Free Agency Predictions: Paul George to Warriors or 76ers? Klay Thompson to Nuggets? | Nerd Sesh

Free Agency Predictions: Paul George to Warriors or 76ers? Klay Thompson to Nuggets? | Nerd Sesh

welcome everybody back into nerd sesh as always I’m Carson breber and alongside me is Logan Camden and if you guys can believe it we are just a couple days away from free agency the draft went by just like that but we of course covered it thoroughly so if you haven’t seen our draft coverage you can rewatch the live show that we did on draft night or the recap that we did the day after and you can make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you don’t miss any of that stuff but now we’re already on to free agency so just a couple days out from that whole party getting started we’re going to be talking about the best players in this class and what Landing spots we think make the most sense for them and it’s not the most stacked free agency class Logan we can be honest about that presuming that Tyrese Maxi is just immediately resigned to Philly the one dude out there is Paul George we’ve heard a lot of rumors about PG what do you think makes the most sense for him I think the two most logical destinations for Paul George in this free AG genc are golden state or Philadelphia and Golden State seems like they have a opportunity here a chance it seems like there’s mutual interest between the Warriors and Paul George and they’ve also just moved back the deadline uh on Chris Paul’s guaranteed money in hopes of coming up with some sort of sign in trade uh potentially between the Clippers and the Warriors or potentially with another team it just gives them a little bit more flexibility but I think PG Works in Golden state for a few reasons one we talked about this a couple episodes ago but just the Warriors timeline right like this is a team that can’t really afford to waste any more years of this Steph Curry Draymond Green core these guys are not getting any younger you know they can’t continue to straddle this fence of young timeline with guys like Jonathan kaminga and older timeline with Steph Curry and Draymond Green they’re just going to end up losing out on both scenarios so golden just has to make a decision on what they’re going to do are you going to bite the bullet and completely move into a rebuild towards the future which means moving off of uh a Steph Curry or a Draymond Green which I think is just Unthinkable in terms of what that would do to your fan base and you know these guys are franchise icons so I think the clear decision they have to make is to go and contend with the guys that they have right now and Paul George helps them a lot man he brings them uh you know kind of the same catch and shoot value that clay brings even more uh brings you way better defense than clay was providing you he brings uh some off the dribble shot creation but he also brings some secondary playmaking which is really what I think the Warriors need man it’s just another guy that can capably create shots for other people and alleviate some of this offensive pressure off of stefen Curry that’s probably my favorite destination I think Philly works too because in Philadelphia PG doesn’t even have to be the number two like he would be in Golden State he could be a number three behind embiid and Maxi both of these teams I I think make a lot of sense for Paul George going out and uh and contributing to winning at a really high level I think both of these teams would be legit contenders if they added Paul George and yeah I think that has to be the focus it seems like the Clippers relationship is a little bit severed he doesn’t really like the fit with James Harden and Russell Westbrook so I do think PG is leaving and I think the two best destinations are Golden State and Philly I do think that the Clippers should do whatever they can to try to bring PG back like we’re hearing they don’t want to give him a fourth deal on the contract that could be a Difference Maker golden state is willing to do that and hey I understand it PG is 34 years old you don’t want to be paying him like a superstar when he’s 38 years old cuz he’s not going to be producing like one but also if you’re La your chips are already all in man there’s no salvaging the situation especially because now PG can just walk you could work out a sign and trade with the Warriors it could also be that he goes to Philly and he’s gone there’s no recouping that value so I am of the mindset that although it is pretty unlikely that they’re going to win a title with this core in place they should be doing what they can to maintain at least a high level as a basketball team to keep that fan base engaged in a new Arena because again you’re not going to be able to do some seamless reset here and they were still really awesome with PG on the floor last year when he Harden and Kawai all played together on the floor at the same time they had a plus 10 net rating when Kawai and PG were on the floor together they maintained a 54 win pace which has basically been the case every year of that Tandem and this past team honestly I thought reached maybe the highest ceiling that we’ve seen in this PG Kawai Clippers era because of the additional shot creation that you got from James Harden they went on that tear where they were like 25 and five over a couple months so your future window is kind of screwed no matter what I would be doing whatever I can to be the best basketball team that I can right now that to me would really involve retaining PG but if that doesn’t happen and it seems very possible that it won’t I think Philly is the best option for Paul George and the reason for that is that there is legitimate title upside there that I don’t think the Warriors can quite match because when you are talking about Joel embiid who if he can stay healthy is a top five basketball player on the planet could have just an overwhelmingly dominant individual run throughout a postseason Tyrese Maxi can shoulder the load consistently of a really highend number two which allows PG to be your number three which at this stage in his career is the ideal outcome playing off of their two-man game being an elite spot up player but exploding for 30 35 a night in certain spots and then if he just gives you 15 it’s not the end of the world he’s overtasked in La when kawh Leonard is hurt he’s going to be overtasked in Golden state if their objective is to contend they’re just not quite talented enough Philly is the spot where he’s in excellent fit he can shoot he can defend he can play on and off ball at a really high level and he would unlock a ceiling for them that they don’t have to me just with maxi and be and role players unless they really nail the role player ads and upgrade from what they had this past year but the Warriors would be dope as well and the funniest thing that I’ve seen in a little bit man was this Stephen A quot going around did you see this of him saying that he doesn’t think that PG fits in Golden State cuz he’s not a catch and shoot player he would disrupt the flow of the offense which is just hilarious for a number of reasons like PG is an awesome fit in Golden State theoretically in fact he was second among all stars in catch and shoot points per game last year trailing only one Steph Curry he averaged 6.6 points per game on 67% effective field goal percentage off the catch he is incredible there off movement he is very willing to move away from the ball his release point is incredibly difficult to affect and he’s just a dead eyee he was a 94th percentile spot up player so if I’m Golden State I agree with you completely the two timelines it doesn’t exist in any way that is functional like that’s just not how you build a basketball team around the best player in your franchise’s history I think PG would be an awesome fit offensively and bring you more juice there which is essential the Warriors have been trotting out these lineups where you often have two if not three non-shooters you have Draymond na a big then you have Jonathan kaminga who’s a really good athlete but still needs to mature in various ways offensively can be a ball stopper not a reliable shooter if it’s Andrew Wiggins slotted in there he was very inconsistent offensively this past year and you have no real off the dribble creators alongside Steph Curry like no matter how great Steph is offensively he cannot turn that into a great offense you need the off to dribble juice that you got from even a Jordan pool a couple years ago and PG would be a nice blend of aome off ball value with some of that on ball juice the last team Logan that we just got a report about and it sounds like this is not going to happen but I thought this was very interesting the Denver Nuggets were apparently seriously interested in PG but said they wouldn’t want to move draft Capital to add him what’s your perspective on that I think the nuggets have to do something considering that it’s likely that they’re going to lose kcp he opted out of his contract I mean I’m all for it like the West is so so tough right now and the nuggets are are now going to be down two really key members of their championship team from just a few years ago you need to infuse like you need an infusion of of high-end basketball talent and I think it you think it’s a mistake that it’s apparently not going to happen though because it sounds like the talks have ended but they were serious for a time do you think that’s a mistake by the Nuggets I wouldn’t worry about future draft Capital if that’s what’s holding you up I can understand not wanting to give him a four-year deal if that’s the hold up right if that’s a component of the holdup for Denver I understand that but draft Capital would in no way inhibit me from going ahead and pulling the trigger I just think Denver needs really good basketball players right now their roster is you know their core joic mpj and Jamaal Murray and then it’s a bunch of young guys Paul George is a sure thing I I would if that was on the table I wouldn’t really worry about future assets I think I would go out and I would try to make that happen uh you know it puts them in a a really compromised situation with the salary cap just because they wouldn’t be able to maneuver around because you would be locked up into four players you would really have nothing to do on the margins right you’re signing minimum free agents and drafting guys but I really think they just need high-end basketball talent and so if I could acquire somebody like that I would kind of go balls to the walls man I wouldn’t worry about future assets again it’s like the the Golden State thing like my window is right now so I’m going to do everything I can to make the best winning team right now uh if that’s on the table I would definitely explore that if I was Denver PG would be an awesome fit in Denver I understand them not wanting to do this though because if you’re talking about some serious draft capital on top of mpj for a 34 yearold who you’re going to have dollar value got to make the contracts mostly match yeah I think that that’s where I’m aligned with you PG would be awesome and you absolutely want to add overwhelming basketball talent and it’s an arms race and I’m worried about the Nuggets right now because they’re in a position to be losing Talent if they let kcp walk which I do think is a mistake and we’ll get to that in a second if you add PG just in a straight swap for mpj at this stage obviously that makes you a better basketball team you’re improving defensively you’re adding more off the dribble creation you’re maintaining that Elite spot up shooting you’d also alleviate the burden on Jamal to be a super consistent high-end offensive number two which was obviously an issue in this past year’s playoffs and the lack of offensive versatility from mpj and kcp Beyond spot up shooting was also an issue their limitations there in that Minnesota series PG would really really help with that but what does that do for your window several years down the line because you have a really nice thing in place with your core four with joic Murray Aaron Gordon and npj and I do think if you make the right right moves on the periphery of that you can absolutely reassert yourself as the title favorite or as one of the top two title favorites and sustain that whereas if you’re giving up mpj and draft capital for PG it’s going to be really hard to replenish once he has inevitably declined significantly it’s very intriguing to have a chance at PG but I understand Denver saying no and I want to be clear when I talk about the Warriors adding him I do think that for Philly he could unlock a title ceiling depending on what they do around him for the Warriors I don’t think that that’s happening I don’t think there’s a title ceiling to be unlocked for the Golden State Warriors at this stage I just think overall the Personnel is too far away some of the key pieces have regressed too much the value has diminished too much for Chris Paul who knows what you’d be able to trade him for at this point Andrew Wiggins they’re apparently shopping aggressively I don’t know who wants to take him on but you can be a really really good basketball team with PG and that is still worth doing as long as you have Steph Curry on your basketball team you owe that to him because straddling this fence doesn’t work for me and it’s not fair to your 35-year-old Superstar who is still committed to you but Logan as we mentioned kcp has opted out of his $15 million player option to stay with Denver not surprising cuz he’s going to Garner more than that on the open market but we have heard new numorous quotes from Calvin Booth the Nuggets GM that makes it sound like they are planning for a post kcp world they’re talking about great teams have to find a way to replace their fourth and fifth starters we would be okay without him how do you feel about that Outlook from Denver and what do you expect to happen with kcp no Carson the nuggets are not going to be okay and that seems to be the profiling take across basketball circles uh a lot of people seem to think that this is just going to be a very simple okay we lose kcp we’re just going to plug in Christian Brown we’re going to plug in Peyton Watson and we’re just going to be AOK I think you are completely underselling cavius calwell Pope’s value as a basketball player if that’s what you’re thinking this guy is a two-time NBA champ he is a crucial piece to this core uh he brings you elite elite catch and shooting Elite spot up value he brings you a leap perimeter defense there are very few guards that I would take over him defensively and again like I mentioned earlier this is now looking like a very different basketball team than the title team you already lost Bruce Brown now you’re losing kcp I mean these are invaluable guards to your rotation they just resigned Murray to an extension I don’t blame them I think they should lock into this core of jic Murray mpj and Gordon but it is not just going to be as simple as we plug in Christian Brown you are losing a ton of value shooting and we just T we’ve talked so many times about how this is a machine and how this Collective just works right it’s all handson deck it’s everybody working together when you lose one of these pieces the entire machine can fall apart and I think kcp is that kind of crucial piece to this Championship puzzle man like if they lose him this legitimately takes Denver down a notch from the other contenders to me like I would I don’t know where I would put them you know this may shift them behind Oklahoma City this may shift them behind Dallas to me this may shift them behind the likes of Minnesota kcp is so so important and I think that it is imperative that this front office goes out and gets somebody that can replace you know like 90% of his value they should not I I love Brown and Watson as Wings Off the Bench I think they crushed it by drafting Don Holmes to be your four and five Off the Bench I like those guys but you desperately need a three and D2 guard very basically you just need to try to bring back kcp if you can and then two you need another Bench ball handler like you had in Bruce Brown uh a couple years ago this is a major major loss to me Carson like people that are just wiping this under the rug I think that’s a foolish take I think kcp is super important to the Nuggets Championship hopes and if they lose him that takes the Nuggets down a notch for me absolutely kcp is one of the best pure 3 and D Wings in basketball I think that looking at this as hey we can replace him we’re going to let him walk that’s inexcusable to me pay him $25 million a year like he is worth that on the open market he is absolutely worth that to you he’s an 86 percentile spot-up player he is both a great shooter and a super effective closeout attacker and if there’s one thing that this Denver offense needs more of it’s dudes who can uh both knock down shots and attack off the bounce use their athleticism and that’s where when you look at some of of The Replacements for Denver like a Klay Thompson that we’re hearing Buzz of I think that’s interesting you are losing some of that athleticism off the bounce though he’s also an elite point of attack Defender which you’re going to be losing value there if you try to replace him with some outside free agent and if it is just bumping up the responsibilities of Christian Brown who I really like that’s a big loss man I mean Christian Brown is going to bring you the energy and the athleticism he’s going to run the floor hard he’s going to play his ass off there are stretches where that man does not want to shoot the basketball and when he does shoot he’s erratic Payton Watson has the exact same conundrum I don’t want to understate how valuable it is just having a dude who you look at and you confidently say he’s going to knock down 40% of his threes off the catch and he’s going to take on the opposing team’s best offensive player from the perimeter unless it’s like a bigger forward then you have AG for that but if it’s a small guard like kcp is really really good in those matchups and it is a machine Logan it is a well-oiled machine and it was disrupted a bit by Minnesota in this postseason but that’s a pretty exceptional defense with a pretty exceptional formula to disrupt this nuggets offense and you got very bad Jamal Murray like I still believe deeply in the formula of what Murray can do as your perimeter Creator and shot maker having a finisher in the dunker spot like Aaron Gordon having niik jic doing everything he does as a post scor and playmaker and just dictating that offense at such a high level and then having two awesome Shooters on the wings like I would like a little more ball handling a little more athleticism in Denver that is one thing that kind of got exposed in this past run but I still really like that formula it’s been the best starting five in basketball they got like a plus 13 net rating over the last couple years and brown Watson Julian strawther like those dudes aren’t ready to be starting on a title team this year so I think it would be very costly for Denver to let him walk but if he does walk I think my favorite landing spot for him might be the Orlando Magic Logan another team that is heavily rumored in the Klay Thompson sweep Stakes but you could basically just significantly upgrade that Gary Harris spot you could do it at probably a bit lower of an annual cost than you would for clay and just adding an elite perimeter Defender an elite three-point shooter that would be awesome I also think if the Sixers don’t get PG then he could be a really really nice upgrade for them in terms of having a consistent highlevel Wing the Dallas Mavericks want him he would be fantastic for them now the Mavs have just put themselves in better position to resign Derrik Jones Jr by trading away Tim Hardway Jr to clear up some cap and I think that’s probably the route that they can go I also don’t think Denver would engage in a sign and trade with Dallas which is what this would have to be because that’s another big-time competitor out west like you get a little value back instead of letting him walk I’d rather let him walk to the magic I’d rather let him walk to the Sixers than give him to the Dallas Mavericks but he’d be great there like kcp fits in a lot of spots there man there’s a lot of teams I look at and I just think oh immediately they would be better at in kcp which tells Denver that’s why you got to try to keep that guy that’s why you can’t undervalue him but on the open market there’s a lot of teams that he could help and uh he would make Orlando more serious because right now the second guard spot alongside jayen Suggs just not consistent enough to me and obviously I would like for them to have like a real Dynamic offensive Talent a real Creator in the back court that guy’s not coming available in this offseason to me I was going to say that’s the ultimate limiter for Orlando is the fact that they don’t have like just a high-end pick and roll Creator a guy who you can just give the rock to and go fill it up but I mean he compliments sugs he brings you that element of reliable shooting and defense that you don’t have I also thought about I also like to say I I think he really works in Dallas that is like a dream scenario side Luca and Kyrie I also think he works in Cleveland you know I was thinking about their guard situation and their wing situation in these playoffs and I already know they have guys in like similar roles and what they do like in Max dreu in Isaac aoro I think if you added kcp again you get just way more reliable shooting and defense but it also gives you flexibility to to maybe move off of a Garland uh if you want to find a more malleable piece that fits alongside item right you could run Donovan Mitchell as your deao point guard Casp at the two aoro at the three and with Garin you could explore finding you know another complimentary Wing another complimentary big if that’s something that you wanted to do but like you said dude kcp is in this archetype that is just invaluable in the modern NBA he’s going to defend at a super high level he is going to shoot at a super high level and he’s reliable and consistent yeah basically every team in the NBA could use a guy like that and that’s why Denver needs to wake up turn the lights on and say hey kcp here’s a lot of money come and play basketball for us because you’re a really valuable asset uh I don’t think Denver can afford to lose him man it makes a real difference on my outlook for Denver as a championship contendor and I get that he just had a really rough postseason really rough I mean he struggled from Beyond The Arc in a way that we’ve rarely seen from him and that was costly particularly in that Minnesota matchup guys just not being able to knock down their spot up jumpers allowing allowing the t-wolves at times to double yoke it so aggressively and not being able to hold them accountable kcp was complicit in that along with mpj both those guys let you down he was also hurt though and I do think even though he’s never going to be a really high volume production guy it’s not just the three-point shooting in the perimeter defense as we’ve talked about in the close out attacking it’s also what he does in transition on both sides of the ball he’s one of the best transition defenders in basketball bball and he runs the floor so effectively offensively and there’s just really good chemistry there man there’s just really good Synergy and that continuity is so valuable to me I think it’d be a shame if Denver let him go but a potential replacement Logan as I just mentioned could be Klay Thompson we’re hearing Rumblings about that clay has had this sort of extended drama surrounding him discussion of whether or not the Warriors are going to resign him where do you think he ends up I have no idea where clay goes it apparently he wants in the ballpark of like $20 million a year I don’t think that’s really an egregious contract for clay at this point in his career I think if you were going over that I might push back a little bit I’ve heard Rumblings of potentially maybe PG to Golden State clay to the Clippers right if we did a little sign and trade with some other assets from Golden State included in that I kind of like Dallas I think Dallas would really be fun for clay like and I think it’s a value contract again maybe that’s a sign and trade with like a Tim hard away that’s not intriguing to me no he’s gone they traded him oh they got rid of him literally this morning yeah wow I hadn’t heard that where is he going he’s going to Detroit the team that has the most cap space in the whole league Dallas Detroit no that’s a good deal they got three seconds they just gave up Quenton Grimes I think it’s a win-win that that is a win-win I do like that trade well if they have cap space then I I love that for Dallas and the reason being is I think about what Clay is at this point in his career Kay needs shots manufactured for him right he needs people to generate good looks for him and what better location than a spot like Dallas where you have two high-end Advantage creators in Luca donic and Kyrie Irving like these guys generate more easy looks for their teammates than anybody else in the NBA and so on the inside you have guys like Lively and Gafford who were going to get spoonfed Ali oops clay just would break defenses in the sense that you’re either going to have to leave him open for threes to help off of Kyrie and Luca or you’re going to leave Luca and Kyrie on Islands because you can’t leave clay off I just think it would really bolster their offense and make them even more dangerous and for clay it’s a spot where he goes to contend and he can get easy shots manufactured for him there’s a lot of teams that need floor spacing they could use a guy like clay I think he works in Orlando like we’ve already mentioned I wrote down Detroit now that they have Hardway I don’t really think that’s as big a need I I think he could work in Denver I think he could work in Philly too but to me Dallas is probably my favorite spot for for both sides Dallas would definitely be a nice fit especially because Clay is obviously not what he used to be defensively but compared to like a kcp kcp is a a smaller guard relative to clay at 67 so there’s a little bit more matchup versatility there I mean kcp is a much better Defender but you maintain a little bit of size alongside your two guards if you’re Dallas the challenge for them would just be clearing up the cap because thj was like that midsize contract that you could dangle out in front of people now most of your midsize contracts you don’t want to move off those guys you don’t want to move off of PJ Washington Daniel Gafford and if you’re about doing a sign and trade with a team like the Warriors they’re going to want some real value and the Mavs just don’t really have those future Assets in terms of draft capital and then like the midsize contracts still out there are Maxi kba and Josh Green I wonder if that gets a little bit clunky and if it’s easier for a team to come in and sign clay outright however I do not want the Orlando Magic to be that team and we’ve heard a really wide range in terms of what clay value is going to be you say 20 million I’ve seen some Reports say that they think Orlando might throw him 30 million plus a year which to me would be a big mistake 26-year-old Klay Thompson would be perfect for the Orlando Magic you desperately need Elite shooting you just need more offensive punch from the perimeter and that was an awesome point of attack Defender that version of Klay Thompson like that’d be great I can see the vision there 34-year-old Klay Thompson who scored at SL slightly below League average efficiency this past year who’s bringing you minimal playmaking who has regressed defensively I would be significantly less interested in because Orlando’s in an interesting spot where you’re young and you’re good so you’re sort of straddling okay how much do we want to improve immediately versus how much do we want to maintain our youth in our upward trajectory I just think at this stage you want to maintain your flexibility you’re good but there’s not pressure to uh go out and sign a 34 year-old man like there’s going to be some star over the next year or two who comes available who is much more in line with your timeline Clay is just not the dude who I would be paying 30 million a year probably if I were anybody and also again if I could get kcp for less money if I were Orlando why would I why would I not do that he’s younger he could be cheaper and uh you getting more of the defensive value offensively of course Klay is still a more special shooter but kcp is really really good there I also thought about Detroit for clay just because you need shooting desperately thj not doesn’t solve that single-handedly and he’s not very good at basketball and cap doesn’t mean anything to them but ultimately I think that they’re probably going to want to remain the team that can like eat up other people’s bad contracts to take on assets for that as opposed to signing overpaying for a guy like clay who obviously doesn’t fit their timeline but like would just help them a bit in the immediate I don’t really really see that happening and when we get to Denver Logan I’m very interested in that I’m not going to lie I think that he could be really really effective in that situation now I’m not really sure why you would let kcp walk but would then pay clay but just when I think about the offensive fit I mean he would be an absolutely insane shooting weapon what has the comp been for mpj offensively right he’s sort of like a super sized clan in some ways just these insane pure shooters from Beyond The Arc at good size who can hit from any angle off any catch with any sort of footwork any alignment to the basket like just alltime gifted pure catch and shooters that is an awesome thing to put alongside a shot creating Duo like Jamal Murray and Nik yic it is extremely effective and Denver is such a creative offense there’s so many layered actions that they’re running like they do a really nice job springing dudes openin and there would be such a diminished burden on Clay there he’s your fourth option that really does excite me again you have to figure out if you’re Denver how are we getting back to the level defensively that we need to be at without kcp because in that title run they were an awesome defensive team and when you’re bringing in clay it’s not just that you’re downgrading defensively in a vacuum you’re losing the option particularly for like those guard matchups Aaron Gordon can take take on the bigger Wings who is going to be your primary Defender when you’re dealing with some of the best guards in basketball that was kcp and now those options are all going to be on your bench it’s going to be pton Watson it’s going to be Christian Brown that is where I worry a little bit about the clay fit but when I think about the offense I mean I salivate like I think that that would be pretty amazing again like we talk about with PG it’s not as good for your timeline but you wouldn’t be giving up assets like you would be to getting PG and I am a little bit worried about the lack of any sort of ball handling attacking off the bounce that Kay does have but that pure shooting man in Denver that would be something yeah I I can see it offensively I’m just worried about all the other things that you mentioned I mean you really I would rather just keep kcp that’s a better action for D 100% you know you’ve just got two slower footed guys who aren’t great Defenders I feel like that again come playoff you were likely elevating Peyton Watson or Christian Brown to you know getting 25 plus minutes a night taking on really big defensive assignments I just don’t know if if those guys are equipped but again Denver doesn’t really it doesn’t really seem like Denver has a choice on if they’re going to be able to keep kcp or not you know no they do that’s going to be they can pay him $25 million it seems like they don’t want to I’m saying that if kcp wants to leave he’s going to leave I’m not saying they can’t throw him money that’s why they can throw clay or kcp money I’m saying that if kcp is destined to get out of Denver he can just leave so if kcp just wants to leave you you’re going to have to find a guy to replace him Klay can give you a lot of that value back but yeah I I would definitely still view Denver is an inferior team to a lot of these other teams out west um a lot if if they at least three at least three I mean I just off losing kcp if they replaced him with Clay I mean I’m looking at them and Dallas and OKC on the same tier and I’m probably looking at Minnesota as like the number one wow I don’t know that I agree with that we’ll see what OKC does they’re the wild card and that they can get significantly better but also they’re letting some opportunities pass them by they don’t get Denny we’ll see if they ever make a move on marinan we’ll see if they make a move on hartenstein we’ll talk about that in a minute but as things currently sit if they don’t improve and they’re going to improve in some way but I think Denver could still very well be the favorite out west with KC with Clay instead of kcp I don’t think they would be quite as strong but the Minnesota thing is like pretty matchup specific not to say that Minnesota isn’t on like the level of these best teams but they are particularly problematic for Denver Dallas I don’t think their basketball Talent is quite in that tier I would knock them down just a little bit below I think they’re going to be really good I would be really surprised if they replicated a finals run so I think I’m higher on the clay fit I think I’m higher on Denver in that specific post kcp world than you are but I still don’t think it’s a world that they should just be totally comfortable with existing in what about just clay going back to the Warriors Logan what do you think the chances of that are and does that make sense for both parties uh I think that relationship is probably a little severed I mean I love it right like it the thing is is that I really think Golden State needs like an upgrade if Klay is going to be your number two next season offensively that’s a problem kay I think can be your number three on a good team right I don’t think he can be your number two I just think Steph needs more ball handling he needs another guy who can legitimately create advantages for people and Kay is just not that at this point in his career so I mean I can see it but I think it would have to be on to reduce contract and I think there has to be something in place with Wiggins and Chris Paul to move off of either one or both of those guys to get a legitimate upgrade and a legitimate number two if I’m bringing in clay back to be my number two he can just leave like there’s no point uh I don’t want to see Kay leave Golden State because I think him and and Steph are something special they’re one of the greatest spectacles in sports history man still there’s still so much fun to watch but they have to get a legitimate number two and if Clay comes in the way of that with his cap then I’m uh i’ I’d be okay with letting him walk it certainly cannot be plan a for them PG has to be plan a if I’m the dubs I’m all in on that I’m doing whatever it takes to make that happen I’m dealing Jonathan kaminga in a sign and trade I’m just adding the top 25 player on the planet to see how close we can get to these contending conversations if PG flops the problem is that there’s just not really a market to add high-end talents outside of that so maybe you do just have to bring clay back at that point but not a guy would want to pay more than $20 million a year and there’s clear limitations to him being overtasked as a number two option at this stage in his career and we know what the Warriors are they can be a decent playoff team unless they make significant changes they’re not improving beyond that so as much as I love clay appreciate everything he’s done in Golden State I think just for the basketball world it would be more interesting to see him elsewhere and it would be more interesting to see the Warriors try to upgrade that number two spot get ready for a night full of big fights and big action it’s UFC 303 and it can be even bigger jump in on all the action at draftking Sportsbook the official sports betting partner of UFC it’s super easy for first timers to get started try betting on something simple like picking a fighter to win go to the draftking Sportsbook app select your fighter and place your first bet it’s that simple the light heavyweight title is on the line in the main event but there are so many more Amazing matchups happening in Vegas and speaking of of amazing if you’re new to DraftKings listen up new customers can bet $5 to get 150 in bonus bets instantly download the draftking Sportsbook app now and use code nerds that’s code nerds for new customers to get $150 in bonus bets when you bet just five bucks get that big fight feel only on DraftKings DraftKings the crown is yours all right Logan we’ve mentioned Isaiah hartenstein he is the Premier big on the market this year what do you think happens with him and like you just mentioned Oklahoma City is the no-brainer dream fit I think for hardenstein in terms of what he brings and what Oklahoma City needs uh Oklahoma City’s biggest need by far is front Court help depth and size uh hardenstein gives you an ability to start him at the five in some looks against bigger teams and run Chad hren at the four if you need he also just gives you stability and size Off the Bench that you didn’t have last year right you’re talking about running Jaylen Williams as your backup five and these weird lineups where you’re just completely under sized Oklahoma City desperately needs size if that’s at the four spot if that’s at the Five Spot and hardenstein not only brings rebounding and defense he’s also a decent touch shot maker right he’s not a compl zero offensively goat like in that little intermediate range I’m just saying he’s not going to manufacture looks for himself right they’re going to be spoonfish to him from sgaa or somebody else but he can hit those shots and that’s valuable to have so Oklahoma City I think is the dream scenario I also think he works in Sacramento um Sacramento needs a backup five I don’t know if he’d be willing to just come off the bench for Sacramento in like 20 minutes a night behind domas I also think and this is not going to happen because this front office is one of the dumbest in all of basketball and uh they have no idea what they’re doing Chicago needs another five like Chicago needs a starting five Nicole Lovich is not the answer Andre Drummond is not the answer Isaiah Harton side could come in here and be the starter immediately and would be the best center on this roster um Chicago is one of the dumbest organizations in sports though so I just don’t think that he might not even be on their radar they might be thinking oh if we get another if we bring dear back we’re going to win 50 games next year and Kobe White’s going to be Finals MVP the Bulls are completely lost as a franchise so I think it works I I don’t think the Bulls know what they’re doing so the most logical fit to me out of all of these is Oklahoma City and and that’s kind of my question with hardenstein Carson do you think he’s okay with after this you know prolific playoff run from hardenstein a great playoff run with him in New York do you think he’s okay with going and playing a backup center for for a team again well OKC would be really interesting because I do think you would have the versatility to either bring him as your backup five or have him as you’re starting five with Chad at the four you’re going to be paying him like a starter though so my presumption is kind of wherever he goes he is probably going to start and that’s where I like the OKC fit but I don’t necessarily love it I love hartenstein as a basketball player I think he does so many things that are so valuable from a role playing Center defends at a high level protects the rim really well statistically one of the most effective Rim protectors in basketball an elite rebounder especially on the offensive glass really really strong playmaking five running handoffs spotting Cutters awesome touch shot maker like he is a guy who I would want on my team who I’d be willing to pay north of $20 million a year and OKC as we’ve talked about they are super slight they’re 28th in rebound rate this past year that is a limitation of theirs plan a in my eyes though has always been add a big Power Forward who can help check clean up on the glass but who can help you maintain your offensive identity playing Five out playing with Pace still an athlete who can handle and shoot and ideally playmake and I get it that’s a specific archetype but it’s not like those guys don’t exist Denny OFA was one of those guys he’s in Portland now Larry marinin is is a little different than Denny right you don’t get as much of the playmaking you don’t get as much of the defense but you’re getting an elite shooting for who can rebound the ball at a really high level and you’re maintaining your offensive identity and principles but if you’re not going to get that guy and that guy’s not on the free agent Market that has to be through a trade you have to be super proactive about that then you have to do something you have to upgrade your front Court in some way and I am a little bit concerned about paying hartenstein for four years just when you’re going to have to pay Caruso you’re going to have to pay cat you’re going to have to pay JB we’ll see who you can pay out of your uh young wings and guards with Kon and Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe like obviously sacrifices are going to have to be made but if you’re locked into hartenstein at $20 million plus for four years and your long-term Outlook is we’d rather have Chad as the five that’s not ideal so I like the basketball fit but I would most prefer to see cad at the five with a big four alongside him hardenstein would make them better though he’s a really good basketball player he would give them lineup versatility he is ready to win right now he is a winning basketball player with his skill set and with his heart and his effort we’ve also heard some ramblings about Orlando which I wouldn’t necessarily have an issue with just because there’s a lot of teams that I think would benefit from adding Isaiah hartenstein and he would be an upgrade at the five over Wendell Carter Jr over Goa bad who kind of got relegated but like he’s a guy who I think could draw a little bit of value out there on the open market but I would prefer to be oriented on adding a perimeter player a three and D guy a really skilled guard for Orlando both this year and just keeping those options available over the next couple years and I would love to see him back in New York I really really would the challenge is just Nick Claxton has set the market now Nick Claxton got four years 100 million I would rather have isah hardstein than Nick Claxton he’s a significantly more versatile offensive player and New York can only give him like 72 million over four years so if you can sell him on the hometown discount hey Isaiah come back win a title come back with all your boys it’s going to be oh so fun that would be amazing for New York and that would be really good for the winning prospects for hartenstein but he could go win in OKC as well and he could do it for more so New York’s not going to be able to compete financially it’s going to have to be lifestyle it’s going to have to be situation chemistry loyalty to the organization and I’m not sure if they can offset a$3 million difference there guys got to make sacrifices to win championships that’s actually the dream scenarios if New York could retain him just because he we already know how well he works in New York like him and Mitchell Robinson is so clutched to have just in terms of 48 minutes of really good Center play I would love that I I I thought of one more quickly here I want your opinion on this like what do you think of a spot like like New Orleans I know they get Missy in the draft but like maybe you bring Missy Off the Bench initially what do you think about hardenstein like being the starting five uh in Nola well I think that it’s a really good fit again I think that the challenge for them is going to be figuring out how to make the cap work don’t think that they could sign him outright so it would probably have to be some sort of sign in trade maybe a give back Larry n or something I definitely like the basketball fit I haven’t thought about that one but you get your Rim protection you get a little bit more offensive skill touch finishing you get a more versatile offensive player who is just more polished more ready to immediately contribute at an obvious position of need Harden Stein’s really good I’m excited to see where he ends up because he was obviously wildly underpaid this past year and uh I think he’s going to very much get right in that respect all right how about James Harden Logan not somebody who a lot of people are talking about because I think the presumption is probably that he resigns but he is a free agent what do you expect to happen with Harden yeah I expect Harden to go back to the Clippers I think he works there uh I think the Clippers need star power they gave up a lot to get him or they didn’t give up a ton to get him but they gave up some assets to get him like I think you have to try to retain him but you never really know what James Harden do you man like it’s kind of like trying to predict what Kevin Durant’s gonna do it’s like who the hell knows man like I don’t know what that guy’s thinking he could I don’t know man for all I know Scarlett Johansson’s bath water or something yeah or you P me and stroke my hair while I call you mommy man that’s disturbing I cannot believe KD actually tweeted that bro KD tweeted that with his patchy ass hair he he did that while he was practicing his his Jumper in the club man I mean that was tough for all we know dude James Harden could go back to Philadelphia bro like I just James Harden is such a you don’t know man there’s there’s no way to predict what Harden’s thinking where he potentially might want to go I think he fits in La I think he works there I think there’s a mutual need uh one of the Clippers for star power to have a legitimate point guard and Harden still has legitimate value like I’ve clowned on the guy a long time I have documented his flaws for a while like I I don’t like his defense obviously I don’t like how Reliant he is on his pull-up jump shooting but Harden is still one of these guys where as a number three or a number four we saw it in these playoffs can still explode and give you a 30 piece can still dime guys up and give you 10 assists tonight and make good decisions out of the pick and roll is he going to be frustrating yes is he going to probably get overpaid for what he brings you in terms of value yes Harden’s still a very valuable asset in the league today uh I think he goes back to the Clippers though because with that with his unpredictability I also don’t know if any other team if many other teams are jumping at the opportunity to go and get a guy like James Harden at this stage in his career at his age with his temperament and his volatility so I think he goes back to the Clippers I just think it’s the best fit for for all parties involved I’d be really surprised if he didn’t I don’t have a ton to add I also just can’t imagine him playing on five teams in five years that would be crazy man like that’s unprecedented I get that we’re in the era of player Mobility but he’s not even in like the role player phase I was trying to think about like who are the great team Hoppers you got to give love to Bob madoo Logan I mean Bob McAdoo was going from place to place let’s see what was the most teams that he played for five years CU you have him going New York to Boston to Detroit to the Lakers so uh he did one two three oh Bob McAdoo did five in five years congratulations James Harden but the thing is like he was over the hump by the end of that even it’s just really strange to me to think about and I do think that this is a situation where La you’re in on this core you want to win a lot of games who else is going to want to pay James Harden not a lot of other people if you don’t pay him you’re just screwed you’re not recouping that value I think that that’ll be the outcome how about Demar de rozan Logan we uh heard earlier this season that the Bulls wanted to build around him now we’re hearing a little bit of a change in the tides after dealing Caruso after picking 11th in this year’s draft seems like they might be more amenable to moving off of the D rozan LaVine vuvi era what do you think ends up happening with dear key word there moving off it’s like the Chicago Bulls have an option they don’t he’s a free agent you guys that’s why we’ve been saying you should maybe trade some of these guys before their contracts are up so you can bring some value back in because when they become free agents on the open market they can take a step back and they can look at Chicago’s state of uh of their organization and go oh wow this team’s actually nowhere close to contention and kind of idiots would be paying me and those other two guys yeah EX exactly and so it’s just this just encapsulates all of my issues with Chicago’s front office way to go guys you’re just going to let Demar walk for absolutely nothing you’re probably going to delude yourselves this off season into thinking that Zack LaVine is your building block and you’re going to go win the title or something the Bulls have no idea what’s going on man this is just the most Chicago Bulls thing ever letting dear go for nothing the one thing that is clear to me about dear I I don’t know where he’s going to go he should get the as far as humanly possible away from the Bulls they don’t know what they’re doing they’re nowhere close to contention dear you’re getting older go somewhere where you can win basketball games and the thing that makes this tough Carson is DeMar is such a skilled basketball player but the thing about him that’s always been the issue is it’s like where does he go and really impact winning at a high level like at this point in his career I don’t mean this in any respectful way to Demar D rozan if you like him as a basketball player because I think he is exceptionally talented mhm is he a six-man at this point in his career like I just don’t know where let’s settle down I I just struggle to find a logical spot where I really want him taking the ball out of someone else’s hands and taking touches from guys so I don’t really have an idea I’m going to Rack my brain here for a minute and see if I can come up with some destinations the one thing that’s abundantly clear about to me about dear is that he should leave Chicago he should get the hell out of there yeah I don’t think that there’s going to be a hot market for dear in the scope of his basketball Talent his production but I do think that dear is probably gotten underrated at this point he’s had a really interesting career Arc where it’s like he was this super fun athletic volume score in Toronto in an era where that sort of aesthetic was all the rage and uh he was on some really good teams then he had some of the playoff struggles and then with just the evolution of modern basketball it became okay here’s a wing who doesn’t shoot from Beyond The Arc who doesn’t defend at a high level who’s going to want that guy I think Loston that is just how awesome an on ball Creator he still is first and foremost as a scorer but also as a playmaker he is a legitimately good playmaker 91st percentile isolation scorer though in 80 six percentile pick and roll scorer he is still a really high level athlete still a very effective driver still gets to the line consistently still a lethal mid-range shot maker like he can produce at a star level he can bring real value for you offensively the concern is just where who is the team that is close enough where they want to make him one of their two or three most highly paid players and his limitations don’t come into the equation like I think about the Clippers naturally first year because it’s been an Open Secret for a long time that Demars wanted to go to LA because he’s from there he’s very proudly from there and the Lakers are out of the question at this point so you look at the Clippers especially with PG leaving and you think okay there is a star slot for them to fill and he brings more on ball juice than PG he brings more playmaking in a scenario where you’re down to kawh Leonard You could argue that dear is better for you just because he is more capable of carrying like a consistent on ball offensive load night after night but that’s not the scenario you want to be preparing for you want to be preparing for best case scenario not how do we maybe survive the first round how do we contend for a title and then dear is a worse fit as your third star because he doesn’t have that sort of seamless off ball value and shot making from Beyond The Arc he doesn’t have that sort of defensive value it’s tough I think that if you end up signing dear you’re going to look back at the end of the contract and you’re going to say was this worth it this didn’t really move the needle this isn’t the thing that put us over the top but he’s healthy consistently which is something that the Clippers desperately need he loves LA and he is still an offensive star talent to me just not the easiest fit but there’s not great three and D Wings who are just perfect fits out there for the taking like on this Market we’re talking about one we’re talking about kcp that’s part of why he’s so value he’s the one dude who like checks both those boxes at a high level who you can just sign outright and you do want to have insurance so that’s kind of the one spot that I look at Philly maybe if they didn’t go the Paul George route if they wanted a cheaper star but I think that that is a situation where although he can play well off of Maxi nmbi I would just want an awesome spot up shooter alongside those guys and those are two dudes who already are going to have the ball in their hands so much it’s not my favorite fit unless it like really enabled you to build out a better roster alongside him I would just rather have PG if I were Philly so this is kind of the Eternal dilemma with dear that has been for several years he’s really really good who’s going to want to take him on at this age with his limitations he’s not going to demand a crazy contract but you’re still probably going to pay him $30 million a year you’re going to pay him like a star or something close to it I don’t anticipate a hot market for that I thought about two other destinations for dear I think La could work I think Philly could work what do you think about him in Golden state if they did a sign and trade of some sort and brought him in as the number two guy behind Steph it would be interesting but it would be very counterintuitive to their system we’re talking about a emotion-based offense we’re talking about a team whose stars have always brought their value by moving away from the wall by shooting at such a high level Jamar would be an count intuitive fit there it would be a little bit clunky and you want to bring on ball shot creation absolutely but then when you consider his defensive limitations and just being sort of a misfit in that situation their whole offense would kind of have to look different maybe that’s who Stephen A thinks Paul George is like Demar is a spot where I think well catch and shooting actually obviously is not his game that to me would be kind of a desperation move from the dubs yeah they just don’t have a ton of great options and I think it at least PG bust man yeah it at least would help Steph in terms of having another guy that can at least go out and get his own shot which I think is a big need for them the other one I thought about what do you think about and again I don’t love the Dynamics of this fit What About Memphis well what would they be giving back that would have to be a sign and trade definitely it would be I just think I I don’t like it and the reason is just already you’re going to have to figure out how do we maintain a high enough level offensively in the half court while as we talked about maintaining our defensive strength which mostly requires a five playing alongside Triple J now you have a Zach eedi who stabilizes things on the glass who has a pure rim protector should be pretty good but if we’re talking about putting jaw downhill inconsistent pull-up shooter not a guy who’s going to want to take a lot of shots off the catch with Demar D rozan downhill not going to take shots off the catch I don’t think that fit works yeah I mean that’s kind of the thing with Demar is that there’s no real like perfect easy seamless fit for him across the league I I think wherever he goes it’s going to be a little janky but he still has a really valuable skill set and could help a team you know could help A team out with what he brings so I he’s the biggest X Factor not the biggest xfactor but the biggest wild card to me in this free agency I really don’t know who’s going to take that bait man I’m I’m super intrigued where he’s going to go if PG walks Clippers would at least be fun Clippers fans are probably tired of taking on Aging stars and trying to like force this sort of contention when it’s probably not ever going to come to fruition but you’ve kind of already made your bed at this point there’s not really getting out of the situation and that honestly just kind of perplexes me in the context of like the mpj deal not that mpj is like a building block as a number one down the line but he would be a young player who would fit immediately who would help you continue to be a really good basketball player and who down the line like would still have value for you a half decade from now I don’t know that you had to be like super pushy about the draft picks there like that’s pretty good getting mpj at all back for PG and any sort of draft Capital if on the clippers but I also understand understand that they want to try to hold on to PG and if they can then that’s probably still the best case scenario for them win 53 games next year lose in the second round get hurt disappoint everybody at least you won 53 games so that is all that we had to say on the matter we will be back reacting to the first day of free agency very late Sunday night or first thing Monday morning and see how this all goes down should be fun it always is hopefully there’s some fun trades in the mix as well we’ll see and will be here when it all goes down so with that appreciate you guys as always hope you enjoyed if you did there’s plenty more nerd sesh content all of our draft stuff on our YouTube channel lots of fun trivia coming up which you can also catch across social media some of the short form trivia stuff Tik Tok Instagram nerd Twitter nerd SES you can check out our merch atthe volume. comom and you can join our Discord to chat with the fellas to start a discourse and to move this country forward Logan that’s what we’re all about am I right can I get a hell yeah hell yeah brother can I get a booah booah can I get a cowabanga cowabanga man Amen to that brother and with that as always appreciate you guys I’ve been Carson braber I have been Logan Camden and this was nerd SES

With NBA Free Agency just two days away, the nerds discuss what to expect from the biggest names. Will Paul George leave the Clippers to join Steph Curry and the Warriors or Joel Embiid and the 76ers? Will Klay Thompson leave the Warriors to join Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets? Will Kentavious Caldwell-Pope end up with Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks?

Timeline:
0:00 Paul George to 76ers or Warriors?
12:45 KCP to Magic?
22:40 Klay to Nuggets?
36:25 Hartenstein to Thunder?
44:33 Will James Harden leave?
48:10 DeRozan to Clippers?

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