- 3 months ago
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00:00A report coming down from Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo Sports
00:03that sources believe LeBron James is slow playing his decision
00:07to see if any of his suitors can find a way to land
00:10Anthony Davis or Kyrie Irving.
00:12Problem is that AD and Kyrie don't seem available for trade.
00:19I don't know how I feel about that.
00:22I mean, listen, there are legitimate scenarios
00:24that you could go about, I think, definitely to get Anthony Davis.
00:28Moving Jared Allen in some capacity to get AD is possible
00:31if you really wanted to make it happen.
00:33I think even going forward, trying to get a Kyrie,
00:37Greg Swartz on with us back at 820,
00:40mentioned the fact of his dream scenario is like a sign-in trade
00:44using James Harden to get Kyrie.
00:47One, I don't even know that Dallas is even relatively interested
00:51or involved in that.
00:53Two, that one just feels less likely to me.
00:55I don't think that James Harden is going to be like,
00:57sure, I just wanted the bag.
00:58I didn't actually want to try and go win anything.
01:00Let me go play for Dallas.
01:02Like, Dallas might be okay.
01:04They're not going to compete in the Western Conference.
01:05That's not happening.
01:07So, throw that idea pretty much out the window.
01:10I just don't know this is a scenario I want to walk myself down, though.
01:13I don't know that I actually want to be legitimately interested
01:16in the Anthony Davis or, I mean, Kyrie's an interesting one,
01:20but I don't even think I really want to be in the Kyrie business
01:22at this point, like, if that's what you're slow playing it for,
01:26you have to slow play for something that's at least borderline realistic.
01:30I mean, the Wizards are making it like Anthony Davis is God's gift
01:34to basketball right now, when in reality,
01:36I can't even count on the guy to play 35 games in a season.
01:40And I just don't think the Mavericks want to move on from Kyrie.
01:42That is their veteran piece, still good enough.
01:45They don't really have a reason to move on from Kyrie Irving.
01:48I mean, I don't necessarily think that's a move that they want to go down
01:52and actually execute, but, I mean, you look at the scenario
01:56in which you found yourselves in.
01:59These are two contracts you probably really don't want to attach yourself to
02:03if you're the Cavs.
02:04Like, this is more than just, oh, I bring this player in,
02:07he plays out the last year of his contract, and then he's gone.
02:12Kyrie's up for, I mean, he has a player option coming up
02:14in the 27-28 season, and it makes him worth $42 million at age 35.
02:20He's already worth about $40 million right now,
02:23which, by the way, I mean, again, you could execute the sign-in trade
02:26with James Harden, and the money would technically work.
02:31It's going to be really difficult to probably make that work
02:33with LeBron and everything else attached to it.
02:35It's not going to be an easy game to play.
02:37You could make it happen.
02:39Anthony Davis' contract in the current is probably,
02:43I mean, also salvageable, but we know from listening to Rich Paul,
02:48they're looking to get him a contract extension,
02:50and he's getting paid $58 million.
02:52Again, could probably technically make it work
02:55if you package Jared Allen and a guy like Max Struis.
02:58The money starts to make a little bit more sense.
03:00Next year, he has a player option for $62, $63 million,
03:04and you want an extension on Anthony Davis?
03:06Again, a player who's going to be 33 this upcoming season?
03:10I'm not paying Anthony Davis another contract.
03:12I'm not paying Kyrie another contract.
03:14It's you're here for, I mean, you want to opt into your player option
03:17if we can make that money work?
03:18Okay.
03:19I don't want to sign you on a contract past that.
03:21That's what these guys want.
03:22They're going to be traded somewhere.
03:24That's what they want to accomplish.
03:25Who else is getting a deal like this?
03:28That's my big thing.
03:29If you're talking about, I mean, Cavs at least have the pieces
03:32to kind of make this happen if they really wanted to.
03:35And I'm definitely not giving up Evan Mobley.
03:38I've brought up the concerns about Kyrie.
03:40I think it's a fun proposition to throw out there.
03:43He's also, like I just mentioned, 34 years old and coming off an ACL injury.
03:48How much am I banking on Kyrie being the exact same player?
03:50I don't know.
03:51I don't know if that's a route that I really want to gamble on right now.
03:56Now, the fit works better probably a little bit more than James Harden.
03:59I'll admit to that.
04:00I don't know that the fit works better with Anthony Davis than it does Jared Allen.
04:04Again, because I can't count on you to be available come playoff time.
04:09But this is, if this ends up being the case, this is LeBron trying to pull the strings
04:13in a world where I don't think LeBron gets to pull the strings.
04:17You are asking teams.
04:18One, you have picked out teams that are trying to compete in the playoffs
04:21and relatively strapped for money under the NBA's current cap structure.
04:26And then asking them to trade for players that don't make sense on their timeline.
04:31Even Miami.
04:32Maybe it makes a little bit more sense.
04:33You went and got Giannis.
04:34You might be able to, I mean, try and facilitate a deal around that.
04:38But who is Miami giving up?
04:40Right?
04:40You're not getting Anthony Davis or Kyrie without actually giving up something
04:43of relative significance.
04:45Your only piece to move through Miami is Andrew Wiggins.
04:49I would bring up the Warriors.
04:51I don't know what piece they have to move.
04:53Yaxo Lendenberg, that's about probably the only thing that actually makes any sense.
04:58Doesn't sound like he's all that loved at the current moment in Golden State.
05:03He's just making himself an absolute weirdo and picking fights with Trey Monning staff.
05:08But Jimmy Butler, I don't know why, if you're the Wizards,
05:12you'd want to go through and get Jimmy Butler.
05:14That's not doing anything for you.
05:15That is just a cap expense for cap expense.
05:17Basically, the one-for-one type of deal you're going to make,
05:20both those guys making a $55-plus million.
05:24But all of these teams, Philly's definitely not making a move like that.
05:29I don't know what idea LeBron thinks he has playing the puppet master side of things.
05:35And Kevin O'Connor has been interesting throughout this entire thing.
05:39It's definitely a report.
05:40He's claiming that this is true.
05:42Obviously, he's claiming sources on top of this as well.
05:45So, you have to be led to believe it.
05:49But those are just moves I'm not interested in making.
05:51And it's right back to the idea that I'm not franchising my future.
05:55I'm not just selling off of everything I have.
05:57I would do it if I thought it guaranteed me a championship.
06:00If they said I had to move on from Evan Mobley to get Giannis,
06:03we know Giannis is going to be healthy.
06:05We know Giannis is going to be great.
06:06Let it happen.
06:08You get me a title, I'm not going to have a word to say about it.
06:11You win a championship, I'll shut my mouth.
06:13That's what we play for.
06:15Once you get one, you get a few years of grace.
06:18Like, training for Anthony Davis far from guarantees me anything.
06:21Training for Kyrie far from guarantees me anything.
06:23If you want to pull strings, it makes sense.
06:25If you want to get me to a place where I feel confident,
06:28I'm getting that guy for the timeline we're on right now,
06:30and I have a really good chance to win a title with them,
06:34I'm open to hearing LeBron's ideas,
06:35but it feels like LeBron's idea of pulling the strings right now
06:39and what's going to make me happy is basically getting the gang back together.
06:44That's what it is.
06:44Like, that's why Golden State's in the mix of this.
06:46I'll go play with Steph, and we'll have a good time,
06:48play with my buddies, and what players do I want to play with?
06:51Go get me Anthony Davis again.
06:53Go get me Kyrie again.
06:56It's like trying to live out the glory days of where he's played in the past
06:59and just being like, oh, I know this player.
07:00I can trust this player.
07:03Has LeBron lost his pulse on the NBA and where we stand right now?
07:06Well, because Anthony Davis is not making or breaking a team.
07:11I was surprised Washington even went out and got him,
07:13and it makes sense a little bit with the moves they've made up to this point.
07:17But if that's the price of getting LeBron,
07:21that's the point where I back out and say I'm not really that interested.
07:25Right?
07:25And I mean, I still am interested in LeBron,
07:28but if it took Anthony Davis or Kyrie,
07:32and especially when we talk about Anthony Davis,
07:34that's really the big sticking point for me.
07:35Again, I can be set to live with Kyrie if you actually found a deal that made sense
07:39and you can make it happen.
07:41If you want to trade out, I mean, James Harden for Kyrie,
07:44I'm not losing anything defensively in that battle,
07:45and I think I'm getting more of a at least agile playmaker in Kyrie Irving
07:50comparatively to where James is at in his career.
07:52So I can live with that.
07:53But on the Anthony Davis part of it,
07:55you want me to attach everything to go for Anthony Davis?
07:58I don't know that's a world I can live in
08:00because you can't guarantee me Anthony Davis health.
08:03You can't guarantee me that he's going to suit up for 30 games a year.
08:07And I know that we haven't been able to rely on Jared Allen health necessarily,
08:12but a hell of a lot more.
08:14And again, Jared Allen has become a chopped liver in this entire conversation.
08:18He also stepped up to the plate for you in two massive game sevens
08:21and shown that he can be a playoff riser.
08:23He's not 35 years old.
08:25He's not on a $60 million contract.
08:27He is affordable and probably plays above the money he is due,
08:30even at the $30 million he's making now, or $28 million, whatever it is.
08:34I still, like he's finally somewhere near market value
08:38for what his contract actually should be.
08:41And for the type of player getting for him to be the fourth,
08:44maybe fifth best player in a starting lineup.
08:47I mean, that's a steal on the money you have him on.
08:50I don't know how you just up and walk away from that.
08:53There's no way that I'd be able to.
08:56So all of these deals, everything coming out of this,
08:59it's just like, if that's what you're waiting for, LeBron,
09:02if that's what you're begging for, one,
09:03I don't think you're getting your wish.
09:05I really don't think a team's going to be able to pull off one of those trades.
09:09And even if they do, it's a type of trade where I go,
09:13you better win a title.
09:15Because if not, we're going to have, I think,
09:17a really negative view on LeBron coming back
09:20and trying to make this thing happen.
09:22LeBron coming onto the team, signing, and just being a part of it,
09:25that's great.
09:25I'm not going to have any ill will towards that.
09:28You throw away my opportunity and my ability to compete,
09:31moving into future years, and having to move off a guy like Jared Allen
09:34for Anthony Davis.
09:37That's where, again, you don't win a title.
09:39I'm going to start to have a little bit more of an ill will conversation
09:42because Jared's at least worth something.
09:45I can get young players for Jared.
09:46He can be used as a piece to help reset and rebuild this team
09:50moving into future years.
09:53Anthony Davis, when he's done here,
09:55probably not going to be worth a whole lot,
09:56not going to get a massive haul for him,
09:59and it's more in the James Harden camp of,
10:01you might be able to get an okay player back for him,
10:04but it's going to be an okay player back that has injury concerns
10:07or something in the light of Darius Garland.
10:10And I don't even know that AD really commands that,
10:13given the health and everything else.
10:14I cannot go down that route.
10:16I will not live in that world.
10:19216-474-0092.
10:22If it meant you had to get AD or Kyrie to get LeBron,
10:26are you back in the business?
10:27Are you okay with that type of deal going down?
10:30Let's go out to the phones.
10:31Larry is in Illyria.
10:32What's going on, Larry?
10:33Yeah, I was going, Jakey.
10:35I can't.
10:36If you had young Anthony Davis, I'd get it,
10:38but there's no way.
10:40Then you have to sign him to an extension.
10:42I think your screener mentioned, too.
10:43I thought it was August 2nd.
10:44He mentioned August 6th.
10:46Right.
10:46You're talking over $250 million.
10:48There's no way.
10:49It's impossible.
10:50And you talk about a great move.
10:52They wanted to do it.
10:52I looked at some numbers, Jake.
10:53If you took the Jared Allen and Max Truch's contract,
10:57you could send both those players to Houston for Kevin Durant.
11:01He makes $46 million right there.
11:04Then all of a sudden, you stick Mobley in your center position.
11:06You stick Kevin Durant also there.
11:10And you have LeBron, too.
11:12But you'd have to give something up for Kevin Durant.
11:14But he would definitely fit for that wing player to spread the court.
11:18But you're right.
11:19In the future, you can't do that.
11:21One thing about Jared, too, I like about him, Jake,
11:24each player each year has to work on their game, correct?
11:27If Jared could work on his game this year on his free throw shooting
11:31and get that mid-range jumper, you know what I mean,
11:33about 15, 20 feet or something in that range,
11:36he could be a pretty lethal player.
11:38He really could.
11:39Yeah, I mean, if Jared was able to develop that shot,
11:41we'd be talking in a whole different boat.
11:43And, Larry, I appreciate the call as always.
11:45I mean, that'd be an absolute game changer.
11:47I don't know that he actually ever gets there.
11:49Jared shooting the ball days, a little bit of a concern every time I watch it.
11:53But, again, like on the Anthony Davis point,
11:56the guy played 20 games last year, 51-04, 42-76, 56-40, 36.
12:02Like, again, there's good years mixed in there.
12:04Like, when he plays 76 games in 23-24, you get a pretty good version of Anthony Davis.
12:10But it's also just, I don't even know that I can commit to the idea of this.
12:14Like, Anthony Davis is not a prolific three-point shooter.
12:17He's not going to help space the floor all that much.
12:18And he's great defensively.
12:20It's so much more about, I just don't know I can count on you to be there.
12:24Like, again, he played 20 games this year.
12:27He was on the Mavs, basically didn't suit up, got traded to the Wizards,
12:31never re-suited up.
12:33Hey, I'm just going to automatically turn around and bank on the idea that he's going to be good.
12:37We can just count on him to be ready to roll.
12:39It is an injury and a constant injury always sitting there.
12:43And you have the luxury to kind of, oh, you know, take a step back,
12:46let Anthony take his days off.
12:47It's cool.
12:50Even when you do that, it's like an injury is just waiting.
12:53The man goes up for a rebound, comes down, he's out for three weeks.
12:56And you don't even know what happened.
12:58He just tweaks his knee.
12:59And all of a sudden, it's three weeks.
13:01It's a month.
13:01It's six weeks.
13:03I just, I can't live in that world.
13:05I can't be okay with banking on Anthony Davis for another championship run.
13:10Let's go back out to the phones.
13:11BP's in Pepper Pike.
13:12What's going on, BP?
13:13Hey, Jake.
13:14You know, I saw that report also that, like, you know,
13:16what's holding this whole thing with LeBron up is, you know,
13:18he wants to get Kyrie Irving here or Anthony Davis.
13:21If that's the case, I don't even want part of, I don't even want LeBron here, to be honest.
13:25I don't need to see Kyrie Irving here again, a traitor, who broke up a great championship team back in
13:312017.
13:33And Anthony Davis, he's never healthy.
13:35And on top of it, he makes $60 million a year.
13:38He'll ruin our team for now and in the future.
13:40We'll be screwed.
13:41Dude, this is actually starting to get to be a joke.
13:45You know, I mean, LeBron should just be like a, like, you know, an honorable gentleman,
13:50like either come back to the team as is, or maybe, you know, maybe they make a few tweaks along
13:54the way,
13:55but Anthony Davis or Kyrie, that's a joke.
13:58That's me as a joke.
13:59I don't want any part of that.
14:01BP, when it comes to like a, if you had his options open and we're up against it, but I
14:05appreciate the call.
14:06If it was like options open and I'm willing to go anywhere at this point,
14:09somebody could swing this trade, right?
14:10Somebody has the cap space and maybe picks their pieces available to make this happen.
14:16It's the teams you've selected that you wait, apparently narrowed down to that.
14:20You want to go and get like, maybe this is where Minnesota jumps in and they could get a Kyrie
14:23or they could get an Anthony Davis and actually make it work.
14:26I don't know how the hell they're doing that, but I mean, maybe there's a way they can make it
14:29happen.
14:32I, all of the four teams that I look at, I'm just like, I don't know how that happens.
14:35Like Golden State reportedly already tried to go get Anthony Davis and the wizards pretty much shut it down and
14:40said,
14:40not looking to move him.
14:42And if we are going to move them, it's going to be a hefty price.
14:44And Golden State said, no, like again, if this was about a team's like two pieces away and we really
14:51want to retake over
14:52and basically turn this into the 2020 Lakers or the older version of the 2016 calves.
14:58Okay.
14:58I mean, sure.
14:59Get the game back together somewhere else, pick a new spot, try to bring a title there.
15:03It's like Anthony Davis.
15:05Isn't necessarily making my team better.
15:06Kyrie might make my team better, but not necessarily.
15:12They're just not direct improvements.
15:13Like I have the team set up for you.
15:15It is already a pretty good fit.
15:16We have a lot of pieces to go off of, and it's still demanding more and more and more.
15:21And again, it's all on this basis of Ron wants to go play with his friends.
15:25Sorry.
15:25Not all that interested, especially when it comes to AD.