- 4 months ago
Is Trajan Langdon up to something big for the Detroit Pistons?
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00:00Okay, so in some of the reading about this, it sounds like the Lakers could send Durin to Detroit, or
00:07sorry, Durin could, Simon Trey, the Lakers could send draft picks to Detroit for Durin, and multiple first-round draft
00:15picks.
00:16And there might be some other cap considerations that need to get moved around, but what would Detroit want with
00:22future draft picks?
00:24This is where it gets really interesting, because they could try to take those draft picks and go trade for
00:30Trey Murphy.
00:32They could try and take those draft picks and go trade for Laurie Markkinen.
00:37They could try and take those draft picks and go try and trade for Jalen Brown.
00:41They could take those draft picks and go try and trade for Michael Porter Jr.
00:46They could take those draft picks and spin them into the player that everybody wants them to trade for, and
00:54that is typically a shooter, a scorer.
00:59And, you know, it was really interesting today, listening to the reporting on GetUp.
01:03Tim McMahon said the Celtics aren't getting the four first-round offer.
01:07They want four first-rounders.
01:08They want to start there.
01:09And they said what's really weird about the Celtics shopping Jalen Brown is everybody knows that Jalen Brown's on the
01:16market, and they're not getting any calls.
01:19They're calling teams to gauge their interest, and if you're making the phone call, you're probably not getting what you
01:27want.
01:28If a team's calling you, that's a little different.
01:32Celtics have called around, and according to Tim McMahon on ESPN,
01:36basically the analytics front office people don't like Jalen Brown's game,
01:42so they might have to lower their asking price if they're hell-bent on moving on from Jalen Brown.
01:47Now, they might also now reconsider, well, maybe we need to make good with Jalen Brown and men fences there.
01:54But I don't know if it's clearly been reported what Trey Murphy costs.
01:59There have been rumors out there that they were looking for three first-round picks.
02:03Well, if you go out and grab a couple of first-round picks from the Lakers and assign a trade
02:07with Jalen Duren
02:08and package with one of yours, send the three first-round picks to New Orleans and get Trey Murphy,
02:13who they could fit under the cap.
02:15And I think they could still do more if they got Trey Murphy because he doesn't have an exorbitant contract.
02:22So I don't know what Trajan's up to here, but he's up to something.
02:27We will see if they renounce the rights if they waive Duncan Robinson.
02:31We will see if they don't break back Tobias Harris.
02:35Those things are being reported.
02:38But I'm not so sure I necessarily 100% believe them until I see them because I just feel like...
02:46Or you know the other thing Trajan could be doing?
02:48He could be war-chesting for a massive trade deadline deal.
02:53Take a team into the regular season, see how it's going, and then try and make a move at the
03:00trade deadline?
03:00You can.
03:01I mean, there's all types of things you can do.
03:04And when you're talking about getting picks in return and you end up being multiple picks,
03:10then he could always move up in a draft situation because you've got those.
03:15But it's interesting you bring up Duncan Robinson when they renounce his rights.
03:19Or is Duncan Robinson part of another trade?
03:21You know, when they re-signed Kevin Herter yesterday to a three-year, $27 million deal.
03:26It's very reasonable.
03:28Now, we didn't see much out of Kevin Herter.
03:31And in fairness to him, he was hurt.
03:33And was hurt in the playoffs and hardly played.
03:36But down the stretch when he wasn't hurt, he actually looked like a nice piece off the bench.
03:41And that's all he is.
03:41He's not a starting guy anymore, but he's a piece off the bench.
03:45And he's a guy that they really trusted because of his basketball IQ.
03:50In a way, he was like a non-vagabond version of Schroeder.
03:57You know, it was a guy you trusted in certain situations because he's a veteran, knows how to do things
04:03you're supposed to do,
04:04makes the right pass, can play some defense, and can shoot when you need him to do.
04:09And Herter does a lot of that in the shooting.
04:12And it's supposed to be much higher end than what we saw last year, not only as a piston, but
04:16just as a player in general in Chicago.
04:18He didn't have a good year last year.
04:19But his track record suggests that when healthy, he's a really good shooter.
04:23So signing him to that deal may be a big nothing burger to a lot of people, but it's only
04:29$9 million a season on average.
04:32And it's a guy that you can count on to shoot off the bench, you hope, because he's going to
04:36be healthy.
04:37So does he effectively, because Isaiah Joe also signed, does that push Duncan Robinson out?
04:44Is it, like you said, that just renounces rights?
04:46Or do they try to make a trade?
04:47Because I think Duncan Robinson still has value in the league.
04:50So can they make something happen there?
04:53There's a lot of moves the Pistons can make.
04:55Like, you mentioned all these players, you know, that we're talking about in trade, whether it's Jalen Brown or Michael
05:01Porter Jr., Trey Murphy.
05:03You know, some of the other names are going away.
05:06Kawhi Leonard and LeBron James.
05:08He's apparently going to Toronto.
05:09LeBron, if he does opt for free agency, everybody thinks he's going to Golden State now.
05:15Yeah.
05:15So there's players that were hot and bothered by last week when we were up at Shanty Creek.
05:20Now it is Tuesday and not so much.
05:23But that doesn't mean there aren't players that are available or could be available to help the Detroit Pistons become
05:29a better team next year.
05:30Well, let me just state this.
05:31There's no way that Trajan doesn't have a plan.
05:34There's no way.
05:36And so I'm trying to figure out what he's up to.
05:40And people out there, we're spitballing ideas.
05:43What do you think he is up to?
05:45What do you think he's up to?
05:47If he gave a team-friendly offer to Duren, if the reports are true that Duncan Robinson and Tobias Harris
05:53aren't coming back, which we'll see if they're true, that would mean three people from your starting lineup are gone?
06:01And how many starters have they added?
06:06None so far, right?
06:09Have they added one starter?
06:12I mean, Isaiah Joe could be a starter ahead of Duncan Robinson.
06:15He could.
06:17But to me, it's clearly Langdon's, what he's doing is creating flexibility to do something.
06:22You know what I mean?
06:23Isaiah Stewart, as much as you guys love, and I love the Isaiah Joe trade because it was like, oh
06:27my God, only two second rounders.
06:29The Grizzlies was like, oh my God, all we gave it was future second rounders for Isaiah Stewart.
06:33And this happens both ways when teams are just trying to alleviate contracts and move players to get flexibility, right?
06:37Truth to that.
06:38So the Pistons moved Isaiah Stewart to get flexibility.
06:41They got a good player.
06:43The Thunder moved Isaiah Joe because they didn't want his contract anymore, and the Pistons get a great player because
06:47of it.
06:48This is all sitting for something I agree with you, Doug.
06:50I think Trajan Langdon has targets this offseason, clearly, and he's going out and trying to get those targets.
06:55One might have been Austin Reeves.
06:57Now it's on to the next because Austin Reeves goes back to the Lakers, right?
07:00So I think he doesn't want to sign Duren to a big deal for a couple reasons.
07:03One, he probably doesn't think he's worth that much.
07:05Two, it keeps him under a number that he wants to be comfortable at so he can go get somebody
07:09who he thinks is worth it.
07:11Now, is that Trey Murphy?
07:12Is that Norman Powell?
07:13Is that Tyler Hero?
07:14I'm not sure.
07:15Do they want to be in the Kawhi sweepstakes, even if Kawhi doesn't want to come here?
07:18But I think Trajan's leaving himself a lot of options here because he knows he's got to get this team
07:23better with somebody alongside Cade.
07:25I would say that there is, I think that's true, but I would have to think there's a plan.
07:31Like a plan, what is plan 1A, not plan 1B?
07:35What is plan 1A here?
07:37Plan 1A might be bring back Duren and add somebody else.
07:39I think that's plan 1A is they're going to match an offer for whatever Jalen Duren gets.
07:45Is Sacramento signs him in an offer sheet?
07:47Pissing me, okay.
07:47If the Lakers do it, pissing me, okay.
07:49We got this.
07:50Jalen Duren's coming back.
07:51And those teams are going to have to pivot.
07:53And we'll get into some of the ramifications of that in a minute.
07:56Let's get the callers.
07:58Another friend's reference.
08:00Al in Birmingham.
08:01Hi, Al.
08:03Good morning.
08:03How are you?
08:04What's up?
08:06I have no clarification for anything except the question, which is you got rid of Stewart already.
08:12So there goes one of your bigs.
08:14Now you're talking about Duren.
08:16Who the hell is going to play number five?
08:19Well, they've got Paul Reed, who obviously played very well for the Pistons down the stretch.
08:23And in the playoffs, Paul Reed was very good.
08:25But I don't know if you envision Paul Reed to be your number one center.
08:29But he's definitely going to get elevated minutes.
08:31And that was just widely known because of the Stewart trait.
08:34So does he even get more?
08:36Does he become a starter?
08:37Or do they go out and look at, is it Walker Kessler?
08:41I'm sure Kessler feels like a guy they would have.
08:43He's a center out of Utah.
08:47Played at August.
08:47Seven foot two.
08:48Big guy.
08:49Averaged 14 points and 11 rebounds last season.
08:53And he's only 24 years old.
08:55So is that where the focus pivots?
08:58Because I think that's where it's going to pivot for the Lakers in Sacramento.
09:01If they're not going to get their guy in Duren, then they'll look to Kessler.
09:05Al, it's a very valid question.
09:07If they move on from Duren and Tobias and Duncan, that's three starters off last year's team.
09:16Gone.
09:16And Stewart, your number one guy off the bench.
09:18And really, no other starters brought in.
09:20Isaiah Joe could.
09:22I mean, there are other guys you could.
09:24I guess you could make Ron Holland a starter.
09:25But that's starting to feel like a depleted team, not a better team.
09:29And they would have a lot of moves yet to be made, it feels like.
09:34And big ones.
09:35Yeah, I agree.
09:36And to me, you still need somebody who can handle the ball and the score from the paint.
09:41And there's not that many of them out there in the market.
09:44No.
09:45And they retain.
09:46I mean, look, this is by no means is it meant to say, oh, here's your solution.
09:51But they did retain the rights for Toluse Smith and Danis Jenkins.
09:54They're both brought on.
09:57They've got their offers.
09:58So those guys are coming back.
10:00Take that for what it's worth, which may not be much.
10:03But Toluse Smith is a big guy, you know, in the build of an Isaiah Stewart type of taller.
10:11248-539-9797.
10:14Dave on a cell is next.
10:15Hi, Dave.
10:17Hey, thanks for taking my call.
10:19Just two quick questions about Duren.
10:21Number one, does he not realize, like, how taxes work?
10:24If he signs out in California, doesn't he lose a bunch of money?
10:28I feel like that's the whole reason that he keeps shopping himself.
10:32And then number two, how come he doesn't believe enough in himself to sign, like, a one-year deal to
10:38where he becomes unrestricted?
10:40And then his, you know, number could go drastically up.
10:44Because he might be pissed.
10:47He might be pissed.
10:48Well, yeah.
10:49I mean, pissed, yeah.
10:50Yeah, but, like, money talks.
10:53I know.
10:55If the Pistons offer is, say, $30 million, and he could get $44 million, that's money talking.
11:03Now, the Pistons could match it.
11:04They could match it.
11:05He can't do a sign-and-trade for more than the maximum another team could offer him.
11:10Right.
11:10But in the case of, you know, he just might be pissed.
11:15He might be mad about the offer and wants to go somewhere else.
11:20I feel like we've seen players get pissed and still just, you know, bite the bullet for the one year.
11:26Didn't, shoot, didn't Danny Dimes do that with the Giants?
11:30Bet on himself for a year, and then he got paid.
11:33Yeah, it happens.
11:34It does happen in sports.
11:35But you can understand why a player wants security.
11:38Like, he's saying, why doesn't he just do the one-year deal?
11:41Well, because a one-year deal is, for the total amount of money, could be like $140 million less than
11:49what you could sign for now over the course of the contract.
11:53Burden to him.
11:54Well, and then there's also a little bit of, does he want to have to go prove himself?
11:59No, he doesn't.
12:00Because he just did it.
12:01He's not, he just made the All-NBA third team.
12:03You know how hard that is to make?
12:05And he's, why would he do another, I got to prove it year deal.
12:07He's not.
12:08I just did it.
12:08I mean, he's cashing in.
12:10Yeah.
12:10And he should catch it.
12:11You're 22 years old.
12:12You're about to cash in on, and by the way, it's only a four or a five-year deal, depending
12:16which team you go to, right?
12:19So, by the time you're done with this, this is your prove-it deal, because you're getting
12:25$177 million over the next four years to prove it.
12:28Yeah, Danny Dimes had to literally prove it.
12:30Jalen Dern just did, in his mind, right?
12:32Then you're 26, going to be 27 years old, literally, that's your money cannon contract to be the
12:39next one.
12:40This one's a huge contract.
12:41Take it.
12:42Take it and run, and prove yourself over the next four years.
12:45248-539-9797.
12:47More of your phone calls and feedback coming up.
12:49It's Carson Anderson, 97-1.