00:00Now, from Danny Cunningham, who joins us on the Wise Heart Right, We Make It Right, called Kyle Wright Hotline.
00:05Danny Cunningham host of Locked On Cavs, as well as the Inside Shot on Substack, Cleveland Magazine.
00:10You hear him here on 92.3 The Fan.
00:12Nick Padone in for Anthony Lima.
00:14So, you don't have to—well, Nick might be a ball-knower, I don't know.
00:17But you're not—I don't know if you're going to be challenged the way that Tone challenges you, Danny.
00:20Ball-knower, ball-knower, ball-knower, ball-knower, ball-knower, ball-knower, ball-knower.
00:24Lots of knowledge here.
00:25Thank you for coming on with us, Danny.
00:27What is the most—how difficult do you think it is to make a trade with this team for Giannis, for
00:34LeBron, for just about anybody else?
00:37As of right now, do you think it's maybe wishful thinking by the fan base who is saying, we cannot
00:43run this back?
00:46I don't think it's wishful thinking.
00:48I think it depends what you determine running it back to be.
00:51Like, are you talking James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and that is just considered running it back,
00:56and other things can change, or are you talking about everything?
00:58Like, I think it depends on what your definition of running it back exactly is.
01:02I think moving one of those three guys is something that would be fairly difficult, and I think unlikely to
01:08happen.
01:08But anyone else on the roster, I think, makes a lot of sense to at least see what you can
01:14get for those guys.
01:14So I think it kind of depends on, you know, your level of difficulty for running it back kind of
01:19is what you determine running it back to be.
01:22Because could Jared Allen be somebody I think makes sense to be on the move this summer?
01:26I certainly think so.
01:27I think with this contract going up, with what you can maybe get for him, I think he's the guy
01:32that you look at and say,
01:32okay, like, if he is the best player in the deal, you still might be able to improve the way
01:37that you feel about things,
01:38where if you're trading Evan Mobley, I think you need to get back somebody that is better than Evan Mobley
01:43in the present day
01:44if you want to make that move.
01:46And I don't think they're trading Donovan, and they're certainly not going to move on from James Harden either.
01:50So I think it kind of depends on what your view of the situation is in terms of what you
01:55determine running it back to be.
01:56So if it feels like, Danny, that the backcourt is going to be back and Mobley is going to be
02:01back
02:02because of how much they've invested into his development and obviously that contract,
02:07it feels like Jared would be the odd man out.
02:09What do you think a return for somebody like Jared Allen could potentially look like?
02:14It's tough to know exactly who could be on the market because we are still early in this offseason.
02:19Obviously, you know, basketball is still going on with the finals,
02:21but I think that the Cavs need to look into getting somebody that can help out on the wing.
02:25Jared has been an awesome center, and he's been a really, really good player,
02:29and I think he did a lot of stuff this postseason to sort of dispel the narratives of him specifically
02:35that have been out there.
02:36I thought he had a very strong postseason given what was expected of him.
02:40So I think that they need to look into can they find a way to maybe repurpose Jared into a
02:46wing,
02:47somebody that can maybe be a starting small forward or somebody that could maybe be your second best small forward
02:52depending on who else you have there.
02:53So I think you have to think about it more positionally.
02:57Trey Murphy to the third from New Orleans I think would be an absolute home run.
03:01I don't know if Jared Allen's going to get that done,
03:03but I think you're looking at guys in that ilk as to who you would want to trade Jared Allen
03:07for.
03:08Boy, that's interesting there because he's such a weird player.
03:12I think he's completely outperformed his contract, Danny,
03:15and it just seems to be for like the biggest names.
03:18He just wouldn't seem to be enough, and it always felt like he was safe in that regard.
03:22But if we're not aiming for the sky there, and you're talking about a guy like Trey Murphy,
03:25maybe that is something that can be done.
03:29But part of the aiming for the sky with him that I do think made it a little difficult to
03:34move Jared Allen before
03:35is the contract that he was on.
03:36Because you're right, he did outperform that contract.
03:38He just finished up what was a five-year, $100 million deal that was $20 million a year flat.
03:45It didn't move from day one.
03:46He was just making $20 million a year, didn't go up, didn't go down.
03:49He signed that new contract extension that's going to kick in this upcoming season.
03:53He goes from making $20 million to $28 million.
03:56And when you think about the way that trades need to work in the NBA,
03:59so often, and you do have a little bit more flexibility during the offseason
04:02as opposed to like if you're making this trade in December or January,
04:06but so often you need to be concerned about matching money.
04:08And part of the reason why it was hard to trade Jared Allen is because, okay,
04:11well, who is in Jared Allen's class of basketball player
04:15that makes roughly the same or less money than he does
04:18that other teams are willing to part with?
04:21Like, you kind of have to think about it through that lens
04:23because then it starts to get kind of difficult.
04:26When you boost that up to $28 million,
04:28I think that pool of players that you could maybe acquire for Jared Allen
04:33does actually grow because maybe you're not open to being able to take on
04:36a little bit more money sending out Jared Allen
04:38as opposed to just the $20 million a year he was making before.
04:42Danny, I've been pounding the LeBron drum since last summer,
04:45and it feels like this summer I might actually have a chance.
04:49A lot of people have pointed to Jared Allen as a pathway to getting LeBron back.
04:54What would you say that the chances are for a LeBron 3.0?
04:58And in your mind, is it something that does have to involve
05:01somebody like J.A. going to the Lakers?
05:05It's hard to put a percentage on LeBron coming back.
05:08I think it's a very real possibility, though.
05:11Like, I think that the Cavs should go into this offseason
05:14having LeBron James on their mind and having him be somebody that can come back in.
05:18You know, I mentioned trading Jared Allen for a starting small forward.
05:21I don't know if LeBron James is the guy that that's going to happen for.
05:24And I do think that a sign-in trade with, you know,
05:27a 41-year-old coming back to Cleveland would be a little bit of a difficult thing
05:31because there are certain contractual stipulations that need to be met with the sign-in trade
05:35and 41-year-olds you don't necessarily want on super long-term deals
05:39and we don't know how much longer LeBron's going to play for.
05:42I think LeBron should be in the cards for Cleveland.
05:45Like, if they can go out and get LeBron,
05:47they need to do whatever it takes to get LeBron to an extent.
05:50Now, would giving up Jared Allen for LeBron James make the most sense?
05:53I'm not as sure as that.
05:55Like, I don't know if that is proper asset management,
05:58just considering what Jared Allen is worth, considering Jared Allen's age.
06:01Considering LeBron's age.
06:02Like, there's a lot that has to go into it.
06:04But I think at the right price,
06:07you need to be in on the LeBron James sweepstakes, if you will.
06:11I would be surprised at this point if he plays anywhere other than Los Angeles or Cleveland.
06:16I guess we'll have to wait and see.
06:17I don't think it makes a ton of sense for him to play in a different market.
06:21Like, I would hate to see him wear a jersey this late in his career that he's never worn before.
06:26So, for me, it's like, okay, either play in Los Angeles, play in Cleveland,
06:29play in Miami, or be done.
06:32Personally, I hope it's Cleveland.
06:34I think it'd be an awesome fit.
06:35I think it'd be a great story.
06:36But I don't know that giving up Jared Allen makes the most sense there either.
06:40Danny Cunningham joining us from Locked On Cavs,
06:43as well as the Inside Shot on Substack.
06:46Well, Danny, what about the head coach, Kenny Atkinson?
06:50How close was he actually to getting fired?
06:53Do you know that he was close to getting fired,
06:54or was this always the plan all along he was solidified no matter what he said
06:58to the media after postgame?
07:00I don't think he was close to getting fired, guys.
07:03And I know that there's a big portion of the fan base that wants him to,
07:06and I certainly think he said some things,
07:08whether it was at practices or after games,
07:11that maybe didn't come across the way that he envisioned them coming across.
07:14But I do think when you make a trade of the impacts that the Cavs made this year,
07:21when they send out Darius Garland for James Harden,
07:23it becomes really, really challenging to win that season at the championship level.
07:29Teams just don't often do it.
07:30And I'm not saying that Kenny had some great postseason,
07:33because I don't think that he did.
07:35But I do think that if you want to look at this,
07:37if you believe in Kenny Atkinson as the coach,
07:39and the Cavs had no reason not to after that first year,
07:43I think that you need to look at this and say,
07:45okay, we handed this guy basically a brand new team in February,
07:49and he got to the conference finals.
07:51And yeah, it wasn't always pretty.
07:53Yeah, it should have been a little bit of a smoother ride than it was to some extent.
07:56I certainly don't disagree with those things.
07:59But I do think you have to give him a training camp.
08:01You have to give him an opportunity to really implement the things
08:05that he thinks make sense and give this team some opportunity to grow together.
08:09Now, I don't know that they're all going to be back,
08:10and two teams are never the same from year to year, as we know.
08:14But I don't think the Cavs are ever close to firing him,
08:16and I think that's a big reason why.
08:18Danny, it certainly feels like James Harden is going to be back in the mix
08:23with the Cavaliers next season.
08:25Could that be their ticket out of the second apron?
08:29And could you explain to our fans how that's going to work?
08:32So James is most likely going to sign a new contract with the Cavs.
08:36So if he has a player option for this upcoming season,
08:39it is a, I believe, $42 million player option,
08:43but only $13 million of it is guaranteed.
08:46So James could pick up that option,
08:49and then the Cavs could theoretically say,
08:51yeah, no, no thanks, we're going to waive you.
08:53And then they only owe $13 million.
08:56That would save them, you know, you can do the math.
08:59That would save them almost $30 million against their bottom line.
09:02That's not going to happen.
09:03That is not going to be a pathway that happens,
09:05but that is something theoretically that could happen.
09:08But again, it won't.
09:09What is most likely to happen is James is going to opt out of that player option,
09:13and he's going to choose to become a free agent,
09:15and the Cavs will have his bird rights,
09:16meaning that they can go over the cap.
09:18They can pay as much money as they want for James Harden.
09:20Now, they're probably going to fine him to a contract
09:23that is either two or three years
09:25with around $30 million in average annual value.
09:29Which, you can do the math, again,
09:30saves them a good chunk of money off of that $42 million player option that he had.
09:35So when you add that in with the fact that Dean Wade
09:37is probably going to be somewhere else,
09:39he's going to, he's a free agent this year,
09:41and I'd be surprised if the Cavs re-signed him.
09:44I'm not saying that it's impossible,
09:45but it's something that would be surprising to me.
09:48You're looking right there at, okay,
09:50well, now you're already at a savings of right around $19 million,
09:54and that gets you really close to being out of the second apron.
09:57So I don't think that the Cavs are going to,
09:59and Toby Altman did say this,
10:00and this is something I do believe him on,
10:03he said that they're not going to dodge the second apron just to dodge it.
10:07Like, they will get out of it if there's a move that makes sense
10:10that they need to be out of the second apron in order to make happen
10:14because some of the restrictions,
10:16and I think when you're talking about owners that are willing to spend money
10:19the way Dan Gilbert is,
10:20I think the second apron is actually more restrictive
10:23in terms of roster building mechanisms that you don't have access to
10:26than the financial aspect of things.
10:28Like, the Cavs have not been able to aggregate players in a trade.
10:31If they want to trade two players together,
10:33they need to get out of the second apron.
10:34If they want to use the mid-level exception,
10:36which could be used on someone like LeBron James potentially,
10:40they need to get out of the second apron.
10:41So I think that them getting out of the second apron will probably happen
10:44because I think that there are some moves
10:46that they could potentially want to make
10:47that they need to have some roster-building levers they can pull
10:51that are not presently available to them.
10:53Danny, I know you cover basketball, but you're also a football coach.
10:5630 seconds, do you want to trade Myles Garrett?
10:59Yes.
10:59Myles, there's no chance the Browns are going to be good enough
11:02to win at a high level while Myles Garrett's in his prime.
11:05Get what you can for him.
11:06He's the best defensive player in football.
11:08It would stink to see him go,
11:09but I think it's the thing that would be best
11:11for the long-term future of the Browns.
11:14What is your definition of get what you can for him?
11:16Because that sounds like a low ball.
11:18Three ones and a really good player.
11:21He's the best defensive player in football.
11:23You saw what Max Crosby was going to get in a trade from the Ravens.
11:27Myles Garrett's a whole heck of a lot better than Max Crosby
11:30with all due respect.
11:31I mean, the really good player probably has to be like a rookie
11:33or a second-year guy because I got to go for the future.
11:36That would be great.
11:37Get a good player and a rookie contract in three ones.
11:40Sign me up.
11:42All right, Danny, I love you.
11:43Thank you very much.
11:45I love you more, Ken.
11:46Danny Cunningham, host of Locked On Cavs.
11:49The inside shot on Substack as well as 92.3 The Fan, Cleveland Magazine.
11:54He's all over the place.
11:55He's on the Wise Heart Right.
11:56We Make It Right, Call Call, Right Hotline.
11:58I compare the Cavs and the Browns all the time with each other.
12:01This, for the fan base, it's the exact opposite
12:04between these two organizations and what they want here
12:07over the next 24 hours.
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