Pre-Free Agency Primer

Come on on this episode of the Heat Check, I use the wrong laptop and now the vibes are off.

We go from an absolute chaotic draft night to bizarro Land in NBA pre free agency. This is what we call the tampering time. It's tampering time.

Are you sitting down, folks? Seriously, the things are moving so fast. I literally had to scrap an entire episode of Heat Check because things are just going. Yes, we're talking about Kyrie, We're talking about KD and the Brooklyn Nets. So much has happened in the past twenty four hours. My head is spinning. So we will get all of the juicy details in a minute. Of course, more news drops and I have to scrap the pod again. That might happen. You think I'm mad, Absolutely not. I live

That's the question. Buckle up, folks. We've now reached bizarro Land.

As of yesterday afternoon. According to numerous sources, the Nets gave Kyrie Irving permission to pursue sign and trade packages. Also to sign a free agency using the mid level taxpayer mid level exception, and it appeared that unless the Nets paid him max money, he was out this bitch. However, turns out Kyrie did opt in to his thirty six million dollar contract and blew up all the speculation about him and KD finding new homes.

By the way, Kyrie Irving is currently a new.

North Dakota opting into his contract.

Looking at all the scenes and sights.

But unless, of course, nothing has actually changed and Kyrie is.

Still on the move, no one knows what's happening, folks.

No one, not Woj, not Wendy, who, like me, ended up scrapping his podcast as well. He recorded the full thing had to start all over again once Kyrie opted in. Ain't that about a bitch, It's how it goes. Not even Sham's Sharanya, who has a direct line to Kyrie Irving, knows what's going on with Kyrie Irving. I'm not even sure, truthfully, I'm not even sure that Kyrie knows where Kyrie is at.

You know, that's just so human.

You're just going through the decision tree and you're just like, I know, it's not quite right where I am, but I also don't know if I go oh, if it's quite right there either. So it's the evil you know versus the evil you don't know. And also a trip

Out this bitch. So Joe, Si, Sean.

Marks, probably Steve nash All thinking to themselves, this guy can handle the basketball unlike we've ever seen, but is he worth it? Is he worth this headache, this lack of culture, this bullshit that we have to deal with.

And then Joe SI publicly.

Stated, Yeah, I am in full support of us not paying Kyrie Irving the Max.

I am all in on us not doing that.

Kyrie Irving offered, apparently the Nets a shorter term deal, how about like a two in one, And the Nets were like, how about a zero in one?

How about you just humped in.

To your men, to your lab that year and we can figure it out. And then shit went sideways. Me and literally everyone in the NBA media.

Were like, is Kyrie Irving switching teams?

The NBA offseason went like it does where literally the news cycle was like snorting a full line of cocaine. Everyone's just bouncing off the fucking walls, not knowing anything.

Let me break it down calmly and rationally.

Here's where we went, and here's where we go. Nets finalized and offer to Kai.

What was in that offer is unknown.

According to Zach Lowe, the Nets made a real offer to Kyrie Irving. We don't know the exact permutations. There's probably several, but this is not a case where it was a one year deal and that was it. It was offered real stuff. We don't know exactly what they are. Unquote, he called it a real offer. We do know he

That's just never what.

He's not done that since high school. I don't even think Kyrie Irving played a full season in high school basketball in New Jersey. So Kyrie gave every indication he would only accept the Max deal in order to return to Brooklyn.

But the new news, the current news, is that.

He wanted a shorter term deal at Max money and that was probably a lie. Things began rolling downhill fast. Zach Low tweeted, the Max deal is not coming for Kyrie. The Nets will not be held hostage by the threat of Kyrie and then Kevin leaving. Brian Windhor says, fuck it. The Nets are like all in on both gone and like we're not dealing with what we had last year. So if you guys both want to frolic along, then that's fine. We have Kevin Durant under a four year deal.

And that was when I said, Scooby, Scooby, is that what I think it is? Now?

We're talking Lakers, Clippers, Snicks, heat maths Sixers. Turns out, numerous reports from Jake Fisher, friend of show, there was only one team that was even remotely interested in Kyrie, and of course it was the Lakers.

What would the offer have been, We don't know.

That's the big question. If Kyrie left, we all began to wonder would Kevin Durant go as well. Sham's the ultimate shill of the man said, Kevin Durant is loyal of the Nets.

He will not be going anywhere, and that is probably what It's probably a lie.

He's not gonna be sitting there with a bunch of scrubs and no draft picks if you're a lottery team. And then just like this, the NBA World Exploded nets Daily tweeted this, based on conversations this morning, I think that the NETS would be very active, very soon, and not just on Kyrie.

I was told to quote unquote buckle up.

At this point, Kyrie had until Wednesday at five pm, which is tomorrow, to decide whether.

He was going to opt into his contract.

All reports were that he was not going to Chaos, of course, is in the streets. Two of the seventy five best players in the NBA right now, two of the seventy five best of all time, potentially going on the market at the same exact time. Exactly what is happening here, No one knows. Dame Leott Lillard then photo shopt the photo of I don't know if he did it himself, so don't quote me on him doing it himself. I don't know that he owns photo shop on his computer,

The shit is bananas, b ana nas. Then Woes dropped a bomb.

If Irving declines his thirty six million dollar player option, he would be eligible to sign with the Lakers for the six million taxpayer mid level exception, of course, he would probably sign this six million dollar MLLE with the agreement that he would get a MAX deal from the team the next year. How serious was this chatter? Christian Winfield New York Post reported that the belief among team and league execs and players is that Kyrie Irving was Deuce's peace.

Up a town down.

Having only played one hundred and three games in three years, he has missed forty one point four percent of the possible games with the nets with all teams excuse me, since twenty fifteen, that man is operating in a sixty percent clip. That is, in academia, what we call a failing grade.

If you're wondering.

How scared the NETS might be about the prospect of losing KD. When Horse just reported the Nets would rather lose Kyrie and KD both in to go through hell, that they went in with both of them together, and that bullshit and that turmoil. In addition to this, the cooling between the Nets and KD was something to watch as well. Apparently the Nets fired Adam Harrington. Who is

Going there in the first place.

Do you guys remember that Kyrie Irving chose the Nets without the Nets choosing him. Kyrie Iruving chose the Nets before the Nets offered him whatsoever. They just backed into a relationship. It's like if I went to the Oscars and then all of a sudden someone came up to me and they were like, Michael b Jordan says, he wants to date you. He's got an offer, he's got a ring, and I'm like, well, I didn't even know that.

Uh, I didn't even know. Wait, excuse me, back this up a little bit. So Michael, what wants to do?

What? Like?

That's the Nets with Kyrie. We also though, it's like Michael b Jordan's friend, he's.

Also wants to marry you as well. It's like, hold on, Kadi and Kyrie are both coming to the Nets.

We didn't even know. So that's a disaster.

On top of the fact the Nets don't have their own first round pick for the next five years, all of their turmoil, all of the chaos, all of the mediocrity spiraling, all of that does is build up the war chest for the Houston Rockets and That is why Tilman for Tita made a billion dollars off of low end shrimp, because he is a man that understands business and understand how that assets work.

Here, I don't need any pieces for James. Don't worry about that. I don't want I don't want Ben Simmons. Fuck that. No, I don't want Jared Allen. Fuck that. No, just give me five.

First round picks. Give me four first round picks and four pickswalks. How about that.

I'll take that.

I can see how things have worked out with you when you traded for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pearson.

Toron Williams. We'll just keep our ass over here.

We don't want these pieces that are not on the timeline of our young guns. And then Kyrie had to go ruining all of our chaos by.

Doing this opt in lak.

Your fans were already planning their parade. Then they went into a probably they're in a coma right now. NBA media all had to scrap their podcasts, they had to scrap their articles, their think pieces. Bet MGM as well as other sports books had.

To maneuver their odds. And now we've got.

News that opting in makes it even more likely that Kyrie is on the move. So if you had to ask me what I think is gonna happen, do it? Does it seem like I know? Does it seem like I even have the foggiest idea what to make out of this? Buckle up, folks, We're just fucking getting started. It's June thirtieth.

Could not come fast.

DeAndre Ayton just wants to be the daily scoop, you know. He just wants to be loved. He just wants to be appreciated. He's been working on his game.

People are sullying his name, saying that he's not reliable, saying that he's not a hard worker. The Sons have officially tendered and offered to him to the tune of sixteen point four million dollars, which is frankly just a procedural thing in order for him to be a restricted free agent, someone will offer him a max deal and they will either decide to match it or they won't, or there's a secondary thing that could happen. They could

It's kind of shady. It's kind of shady. They're holding them down.

DeAndre can sign it and be a completely unrestricted free agent next offseason, or he can allow the poison pill of other teams and the Sun's matching that offer to come to fruition. But I've never seen an elite player like this have to suffer the indignity, the despicableness of being low balled and having his name get dragged through the streets like this. I listen to Vince Goodwill today and Chris Haynes say, everyone's like it's got a sour

All the isms.

Why am I being drug through the streets here? Can you just give me my money?

Shits woads reported word for word, though.

The Suns do not value DeAndre Ayton as a max player. DeAndre Ayton's agents say DeAndre Ayton will only sign for a max deal. Where does us leave? Where does that leave us?

Yikes? Pretty much? Tons of suitors.

Now or early on, the chatter was that Detroit was the number one suitor for DeAndre Ayton.

That would be fun as hell.

Doesn't seem like that's gonna be the case now that Jalen Durann is there, maybe they make him move for DeAndre and maybe Durann is just a backup plan. Don't think that's necessarily going to be the case. They're probably out now. The latest chatter is Atlanta, Toronto Portland are rumored to be the number three, the top three teams in the mix. Very fluid situation. There is also moving on, moving forward. There is also who knows what's gonna happen

He is now free.

As of now, he has taken a buy out from Houston he is on his way to Los Angeles, not to be a Laker, to be a Clipper.

John Wall will be a Clipper.

And damn is this the number one shady move against the Lakers. The Lakers, you could have had them, Yes, you could have. You could have done it, but you chose to keep on hanging on to my man.

Russell Westbrook. No shade to Russell Westbrook.

But Lebron James is running the thing in LA and he wanted john Wall.

John Wall. Do you know? Oh, do you know joh Wall.

We'll do this, talk about this later, talk about his defensive I have in my notes later. John Wall is a good player. This is a game of chicken between Tilman for Titta and john Wall. John Wall was gonna sit out as long as it took until the buyout option was favorable to him, and john Wall clearly won. Not only did he collect nearly fifty million dollars last year to do nothing, the buyout turned out to only be six and a half million dollars less then he

Meaning if you do a quick little math school, that is nearly ninety million dollars.

That he stole that he collected from the Rockets in the past twelve months and didn't play a single game. God, I wish I could do that to someone. I wish I was good enough. I wish I had potent enough to steal ninety mil from anyone now, pg Kowhi, Reggie Jackson, John Wall, Terrence Man, who else, Robert Covington, Norm Powell. That is a squad that might be the best team

John Wall, to me, is still a good player. I think when you take that.

Much time and sit in a cryogenic chamber, your body has to feel pretty damn good. He should flourish as a third maybe fourth option with a team like the Clips. Tylo as we know, one of the best coaches in the game going to find a way to integrate him into the offense in ways that we can't even imagine at this moment. Also, let me ask you this, if you had to describe John Wall on the defensive side.

Of the ball.

Would you say he's poor, would you say he's medium, or would you say he's elite. A lot of people give him flack, like Colin Cowherd, who's on the misinformation campaign. Bad week for Colin Cowherd, by the way, he's getting strung up right now on social media.

God bless him.

However, Colin cowhard has been anti John Wall since he was at Kentucky. No idea why but he is, and that has been persuasive to the public perception that John Wall is nothing other than Dougie.

Do and teach me how to Dougie. Teach me, teach me how to Dougie. That's all he does.

He just does that, and he runs fast and transitioned criss cross dunk whatever people forget. John Wall has a lifetime defensive rating of one hundred and six point nine. If you're wondering, how good is that really, Marcus Smart's career defensive rating is one hundred and six point eight, So pretty fucking.

Good John Wall. Safe to say the Wall can be a wall on defense.

Booomch So how big I'm out of control of the day? How big is this of assigning is this The Clippers went from plus seven hundred to plus six plus seven hundred, plus seven fifty excuse.

Me, to plus six hundred.

They are tied with the Buck, Celtics, and Warriors for the best odds to win it all. That's how big of a move it was. Speaking of a move, there is now going to be resolution. Let resolution to the Jalen Brunson saga. Jalen Brunson, as you guys all know, came out of Villanova second round pick. No one thought he would do a goddamn thing, turned in to be a very serviceable, very good point guard for the Dallas Mavericks alongside Luka Doncic.

How good was he?

He was so good that he ended up balling out while Luka Doncic was nursing nursing a bump calf bomb ankle in the early start of the playoffs, won him some games against the Utah Jazz, sent Utah Jazz into a spiral where their their franchise is now just hiring random decision makers.

We don't even know why. So now he's a free agent, what's going to happen?

According to reports, the MAVs are now quote unquote resigned to the fact that the New York Knicks are Jalen Brunson's preferred destination. Wow, just three days ago the MAVs thought that they were Jalen Brunson's preferred destination.

Maybe four weeks ago.

Three weeks ago we had Mark Cuban, owner of the MAVs, saying that nobody could offer as much money.

As they could.

Well, let me just tell you about some numbers, mister Cuban. See, if you're down with this, if you dig into Jalen Brunson's life a little bit, you're gonna say to yourself, well, it was always Nicks. We're always a potential destination for him, and probably his preferred destination. Ever, the MAVs threw a little bit of shade at him. First of all. Jalen Brunson's father, Rick Brunson, what do you think he does for a living? Where do you think he resides?

Uh? He's an assistant for the New York Knicks. Oh, well that's interesting. Uh would have liked to know that.

If I'm Mark Cuban beforehand, as I'm doing a little calculations in a little mass school at the deadline number two, Jalen Brunson from New Brunswick, New Jersey, just outside of.

New York City.

Second of all, Leon Rose, head head decision maker for the New York Knicks, the man of mystery.

We do not see, we do not hear.

Apparently a lifelong friend of the Brunsons held Jalen Brunson when he was just a week old. Rick Brunson, Jalen's dad, literally Leon Rose, who was a former a literally Leon Rose's first client.

You think that says anything?

The first client you get, baby is like your first hit, your first hit single?

What not?

Like your first drug hit? Brock, where's your mind going? His son Sam Rose? His son, Sam Rose is currently Jalen Brunson's agent, Jalen Brunson's first agent.

If you're doing a little masco in your head, who do you think it was? Yeah? It was Leon Rose.

Before Leon Rose left Cia, Jalen bruns Brunson was his agent. There is no fucking way Jalen Brunson is going back to Dallas. And if you think about why, in addition to all the family ties, how much do you think Leon Rose is going to give his first client's son, who's like his family member? Do you think he's gonna lowball them, the guy that goes to Thanksgiving with him and goes to family functions and held him.

When he was an infant. Do you think he's gonna low ball that guy? No, you know he's not.

The mit Knicks are apparently willing to pay Jalen way over market value, which the MAVs believe is his current value of.

Eighty eight million over four years. According to Mark Stein, the Knicks are prepared to offer.

Four years and over one hundred million for Jalen up to one hundred and ten million.

Dollars for four years for Jalen Brunson. Mark that's a lot of.

Money for this guy, a guy that was a second round pick who literally was hoping for four years fifty six million last year.

At this time of.

Year, Mark Cuban said that there was no amount of money THO would snatch Brunton away from the MAVs.

And that's a lie.

Apparently the number is one hundred plus million dollars over.

Four Bye bye, bitch, bye bye. And what are the MAVs do now? I don't know. They're not getting another point guard.

They're gonna have to figure it out with Spencer Dinwiddie and Luka Doncic.

Good thing.

Luca is only twenty one years old, and he's getting skinny because the championship window right now does not look or appear to be open as of today June twenty eighth, twenty twenty two.

We move on to Utah.

The team that the MAVs destroyed. Since spiraling, they have been looking for a head coach.

As we know.

Get into that in a minute. Their off season has been dominated by either is it gonna be Spider or is it gonna be Rudy who leaves? Is it gonna be both? Is it gonna be neither? And let me tell you, my man, Donovan Mitchell has done nothing to quell, to squash, to a swash any of the rumors in Mormon. His latest Instagram story, which is how the Young Kids I Guess Communicate, is a screenshot of his Spotify profile listening to a song. The song, if you ask, is

It's probably nothing right.

It's probably he's probably going through it with the girl or something.

You know, he said, slide slide through.

I decide if I'm worth the time I caused you.

Let me know or let me go.

Try to find the time I'm worth the time caused you.

Back and forth. I'm exhausted.

I've got options, but I miss it too much to stop it when I see you the memories of the time that we touched, So I gotta leave unless you want me. Sounds like he's like, you need to get rid of this dude, Rudy Gobert fucking fast, or I am going to be the bad guy man, Jazz, you better get the picture and let this man go to New York. You better figure it out. Sheesh, I tell you what. Also, if we're wondering how Donnovan Mitchell is going to.

Feel in Utah Land, we now.

Know is he going to feel comfortable playing with a coach and for a coach who is younger than Mike Conley, Because the Utah Jazz just hired the youngest coach in the NBA, who you might.

Ask Will Hardy, Yes, Sir Will Hardy. Will Hardy is.

An assistant and yet another branch off the Popovich tree. He has long been considered Greg Popovich's successor in San Antonio. Now that Popovich has decided to coach until he's two hundred and fifty years old, which is in four years from now, his.

Coach is in waiting like Becky Hannon.

And now Hardy are like listen, I can't wait no more, I can't wait no more. Hardy, part of the Hardy Boys, is just thirty four years old and signs a five year deal. This man is this man's two years younger than me? What the fuck am I old?

Or is he young?

As my friend would say, a little column may, a little column B. Just like Spostra, he got his start as a video coordinator with the Spurs, quickly moved his way up. He coached San Antonio Summer League teams from twenty fifteen to twenty eighteen, significantly impressing pop to the fact that he was promoted a full time assistant, and then followed fellow popolam my guy Eme Udoka to where well.

You get the picture.

Now the next man up hugely important hire in Salt Lake franchise stands at a huge crossroads. Do we retool or do we break it all down and move away. Do they run it back with Rudy and Donovan say fuck you to figure it out? Or do they pick one side and rebuild?

That is the big question. They also hire David Fizdale to do what you might add to be.

The fifteenth associate GM, so that when Hardy shits the bed, they probably have a coach in waiting just in case.

I'm kidding, but maybe not. Here's where they stand.

Somehow, someway, they have managed to go through an entire NBA draft without either making a trade or making a draft pick.

Do you know hard that is to do with Danny Ainge? There trader Danny to do nothing Danny.

They didn't hire Danny Ainge do nothing to basically say nopear good trader Danny is more like a freighter Danny shit or get off the pot.

Utah. And on top of that, I'm not even sure you're going to get your All Star game.

Why you ask because Utah as a state is a piece of shit state that doesn't care about allowing a woman to have decision making ability.

Over her own body.

Call that political. Call out what you want, I'm keeping it in the pod. Come at me. And the NBA responded with a little memo of their own, saying that they are in full agreement that a woman should have control over their own body.

Let's find it.

The NBA and WNBA believe that women should be able to make their own decisions concerning the health of their future, and we believe their freedom should be protected. Utah is supposed to hold next year's All Star Game.

Do you think that they will? I think no?

Does it matter then if you have two All Stars when your piece of shit state doesn't have an All Star game in it because your piece.

Of shit activities. No, so maybe get rid of them both.

What the next move is we don't know, but we know it needs to happen soon because the rest of the league is making money moves and UTAH keeps doing nothing. Memphis, Minnesota, Denver, New Orleans keep on passing them by. And you know what feels like a poignant statement by a guy I used to I interviewed one time and it stuck with me. I said, what's the worst place in the NBA? And said, Utah trash Utah.

That was Nate Robinson. That's all the time that we have for the heat Check.

We'll be back Friday with an all that new episode as we had in a free agency in Summer League. Follow us as the season comes to an end and free agency begins. Do not forget to download, subscribe and tell all your friends that Utah is fucking trash, every single one of them, and follow us on socialid at this heat check and Trista Criek on TikTok. I also heard Adam Silver that you know, Las Vegas might be building a new arena, so maybe we should take that