00:00And welcome on ESPN NBA Insider, Bobby Marks.
00:03Bobby, it's great to have you.
00:05Welcome back to the show.
00:06Hey, guys.
00:06How are we doing?
00:07I mean, we're on LeBron watch for like the fourth time in my radio career,
00:11so we're doing pretty well.
00:12We're enjoying this.
00:13A little bit different, though, I think, right?
00:15I think it's, listen, if he comes, great.
00:17If he doesn't, he doesn't, right?
00:19No, we're hanging out of this one, Bobby.
00:24Yeah, but it's, you know, Brian and I went over to talk,
00:27and we talked to the length about it.
00:29This is different in the sense of that there's basically
00:31an even financial playing field for everyone, right?
00:34There's no, you don't have to make trades to clear cap space
00:40and basically kind of decimate your roster a little bit here.
00:44All the teams that have been mentioned on the whiteboard
00:47are all pretty much, you know, as far as what everyone can offer here.
00:53How this has gone, are you surprised that it seems like one by one
00:57that we are just kind of taking other teams, not naming the Cavs,
00:59and removing them, but we still yet don't have this actual decision?
01:03Yeah, I think, listen, whether it be, you know, it started with three.
01:09I guess it was last Monday or last Tuesday.
01:11It was Cleveland, Golden State, and Miami, and it certainly has expanded
01:16with Denver and Philly, certainly because of the Jalen Brown trade.
01:20Minnesota is up there.
01:23You know, we hear some other teams, of course, also.
01:25But, yeah, I mean, I think it's – I think we're just kind of in this holding pattern.
01:29You know, people say, well, what do you think?
01:31And I said, I know what you know.
01:33You know, I don't know what the decision – I've said all along, though,
01:36and I said it on TV last week, I thought that if you're just looking purely basketball,
01:43right, and I know you take the, you know, certainly the Cleveland part into it
01:48as far as them drafting him and already winning a championship,
01:51I think Cleveland probably has the best fit when you look at their roster,
01:56ready-made roster here.
01:57And I think all the teams have compelling arguments, but I just think what you have
02:01when you have Mitchell and Harden and Mobley and Allen,
02:07and then you have the shooters with, you know, with Maryland and Max,
02:11and then, you know, and Jalen Tyson's still there, of course,
02:14and, you know, you've got maybe some other things you could do.
02:17I think that's, you know, I think that's probably the most ideal spot here.
02:23But as I said, you know, Miami has a compelling case,
02:26and I think Philadelphia certainly does now.
02:28Not as high on the Golden State fit as probably some other people,
02:32just because I think there's so much work to do with that roster here.
02:35But we'll see.
02:36We'll see what LeBron wants to do.
02:38If LeBron does come back to the Cavs,
02:40where would that put them in the Eastern Conference, in your opinion?
02:45Oh, sure.
02:46I think it has to be right up there.
02:48I mean, listen, you got to Conference Finals a year ago,
02:51and we know, listen, if you win Game 1,
02:54probably the series is a lot different here.
02:56So I think you have to put them right up there.
02:59I mean, a team that had the best record two years ago, you know,
03:02and still finished in the top four and had a little bit of an uneven year,
03:07I think you have to, right?
03:09I mean, I never want to discredit New York because they're the champs,
03:12and they've brought back everyone except for Mitchell Robinson and everything.
03:16But I would think you'd have to put them right up there with New York.
03:20But the East is really good this year.
03:22I mean, this upcoming year, the East is probably as good as I've seen it
03:26in a really, really long time.
03:27I think when you have 11 teams that can fight for the top six,
03:32and now you add the Wizards into the mix with what they've been able to do
03:37in Miami with Giannis, and Kawhi goes to Toronto.
03:40Yeah, maybe the two top, two of the better teams are in the West with OKC and San Antonio,
03:45but I think the East is the better conference.
03:49What did you make of, in Rich Paul's video,
03:51that he said that if the Knicks hadn't just won a title,
03:54LeBron would definitely be going to New York this summer.
03:57It's very interesting, Bobby.
03:59Yeah, he could say that because they did.
04:02Yeah, so you're just not buying it.
04:04I don't know.
04:05I mean, listen, I never want to put myself in Rich's shoes,
04:09and maybe sometimes I do, but not in that spot.
04:12You know, it's interesting, like, as far as if they didn't win, would he have gone?
04:18You know, there's a lot of, you know, dynamics there as far as Rich working
04:22with Leon Rose at one time at CA, right?
04:24Like, there's a lot of different things.
04:28So I just kind of focus on, I guess, the teams that are kind of in this mix right now
04:33and not, you know, they won a championship, and it's great,
04:36and they are probably not in the LeBron mix.
04:39Bobby, at the onset of the NBA offseason for the Cavaliers,
04:44the prevailing thought was Don Mitchell would wait until next offseason
04:49to sign his contract extension, get the extra year, get some extra cash out of this,
04:53and yet the first day the Cavs are able to offer him this extension,
04:57this year he accepts it.
04:59What was your kind of take on that timing and not waiting until next year for Donovan?
05:04It's hard to turn it.
05:05I mean, listen, 270.
05:06It could have been, so he signs for 273.
05:10It could have been 359, 360.
05:12So it's an extra $80, $81 million.
05:15You know, listen, when you're putting guaranteed money in front of anybody,
05:19it's really hard to turn down.
05:21I know it's a lot of money in a fifth year and everything,
05:24but I think there's so many things that could happen.
05:27I think there's so many things, certainly injuries, when you take that into account.
05:31I think there is certainly, from an organizational standpoint,
05:35I think there's a sigh of relief because you never want a player just playing out the last year of
05:40his contract.
05:40And even though, you know, the situation in Denver, for example,
05:43like I believe Nikola Jokic, when he says that he is going to sign with Denver,
05:49but I don't know.
05:50I mean, what happens if Denver struggles this year and things go off the tracks and everything,
05:54and the dynamics are a lot different?
05:56You're going to basically be waiting for him to sign on the line in July and everything.
06:00So, yeah, I think it's – listen, I think for the organization, it's great that he's going to be here
06:06for the long haul.
06:08I think, you know, contracts like that typically don't age as well,
06:13and I'm not saying that Cleveland should have negotiated
06:16or they basically should have tried to see if he'd get him at a lower number and everything like that.
06:21I think it's – he'll be, what, 34 when they're paying him $75 million,
06:27which is sometimes it's not ideal, but those are the circumstances.
06:30Like the – as I say, similar with trades, like the circumstances when you have an All-NBA player
06:37who's, you know, still definitely in the prime of his career,
06:40the ability to lock him up for 40 more years beyond this year I think is a big advantage for
06:46the organization.
06:47Yeah, Bobby, I mean, Brad Stevens spoke yesterday about how hard it is in today's NBA.
06:51Do you have Tatum and Brown together and just how much that takes up your cap?
06:55Is it – well, do you think there was ever any sort of consideration?
06:58Like how much is that conversation and how much that now takes up?
07:03How much of that is now in play in NBA talk and NBA circles?
07:07It's just a huge number.
07:08Yeah, it has to be.
07:09I think it's – you know, how the rules are set up and how the apron –
07:14you guys went through with the apron this past year.
07:16And you're still able to do trades and everything,
07:18but it really makes you pick and choose as far as what you can keep and what you can't keep.
07:22And if you want to really build out your depth, you know, sometimes having two max players is not the
07:28way to go.
07:28I think where teams have a little bit of an advantage is if you draft well and if you have
07:34some draft picks.
07:35And I think Oklahoma City, they traded Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe, two guys who were in the rotation,
07:41but they still have all these draft picks coming through.
07:44And so they're a little bit different than anyone else.
07:47Like, I floated out today, and I don't know if the league will listen to me, but like, listen,
07:51maybe we get to a point on the next CBA where if you're a homegrown product, meaning if you get
07:56drafted,
07:56you know, in the case of, you know, Ellen Evans eligible again,
08:00and you're going to max them out that instead of getting charged 35% of the cap, it's 30%
08:04of the cap.
08:05And you get a little bit of a discount there.
08:07You know, it's a less than $10 million cap hit.
08:10And that gives teams a little bit more of the flexibility.
08:15Bobby Marks on the Wise Hard Right.
08:16We make it right.
08:17Call Kyle Wright Hotline, breaking down LeBron watch here.
08:21So this then brings us to James Harden.
08:23Obviously, people have talked about the fit with James Harden and LeBron James.
08:27Do you think the fit is an issue there?
08:30Well, I think the fit anywhere will probably be, you know, listen, you could talk about Philly, right?
08:35How does he fit with those guys with Maxie and Brown and Edgecombe and everything like that?
08:40I'm not concerned about, listen, if you have Harden.
08:42I know if you have Harden, Mitchell, and LeBron, you know, certainly, you know,
08:46there's only one basketball out there.
08:47And the last thing you want to do is have LeBron basically standing in the corner.
08:51You know, I think what you would want to do is probably, and I'm sure Kenny and Kobe
08:57and the group will study if he does sign with you.
09:00I think I would study how the Lakers played after the All-Star break, where LeBron was the third guy.
09:07But he was really good as the third guy, and his numbers were as efficient as they were.
09:12And I think they were like 24 in those games and everything.
09:15And you had Reeves and you had Luka on the court with him, guys that certainly need the ball also
09:19here.
09:20So I'm not worried about the fit.
09:23I think they'll, you know, they'll be able to figure that part out.
09:25So we're getting reports out of Sacramento.
09:28A Sacramento radio host is saying that it's the Heat and the Cavs as two teams connecting themselves to DeMar
09:34DeRozan.
09:35When you hear that, what do you think?
09:37Yeah, I think it's – I don't think I tie it into LeBron at all.
09:43I just think DeMar – you know, DeMar gets waived in a financial-related move by Sacramento.
09:48You know, he's probably the – you know, besides the guys we think are returning with James and – we
09:53know we're returning James and Cleveland and Draymond and Golden State and, of course, LeBron.
09:57He's probably the second-best free agent out there.
10:00So I think unrestricted free agent.
10:02So I think that's – I think that has appealed to a lot of teams.
10:05It's ironic that all these teams that are in kind of the LeBron sweepstakes are all holding on to these
10:11roster spots,
10:12whether it be Cleveland or whether it be Miami's got a bunch, Philly's got a couple, Golden State's got a
10:18ton.
10:18I think they've got four or five here.
10:19And I think if you can get DeMar DeRozan and whatever the cost is, if it's the vet minimum at
10:24$4 million or maybe it's a little bit north of it,
10:26he had a really good year.
10:28But it's – sometimes it's a little bit of the style, too.
10:31That will be important here.
10:32But if any of these teams, whether it be Miami or Cleveland, you can get him, I think that would
10:38be a coup as far as a guy that can either start or come off the bench.
10:42Bobby, should we be worried about the Donovan Mitchell contract extension aging poorly?
10:47Well, the history has shown it never does age great.
10:52I mean, all the – whether it be Bradley Beal or John Wall, I said that you kind of get
10:58in a little bit of a danger zone when you have players in their 30s.
11:02And I'll say – I would say this is the same thing about Giannis in Miami.
11:05Like that – you know, listen, when you have, you know, guys in that age in that, you know, when
11:11he's 33, 34, making, you know, $74, $75 million, it's a huge number.
11:17I think it's a matter of what the rest of the roster will look like in two or three years.
11:23But as I said, like, you're kind of in that – you know, you're a little bit in that gray
11:26area because, you know, if you're going to – do you want to negotiate?
11:30The market next summer, I would say, is a lot better with teams with cap space.
11:34So that could come back and to bite you a little bit here.
11:37And I don't think you want to kind of have that hangover your organization.
11:40So, yeah, I think any time a 35% max guy in their – who will be in their mid
11:45-30s, I do always think there's a little bit of caution there.
11:47What should be the best plan B if they don't get LeBron?
11:51Everyone talks about Kaminga an awful lot.
11:53We obviously – I mentioned DeRozan there.
11:55What's the plan B?
11:57Yeah, I mean, there is the – you know, there's about 30 or 40 free agents that have finished rosters
12:02on the roster.
12:05You know, Kaminga is an interesting name, certainly, from the area, I would think.
12:09I think where Harden's number comes at, I think we'll have an idea as far as what the flexibility is.
12:15I think, you know, if James isn't at $32 million to $33 million, you're basically staring at the vet minimum.
12:21But I think Kaminga would help.
12:22He played well after the trade with Atlanta for the second half of the year.
12:29I think, you know, DeRozan still, even if there is no LeBron, I think him – I think the ability
12:34to start,
12:34I think the ability to come off the bench as a sixth man, I think the beauty of that is
12:38if he starts,
12:39he pushes everyone else down and it helps your depth there.
12:43Bobby, obviously, we did hear from the Celtics organization after the Jalen Brown trade,
12:48the owner saying it wasn't about money, Brad Stevens talking about the fit with Paul George.
12:53I want to get to the Philly side of this, though.
12:57Jalen Brown, Joel Embiid, Edgecombe, Tyrese Maxey, what's the thing that could hold that team back
13:04from being in the NBA Finals and winning the NBA Finals next year?
13:08Embiid. And I would say that with – if Paul George was still there, I thought – I always think
13:14that Joel is the X factor,
13:16no matter what. And I think you guys saw the greatness of Embiid in the first round against Boston when
13:24he came back.
13:25I mean, how great he was. And I think you saw him in the second round as far as, you
13:30know,
13:30basically how much a first-round series takes its toll on his body.
13:34I think that's the biggest X factor. I mean, a guy who was MVP at one time, how does his
13:40body hold up throughout the year?
13:42And where is this team at the end of – or mid-April?
13:48Bobby, it's been a weird year in Cleveland with the Miles Garrett trade, with Jose Ramirez got hurt,
13:54the fact that we're potentially looking at Watson and Sanders as our quarterbacks there.
13:59But we do have LeBron watch, so it's been good for us. We hope LeBron watch continues to be good
14:04for you guys.
14:05Hey, listen, as a Mets fan right now and as a Jets fan here, I would basically trade my two
14:10teams for what you got.
14:11Oh, Mets fan.
14:12So if you ever want to make that trade, let me know, all right?
14:14We want to trade for Wendor.
14:15And one of us does.
14:16I want to trade for Wendor.
14:18The whole rest of the group?
14:19You can keep everybody else, but I want Wendor back.
14:24Sounds good.
14:25All right, Bobby, be good, buddy.
14:27We appreciate you.
14:27Bobby Marks there.
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