Andy Bailey: Utah Jazz draft grades | NBA free agency + MORE
[Music] oh I love this next guess he is my brother in yic arms well you’re both in Mountain like crazy Inner Mountain States yeah he’s a cowboy though I’m a cougar you’re a you you’re a Weezer you identify as many you’re kind of across the board aren’t you yeah I could use I could use either of the fan bathrooms I know you can’t no I could Andy Bailey uh joining us now with Bleacher Report um he is an NBA writer Insider and I just have always loved and appreciated his fight for Nicole yic Andy how you doing I am doing pretty well thank you for that kind intro I love being on this show oh well we’d love having you Scotty G’s out so Tim lome former BYU coach and our our current Jazz Insider analyst prea and post he does an amazing job sitting in with us as we’re trying to digest some NBA free agency and Andy the way I put it I just feel like the next six days are jealousy and envy when you’re in the state of Utah because everybody else is doing something fun and and Utah just kind of gets hosed it feels like every single year take us through some of the free agent the early free agency um deals that we’re seeing well yeah I I can see how Jazz fans might feel that way especially in the middle of a rebuild um when your team is not in the action there there’s always a little bit of um that feeling that you’re missing out but I’ve thought for a few weeks now this is this is another summer for Utah to just be kind of patient unless they’re going to tear it down even further and I think there’s Arguments for for both approaches um Utah is in a tricky spot because they’ve got a fringe all NBA Talent with Lori marinan uh but he complicates a tank and the 2025 draft is going to be really good and I think you want to have a lot of losses this season if if you’re in their position so it is a weird spot for the Jazz to be in I I think there could be some fireworks in terms of a marketing trade but I again I think it could go either way um obviously some big moves around the rest of the NBA I think the Paul George fit is just about perfect I think the Klay Thompson fit is just about perfect for the Dallas Mavericks the Thunder I while the while the amount that they paid Isaiah hartenstein was kind of eye popping uh their team has gotten a lot better this summer which is crazy because they were just first in the west um so there are a bunch of teams loading up and I think it’s going to be another year of parody right after the Celtics won there I think there was kind of a lot of takes that okay is are the Celtics good enough to finally break this streak that we haven’t had a repeat Champion since the Warriors and I there’s going to be seven eight nine teams again that I think could legitimately win the title Andy had to inform Hance that you’re actually a baller yeah back in the day Andy I didn’t know this were good well I don’t know about any of that I think so I think you were I coached against you okay where did you coach I was at Utah uh what years did you play you might be thinking of my brother Mark I I you I played um I played in junior college and then I played for D3 on the East Coast but Mark was the Mountain West Player of the Year at Wyoming okay okay yeah I got you I don’t I got you mixed up with your brother okay I will happily lineage confusion yeah um he was he was a phenomenal player and we sure hated Utah for those years yeah I bet you did but love BYU I’m sure um oh yeah definitely hey Andy your thoughts on the draft U last week and you know kind of what stands out to you what do you what do you think about the way the Jazz went about it and what they ended up with I you know I I had to do grades for the draft for Bleacher Report and I think Utah may have won won the draft if there’s a you know if there’s an unofficial winner they were the easiest a for me to give out um and it wasn’t like they had I mean they they entered with three pretty decent picks and they used them all like they didn’t have to do a lot of Wheeling and dealing to get to what they did it was just kind of the way the draft broke um Isaiah ker or Kier I’m not exactly sure how to pronounce it maybe you guys can correct me on that him and Cody Williams were both top five picks in their High School class or top five Pro prospects um and then Kyle filipowski was a top five Prospect in his class too and to have all three of those guys kind of drop to you is kind of amazing to me and there are obviously reasons they slid to where they did in the draft but that’s a ton of potential and a ton of pedigree in those three guys and it’s at three different positions it’s big wing and guard and so I think Utah’s young core got a lot better in this draft and and part of the part of the Dilemma that they’re in now is I would want those guys to have as many onc court reps as I could this year and then if you can add somebody like Cooper flag or Ace Bailey to that group next year in the draft I mean then you’re really cooking like I I could I can see the argument now I think more clearly than I ever have before to to Really tear it down to the studs and just play a bunch of young guys I was just talking about that Cooper flag Ace Bailey Jalil Bea there’s a a handful of guys that are are projected I think Cooper flag pretty much predominantly is announced as the number one overall do do do you feel any confusion in that Andy I don’t and I it’s funny I was uh you know I’m not super locked into the draft year round like a lot of other guys do but I just happen to be doing some stuff on the draft this morning and um my stock answer to the question for years which which player do you think would look better in today’s game um I always answered Andre Kinko to that I just I just thought in today’s like pace and space game where he could have been like a playmaking center he would have been ridiculous and this morning I thought well we we might now get a chance to see that with Cooper flag um I’ve gotten a chance to see him in person a few times um and the way that he moves for his size his his explosiveness especially on defense is really impressive like he’s he’s going to be a pretty Dynamic Defender I think from day one um may take a a little bit more development for him on the offensive end but he’s got great skills there too like I I again I think he could be like the fully realized modern version of Andre kolinko which is a very very very good player Hansen and I talked about some of the big moves that have been made free agency um the Eubanks move of course being the top of that uh big waves Andy big waves but the Paul George one stands out out to me you mentioned it briefly but uh to me it seems like if ego doesn’t get in the way um that that could be a pretty special situation I love Tyrese Maxi um I think he is just a quintessential winner I love the effort he gives the way he flies around doesn’t matter what game’s going on he flies around uh but it’s the you know to me it’s the uh it’s the I don’t know can can those guys hang out and play together embed George and Ma see can they make it work your thoughts on that uh I absolutely think it can work I I think you know Paul George isn’t the player that he was five years ago of course he’s he’s not the lock down Defender that he was but he’s he’s even better as a shooter I think in the last few years than he’s ever been like he’s a much higher volume volume three-point shooter Than People realize and one thing I’ve thought about him for years is he’s one of the most malleable Superstar talents like he’s played with guys who hold the ball a lot and he’s he’s fine to be a floor spacer a guy who attacks Closeouts like I I he’s a plug-and-play super three and D wing for anybody and it especially Works in Philadelphia where you know two pieces of the big three are a guard in a center and it just naturally makes sense to put a wing in between them uh I I think that Trio is going to work uh brilliantly frankly I mean the caveat obviously with them is going to be health and I think George played 70 some games this season which was good but he’s had a hard time staying on the floor before this year and obviously Health has always been the problem for Joel embiid so you always have to have that asterisk when you’re talking about the Sixers and you know they could very well fall apart physically before or during the playoffs but if those three guys are healthy and I’ve liked some of the other moves that they’ve made to kind of you know add on the fringes too they’re they’re one of those teams that are certainly in the mix to you know at least be in the Conference Finals which is something that mb’s never done before so Andy I heard you briefly mention the L Markin and rumors that are out there and I know you pay attention really close attention to Utah and Larry in particular I I know that you’re a fan of of his game and what he’s able to do give me the odds that he leaves Salt Lake in in your opinion and give me two or three destinations that we could see him potentially land well how’s this for a political answer I’m I’m going to say like 50/50 Maybe maybe 55 45 that he leaves um he I I’m with you in that he’s a phenomenal player I think he’s a really unique player too he he given the amount of shots that he gives up he barely touches the ball relative to other stars like he is a quick decisive player who’s either going to the rim to dunk it or to shoot a three and I just I love how No Nonsense his offensive game is and that makes him an ideal like number two or number three option for a bunch of other teams and I think he would be phenomenal in OKC um they obviously have a mountain of picks they can send to Utah and I think it’s gonna it’s probably going to have to be like five or six firsts I I think to entice you taught to do it and OKC is a team that I think can justify paying that price um and the other thing about marinin is his contract is I’m pretty sure his salary for this season is under 20 million so it’s very easy to move in terms of like CBA stuff so OKC has the salary to send back they have the picks to send back so that that’s really intriguing and if they get him hartenstein and Caruso in the same summer it’s it’s crazy to think about how good they could be and then another team that was mentioned by Windor on his podcast this morning uh Brian Windor from ESPN is the Spurs might be interested and they’re another team that has a lot of draft capital and another where I think he would just fit perfectly I mean the amount of length and uh athleticism in a in a four five combo of him and wi Bama is just crazy and obviously Chris Paul setting both of those guys up they’re he’s he’s going to make their lives easier he’s another guy that you kind of have to knock on wood in terms of health but um two spots where he I think he could just Thrive and I this just came into my head like I can’t think of an Eastern Conference team right now but it just it sure seems like the West is just hoarding all the the talent and it’s going to continue to be a blood bath for the foreseeable future I mean if if he if he becomes you know the second or third option on another Western playoff team it’s just kind of seems unfair to the other teams in the west but that’s kind of where we are I’m with you on the the OKC fit I think peruso hartenstein and marinan would be like tailor made for those guys I mean they they are those hard noosed tough get a bucket players do whatever it takes um so okay see Spurs uh Golden State’s another name uh that’s being thrown around yeah so I’m going to ask you this question uh obviously you can’t have wmy off the Spurs um in OKC uh you can’t have Shay um and in uh in Golden State obviously you’ve got to pick from you know the younger guys name me one guy on each of those teams that you wouldn’t do a deal without well it’s interesting with with in San Antonio it would be more about the draft assets than anything to me um if I’m the Jazz I’m I’m probably pounding the table saying we need to be bad and and you can be bad and still get young players back obviously so maybe maybe somebody like Kellin Johnson from the Spurs might be interesting but even he isn’t necessarily you know young young anymore that there may not be as much developmental Runway with him as some other guys um he certainly wouldn’t be a deal breaker for me either I don’t I don’t honestly don’t know if there’s anybody um on I mean I’d love to insist on Kayan Wallace from the Thunder but I’m I’m not sure how intrigued they’re going to be when you bring that name up um there there are certainly guys there’re certainly guys you can ask about I’ll just put it that way uh for Golden State I think it’s a lot easier like I they don’t have the draft Capital that those other teams do and they do happen to have some interesting young players so if he’s going to go to the Warriors if I’m the Jazz I want multiple guys I want I want Pensky I want kaminga uh maybe even Moody like give me give me two or three of those guys and salary filler and the picks that you do have and maybe we can talk because they have some young guys that are really interesting I think especially Pensky is like a a complimentary Talent would be great anywhere uh including on a rebuilding team like the Jazz so they have a lot of young talent that would be interesting is Denver a player in the in free agency right now their offseason has been um strange though maybe maybe not unexpected um I mean certainly Calvin Boo has kind of gotten into a habit of telegraphing his moves here in his first couple years on the job um he he basically said a couple weeks ago we’ll be fine if cavius Codwell Pope walks and I I don’t necessarily think he’s like crazy there um I think Christian Brown might be ready to step into the starting lineup now you have to trust some guys that you haven’t seen much from in terms of depth you know now that that’s probably going to happen um STW is going to have to be better one of the guys they drafted last year might have to play that’s like Jaylen picket Hunter Tyson or um you know dep is going to be a question the reason they’re not necessarily they’re not a player to do anything big is because they’ve already had so much money committed to their their main core guys and the new first apron second apron all that new stuff with the collective bargaining agreement just makes it really hard for expensive teams to maneuver uh the main thing that we’re hearing about and and a guy from your neck of the woods Tony Jones has reported on this they might be interested in Westbrook which is kind of fascinating to me in a sense of like can can joic be the one guy who can figure out how to make it work with Westbrook but then on the other side of that coin a Denver media person said we’ve already seen a team try to replace kcp with Russell Westbrook and it was a disaster and he was obviously referring to the Lakers so that could go horribly wrong but I am like just from like a basketball sicko perspective I’m fascinated to see what that would look like well Andy we’re excited to see this thing continue to play out and see what the Jazz end up with and if it is in fact the only move that they made is is what they made earlier today but I’m I’m hoping that they can find their way into the top parts of that draft because I think you’re right I think there’s a lot there to be built on and and a lot of potential to be had do you think uh as you look at just the last two years of the draft and pretty much six total first round picks that they’ve taken in the last two years do you expect them to move forward with these three that they just picked and go through summer go through camp and go into regular season with all three the guys from this draft I I do think they’ll probably keep um I like this draft class more than the last one that they had which is kind of funny because the last draft I think was a lot more highly touted by draft analysts and experts and I think that probably was just sort of a residual effect of Victor wanyama being in there um I think part of the frustration for jazz or at least a segment of jazz fans over the last couple years is is they were kind of good for the first couple months of e of each of those season and that pushed them back in the draft um but it worked out for him this year like like I said I think all three of those guys have potential to be good players Cody Williams is somebody I’ve had my eye on um really all season because he plays just down the road for me his brothers in the NBA um and I and I do think there is something to that um you know the the pedigree there with the with him and Jaylen Williams um and each of those guys interest me Williams k and uh filipowski for different reasons like I I I think yeah these these guys could all be long-term pieces of the future and it’s weird to say because this draft was supposed to be weak I I do think I like this class better than last year’s all right Andy one-on-one with your brother right now today how does this thing go down well his knees are pretty shot um I was gonna say good I remember he got hurt take him off the dribble yeah well he’s still quicker than me I I would don’t have any hey it’s your mind man it’s your mind he played professionally for a while after college and messed his knees up even further um but now I’ve got this sort of like yic thing going on with my postgame where I’m 50 pounds overweight and I can’t really be moved inside um so I’m gonna be honest and say he’ll still beat me but it’s going to be real competitive and I want a video of it I just I just want a video of it that’s all I want Andy well I’ll I’ll leave you with this um you’re years ago my me and three of my brothers all happened to be playing pickup and it’s five on five but it quickly devolved into two on two there was two Bailey’s on each side and the the trash talking was intense and everybody else was basically just running to the corners and watching us just go at each other with the intensity of a thousand sons and Mark was killing me and talking all kinds of trash and years later some guy came up to me and said I was there that night I I haven’t played pickup basketball since then so get pretty wild I remember the Bailey battle Yeah I was there I saw the blood bath yeah well Andy I love it you do great work appreciate your time as always we’ll we’ll keep paying attention to what you’re sending out go follow Andy on Twitter he has a great job a lot of great Insight Andy thanks again yeah thanks for having me guys always love being on take care Andy that’s Andy Bailey with the Bleacher Report great NBA riter we got good bad and ugly coming up next hey bro you hear us every day with our crazy opinions hey what you doing well now it’s time to hear from you hey great show download the KSL Sports app and fire off your thoughts with a call-in tab on the bottom of your 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• Bleacher Report NBA writer Andy Bailey
