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On this bonus episode of the Heat Check, We've got spoke Track's resident NBA insider Keith Smith on the show to give his incredible insight into all the news that's happening around the NBA Draft. And as always, Keith was amazing, always insightful, always plugged in. So let's not waste any time. Let's get right into it, Nick, Let's get it rolling
and drop that motherfucking beat that should be Rihanna. We started out by asking Keith the big question that's on everybody's mind, who is going number two in the NBA Draft?
Well, see, I mean, you know, I think Charlotte. It's very cliche to say the draft starts with that team, but in this case, it really is true. We all know Victor one Binanas going first, so that really means the draft is gonna start with Charlotte at too. And I think what Charlotte's trying to do to at least some extent, it's tell the New Orleans Pelicans, who are known to want Scoot Henderson that hey, if you want him, you get a trade up to two if you want
to get him. You know, otherwise you're not getting them. You know, we'll we'll we'll take them and we'll move move along. And maybe that's the bluff. You know, we'll see all the mock drafts. The guys who do this for a living are still saying, for the most part,
Brandon Miller goes number two. But but I think Scoot Henderson's in play, and I think you know, these late draft week workouts which both those guys are reported, we're going to go back into Charlotte to work out those can often swing things.
Keith, I don't think Portland wants Brandon Miller me personally. They worked out Cam Whitmore before him. I think they would really like to not have to make that decision. Is there any possibility, given the fact that we're betting this NBA draft, is there any possibility that if Scoop goes to that Portland would go in a different direction than Brandon Miller.
That'd be tough to see. I mean, there's guys, so my personal kind of board in my tears is Victor one Binyama so far ahead everybody, you can't even see him.
Now.
Thats Scoot Henderson all by himself in the next group. I think he's gonna be great. I think he'd be the number one pick in most drafts that you know, don't include a generational superstar. And then I've got Brandon Miller. I've cut you know, Cam Whitmore on level with him. I really like him quite a bit, you know. I like Jerras Walker out of Houston. I think he's gonna be really good. To the Thompson Twins, you know, I don't have I have Miller at the top of that group,
but I don't separated. So I think Portland. If Scoot Henderson's not there, I think you probably see far more likely that they're on the phone saying, hey, wants to trade up. Who wants to get you know, Brandon Miller, who wants to go in a different direction here, and they try to get out of it. If Scoot's not sitting there at three, and if Scoot is sitting there at three, they may still be working the phone saying,
all right, New Orleans, you want to come up. You know what it's gonna cost you to get up up here to number three.
A lot of speculation on what potential draftees will move up the board. Keith gives us some great insight, and then we dive in and into what the Washington Wizards might be doing in this draft.
Yeah, Kobe Bufkins drawn a lot of love this week. He's kind of that late riser right now. He was a kid who was you know, I would say a month or two ago, maybe pre combined, he was sitting in the late law late in the twenties. And now you know, we're starting to talk about you know, maybe he breaks in, you know, to the back half of the lottery, so probably not gonna get all the way
into the top ten, you know. And then I think, if I remember right too, he's one of the kids who quit workouts with that generally means that there's a promise out there from somebody. So so we'll see what that looks like. But he's definitely a guy that some people have talked about coming up. You know, the board's pretty high.
Obviously Wizards are rebuilding, They've blown it up. The ship is on fire. I'm really curious though, what direction they go with the point guard position. It seems like that's what they're going to do in terms of the draft. Like if you were to guess, maybe a playmaking point guard, like an Anthony Black if he's there, or maybe be
a combo guard like an ASR. Thompson, or do you think that they take somebody who's more of a score first point guard, or like a defender like a Cason Wallace, or maybe even like greach for a Nick Smith.
Yeah, I think it's probably Anthony Black. I think he's kind of got the makings of everything you want in the modern point guard. He's got good size, he can score, he can really play make. I think he's a kid that they would see or we can really build around him moving forward. The other guys. That's not that Anthony Black is a perfect prospect by any means, but those other guys all have a ton of questions around them. I think maybe if I'm in Thompson somehow dropped to
the Wizard, they'd probably be all over that. But but I think it's probably gonna be Anthony Black at that spot that's you know, reading most of the most of the mocks, and again, the people who are hyper focused on this stuff that that seems to be where most
people are locking into. But maybe maybe there's a swerve that comes, but but that seems to be the direction that they're going and then we'll find out you did a part part or pair him with Monty Morris for for a year, or do they move Monty Morris in a separate deals they kind of kick off that full scale rebuild there in Washington.
Yeah, quick follow up on that. Do you think that there's a possibility because I'm seeing in the news that the Spurs might try to move up to try to get Anthony Black as well, and I know that the Wizards probably want as many picks and young players as possible. Do you see that being a possibility some sort of trade on Draft Night with the Spurs and the Wizards.
I mean, it could happen. I kind of you know a lot of times when you hear Spurs rumors, I kind of disregard them out of hands because nothing gets
out of san Antonio, right. I think that's often coming from another team, you know, trying to you know, either use the Spurs as you know, kind of that cap space Bogey monster if it's an agent, or they're using them as you know, the the the uh you know idea of you know, all right, you know, hey, we're we're you know, we're we're in talks with san Antonio and they're trying to trade up, So if you want to get up here, you better better make that move.
I think it's more likely, you know, you could see, you know, maybe a team team like Orlando try to move up a little bit, or or you know, Indiana could do that. They've got a bunch of Utah has a bunch of picks that they could go forward. I think, you know, some of these teams are looking at and saying, hey, having a whole bunch of picks is really nice. But what gets a struggle with Oklahoma City they're another team
that's try to trade up. Is our finding out is it sounds good until you have to roster all these guys and you run out of roster spots pretty quick.
Keith then digs into the Orlando Magic and what they might be up to in this draft, and then gives us a little insight into one of the most polarizing figures in the draft and Grady Dick very insightful stuff here.
Yeah, I think they'd love to move up if they could. The problem is you're talking putting six and eleven together and you're probably the heighst you're going to get it two picks, So unless you love whoever's there at four. I don't think that's going to be the direction it goes. I think they're probably more likely to just stampatt use both of their picks and and keep things moving, you know,
shooting wise. Yeah, it's you know, with Orlando, what I always looked for is, you know, guys who are generally two way players, guys who can play both offense and defense, and guys who have you know, good athleticism and good size. That tends to be what they've prioritized. You'll keep an eye on Taylor Hendrix. Jeff Weltman Magic, you know, front office leader said today, you know he was raving about Hendrix.
Now there's a local connection because he went to UCF here in Orlando, but you know that he was talking about, you know, what a great kid he was and a good workout that he had, and that's the kind of kid I think they could see, Hey, we plug him into a front court that features you know, Polo Bancaire and Franz Wagner. Yeah, we feel pretty good about that moving forward.
Well, and they obviously need a point guard too, and I've seen Keith that they're getting mocked at. To get Grady Dick at eleven and that doesn't If they get Taylor Hendrix, that doesn't really solve their point guard issue. What do you think they do in terms of solving that need.
Yeah, I think they would push back, you know, relatively hard on that. They love Markel folks, Wow, Yeah, they think he is you know, he's figure stuff out, he's stayed generally healthy over the last year or so, and he's played really really well for them. They also really like Cole Anthony quite a bit too. So you know, there's not a prospect that I think screens that guy is gonna come in and be our starting point guards
for the next you know, half decade or more. So, I think they're more likely to take you the best player available. You know, if that happens to be one of the guards, great. You know, if you know, if one of those really good guards that's in there at eleven and they feel like that's the guy for them, then they'll do that. I think they also know, hey, we've got twenty million dollars plus in cap space, and we've got a whole bunch of tradeable guys, whether it's
through trade or through direct signing. We can always add another guard. If we need to that way. But they like their guard men there because they have not given up on Jalen saus either, who they they still feel like, you know, hey, if we can keep them on the floor. Every time he starts playing well, he picks up another injury and then it's back to square one. But if we could keep them on the floor, he's pretty good. They really like Garry Harris too, so I don't know
that they're pushing. It's hard to add a guard to that group. There's a lot of outside people think.
Just really quickly follow up on that. Do you think those Grady Dick rumors then are true? Because he's not a two way guy, he's probably slightly a defensive liability.
Yeah, we'll see. I think, Hey, the challenge that I'm having a little bit with Grady Dick, I think his people look at it and they say, oh, white kid from Kansas, he must be just like Christian Brown, And they couldn't be more different as players. You know, Brown super athletic, he gets after and he hustles place defense
really hard. I think Grady Dick's the kind of guy we'll find out in the NBA if you can kind of work with his defensive limitations front Bagner was a guy a lot of people are like, this guy's never going to hold up defensively, and he's been just fine, So you know, they feel like, hey, what he hads is shooting that we really do need on this roster, and we feel like we can make it work around our other guys who play defense. They'll go that direction. Pick to worry about it too much.
Can't get Keith out of here without giving his opinion on the Bradley Beal to Phoenix trade. As a resident capologist at Spoke Trek, he of course had incredible insight into this wild best trade listen and learn.
I don't I'm not as down on it as some folks were for either side. You know, I saw a lot of people, you know, saying Washington got nothing and they're killing them, and and I've seen a lot of people saying, you know what in the world at Phoenix doing, how are they going to build a roster? But I look at it, and Phoenix said, hey, was now or
never to cash in on Chris Paul's contract. We next year, you know, when all the new salary cap rules come in play for the most expensive teams, they wouldn't have been able to do the trade like this. So they're looking at it and saying, all right, let's get it done. And if they feel like, you know what will blow past that, we'll fill out with resigning our own guys.
We'll fill out with minimums. We feel like we can build a completely competitive team, you know, around that, maybe they trade DeAndre eight and then break him up into you know, two or three players they if they feel like that's the way we'll go. But I will be over under on games played where they all play in the same game. For Durant, Hooker and deal probably at like fifty I you know, those guys are all a good bet to miss sometime. It's gonna be a little
bit bumpy at first. It always is with these super teams. I think people forget that that Heat team started out. I think it was ten and ten before they really figured stuff out. So you know, it takes a little while for that to come together. But I think it can work and be pretty good because the one thing with this group that is nice is all three of
those guys have played with other star players before. All three of those guys can shoot, so they can play off the ball so that makes it a lot easier than some of these other constructions where it's been Yeah, I've always been the guy, so I need the ball, and I need to be the one who runs the show and does all those things, and or you know, one of the three guys can't really play away from the ball very effectively. So that changes the math on it quite a bit. In this case, the Suns don't
have those problems. So I don't mind it at all for them, provided they can build, you know, some functional depth in there, because they're going to need it because you know, everybody's saying, who's going to soop these guys in the playoffs? Well the first eighty two pounds two and you got to get you know, you don't want to be going into the playoffs as you know, fourth or fifty, you know, and they're making your path a lot harder than it needs to be.
Yeah, no doubt Keith. Obviously, Chris Paul still doesn't have a home. He's in Washington, won't play a game here. Warriors have been rumored to be trying to maybe make a move. Maybe Chris Paul has been rumored. What what do you think the Warriors do? Do you think they try to move up in this draft. Do you think they try to maybe trade trade for Chris Paul, move Jordan Poole and try to get another first round pick out of that? Like, what do you see happening with the Dubs?
Yeah, that Chris Paul stuff is weird to me. I mean, I get it. I'm sure they'd love to have him, but you'd have to give up another guy who's, you know, a key rotation player for them, and you know, most likely that probably starts with Jordan Poole. And if I'm the wizard, I'm not sure, you know, after I just wiped out, you know, two hundred million for Bradley deal and I want to take on you know, one hundred and thirty million for Jordan Poole, I'm not sure that
the direction they really want to go. So so I think you're in a spot there where that that just goesn't make a ton of sense to me. You'll where
that that why that would come together? I think, you know, Chris Paul's probably he's probably gonna ultimately be headed to one of the two lakes, the Lakers after waiver, or you know, maybe he had to the Clippers if they you know, can put together a couple of expiring salaries and a draft pick or something for him to go back to the Warriors, though it sounds like they're you know, at least open to talking about trading Jonathan Kaminga with the idea of, you know, maybe Kaminga nineteen to move
up for a player that they really liked in the draft. You know, well, we'll see that that's been kind of thrown out there. Kaminga through you know, some gas on that fire by saying, you know, hey, I'm gonna go on and workout tour this summer and show everybody what I can do, and you know, try to try to prove some people I can really play. And you know, that's generally not the kind of thing that has flown real well with the Warriors over these pastial decade or
so since they've come to prominence. So yeah, I think they're going to be active trying to fill out their rotation, but for the most part, it's probably gonna be lifted. Draymond Green resigned, Let's try to sink his contract up with Stephan Curry. They'll probably spend Klay Thompson for a couple of years and then they'll just keep keep that thing moving as best they can over the next three seasons.
Finally, I asked Keith, who will be the team to make the next big move? Great stuff as always.
Yeah, I think Miami may phil be. I think they're they're hoping and praying that something goes sideways with Damian Lillard in Portland and he wants out. That's, you know, very very clear, that's the direction they would love to go. But I think Portland's going to be aggressive. I don't think they're going to trade Damian Loward. I think they're probably gonna move three and other stuff and try to
put a winner around game. Again, I feel very confident we won't see Damian Lillard in the number three pick on the same roster, at least not for very long. I think Toronto is going to do something. It feels like they've got to pick the direction. You can't just kind of keep floating around with what they've got. So that's where you know, those are the kind of teams that I'm looking at, and really think everybody else is
looking at. One other. Thing that'll throw very quickly is a lot of people looking at and saying, hey, the sun's went all in and they're gonna blow right past the super tax line. Let's go.
That's all the time that we have for this bonus episode of The Heat Check. Many thanks to Keith Smith. Follow them on Twitter at Keith Smith NBA. The interview was conducted on Ben MGM and Night. Many thanks so much co host Ryan Horvatt, who you can hear throughout these bonus episodes, and our producer Scott Linn. Do not forget to download, subscribe, tell all your friends every single
damn one of them. More bonus episodes to come all draft week, so make sure you plug in, subscribe, download, Follow us on social this Heat Check at Trista Crik on TikTok, Twitter and Instagram. We will see you next time.