Coward]

Did they make an offer? Did the Lakers extend an offer?

[Rich Paul]

They didn't need to be one.

[Colin Cowherd]

That's. No. Yeah. I mean, they were going to move off. We said this the minute the new owners came in. LeBron wasn't part of the menu going forward. We knew that. That's okay. It's. It's. Don't need to bury him, don't need to advertise it, don't need to flaunt it or taunt him, but he wasn't going to be part of it, so. And J. Mac was. You know, I figured, Colin.

[Darren Fletcher]

Colin, let's run that back. Was there an offer made from the Lakers to LeBron? There didn't need to be one.

[Botox Advertisement Voice]

What.

[Darren Fletcher]

What does that even mean? What is he saying? Well, LeBron would have rejected it anyway.

[Rich Paul]

I don't know.

[Darren Fletcher]

Rich Paul Lost. I'm just telling you, his strategy backfired. Hey, where's all that Golden State smoke right now, huh? He was trying to manufacture. He was like a magician trying to conjure up some nonsense.

[Colin Cowherd]

Again, Rich was creating, Attempting to create a market. The minute the lakers moved off LeBron and everybody paid attention to Golden State, Golden State went, yeah, this isn't really happening. Now, Golden State did not say that yesterday. They let LeBron win yesterday. And Rich, Paul. But today the warriors are like, yeah, this is not happening. All this was a mirage. It was always a mirage. There's not a big market for LeBron.

[Darren Fletcher]

So here's the thing. I mean, is LeBron gonna play for the minimum? I don't mean to be disrespectful, but, like, nobody has money. Who's offering him anything more than the minimum?

[Colin Cowherd]

Nobody.

[Darren Fletcher]

So is LeBron really going to come back and say, I'm going to play for $4 million to. For the Cavs? Do you really see that as a scenario? That's unfathomable to me, but again, he's going to do whatever he wants.

[Colin Cowherd]

I think it's the only scenario.

[Darren Fletcher]

Well, I heard a funny scenario. You've seen the movie Rocky 4, where, you know, Rocky has to go train in Russia. He leaves his family. He's like, I'm going to take down Ivan Drago. People are comparing that to LeBron. His son is with the Lakers, his family's in L. A. His other son is with the Arizona Wildcats, and LeBron's going to Cleveland to go trade and play with the Cavs all year and just leave his family behind and try to win a title. And I, I just think it's a little. I wouldn't fault him if he said, you know what, I'm done. I'm going to retire. I would not fault him at all.

[Colin Cowherd]

No, I wouldn't either. You know, listen, he squeezed a lot of juice. Brady could still play when he retired, no question. Two years after Tom Brady retired, he would have still been a top 10 quarterback in the league. Derek Jeter, John Elway could have still played. You know, some of its timing. You don't need to squeeze every last ounce of pulp and juice out of every career. There is, there is some dignity. And in saying, listen, I could still be a top 15 player in the league, and I'm leaving Michael Jordan. I remember those last couple of years with Washington. He, you know, he would have a six point game, he'd follow it with a 51 point game. He was still great. He just Wasn't as consistently dominant. But there is something. I watched his last game in Portland. He was the best player on the floor. Jordan was best player, and Portland added guys.

[Darren Fletcher]

But by the way, look up Allen Iverson. Where did he end his career? Memphis Grizzlies. Okay. Patrick Ewing in a Sonics jersey. Like, brings a tear to my eye. Olajuwon playing for the Raptors. LeBron. We don't need that, dude. We just don't. You're better than that, at least from my perspective.

[Colin Cowherd]

Listen, it just goes to show you, there's a lot more than just being talented. Jaylen Brown's really talented, but he's super expensive. Yeah, a lot of people don't see him as a one. I think he's absolutely a one. But there's, there's more to it. It's just like anybody listening that owns a company. It's not just talent, it's infrastructure. Are you coachable? Do you get along? What is your salary? What is your age? Jaylen Brown and LeBron, if you put them together on any team in the league right now, you'd have two excellent players. But you get locked into Jaylen Brown's contract or you get locked into LeBron's limitations due to his age. So there's more than just, hey, they're really talented guys. I mean, the Lakers needed a big. Bigs are being overpaid. Walker Kessler's coming off a year. He played only five games, yet he got his money. That was a need transaction. They needed size. They needed a big. With Luka and Austin reaves poor defenders as their primary players. All right, USA Bosnia Herzegovina tonight, 8 Eastern on Fox. All right. You know what deserves more attention? The assists. Everybody talks about the goal. A big moment that gets replayed on the highlight reels. But too often we overlook all the contributions and collabs that happen along the way. That's true in soccer and honestly true in life. Halion is shining a light on the assists. As official partner of U.S. soccer, they get a whole lineup of brands ready to deliver for you. So here they are. Sensodyne dentist recommended. Defense of your sensitive teeth. Centrum. Fueling your day with science backed nutrients. Advil, of course. Powerful inflammation fighting pain relief. Voltaren arthritis gel helps penetrate deep, keeps the joints moving. And Tums ready to counterattack with fast heartburn relief. These are brands that are ready to deliver your essential wellness assists. Because every goal starts with an assist. Learn how Halion can assist your game day [e-mail] Colin hi. It's Colin Coward. If you want your outdoor space to really stand out, Deckorator surestone technology is where you should start. Decking with surestone technology is made through a patented process that uses crushed rock, not wood fiber like other composites, which gives every board incredible strength and durability. And it's engineered with a unique surface design for better traction when things get wet. It's comfortable, it's safe, it's durable, and that just looks great too. Build season is coming fast, so order a sample today. Visit decorators.com herd to get your free sample. That's decorators with a k again. Decorators.com herd wasabi is purpose built to free your business from skyrocketing storage costs and fees from the big guys. Wasabi is the go to provider for professional and collegiate sports teams around the world. Check out Wasabi's AI enabled intelligent media storage Wasabi Air to the industry's only cloud storage service with triple protection against cybercriminals. Wasabi driving innovation in data storage for up to 80% less than the other guys. Try for free at wasabi.com, wasabi Hot Cloud Storage proud partner of the Volume Podcast Network make your game day legendary with MGM Rewards. From unforgettable tailgate and viewing parties to world class dining, thrilling nightlife and entertainment that keeps energy going long after the final whistle, this is where fans come to celebrate, show off your team spirit, cheer with friends and earn rewards on every experience you love. Because every play is bigger and every moment feels unforgettable in Las Vegas. So what are you waiting for? Make your game day legendary with MGM Rewards. Visit mgmrewards.com for details.

[Colin Coward]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.