00:00I saw a question in the Sun Sentinel for Ira Winderman today that said,
00:05Ira, I remember when some were saying the Heat should have traded BAM for Joel Embiid.
00:09I was probably one of them.
00:12The emailer says at least BAM shows up for work, which is so true, by the way.
00:17And Ira responds, the Joel Embiid paradox is one that makes you wonder.
00:21When he's on top of his game and on top of his health,
00:24he is the best big man in the NBA, this side of Victor Wimbanyama.
00:28And Ira writes parenthetically with all due respect to Nikola Jovich
00:33because of the two-way impact.
00:34But there simply are too many questions to ever have a comfort level.
00:38But regardless, about Embiid, I saw this on NBA Central.
00:42Did you see what his cap hits are for the next three seasons with his extension,
00:46with his max extension?
00:48Something crazy, which kicks in this year.
00:51Crazy.
00:52So next season, 2026, 2027, when he's 32 years old,
00:5857.9 million dollars.
01:02The following season, 62.6 million dollars.
01:08And the 2829 season, 67.2 million dollars.
01:15I need to DM him.
01:18I know he's doing some fun part.
01:19That's crazy.
01:20That's crazy.
01:21I guess, you know, we're just kind of shock-free with money that athletes earn
01:28at this point.
01:30But holy mackerel, in the next three seasons, he's making what?
01:35Like 180 million dollars?
01:37Next three seasons.
01:39192 million.
01:41Three years, 192 million is what kicks in starting this summer.
01:44The crazy part is his talent, healthy, justifies every dime.
01:50It does.
01:50But you will never get it.
01:52You can't.
01:52Like, you talk about the trend with the heat falling, you know,
01:56not moving down from where they're slotted.
01:59Like, has Joel Embiid ever been healthy for a complete season?
02:03A complete season.
02:05I don't even have to look.
02:06I don't even have to look.
02:07There's no chance he played over 70 games in a season.
02:10His MVP season, my guess is, I mean, he definitely met that 65-game threshold.
02:15I don't even think they had it back then, did they?
02:18Maybe not.
02:19But still, like, I'll look it up right now.
02:21You win MVP.
02:22Look it up.
02:23I'll bet anybody he hasn't played over 70 games in a season.
02:26He played 66 that year.
02:2866 games.
02:29And the year before, he played 68 games.
02:32And how old was he?
02:34He's 32 now.
02:35What year was it?
02:35That was in 2021-22.
02:39So, three seasons ago, he played 68.
02:41And in the 23 season, he played 66.
02:45He'll be 32 next year.
02:47He's 28 years old.
02:49His body's 52.
02:51It is.
02:51It's crazy.
02:53And that's what it is.
02:55They got to deal with him now.
02:55Nobody's trading for him.
02:57That's a waste of money.
02:58Man, does anybody think?
03:00Yeah, like, you don't want to be saddled with that.
03:02Which, by the way, is part of the concern with a Giannis, a Kawhi.
03:08Those guys are going to command massive money, right, Solana?
03:12Like, we talked about Ja Morant.
03:14Now, Ja Morant, you may be able to get him on the cheap, but you'd have to promise him, right?
03:21Like, he's not going to do a, I'll prove it to you.
03:23Like, he's not at that point in his career where he's going to prove it to someone.
03:26He's going to get a, almost cursed, a bleep load of money.
03:31Yeah, I mean, here's the funny thing about the Embiid number.
03:35So, next year, he's going to make $58 million, right?
03:38Which will be, as of right now, the sixth highest paid player in the league.
03:43Which, yeah, it's stupid money.
03:44But, man, just go down like 10 slots.
03:48Evan Mobley from the Cavaliers is making $50 million.
03:52Jamal Murray, $50 million.
03:55De'Aaron Fox, $50 million.
03:56Jaron Jackson Jr., $49 million.
03:58De'Aaron Fox, $50 million.
04:01De'Aaron Fox, $50 million.
04:03It's a 3-0-5.
04:05Dale.
04:06Dale.
04:06Dale.
04:06God bless.
04:07Dale.
04:10Dale.
04:11Thank you, Jimmy.
04:12You're welcome.
04:143-0-5 is sponsored by Chevrolet, where you walk in as a customer and drive out as family.
04:21I got to pay my car note.
04:25I'm about to get it repossessed.
04:27This one, I wait.
04:27I wait until repossession time to pay it.
04:30Great strategy.
04:34Like, DeMontis Sabonis, $45 million.
04:37Like, this is just what the market is right now in the NBA per year.
04:42I mean, John Morant next year will only be the 32nd highest paid player in the NBA.
04:51And that has to do with he signed that extension following his rookie scale contract.
04:56So, it's just what he was able to make.
04:57This next one, ideally, will put him up into $60 million per year.
05:02Now, he's not going to get that with the way he's missed games and all the other stuff.
05:05He'll get close, though, won't he?
05:07Yeah, he'll probably make annually if he gets the extension that he's looking for from a team in the $50
05:14million range.
05:15He just will.
05:17And the market's the market.
05:18But you bring up hot brother Kawhi, and it sounds crazy.
05:21I don't want to bring Kawhi to Miami.
05:23We know he's not going to play.
05:26Like, we'll get excited.
05:27When he does, though, you know, to the point of, like, when Joel Embiid is out there, he's arguably the
05:33best big man out there.
05:34Yes.
05:36When Kawhi is Kawhi, holy mackerel.
05:41But we're going to get holy mackerel for 40 games out of 82?
05:46I mean, it really only matters in the postseason.
05:50But then it's eating up the salary cap.
05:52Now, can you add somebody else?
05:54It only matters in the postseason, though.
05:56It really does.
05:57It only matters in the postseason if you can ensure you're a top six seed.
06:00Because the Clippers are a perfect example.
06:03The Clippers, had they been healthy enough throughout the regular season, they would have avoided the top six seed.
06:09I mean, look how well they performed after starting whatever it was, like 4-20 or whatever.
06:13They had one of the best turnarounds after that mark.
06:16And then they were one of the best teams in the league.
06:18But you got into the playing tournament, and the West is really hard to get out of the playing tournament.
06:24Even the East, man.
06:25Like, Orlando had to fight through the playing tournament, and they gave Detroit seven games.
06:32Like, they could have won.
06:33They were up 20 in game six with a 3-2 lead.
06:37I'm not comparing the East to the West, but you got what I'm saying.
06:39Like, it's difficult.
06:40It's hard to come out of the playing tournament.
06:42You don't want to be there if you're the Miami Heat.
06:45And I think if you have Kawhi on your team, and you're banking on Kawhi and Bam as your duo,
06:51and obviously some other parts around it, but that's what you're banking on,
06:54you're running that risk of being back in the Jimmy Butler territory,
06:58which is, once again, just saying, oh, we just have to be ready for the playoffs.
07:03Well, okay, but good luck being healthy come April 14th.
07:07But if you don't, I don't know what the alternative is, though,
07:11because we know who's out there.
07:13The guys who are out there are the guys who are frustrating at some level.
07:17The guys who are great players and don't give any problems and are out there all the time
07:22aren't available.
07:22They're not moving around.
07:24So what's the alternative is this same thing again.
07:28So it's almost like, hey, do you want to roll?
07:30Like, do you want to play conservatively, or do you want to roll the dice and say,
07:35hey, Kawhi's got an amazing season left in him?
07:38Do I want Jalen Brunson?
07:41A thousand percent.
07:42But Jalen Brunson's never going to hit the market because they're going to give him
07:45whatever he asked for because he's amazing.
07:48He already hit the market from Dallas.
07:51That was a huge mistake.
07:52Those mistakes don't happen.
07:54No.
07:54But what, like I asked Will, if we're whale hunting, we have three harpoons.
07:59Solana, who are three harpoons saved for?
08:01Giannis is one.
08:02Who's the next two?
08:02Yeah.
08:03And I know Heat fans don't want to hear this.
08:05And I get it, by the way.
08:05Like, I want this team to build a contender.
08:08I'm all in on Giannis.
08:09You guys know how I feel about this.
08:10But if you can't get Giannis because other teams are going to get in the mix here, right?
08:16If you can't get Giannis, then the alternative is to play your young players next year.
08:21And maybe you do trade Tyler Hero.
08:24Maybe you do trade some of these other guys and you try to collect some assets.
08:29You play your young guys and you remain flexible for the next offseason or the next disgruntled superstar.
08:35And again, I know Heat fans don't want to hear that.
08:37I get it.
08:38But this idea that they're going to tank, like Ira was on with us the other day and he made
08:43it pretty clear.
08:44This year, there was no, I'm sorry, this upcoming year, the pick is owed to Charlotte either this year or
08:51the following year.
08:52And I get it.
08:53I think it's top eight protected or top 10 protected.
08:56Maybe it's lottery protected.
08:57But either way, like, they're not going to tank.
08:59So get that out of the way.
09:01But Solana, you're just, I'm just giving you names, right?
09:04No, no, no.
09:05That's a point.
09:06If we just run it back, isn't that a, I guess, a man tank, a testosterone tank?
09:14We're not going to beat anybody in the East with this same roster.
09:17Right.
09:17But they're not running it back.
09:19Like, the team next year is not going to be Norman Powell, Andrew Wiggins, Tyler Hero, Bam Adebayo, Kalil Ware,
09:26and Davion Mitchell.
09:27It's just not.
09:27Like, if they can't get a whale or they can't get one of these marquee players we're talking about,
09:33then they're not going to lock themselves in to long-term money on some of these guys.
09:39Like, they're not going to give Andrew Wiggins the extension that he wants.
09:42They're not going to give Norman Powell a deep extension that's going to keep them out of the 2027.
09:47You're essentially running it back, but with different names, but the same outcome without one of those whales.
09:53Right.
09:54But I just don't understand.
09:55What's the alternative?
09:58There isn't one.
10:00Well, the alternative is a flat-out tank.
10:03That's like, you know, if you can't get the whale, because I understand stay flexible,
10:10but this is the person who then is only stretching and is never working out.
10:18You know what I mean?
10:19Like, it has been stretching to get ready to run a marathon for 10 years, but has never run a
10:255K.
10:26Flexible as hell.
10:28Nobody wants to hear stay flexible if you never compete with that flexibility.
10:34And again, I'm not blaming them for not getting Damian Lillard because that seemed to be a done deal.
10:39I'm not blaming them for not getting Giannis.
10:42It really seemed like they were extremely close, this trade deadline, and that was because they were flexible enough to
10:48have the assets to go get them.
10:50So I don't know.
10:51I think, you know, if there's really three alternatives, which are get a whale, run it back some pseudo way
11:00and stay flexible, or flat-out tank.
11:05Get rid of everyone.
11:08I think most Heat fans would say flat-out tank.
11:11But like you said, Ira told us, one of those draft picks, you're going to lose it.
11:15So you're tanking, and then you're going to be terrible.
11:18What was it, 28?
11:19And then you're not going to have the pick.
11:21Well, so Charlotte is owed next year the 2027 pick, but I just checked.
11:26It's lottery protected.
11:27So if the Heat were to tank this year, right, or they just put out a roster that's not very
11:31good,
11:32they end up being a lottery team, they keep that pick.
11:35Then in 2028, it's going to Charlotte, 100%.
11:37So you have one year to get that right, one year.
11:40But we know that they're not going to do that.
11:43They're not purposely going to tank.
11:44It's not on the table.
11:45It's not.
11:47But here are the names.
11:49And again, I'm not suggesting that the Heat are in the market for any of these guys, but just hear
11:54me out here, okay?
11:55Steph Curry's contract is up next year.
11:58I'll take him.
12:00I think Steve Kerr signed back because Steph is going to keep playing.
12:04Well, Steve Kerr signed back for sure, and you're probably right.
12:07I think Steph would like to end his career in Golden State, no?
12:09Yeah.
12:09Or go to Charlotte, where his dad played, and he's a legend over there.
12:14But, you know, you look.
12:17One of them is Jimmy Butler.
12:18But Kawhi Leonard next year.
12:20Pass.
12:20Obviously.
12:21Kawhi Leonard next year is an unrestricted free agent.
12:25If he doesn't move anywhere this year, he doesn't sign an extension.
12:27So, you could get Kawhi next year without having to trade anything for him.
12:32In this instance, this offseason, the Clippers are going to say, well, we want something.
12:37And do you really want to give up an asset for Kawhi Leonard?
12:40If I can get him for nothing next year, then maybe.
12:43I know Tobin.
12:44We'll wait until he's older and richer.
12:48Checkmate.
12:49We got him now, Hawk.
12:51Donovan Mitchell next year.
12:53Oh, I love it.
12:54His contract is up.
12:55He does have a player option, but he's obviously going to opt out of it because he's going to want
12:59an extension.
12:59He's going to be up for a massive extension if he doesn't sign one this offseason.
13:03You enjoyed meeting him Friday night, too.
13:07I met Donovan Mitchell?
13:09No.
13:09Wrong D. Mitch.
13:11Wrong D. Mitch.
13:12My bad.
13:13Those are the guys you're going to be in the market for.
13:16Or look at this offseason.
13:19Did anybody expect Jalen Brown to be in trade discussions?
13:22That's going to happen next year as well.
13:25Maybe you go out and you get Kawhi Leonard and you get Kevin Durant next year.
13:29Like, I'm just saying the Heat are going to remain flexible because they want to be in a position where
13:34if all of a sudden next year is a bleep show in the NBA and names are available, they want
13:40to be in the mix.
13:40And they're not going to hamstring themselves to bad contracts this offseason unless it's Giannis, unless it's that big move
13:48to keep them from 2027.
13:50And I know that's not what Heat fans want to hear.
13:52I get it.
13:53I'm with you.
13:53I don't want to hear that either.
13:54I want Giannis.
13:55Like, go get me Giannis.
13:56I want to compete next year.
13:58The East is wide open.
13:59The stupid New York Knicks are in the Eastern Conference Finals.
14:02And I'm sick to my stomach watching that.
14:05But I also don't want the Heat to just be stupid and start throwing money around this offseason because fans
14:11don't want to see Tyler Hero back next year.
14:13I think that's a massive, massive step backwards just to avoid one year where you couldn't get anything else done.
14:20That was the mistake with the Tyler Hero contract.
14:23That's what ate up all the money.
14:25Get rid of Tyler.
14:27Tyler is running.
14:27Like you said, he's run his course, Alana.
14:30You think Tyler Hero should stay in Miami?
14:31He's one of your better assets, though.
14:32I think he's one of your better trade assets.
14:34I think he's a liability.
14:35He played six games or something like that.
14:38Well, valid.
14:38I mean, the injury stuff, it's not even debatable.
14:42But Crowder, his contract wasn't a mistake.
14:45He's the 60th highest paid player in the league.
14:48He was an all-star last year.
14:50He should be in 60.
14:51Stop.
14:52How much does he make?
14:53How much does Tyler Hero make?
14:55$33 million.
14:56Tyler Hero earned $33 million in the year of 2025 and 2026.
15:01But the problem is, tell him who else is making $33 million.
15:05Emmanuel Quickly.
15:06Want him?
15:07Yep.
15:11I mean, honestly, that's who's in that market.
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