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All Right, Keith Smith jumps on. It's been a while since we've talked, Keith. It's has been quiet in the NBA for a while, and then boom, we get this bomb today, Damian Lillard's off to the Bucks. Let's just I guess paying a big picture for not just the Bucks, but really all three teams involved here and sort of what your takeaways were from the trade?
Yeah, very unexpected. You know, we'd heard over the last few days that Toronto was getting close and then there were some bods that maybe Miami might re engage. And I think there's some spin going on now on exactly you know, what the Heat did and didn't offer, and what they did and didn't do in the last couple of days. But it's you know, the Bucks are in a position where they were looking to make a big splash to try to convince Giannes, hey we're committed, and
we're not just committed for another year or so. We're really trying to lock in for the next several years to try to keep winning. And that's what he said that do, and that's what they've gone out and done for Portland. Clearly, you're rebuilding, so you're going to get the young player and DeAndre eight, and you're getting the draft picks coming in from Milwaukee. We'll see what happens with Drew Holiday. He's probably never even going to show
up in Portland at this point. They're probably gonna work a trade before that happens. And then the Phoenix Suns a bit of an odd edition in here, but they wanted to get move on from DeAndre eat and break that contract up into several smaller contracts. They get use of nurkics coming in and we'll step in at their starting five, and then we'll see where they go with the other guys. They got like Chraason Allen in this here.
Little you're a I would call you a professional. You're a real deal journalist, Keith. I have been sickened by Miami media not doing real journalism, and I'm okay with that normally, but they've actually tried to bully and strong arm the Portland Trailblazers into taking that terrible deal. What's your perspective on kind of how this whole thing is played out, because it looks looks very silly in hindsight in terms of what they were doing.
Yeah, I think, you know, anytime you start taking the approach of trying to negotiate for a team, you're it's going to be a little backwards. Then you know, we're in this world now of fans covering teams, and that that's, you know, kind of a thing that happened. I'm often
I did it. I grew up a Celtics fan. I covered the Celtics for years, but I like to take that tried to say fairly objective about it, even you know, at times, I know my fandom leaked in there for sure, but there's never a point where I was out there saying, you know, like right now there's reports Boston wants Strew Holliday, but I'm not going to pitch. You know, well, the Troublizer should absolutely take Malcolm Brogden. He'd be great for that. It doesn't make any sense for them, just like Tyler
wouldn't have made any sense. So yeah, it was definitely one of those things where you know, if anything, I'm almost glad this is over, so we don't have to listen to and hear that kind of stuff on a daily basis anymore, all across social media.
So what happened with the Portland and Miami negotiations in terms of what you know, because we're hearing a lot of different information about Portland didn't go back to Miami when they had other deals on the table. Originally there was no deals that were outside of Miami. Aaron Goodwin, Now I hear we're report there were some reports that he went to Milwaukee and Brooklyn and said dam actually would go there. What are you hearing?
Yeah?
What I heard was, you know, Miami obviously engaged them right away, and it openly said, hey, we know, you know this may take to thirteen. There may not be a direct two team match here because any trade they did was going to involve either Kyle Lowry or Tyler heroes with primary salary matching eat in the Blazers that they're not in a position where they really want to
take on either of those guys. Miami also was capped out at offering two draft picks and a lot of teams view of the Miami Heat draft picks and similar to the Los Angeles Lakers, where yeah, it sounds good to have them, but it's pretty rare when those teams are bad and bad for very long. So what it turns into is do we really want all all of those picks, you know, from them? And you know, then we're gonna have to turn around and move Hero or move Lowry and that's going to be a complicated process.
So everything sounds like there was no real two team match there, and then what ultimately happened was Portland was, hey, we're gonna move on. If you want to make this work, you've got to find the third team. We're not going to be the ones that go out there and find that third team to make this happen. You're you're gonna
have to, you know, figure this out. So I think we're in a spot where it just wasn't a match for and a lot got made of you know, Portland's unwillingness to be re when it's not on them to be the team that puts together the full trade when they had other options and obviously took one.
Keith really quick moving over to the West because the Sun's also obviously involved in the deal and they're the favorites, right now even over the Nuggets in the West. So do you think they're a better team after these moves? Obviously they needed death, but they moved DeAndre, and you bring in Grayson Allen, you bring in Little you already added Eric Gordon. Do you think the Sons are a better team today on Wednesday than they were on Tuesday after this deal?
You know, I don't know. It's tough because as much as I like yus of Narkic, and he's a better offensive player than DeAndre, eton I look at him. How much more offense do you need? You have Kevin Durant, you have Devin Booker, you have Bradley Deal. If you're really feeling like you need to add more offense, well then you you better be planning on outscoring teams, you know, one forty to one to twenty five every night. And and Ayton he's not a great defender, but he's a
better defender than Nurkic. He's got more potential to be a better defender in Nurkic. I think Frank Goal was going to be able to pull that out of him. Some wonders with big men throughout the course of his career. But I kind of get it. They wanted more of a short thing with Nurkic. They're a guy they weren't gonna probably worry at all about his his you know, buy in and really want to work and do all the things. He knows he's a role player. He's gonna
come in and play that role. Grace and Allen will help because he can play both guard positions. They're a little weak at guard depth behind the two primary guys and Booker and bial Eric Gordon is a veteran but a little bit older. He's had some injury issues, so that's something to watch. And then if you're little just
a player I really like. But we'll see there there's kind of a you know, mixed the guys that are going to be in there battling for minutes in the starting five and alongside Kevin Durant, you know, in that group, and behind Durant as well, So we're gonna see. I think they're probably better. I don't know that they're appreciably better. I've still got them behind Denver, but they're right there.
They were already number two, and I don't know that this changes much from the being number two for me.
Talking to Keith Smith, bet MGM tonight. So obviously a lot of reports that Drew Holliday may get just flipped by Portland. Where do you see him or what are some the maybe the most likely landing spots for him? And could Portland make any other moves after that?
Yeah, to answer the second part, I don't think we're gonna see Portland do much else because they're pretty well fent. Now you basically got your young core in place with Scoot Henderson, Shaden Sharp, Anthony Simon. Now you're at DeAndre Ayton for that mix, got Chris Murray, who you also drafted. Basically everybody outside of Drew Holiday is under thirty on this roster. Jeremy Grant will turn thirty in season, but you know he's locked into such a long term contract.
Nothing's gonna happen with that one anytime soon. So it's gonna be Drew Holiday after Who could trade for any team that has title aspirations? I could use A guard is probably picked up the phone and called, whether it's Philadelphia or Boston or Toronto or maybe the La Clippers. I'm sure all those teams are looking at it and saying, hey,
what did it take? And one of the things I was told, you know, in the aftermath of the trade, was hey, it's easier to trade for Drew Holliday than it is to trade for Damian Lillard because he makes a lot less money. And you know, the teams are going to look at it and say, yeah, he's a very good player, but he's not Damian Lillard. So I think you're gonna see a lot of teams making offers
and get involved. And I do think Kortan will get him traded, probably before everything kicks off next week, because one of the motivating factors in all of this was given Chauncey billis the roster is going to have to start the year without a whole bunch of stuff hanging over him of yeah we'll get fifth guy, my trade them and all that. They want him to be able to start fresh with that young group, and I think that's gonna be a big part to get a Holiday moved fairly quickly.
There's a lot of teams that want Holiday, not a lot of teams that have what it takes to get Holiday. Who do you think is the most likely team to get him? Who are some dark horses and who would you absolutely rule out?
I would keep an eye on Philadelphia to get him. He was one of the players that they were talked about maybe trying to go after with this whole cap space plan for next summer. And I think people maybe have forgotten that's where he started his career and that they loved him. They just basically said, hey, it's too good for what we're going to be. He has a team as we start the process years so we got to move on. And they've obviously James Harden becomes the
immediate easy salary match. Not direct to Portland. They'd have to be a third team. So maybe the Clippers get in there, and the Clippers and Philly both send a pick to Jill Portland's way, or you know, we get you know, a couple of players moved on and that's how this happens. There definitely could be something there with that team. I know Boston would love to have them. Their challenge is it's Malcolm Brogden and then putting together.
The other piece is that you've got to trade you know, either Robert Williams Al Horford or a whole bunch of guys's depth, and then you can have to make it up. The difference with draft picks, and that's becomes a little bit of a challenge for the Celtics. Say, but I you know one thing, Drew Holliday, the agent, has done a lot of work with Boston over the years. So I wouldn't rule them out that they're being aggressive. They're trying to, you know, make things happen if they can.
So you know what we're gonna see. You know, I think we're in a spot where this is going to be really interesting to watch this playoff. Who would absolutely rule out the Lakers aren't going to get them. Of course, they're fans of media who want to, oh, well we'll get them, We'll trade you know, D'andelo Russell and other stuff, without any regard of why would Portland want those things. But that's just you know what Laker fans.
Do you think there's any chance that Orlando tries to get in the mix, because that's what Kevin O'Connor thinks is a good look.
Yeah, I don't think so. It just doesn't scream what they're trying to do. They're trying to build something that can be sustainable for years here in Orlando. That's where I am and where I'm located. So I know that front office that they're they're content to just keep building with what they've got. They're very happy with the players that they have, and this would mean, all right, we got to start cashing some guys. There's no organizational push to you got to be a playoff team this year
or anything like da coming. So there's no motivation from that side to make a trade like this, and they're just not ready to cash in. They're young players and their young assets to make something like this happen right now. So I think we're in a spot where you know, the magic I get it there there. It could make sense, but I just don't see that being something that happens.
Keith.
In my perfect world, Drew Holliday goes to the Clippers, they get an actual point guard.
Kawhi and Paul George stay healthy.
So that means so that means Philadelphia gets nothing. And that's what I wanted to ask you really quick about. So if Philadelphia strikes out on everything this offseason, any chance and like they get off to a slow start, that Mbeid maybe asks to get moved.
I don't think you'll see that in season, but I think if they play him out early again in the playoffs, and he's like, man, we just kind of punked it a little bit on this year and now it's just caps faced stuff, and what are we going to do with it? Because the free agent market isn't great and I know you can use tap space to make trades obviously, but that's become a whole other thing. I could see at the end of the season jil Embiid saying, hey,
what are we doing here? Hey, I want to win before it comes out, because you know, joelan Bead's thirty now, he's you know, in I believe this is your ten or eleven for him, like he's not. You know, I think there's still because he missed all that time early. There's a thought of that he's still like twenty five, twenty six years old and he's only been around for
you know, seven years or something. But he's starting to, you know, hit the point where hey, if I'm not going to win here, I want to do it somewhere and let's let's get this figured out. So I think maybe after this year you see him start asking some questions and it might be as simple as hey, Yannis said he wanted guys and the Bucks went and got them. Damian Lillard, I want guys to and what are we doing here?
Got about a minute left or so here James Harden, I mean, like, what the hell is going to happen with this?
Yeah, I don't know. I think we might be in for an ugly media day. There's talks he may not even show up, which if you're Philadelphia that may ask would be for the best. Just yo, let's hit him with a fine and he doesn't show up and go And then it turns to our what a training camp looks like because they're headed out to Colorado Springs for training camp. Is he gonna be there working out with him? Do you want him there? Is he gonna show up and do what he did at the end of his
next tenure. That's the messy stuff that could happen with James Harden unless there's a trade found here in the next few days. And it just doesn't seem like anybody's jumping at the opportunity to trade for him.
Keith Smith, I know him. You've been busy. Really appreciate the time, man, thanks for coming on with us.
I appreciate it. Thank you for having me.
That's all the time that we have for this episode of The Heat Check. Come back next week for an all new episode. Many thanks to Keith as my co hosts Nick Ashew and Ryan Horbitt, and producer Scott Lynn from bed MGM tonight. Check out the feed for past episodes that drop unexpectedly and follow the Heat Check as
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