The Zach Lowe Show: NBA Weekend Roundup, Rookie Deal Extensions With Fred Katz, and Talking Life With Gary Gulman

Episode Date: September 29, 2025
Host: Zach Lowe
Guests: Fred Katz (The Athletic/Cats and Shoot podcast), Gary Gulman (standup comedian and author)

Episode Overview

This episode covers a rapid-fire review of rookie contract extensions for the 2022 NBA draft class (with Fred Katz), a fast-paced NBA weekend news roundup, and a deep-dive life conversation with comedian Gary Gulman about mental health, nostalgia, comedy, and basketball’s meaning in his life.

News Roundup: NBA Weekend Recap

[02:00 – 09:00]

• Golden State Warriors Free Agency

  • Warriors are signing Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton, Gary Payton II, and some 2nd rounders; deals in limbo pending Jonathan Kuminga's outcome.
  • Zach expects Horford to start at center and likes the fit:
    "I think the Warriors are going to start Al Horford and look at what a real shooting center with some defensive chops even at his advanced age looks like..." [02:45]
  • Still, Lowe is skeptical about championship upside:
    "I just don’t see still like a finals championship level ceiling for this team as great as they were with Butler and Green. Not sure how sustainable that’s going to be, but the door is a little bit ajar." [03:55]
  • Brief debate: Is Al Horford a Hall of Famer? Zach votes yes, citing “everyone sort of understands how good he is.” [04:30]

• Injury Updates:

  • Memphis Grizzlies: Their whole center rotation is hurt except for Jock Landale. Brandon Clarke suffers a setback; Jaren Jackson Jr. out 4-6 weeks, Zach Eddy out 6-9 weeks.
  • Lowe’s concern: the West’s margin for error is tight, and “accidental” tanking could happen if injuries persist. [06:10]

• Philadelphia 76ers Media Day:

  • Zach makes a bet that Embiid won’t play 60 games:
    "I will pay you $200 in cash if Joel Embiid plays 60 games this year. It’s a one-sided bet. Absolutely. He’s not playing 60 games." [07:10]
  • Quentin Grimes’ standoff: Lowe encourages taking the qualifying offer if the reported 4/$40M is the best on the table.
  • The Sixers’ youth pipeline is thin; Grimes is a keeper but not future star material. [08:30]

• Portland and Scoot Henderson:

  • Scoot out 4–8 weeks.
  • Lowe: "I want to see just 50 straight games of Scoot playing 30 minutes. That’s what I want to see. So that stinks." [08:53]

2022 Rookie Extension Rapid Fire with Fred Katz

[09:03 – 55:03]

General Insight

• Agents are well aware of potential cap-room for teams in 2026, but Zach and Fred argue the number is overstated:
  "It’s nice to say 8, 12, 10 teams will have cap room. It’s not actually true. Four, maybe. Three of them could be the absolute dregs..." [22:23]
• Both sense agents and teams will meet “reasonable” numbers in most cases, though some negotiations are far apart.

Rapid-Fire Extension Breakdown (Clock in Draft Order)

Keegan Murray – Sacramento Kings

• Both predict YES on extension, likely in the $20-25M/year range.
• "Keegan Murray is their young guy...even when it looks bad, Bartlestein clients tend to sneak it in there and get a deal done." (Zach, [10:00])

Jaden Ivey & Jalen Duren – Detroit Pistons

• Fred: NO on both, citing fit uncertainty and Detroit’s flexibility for midseason moves.
• Zach: NO on Ivey, YES on Duren (but admits “no on both is probably the most likely right now”).
• "If you end a playoff game with Duren and Thompson, and if Ivey's shot goes back...you've got three guys who you either have no problem helping off of...that's going to really stunt Cade's pick and roll game." (Fred, [17:00])

Benedict Mathurin – Indiana Pacers

• Both: NO
• "I don't think the Pacers are going to necessarily want to pay him right now." (Zach, [20:56])

Shadeon Sharpe – Portland Trailblazers

• Both: NO
• Chauncey Billups hasn’t seen enough improvements; “discovery mode” for team direction.
• "Even if all minds are pretty reasonable…I could see the Pistons going in and be like, we’ll do a deal if it’s around the mid-level...Shaden Sharpe’s people feeling insulted and the whole thing going south." (Zach, [25:36])
• Eat Pray Love/Julia Roberts–related comic riff [26:24–27:46]

Dyson Daniels – Atlanta Hawks

• Both: YES
• Hawks value him highly, see him as the prize from the Dejounte Murray trade. Role might expand if Trae Young leaves.
• "I think the Hawks value Dyson Daniels...I just get the sense they love him, he likes it there. Reasonable minds. I'm going yes..." (Zach, [29:26])
• Fred notes his late-season leap:
  "After Jan 31 last year, Dyson Daniels was in the 49th percentile P&R handler...it continues this trajectory of, Dyson Daniels keeps getting better." ([31:15])

Jeremy Sochan – San Antonio Spurs

• Both: NO
• Spurs have too many questions about his fit, especially next to Wembanyama.
• "Even if Sochan’s people went to the Spurs and said, we know it’s been a little up and down…we’ll just do a deal for the mid-level exception now…Spurs people could be like, even that, we have so many questions about your fit." (Zach, [34:14])

Mark Williams – Phoenix Suns (traded from CHA)

• Both: NO
• Cited his lack of games and the Suns’ need to “see him in our building.” Also, financial caution with Beal dead money.
• "Unless you’re putting some very strict injury provisions in there…it’s hard to justify giving him long-term money when he just…had a trade reversed because of his medicals." (Fred, [37:34])

Tari Eason – Houston Rockets

• Both: NO
• Initially, Zach on the fence; flips to “no” after discussing Eason’s likely role as a trade chip.
• "That team is awesome…and while I feel the same way about Tari Eason as you do…if you feel you’re a point guard away, maybe he’s the guy in that deal." (Fred, [44:00])

Christian Braun & Peyton Watson – Denver Nuggets

• Braun: Both YES (~$25M/yr cited as bandied about).
• Watson: Both NO (“try to be conservative” with tax, “no way to replace Braun”).
• "There’s just no way to replace him (Braun)...he's a really, really important guy for you, and I think you kind of just have to pay him." (Fred, [48:49])
• Nuggets’ tax/repeater tax as a theme:
  "If you resign Watson, you're gonna be in the tax next year, but in a couple of years you're at risk of paying the repeater." (Fred, [49:15])

Nikola Jovic – Miami Heat

• Both: YES (mid-level type deal; Heat want to “protect against” a breakout season)
• "He’s going to start; you have to protect against the possibility of him getting really good." (Zach, [53:15])

Summary Table

| Player | Extension Expected? (Zach/Fred) | |-------------------|-----------------| | Keegan Murray | YES / YES | | Jaden Ivey | NO / NO | | Jalen Duren | YES / NO | | Benedict Mathurin | NO / NO | | Shadeon Sharpe | NO / NO | | Dyson Daniels | YES / YES | | Jeremy Sochan | NO / NO | | Mark Williams | NO / NO | | Tari Eason | NO / NO | | Christian Braun | YES / YES | | Peyton Watson | NO / NO | | Nikola Jovic | YES / YES |

Talking Life & Basketball with Gary Gulman

[56:22 – End]

Celtics' Upcoming Season & Being a Fan

• Gulman reflects on responding to Tatum’s injury and adopts a hopeful but non-greedy fan attitude:
  "They’ve already, by winning a championship, done everything you can really expect of a young team…and I think that’s the healthiest approach." [58:00]
• Nostalgia: 2017-18 Celtics’ overachieving run was a source of joy during his personal struggles with severe depression.
  "[Watching that team] was really important to my recovery, to have a place to go where nobody expected me to do much talking but was there for me..." [61:40]

The Role of Basketball in Recovery

• Explains therapeutic value:
  "Basketball is such a community event…it gets you out of your head." [62:35]
• Still plays regularly—"five, six times a week"—for the meditation/social aspect.

Gulman’s Book & Comedy Work ('Misfit' and ‘Grandiloquent’)

• His memoir Misfit is not just on-stage bits in book form, but a real literary memoir:
  *"I said, if I ever write a book, I'm not just typing up my act…" (Gulman, [73:12])
• The book tracks his childhood, anxiety, sports, and attempts to fit in.
• Recalls coaches and teachers wielding damaging authority—
  "I regret letting somebody have an effect on my love of basketball. But…yeah, it wrecked my affection for it." [80:51]
• Zach and Gary bond over adolescent insecurities (large noses, anxiety, hurtful teacher comments).
  • Memorable moment: Zach’s “Santa, I want a truck” story becomes “Santa, I want to f***!” [85:04]

The Evolution of Basketball (81 Eastern Finals > Modern Era)

• Gulman, after rewatching famous 1981 Celtics-Sixers series: "I'm nostalgic about it, but I could not watch that style of basketball with the same excitement that I watch now. It's just evolved like everything else—like comedy." [97:40]
• Lowe: “Old man yells at clouds” about defense in the NBA is outdated—modern D is incredibly demanding.
• Both discuss pressure and mental fatigue around free throws, comedy performance, and how nobody’s really watching you as much as you think (advice Zach gives to his daughter about anxiety: “Actually, you’re just irrelevant and nobody’s thinking about you other than you.”) [103:01]

Basketball Books, Writing, and Recommendations

• Gulman’s favorite: The Last Shot by Darcy Frey
• Recommends Miracle at St. Anthony (Adrian Wojnarowski); praises its sociological depth and coaching insight:
  "This was immersion journalism. This reminded me of Adrian LeBlanc’s Random Family, although not as heavy..." [106:00]
• Lost in the Game by Thomas Beller also recommended (captures the “pickup” experience for adult men with nostalgia and insight).
• Both reminisce about baseball, Ricky Henderson, and the joy of passing on sports fandom to family.

Notable Quotes

• Zach Lowe on Embiid’s durability:
  "I will pay you $200 in cash if Joel Embiid plays 60 games this year. Absolutely. He’s not playing 60 games." [07:10]
• Fred Katz on contracts/cap space:
  "It could be closer to like four [teams] and three of them could be the absolute dregs of the NBA." [22:23]
• Gary Gulman on nostalgia and progress:
  "I'm nostalgic about it, but I could not watch that style of basketball with the same excitement that I watch now. It's just evolved like everything else—like comedy." [97:40]
• Gary on coach trauma:
  "I regret letting somebody have an effect on my love of basketball. But…yeah, it wrecked my affection for it." [80:51]

Funny/Memorable Moments

• Eat, Pray, Love as a metaphor for the Blazers (“their Eat, Pray, Love phase”) [26:24]
• Zach’s story of mispronouncing “truck” as a child (“Santa, I want a f---!”) [85:04]
• Deep dive on the power of “yeah, no” as a modern language tic in Gulman’s comedy [90:10]
• Extended riff on sick days, Cinnamon Life cereal, and The Price Is Right [66:49]

Key Timestamps

• [02:00] Warriors/Horford & trade news
• [06:10] Grizzlies injury update
• [07:10] Sixers/Embiid bet
• [09:03] Rookie extension rapid fire with Fred Katz
• [29:42] Dyson Daniels extension deep dive
• [44:00] Tari Eason trade/extension discussion
• [48:49] Nuggets/Christian Braun contract logic
• [56:22] Gary Gulman joins
• [66:49] Nostalgia: sick days & Price Is Right
• [73:05] Writing/comedy process
• [97:40] Evolution of the NBA/playoff defense
• [103:29] Basketball books recommendations

Further Information

• Fred Katz’s work: Patreon/Cats and Shoot podcast and The Athletic
• Gary Gulman’s book: Misfit (available now)
• Grandiloquent Tour: garygulman.com for tickets

Final Thoughts

This episode provides a comprehensive, clear-eyed scan of rookie extension drama, contextualizing negotiation leverage and team-building trends, while also delivering a heartfelt and extremely funny meditation on sports, childhood, and living with anxiety through the prism of Gary Gulman’s life.

Listen for: CBA insight, real-life sports/culture crossover, and a rich, honest conversation that bridges basketball, comedy, and growing up different.