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  • 2 days ago
Shan, RJ, and Bobby took a look at trade destinations and packages for Kyrie Irving, despite Ujiri’s public hesitation to move him. They ranked how this hypothetical offer from the Timberwolves stacks up against others offers and more.

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00:00It doesn't sound like, now Masai Ujiri kind of tricked us already with Jason Kidd,
00:05it doesn't sound like they have any interest in dealing Kyrie.
00:11It doesn't.
00:12Hang on, Peyton, play the clip please.
00:14You know, Kevin Durant once told me that there's only one Kyrie walking around in the world.
00:22Yeah, I think we have to figure out a way, you know, like to, you know, how Kyrie fits with
00:31our program.
00:32And I've had those conversations with Kyrie up till yesterday.
00:36And I think Kyrie will fit.
00:38You know, as I said it before, there's a huge curiosity in our minds to see how Kyrie fits playing
00:46with Cooper Flagg.
00:47He's just that kind of like an incredible talent and player.
00:51And I think we owe that organization and we owe this organization that.
00:57New GM Mike Schmitz, who was on with KNC yesterday, said the pairing is beautiful.
01:02That's like something you dream of.
01:05Having a magician with the ball like that who can pass, dribble, shoot,
01:07and someone with the connective qualities of Coop, that's a match made in heaven.
01:12So he didn't call him a mentalist with the ball.
01:14So I think it's, he says, you know, Kevin Durant told me there's only one Kyrie walking around this earth.
01:22Well, the problem is he hasn't been walking.
01:23Yeah.
01:23And it's been two years, basically.
01:24But he's literally only going to be able to walk.
01:26If we're all talking about the guy Kyrie was when they went to the finals, not the guy in the
01:31finals, of course, not at the garden.
01:33But if we're talking about the guy that went to the finals, yeah, everybody would be like,
01:36that'd be awesome to have around playing with Cooper Flagg.
01:38The problem is that's going to be going on three years ago, post-injury.
01:43You don't know if that's the same player anymore.
01:45I still wouldn't.
01:46If you told me he was going to be that guy, I still wouldn't.
01:48And he is going to be.
01:50That's what I was going to clarify.
01:51If you told me he could be that guy for five years, I'd be in favor of him sticking around.
01:54He's not going to be.
01:55Yes.
01:56Even if he's that guy, it's not going to be for long.
01:57I want to be clear.
01:58He is going to come back and drop 24 a game, in my opinion.
02:02While he's running around, he'll drop 24 a game.
02:05And my point is he's not going to do it long enough after two years to matter.
02:15You could tell me that he's going to be.
02:16They're not going to win a championship.
02:17Kevin Hagelin, I mean, I could nominate him for worst take yesterday in crosstalk when he's like,
02:22they could be maybe a contender next year.
02:26Yeah, a contender for the play-in.
02:28Like, you need assets.
02:30Well, he was probably a factor in all his dookies.
02:32He couldn't say Kyrie wouldn't be a championship contender.
02:34And John Shire coaching him with Cooper.
02:37What kind of position are the Mavericks in, though, because they do need assets?
02:41Like, I wonder if because of where Kyrie's at, does that make teams a little more like,
02:46what are you going to do?
02:47You need assets.
02:48I don't have to give you top of the market at all.
02:51I don't think that'll work against them because, I mean, do you want Kyrie Irving or not?
02:57You're desperate to win a championship, too.
02:59Right.
03:00They both should have the same level of desperation.
03:01Teams have never lost leverage when a player asks out.
03:04They still get fair value a lot of times in the NBA.
03:08I don't think that's going to make.
03:10I mean, these guys still get traded.
03:12They still get traded to where they want to go, and they still get a lot of assets.
03:14I think the NBA historically has been the most lopsided.
03:16If a player demands out and just goes, you've got to move me, then teams a lot of times don't
03:20get fair value.
03:20Well, first of all, I guess to clarify, there's no such thing as fair value when you're trading the star
03:27of the deal.
03:28The team that trades the star always loses, but I think you'll still be able to get plenty because teams
03:33also don't value draft picks the way they do necessarily in the NFL.
03:35So Sam Quinn over at CBS came up with Kyrie Possibilities.
03:40Yeah, he has five spots.
03:42Number one is Minnesota.
03:45You brought them up yesterday because of my great point.
03:49This is an all-in team.
03:50Yeah, Anthony Edwards apparently wants them, too.
03:52They've invested basically all their draft capital into building their current roster.
03:57They were non-competitive with the Thunder last spring, non-competitive with the Spurs last round.
04:03They lack assets to pursue a younger, healthier star.
04:07They tried for Giannis, but they could take a step back.
04:13They don't have a two.
04:14No.
04:14They just don't have a legit two to win a championship.
04:17The problem is they could match the money with Randall and DiVincenzo.
04:21Do you want those guys?
04:23All right, so they can offer 28 this year, first-round swap rights in 2028,
04:30and an unprotected pick in 2033 when Kyrie will likely be retired.
04:36So just factor that in.
04:38We'll kind of simmer this down to the basics of this year, next year with draft picks.
04:42Number two on the list is Houston.
04:44Makes a lot of sense for Minnesota, by the way.
04:46Minnesota!
04:47A ton of sense, absolutely.
04:50So the Rockets had the second-worst per-play half-court offense in the playoffs, right?
04:5619th in the regular season.
04:58Kyrie would obviously help their half-court, but they're a team.
05:02We know Durant, if he stays, hates the rest of their roster with the leaked, with the burner account.
05:07He loves Kyrie.
05:08Now, the thing is, they have the resources to pursue Giannis without gutting the rest of the team.
05:15So, if the price is low enough, they're an asset-rich team.
05:19They can afford to be picky, and they can afford to get him if they really wanted to.
05:23They're deep.
05:24Houston's got, like, a lot of young, talented players.
05:27Number three on the list is another team I think Bobby mentioned, or I was mentioning yesterday,
05:32maybe it was Sean, it was Detroit.
05:34Oh, yeah, you mentioned Detroit.
05:35Yeah, because Tobias Harris is the number two right now, or at least was during the playoffs.
05:40Now, that's the problem, because their easiest salary-matching contracts are Tobias Harris and Kevin Herter.
05:46I think it's Herter.
05:47And they, you know, I'm sorry, they have both expired.
05:51Duncan Robinson, Isaiah Stewart, foundational role players.
05:55So they have a little bit of wiggle room and the ability to come get Kyrie.
06:02Now, also, if you're the match, like, do you want to send him east?
06:05Would you prefer to send him to the east as opposed to sending him to Houston or Minnesota?
06:09It doesn't matter.
06:10That feels like it matters the least to me in any sport would be the NBA.
06:14I'm not competing with Houston.
06:15I don't think.
06:16Not right now, yeah.
06:16I'm not competing with the Wolves next year and probably not the year after, or definitely not next year.
06:21Number four is Milwaukee.
06:23And the strategy here would be to trade the 20, 31, and or 33 first-round pick, but hold on
06:29to number 10, which they have this year.
06:30They have the 10th pick this year, which they could use on a cheap rookie.
06:34But this would also be determined based off of what they do with Giannis and his willingness to extend his
06:41contract.
06:42Yeah.
06:42I mean, basically, this boils down to Giannis, if we trade for Kyrie, will you stay?
06:46Yeah.
06:47That's what it is.
06:47And I don't see that happening.
06:51Milwaukee doesn't make sense.
06:52Giannis is going to be moved.
06:53And then number five is Toronto.
06:55And I don't know that Kyrie would really kind of accept a deal to Toronto.
07:00Why?
07:01Why'd you say that last night?
07:03It doesn't feel like he would want to go there.
07:06I don't think they're all that close to winning at all.
07:09Oh, I thought you meant the city.
07:11I was like, the city seems like a good fit for him.
07:13I mean, it's great if you just like a colder Detroit.
07:18Oh, I've never heard Toronto insulted like Detroit.
07:23Big Ralph told me that.
07:25He used to go to Toronto a lot.
07:26He goes, what's Toronto like?
07:27He goes, he's like Detroit.
07:28I thought this was a...
07:30Never mind.
07:31I'll keep it to myself.
07:32Oh, I mean, yes.
07:32I mean, there's that.
07:33But fortunately, that's Ottawa.
07:35That's where you are.
07:35Everyone has hated.
07:36Everyone has loved Toronto.
07:38Amazing.
07:39They say amazing strip clubs.
07:40Or is that Tampa?
07:41That's Montreal.
07:42Montreal, okay.
07:42That's Montreal.
07:42Amazing strip clubs.
07:43So, yeah.
07:44I mean, if it was Toronto, that would 100% be the way that when Masai Ujiri got hired,
07:50everybody immediately went, Jakob Pertl incoming to the Dallas Maverick, whatever.
07:53Don't know how it's going to happen, but Jakob Pertl will end up there because nobody loves
07:57him more than Masai Ujiri does.
07:58Minnesota.
07:59I love their desperation.
08:02That's the one.
08:03They're the most desperate.
08:04They're probably willing to overpay the most.
08:06They have to push it over the top.
08:08And, like, the question is, like, do you want back Randall and DiVincenzo?
08:14You know what I mean?
08:15Like, Randall would probably want to be here.
08:17Or are you just on the picks?
08:20Just stockpile picks?
08:21Oh, we start with the picks.
08:22Yeah.
08:23And then, you know, we kind of...
08:25Julius Randall's a nice player.
08:26Mm-hmm.
08:27You know, DiVincenzo, he can be a little role player for you, but we start with all those
08:32selections.
08:32So, there it is.
08:33The Kyrie possibilities.
08:34All right.
08:35Guess what Masai will do with it?
08:38We know.
08:38I mean, I know what the smart thing to do is.
08:42It's a no-brainer to me to trade him.
08:44I think he's going to trade him.
08:45He will trade him in the middle of the season.
08:48He will.
08:48He'll come back, and he'll play a little bit here, and then they'll trade him.
08:50That's the smart thing to do, I think.
08:52I don't think that is the smart thing to do.
08:54You're right.
08:54He might get hurt in the first half.
08:56Or he might be slow and ruin his value.
08:59The element of surprise to trade him now.
09:01So, if he doesn't, then I feel a lot worse about...
09:04And don't we want to...
09:05Like, is this...
09:06Don't you want to see...
09:08Has to happen before the draft?
09:10I mean, if you're...
09:11Are we just eliminating players being traded before this NBA draft?
09:14If you're hell-bent on getting a pick this year, or do you want to space it out?
09:18You want this draft?
09:19Yeah, I would.
09:20Because, I mean, let's just say it's Minnesota.
09:22Or Milwaukee, right?
09:23Milwaukee with the 10th pick.
09:25I would want that.
09:26Right?
09:26I would want three first-round picks this year.
09:28Next year, you don't know what the draft is going to be like.
09:31Now, I guess you could sit here and say, well, if it's Minnesota, what happens if there's
09:35an injury and they're automatically in the lottery?
09:37Okay, that's cool.
09:39Why?
09:40I was just going to say, I think it's similar to the Anthony Davis question, though, that
09:43existed, where it's like, well, why would you give people an opportunity to see him
09:46potentially get hurt or do other things?
09:47I was like, well, they're going to think the same thing on the flip side.
09:49Like, I want to see him play and not get hurt.
09:51I want to see him play and see that he's back before I go invest in it.
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