What’s Wright - LeBron James LEAVING Lakers, joining Curry & Warriors? Giannis & Heat? Cavs RETURN? | Nick Wright

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Herd with Colin Cowherd

Episode: What’s Wright – LeBron James LEAVING Lakers, joining Curry & Warriors? Giannis & Heat? Cavs RETURN? | Nick Wright

Date: July 1, 2026
Host: Nick Wright, with guest Damanze
Produced by: iHeartPodcasts and The Volume

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Episode Overview

This episode covers seismic NBA free agency news, headlined by LeBron James' decision to leave the Los Angeles Lakers after eight seasons, as well as the simultaneous end of Kawhi Leonard’s Clippers tenure. Nick Wright and Damanze break down LeBron's Lakers legacy, debate his potential landing spots (including the Warriors, Cavs, and Heat), dissect why he’s walking away from LA, and speculate on the Lakers’ post-LeBron future. The discussion contrasts LeBron’s impact with the disappointing Clippers tenure of Kawhi, and explores implications for NBA power dynamics.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. LeBron & Kawhi: Parallel Departures, Opposite Legacies

Timestamps: 03:06–12:40

• LeBron leaves Lakers: After 8 "wildly successful" years, LeBron is entering free agency, a move both expected and seismic for the NBA.
• Kawhi to Raptors: Minutes before the episode, news breaks that Kawhi Leonard is returning to Toronto, ending the "king of LA" narrative for both him and LeBron.
• Success vs. Disappointment:
  • LeBron's Lakers era was a "massive success," with seven All-NBA selections and a Finals MVP, reviving a moribund franchise.
  • Kawhi's Clippers era: “Wretched disappointment” – injury riddled, poor playoff performances, and failed leadership (06:35).

    "Kawhi's Clippers tenure not only...was a massive disappointment...mostly injury-related, but also...king of LA hype that never materialized." – Nick Wright (10:28)

2. LeBron’s Lakers Legacy in Context

Timestamps: 12:56–19:18

• Individual Achievements:
  • Seven All-NBA teams and a Finals MVP just as a Laker; more All-NBA selections than icons like Carmelo, Paul George, and others.
  • Joins an elite group of NBA legends in key accolades (14:20).
• Team Impact:
  • Revitalized a franchise that had been the NBA’s worst over the five years before his arrival.
  • Led Lakers to a title after a decade-long drought – “doing what he did in Miami and Cleveland: taking non-playoff teams to championships” (15:44).
• Comparative Standards:
  • Argues it’s unfair to judge 34–41 year-old LeBron by the standards of all-time peaks.
  • Notes other modern superstars (Jokic, Giannis) have similar team-level achievements over a decade.

“Anyone arguing that LeBron James’ run with the Lakers was anything other than a resounding success...is either a total dope or being wildly disingenuous.” – Nick Wright (13:07)

3. LeBron's Departure: Motivation and the Money Question

Timestamps: 26:12–36:23, 48:18–58:02

• Why leave LA?
  • Not a money grab: “It will not be driven by money.” (26:12)
  • Symbolic disrespect: If the Lakers lowballed him (e.g., $25M), LeBron could take even less elsewhere, proving it’s about respect, not salary.
  • Fractured relationship: Hints at behind-the-scenes breakdown in trust with Lakers management and ownership, and lack of appreciation.
• What is LeBron "worth"?
  • Wright argues LeBron still deserves “max player” money based on actual performance and comparable contracts around the league.
  • Lakers happily pay Austin Reaves $46M/year—why lowball LeBron? (51:59–54:13)
  • “Lowballing is offering him under $46M...offering LeBron James similar money that the Thunder just offered their seventh best player. That feels like a low ball.” (54:13)

4. Speculation: Where Next for LeBron? Power Ranking the Landing Spots

Timestamps: 26:47–44:41

• Nick Wright’s preference ranking:
  1. Warriors (with Anthony Davis)
  2. Miami Heat
  3. Cleveland Cavaliers
  4. Warriors (without Anthony Davis)
  5. Back to Lakers (least preferred)
• Breakdown of fit and implications:
  • Warriors (with AD): “That team can win the title...The biggest injury risk is the youngest of the four [AD]. The smallest is the oldest [LeBron].” (28:11)
    Explains LeBron’s remarkable playoff health record: “His teams have played in 302 playoff games...LeBron has been available for 302 of them.” (31:39)
  • Warriors (w/o AD): Fun but not a true contender.
  • Cavs: Awkward fit with ball-dominant guards; but would be perhaps LeBron’s “heaviest ring” if he could win there again (37:52).
  • Heat: Intriguing, needs depth and shooting, but a formidable core if LeBron joins Giannis, Bam. “God dog, they’d be big.” (34:29)
  • Other Dark Horses: Spurs (handing torch to Wemby, but “just weird” fit), Celtics (unlikely, given history), Denver (not dismissed: fascinating duo with Jokic). (40:26–44:14)

“There’s no world that exists where LeBron at 41 or 51 is on a team and they are just blowing double-digit fourth quarter playoff leads. It’s not happening.” – Nick Wright (40:29)

• Why not Minnesota: “LeBron’s not finishing his career playing bumper cars. And so no, no Minnesota.” (44:25)

5. What’s Next for the Lakers? A Bleak Post-LeBron Outlook

Timestamps: 58:02–62:57

• Mismanagement: Lakers failed to maximize LeBron’s tenure: “Every single year, they’ve just been waiting for him to leave. ‘We’ll start trying once he leaves.’” (58:02)
• Poor roster construction:
  • Critical of giving big contracts to mid-tier players (e.g., Austin Reaves).
  • Failed to surround Luka Doncic (now the franchise star) and LeBron with complementary talent.
  • “They wanted a blank slate. You can go build your perfect team. I’m very interested to see how they do it.” (62:57)
• 2026 Free Agency market is weak: Lakers have cap space but minimal options.
• What’s the Plan? Predicts Lakers will “have another crummy offseason,” punt multiple years waiting for a superstar like Jokic, and never provide Luka with a better teammate than LeBron (63:49).

6. LeBron’s Hallmark: Transformative Team Impact

Timestamps: 63:49–70:40

• LeBron’s Free Agency Pattern: Whenever he’s changed teams, he’s joined dysfunctional non-contenders and delivered a title within two years (63:49).
  • “Miami…Cavs…Lakers – each time, champions by year two.”
• Prediction: Expects LeBron’s next team—wherever it is—will contend or win in two years.
• Historic Free Agency: Even at 41, LeBron “is far and away the best free agent available.” (70:09)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On LeBron’s Lakers legacy:

  “Anyone arguing that LeBron James’ run with the Lakers was anything other than a resounding success…and I hate to be so black and white, but…is either a total dope or being wildly disingenuous.” – Nick Wright (13:08)

• On comparing superstars’ franchise impacts:

  “If that is a disappointing decade, then I suppose the Denver Nuggets under Nikola Jokic’s stewardship have had a disappointing last 10 years…same with Giannis in Milwaukee.” – Nick Wright (15:44)

• On Kawhi’s Clippers run:

  “While folks will attempt to do some revisionist history here…unequivocally, undeniably, irrefutably, one was a massive success and the other a wretched disappointment.” – Nick Wright (07:30)

• On respect vs. the money:

  “It’s not actually about the money, because I’m willing to take less than what you offered me to go play for somebody new. Money sometimes is more of a symbol than…actual dollars.” – Nick Wright (26:47)

• On LeBron’s value:

  “Lowballing is offering him under $46M…offering LeBron James similar money that the Thunder just offered their seventh best player. That feels like a low ball.” (54:13)

• On the Warriors’ superteam prospect:

  “The biggest injury risk is the youngest of the four [AD], and the smallest [risk] is the oldest [LeBron].” (31:39)

• On LeBron’s potential fit with young teams:

  “…There is no world that exists where LeBron at 41 or 51 is on a team and they are just blowing double-digit fourth quarter playoff leads. It’s not happening.” (40:29)

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Segment Timestamps for Quick Reference

• LeBron & Kawhi endings; Clippers vs. Lakers legacy: 03:06–12:56
• LeBron's Lakers tenure, team and individual legacy: 12:56–19:18
• LeBron's value, contract, and motivation for leaving: 26:12–36:23; 48:18–58:02
• Potential LeBron landing spots, detailed breakdown: 26:47–44:41
• Lakers post-LeBron future, free agency market: 58:02–62:57
• LeBron’s career migration and ‘team fixer’ status: 63:49–70:40

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Summary for New Listeners

This episode of "The Herd" unpacks one of the most pivotal days in recent NBA history: LeBron’s departure from the Lakers and Kawhi’s exit from the Clippers. Nick Wright offers a numbers-rich, big-picture perspective on the significance of LeBron's LA run, rebuffs critics who downplay his impact, and sharply contrasts it with the failed Clippers experiment. The rest of the show is a blend of rumor, fan/fear speculation about LeBron's next move, and a damning forecast for a Lakers franchise that Nick argues is about to realize what it lost. The tone is passionate, opinionated, and unfiltered—as always from Wright—with lively banter and sharp NBA insight throughout.

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Transcript

[Podcast Announcer]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Nick Wright]

Guaranteed Human no web design experience, no problem. Wix Harmony makes it easy to create a professional website. Just describe what you want and it builds the entire site with the business tools you need. Plus an AI agent named Aria is there to help with ideas or tasks along the way. With over 20 years of innovation, Wix continues to lead in website technology. Try it for [e-mail] that's wix.com Are

[Podcast Announcer]

you looking for support in your weight management journey? Zepbound's Tirzepatide may be able to help Zepbound is a prescription medicine used with a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity to help adults with obesity or some adults with overweight who also have weight related medical problems to lose excess body weight and keep the weight off. Zepbound is Approved as a 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5 or 15 mg inj. Zepbound contains tirzepatide and should not be used with other Tirzepatide containing products or any GLP1 receptor agonist medicines. It is not known if Zepbound is safe and effective for use in children. Don't share needles or pens or reuse needles. Don't take if allergic to it or if you or someone in your family had medullary thyroid cancer or if you've had multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2. Tell your doctor if you get a lump or swelling in your neck. Stop Zepbound and call your doctor if you have severe stomach pain or a serious allergic reaction. Severe side effects may include inflamed pancreas or gallbladder problems. Tell your doctor if you experience vision changes before scheduled procedures with anesthesia. If you're nursing pregnant, plan to be or taking birth control pills. Taking Zepbound with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. Side effects include nausea, diarrhea and vomiting, which can cause dehydration and worsen kidney problems. Talk to your doctor, call 1-800-545-5979 or visit zepbound.lilly.com hi, I'm Steph and I work at UnitedHealthcare. When I think about UnitedHealthcare's members, I think of my own family. My niece was diagnosed with an ultra rare genetic disorder. I know how hard it is for families at UnitedHealthcare. We can make it easier.

[Nick Wright]

I'm Brian. I care because I know what it's like to not speak the language. It's not easy. Health insurance is complicated. I would say our job is to make everything easy for our UHC members. I work for United Healthcare.

[Colin Coward]

I'm committed to care Hi, it's Colin Coward from the Colin Coward Podcast. Every goal starts with an assist. As Official partners of U.S. soccer, this team is ready to deliver 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. Learn how Halion can assist your game day [e-mail] Colin

[Nick Wright]

welcome in what a day. Episode 473 of what's Right with Nick Wright presented to you by boost mobile. I 8 hours ago planned for this entire show to be World cup stuff because I have just been enraptured by this Twitter tournament. So much so. And listen, I'm a bigger soccer fan than most Americans, but I was ready to start today's show with a really I potentially obnoxious rant. Maybe I'll do it on Thursday about how I will lose respect for you as a sports fan if you're not at least somewhat into this World cup. And we can get more into that on Thursday. But as into the World cup as I am, we this is a seismic day in the NBA as we found out four hours ago that LeBron James pretty not shockingly, but I would still say the most of the smart money was that he was going to come back to the Lakers even if nobody thought it made the most sense for anyone. Or certainly not for LeBron. But LeBron James leaving the Lakers after eight wildly successful seasons. More on that in a moment. And now that's I mean that is still the biggest news of the day. But just in the last 20 minutes another relatively seismic thing which is Kawhi Leonard about to go back to the Raptors. So let's jump right into Straight to voicemail brought to you by Boost Mobile. Also, by the way, John Moran's a Blazer. Now how about that? Erling Holland and Norway advance past the Ivory coast that just happened. And the Raptors nearing a deal to bring back Kawhi Leonard. And I think this is a really good return for the Clippers. Brandon Ingram who is actually on a reasonable contract like 2 years left, 40 million a year to player option after this year. So maybe opts out, but that's fine. Grady Dick a bit of a lottery ticket. Two first round picks, Shams is saying, and a pick swap that's a decent return for Kawhi Leonard, who has one year left on his deal. And Chris Haynes now reporting that the Raptors in Kawhi are going to get together on an extension. And so LeBron's Lakers tenure and Kawhi's Clippers tenure ending on the same day is kind of perfect. Because LeBron, while his Lakers tenure has been scrutinized and dissected and picked apart day by day, week by week, year by year, his career with the Lakers is now over. Kawhi's career with the Clippers is now over. And unequivocally, undeniably, irrefutably, one was a massive success and the other a wretched disappointment. Now, there can be different reasons why it was a wretched disappointment, most of which, not all of which, but most of which are injury related. But while folks will attempt to do some revisionist history here, when Kawhi Leonard went to the Los Angeles Clippers, the conventional wisdom was that he and Paul George, LeBron had already been in LA for a year, had just suffered the first injury of his career, that torn groin or strained groin on Christmas Day, his first year with the Lakers, that the Clippers were the team to beat, that Kawhi and Paul George were the most omnipresent duo in the league, that Kawhi, if he wasn't already the best player in the league, was about to firmly grasp that title away from LeBron James or Kevin Durant, was coming off the Achilles or had just torn his Achilles, whomever you thought it was. And instead, what you got in seven years of Kawhi being a Clipper, you got 35 playoff games, one trip to the conference finals in which he did not play, three total all NBA seasons. I'm sorry, four total all NBA seasons. A potential looming scandal that he leaves, you know, in the wake of, but that has yet been ruled on. And again, folks are going to try to convince you, oh, you know, it was just the injuries. It was partially the injuries that made Kawhi's tenure in Los Angeles as disappointing as they were. But Kawhi and Paul George were fully healthy when the clippers were up 3, one in the bubble on a Denver Nuggets team that up to that point had never sniffed a conference finals. And they were part their lead actors in the total collapse, including Kawhi's 6 for 22, 14 point game seven performance. And for whatever it's worth, Kawhi was there this year for the seven games against those same Denver Nuggets winning game Seven with a chance. When people were giving putting Kawhi on MVP ballots this year in a game seven went six for 13 to see the team get blown out. Now every time Kawhi popped in the playoffs and that was. I'm sorry, not this year. Last year was when that happened this year they lost. What in the play in. That's right. We. You saw glimpses of it last year when he had the 15 of 19 throwback Kawhi Leonard performance. You saw that. You remember the playoff series three years ago against Phoenix when he had back to back 30 plus point games before leaving with injury. You saw glimpses of playoff Kawhi but a player who instead of simply signing with the Clippers demanded they trade essentially their ability to contend for a championship to bring in Paul George and then somehow had his relationship with the team deteriorate quickly enough that Skip Bayless knew he had torn his ACL before the Los Angeles Clippers knew it. And a guy who while he brought when he was there tremendous skill to the court but never connectivity, never the real the leadership at. You know, if you remember the beginning of the tenure story about him not wanting to live in Los Angeles. Was it San Diego? Whatever it was fact of the matter is this Kawhi's Clippers tenure not only. We'll see how it's remembered aspiration wise. And we'll see how it's remembered as far as what the Thunder, if they do turn into a dynasty or not or if he, you know, just helped them build that trade. A one off championship or a couple championships, but also the king of LA hype that never quite materialized. And now Kawhi goes back to the Raptors and I got to say I think the Clippers got great return for a soon to be 35 year old with massive injury risk to get Brandon Ingram on a reasonable contract. Grady Dick 2 first in a swap. I love that return. And if you're the Raptors, you hope and pray that for the first time since Kawhi. Well, since Kawhi's first year with the Clippers that he can get through a playoff run past the first round and be healthy for it. So there is that we will get to why to me obviously LeBron James tenure with the Lakers was very different than Kawhi's tenure with the Clippers. But now we're done with voicemail, we can get actually into the show. So I can bring in Damanze. Damanze, great to see you. How are you to see LeBron is leaving the Lakers leaving So your, your ability to go see LeBron home games minimized quite a bit. Hawaii leaving the Clipper. Wow, I didn't, I didn't even think of this. LA basketball just took a massive hit. How are you doing this morning? This afternoon, whatever time it is.

[Damanze]

Amazing. Sorry I'm popping in late. Had some, some stuff at work, but yeah, I'm doing.

[Nick Wright]

Listen, when you got. I can empathize with this. When you have two and a half jobs, sometimes they overlap a bit and that happens. So we, you know what I mean, we make do. All right, let's get right to it. LeBron leaving the Lakers.

[Damanze]

So LeBron has informed the Lakers after an eight year run that he will be hitting the free agency portal. There are a bunch of different ways that we can run with this. What was your instant reaction?

[Nick Wright]

Okay, I. My instant reaction is. And I mean I had a hundred instant reactions, but because I just did the Kawhi autopsy. I want to do the same thing with LeBron and we've done this on the show before, but I want to do it briefly here. Anyone arguing that LeBron James run with the Lakers was anything other than a resounding success and I hate to be so black and white, but is either a total dope or being wildly disingenuous. Eight years, seven all NBA teams and a Finals MVP. So we will talk about LeBron's tenure as an individual player and then his team success. Seven all NBA teams and a Finals mvp. Just as a Laker, for the record on what that looks like compared to other guys full careers. That is more all NBA teams than Carmelo Anthony, Paul George, Jason Kid, Jimmy Butler, Anthony Davis, Clyde Drexler ever made. That is more all NBA teams in the same number of Finals MVPs as Isaiah Thomas's entire careers. What is a good comp for seven all NBA teams and a Finals mvp? Well, D. Wade had eight all NBA teams in a Finals mvp. Same with Moses. Same with Joker. Another way to look at it. What is the full list of players in league history in their entire careers to win Finals mvp and to have at least seven all NBA teams by the way, on this list will not be Wilt or Bill Russell because finals MVPs weren't a thing for Wilton Russell. So you know we're going to go ahead and assume Wilton Russell would have had him. Especially because the Finals MVP is named after Russell. But they're not officially on the list. Full list of guys, 7 plus all NBAs in a finals MVP. Kawai Wade, Moses Joker, Giannis, Magic Bird, Rick, Barry Jordan, Steph, Jerry, West, Aem, Dirk, Durant, Shaq, Duncan, Kobe, Kareem, LeBron. 19 guys ever in league history have done in their full career what Braun did just with the Lakers. That's individual success. And oh yeah, by the way, broke every record there was to break. But that's more, you know, over the course course of his career. What about team success? Well, there's this fact. Prior to LeBron joining the Lakers, since they were the Minneapolis Lakers, they had missed the playoffs 10 times in franchise history, five times interspersed throughout their first 60 years as a franchise and the five years directly leading up to LeBron's arrival. Over the five years leading up to LeBron's arrival, they out of 30 NBA teams were 30th in the NBA in winning percentage. They were quite literally the worst franchise for a half decade when he got there and like he did when he went to Miami and they were coming off missing the playoffs when he went to back to Cleveland and they were coming off missing the playoffs, went to the Lakers and within two years they were champions. What about the tenure as a whole? One finals appearance with a ring, one other finals mv. I'm sorry, one other conference finals appearance. Is that disappointing from a team perspective? Well, I guess that's eye of the beholder because if that is a disappointing, you know, decade, then I suppose the Denver Nuggets under Nikola Jokic's stewardship have had a disappointing last 10 years because they have been to one finals and won it and been to one other conference championship. I guess the last decade of Giannis in Milwaukee or you know what, forget the last decade, let's call it his whole 13, 14 year career, 13 year career was disappointing because they went to one finals and won it and had been to one other conference finals. You know what, we're looking backwards. Let's look more contemporaneously. I guess Shea's entire career with the Thunder has been disappointing because they've been to one finals and won it and been to one other conference finals. You know what, why stop there? Jalen Brunson with the Knicks. What a disappointing last half decade because they've been to one finals and won it and been to one other conference finals.

[Damanze]

You know, all this stuff is because it's Braun. I feel like held under the same stadium.

[Nick Wright]

Well, I think I. Here's the thing. I agree that LeBron demons, a throw to Monze back on here should be held to a different standard than almost everybody except for really Jordan and Kareem. When we're talking about historical stuff, right?

[Damanze]

Yep.

[Nick Wright]

But I don't think we should hold 34 to 41 year old LeBron to a different standard than peak, Jokic, peak, Giannis, peak, Shea peak Brunson. I don't think we should hold a different standard than those guys.

[Damanze]

And

[Nick Wright]

since when you look at the other all time greats except for Kareem, they were all done like LeBron was older when he won his title with the Lakers, then Jordan was with his final championship with the Bulls, then Kobe was in his final game, the final playoff game with the Lakers, then Bird was in his final game in the NBA. Then Magic was in his final game before he came back briefly post hiv, like what are we talking about? And so my instant reaction was, you know, you've got these, these folks who were lifelong Laker fans, or at least they thought they were. But what they actually were, they thought they were lifelong Laker fans. They actually were lifelong Kobe stands. And those people somehow I think are celebrating today. They're happy. They're like, yes, ding dong, the witch is dead. Get our franchise back. Well, good luck with that and we'll talk more about that piece of it in a moment. I do want to talk about, you know, the big story is where we think LeBron's going to go. Before we get to that, let me remind you guys, I just got back from the Hard Rock Casino down in South Florida and today's show is brought to you by representing sponsor Hard Rock Bet, Florida's sportsbook. The world's biggest soccer tournament is here. Everyone is watching. National pride is on the line. Superstars are chasing immortality. And for the next month, every match feels like a final. If you haven't tried Hard Rock Bet yet, there's no better time to get in the game. Hard Rock Bet is a top rated sportsbook app built to viva la Copa. Whether you're backing your country, betting on your favorite superstar, or building a same game parlay for the biggest matches of the tournament, Hard Rock Bet is your way to get in on the action. And if you're ever late to kickoff, don't worry. Hard Rock Bet lets you live bet all match long, from the first minute to the final whistle. Plus, Hard Rock Bet has new promos daily talking about profit boost, no sweat bets, bonus bets and more. And be sure to check out no goals, no problem. And Super Sub 2 promos designed to give your bets insurance all tournament long. Sign up with Hard Rock Bet today and place a $5 bet. If it wins, you also score $150 in bonus bets, a winning bet place plus an extra $150 to bet with. Now that's how you get this summer's party started. Hard Rock Bet is Florida's only legal sportsbook, but you don't have to be in Florida to join the party. Hard Rock Bet is also live in Arizona, Ohio, New Jersey, Indiana, Tennessee, Virginia, Illinois, Colorado and Michigan. Download the Hard Rock Bet app today. Roll with us Goal with us Hard

[Colin Coward]

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[Podcast Announcer]

Are you looking for support in your weight management journey? Zepbound Tirzepatide may be able to help. Zepbound is a prescription medicine used with a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity to help adults with obesity or some adults with overweight who also have weight related medical problems to lose excess body weight and keep the weight off. Zepbound is Approved as a 2.5, 7.5, 10, 12.5 or 15mg injection. Zepbound contains Tirzepatide and should not be used with other Tirzepatide containing products or any GLP1 receptor agonist medicines. It is not known if Zepound is safe and effective for use in children. Don't share needles or pens or reuse needles. Don't take if allergic to it or if you or someone in your family had medullary thyroid cancer or if you've had multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2. Tell your doctor if you get a lump or swelling in your neck. Stop Zepbound and call your doctor if you have severe stomach pain or a serious allergic reaction. Severe side effects may include inflamed pancreas or gallbladder problems. Tell your doctor if you experience vision changes before scheduled procedures with anesthesia. If you're nursing, pregnant, plan to be or taking birth control pills. Taking zepbound with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. Side effects include nausea, diarrhea and vomiting, which can cause dehydration and worsen kidney problems. Talk to your doctor, call 1-800-545-5979 or visit zepbound.lilly.com if you're a business owner

[Nick Wright]

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[Damanze]

So Sean said he was told that this is a happiness led decision for LeBron James whether whether he lands in free agency. Agency. It will not be driven by money. Where do you see LeBron ending up and wasn't it just about money? So that's kind of like the reason he's leaving la.

[Nick Wright]

Oh, I don't think that's the reason he's leaving la. I know there's some the go ahead.

[Damanze]

I know there's some like disconnect between him and the Lakers, but it seemed like there was a a talk or there was a fuss about money. It's like what are you guys going to do with the extra money that I give you? Like just seemed to be a little bit.

[Nick Wright]

Yeah, I mean I think that I so here's the thing. I think there is a scenario that is not not an. A realistic scenario that goes something like this. LeBron James, again, I'm. I'm making this up. But just this is a. An idea with. And I don't have the specific. Not only do I not have the specifics locked in, this whole thing could be not what happened, but I think this would be a reasonable scenario that could have played out. The Lakers told LeBron James, we have $25 million for you. And LeBron James was so insulted by that that he wanted to leave and now is going to play for three or five million dollars. Does that make sense? Where there is a level of what I expect you to value me at when I've been your best employee. Employee of the month for 96 months straight or 80 months straight. Then Luca won a few. You know, since he's been here, you not valuing me at what I'm worth is insulting. While I am. It's not actually about the money because I'm willing to take less than what you offered me to go play for somebody new. Does that so. So money sometimes is more of a symbol than it is a really about the actual dollars that show up every two weeks via direct deposit. It's not always the case. And you have to have a lot of money for that to be the case. But I think that could be the situation here because. So I don't think. I think Shams is right, that it's not like, all right, I'm a free agent now. Oh, the Bulls. Or want to give me a two year, $80 million deal. All right, well, Cleveland, you better match that. Oh, you can't. Then I'm a Bull. That's what he means when it's not driven by money. As far as where I see him ending up, it sure feels like there's only three realistic options. The two teams he's played for already, plus the Warriors. Here is how I personally, I think I said this on the show two days ago. Here's how I Before he announced he was leaving. Here is how I power ranked. If it were up to Nick Wright, where LeBron would go and Damanze. Tell me how you feel about this list. This is how I had it. Number one choice to Golden State with Anthony Davis. We'll circle back to that. Number two choice to Miami. Number three choice to Cleveland. Number four choice to Golden State without Anthony Davis. Number five choice back to the Lakers. I did not want him back with the Lakers. I do not trust the Lakers management to know how to build a team. I also got enough of a reminder of what it looked like in the playoffs when LeBron had his hand on the joystick, that I want him to finish his career in a place he can do that. And the Lakers are the least likely, through no fault of Lucas, but because that's what Luka has to do. Okay, so that's how I power ranked them as far as what I would get the most enjoyment from. From. So let's go through each of those. The warriors with Anthony Davis, that team can win the title. A lot of things have to go, right. They wouldn't be the favorites, but if that team ran into the spurs in the playoffs, Wimy's not thrilled. You've got Draymond beating him up, LeBron leaning on him a few possessions a game, and Anthony Davis just looming as a defensive force. Right. So that is a real counterbalance to Wimby and his sleight of frame. The Thunder would be a different type of challenge, but I also need to see what the Thunder fully actually look like, you know, this off season, as they are kind of manicuring around the edges. But that team, if healthy, could win the title. What's so ironic is of their four LeBron, Steph Draymond, Anthony Davis, the biggest injury risk is the youngest of the four by far. And the smallest injury risk is the oldest of the four by far. Nick, how can you say LeBron's the smallest injury risk of that team? Well, here's how I can say it. LeBron James, while he has missed time over the last few years in his career, I have been selling him short. All day on TV, I've been saying 200 something. LeBron James, in his career, his teams have played in 302 playoff games. Of those 302 playoff games, LeBron has been available for 302 of them. So I don't know what his health will be in the regular season. I got a pretty damn good feeling he'll be healthy come the postseason. Do you. Let's. So Damasi. Do you think if they got LeBron and Anthony Davis, they would trade away Jimmy Butler and future picks, that that team could win the championship?

[Damanze]

Yeah, I'd say they got a pretty good chance. But I will tell you, I don't want to see that. I don't really want to see Braun and Curry team up. I think there's always just been too much. There's been too much stuff that's happened in the past for me to feel comfortable and like, oh, yeah, that's the thing to do. I think it should just get their Friends and all that stuff. But they've been through some battles and stuff, I just think. And they were like, real. I really felt like there was some true disdain at one point in their careers. And I just.

[Nick Wright]

Yes, there was. Yeah, yeah. I mean, watch. Anybody that questions whether or not there was true DISDAIN, Go watch LeBron block Steph in game the 2016 finals.

[Damanze]

Yeah, yeah.

[Nick Wright]

No, there's no question about that.

[Damanze]

Good team, obviously. But.

[Nick Wright]

But yeah, I also. Here's the thing, though. I think the Olympics changed a lot of that. I. And I think that, like LeBron being the fulcrum of the team and the point guard and Curry being the number one scorer, I think both of them enjoyed that. I. You know what I mean? I think a little bit of a spotlight off Steph, like, to where it

[Damanze]

be themselves a little bit more, I feel like.

[Nick Wright]

Yeah. And so I think that now LeBron at this age and Step at any age, you have some defensive limitations. So that's where Anthony Davis becomes so critically important. If you were available. So that. So that one I would really like. The next one is Miami. You like that one?

[Damanze]

It seems like, yes, that. That would. That would be number one for me.

[Nick Wright]

How come?

[Damanze]

I would just like LeBron Giannis. Bam. I mean, they need something else over there. I don't know what else Miami's gonna

[Nick Wright]

do, but they need another piece and

[Damanze]

Braun doesn't completely fix that. But I. I don't know, like, that. I would be intrigued to see what that squad looks like. And. And yeah, he obviously come to the Celtics if you want.

[Nick Wright]

Yeah, I would be super intrigued. I mean, you would. Well, that's. I mean, that's. We'll get to the dark horses in a minute. I would be super intrigued by that. And that's my second choice. And if the warriors wouldn't get. If the warriors were to be out on Anthony Davis, then his best option when it comes to winning would be Miami. I still don't think that team would have enough depth and. And shooting, but it would at least be interesting to see. God dog, they'd be big. Like, if four of your five starters are Braun, Bobby, Portis, Giannis, and Bam. That's. I mean. Yeah.

[Damanze]

So this poor Zingis extension at all affect how you think about Golden State and Brian going over there?

[Nick Wright]

I. I want to be delicate, gentle here. I get the extension because there's the upside there. I. I'm like legitimately concerned about Kristaps health. Not injuries, his health. And so, yeah, like, that's. Yeah, he could. He's super valuable if he's out there. But I just. He's at a. Anything you get out of him is a bonus portion of his career for me. He clearly isn't for the warriors. They gave him two years, 40 million bucks. But that's. That's where he would be for me. All right, then there's the Cavs. So Harden, you know, just like Draymond, opted out and is going to work on a new deal. Harden opted out and is going to work on a new deal.

[Colin Coward]

What?

[Nick Wright]

I will. I do not. I. The reason I don't like the Cavs option is Donovan Mitchell needs the ball in his hands. Harden has to have the ball in his hands.

[Damanze]

Donovan, like or not.

[Nick Wright]

Well, so here's. I think Donovan's relatively reliable. Harden, not at all. I mean, Donovan's had some great playoff moments up and down, but it's a similar spot as with the Lakers, where it's like, okay, Donovan's better than LeBron. Sure. And Luke is legitimately better than LeBron. Fine, so he's number one. But then we've got this other guy, whether it's Austin or Harden, who is not better than LeBron, but who LeBron has to defer to because they can't do anything without the ball in their hands. That part I would not really like. Even though LeBron could just slide into, like, if that team wanted to play LeBron as a traditional small forward, like the. Or even power forward, like, that is an interesting team. And while people, you know, we talk about some rings being heavier than others, like Jalen Brunson's ring this year is a heavy ring. Dirks in 2011 and Durant. Sorry, sorry. Katie in 2017 is one of the lighter rings.

[Damanze]

Pretty light.

[Nick Wright]

If somehow LeBron James went on a playoff run with the Cavs, and LeBron James turned James Harden into a competent playoff basketball player. That's one of the heaviest rings ever. That's very metric ton ring. And so that. That one is at least fun. And him ending his career in Cleveland has a nice. No pun intended because I just said it ring to it. All right, fourth option. Then we get to the dark horses. Fourth option. Going to the warriors with no AD, it's just. That's just like, oh, wow, that's awesome. LeBron and Steph. Yeah, that. You know what I mean? That's not winning a championship. And. Right. And you're just not going to be. You're not going to be good enough. And so that it still to me is something I wouldn't hate it. But you're. You're not winning the title.

[Damanze]

And so there the axle develops pretty fast. That's a big body older dude.

[Nick Wright]

I listen, I know that Dylan Harper maybe tricked us. Not tricked us. Confused people on this rookies typically, no matter the age, don't help you in the playoffs. Dylan Harper did. And you know, to his credit, God bless him, he, he, you know, was excellent in the playoffs. That's very rare. Now Yaxel is old, but Draymond seems to already hate him. So like I don't. I also. I don't know if that's a bit or not. I can't figure that one out. So let's go to the Dark horses in a moment. But first, Boost Mobile's proving you don't have to overpay for great wireless. Unlock the savings with the $25 a month forever unlimited plan, permanent price, no contracts and no price hikes. You can keep your phone and your number, but you save up to $600 a year compared to the major carrier. Stop overpaying and switch to a Fair [e-mail] today based on average annual single line payment of AT&T Verizon and T Mobile customers compared to 12 months on the Boost Mobile Unlimited plan as of January 2026. For full offer details, visit boost mobile.com all right, dark horses, let me run through some first one as mentioned, credit where it's due by Bill Simmons. The San Antonio Spurs.

[Damanze]

Yeah.

[Nick Wright]

So his argument was the spurs are champions right now if LeBron was on that team. I don't know if that's his argument or my argument. I to be totally honest. But he what they didn't have in the like there. Here's the thing. People can argue about where LeBron is in the power rankings and he's 41. All this bullshit. Here's what's definitely true. There is no world that exists where LeBron at 41 or 51 is on a team and they are just blowing double digigit fourth quarter playoff leads. It's not happening. The just the ability to calm everything down, get a guy a good shot. Like that will always exist. It would be. And LeBron could, as Simmons talked about, sell it on like hey love pop, prestige franchise, you know, hand the torch to wimby. But it'd be weird, right? Wouldn't that just be weird? Even if.

[Damanze]

Yeah.

[Nick Wright]

He's the second best player on the team. Like it's just a weird basketball wise. It's an awesome fit. It's just weird.

[Damanze]

Yeah. So like I Don't know if I heard this earlier, but it's just. It's kind of Wimby's team And then having LeBron come over there, it's like, oh, yeah, we want him to. We need him to get the chip. I feel like they're trying to grow their own star. Wimby's the guy. Of course, he doesn't need enforce reinforcement.

[Nick Wright]

So. So that. So that one's weird. You mentioned your Celtics. That one's hilarious because, like, that's been his nemesis team. I do not think there is any scenario where LeBron will go to another team where a huge percentage of the fan base has always hated him. I don't think that, you know, I think that was one of the worst parts about his Lakers career. So I don't think that's, you know, even though if they were to trade Jalen Brown for pieces, LeBron obviously fills that role perfectly. Still, the one other dark horse that I won't out and out dismiss is Denver. Dave McMinnamin mentioned Denver six months ago. Famously, LeBron and Maverick were hanging out in the south of France with Joker's agent a year ago, Instagramming about it about it now. I believe that meeting was about a basketball league Maverick was considering starting that he didn't because Joker's agent represents half of like NBA Europe or the Euroleague. But still, I, you know, LeBron is very, you know, is tight with Josh Cronkey, who happens to own the Nuggets. LeBron is tight with Jared Dudley, who happens to be a coach on the Nuggets. LeBron and Joker playing together to just have like the two highest backs, basketball IQ teammates ever. It's not nothing. And Denver is far enough removed Amanze from not only their title, but looking like frontline contenders. That it. You know, since Denver's won the title, three teams have won it. Right? Boss bought the year after Denver won.

[Damanze]

It might be two.

[Nick Wright]

Yeah, boss. No Boston, Oklahoma City in the next three. Yeah. So that. That's the only dark horse that I think has.

[Damanze]

No Minnesota. Oh, wait, no Minnesota. Yeah. Yeah. Never mind. Yeah.

[Nick Wright]

Nah, bro. Nah, bro.

[Damanze]

Minnesota, like a week ago.

[Nick Wright]

I feel like though it was all good just a week ago, maybe. Yeah. But LeBron's not finished in his career playing bumper cars and so no, no Minnesota.

[Damanze]

Are you happy he's leaving?

[Nick Wright]

So I thrilled. I'm thrilled. I. So let's. In fact, let's get it because this. These two questions are inextricably tied. The fact that I'm happy he's leaving and why he's leaving. So go ahead.

[Colin Coward]

Hi, it's Colin Coward from the Colin Coward Podcast. Every goal starts with an assist. As Official partners of U.S. soccer, this team is ready to deliver 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. Learn how Halion can assist your game day [e-mail] Con are you looking for

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[Damanze]

wix.com so yeah, LeBron spent his most. He is his longest tenure in Los Angeles. Obviously he won a ring, he broke records. But even after all that, he's still leaving. Why do you think it was that LeBron wanted to leave?

[Nick Wright]

I think it was a perfect storm because I don't think he planned on leaving a year ago. I think it was a. The combination of LeBron, I think, was really bothered by that genie bus story from six, seven months ago where they talked about the Lakers basically being over the LeBron experience. And when LeBron said, I think pretty honestly in the locker room, I thought me and Jeannie had a good relationship. Like, I thought we were good and that the Lakers didn't, you know, appreciate him. I think that was a piece of it. I think you saw some of it when LeBron said to the fans courtside, they put me on the shelf. They put me on the shelf. When after Luca and Ar had gotten hurt and he had to kind of take over again. I think you saw in his podcast with Nash when he was like, I surveyed the landscape with the team, realized this is the role I needed to play for now and that they were casting their lot. Understandably, this part I don't hold. Against the Lakers with Luke Nar and then he got a taste of in that series Demons A against the Rockets and then the Thunder, he got a taste of, oh, man. Yeah. In the biggest moments, I can still do this and I don't want to be. It's one thing to be best supporting actor. It's another to show up in the credits and cast an order of appearance. It's like, oh, LeBron James. And so all of those things then, plus the fact that the Lakers, I think, were planning on lowballing him, the fact that nobody within the Lakers did this press conference. LeBron James is still one of the 10 best players in the league and. Or gave this statement, I should say. And obviously he's worthy of a max contract. You know, he's been a max. He has given the Los Angeles Lakers max level production every year he's been here, including two years ago when he finished sixth in MVP voting and this past year when he was the tip of the spear for a shocking playoff upset. With that said, we are trying to do our best to maximize out contention right now with Luca. So you know, we're hoping to work with LeBron and Rich Paul on something that respects the fact that he's a max level player and also respects the fact that we need to add a lot to the roster. There's none of that shit. It was just a lot of behind the scenes. Nobody else can offer him any money. You know what do you the go ahead.

[Taco Bell Advertiser]

What.

[Damanze]

What would lowballing LeBron look like? Like what number is that? Because anything.

[Nick Wright]

Go ahead.

[Damanze]

You're saying he's a max player but like he isn't his self. He isn't himself. Like he is like he is obviously still great, but he is not his full. His full self. And I understand it.

[Nick Wright]

But I don't need to. I, I'm not. I don't need to. I'm not measuring LeBron against peak LeBron. I'm measuring LeBron against the other max players in the league and is like, that's all like. So here's. I guess here's my question. The Lakers just said yeah, let's pay Austin Reeves 42 million. Yeah, we are excited. No that I did that math wrong. My apologies. 46 million a year. We are excited to do that. Some of the Detroit. Someone else can offer him 45. We're not letting that happen. 46. That is what Austin Reaves is worth the Los Angeles Lakers right now for next year. We are excited to pay him $46 million. Is LeBron James right now better than Austin Reeves? Is he. If he is then I guess he's. Then I guess then I guess lowballing is offering him under 46 with the

[Damanze]

other side of being Austin Reeves getting paid. I understand. I feel like they probably should have shopped Reaves and try to build around Luka and LeBron.

[Colin Coward]

But.

[Nick Wright]

But yeah, but so that the thing is this, it's not just. And this is what everyone. And we'll. So let's just get into the Lakers stuff right now because this is the, the other piece of it that like what do we think? Here's another question. What do we think Kawhi Leonard is about to sign with the Toronto Raptors for? I'm curious is that two year extension. I got smart money that says that two years comes in at. At least 45 million a year, maybe more. Brandon Ingram makes 40 million a year. Was just the best player in a kawhi trade. LeBron, this is the old, you know, meme. Stop me when I say someone this guy's better than or the. I don't have to just go to like bad contracts. The. Because I don't want to just compare him to bad contracts. But I do get want to. Trey Young. The hawks just said four years. 212 million for Trey Young. Sweet. Okay, so I'm not even saying. And this is nobody.

[Colin Coward]

It's.

[Nick Wright]

It's the way it's phrased when we talk about the warriors missing the play in again and Steph being banged up and injured again. Nobody says a mumbling word. He's the highest paid player in the league by a lot. If Steph Curry's. If, if Steph Curry is worth $63 million and nobody says he's an impediment to the warriors contending, then what's LeBron worth? I so I'm not talking about Embiid. Who's on a bad contract. I am. Donovan Mitchell makes $50 million. Nobody says that's a bad contract. And I'm not saying you would want to sign LeBron to multiple years. But is LeBron James in the same tier of player of Donovan Mitchell and Jamal Murray and Evan Mobley, all of whom make $50 million? Well, then I guess asking him to take less than $50 million is lowballing it. And nobody looks at it this way. They're like, oh yeah, because he's in year 24, because he's going to be 42, 20 million is reasonable. Do you, do people know who. But it's not scary on a year to year basis. Yeah, if the team. I think it's totally reasonable to say, listen, as you're approaching a quarter century in the league, we're going to only sign you to one year. Deals like that to me is absolutely, totally reasonable. But when people say make 20 million bucks, I don't. And listen now, I think he's going to make like 5 or 10 or something because wherever he signs, they can't go for the cap to sign him. But I don't think people get how outrageous that is. Devin Vassell is on what is considered an awesome contract for The spurs makes $28 million. Nobody thinks Devin Vassell and LeBron James are in the same category. Hartenstein just signed an extension for 25 million a year. So what's lowballing? I don't know. Offering LeBron James similar money that the Thunder just offered their seventh best player. That feels like a low ball. I mean, the guys in the league who make 20 million bucks, like it's Shaden Sharp and Malik Monk, like, so the, the. It's, it's IO do sumo good. And by the way, shout out IO like that's awesome. Like, I'm thrilled for him, but give me a break here. And nobody and everybody, nobody completes the thought. They just always do. Well, he's going to be 41. Yeah, yeah, I, I know. And so don't get if, if LeBron was like, hey guys, four year max. It's like, sorry, we can't do it. But that's, but nobody's talking about that. And so it was just. I mean,

[Damanze]

I think you think teams can pay LeBron more if it was a signing trade.

[Nick Wright]

Oh, they definitely can. But I don't know. I think LeBron might. That helps the Lakers maybe too much because then you get some back. And so like I just. Some of this stuff, I just can't.

[Damanze]

I do think overall the Lakers have done him kind of dirty or not. Not dirty, but not done him the best well.

[Nick Wright]

So this is, here's, here's what happened. Let's just be totally honest about the timeline of LeBron's career with the Lakers. All right? LeBron chooses to go to the Lakers in the midst of a half decade stretch where they are the worst team in the NBA. Literally the day he signed, agrees to go to the Lakers. Magic Johnson goes on tv and it's like, Rob Belinka is a son of a. And I'm out of here. That's the level of dysfunction. You don't remember that, but he was like, he's like, rob Link is a backstabber and quit the team. He's like, that's the famous Magic Johnson. I ain't gonna be there. That press conference, that's when LeBron went to the Lakers. It was, it was weeks or months removed from one sibling firing another sibling from running the team. That's the team he walked into. Okay? He. In the midst of all of that. The, the, the next. And I might have maybe that. Maybe the Rob Pelinka Magic Johnson thing happened a year later. Whatever it was, it was right when he got there. I thought it was the day he got there. I think that was the case. Regardless, Next off season, LeBron helps him get Anthony Davis in a move that people still whine about. Full return, by the way, on what they traded for Anthony Davis. Brandon Ingram, who's been traded a half dozen times since then. Julius Randle, who's been traded a half dozen times since then. Josh Hart, who's really good in his role but has been traded multiple times since then. And what, the fourth pick, which became they traded for like the 10th pick or whatever. And Lonzo Ball. Correct. Who's out of the league, God bless him, but who's out of the league? You got Anthony Davis, who won you a championship and then got you Luka Doncic. Pretty solid trade. In the midst of all that, the Lakers realized in their infinite wisdom, turns out Luke Walton, not an NBA head coach. Who could have seen that one coming. Luke Walton, who coached the Lakers for three years, then had two and a quarter seasons coaching the Kings and, and since then has not sniffed an NBA head coaching job. Maybe he will one day in the future. I don't want to bang on Luke Walton. So LeBron's like, hey, you know, be a good coach. Ty Lou, he seems pretty solid. Won a championship with him. The Lakers offered Ty Lou such a low ball offer. He's insulted, doesn't take it. They hire Vogel, they win the championship anyway. The next year they are the favorites to win the championship. They have the third best record in the league. LeBron gets hurt. And then the perilous off season where at LeBron's behest, that is true. They trade all their depth for Russell Westbrook. Just a cataclysmic move which by the way, if anyone within the Lakers objected to, they wouldn't have done it. Just like they wouldn't hire Tyloo. The idea that LeBron gets everything he wants is, is not accurate. That you couldn't get the coach when he wanted him and then a year later when he realized the Russell Westbrook thing is not working, he couldn't get him to trade for Kyrie Irving. See the. But yes, the Russell Westbrook thing was a disaster. Blood on a lot of people's hands on that one, including LeBron's. And then since then, every single year, they've just been waiting for him to leave. We'll start trying once he leaves. We'll fill out an actual roster once he leaves. Will trade away. They're like, no, no, we can't trade away draft picks. You can't? No, because you need to use a first round pick on Jalen Hood. Shafino out of the league, needs a first round pick on Dalton. Connect jumped in the rotation by your second round pick that year. LeBron's kid, the. And so, oh, we don't have the right pieces around Luca because you didn't put the right pieces around LeBron because Luca needs. Same pieces LeBron needs. And now, which gets us to the most interesting part. What's next for the Lakers? Good luck. Like, I'll go ahead.

[Damanze]

Yeah. So Luca and Austin. The Lakers have chosen those two as their lead guys. Los Angeles has 52 million in cap space next year. Not a lot of options in the open market or. Yeah, this year. Sorry. And where do you see the Lakers going next?

[Nick Wright]

In the wrong direction. And I love Luca. Okay. But I don't think folks really understand what the free agent market looks like right now. Okay, here are some of the best unrestricted free agents available. Jonathan Kaminga. Norm Powell. He's 33. Anthony Simons. The Celtic salary dumped him. Mitchell Robinson. I like Mitchell a lot. If he's your starting center, you're probably in trouble. Matisse Tyble. He couldn't get minutes for the Blazers. Here's some of the other best available free agents. Rui Hachimura, Luke Canard. Marcus Smart. Oh, shit. I think we have a problem. That cap space. I knew I forgot something. That cap space. We're gonna need to bring our own guys back. Oh, no, no, no. It'll be fine. We're gonna. We're gonna get Jalen Duran. No, you're not. Okay, cool. Probably not. We're gonna get Walker Kessler. That actually would be a solid move. I like that move. He's a restricted free agent, so the other team has the opportunity to match. We'll see. The Lakers now have demons. A what? They wanted a blank slate. You can go build your perfect team. I'm very interested to see how they do it. I am very on there. I like it too. I do too. No, I think Mitchell Robinson is your backup center to Ayton. And maybe JJ will be sharp enough to realize dub that the key to having success with Mitchell Robinson is to actually make him your, quote, starting center, even if he plays way less minutes. So he plays the beginning of quarters instead of the end of quarters. So you can't do the hack of Mitch. But here's my prediction. And Daniel ain't gonna like it, but Daniel, you'll be fine. My prediction is this. The Lakers have another crummy off season and then they whisper in everyone's ear, don't worry, it's part of the plan. Nikola Jokic is coming here next year. That's what I think. I think they are going to have a hope and a prayer that Nikola Jokic is not signing his contract extension and that he will be leaving for la. The problem with that, listen, if that happens in a year, that would be sick and that would work. That would be an unstoppable offensive team. Even though Luca and Nicola are a little redundant in some ways as far as needing the ball. The problem with that is you will then have punted on three playoff runs with Luka Doncic, which is just unforgivable. His age, pardon me, 26, 27 and 28 playoff runs. You will have just said, ah, we don't have a full team, it's fine. Lakers go prove me wrong. They were I here's another prediction. The Lakers will not be able to put a teammate around Luca better than LeBron. The two years Luca was with LeBron before Luca turns 30 again, Lakers prove me wrong. And so I am. I'm glad he's gone. I I think I've been pretty consistent on this. I think LeBron is going to play 25 years in the NBA. And this is where, you know, we'll leave today's show because I'm sure we'll have more on this on Thursday. And again, like rate and subscribe review to the show. LeBron has changed teams three times in his career. The first time he went to a Miami Heat team that the previous year had missed the playoffs and seemed adrift after it's somewhat surprising championship in 2006. And well, you know what, that's incorrect. I just went to check that and I wanted to make sure I was right. They hadn't missed the playoffs the previous year. They hadn't won a playoff series. However, since they won the championship, I was like, let me make sure I'm right about that. So I just checked it. So LeBron James is CH changed teams now four times in his career. The first time he went to a Heat team that had not won a playoff series in four years, they were champions. His second year there. The second time he went to a Cavs team that had not been to the playoffs since he was on the team and had the number one pick in three of the four years he was gone. They won a championship in year two. The third time he went to the Lakers who had not made the playoffs the previous five years before he got there and they won a championship in year two. I believe wherever LeBron goes next, he is going to play for two years. We'll see where he goes and we'll see if his final act in the NBA can be for the first time, fourth time for either a fourth different franchise or a second fr. Or a third franchise for a second time, or a second franchise for a third time. Whatever it is, deliver a championship within two years of getting there. I do know this. It's not a big part de mon of the goat debate. It's not even a small part, but a tiny part of LeBron's goat case is at age 41 and a half, 23 years done in the league, he is far and away the best free agent available. Yeah, and it's not even close. Yeah, so we'll see. Listen, maybe by Thursday we'll know. My guess is we know won't. I think LeBron might let this let a lot of dominoes fall. The benefit of it not being about the money is you don't have to wait and see who has cap space. You can just see how the whole thing rolls and go from there. So fun show everyone. Enjoy the World cup the next few days. Please subscribe to the channel on YouTube, Spotify and iTunes. And JA traded Kawhi, traded Giannis traded Braun Leaving. I know I'm leaving something out pretty nuts opening a free agency ish in the NBA. Great job demons. A great job Hard Hard Rock Bet and Boost. Thank you the volume and thank you to Blue Duck. Talk to you guys on Thursday. Unless something super crazy happens before then. What's right?

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