Rebuilding The Right Way | Sports Junkies

Rebuilding The Right Way | Sports Junkies

Chris Miles, NBA TV host. What’s up, Chris? Good morning.
Good morning to you. And it’s uh, you know, hopefully a turnaround for the Wizards there in DC, huh?
Yeah, that’d be great. Um, they they’ve been very quiet.
I don’t think that’s coming anytime soon there, Chris. They’ve been quiet on the free agency front, but they did make a pretty big move by shipping out Jordan Pool. They bring in CJ McCllum. I mean, this is basically acquiring McCollum on an expiring deal. They’re trying to keep their powder dry for summer of 2026. Did you like the deal for the Wizards andor the Pelicans? What did you think? Well, not so much for the Pelicans uh definitively for the Wizards. I mean, if you’re if you’re drafting all these young guys, and I don’t know if you’ve heard CJ McCollum’s reputation, but I mean, he’s kind of like what people say about Malcolm Brogen that he’s, you know, preparing for life after basketball. He’s made his money. He’s like, you know, all about being a leader and that sort of thing. And I think if you know, when you guys got guys like Bub Carrington and Trey Johnson, like, yeah, they’re talented, but how are they learning to be pros and all of the nuance that comes with that? I really like it. I mean, every time I’ve heard from a teammate from CJ McCollum, they kind of say the same thing about him about being the consmate pro and that sort of thing. What you get on the court,
I don’t know. I mean, I feel like that’ll be a bonus, but I think all of those uh nuances for where the Wizards are headed. I thought it was a plus trade for them. And we all kind of looked around like, what are the Pelicans getting out of this? Like, what what are they doing? So, uh that’s how we viewed it when the trade happened and we were kind of like waiting for another piece or a part of it to drop and and it didn’t. Hey Chris, aside from Trey Johnson’s obvious skill shooting the basketball, I just want I want your opinion on his draft night fit where he wore like an like an old school basically like a school boy type of outfit on stage when he was drafted number six by the Wizards. What What was your reaction to that when you saw it? Well, I you know, I’ve had the ability to uh talk to Trey for the last two years because I mean, as you know, I work on the um the EBL circuit and also the EBL Scholastic calling games for for the league actually um as they try to get guys ready. So, he’s a super nerd, right? Like I don’t even I didn’t see what he wore. I didn’t even pay attention to that. But you kind of look I I did see what uh Fears wore, the big chain and that sort of thing and kind of understanding his personality. But I’ll tell you this much about Trey. One of his games I had, they played against VJ Edgecomb and he had eight points in 11 seconds. Okay.
Wow.
And I could send you the interview. I asked him about it after the game. You know, the game ends, they bring the kid over real quick and I’m like, hey, you know, like in that moment, how’d you feel?
And the look on his face of like, yeah, I do this all the time. What are you talking about? Like it wasn’t like he was trying to be this bravado or anything. and he was like, “Yeah, you know, uh,” and he kind of broke down what happened and how he had three opportunities that fast and team threw the ball away for one. His teammate Jasper Johnson, who’s going to Kentucky next year, got a steal. It’s just like he’s used to being this microwave score that he’s like, “Yeah, I got three opportunities, so I scored all three.” Like, what are you talking about, guy? And I think you have to be ready for that kind of score. He’s one of those guys where you try to explain them as a basketball player, you’re like, he can just score, right? Like there’s no like, can he shoot? Oh, yeah. He’s elite. Like look at him at the combine. Uh can he dribble with his left? He has some issues there but doesn’t really seem to affect his game right. So I I just think the Wizards when you’re looking at this group what they’re putting together who’s going to be the leading scoreer. I think in the draft they got that answer.
All right. What’s your think uh your your thinking of of LeBron and picking up the player option at 53 million.
Um you talk to me about that. What do you think the the move um means? Do you think that he’s trying to force his way out? Do you think he will be traded? What’s your thought on LeBron?
Well, I mean, we got it directly from the source yesterday on our show, Free Agent Fever, right? Rich Paul called uh Chris Haynes during our show, right? So, what LeBron’s camp is putting out there and I don’t know how much I’m buying it, but he called Chris Haynes directly and, you know, he says, “Hey, you know, we want to make sure we’re clearing the air here. LeBron James, you know, he’s happy with the organization. He’s just saying he wants to see a move that, you know, also gets them ready for next season. Look, DeAndre Aton is the guy that they’re about to get. There’s a reason no team signed him yesterday. Um, it just took some extra time, but according to, you know, Rich Paul and LeBron James and that group, DeAndre Aiden’s on the way. I don’t know how he’s the savior and LeBron James picking up his option is happy. I look at it as I I still, you know, when someone tells you like, “Oh, I’m coming back to school next year.” and then they go to the draft. Like it still kind of feels that way, but I have to take the man and his agent on his work.
Give me uh a little skinny on DeAndre Aton’s game. At one point, guy was averaging 15, 16, 17 points a game, but what has he evolved into the last couple seasons? I I I’ll be honest, I haven’t paid much attention to Eightton and Portland because they’ve been pretty insignificant.
I’ll give you this synopsis and where how I feel about DeAndre. You know, as you know, and you have the opportunity to watch games with Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley, right? And I know people think they don’t watch games. I’m telling you, as someone that watches games with them, they watch games.
And I think it was 2020 or 2021, one of those years when Phoenix was really good. And Shaq got so animated when DeAndre Aiden was getting his butt kicked, right? He starts like moving around the room like, “You see that pushing me? You see him pushing people out?” Like every game that DeAndre Aiden got his butt whipped by a different center, he kept saying that guy soft. And at the time, DeAndre Aiden looked good. I mean, a great start to his career to go into the finals.
And I can’t unsee that, right? I can’t unsee this guy get pushed around from Nicola Joic to um I think Mitchell Robinson did it one game. It was like a bunch of random guys would just push him around. And so when I look at the numbers, I’m like, “Yeah, 15 and nine. Do you see how big he is?” like those numbers should be 24 and 12 in the way the NBA is today. So, I think maybe this situation in Portland humbled him a bit. Maybe, you know, getting bought out may have humbled him um somewhat. Sometimes when guys sense their basketball mortality, they step up. Maybe the Lakers are getting that guy, but as it stands right now, I I don’t see him with his track record being the answer. Even though Luca Donic obviously makes centers better. We’re joined by Chris Miles, NBA TV host on the Rude Guest Hotline. So, you you touched on Phoenix there for a second. What do they do now with Durant departing? They owe Bradley Beal $110 million over the next two seasons. I mean, it’s 100. If if I could go to a Vegas window and bet on whether Bradley Beal picks up his $57 million player option for 2627, I’d bet everything I own that he does that. So, where does Phoenix go now? And and can you believe, you know, the the downturn in Bradley Beal’s game since he left Washington? Yeah, dude. Because I mean, there’s a video from me from 2015 saying the Wizards should not max Bradley Bill from my days at CSN, right? Like I’ve been on this train the entire time and I would come on the shows. They’re 1067 a fan when I hosted like, hey, they should not give him this money. Like what are you doing? And you know, I mean, not for nothing, I’ve talked to John Wall, hosting shows with him and going through the nuance of, you know, what it was like uh as those guys being teammates. And here’s the thing, I think Bradley Bill is a really good basketball player, but when you start putting those numbers out there, I mean, Shay Kilus Alexander, for instance, is getting 37 million this year. Like, it’s just it’s such a stark contrast. You just don’t give a player that’s, you know, a fringe allstar uh more than MVP level money. Uh, having said that, I’ve been told by every single source that the Suns are buying this guy out. He’ll never play another day uh in their jersey, right? So, trying to trade him to Chicago, but if you look at teams like the Bulls, they’re like, “Well, if you buy him out, then we can just get him for cheaper. Why would we pay him $100 million to be on our team?” And I think that’s a situation the Suns are in. Um, they also want to move Jaylen Green, right? Like the the line that I I heard uh when they made the Kevin Durant trade was, “Okay, Jaylen Green won’t be here by the NBA draft.” Well, he’s still there, but I think Jaylen Green’s a different pill to swallow than Bradley Beal. Like, does he make a lot of money? Yeah, he makes the money that you would want Bradley Beal to be making, and he kind of could fit, but you can’t really have Jaylen Green and Bradley Beal on the same team. uh if you’re really looking to still be competitive out west, it just those two guys don’t mesh well, I don’t believe. All right, since you mentioned being competitive out west, we’re talking to Chris Miles, NBA TV host. By the way, we have you on in the background on tape on NBA TV here in the studio. Um Western Conference, you got the champions and OKC. Houston actually was the two seed last year. They add Kevin Durant. They make a slew of moves. Are they a legitimate contender? And then who else do you think is looming in the West? Well, you’re asking me if the Houston Rockets are contenders. Yeah, absolutely. So, here’s my thing. Um I I don’t think the NBA understands like what a men Thompson could be. And I was talking to some of the, you know, some of our analysts about it. I’m like, you know, when I saw him at OTT, because that’s around the corner from our studios, like like this guy looks like Penny Hardway and he came to the NBA and completely adjusted so that he can get on the floor, if that makes sense. Like a lot of these guys have to sacrifice their games, defending the teams, defending the NBA. And I think what you started to see against the Golden State Warriors is like, “Oh, he can do this. Oh, he can do that.” uh when they had some injuries like to Jabari Smith, they’re like, “Oh, he can also like do this.” So, I think this off season and going into next season, there’s going to be a leap for a man Thompson. You bring in Kevin Durant who still averaged 26 points per game last year. You sign Dorian Finny Smith and the weird thing about it is if you look at the centers that they brought in, uh Clint Capella, they resigned Steven Adams.
Y
you’re like, are they looking to make another move?
And that’s the thing that’s scary. um they they are in a situation where they can be in the sweep stakes for any other, you know, quote disgruntled player. They have enough assets or they could stay put. Either way, I look at them as being absolute contenders out west as a team that should be in the conference finals depending on what happens with Minnesota and OKC.
So, you don’t put them above OKC, but you said you they’re definitely a contender in your opinion. Well, I mean, I can’t put him above the team that like has the most beautiful salary cap you’ve ever seen in all of sports, right? Has, you know, the finals MVP, leading score, and MVP, right? Like, and those guys, those are super nerds. I don’t know if you saw the clips of after they won the championship were on the court, and all of our old heads are looking at them like they don’t drink. Like, none, they came out for the interviews like it was a regular AEU tournament game or something. I mean, these guys haven’t even tapped into their potential. So, I think the Thunder are going to be scary. And, you know, we haven’t had a repeat champ in seven years. It’s like they clearly are a team that could do it. Yeah. All right. Your thoughts on a pretty big deal that went down yesterday, uh, involving the Denver Nuggets and the Brooklyn Nets. Uh, Porter Jr. goes to Brooklyn with a first round pick. That’s not for like seven years. I don’t even factor that in. Basically, Porter Jr. for Cam Johnson. your thoughts on this one? Um, I know that Denver they get a better defensive player certainly. Um, they also save some money because Porter is making more than Cam Johnson. But your thoughts on this deal?
Well, it was essentially a two for one because they also signed Bruce Brown back.
Right. Right.
So, like when I look at that deal at first, I’m like, okay, so they traded a sixth grader and Michael Porter Jr. and his contract. And Michael Porter Jr. is also a guy like in that situation where he makes too much money for his game, right? And if he’s not going to give you defense, you’re like, you’re trying to win a championship,
this is the piece that has to go. Like, do you want to trade him? No. But if you’re really trying to do this, you have to. So, it’s a two for one special the way I see it. Um, Bruce Brown obviously won a championship with them in 2023, but made too much money. He priced himself out. Made 40 plus million dollars the last two years. Good for him. Now he’s back to the team where he can blossom again, where he did blossom before. So I like it for the Nuggets in this sense. Now you look at their perimeter defense. You got Bruce Brown, you got Christian Brown, you add Cam Johnson, you’re like, “Oh, and Aaron Gordon’s plus defender.” Like you look across the court, that’s what they have. And I believe they they still have a little bit of flexibility, not to sign someone, but to try to take some of their like mid contracts at 8 mil or 7 million. uh Dario Sich and Zeke Naji, I believe, are the two guys and like maybe package another first round pick and try to get a player that they can, you know, have on the court that maybe another team doesn’t value as much. So, the Nuggets, remember, they took the eventual champions to game seven. That round two matchup felt more like the championship um than anything else, right? So, I think they’re seeing it like, hey, we’re still in our window. We have the best player in basketball in Nicole Yokic. Um I like that move for them in so many ways. Hey, how should my guy Skinny Luca do? You’re a big Luca, Mark. Hey man, look, here’s my thing with Luca Donuch, right? First and foremost, I say this with any player that like some guys you meet him, you’re like, I don’t like that guy. Luca is amazing, right? I think Luca may have reached that point to where we were talking about DeAndre Aton where like there’s been enough of like the exposure of him not playing defense, what it cost his team, some stuff from his teammates that man, I mean I think if he comes in shape and stays in shape because we’ve seen that before that he’s he’s it’s time for him to win an MVP, right? It’s time for him to win a championship. But I think that story is starting to get a little old as uh you know we see a guy like Shikio Alexander get the job done. Um but Luca loves basketball. I hope he’s got his discipline together. But
look man, as as a guy that uh played basketball and has put on weight. I don’t look at Luca ever as being a guy that doesn’t look right in a uniform because of all these other guys. Like if you’ve ever seen I sent you a picture before with Luca. I’m like he doesn’t look fat. He’s never looked fat off the court, but as soon as he puts that jersey on, I’m like, he does look a little frumpy today. Yeah.
All right, Chris, thanks as always for your time, man. We appreciate it’s Chris Miles, NBA TV host. Thanks again. Yes, fellas.
Thanks, Chris.
That’s Chris Miles on the Rude Guest Hotline. When we come back, we’ll tell you who’s on Mike Fuio’s NFL coaching hot seat. We will do that next on the

Chris Miles joins The Sports Junkies to break down the Washington Wizards rebuild.

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