LaMelo Is Headed to Minnesota! | Real Ones

Summary

Podcast Summary

Podcast: The Ringer NBA Show – "LaMelo Is Headed to Minnesota! | Real Ones"
Date: June 25, 2026
Hosts: Logan Murdock & Howard Beck
Core Theme: An emergency episode reacting to the blockbuster trade sending LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves, with analysis of the move from all angles, and broader NBA storylines including the state of the league’s rapid player movement.

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Episode Overview

This urgent episode dives deep into the Minnesota Timberwolves’ stunning trade for LaMelo Ball from the Charlotte Hornets. Logan and Howard unpack both teams’ motivations, critique the decision-making in Minnesota, and discuss the wider implications for franchise-building in the modern NBA. The conversation branches out to other major NBA moves, including the Austin Reaves extension, Jalen Brown’s future, and how the second-apron era is shaping NBA transactions.

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Main Trade Details and Immediate Reaction

Segment: [00:05–04:00]

• Trade Details ([01:56]):

  • Minnesota Timberwolves receive: LaMelo Ball, Josh Green
  • Charlotte Hornets receive: Nas Reed, unprotected 2033 first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps (2028, 2029, 2030), and three second-rounders (2029, 2032, 2033)

• Logan (Opening Reaction, [01:56]):

  • "I can only describe it as something you do when you are drunk at 2 in the morning playing 2K and just say fuck it, right?"
  • Surprised at Minnesota’s approach, calling out their erratic roster building and questioning the vision.

• Howard (Initial Thoughts, [03:13]):

  • "My first reaction was simply, obviously, holy shit."
  • Conflicted feelings: sees talent in LaMelo but perplexed by Charlotte moving on from their young core after a positive season.

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Charlotte’s Motivation: Moving On from LaMelo

Segment: [04:00–10:30]

• Howard ([03:32]):

  • Charlotte’s new front office and ownership possibly didn’t "fully believe" that the LaMelo–Brandon Miller–Con Kanipple core could contend or coexist.
  • Likely concerned about salary cap and paying multiple young talents; selling high on LaMelo.

• Logan ([07:45]):

  • "I can tell you why Charlotte did the deal…there’s been a hot and cold relationship with LaMelo."
  • Suggests the team was eager to resolve potential chemistry and contract issues, viewing the trade as a chance to retool around younger, more stable assets.

• Howard ([09:30]):

  • Points out the acquisition of Kobe White as a signal that Charlotte planned for life without Ball.

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Minnesota’s Gamble: Risks and Roster Building

Segment: [10:30–22:00]

• Howard ([10:06]):

  • Questions how Minnesota will "backfill" their now-weak frontcourt after losing Nas Reed and Julius Randle.
  • Attributes moves partly to new ownership eager to make bold statements.

• Logan & Howard – Debate Over Trade Package ([11:59]–[13:55]):

  • Howard sees the pick haul as “not too much” given LaMelo’s ceiling ("LaMelo Ball is a much higher ceiling talent. Unquestionably.").
  • Logan strongly disagrees, emphasizing team chemistry, fan discontent, and future flexibility: "You’re actively taking away talent off of this roster and putting more responsibility on me [Anthony Edwards] to stay afloat" ([14:00]).

• Quote ([15:48], Logan):

  • "There is a world where this thing goes catastrophically terrible next season…You’re not putting yourself in a position to make your star happy."

• Howard ([17:29]):

  • "Did you need to go all out to get LaMelo Ball?...Maybe. But…LaMelo Ball is stupid fucking talented. Like, he's just incredibly talented. He's a 6'7" point guard who can hit deep threes…a great passer. And he is going to from day one take a lot of pressure off Anthony Edwards and keep defenses honest."

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Fit & Basketball Implications

Segment: [20:28–34:00]

• Skillset Fit ([20:28]):

  • Logan highlights persistent defensive and leadership questions with LaMelo, especially in playoff environments.
  • Jokes about opposing stars "licking their chops" at the chance to attack LaMelo defensively in the postseason.

• Howard ([21:29]):

  • Notes Minnesota did explore other stars like Jalen Brown, but price was too high.
  • Frames this as another bold swing by Timberwolves' exec Tim Connelly: "Trust the Connelly process kind of things where it’s like, alright, I’m skeptical, I’m worried. I don’t like losing Nas Reed, but this team has made some pretty good bets."

• Logan casts doubt ([22:44]):

  • Contrasts Charlotte’s “patient asset accumulation” with Minnesota’s "just push the button really fast" approach.

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Organizational Culture, Leadership & Identity

Segment: [24:41–36:18]

• Ownership Imprints ([24:41], Howard):

  • Timberwolves’ new owners (A-Rod and Mark Lore) "want to put [their] stamp on things… There’s a swagger there."

• LaMelo’s Reputation ([28:56], Logan):

  • Draws parallels between how LaMelo was once the franchise in Charlotte but "for them to give up on him this easily…tells you a lot about how Charlotte thinks about him."

• Adults in the Room

  • Logan ([33:53]): "Who gonna be the adult in this room?...All of them [competing teams] got adults… I don’t see that in Minnesota."
  • Questions LaMelo’s maturity, dependence on veterans, and emphasizes that off-court factors matter as much as statistics.

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Broad NBA Topics: Austin Reaves, Jalen Brown, and the ‘Apron Era’

Segment: [38:49–59:04]

Austin Reaves Extension ([39:10–45:44])

• Howard on Lakers’ logic:

  • "Keeping Austin Reeves was the right move… Did they need to pay him the max?... He and Luka both making the max, where does that leave the rest of your roster?"
  • Questions balance between player loyalty and financial flexibility.

• Logan on Luka:

  • "Luka Doncic just wanted Austin Reaves to be his running mate, so Austin Reaves is going to be his running mate, right?...That’s why NBA players aren’t GMs."

Jalen Brown’s Future ([45:57–53:36])

• Brad Stevens’ “noncommittal” public stance draws skepticism (Logan reads Brad’s quote at [46:29]): "Jalen Brown is a big part of us…you never know."
• Howard links the Celtics’ approach to former GM Danny Ainge; sees a trade as “common sense at this point.”
• Possible landing spots: Hawks, Raptors, Rockets, Mavericks.

Other Storylines

• Discussion of John Morant, Anthony Davis, and how the changing landscape is impacting how stars are valued and moved.
• Consensus: Top young point guards with off-court issues or questionable fit are being moved for underwhelming packages.

The Impact of the Second Apron & Player Movement ([54:40–59:04])

• Logan ([54:40]): Wonders if rapid player movement is “undercutting” league narrative and fan loyalty.

• Howard ([55:48]):

  • “The NBA has always been about as much the off-court, like drama and spectacle as it is about the on-court. There’s nothing new under the sun there.”
  • Now, fewer superstar free-agent moves—everything big happens via trades.

• Howard on the ‘apron era’:

  • “People worried that because of the second apron restrictions…is there going to be any transactions at all anymore?…It has eliminated superstar free agency for the most part, but it has pushed everything toward trades instead.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Logan ([01:56]): “I can only describe [this trade] as something you do when you are drunk at 2 in the morning playing 2K and just say fuck it.”
• Howard ([03:13]): “This is the worst possible day for us not to have the president of the LaMelo Ball fan club, Raja Bell, on this show.”
• Logan ([14:00]): “You are actively taking away talent off of this roster and putting more responsibility on my shoulders to be the greatest player…You are not putting yourself in a position to make your star happy.”
• Howard ([17:29]): “LaMelo Ball is stupid fucking talented. Like, he's just incredibly talented.”
• Logan ([33:53]): “Who gonna be the adult in this room?”

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Key Timestamps & Topics

| Timestamp | Topic | |-----------|-------| | 00:05 | Emergency pod announcement, trade setup | | 01:56 | Full trade details | | 03:13 | First reactions from Howard & Logan | | 06:02 | The cultural impact of Nas Reed | | 07:45 | Why Charlotte did the deal | | 09:30 | Charlotte’s plans with Kobe White | | 12:07 | Debate: How much did Minnesota actually give up? | | 14:00 | Logan’s concerns about Edwards’ happiness | | 17:29 | The logic for going all in for LaMelo Ball | | 21:29 | Price for other stars like Jalen Brown | | 24:41 | Ownership fingerprints on decision-making | | 28:56 | What it means that Charlotte gave up on LaMelo | | 33:53 | Lack of veteran presence in Minnesota | | 39:10 | Austin Reaves gets paid | | 46:29 | Brad Stevens’ comments on Jalen Brown | | 54:40 | “New apron era” and rapid NBA player movement | | 58:13 | Logan’s final thoughts: "You gotta be patient and make methodical moves." |

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Flow, Style, and Tone

• Conversational, irreverent, in-the-know NBA discourse.
• Open skepticism and strong takes, especially from Logan, met with Howard’s measured, analytic perspectives.
• Frequent use of humor and pop culture (NBA 2K comparisons, inside jokes about absent co-host Raja Bell).
• Both hosts emphasize the importance of organizational culture, leadership, and the dangers of chasing short-term excitement over stable team building.
• The tone is sharp, often self-aware, and rooted in expertise and relationships around the NBA.

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Conclusion

• There’s no clear consensus on who “wins” the LaMelo Ball trade—a high-risk swing for Minnesota, a cautious reset for Charlotte.
• New NBA rules have led to a flurry of big trades, as teams try to navigate salary caps, superstar satisfaction, and the relentless push for immediate improvement.
• The hosts see warning signs for Minnesota's impatient approach, but acknowledge the sheer talent of LaMelo and the pressure to keep Anthony Edwards content.
• Throughout, the discussion highlights a league at a crossroads: combustible, dramatic, and as much about front-office moves as what happens on the hardwood.

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(Summary skips advertisements and non-content sections as instructed.)

Transcript

[A]

What's Poppin Ruins Emergency Edition. You know how we do. We're supposed to record tomorrow. Now we recording today because Minnesota Timberwolves decided to trade for LaMelo Ball. Yeah, you heard that right. Yes, I did that. That was for effect. The Minnesota timberwolves traded for LaMelo Ball. Why did they do that? We're going to get into the why and all of those things with myself and Howard Beck and then we're going to talk about just the hubris of NBA pre agency. The Austin Reeves deal. Where is Jalen Brown gonna go? All the other things that have permeated throughout the league over the last week since we last recorded. Yeah, really, really fun episode. We're trying to figure this out. I'm still just perplexed at Minnesota. They're just decision making skills over the last five years. Where's Ant gonna go? It's gonna happen. I feel for all my partners on the shores of Lake Minnetonka. All right, enough of the intro. Cliff, Victoria, play the theme music. What's Poppin Real ones. Logan Murdoch here. Howard motherfucking back there. We planned to pot on Friday morning, but the Minnesota Timberwolves had other plans

[B]

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[A]

the Minnesota Timberwolves just traded for LaMelo Ball and I will get to the trade package, but I can only describe it as something you do when you are drunk at 2 in the morning playing 2K and just say fuck it right? So let's with that being said, this are the terms of the deal. The hornets will send LaMelo Ball and Josh Green to Minnesota in exchange for Nas Reed and an unprotected first round pick in 2033. Three first round pick swaps in 2028, 2029 and 2030 and three second round picks in 29, 32 and 33. Now this has also been like a fire sale, a part of a fire sale and reinvention that the Timberwolves have been doing. They just basically dumped Julius Randle to Brooklyn for some scraps and now they are reshaping their roster around Anthony Edwards and all world talent and LaMelo Ball and all world roller coaster throughout his career. I don't know. I know how I feel about the deal, Howard. The deal looks crazy on its face and I think it's going to look even crazier when the season starts. There's so many ways we can go here. But first off, let's just think. What is your first thoughts on the deal? Is it about what I think or are you a little bit more optimistic for it?

[C]

It My first thought is that this is the worst possible day for us not to have the president of the Lamelo Ball fan club, Raja Bell, on this show. Where are you, Raja?

[A]

We need. He's on the road to Atlanta right now. He's on the road to Atlanta.

[C]

There will be no one here to defend Lamelo's honor. If it's necessary. It may not be necessary. We'll see where this goes. I have no idea where this is going because we're just doing this on the fly. I've had very little time to process this in my own head. I mean, my first reaction was simply obviously, holy shit. But I think we all could see, at least by the reports last night, there were, there were like strong rumblings. And it was not just one media outlet, it was, it was several. But even in hearing that Lamelo Ball was potentially available, that teams were pursuing him, my first thought was simply, you know, why now? And it's one of the questions that we're going to have to get answered in the, in the hours and days and weeks to come. Because the Charlotte horn. I thought about this from Charlotte's side first. They just had their best season in a very long time. And that core group of Lamelo with Con Canopel a very close runner up for rookie of the year, Brandon Miller, they've got a really nice core there. They've got a good thing going. Charles Lee's got these guys playing defense and they're finally kind of ready to break through. They created an identity and this signals to me and the Hornets will surely push back on these kinds of interpretations. But this sort of signals to me that the Hornets didn't actually believe fully in what they had there and or had salary cap apron type concerns as they try to pay all these guys. Right? You mentioned it. Lamelo's an all world roller coaster, always has been. And even as he smoothed out some of the rough edges last season, there's still those wild moments. The one legged fadeaways and the impossible three point shots and occasionally just tunnel vision. But all that said, Minnesota clearly sees a guy who's just incredibly talented and incredibly tall for a point guard besides. So you now have this, this just huge backcourt. All of Anthony Edwards, you know, physicality and athleticism of Lamelo Ball's height and athleticism and playmaking ability. I mean, for all of the issues about him and his, his shot selection, sometimes he's also incredibly gifted passer. So you have the makings here of an absolute, just explosive backcourt. But it comes at the cost of one of their. Their, their last front court. Like they went from being over indexed on the front court to now over indexed on the back court because they also just locked up Ayo to Sun Mo with money that they saved that

[A]

Nas Reed was like a cultural icon. Cultural icon?

[C]

Dude, can you imagine, like there. There's like a vigil probably going on outside Target center as we speak. Nas Reed was like, Nas Reed was to. To that team. What, like, I don't know, Josh Hart is to the Knicks or something like, like this, this guy who just. You. Anthony Edwards is the engine in Minnesota. Jaylen Brunson the engine in New York. But when you think of the guys who, who feel like the heart and soul of a team sometimes, um, yeah, that was Nas Reed. So I always thought it was a Nas or Julius Randall thing or a Nas or Cat thing before they traded cat for Randall. And so when they offloaded Randall, I was like, okay, cool. More kind of re, you know, shuffling the books and freeing up some money for IO to Sumo. Fine. You. You've got Nas Reed. You can just plug right in. Oops. Like so.

[A]

Yeah, you can plug them right into a trade.

[C]

Yeah. So that, like, there's a lot of pieces of this that I, I can kind of see the outline of the rationale in Minnesota and in Charlotte, but I'm still like, trying to figure out exactly what the full vision here is and how and how they're going to backfill.

[D]

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[A]

what, from an observer, like, just from an observer standpoint, from 3,000 miles away, I can tell you why Charlotte did the deal. Charlotte saw what happened in Orlando to end the season and saw that there was a ceiling on that team. And then they all of a sudden they get a call from Minnesota saying, hey, we're going to give you all these picks for Lamelo, who. Who kind of. There's been a hot and cold relationship with Lamelo. To even say it lightly, even this season as they have been successful and even like the success that he had in the playing game against Miami. We talked about that right after. Right. The highs and lows of that and they're. I honestly don't think that that is sustainable for a team that is trying to ascend in the way that they are. The Hornets are trying to ascend. And, you know, there were rumblings in the beginning of the season about Lamelo may be wanting out and you know, just the back and forth and the clashing between those two entities and a new coaching staff that wants to make its imprint. I could definitely see the team just being like, let's just get this. Let's get this problem off of our hands. And not to mention, like, Lamelo has a crazy contract. Like, you're locked in, what, like three more years with him if you're Minnesota. Right. Like, if something goes bad, this. This could go really, really bad. And we'll talk about the ramifications of that in a second. But from strictly a Charlotte standpoint, Howard, I see why they would do this. They're not all in on him, and they have proven that they are not in on Lamello Ball and you give me a boatload of picks to get him and you get to get me off of that contract for a guy that probably fits better in our roster and we could help build the team or even could continue to build the team around Cock and Nipple and Brandon Miller and guys that we actually think are going to be long term guys. Hell yeah, I'll do it. Like, I see you can make a case if you're Charlotte, like, this is the deal that we should do at this particular time.

[C]

Well, and they also, you know, acquired Kobe White earlier this year and they're now going to be locking him up. So, like, you could. You could see, like, they. They set themselves up for this. They brought in a guy who initially was there to. To supplement the back court and. And their depth, and now they can just plug him in as the new starter in Lamelo's place. Now Kobe White is not Lamelo ball for, for, for good and bad I suppose. But you're, you're not putting yourself in a position where it's like you're having to scramble now to go find somebody to man the point guard position. Kobe White's very capable and a very good young player.

[D]

It.

[C]

I think I'm more concerned on the Minnesota side of the backfill because no Randall, no Nas Reed. Are you playing small with, with Jaden McDaniels now there are you, are you finding somebody cheap and free agency? It's interesting. Not for nothing like these are both new ownership groups, right? Like Lori and Alex Rodriguez were putting their imprint on. I think even the Rudy Gobert trade had I think their stamp on it because they were in as minority partners then with the, the long term agreement to take over. I think they were really influential in hiring Tim Connolly in the first place who made that deal. And now you've got, you know, Rick Schall in that group who own the Hornets now been in place for a couple of years. Jeff Peterson their GM who, who could come from the Nets. He's been in place a couple of years. So you, you have two newish ownership groups and a new ish front office in Charlotte that I think are all kind of trying to you know, remake these rosters and the identity of these teams. And this is the first time since the Hornets drafted Lamelo Ball that I think they were in a position where they could, you know, make a kind of a clear headed decision like we've had him long enough. We've got a newish again, newish coach, newish front office, newish ownership group. And they have now decided we have the core of a great identity going forward with Brandon Miller and Con canipple. We don't need to ride the Lamello ball roller coaster as you put it earlier anymore. And Minnesota look back to back conference finals and then they backslide just a little bit this season they traded Cap because of of second apron concerns. They would have kept him in perpetuity I think but you know they had, that was a, a, a deal they had to make and to try to get, give themselves some some depth as well. Getting Randall and, and divincenzo now no Randall, now no Nas Reed. They're basically just deciding this is it now Rudy Gobert is our defense.

[A]

Wait, hold on, hold on, hold on. Can we, can we just like bask in what this, what you just said? The this is it move is trading all of our picks for Lamelo ball.

[C]

Let me back all right, let me hold on on the picks thing. Let me, let me just hold up on the picks thing for a second here because the full package of picks, it's, it's one unprotected pick in 2033, which is a lot of years in the future. The three first round swaps in 28, 29 and 30 swaps only matter if you're worse than the team you traded the swap to. Are the Minnesota Timberwolves going to be worse and therefore higher in the draft order than the Charlotte?

[A]

There's a chance. There's a chance right now with the current makeup.

[C]

There's always a chance. Logan for sure. But I think Minnesota is betting on and Edwards and LaMelo Ball and whoever's around them. Gobert for now, he's getting up there in years being better for the next few seasons. Right? 2030 is four years out. So we have the 26, 27 season to burn first, but three more seasons after that. Are you better than the Charlotte Hornets during that span of time or at least for a chunk of it. So those three swaps may never mean amount to anything. And even then you're, you're, you're somewhat protected because you still have picks. They're. They're swaps. You're getting the Hornets pick in that case. So I don't, I may have issues with or concerns with pairing Lamelo Ball and, and Edwards or pairing LaMelo Ball and anybody because I've often been a Lamello skeptic and I think you're further out on that one than I am. But I'm not concerned with, with what they gave up. Nazridis is an essential player for them, but LaMelo Ball is a much higher ceiling talent. Unquestionably they give up one actual pick or first round pick. The rest are swaps and second rounders. I don't feel like the investment is too much.

[A]

I do you.

[C]

You would think any investment was too much.

[A]

That part is true. But the other thing that I'm saying is, okay, so Anthony Edwards has a contract up until the 2829 season. Right now, right now you are auditioning. He is the latest superstar that you are as a team audition auditioning for to make him want to resign. If I'm ant and I'm. And listen, I'm not ant and I don't know what's in his head right now, but if I'm ant, I'm thinking, damn, dude, you just traded away a franchise pillar in Naz Reed. You a community pillar in Nas Reed. Who was my homie? You traded away Carl Anthony Towns, who I just saw won a championship a few weeks ago. You're trading away all of this talent and what are we getting back, right? We're getting scraps, and you're putting a lot more responsibility on my shoulders to be the greatest player just for us to stay afloat. You are actively taking away talent off of this roster to. And putting more responsibility on me about responsibility on me to stay afloat. And the mellow ball thing can, like, be good, but it also could be really good. I don't look at a team with Lamelo Ball and the rest of that roster and say, damn, that's going to be a consensus team that is going to compete with the Oklahoma City Thunders of the world, that's going to compete with the San Antonio spurs of the world, that's going to even compete with the Denver Nuggets of the world. I was talking to Cliff before this. I'm not ready to go there yet, but Cliff was talking about how he pushes them out of that. This trade right here pushes them out of the Western Conference race. And I, I was talking to him on the phone for. And I was like, I can't necessarily disagree with you, but, like, that is where we're at right now. It is. It is addition by subtraction from a roster standpoint. And how does that get back to the picks, you might ask?

[C]

Well, how does it get back to the picks?

[A]

How does it get back to the picks, you might ask? Okay, there is a world here where this thing goes catastrophically terrible next season and the seasons ensuing after that. And there's a world where Anthony Edwards is like, man, f this. I see the writing on the wall. I see what we're doing here, and I don't like it. Get me the hell up out of here. That's so. Don't listen. But I'm. And that has been. There have been rumblings around the league about, like, okay, what is Anthony Edwards the next guy to leave? And we both know that, right? And so this isn't helping that case, in my opinion. So back to the picks. Say if, if, if everything goes to shit and you have to trade Anthony Edwards, which, I mean, I'm sure you'll get picks back, but we'll see, because it could be a yada situation and the picks could be. It could be really, really hard to move him and get like a Kevin durant level, circa 2022 level haul. We'll see. But you're not putting yourself in a Position to one, make your star happy. And if your star is not happy, you're going to leave. And then you're stuck with lamelo ball and a whole bunch of pick swaps. And the, the, the Hornets, who theoretically could be a better team, are taking advantage of that. It's a shit show going on right now. That's what I'm saying. That's why I'm saying the pick swaps mean everything. Because there is a world where this to Minnesota thing all goes to shit and then the Hornets are reaping the rewards of that.

[C]

I mean, if I'm Tim Connolly, I'm getting fired in that scenario anyway, and I don't care.

[A]

So at that point about the Timberwolves, man, talking about the fans. The fans, dog. People, that room for this team. Jesus. Hey, all, real quick, all of these owners, all of these front office people, all these players, they're going to be fine. The fans are like, come on, man, what are we doing, dog?

[C]

Yeah, I know, I'm, I'm being facetious, obviously. Listen, yeah, there's a worst case scenario here. There's always a worst case scenario. The worst case scenario of not doing anything Logan, and not getting Anthony Edwards help in terms of scoring and playmaking and just somebody else to occupy the defense is that he was going to get so frustrated that he'd won out even sooner than that. Which is why you and I were hearing, even if they were like low murmurings, but there were murmurings. And this is what happens in this league. I know some fans hate it, especially if it's your guy who's the subject of the murmurings. Milwaukee Bucks fans were really annoyed with all of us for the last several years. But guess what, folks? Those murmurings actually meant something. And here we are. He's gone now. We were right. Sorry. But you know, the, the murmurings happen for a fucking reason. Because people around the league hear that a guy might be discontent and they start loading up trying to get him. That's how this works. And was Anthony Edwards kind of teetering in that, that middle world where it was like, he's got, you know, he's, he's still firmly there, but there's a little bit of that. You need to show me something soon. We've kind of maxed out here. I'm a guy who's perennially considered potentially an MVP candidate, a top, you know, 10ish player, but I don't have anything to show for it. And I'm tired of getting double teamed. Right. That was one of the Things we kept hearing, Anthony Edwards wants somebody else to handle some of the load here. They really didn't have. Even when you had Cat or then downgrading to Randall, even with DiVincenzo coming along, you just didn't have anybody else to really carry the offensive load. And Mike Conley, like the fact that they had to like how many times they brought Mike conley back, like 15 times or something that, that you need like 40 year old Mike Conley at point guard was always a little bit of a troubling sign and obviously diminishing returns there. So did you need to go all out to get LaMelo Ball to fill that position? Was there, was there a middle ground somewhere? Was between a Mike Conley and LaMelo Ball? Maybe. But I mean listen, and this is where we really need Raja here to balance out, especially you today. But maybe me as well. I'm going to have to play the part of Raja Bell. LaMelo Ball is stupid fucking talented. Like, he's just incredibly talented. He's a 67 point guard who can hit deep threes, who can pull off incredible shots from amazing angles and is a great passer. And he is going to from day one take a lot of pressure off Anthony Edwards and keep defenses honest. That's what's going to happen. The back end of that is real quick. You are chasing two teams in the spurs and Thunder that while their strengths are slightly different. Slightly different. They are both loaded in the front court like they've both got a lot of talent up front. And the, the Timberwolves are, are now just like have sent out everybody. They're down to just Rudy Gobert and I, I don't. Is, is the, the young French kid ready to like step into a major role that they drafted a year ago? Barringer. Baron J. I'm not even going to. I think that's it. Baron J.

[A]

All right, so I got, I got, I got, I got a couple of points on this. You were right to say that the Minnesota Timberwolves need guard play to compete with the San Antonio spurs of the world and the Oklahoma City Thunder of the world. But I got news for you. You know what J Dub is doing right now? Look at his chops. He's like, oh wait, I get to get labella Ball to switch potentially in the playoffs. Word. Cool. Bring this up. Bring your ass over here. Wait, Dylan Harper. What? Everything we've saw over the summer, he's looking at Phil like, oh, wait, I get LaMelo Ball on a switch and I get to go to the cup on him. Oh, cool. Awesome. Second point is, you're right. LaMelo Ball has all of the talents. He, he can pass the ball, he can score. But you know what? He's yet to prove that he can do that on a high level in the postseason. He's never done it before, so. And that's what they need right now, right? There's other people that could have that they could have. Jalen Brown is sitting right there.

[C]

Well, they weren't like to that point. John Krasinski has reported the great John Krasinski from the Athletic, longtime beat writer covering the Timberwolves. The God, he, he, he, he noted. They, you know, they, they, they poked around on Jalen Brown, but the asking price was going to be a lot higher. And again, the price for LaMelo Ball just now really wasn't that high. The potential price to your point about the swaps is there in the, in the, in the catastrophic scenario. But they didn't really have to send out much Nas Reed. You sent out one rotation guy, one absolute, you know, one unprotected first round pick and then a bunch of swaps and second rounders. It's not that big of an investment. I admire Tim Connolly's ambition here. The guy is not afraid to swing for the fences. He got crushed over the Rudy Gobert deal and all these years later, I think it looks pretty damn good. They did go to back to back conference finals. This has been their most successful run, like three, four year run in franchise history. You, you can't argue with that part of it. So there's a, there's a party. If I were a Timberwolves fan, I think this would be one of those, you know, you know, trust the Connolly process kind of things where it's like, all right, I'm skeptical, I'm worried. I don't like losing Nas Reed, but this team has made some pretty good bets.

[A]

Yeah, I don't know about that one, champ. I'm in some group chats with a lot of Timberwolves fans. They are not taking that route, I'll tell you that right now. But let's stick on this, let's stick on the ownership for a second. You talk about both new ownerships in both places, right? And I think you're starting to see a smart way to go about it with new ownership in, in, in Charlotte, right? Just be patient, get assets from other people. And then you see the Timberwolves who historically, like in a perfect world, especially if you see, you know, the new apron coming, especially when they traded for Rudy Gobert, because that was right after the warriors title, where there was such a backlash on teams that went over the salary cap and didn't go through the draft, right? And then that summer, you trade all of your draft picks for Rudy Gobert. In a perfect world, if you have a Anthony Edwards or that type of top pick, you want to build gradually, you want to build through other means through the draft, keep it cheap, and then have to pay on the back end, just like Oklahoma City did. Just like how San Antonio is doing right now, what Timberwolves did is say, hey, man, we're going to push the button really, really fast, and we're just going to figure it out. And I think that that's what they're keeping on doing. And what happens is you don't really have any. Not to say an organic rise, because they did have an organic rise, but you can't keep the. The. The roster cheap enough as the team grows. So you're constantly having to make moves on the fly, and there's not that much continuity there with the Timberwolves. So, yes, yet another season of Anthony Edwards having to figure out a new roster, right? You might be able to get away with that in an Eastern Conference where it's so wide open, but in the Western Conference, it's. This is just going to be a really hard thing. So when you look at the new ownership group with the Timberwolves right now, and then you compare that to what's going on in Charlotte, what is. What is this move saying about Minnesota? Like, what is this saying about both front offices and both new ownership groups in your eyes?

[C]

Well, I do just want to note that since they got Rudy Gobert, the win totals 42. So a little, you know, modest that first year, but 56, 49. 49. Like, they have put themselves in a position like, yeah, there are different ways to do this. And as you know, like, the organic build would be, you get Anthony Edwards, and then you. You just keep adding guys. And they had a lot of homegrown talent there. A lot. A lot of it is now gone through these deals. And. And chiefly Carl Anthony Towns. And it is fair to say that investing in Rudy Gobert as they did, effectively cost them Towns and effectively cost them their entire front court. Now, you could say, because again, Towns for Randall. Randall now a salary dump, and Nas Reed gone. But, like, it's Rudy Gobert at the time they got him, we always said he's a walking top 10 defense by himself. That's what he does for you. And he's still capable of making you, you know, whether it's elite, just slightly sub elite. He is that anchor, and Anthony Edwards is your offensive anchor. But Anthony Edwards can't do it alone. And finding other shot creators or guys who can create and score at a super high level is not that easy either. Logan and they weren't going to do it through the draft once you start winning 49 games a season. And besides that, the draft picks were all out the window, so where else were you going to go? Where else were you going to get it? And it's like the system is so tight now that every male, every move you make, like, it used to be, like, you maybe could add somebody without giving up a ton of. Once you've hit a certain level in this league now you, you, you can't get without giving, like, and it gets harder and harder. And so then you have deals like this one where effectively the bulk of. Of the outgoing assets are swaps because they didn't even have picks to trade. I think in Minnesota, you've got an ownership group that really wants to put its stamp on things. They're. They're new. There's a swagger there because a rod is a rod, right? Like, how many, how many. Like, how many. How many people even know that, like, Mark Laurie is the other owner? Because Alex Rodriguez just casts such a.

[A]

That's by design, by the way. That's by design.

[C]

Which is fine. But like, most fans can't name most NBA owners, but it's hard to miss that Alex Rodriguez is one of the owners of the Minnesota Timberwolves. There's a swagger there. There's an Anthony Davis swagger that. Or Anthony Davis, Anthony Edwards swagger that was already built into this team. Like, you can't.

[B]

You.

[C]

First of all, you can't afford to sit still. And in the Hornets case, it just, it's just different. The Hornets are on a different timeline. They're just now starting to figure out who they are. That group, I think, has actually done a really smart, methodical job of. They didn't come in guns blazing. They came in and held onto LaMelo Ball for the first couple of years and assessed where he was at, where, you know, what they were getting out of. Brandon Miller again, new front office, new coach, all within the last couple of years. And then they finally hit this summer where they realized, okay, we've had a little bit of a breakthrough here, but it was like a breakthrough that fizzled really quickly. Is this really our core going forward? We know enough about LaMelo Ball now to decide, is this the guy that we want to keep building around or is there a better path? And that maybe have to do with both the cap and LaMelo Ball's makeup. And they clearly decided. And this is what would worry me if I were a Minnesota Timberwolves fan or the Timberwolves themselves. The Hornets saw enough of Lamello ball to decide it was time to move on from him. Yep, and not a great sign. Now, if the rationale is going to be purely about the salary cap, maybe that's. Maybe that's the out. Maybe that's the. The public rationale. But if you think this guy's actually capable of becoming an all NBA type player, perennial all star fringe, all NBA is, is as great as his hype is, then you keep him. You find a way to keep him. You don't find a way to move him. And I, again, I don't think the return is so great that you could say, oh, it was an offer we couldn't refuse. Like, I think it's very fair. Again, through a skeptical lens of LaMelo Ball, I think it's very fair to conclude that the Charlotte Hornets decided it was time to get out of the LaMelo ball business and that was the motivation for this deal for them.

[A]

I agree with you. That point you just made. I was thinking about that all morning since the trade went out at like 6am as soon as I woke up and I'm like, oh, God. But I think the one of the reasons why I was so skeptical about it in general from Minnesota's Timberwolf standpoint is that, man, people forget LaMelo Ball was the franchise in Charlotte was everything that Anthony Edwards was to Minnesota to start. And I'm not talking about game. I'm just talking about how they perceived him and Charlotte. He was that LaMelo was that. And for them to give up on him this easily and timing is everything. For them to give up on him right at the precipice as they're supposed to have success tells you a lot about how Charlotte thinks about him. And that's why I'm just so skeptical on the deal on Minnesota. It's like, yeah, you do have to pivot, but like, you have to have a balance of being patient and getting the right guy when if you're Minnesota and I'm just not convinced this is the right guy, right? Like, there's also a world where you can do nothing and go to the second round again with the team that you currently have. Right. And have a full training Camp with Desumu. Right. Maybe be better off that way. Still have a balance of size and scoring. The Sumo showed he could score in a postseason setting and continue to try to build off of that. I just don't think Lamelo is the guy to help you get over the hump in the, in the Western Conference considering what you had to give up. Right. Like Najee is a really good basketball player. Right. You still have to compete with. I don't think that we saw what happened the conference finals of the, of the Western Conference. Showed us the high level basketball it's going to take to get out of the West. I don't think that this move necessarily puts Minnesota in the conversation to get into that level of basketball. I don't think that they're that good of a team anymore. I really don't. I think this was a level of subtraction. I don't think that they're.

[C]

I wouldn't be that far.

[A]

And I know it's one player. I, I will. I don't. And I, and you know, we have a, we have a running gag here that if I'm wrong, we apologize. And maybe I'll apologize later if I'm wrong. But right now as I sit, I don't think they're a better basketball team with LaMelo ball on it. I'm sorry, I just. I simply don't think so.

[C]

Raja's not even on this call and he's already mad at you. I can feel it. He's going to be madder at you than me for once. I mean, listen to the point. The hornets in the LaMelo Ball era. And he was, he's been hurt a lot. And that's part of it too. But hey, that's also a concern. 44 wins last year. Cool. Great.

[A]

Awesome.

[C]

They finally hit mediocre. Before that. 19 wins. 21, 27, 43. Like, this has not been a stellar team. And you can say some of that is Lamello being hurt. You can say some of that is supporting cast. But a great player is supposed to elevate everybody. I do think on that note, by the way, one thing that concerned me on the. Again, back to the Timberwolves side of this. John Krasinski had a blind quote from a Wolves source on social media this morning saying this is a Wolf source on the edition of Lamella Ball quote. He's going to make everybody better. That was the thing that was missing. That could be read as an indictment of your current superstar, by the way, that Anthony Edwards was not making everybody better. Now, Anthony Edwards is more of a, a just pure scorer, not a playmaker. I think he is, you know, a solid playmaker. But like, if you say, if you're, if you say that that's the thing that was missing, I, I, There's a, there's a way to read that that's not flattering toward Anthony Edwards. I think Lamelo ball does have the ability to make everybody better if he's willing to play that role to its hilt and not get too obsessed with low percentage, high degree of difficulty shots all the time. I'm not sure they're worse off, though. Logan. They have traded the stability and the higher efficiency scoring of, you know, Randall Nas Reed basically for the, the, the, the high highs and potentially low lows of Lamelo Ball. Like, I, It's a, it, it's. And you've traded size for guard play. How that works out, I don't know. I'm not sure they're necessarily any worse off. I don't know if they're any better off either. Maybe they've raised their ceiling, but that's going to depend on what comes next. And this is the other thing. We, we're so, we're, we're 30 minutes into the pod before I did my usual stipulation, but here it comes. It's June 25th. No, it's June 25th. Like, teams are going to have more moves to make when people are judging the Giannis deal is the first thing I always say. Like, let's see what Miami does next. Yeah, they've got a lot of holes to fill in that roster. No, you wouldn't want to roll into the season this way. But good news is they don't have to. Same thing with Minnesota. Now you've offloaded Randall and Reed. Is there a way to backfill in the front court a little bit to make up for what you just lost in getting Lamelo ball.

[A]

The other thing that I would like to ask, and I will ask Roger next time we see him, is who gonna be the adult in this room? Like, right. Like we even talked about what. Okay. Like, they're, they're competing as long as Anthony Edwards is on the roster. They're competing with Denver, San Antonio and Oklahoma City. All of them got adults in the room. I don't see that in Minnesota. And that's what you need to get over the hump down the stretch of seasons. I'm sorry, I really can't. In every metric, I think they've regressed. I'm sorry, I really don't I really do. They regressed in terms of the size on their roster, the adults in their locker room, and the deep, from deep. A defensive standpoint, I think they'd be really good in the Eastern Conference. I, I, I'm, I'm out on the straight. I'm sorry. I mean, we'll see what else happens. But I'm.

[C]

They do have two adult free agents. Can they can if they resigned Mike Conley and Kyle Anderson. Does that, does that satisfy your concern for adults?

[A]

It depends on if Lamelo respects him, which I don't know if he will. I don't know. I don't know that answer. But that was another thing. That was a, that was a hindrance for him actually being a franchise player in Charlotte. He wasn't, he wasn't the adult in the room. And no, you're expecting him. You're paying him, like the adult in the room in Minnesota. And I just, I, We've seen this, we've seen this already happen before. Like, the proof is in the pudding. I get the age and everything like that. But, you know, I, I, I am, I'm low on this trade. I'm sorry, I, I, every time I think about it, I just do not think this is a good trade whatsoever. I'm sorry.

[C]

Yeah, no, my, my last thought on it, and not to be too glib about this, but seriously, like, get. I hope this deal includes a stipulation that Lamelo has to get a driver in Minneapolis. Like, don't.

[A]

Real quick aside. That's the thing. That's the thing, though, man.

[C]

These dudes speaking to the immaturity part of this, like, that's a serious thing.

[A]

Yeah. I don't know why they don't get drivers, but the thing is, like, we're having all these question marks that we didn't have with previous rosters. That's why it takes, like, you can't just see, like, oh, the numbers. Oh, he scores well. He's great. He's all these things you have to go in totality when you bring a guy into your locker room.

[C]

For sure.

[A]

And I don't, I think that from what we've seen with the Timberwolves and Connolly and just an overall, the overall direction of where they're going and the moves that they make, it's all off of emotion. It's all off of, oh, let's do this. Let's do this. Oh, this looks cool. Okay, let's get this done. There's not a plan. There's not a real plan. And so sorry Minnesota Timberwolves fans. You guys have been great to me. I love, I love going back and forth with you in my group chat and beyond. But it's tough man. And I think y' all know this. I think you guys know this. So we'll see what happens. But I'm down on the trade. We got more to discuss and I want to get Howard's opinion on a lot more things that happened since we

[E]

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[A]

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[C]

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[E]

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[A]

Potted. We're gonna do that after a quick break and we are back. There's some other stuff that happened since we left that I want thoughts on from the God, Howard Beck. I'm just gonna throw these things out here. Austin Reeves extension. How'd you feel about it?

[C]

Oh, boy. You knew he was gonna get paid. So for. Let's start here. Lakers kept Austin Reeves. Good news. That's great. That was the right move. They absolutely needed to lock him up. Did they need to pay him the max? Should they have paid him the max? Is he gonna be worth the max? And with he and Luca both making the max, where does that leave the rest of your roster? Because this roster still has a lot of work to be done. That. That's how I react to it. Like literally in order keeping Austin Reeves was the. Was the right move. You know, undrafted. I think he's the like all the reports that it's like the. The most money an undrafted player has ever made in a single contract or the. The. Maybe the. It can't be the first max, but maybe the biggest max. Incredible like and like, great find by them. Great development and kudos to Austin Reeves for making himself into the player that he's become. And Luka clearly wanted him there. That's kind of important too. So great, you've got your one, two punch now, but your one, two punch are both generally negative defenders or at. At best hold their own for. For portions of a game. You damn well better build out a great back line now. And I don't think that that's going to be Jackson Hayes and DeAndre8. So there's so like. There's just so much like. And. And by the way, they need wing help too, wing defense. So there's a lot that they have to do still. So I guess I'll bring back the June 25 stipulation, which is I will reserve judgment on some level until we see what they do with LeBron, what they do with the rest of their cap room. The good news here, just mechanically, for people who I. I know we all glaze over, the second CBA stuff starts. Starts becoming the topic. And I'm not gonna go full Bobby Marks here because I could not possibly go full Bobby Marks if I wanted to. But the. There's. There's a timing element here. So right now, Austin Reeves is just a cap hold. The contract won't actually be on the books until later in July, after the July moratorium is over. So in the meantime, they can operate like a team under the cap and use their cap room to sign guys. And then once they're over the cap, they use the bird rights. Give Austin Reeves's max deal. So they still have room to work with here, but some of that may go to LeBron and then they will have that much less to work with. I, I think I've said it all along. I've been saying this for months. This is a huge, huge summer for the Los Angeles Lakers, for Rob Pelinka and the rapidly growing front office that had been understaffed forever and that the new owners are finally insisting on building out. They need a lot of help around their, their new one, two punch of Luca and Austin Reeves. So I want to see what else they do. But when you lock up that much money in two guys, this is where it becomes a lot more difficult. And you know, you know, Lucas still wants his lob threat slash shot blocker at, at center. Where are you finding that guy?

[A]

You said Jackson Hayes is that guy.

[C]

Sure, they've got work to do. They've got a lot of work to do. The thing is, we're never in the room for these negotiations. Right? Like, it's easy to say, oh, you should have held the line and paid him like X amount less than the max. Give yourself a little bit more wiggle room. You know, who else was going to give him that kind of money? Besides, you've got his bird rights. You can give him the fifth year and the bigger raises. You've got the advantage. You shouldn't worry about the Brooklyn Nets or whoever else was going to come at him hard. It's easy for us to say cause we're not in the room. You don't know where the actual line is, where that would have had his agents walk. Right. We don't exactly know how much Brooklyn would have given him or another team potentially. So I get it. There are market forces at work here. Sometimes you pay a guy more than he's worth. Is he actually like a max player in the way we talk about max players? Could he carry an entire team by himself? Probably not. But there are a lot of guys in this league making the max as

[A]

there's only like five guys in the league that actually fit that Criteria Exactly.

[C]

Maybe 10. And Austin Reeves is not on that list. But. But again, market forces, sometimes you pay a guy what you, what it takes to keep him. And so, you know, not ideal, but I respect it.

[A]

By and large, it seems like they're going to be the same team that we saw last year. This year, I think, I mean, if

[C]

they just run it back with Ayton and Smart and everybody else, then I

[A]

think they're gonna, I think they're probably gonna run it back this year, it just would seem like that's where the winds seem to be going, right? Like, I feel like LeBron is going to be back. Feel like they're going to do the farewell tour and they're going to figure out. The thing with thing that I find most interesting in this is Luka Doncic, right? Because on one hand, yes, you do have to play. You have to put the best team around him because of the talent that he has. There's also Luka Doncic who is saying like, yo, man, you see my history and you've seen the teams that I've taken the highest heights, really high heights, the types of teams, the 22 team that I took to the Western conference finals, the 24 team that I took to the NBA Finals. I say all that to say he seems like a guy that says, hey man, just get the guys that I like and I'll bring us to the promised land. Right? Like that's that. That seems to be, you know, his attitude towards things and it seems to be his attitude towards Austin Reeves, right? He is the new dog in town. It's very simple here. Luka Donc just wanted Austin Reeves to be his running mate. So Austin Reeves is going to be his running mate, right. And I don't see another. And also who's the other guy that you're going to out go out there and trade for that is going that you pair with Luca at this particular point, right? Because that's what we're thinking about here, right? And it's a really hard balance when you got LeBron in the weeds, who is a league face, all time history book face that you got to do right by. Right? That's why this trade was just so nuanced and so all over the place because there was just so many tentacles from it that you have to navigate and there's a new ownership group. But I think about Luga Dodges as just saying like, this is my guy and this is who I want to play with and we'll figure it out from there. And you know, that's why NBA players aren't GMs. But you also have to take that into account, right? That's a balance you have to take into account.

[C]

All right, But Logan, the alternative was you lowball him or come up short, he walks, he signs a four year max with the the Nets or whatever. And where are you now? Like, where's that money going? Who are you signing or acquiring instead of Austin Reeves? Who are you getting for to be Lucas running mate? If not him.

[A]

That's what I'm saying.

[C]

That's what they were facing.

[A]

Who are the guys? Yeah, who are the guys? I don't know who the guys are out there to like to sign. And this isn't a great free agent's class, but that's why you do it. Trade for, right? Yeah.

[C]

That's why you lock.

[A]

No, we're on the same page.

[C]

Okay. I thought you were questioning it. I thought you were saying, like.

[A]

No, no, no, no, no, no. I'm saying we're absolutely on the same page here. Okay. Other things that have happened since we last potted. Where the hell is Jalen Brown gonna play next year?

[C]

I have not been playing with the trade machine, so I have not found him a new home. I. I don't have a configuration here, but, like, listen, I don't want to overread into Brad Stevens's comments on draft night because Brad Stevens is so great at saying a lot without saying anything.

[A]

Can I. Can I read the quote real quick? Can I read the quote real quick?

[C]

Yeah, by all means.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

All right, Jay, by the way, one of them.

[A]

Yeah, one of them. This is. Jalen Brown is a big part of us. He's a big part of us. I'm never going to predict the future. Every indication, everything I think about over the last few years has been building around those guys. You never know. But at the same time, the one thing I make very clear is how valued he's always been. He's been amazing. He's been an amazing teammate and a great person to be around. Let me juxtapose that with a conversation that I had with Brad Stevens in 2023, or a piece that I was doing on Jaylen Brown. This is what Brad said to me in regards to the three way call that Jason Tatum himself and Jaylen Brown had in the wake of the trade rumors of 22. Right. And he says you just have to have a direct conversation, and you just have to be able to say this is what's real, this is what's not real. Obviously, you and Jason are the two guys that we built the whole roster around. And every expectation is for us to come and compete together and try to win two games better than we were last year. Last year being the finals for them in 22. And I'm sensing a pattern here where Brad Stevens says one thing and the Celtics are doing another thing behind the scenes. It's really frustrating to see this not only as an observer, but if I were in the shoes of Jaylen Brown, where you're supposed to be a franchise guy and you feel lied to all the time. I don't know if you can come back from that. But Brad Stevens I don't think is helping himself out at all. I don't know what he could have said better, but maybe just stop dangling your, one of your franchise guys, the only for sure guy on your roster at this particular point in terms of health and stats, even though he could have been better in the postseason. But I just feel like this ain't a way to treat your stars.

[C]

I mean, who hired Brad Stevens back in the day?

[A]

Danny Ains, baby. Danny.

[C]

One of the, one of the all, one of the all time cold blooded executives in this league. Right.

[A]

You know, I think people, I think the nice people call it shrewd.

[C]

I don't think he would actually object to the cold blooded part of this. Like he, he, he makes, he make the hard decisions. Right? Whether that was trading Pearson Garnett, whether that was trading Isaiah Thomas or, or not, excuse me, not, not, not paying Isaiah Thomas or both, I guess. But yeah, trading him after everything that, that Isaiah Thomas had meant there, like Brad Stevens, like, you know, I don't know how much he would consider Ange his mentor. He was, he was a coach under him, not a front office guy under him. But like, that seems to be the way of things with the Celtics. And Jalen Brown has said enough. We don't need to relitigate all that stuff, but he has said enough and hinted at enough that I'm sure it's made the Celtics at least a little bit uneasy. And after you've already put him in, you can't deny, he can't stand up there and say like, oh no, we didn't have any discussions about Giannis and you can't talk about that anyway publicly. But he can't deny that Jaylen Brown would have gone out in a Giannis deal. So you're at a point now where everybody kind of knows what the score is. Jaylen Brown knows what the Celtics have tried to do and are maybe still trying to do, not with Giannis, but with, with other teams and other targets. The Celtics surely know where Jaylen Brown's head is in terms of what he may want. It's, it's, it's just common sense at this point that this is going one direction and then it would be incredibly awkward if they got to media day training camp in the fall with Jaylen Brown still on the roster. Doesn't mean a deal is going to get done. But Look, I, I, I look down the list. Like there's the obvious stuff, right? The Hawks, Atlanta is home. He's from the Atlanta area. And that's a young team on the rise that has a lot of stuff, you know, could you cobble together the right pieces to get him? But could you do it without sending out their Jalen? You, you probably want both Jalen's. Are the Celtics going to do it without that? But he's also making a lot of money. Jaylen Brown and so like this may be another one of those deals where the, the end result, the, the, the, the return package may not be as spectacular as everybody would expect. I do think it would be pretty pick heavy. But yeah, in the east alone, the Hawks, the Raptors, I don't think the Heat could get him. I'm, I'm sure they would love him. They don't, they don't have the room out West. Like the Nuggets could really use a jolt. Yeah, the, the Lakers would love to have Jalen Brown. They're not going to be able to fit him now. And I don't see a Lakers Celtics trade happening anyway. The Rockets would be great. You know, there are teams that are in various states of, of kind of rebuild or trying to move forward. Like the Dallas Mavericks are another team that should be at least investigating. I don't know who's got the goods again, I haven't played with the trade machine, but there's, there's like no shortage of places you could see potentially wanting

[A]

Jaylen Brown as their Kings on line one. The Kings on line one.

[C]

I mean, I think the Kings are too far in the hole to decide that this is the, but like, but the Grizzlies aren't right. Like the Grizzlies just picked up Isaiah Stewart. They've got some really good young players that they've, they've drafted over the last

[A]

couple of days, but they're, they're tearing down. They're not going to, they're not, I

[C]

don't think they're not going to tear down in Memphis. They just.

[A]

Yeah, but they're not going to, but they're not going to get like Boston isn't going to take back John Morant. That's, that's going to happen.

[C]

No, that, yes, that is a problem. I don't think Jaw is the key to a Jalen Brown deal or key to any major deal. Ja is going to have to be probably a net negative giveaway in whatever trade that they finally make. If they are able to make A trade at all, by the way. Not for nothing. Last season, early last season it was. Look at these three teams that are all stuck with, with these flawed or problematic point guards. John morant, Trey Young, LaMelo Ball. Two of the three have now been dealt.

[A]

And, well, that's how it always goes, right? How many times do we say Russell Westbrook wasn't going to get dealt and he got dealt with. Hell of times.

[C]

No, but I'm just saying, like the, I think there was, there were some, in some parts of, of, you know, the NBA, or at least NBA fandom, there was push back about, you know, just about the, the whole theme surrounding those three guys. And so there was, you know, the jokes about just trade them all for each other. What we've seen so far is Trey Young got traded for next to nothing. Lamelo Ball got traded for, you know, some stuff. It's, it's, it's decent, it's respectable, but it's not some package that would blow you away. But it didn't. It tells you everything you need to know about how the league actually viewed these guys. And John Morant is still stuck in Memphis because it tells you everything you need to know about how the league views John Morant. And he's going to end up going last of the three and probably for the least of the three, which, you know, Trey Young set a pretty low bar for that one already. But yeah, no, listen, I, I do think that the Grizzlies, the way that they're moving right now does not suggest to me some like, long term rebuild. But we'll see.

[D]

You know,

[A]

Anthony Davis, where, what does he do right now? Where is he going? Is he going to be on the, on the roster next year? It doesn't seem so. And some team is going to be out there desperate to be like, oh yeah, we get 2020 Anthony Davis. I'm like, I got news for. It's not 2020 Anthony Davis. Somebody's going to talk themselves into thinking that and trading for him.

[C]

I can't remember who floated it. Somebody. This is the haze of all the social media stuff and too much radio and podcasts and everything else. Somebody threw out the idea of Anthony Davis for Jalen Brown, at least as the basis for a deal. That would be, I mean, that the Celtics want a big. And the Wizards are certainly in the midst of something. But yeah, I don't know. I, I never thought at the moment that they traded for Anthony Davis and Trey Young, that this was truly the path forward for the Wizards. But they just Locked up Trey Young on that insane extension. And so I guess he is their future. Anthony Davis remains to be seen.

[A]

Yeah, just a lot of hubris going on right now. Like, last thing I think I would ask is something that I've been thinking about is, has this and me and Clifford talking about this earlier, has this new era and new apron era, if you will, so far been helpful, right, with all of the movement, right? Because on one hand, yeah, it's entertaining, but we just had like a really historic finals a couple weeks ago and I feel like this is just undercutting all of that momentum as a league and it's just turning back into the soap opera. And maybe that's the what the NBA wants, right? Like they want to be a year round league. But where are we right now in terms of like this flurry of action so far? And like, you know, on a personal level, like if I'm a fan of a team and there's such constant movement of players, star players, it's like, do I ever get to know this team? Do I ever get to grow with this team in the highs and lows and maybe that might be undercut by this new era. But like, what did this last week tell us about where the NBA is going? That's always a question that I ask you. So I'm going to ask you again.

[C]

I mean, look, the NBA has always been about as much the, the off court, like drama and spectacle as it is about the on court. Like there's nothing new under the sun there. And like, you know, 16 years ago this week we were all sitting around, you know, watching LeBron entertain all these delegations from various parts of the country, going to Cleveland to go meet with him and his team. Where's LeBron gonna go? There's always been versions of, of all of this and we don't have superstar free agency anymore. It's pretty much dead. So we have superstar trades instead. So we get Giannis and we get, I'm not going to call Lamello ball a superstar, but we get the Lamelo ball trade, we will, we'll have, you know, potentially a Jalen Brown trade. Like this is, this is the NBA off season. This is what we love. I don't think it overshadows or undercuts the Knicks championship at all. I don't think, you know, as I sit here in New York, anybody in New York gives a damn about any of that stuff. They're still all just reveling in, in the, the glory of the Knicks right now. So they don't care.

[A]

Going to be December and they might be like 10 and 10 and everybody's going to be like, I don't give a. We just want a chip like there. It's. Yeah, I don't think New York is even going to care about winning or losing for the next like two or three years.

[C]

They're. They're good for a while. I think they're good for a while. But the NBA, like, it's always been like this because of the way that this, the schedule is structured, right? We go straight from the finals to the draft and straight from the draft to free agency. And then there are just deals coming off left and right and everybody's leaking everything and there's tampering going on left and right. And so deals are being done even before they're supposed to get done and all this stuff like, ah, it's the fun of the NBA off season. And I think if anything this should be reassuring. I think people worried that because of the second apron restrictions and teams ducking that apron or the first apron ducking the tax, you know, we're. This is the, the closest to a hard cap the NBA's ever had. People were worried like, is any. Is there going to be any transactions at all anymore? That's part of the fun of the NBA. And it has eliminated superstar free agency for the most part, but it has pushed everything toward trades instead. So we still get our pyrotechnics, we still get our transaction wire, we still get, you know, social media lighting up with all, all the rumors. So that part of it for the league is all good. And then as for the rest of it, a lot of what we're seeing is at least partially or wholly the product of the new system. But it's created this parody where everybody thinks they've got a shot. The Minnesota Timberwolves think they've actually got a shot to go to the finals with the mellow ball. How about that?

[A]

What do we not. Why not? We'll see. I think no matter what the. I personally think getting back to Timberwolves before we get out of here, I think that no matter the case and no matter the structure, no matter the apron, no matter the era, you still got to be patient and make methodical moves. And that applied in the 1970s when, you know, teams were trading Moses Malone for guys you've never heard of just to make short term gains, right? But the smartest front offices and the most patient front offices are the ones that always went out. And I think that's going to be a lesson for the Timberwolves going forward. That is my two cents. Anything else? Final thoughts on the trade or we already exhausted?

[C]

No, I just want to clarify that I did not cover the Moses Malone trademark.

[A]

I mean, yeah, but she was like 20 when that happened. That has been another edition of Real Ones. We will see you guys on Tuesday. Now, we're going to be recording. It's gonna be a late record. You probably get it in your feeds sometime Tuesday night because we're gonna be recording a couple hours after free agency starts and just talking about deals. I don't know what we're going to be talking about because anything can happen in this great league that we cover. All right. Oh, also, at some point, realm [e-mail] realm was mailbag gmail.com real ones mailbag at what?

[C]

Howardbeck gmail.com we've been neglecting them.

[A]

We have been neglecting. We will get back to you, I promise. I promise. You know, we love our Real Ones. All the See you Tuesday. Bye. Must be 21 years and older in present in select states for Kansas and affiliation with Kansas Star Casino or 18 and older and present in D.C. kentucky or Wyoming. Gambling problem. Call 1-800- GAMBLER or 1-800-MY-RESET. Call 1-888-78-9-7777 or visit ccpg.org backslash chat in Connecticut or visit mdgamblinghelp.org in Maryland. Hope is here. Visit gamblinghelpma.org or call 1-800-327-5050 for 24. 7 support support in Massachusetts or call 1-877-HOPE NY or text Hopeny in New York. For Louisiana, call 1-877-770-7867.