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  • 15 hours ago
Mitch Evans joins Steak to explore potential blockbuster Hawks moves involving Jaylen Brown and Giannis Antetokounmpo while highlighting Jalen Brunson’s growing legacy with the New York Knicks. The conversation concludes with a look at James Dolan’s unique motivation tactics for his championship squad.

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Transcript
00:00Obviously, the notion of Jalen Brown coming back to Atlanta was a place that he hasn't made any bones that
00:08is really appealing to him.
00:10He's got roots here.
00:12There's a lot about Jalen Brown that suggests that it would be great for the Hawks.
00:18Not only is he a marquee player in the NBA, but he wants to be in Atlanta.
00:22And it really is not far-fetched when you figure the Bucs are going to move Giannis.
00:28They cannot go into next year.
00:30Absolutely cannot go into next year.
00:31Well, one year left on his deal.
00:32Yeah, and it's just not going to work.
00:34That last year with Doc Rivers was a farce.
00:37He wants to play.
00:37He doesn't want to play.
00:38Is he part of the future?
00:39He's not and all that.
00:40And they're going to get in rebuild mode and load up on number ones.
00:43So then you go, who are the viable suitors, if you will?
00:48And the Celtics want Giannis.
00:51The Hawks, I think, should want Jalen Brown.
00:54At least he wants Atlanta.
00:55And it looks like with all the number ones we have this year and moving forward,
00:59and the Celtics willing to play, that it looked like Milwaukee would get their share of number ones.
01:03And next thing you know, you'd turn around and we'd lose maybe Risa Shea and Kaminga,
01:07possibly a Kongu, some number ones.
01:09But we'd end up with an absolute top ten player in the NBA or right there in Jalen Brown.
01:14Now, the problem now, as close as this thing is to possibly coming to fruition,
01:21is that Giannis wants to go to Miami, who is the other team that is real interested.
01:26One of the other teams.
01:27There are more than just one.
01:29Who are the other teams you heard about Giannis?
01:31Who else is, hmm.
01:33Well, right here on this, I don't have it.
01:35But there are some.
01:36Portland, I believe, was one.
01:38I think the Trailblazers were one.
01:39He's not going to go to Portland.
01:41I mean, certainly Miami.
01:42If the Boston Celtics can convince Giannis to sign a longer-term deal, right,
01:49max out whatever it is because Jalen's contract is $60 million next year
01:52or two years from now, and Giannis can get off of the Miami thing,
01:56I think this thing could happen.
01:59The problem is most players want to play in Miami.
02:02They always have.
02:02I mean, it has been an ongoing storyline, certainly with LeBron kind of at the top
02:08of that, Shaquille O'Neal at the top of that.
02:10Guys want to end up in Miami.
02:11It's a sexy place to play.
02:13They love the tax deals in Florida, obviously.
02:15Right, no state tax.
02:18So Boston needs to do a sell job.
02:20They're playing with Jason Tatum and Peyton Pritchard and possibly Derek White,
02:23if he doesn't get moved in company, puts them in a chance to win the NBA title,
02:26which, by the way, the Celtics, I think, are favored in the Eastern Conference
02:30to win it next year.
02:31Yeah, the numbers that were released the other day by DraftKings,
02:36Spurs plus $250,000, Thunder plus $260,000, Celtics plus $550,000.
02:42Now the – I can't believe I'm saying this – the defending champion Knicks plus $650,000.
02:47By the way, the Hawks plus $10,000.
02:50Yeah, makes sense.
02:52You know, this is what sticks out for me with this whole thing with Giannis.
02:56And, you know, look, I get it.
02:57He is one of the great players in the league.
03:00He's a physical specimen stud, can do whatever he wants from coast to coast on the court.
03:05He's injury prone.
03:06He has not been healthy since the title year.
03:10There was so much talk during the season this year.
03:13My friends will be, you know, oh, I want – the Knicks, oh, there's rumors the Knicks can get Giannis.
03:18I don't want Giannis.
03:20I love my team, I kept telling them.
03:22I love my team.
03:23I want to keep my team just the way it is.
03:25Do not – I don't even want to hear about this stuff.
03:27So, for me, sticking out, Giannis, yeah, looks great on paper, but can he stay healthy?
03:33How old is Giannis?
03:34He is 37 – 36?
03:3735?
03:38No, no, no.
03:3835.
03:3935.
03:40Giannis is 35.
03:42You got to look that up.
03:43I want Giannis.
03:44Listen, so at least turn your mic off if you're going to –
03:4831, I'm sorry.
03:49He's 31.
03:50Yeah, I was like, dude, no way.
03:51He's 31.
03:52Yeah, he's got five years to be a dominant player and continue to be that.
03:56Are you surprised Boston's ready to move on from Jalen Brown?
03:59I am.
04:00This is shocking to me.
04:01Why not try and rerun it?
04:02He was unbelievable.
04:04How about play a different style if you're the Celtics?
04:07How about not – we heard this about the Spurs in that game that they blew when they were up
04:1029 points on the Knicks.
04:12How about not jacking up frees every 10 seconds?
04:15How about that?
04:16Brad Stevens and Joe Mazzullo are obsessed with the percentages and all the statistics.
04:21The analytics.
04:21Yeah, the analytics.
04:22And listen, it worked for the regular season.
04:25It did not work in the postseason when they got cold.
04:27I think there's a 30%, 25% chance that this Jalen Brown trade happens.
04:34You have not heard the Hawks say, we love our team.
04:36We're not moving on from our draft picks or anything close to that.
04:39I think Jalen Brown changes it.
04:41But the Celtics are going to have to convince Giannis that at – how old did you say?
04:4431.
04:45At 31, that coming to Boston is a great place for him, a la Kevin Garnett late in his career
04:51as well,
04:52who said, I wish I had gotten there earlier.
04:53Otherwise, if he's committed to Miami, the problem is the Tyler Hero package is not as attractive to anybody.
05:01There's a third team.
05:03If Jalen Brown's in the mix, then they have the Hawks raising their hand.
05:06If Tyler Hero's in the mix, it is not the same as being able to get that thing to happen.
05:11So we shall see how it plays out.
05:13Knicks were everywhere, though.
05:15Yesterday, GMA, Today Show, Jimmy Fallon.
05:19Where are these cuts coming from?
05:20They were also on ESPN where Stephen A. Smith publicly apologized to Brunson for saying that –
05:27Yeah, he was unmoved by that, really, as well.
05:30Here's Brunson.
05:31Do you know what show this is on?
05:32Do we know, Bo?
05:32No, I think it's a couple of them.
05:34All right, here he is talking about the famous pay cut that he took.
05:38I kind of felt like, hey, this is on the table right now.
05:39Let me just get this out of the way so I can play free.
05:42I can play to the best of my abilities without having to think about what could or could not happen.
05:46And then, obviously, being able to be on a contending team.
05:48I knew that if I did this at some point, it was going to come back.
05:53Snake, he's now in the pantheon of all-time New York legends.
05:57I mean, you talk about names like Namath, Messier, Jeter.
06:04He's there now.
06:05Brunson is as big as it gets in New York for the rest of his life.
06:09Eli Manning.
06:10Eli Manning.
06:10Eli Manning.
06:11Reggie.
06:12Reggie Jackson.
06:13Yeah.
06:13I'm going to try to think about where he stacks.
06:16First of all, he is a way better player than Joe Namath ever was.
06:21It's not even good.
06:21Well, that was one season, basically, for Namath.
06:24Brunson in the Hall of Fame is one of the most ridiculous – look at his statistics, him and Bob
06:28Greasey.
06:28I get that.
06:30I don't want to start going crazy on that.
06:32But I'm looking at, like, one-year guys.
06:34Namath was a one-year guy, certainly for his career with the Rangers, Mark Messier, that one year.
06:39But Brunson's been really good.
06:41For four years now.
06:42I mean, it's not like he wasn't awesome last year.
06:44It's just he took it to the next level.
06:46But is he the greatest Nick ever?
06:48That's something that they're talking about.
06:50Walt Frazier and Willis Reed still have two titles.
06:53Here is – well, I guess the big cock yesterday was Ananobi.
06:58We're not going to hear much from him because he was – the viral social of Ananobi was Strahan and
07:05Stephanopoulos and Robin Roberts.
07:07Not smiling.
07:08Well, dude, he was –
07:09Yes.
07:10Whatever he was on.
07:12You know how people try to figure out what it is now, cannabis, and figure out, like, hey, I need
07:17something that's going to make me –
07:18And, you know, you walk into one of those stores in L.A. or these other places, it's like going
07:22to a wine store.
07:23Yes.
07:24And they're just like, well, what are you looking for?
07:25What kind of mood do you want to be in?
07:26Well, I'm going to a concert.
07:28Do you have any good, you know, cannabis for that?
07:30Oh, yeah, this is – I like this blend here.
07:32I want someone to help me sleep, whatever it was.
07:34Cookies and cream.
07:34Yeah, they have all these, like, literally on Rodeo Drive in L.A. and, you know, a lot of places.
07:40Well, I don't know what he was on, but it was not the let's get pumped up for GMA because
07:45he was catatonic.
07:47Ananobi was literally catatonic on that stage, and it's not worth playing because it's really all a visual, right?
07:55Yes.
07:55Can we, though, play –
07:57Everywhere he was, he was that way, by the way.
07:59Here's Mikel Bridges talking on his behalf about the Ananobi Game 4 tip-in.
08:05I couldn't believe that he had the, you know, athleticism to tip the ball in air and have control of
08:10the ball.
08:10So maybe one of them tip-ins would maybe go around the rim, but it seemed like he had a
08:13real good possession of the ball.
08:14It's crazy, crazy play.
08:16That was on Jimmy Fallon.
08:18Yeah, that was Jimmy Fallon last night.
08:19You know, I said, I don't know that you can have the statue be the tip-in.
08:24You can't have two statues, right?
08:26Right, so how do you have a commemorative statue for the 2026 Knicks and not have Brunson in it?
08:35Yeah, it's got to be.
08:36It's got to be Brunson.
08:37But the tip is the moment.
08:38I know, well, the tip is the moment.
08:40Yeah, but that was the moment to cap the 29-point comeback and win that game.
08:43But Brunson still won them the title with the 15 points in the fourth quarter.
08:48Are there statues outside of –
08:51MSG?
08:51Yeah.
08:51No.
08:53Because in Boston, you know, we have Dominique in Atlanta.
08:56They've got the Bobby Orr in – he's in the air after the goal.
08:59And there's what, Kobe and Shaq and some Lakers are out, a bunch of Lakers.
09:03There's Kobe, Shaq.
09:04Obviously, I was in Chicago earlier this year.
09:06The Michael Jordan, as soon as you walk in to the United Center, it's just a crazy, you know, statue.
09:14Real quick, one thing we did not discuss, and I have to say that I'm so thankful for as a
09:18Knick fan, James Dolan and the speech that he made to his team in April.
09:23Are we going to play some of that?
09:24I don't know if we have it.
09:25Well, we also have the 10 weeks before the playoffs when he says –
09:28That's it.
09:29That's the one.
09:30Yeah.
09:31Abstain.
09:32Talk to your wives.
09:34Be Spartan-like.
09:35He said no sex.
09:36No sex.
09:37He said be in the best shape.
09:39Get sleep.
09:40Eat well.
09:40And no sex.
09:41That's it.
09:43And he also said every one of your spouses gets a championship ring.
09:46Yes.
09:47I promise you.
09:48And if you're not married, find somebody you care about because I'm giving two rings to everybody, right?
09:52That was James Dolan.
09:54Hated in New York no longer.
09:56Not anymore.
09:57Not anymore.
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