Winners & Losers of NBA Free Agency | ALL NBA PODCAST

Winners & Losers of NBA Free Agency | ALL NBA PODCAST

[Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Heat. Hey. Hey. Hey. [Music] What is up everybody and welcome to the AllNBA Show powered by FanDuel, America’s number one sports book. Get started with 150 and bonus bets if you win your first $5 bet at fandal.com/allmbba. I’m your host Adam Mahz. I’m joined by my esteemed colleague Tim Leggler. Sumar Legler they’re calling him. How you doing, legs?
What’s up, man? I’m all right. I’m all right. Uh, yesterday was uh an interesting day. It started off slow and I didn’t know if we were going to get much. Then we got a lot. So, we got a lot to dive into.
It was kind of funny. You know, we’re used to free agency begins and it’s like 10 deals in the first minute. And I don’t know if it’s because Adam Silver is threatened, hey, I don’t like the tampering or what, but there was about 90 minutes where nothing happened. And it it was kind of a funny start to it all. Um, we’re all going to have to adjust our strategy as media. We’re all gonna have to adjust our strategy of, hey, this stuff will take a little bit of time, but here we are 24 hours later, legs, and there are some major deals. I asked you last night which teams you wanted to talk about, and you identified the Nuggets, the Magic, the Hawks, the Rockets, and then today with some of the news that happened, the Milwaukee Bucks get added to the list. So, that’s what we’re going to those those five teams stood out to you. They did. I mean, there was there was others, too. There was a lot of interesting movement around the league, even the Clippers. Like, there was a lot there. Um, but for very specific reasons. But for me, I think two more than any else stood out at the top, Denver and Houston. And
it’s it’s it’s you know it’s almost like for Houston this mentality of going allin because you just acquired Kevin Durant and you know you’ve got probably a two-year window with him to try to make this happen. And so their mentality is let’s close the gap with OKC. We acquired Durant. Let’s do everything we can to win right now. And then for Denver, this was a situation where, you know, I’ve said all along, I didn’t think they were a one championship group when they put that thing together with Joic, Joel Murray at the top. And, you know, started to wonder if that was the case. And to me, they’ve reloaded in a way that’s going to make them again a threat in the Western Conference. And they gave Oklahoma City a sevename series this year. They played them as well as anybody did, but they needed something for a reset and a refresh. And it feels very much like that’s what Denver did. So for me, those are the two teams at the top of the list that I think made the most noise.
Well, let’s start there. Let’s start with the Denver Nuggets. They made the trade. They have had Michael Porter Jr. since 2017 or 2018. They have had him on the roster and he’s been part of their core. He struggled in some playoffs, although he’s been great in other playoff series. And he was on this big contract. Denver moved a 2032 first round pick and him to get Cam Johnson who I think on paper is the same player as Michael Porter. You almost do a one for one swap. But I like Cam Johnson’s fit despite having similar skill set. I like his fit on this roster for a couple reasons. He’s stronger I think defensively and I think he’s a smarter offball mover that will fit into their system a little bit better. So, as much as it’s a lateral move, I actually love this for Denver. Before we get into the other implications just as a one for one player swap, there is no question to me that it’s an upgrade. And I understand that like you can look at both of them sort of similar size. Uh both have beautiful shooting strokes and you kind of think, okay, it’s lateral move. I think some people and the reaction I was looking at yesterday just all around was was was kind of like that. Like, yeah, it’s kind of like a lateral move for them. I don’t agree with that at all. I think I think Cam Johnson is a much better defender and he he’s not someone that’s going to be attacked on that level. He’s just stronger. He can keep the ball in front better in an isolation. He’s better at fighting over screens. He’s got a little bit more physicality to him on that end of the floor. So, I think it’s a it’s a pretty significant upgrade there. Now, Michael Porter Jr., to give him credit. He did improve throughout his career and he actually became a pretty good defensive rebounder um for his position, but this is still an upgrade in that area. And I think even in terms of like consistency with open shooting, similar, but Cam Johnson can do more off of down screens. He can do more where he’s moving before the shot to get his feet set even with range. For Michael Porter Jr., You know, a lot of those felt like he had to already be standing there and his shoulders facing the basket for his consistency to be there. Cam Johnson is different. You can run him off of different types of action and it should give, you know, Adam new uh creativity like with that roster, even those familiar with those guys, you know, like a new weapon now in your offense that I think you can utilize a little bit more than anything you could do with Michael Porter Jr. So, I just think it’s an upgrade all the way around um that trade. It it it was not surprising. We kind of were wondering where this was going to go with Denver. And Cam Johnson’s names come up in every trade rumor for the last three years. There’s never been a trade mentioned. Even teams that didn’t involve Brooklyn, Cam Johnson’s name somehow came up. And he’s finally moved. Man, the piece that everybody thought was this crown jewel in a trade, he’s found a new landing spot. And I know that’s got to make everybody in Denver very happy. Adam. Yeah. And real quick, so I want to go on the point you made, which I think is the most important one because the defense, I agree with you. I think he’s a better defender. So that’s I think everybody can understand that they’re equal shooters. Michael Porter might actually be a little bit of a better shooter. Statistically, he’s been a better shooter. How much of that is playing with Joic? We’ll find out. But the difference to them offensively to me, the number one difference is Cam Johnson is a significantly better route runner. And when you’re a shooter on the perimeter, you’re either standing still in the corner as you’re talking about. Okay, I think Michael Porter has a slight edge, but they’re pretty equal. But when you have to come off of pin downs, read the court, shortcut screens to open it up for somebody else or come around a DHO or by the way screen. A lot of times how shooters get open, especially in today’s NBA, you’ll set a little flare screen or a back screen and then release into open space because you’re trying to get things out. Michael Porter was such a skinny guy and he’d had the injuries. He was a really bad screener. you’ve almost couldn’t use him in in actions involving a screen because he wasn’t effective at it. Cam Johnson very good at those rip actions. Back screen, release into a little handoff and get a shot off. So, I think he is a better route runner and he is going to allow Denver’s offense to flow better while being more or less the exact same quality of knockdown shooter. I like I like that point a lot and I’m going to add one more layer to it. The other thing he’s really good at is, you know, when Denver runs any sort of two-man action in the middle of the floor and then there’s a dive, you there’s this there’s this gravitational pull coming off of the opposite wing or corner because you’ve got to sort of congest the lane initially, particularly if Joic is diving where Cam Johnson is so good. if he’s in the corner on the weak side, his ability to float from the corner up to the wing like quickly to find that open gap. So, he’s really on the move. It’s kind of like a dead sprint or or a side shuffle like float up the floor 15 20 feet to get to the wing to create a better passing angle. He’s really good at that action. And some of that is instincts and reading it and understanding where the pocket is. And I just think he’s got better overall natural instincts than Michael Porter Jr. I think I think he’s going to be less frustrating
for Denver fans. And I know Michael Porter Jr. man had big nights and he had he came through some nights and when he played well they were a totally different team. I just think there’s going to be fewer nights where you’re like Cam Johnson is as quiet as Michael Porter Jr. could be on certain nights. I think that’s going to be a big difference for them. And look, I know Michael Porter Jr. played through that injury and and it was it was brutal to watch. Like he was trying to play clearly wasn’t himself. Even though it was his not his shooting shoulder, it affected his ability to get the ball up painfree to the release point. It was obvious to me. Um and that was a tough way for him to end like his Denver Nugget career, you know, his stint there. And he’s going to go to Brooklyn. I don’t know how he’s going to feel about that. I don’t know what what’s going to happen to him there. I just know that they’re getting a player back that is it’s just going to be a much more consistent fit
around their stars. Um Cam Johnson is is really going to be somebody that Denver fans are going to love right away. I believe.
Yeah, I think so too. And now you have three guys alongside Joic and Murray who all know how to play the game, read the court. Aaron Gordon elite at it. Christian Brown elite at it. Cam Johnson elite at it. So now you have three guys and in a read and react offense where you have Jokic who if you’re in the right spot he’s going to find you. You now have three guys that I think will be in the right spot every single time and I’m excited to see what that looks like. But it also legs opened up flexibility because he made 20 million less than Michael Porter. So it’s a huge savings for the Nuggets which allows them more flexibility now to make these other moves. And they made him by adding Yonis Valenunis, who they were able to acquire in a trade for Dario Sarich. He is a true center. Denver desperately needed a true center. Last year was DeAndre Jordan. This year they’ll have Yonas Valenunis. And they also brought back Bruce Brown who’s had an underwhelming last two years, but he was very good obviously in the championship season. So they needed depth. You look at what they did. Replace Michael Porter with Cam Johnson. Replace Russell Westbrook with Bruce Brown. replaced DeAndre Jordan with Yonas Valenunis. I think you could argue all three of those are an upgrade. Maybe Russ and Bruce some in one hand out the other. Different players, but but good. So, I look at this and think Denver made three important upgrades to their rotation. Well, what were we, you know, complaining about with Denver a year ago? More than anything else, it was the depth and and it really exposed itself in the postseason. They didn’t have everybody fully healthy, but it was obvious they didn’t have the depth they needed and they went out and they addressed that. Man, Valentino is a great pickup. I mean, he’s just he’s a highly productive player um in the minutes he plays. And then Bruce Brown, you get this ultimate utility knife player back who had a incredible year in Denver. Big part of their championship team. I know that was difficult to see him go. And now he’s back in the fold on a one-year deal, but still, you know, with Denver right now, I just think it was disappointing to lose a game seven in a fashion that they did. And and and people were kind of I think a little bit surprised almost they took OKC to seven games. So, you kind of felt on one hand, man, you know, maybe we’re closer than we think, but at the same time, you didn’t know where the reinforcements were coming from. How do we keep pace with with because you know other teams were going to be doing things in the west to improve and they have and they’ve done it man. This is what they did. They went out and they just they they put a fresh coat of paint on this thing and it feels like Yeah. It feels like they’re ready. They’re ready to now be very relevant in the West. And I think this they’re a team you’re going to have to take seriously all year. We’re going to consider them a contender if they stay healthy the whole season. And I think we were worried that Denver might fall out of that contender tier. They’ve been there for the last three years. They won one title. They were in the mix, you know, the last two years, didn’t get it done. And it felt like maybe they’re on the downside. I think these trades now put them right back up to where you look at it and say probably a top five team in the NBA, assuming everybody can stay healthy on that roster and they still have deals to make. But another team, the Nuggets didn’t win the offseason. I think they’re in the short list of teams that have had a very good week. I think if there was one team that won the offseason, it might be the Houston Rockets. Obviously, we’ve talked about them adding Kevin Durant and what that means, but they followed it up by adding Clint Capella on a three-year deal worth 21 a.5 million. Dorian Finny Smith, very versatile forward, who I think is a championship caliber rotation piece for you. Four-year deal, 53 million. And they were able to retain Steven Adams, Aaron Holidayiday, Jeff Green, Jabari Smith, Jan Tate, Fred Van Fleet. So, they basically run it back while adding Kevin Durant, Capella, and Dorian Finny Smith. What do you make of these moves? Yeah, I mean, I love it. Absolutely love it for Houston right now sitting here, man. I’m looking at them as as I think the second best team in the Western Conference. And like, I know they were a two seed this year, but at no point at no point did anybody think that was a legitimate contender, right? A lot of things fell into place for them to end up a two seed. and they only had a what twoame lead over like three other teams. So it it it really wasn’t a clear-cut two. I think now they are not only potentially could be a two seed. They might be the second best team, they might be the biggest challenge to Oklahoma City. You know, Durant answers the biggest question of all for them. How do you how do you close games? What is your identity and go-to offensive player? Who’s the guy that can go score against any layer defense? That’s Kevin Durant. But it wasn’t enough. Dorian Finny Smith is a massive acquisition. I mean, he’s a role player, but he’s one of those guys that we both know what he does defensively and his ability to space the floor and knock down corner threes. This is a major acquisition. The Click Capella thing surprised me a little bit because I’m sitting there going, okay, you’ve got Shenon, you resigned Stephen Adams for three years. They played two bigs quite a bit in the in the Warriors series, but that’s because they had a clear advantage in that series and Golden State had a hard time with that two two big man lineup and Stephen Adams really hurt them on the offensive glass. Yeah, you have a third center. So like they have three guys really none of whom play any other position. They all play center only. So that’s going to be interesting. I guess their mentality is, you know, they want to be big, they want to be deep. They’ve addressed both of those things and now look, you know, you kind of figure Stephen Adams at this point of his career is probably going to miss a large chunk of time at some point in the season. Capella missed time last year. So, I guess the third center is just an insurance policy because they plan on playing two bigs. It was successful for them last year to finish the year and now you’ve got a third one in case somebody goes down, you still have the ability to play two big. So, I guess that’s what that was about. I didn’t see that coming. And then a key also Adam, they retained all those guys. You know, Jabari Smith they retain uh was a big one. They retained Steve Adams. They redid Fred Van Vleet’s deal to keep him in the fold. So they lose Dylan Brooks. Yeah. Okay. The toughness factor, I get it. But but Dorian Finny Smith can guard too. And he’s he’s just a much more consistent like shot guy in terms of staying in his lane. Like Dylan Brooks would get out of control a little bit with some of his shot selection. More more of a wild card. And then you you lose Jaylen Green. Okay. He’s a very talented player. I don’t think anybody thought that that was going to be the solution. Like Jaylen Green at the end of games. Did you trust him? You’ve gone in a different direction now with with Durant as the identity of your offense around a great defense and a rising star in Aman Thompson alongside Durant. So I just love everything that Houston has done including locking up Ema Udoka. So like they’ve had an incredible offseason. It’s it’s probably to me the best of any team in this league. I think one of the keys to their roster, because I like their roster on paper, their top end of their roster, I think it’s really good. When you talk about they win a championship, you get to the playoffs, what do they have? They have some really good guys. But what I think is going to get them there is their depth. They now have is that 11? Bring that up again, James. Was that 11 or 12 guys that you could all see playing on any given night? That’s 12 guys, 12 deep. And then just look at the size. All right. Fred Van Vita is small. Amen. Thompson’s enormous for a shooting guard. Kevin Durant, we know how tall he is. Jabari Smith, Shangun, and then off the bench, Dar Dorian Finny Smith has length. Uh, Tari E has size. Steven Adams and Clint Capella, they are enormous, athletic, long, and I like the way the pieces fit. So, to me, they should be a team that wins a lot of regular season games because of their depth and their defense. And I think they should win a lot of playoff games because they have talented players with Kevin Durant anchoring them in the half court. To me, I I I agree with you. I think they did everything right this off season. uh and and they should be considered in tier one of the contenders.
Well, I think the other fascinating thing about them for me is the way that Ahmed Thompson finished the season. If you recall, go back to that series with Golden State. Go back to the particularly the game seven against Golden State that they lost when Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler were great in that game. The player that looked the most comfortable on the floor for Houston was Aman Thompson. He had a mid-range jumper in that game. He hit a three in that game. did all the other things on the glass and playmaking and guarding people that he always does. He just looked like he belonged so much on that stage. So, who knows how quickly he turns into a star cuz right now it’s like all about potential with him and he’s clearly a disruptive force defensively. First half of the season, I mean, he might turn into a legitimate bonafide star by like mid January at the rate he’s improving. So, if that happens, with everything else that they’ve that they’ve done, man, Houston Rockets have significantly potentially closed the gap with the Oklahoma City Thunder, it’s going to make the Western Conference really, really interesting. You’re right. I love all the size. Now, there’s one key comp one key component we didn’t talk about. And I and I think, look, they drafted him last year for a reason.
Is Reed Shepard is Reed Shepard ready to be the backup to Fred Vanble Vleet? Because you think about it this year it was Van Vleet and Jaylen Green out there together but then when like Van Vleet was off the floor it was Jaylen Green running point or if Van Vleet was hurt it was Jaylen Green running point. Now it’s like Fred Van Vleet and then you’re going to go to Jaylen Green unless you know they they they it doesn’t or I’m sorry to Reed Shepard unless they don’t like the way Reed Shepard looks early in the year. He’s clearly going to get an audition at the beginning of the year. If for some reason he doesn’t look quite ready, do they go to Aman Thompson more? Yeah.
As like the backup point guard, he he might be on that list.
I’m really interested to see that as well. The guy was the what, the third pick in the draft, I believe. I mean, that’s a really high pick. I know that they didn’t want to give him up this summer in any trade. They made that clear to Phoenix. They weren’t going to give up Reed Shepard. So, they must really believe he can be that guy. That’s that’s one more question I think for them. But for the most part, they’re loaded, man. They’re loaded with size and talent and experience with some youth mixed in. They’ve got a little bit of everything. I think Reed Shepard now becomes their X factor. And I am curious, by the way, if they do anything else, you know, this off seasonason because they do have, as much as they have this great depth, there’s also some guys that might not come along. If you say Reed Shepard, you’re going all in for what does Cam Whitmore do this year? is he a guy that is now in a tight spot because you have so many good players you can’t even play him and now you’re wasting a young pick. You got to get him off him early. So, I’m curious to see what they do now. But their roster has the flexibility built in and I think they won the offseason to date so far. Let’s take a break. On the other side, another team that’s a candidate for winning the offseason is the Atlanta Hawks. I’m very high on them and think they might be a top four team in the Eastern Conference. Is legs as high? Let’s find out together on the other side. First, let me tell you guys about the Hall of Fame app. Have you ever been All right, back here segment two. We got a couple more teams to talk about legs. If you’re enjoying the show, make sure you hit the like button. Make sure you’re subscribed so you never miss. We’re down to two times a week this week and will be for the rest of the month, but there’s a lot of stuff going on in the NBA right now setting the stage for next year. You won’t want to miss it. The Atlanta Hawks made the big trade, a couple of big trades here uh in the offseason. They acquired Nikquille Alexander Walker, my guy Nquille Alexander Walker. They got Chris Porzingis in the trade. You know, I had to throw it out there. They’ve als they’ve also got Luke Canard on a one-year deal and they acquired the New Orleans Pelicans unprotected first round pick next year. They lose Levert Capella Nyang and Man. I like their roster now. When you look at the depth that they have, a little bit of shooting, ball handling, defense, length, they have a bunch of different things. What do you make of those moves that they that they made? Yeah, I I I don’t know that I like it as much as other people, but I understand why just in general we’re going to la it. I I think look, you bring in guy like Canard, I think that was a nice piece to pick up. Um considering what he can do in spacing the floor is a guy that led the league in three-point shooting two times. One of the one of the highest level percentage three-point shooters in the history of this league now playing off of a guy like Trey Young who, you know, can find you, breaks down defenses. I think Canard’s a great pickup. I think the key to the whole thing is going to be Porzingis. And I think for me, it’s a little bit of a stretch to think like, all right, well, you know, he’s going to be there for 70 75 games and he’s going to be available for the entire postseason. He’s had a very difficult time doing that. He just seems like, you know, and he had some sort of illness last year that I don’t think we really got to the bottom of. He he he seems to have a lot of ankle injuries and and lower lower leg problems that hinder him. So, let me ask you a question. If do you feel the same way about the Hawks? If Chris Sporzingis isn’t healthy this year and and gives you a partial year, would you still feel the same way or is it hinge on him being available? we know if he’s available, he’s going to play well because he has throughout his career. Being available, playing well, and and like really making a difference and then being there when you need him the most in the postseason. Like, is it does it hinge on that for you or is it enough even if he doesn’t do that with the other moves they made to to say that you think they had a great off season?
I think he has to be available in the playoffs for them to make any kind of noise, but I think that the regular season, given how the East is, they might have the depth to survive him playing 50 games. you know, which is almost at this point what you expect from Porzingis. If you’re optimistic, you expect 50, not 82. So, if they have 50 from him in the regular season, but he’s available in the playoffs, I just look at it and say the East is weak. A lot of teams are down. Indiana just lost Miles Turner and obviously Tyrese Hallebertton. Orlando’s going to be good. The Knicks are going to be good. There’s an opening for the next tier of teams. And I look at Atlanta and I say, “Yes, even with Porzingis playing 50, I think they’re right there below those teams at that next tier.” All right, that’s fair enough. And I I think then the other part of it is how highly you value Nquille Alexander Walker. Like he’s your guy. I mean, do you you think there’s a lot more there than what we’ve already seen in Minnesota or is that what he is? I mean,
he he listen, he did play well in the postseason. He he was able to up his, you know, scoring prowess when they needed him to. That that was impressive that he did that. But in general, I don’t know that there’s like a whole another level for Nquil Alexander Walker. Or does that not matter to you? You’re just thinking putting him out there with Dyson Daniels. You’ve got basically two lock down corners now like on a football field with both of those guys and what they’re able to do defensively.
I think it’s that part right there because when you have Trey Young, obviously you’re not going to have a great defensive back court because he has physical limitations as well as just his defensive skill. But now he has Dyson Daniels flanking him and Nquille Alexander Walker when you want to make a sub. So at all he should be able to play all of his minutes. Trey Young should play all of his minutes next year with an elite defensive backcourt guard that can pester. So that’s why I like the fit. And then yes, if you throw out both of them together, Dyson Daniels is a point guard. Nikil Alexander Walker has played point guard recently. Now you have a back court that is really good defensively. So that’s why I like it. And also legs, I want to be clear. If the Hawks were in the Western Conference, I would not be very high on them. There’s a lot of good teams out there. The East just doesn’t have a lot of good teams. Cleveland, Orlando, New York. Outside of that, who’s better than them at this very moment? And if you’re talking about being positioned to win a playoff series and make it to the conference semi-finals, that’s exciting if you’re Atlanta.
Well, if you were going to try to grab a chunk, this would be the time because you look at there are questions here, right? Cleveland starting off the year not healthy. Um,
and they were a team that, you know, won a ton of games last year, 64 games, they and they got beat in the second round. So, so there’s questions there. There’s questions there like how good is this team really? And they’ve lost a couple of guys that that were key. Um, Boston obviously dealing without Tatum for probably the entire season. The New York Knicks don’t have a head coach. The Indiana Pacers lose Tyres Hallebertton and now Miles Turner is gone from that team. The Bucks are an absolute mess right now. And it’s gonna be interesting to see what happens with Giannis going forward. There’s no question Detroit and Orlando are going to be better. Heat haven’t done a whole lot. So to your point, those are all the teams I just listed that were in front of them last year. There is room to to grab right now in the Eastern Conference. And I think that’s how they looked at it. And I think they’re at the point now with Trey Young, like if look, he’s your guy. Hey, this is your guy, then you’ve got to go out there and and now make a push to try to put as much around them as you possibly can. Think they’ve done it. Um I’m a little bit more cautious cautiously optimistic about what their upside is as a team this year. They were 40 and 42. Are they now a 50 win team, you know, or are they gonna, you know, they’re 44 and 38, so you know, maybe they’re four games better. Like where does that put them in the East? I’m kind of reserving judgment on it. I want to see how much better it is and I also want to see some of these other teams I mentioned, Adam, that have these question marks and injuries going into the season. How do they weather the storm? And if they don’t weather it very well, then Atlanta could be one of the the the first like six weeks of the season. That could be one of the big stories in the league if they get off to a hot start. Well, the other thing I like about them is both that they have an exciting short term this year where I think they can be very good, but they also acquired that New Orleans Pelicans draft pick. And I look at this and I say, you just got Asa Newell. You’ve got Rhysa who I like. You’ve got Jaylen Johnson who’s young. That’s a nice young core that you’re not too excited about, but next year legs, they might pick up a top five pick, maybe even higher than that. And if you don’t want to invest in that pick, if we get to the trade deadline next year and New Orleans is out of the playoffs, that New Orleans pick now becomes an incredible trade piece. And now you have the the Hawks might enter the deadline next year with the most attractive uh arsenal of assets that they could pivot and say, “Oh, you know what? We need to make a move for whatever player is available.” So, that’s why I’m excited about them. I think they’re good. I think the East is bad, but I think they have the flexibility now to become great with that pick and all of the young talent that they have.
Yeah, look, they’re exciting. I think one of the things that it’s going to hinge on for me is and we saw we’ve already seen a lot of growth and emergence of Jaylen Johnson. what ultimately is his ceiling. I mean, he’s he’s got a awful lot of talent. I mean, he he could turn into a star, and if that’s the case, I think I’d view Atlanta a lot differently. So, it’s all positive there, man, for sure. I didn’t really at any point look at them last year as particularly interesting. That at least has has changed. They are very interesting. You you have to give them that at least. And now, let’s just see how this is all going to play out for those guys. A big part of it is going to be Porzinga staying healthy. Uh and also just how much more growth do you see the first half of the season out of Jaylen Johnson?
Two more teams to talk about. One was not on my list, but you were very intrigued and that’s the Orlando Magic. They obviously got Desmond Bane, which was a big deal that happened a couple weeks ago. But they add Tyus Jones and this gets you excited. Why? Why? So it does because I looked at their team last year and the one thing they lacked even when Suggs was healthy. They did not have a single natural point guard on the team. Just somebody to organize, take care of the ball, get guys good shots. And also, by the way, he can shoot the ball from the three at a pretty high rate. So I just look at this is in conjunction with Bane. Bringing in Bane to space the floor alongside Ban Carro and Vagner who also, by the way, Bane has playmaking ability. I mean, he he had a lot of games, particularly the second half of the year, where he led them in assists. So, he can run ball screen and he could find people. So, they improved their ball handling and playmaking there alone, plus dramatically improves their perimeter shooting with Bane. And now you go out and you get another guy that’s just he’s been playing point guard since he was 5 years old. He knows how to run a team. He takes care of the ball. He gets you quality shots and he can knock down threes playing off of their two stars. when you look at what they were running out there at the point in the past as a playmaker, it’s a it’s a significant upgrade having these two guys. So, I really looked at Orlando in conjunction with the Bane deal. And I love going out and getting a guy like Taius Jones. He’s just steady and it makes you better. That was a team that had one issue offensively. Really one issue at all because they’re a great defensive team.
They can’t shoot.
Yeah. Yeah, and they just got two guys that can shoot the ball at a pretty high level and both make pretty darn good decisions with the ball as playmakers. I think it’s a it’s a real upgrade and Orlando right now is is to me a sleeper pick going into the year as a team that we could be talking about at a really high level the first month, six weeks of the season and first 20 games. would not shock me if they get out of the gate really, really quickly and make everybody take notice cuz that defense is formidable.
Yeah. And I think that’s what you get here is you have the ability, your defense is so good that you have ability to handle maybe a little bit of an undersized point guard, but they needed the playmaking. And I think these moves, Bane and Taius Jones, the one guy who’s probably most excited about this is Paulo Bancero. Paulo Banchero has more spacing than he’s ever had to operate at the NBA level. And now he’s got a point guard that should be able to get him the ball in his spots. I am predicting I can’t call him one of my guys legs. I think he’s might be a little too popular for me to take Paulo Bangero at this stage in this in his think taking a number one pick in the draft is a reach. Adam, do you
I’ll let you have I I won’t take this guy. You know what then? You know what? No. Hell with that. Cooper flag is my guy. I’m going with it right now.
All right. You’re flag guy. We’re gonna take number one picks in the draft from Duke. Okay, you’re not going to have the market cornered. I’m gonna get my own.
There you go. But I see a really big year for him. I mean, he’s obviously been a very good player. I think this year is a special year for Paliban Carol.
Hey, can I just real quick, this is totally off topic. I mean, it’s just going to I just want to get this little zinger in right now because some of these deals coming in come some of these deals coming in blow your mind. Do do you have any idea off the top of your head what the numbers years and numbers were when Shaq went to the Lakers? No, but I’m excited to hear it.
Seven for 120.
Okay.
So that’s 17 years. That’s 17 years.
That was a groundbreaking deal. Groundbreaking.
It was the richest deal in the history of the league.
Yakob Purle just signed for four for 104. All right, let’s just
getting prime shot money. Yeah.
My goodness. Yeah. I mean, some of these numbers, man. Um I was worried about I was worried for Miles Turner, man. Miles Turner, this was a major decision for the Pacers. Another singer here. He was a guy that like they were they’ve been stressing what to do. What to do? What to do? They let this thing run all the way to the end. He couldn’t have finished the year worse than he did. The way he shot the ball, the way he his defense was pretty solid against Chad Homegrren. And I give him some credit for that. But look, man, the guy’s a spacer and he’s a shot maker and he could not make a shot. He lost confidence from the three going into free agency. I was kind of worried for him like what was that going to amount to? And I’m happy that he ended up with about 27 million a year to go to the Bucks and they they the Bucks have had a rough time here. So that was one positive and he got the about the exact price range that he was worth going about mid-season. They were talking about 27 a year for Miles Turner as a free agent and he didn’t finish it well. You didn’t know if he was going to take a hit. He still got his money and that was like the one saving grace for the Bucks was that they added him because that that situation is not looking good in Milwaukee. Well, I still don’t love it. And you are right that now they get Miles Turner who I think is a great fit with Giannis. If you just think about what kind of center goes next to Giannis, Miles Turner is exactly the type of guy. So, I like that fit there. But they had to stretch Damen Lillard, which is kind of crazy. $113 million they’re buying him out for, which is just insane amount. And I don’t know that I love their roster. Gary Harris, Vasameich, they lose Lillard, they lose Brook Lopez, they lose Pat Conington. Uh they are bringing back Bobby Portoris, Kevin Porter Jr., Torium Prince, Gary Trent, Jericho Sims. Giannis is great enough that we should not count out the Bucks as being what we just talked about the Atlanta Hawks being because that’s how great Giannis is and this is a good front court fit for him. But I still don’t love that roster. I still don’t look at that and think, “Oh my god, they’re about to win another title.” No, I know. Definitely not. And you know, you know, that’s where all the, you know, the scrutiny is going to be. They get off to a bad start. What happens with Giannis? Um, but here’s the thing again. There is an awful lot. There are way more questions than answers in the Eastern Conference. Way more
because we other than right now as we go into the season, I mean, we kind of know the Knicks roster and we know they have a lot of talent in their starting five. And by the way, sleepily got better here. They added depth to their team. Jordan Clarkson’s a nice pickup. Gerson Yabiscelli is a nice pickup. They picked up two guys that are going to play a lot of minutes for them like and the both Yaveelli could flat out shoot it and he’s a pretty good undersized defender. And then you’ve got Jordan Clarkson, man. They didn’t have very many guys on that team that you could give the ball to to go create their own offense on the perimeter. He he can do that at a higher level than any of the guys they have besides Brunson. So that’s a that’s an upgrade. So the Knicks here doing some nice things, but they still don’t have a coach. So I guess that’s still a big question mark. Maybe it’s going to be Mike Brown. You know, he’s got two interviews with them. It looks like they’re heading in that direction. Um, and I don’t know how you feel about that hire, but so this the Knicks, I guess there aren’t that many questions. I I mean, I guess not having a coach is a big one, but you know, it’s not like they’re going to revolt and hate the guy, whoever it is. They’re going to hire someone that’s going to be serviceable and they’ve got a lot of talent. And then the Cavaliers, I think, are fairly known commodity, but you know, Tai Jerome was a big factor for them last year and he’s gone. So, and they’re starting off the year with Garland having surgery. So, even a little bit there, but after that, all these teams have questions besides probably Orlando and Detroit. I probably have more confidence in them right now. And Atlanta got better. So, I guess if you’re Giannis, you’re sitting there going, man, we’re still going to be right here in the mix somewhere. And he’s good enough individually to to help them win any game on any given night. That’s probably his mentality right now. But if that team is six and 16 to start the year, we’ll see. Yeah, we’ll see what happens. You can go ahead and cue that outro music there, James, but we can see what happens. Those were the five teams we identified. There are some other moves. You mentioned Indiana, and we will be back on Thursday kind of recapping what happens because there’s still moves to be made, but the early go of offseason has already begun and I think the Rockets, the Hawks, the Nuggets, you add the Magic to that list. I think those are clear winners. Everybody else kind of still trying to see what they can fill out. DeAndre Aton’s out there. Maybe Indiana picks up DeAndre Aton, which is wild. Uh maybe the Lakers do. Maybe they make a move. So there’s more and more stuff going. Any final thoughts here, legs, from this first day of free agency? No, we’re going to see. So I did we did two-hour live special yesterday on ESPN. We got a three-hour live special coming up today from I think 7 to 10 Eastern time to go over all of this stuff plus anything else that trickles in today. But I think most of the bigger ones have happened. Yeah. Well, there you go. Tune in tonight. What time did you say that was that? 7 Eastern.
It’s uh 7 to 10 Eastern.
All right. Tune in. Check Check Legs. Who else better to watch breaking all this stuff down than Leg. We are back Thursday, so make sure you’re subscribed. We’ll see everybody then. [Music] [Applause] We all sitting like the mayor.

Tim Legler and Adam Mares break down a wild first day of NBA free agency, starting with the Nuggets’ blockbuster trade of Michael Porter Jr. for Cam Johnson and a future first-rounder. They debate whether Denver solved their depth issues with the additions of Bruce Brown and Jonas Valanciunas, and ask if the Houston Rockets might have just won the offseason. The Atlanta Hawks made aggressive win-now moves, landing Porzingis, Kennard, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, while also picking up a valuable Grizzlies pick. Plus, does the Tyus Jones–Desmond Bane combo make the Magic contenders? And did the Bucks make the right call cutting Damian Lillard and signing Myles Turner?

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00:00 – Intro
03:07 – The Nuggets trade Michael Porter Jr and a 2032 !st round pick for Cam Johnson
10:02 – Did the Nuggets solve their depth problem by picking up Bruce Brown and Jonas Valanciunas?
12:51 – Did the Houston Rockets WIN the off season?
23:20 – The Atlanta Hawks make win-now moves and pick up Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kennard
29:57 – Was getting the Grizzlies unprotected first round pick actually the best move the Hawks made this summer?
31:23 – Does adding Tyus Jones and Desmond Bane make the Magic true contenders in the East?
36:15 – Did the Bucks make the right move by waiving Damian Lillard and signing Myles Turner?

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