Welcome to this league uncut rule of twenty four hour NBA News. This's you, Chris Hans.
It's time, work's time, It's so time.
This league uncut is underway and on fire.
This should be a good one.
Friends, Welcome in to the long awaited return of this league uncut. Yes, we are back, and back just in time. After Wednesday. On Wednesday this week, the NBA was hit with a legit, no holds barred, true blockbuster trade. Damian Lillard shipped from Portland to Milwaukee in a three team
and then Thursday followed with the next blockbuster. Chris Haynes, star of this very podcast, with a very detailed behind the scenes inside look at how this trade came together how Damian Lillard, with very little chatter about the Milwaukee Bucks, ended up being sent to Wisconsin to now partner with Jana Santetakumpo and form one of the stariest star duos in this league. I think if you've already read Chris's story, you understand why we did not do an emergency immediate
reaction pod Wednesday after the trade. Chris obviously needed to report out that story, and if you haven't read the story, I urge you to read it, but we're going to get into tons of it here, mister Haynes, good evening, recording this late Thursday night. And you threw a lot at us today, sir.
Well Stein, there was a lot. I'll tell you this. You said, I threw a lot at you. There was still a lot of meat left on the bone. Still a lot of meat left on the bone.
Let's well, hopefully we'll get into so, hopefully we will, we will, hopefully we will reveal some of that in this forthcoming discussion.
Yeah, but it's that time again. It seems like Stein will glad to be back man.
Yeah, no question, And look, it was it was. It was, you know, a source of curiosity I think around the league that how would Portland? Was Portland really treating Media Day as a deadline? How motivated were the Blazers to get this done and make a Dame trade before Media Day, before the season started so they could truly move on.
And as we've come to learn that after a very quiet second half of July and a very quiet August, things really did heat up in the back half of September, and the Blazers were determined to get this thing done.
Before the new season started. And one of the many very interesting revelations in your piece is that when Damian Lillard and Joe Cronin, the Blazers general manager, when they met on September fifth, as it was becoming apparent to Damian Lillard that a trade to his preferred destination of Miami was not going to materialize, Damian Lillard, as you've reported tonight, offered to rescind his trade request and go back to the Blazers, and Joe Cronan told him no,
that the Blazers were going ahead with trading him. And in your story you talk about how Dame realized at that point he wasn't going to Miami. He didn't nowhere he was going yet, but he knew he wasn't going to Miami. And most of the league twenty eight teams media day is Monday. Dallas and Minnesota because they're playing exhibition games abroad, they were able to start this week.
Minnesota's media day was today, Dallas's media day was Friday, but everybody else in the league media day is Monday. And now Portland has its deal and has its fresh start. But just just take us take us from there, I guess just I mean that was you have a lot of stunning stuff in here. But the fact that Dame actually offered to rescind the trade request and stay a Blazer for the short term to give them more time to make a trade, and the Blazers turn that down.
Wow, Yeah, I mean it just got really ugly behind the scenes. And you know, a lot there was a lot of developments that happened throughout the course of this offseason, this journey, I should say, and I just couldn't bring it home at the time. But I will say to Dame, like, yes, he he made an effort to say, you know, he would rather resend his trade and come back if he was going to get traded to somewhere other than Miami. And he you know, he was shocked to hear that
that wouldn't be allowed. And so with that being said, it's still like there was still we weren't hearing much traction from any other teams. You know, we heard, you know, we heard about Toronto and Minnesota. You know, there was there is some concern Utah could jump in, who else
who else? South was out there talk Chicago, they were doing they were trying to feel around and so Dame thought like, look, okay, you know he's saying I might not be welcome back, but if they can't get a trade done, then I you know, I would rather go and do what I've always done this time of year, and that show up to the practice facility, you know, around this time, because this is the around the time where guys gather a few weeks before camp and they
start during their their pre camp routine schedules of these are unofficial practices that take place. And so he went like a few days after It was like literally the next week, a few days after his meeting with Joe Crone, and he went to the facility and he went for eight days, and you know, you know, he told me that you know, people were excited to see him, and you know, he hasn't been at the facity in a while, and he had just got had his his new house built.
It took a few years to build his house from from scratch and his house has his home actually has a full court, plush basketball gym in there, and so he's been working, you know, he spent the majority of the off season working at you know basketball while I was working in in his gym and his home and so he decided to go back to the practice practice City,
and you know, he said everybody was receptive. Man. You know, he went in there for eight days and he said he saw Joe each and every day and he didn't say not one word to him during that time. So you know, he didn't know. And he has a quote in there in the story of him not knowing if they felt like he was trying to cause a commotion or whatever, but you know, he was just doing what he's been doing for you know, ten plus years already, and just going going into the facility getting ready because
he didn't know where he was going to be. And so it just got to it. It just got to an ugly place, man. And it was unsad and fortunate to see it all come down to this. But there's a lots time. There's a lot in there. I forgot a lot of ship that that that's in the story.
And so it's at the end of the day they had to pivot and think of other teams outside of Miami, and word trickled trickled out to my excuse me, word trickled out to Milwaukee that Dame would be receptive to going there if he was moved there and from there that's when the Bucks got on the move, and and that's what led us to to Dame and Johannest teaming up. Yeah.
I mean, it's just that's going to be a spectacular pairing. And you know, you've kind of talked about it a little bit that you know, these guys have huge appreciation for each other. They have talked about playing together, and I think you you reported earlier this week about how you know, Dame said well, why why can't we get you to Portland? And Giannis is like, well, why can't we get you to Milwaukee? And and it ends up being Milwaukee. I mean so so, I mean, you know
I always call you the world's foremost damologist. Do you think he you think he's going to be good with this that that obviously Milwaukee is not South Beach, but he is going to get a chance to play for a championship with a guy.
I'm going to be candid with you. I was on the phone with him when he got word he was going to Milwaukee, Like I was live on the phone with him and he was just really just speechless, you know, he he was he was saying, like I gotta wrap my mind around this. I gotta wrap my mind around That's that's what he kept saying. And he was talking about his kids. You know, you know, what is his kids going to do? Are they coming? Are they you know?
You know, that's that was what he was thinking. And slowly, over time he started to think about the basketball side
of it. He was like, yeah, this will be the the greatest team I've ever been a part of, you know, he was he was like talking himself through it, like it was really like he you know how it is like when you when you with somebody or are you're on the phone with somebody and they're just hit with this life's changing news and they're they're just they're just speechless for a minute, and you can tell they're just taking it all in. And that's what what I kind
of caught. You know, I didn't I didn't catch them. We just happened to be on the phone at the time. And slowly, I will say so, I would say probably a few hours afterwards, you know, we were we were texting throughout and he was like, yeah, I'm still thinking I'm just informing a family, informing loved ones what's going on.
But like as the day went on Star, he got more excited and more excited, man like, and I think I think what really got him to that point as well, Uh, he finally read a text from Jannis that said, let's fucking get this championship, you know, and so that like really got his juice is flowing right there, and you know he's ready, He's all in now. Like when it first happened, I didn't know how long that type of feeling he had. Initially, I didn't know how long that
would last. But as he started, you know, he started talking about the roster and looking at you know, I was going over the roster with him at one point, and I'm like, damn, Like they got Brooke Portos. You know, they didn't they didn't really gut the team. You know, it's the team is intact, and you know, I forgot they got Malik Beasley out there. You know, Milik Bezy's our first our first player guests on our podcast, and so you know, he just started thinking looking at the roster.
I hope, I hope, I hope Dame is the first player to do two interviews on this podcast. Look, I like, I love this move for Milwaukee and it is definitely risky. I mean, Drew Holliday is a fantastic player who you see the frenzy that his availability is now sparking with Portland fielding all kinds of interest because everybody knows the Blazers want to trade Drew Holliday now, and Milwaukee doesn't win a championship without him, and there's definitely going to
be a hit on the perimeter defensively. But like this is, you know, Yannis has been so vocal this summer with the two interviews in the New York Times and then on the forty eight Minutes podcast, and he, you know, so openly kind of you know, put it to the Bucks that hey, guys, I need to see something. I need to see more. And they turn right around very quickly and make a trade for Damian Lillard. I mean,
can I sit here and guarantee that it's going to work. No, But as you said, the Bucks still have a lot of defensive minded players on that team. This trade moves Chris Middleton to third Star rather than second Star, which
I think helps him. But most of all, the Bucks are going to be able to no matter what happens, if this goes well, If if it doesn't if somehow Jannis still doesn't want to stay down the road whatever, But the Bucks are gonna be able to look their fans squarely in the face and say, we try to do everything to make Giannis happy.
Yeah, I will say this, so also take people behind the scenes. Jannis called me. So when the trade went down, I'm texting with Giannis and you know, we're texting back later on in the day, which was yesterday. Yesterday, he gives me a gives me a call, and he was like, I wish people could I wish I could play the audio. But he was really distraught about losing Drew, but very
very excited about having Dame. So it's like that, it's like the emotions, you know, he described as bittersweet, and so, uh, you know, he just talked. He just talked really glowingly and favorably about the person first and foremost that Drew Holliday is, And he talked about the still that he had in Game five in the finals that helped them win their first championship, and how he's always going to
be indebted to him. Say, he loves Drew, Drew loves his family, He love everything he stands for and so he's really caught in a tough place there because yes, the honesty, you know, he did have words out. They're kind to illustrating the need for the Bucks to continue to try to improve the roster if they want to keep him, and you know, in doing so, you know you're going to you're gonna lose, there's gonna be collateral damage, You're gonna lose key pieces. And Drew Holliday is one
of those guys. And you know then he then he goes into Dame and saying like, you know, Dame's going to be spread the floor and you know, the pick and roll game. So he you know, it was tough for you, honest too. It was very tough for honest too because you know he had those public comments and then this happens, and you know, you lose a great player and a greater person two to get Damian Lillard. So tough, tough situation all the way around.
But I have this quote here, I've got your piece open. Here's here's what you quote.
Hold on Stein, Oh no, no, no, no, no, Stein. If you're going to read this, read this verbatim. I want you to read every single words STI every single word love to get me in trouble, man, you could do it.
Drew is my fucking brother for life. I love his family, I love him, I appreciate him. I wish him nothing but the best. He blessed me with a fucking championship. Antetokumpo told b R he's the one who made that huge steal in Game five of the finals. I went to battle with him multiple times. Fuck basketball, Fuck the media. Shit. This guy is my brother for life, and it's always going to be like that. He's going to thrive wherever he ends up and then he continues. Now. At the
same time, I'm excited to have Dame. He gives us a chance to win a championship. I'm excited to play with the caliber player that he is. He can score the ball in his sleep and shoot the lights out. It's a bittersweet day for the city of Milwaukee. You get Dame, who is a great player, but you lose a great guy. Drew took us to the promised Land. I'm ten years in now, I know it's of business. At the end of the day, Drew will always be
my brother for life. He's one of the best human beings I've ever been around, but we've got to focus on the goal to win a championship. Dame wants this, he's hungry to win, and he's going to push us. I'm very happy to have him on our team. I actually want to see if you would expound. You had a tweet right after the trade about Giannis in a barbershop in Fresno, and I I know more of that story, but I don't think the audience knows that story. So can you kind of tell that.
Stun I think no, I told that story here on this podcast.
You don't want to retell that whole story.
I can, so this would this would be the off you know, the off season the Bucks are eliminated and every summer, so for full transparency, Gianni's fiance is my cousin. That's my blood cousin, Mariah. She's from Fresno like I am. You know, they have beautiful kids. You know, those are my cousins. So every summer, Jannis takes a trip to Fresno and spends time with the family down there. And I got a phone call from one of my partners who was at Phase two barbershop in Fresno. It's a
popular barbershop. We have in Fresno. It's been there for years, decades,
a few decades, and Yannis Yannis went there. Uh, my cousin took Giannis up in there, and my partner who told me that he was there, was just raving about how Giannis was just saying like giving them like great stories, like just being free and open and transparent about how he feels about what he's looking for, you know, in a team and who he wants to play play for and play with or like he was being transparent and I'm not even going to say some of the stuff
that he said because it was off the record. You know, no cameras were in there, so props to uh to the people that were getting haircuts with keeping keeping their phones uh in their pockets. But one thing, one thing for sure. He was asked like if is there one player that he would like to play with that he hasn't played with before, and without hesitation, he said, Damien Lilok. So you know that that you know? And then look, you know they they brought this up on social media.
I think it was what was this past this past draft All Star? Yeah, this All Star game, Joannis made Dame the number one pick over his teammates Drew Holliday.
Yeah, which because I'm I can't even remember yesterday, so of course I did forget all that and now that was that was, that was, it was right there in front of us, and we we we didn't realize it.
Yeah. Yeah, so this has been going on going on for a minute. But no he he he. He revealed that in a barbershop with about ten people in that shop.
And so I shouldn't meddle people, I should not meddle into your writing life, but I can't resist. Someday I would love to read when I want to read Chris Haynes and Joannis. I want to read a day in the I want to read a story, a day diary of you guys in Fresno, because that's the thing I think people are like, why is and Fresno?
I kid you not, so Stein, this was about seven years ago, I kid you, not about seven years ago. I'm covering the Portland Trailblazer at one point and then leave they're in the playoffs. The high school I went to is Edison High School, where same high school as your good pal Bruce Bowen. Yes, indeed so so Edison State. Yes that that Bruce Bowen, So, Edison High School is on the west side of Fresno, which is the roughest
side of town in Fresno. So just for background, So my dad, who's not you know, he doesn't keep up with things that well with what's going on in the news and things, so a lot of times when he brings things up, I have to clarify and and tell him what's really going on. So I just know I'm covering a playoff series and my dad gives me a call. I pick up and I'm like, what's up? Dad? He said, Hey, the Greek freak is at Edison High School? And I'm like, what, Dad,
what's wrong with you? Like I'm mad, and like I'm almost about to hang up on my dad because I'm like I'm busy, Like I got like, why is the Greek freak at Edison High School in Fresno? Like what is the point? What is he talking about? Like, the Greek freak is at Edison? I saw him? Like, Dad, you saw some other tall dude. You didn't see no Jannis after Coupo and Fresno at Edison High School? Stop it? So I hung up. I dismissed it and about a month later, I was was it Vegas? I don't know,
but I saw Mariah. You know, Mariah used to work at Mariah used to work for the Philadelphia seventy six ers. She used to work in their media relations department. And I would get a customer meeting up with her in Philadelphia, you know, saying, you know, when I get there on the road, we'll catch up or whatever. And then she never told me one thing. Last thing. That first thing I heard her dad Pat, which is my that's my first cousin, her dad. So, yeah, Mariah moved to Milwaukee.
I'm like, what, her dad's the one that told me. So then they just hit I'm like, hold on, she really is. She's she's what Yanna Yes sees what Yanna's Chris like wow, just wow. So that's how that all. That's how all transpired. Man. So uh yeah, I have yet to actually, I have yet to be in Fresno the same time has been there ever since. They've been a good I have yet to be there at the scien time.
The city can't handle that much stardom at once.
Oh that's that's a lot. That's its bell can handle it with just me. That's that's a lot stun.
So. All right, back to your story here, So, I mean, look, the first quote you run is, you know, is a headline in itself. I mean, for one, Dame wrote an incredible thank you letter to the city of Portland and to fans. You gotta you have to read the whole thing. If you haven't seen it, it's everybody. It's eight screen shots long. And uh, you know, I actually tweeted the last line because you know, it was a beautifully written line. Quote.
I do believe a day will come where I put on a Blazer's uniform again, on again, and hopefully by then I'll be forgiven, Dame says, for breaking your hearts along with my own. So I mean he knows that he's, you know, disappointed a lot of Blazers fans by leaving. But I mean, look this, this quote in your story again, the first quote, this is from Dame again, first quote to you. How this summer played out behind the scenes.
Definitely definitely left a sour taste in my mouth, but it doesn't change and doesn't change the amazing experiences I've had with the Trailblazers and this city. I'll always cherish, cherish this place. This is my home. I'll always live here regardless. So I mean, he's he's referring there in the beginning to just the way this all went down. Your story details over and over about how the Blazers they just would not engage Miami. They were not going to trade Dame to the team he wanted to be
traded to. That's and look, that's their right as a team that you know Dame was under contract, they can do whatever they want to do when that's the scenario. Dame did extensions. In the NBA, you can only get a no trade clause if you have eight years in the league for with the same team. But and this is a huge disclaimer, you have to have a new contract and negotiate the no trade clause into a new contract.
Dame always did extensions, so a no trade clause could not be added to his contract extensions and thus he didn't have one. So he was hoping that after eleven years with one team, that the Blazers would send him where he wanted to go. It didn't go down like that. You obviously have lived in Portland, You've covered the Blazers from close range. You know that area. Well, I mean how do you think what's the reaction going to be there to some of these things that you've revealed in this piece.
Mix you up. I'll look, I don't look on social media, well social media talk about Twitter or what is it called X. I don't look on X like I used to anymore. I used to devote a lot of time scrolling through. So I don't really know what the the
mood is. But there are people that I follow, and you know, I get notifications when they respond to a tweet, and so I've kind of checked out the vibe and the narrative in the field since that story has gotten out, And you know, it's a mixed mixed, a mixed bag. I guess you know another thing. And you know you talked about Dames, Stan, you talk about Dames. Thank you letter Man. He thanked everybody, everybody. He named all the
beat writers in Portland. He the training staff, people behind the scenes with the team that people wouldn't even know their names like he he this is really thoughtful and he worked a long time on it, and I was waiting for him to drop that. Even Thank Neil O'sha who was the former GM who got fired a few years ago. For cause, and you know they didn't have the best relationship. You know, towards the end of O'sheat's
tenure with the Portland Troublazer, he even thanked him. He did not think however, Joe Cronin and you know, even in my story, you know, he taught to you know, again I mentioned Ray, but he was at the facility and Joe, Joe wouldn't didn't address him, didn't say anything to him. You know. Also in my story, and this has gotten some attention. You know, he was he was asked to sit out the final ten games of the regular season last year to help the team improve their
draft odds. Dame doesn't like sitting out, that's not him.
Well, that's going to get a lot of attention. I'm real curious to see what the league does with that, because that is you know, teams are always you know, accused of sitting guys to tank at the end of
the season. Obviously, we had the situation in Dallas where you know, the MAVs were dinged seven hundred and fifty thousand for what happened in their last few games of the season when you know, basically they held out a slew of guys on it from the second to last game of the season because they were clearly trying at that point to hold on to the number ten pick, which they did hold on to and was a huge part of their draftne And look, the reality is Portland
has done this two years in a row, two years in a row. After the All Star Break, they've they've taken this course to try to play for a pick. And but but your story is shining a major spotlight on it with that passage.
Yeah, but you know, multiple teams operate like that.
Yep, no question. It's by no means just Portland, just Dallas. But all I'm saying is the league when it's when when a spotlight gets on a situation, that's typically when the league feels the need to step in. So I wonder you know, and I'm trying to scroll here to get to this here. This is what you wrote. This is this is in Chris's peace. According to sources, Portland had asked Lillard to sit out the final ten games of the twenty twenty two to twenty three regular season
to help the franchise improve its lottery odds. He was told the higher the draft pick, the better chance they had using the pick to facilitate a trade for a proven veteran player. He reluctantly acquiesced to being shut down, citing a quote calf injury end quote. Portland went one to nine to finish the season and would go on to win the number three pick and select Scoot Henderson, a promising young point guard the team planned to keep.
So again, when it when it is spotlighted in that manner, I don't think we've heard the last of this.
Yeah, we'll see, we'll see. But it's just that I think covering, you know, covering the Portland Trail Blazers and covering Damian Lillard. You know, he's arguably regarded as you know, the the best Trailblazer of all time, and not just talent wise or even even accomplishment wise, just what he meant to that organization. He repped them like no other player has repped that city, in that organization, and he
wanted and the things start. The thing that hurts with him is, you know, his his words are genuine, they're real. He wanted to win there. He did everything he could to try to recruit some of the best players out there. He just could not get players to come to Portland like he tried. He tried, you know, just think, you know, think about Yiannis. Somebody like Giannis Yannis wanted to play. Dame was the guy he really wanted to play with.
You know, had they been in a in another city, some other attractive market, they they probably would have connected somewhere else. But it was just it was hard, and Dame didn't mind it being hard. He wanted to stick it through all he All he asked was that the organization tries to do what they can to have that same level of commitment to reach the promise land that he had. And over the last couple of years, he you know, he finally realized that they weren't on the
same page. And so that's what and I brought all that stuff up about the you know, him sitting out the regular season and you know, with the promise that they would use that that pick that high picked to go after a veteran guy, which they did, and they they kind of told everyone right away that they were keeping that pick. So you know, that's why he felt mislayed. And that's what, you know, a culmination of those things of what led to him asking out in the first place.
So in my story today, which wasn't even a fraction as good as yours, but I did earlier today kind of try to break down the trade in terms of looking at the five teams that I most closely associated with this trade. Obviously, you've got the three that actually
did the trade, Milwaukee, Portland, and Phoenix. And then the two teams who were the most talked about suitors until Dame actually landed in Milwaukee, and that would be Miami, the team he wanted to go to, and then Toronto, which their interest in Dame has it really did generate the most media coverage over the past week until the actual trade came to fruition. So in that piece, I wrote, and I'm certainly I don't think I'm the only one saying this, that Portland will be judged on how it
really did in this trade. I think we have to see what happens with Drew Holliday and what they get for holiday to fully gauge the package and you know how much what kind of you know, we need to know the full return before we can we can try to grade what they've done here. But look, Dame himself, in his in his thank you farewell said you know, he acknowledges that he he definitely broke some hearts in Rip City by asking to be traded and trying to get to Miami. And you know, he asked the question,
will he will you know, will he be forgiven? He will? Right? I mean Blazers fans will, I mean, they will get past this, don't you think?
Yeah, time, time, heels, time hills, all wounds, that's part of it, you know. I mean it's rare that a franchise player stays with that team the duration of his career is rare.
But you know me, I'm a bas I'm a basketball romantic who roots, who roots for these things. So I mean I did, I really did. I would have loved to have seen it worked out and that he could have stayed there and you know, tried to try to win that championship there. But I mean the situation he's going to, I mean, is is is as fascinating as it gets it.
You know, I told him Stein, I was like, man, like, yes, I know you won in Miami and for many ways, for many, for many reasons, I won in Miami.
To yeah, you are going to get your You're going to get your little new apartment in on South Beach. And now are you are you gonna become a part Are you becoming a part time Milwaukee resident? Is that part of this trade?
I'll say this. I'll be in Milwaukee this weekend. I'll say that.
So are you? Have you switched to Bucks Media Day?
Now? Yes?
Bucks me break news. Chris Haynes is covering Bucks. What were you supposed to do initially?
Lakers?
Look at that. That's the big that's Thursday's trade, Lakers media day for Bucks Media Day, Chris Haynes.
I gotta be there. I gotta be there. You know, we weren't.
I don't. I don't blame you before.
So we had about we had about you know, we had about seven reporters all dispersed out to the I would say, probably what the juiciest what's going to be the juiciest media days? You know, whether that storylines or just star players that you have to go cover. We didn't have Milwaukee. We were not scheduled to be in Milwaukee.
And so when really, even even after all all of Giannis's comments this.
This summer, no, well, yeah we weren't. Yeah, we were not scheduled. We weren't scheduled to be in Milwaukee. So I've been reassigned. So I tell you so, I don't know. I don't want to give too much because you know that I don't think that would be right. But there's a team that's going to get left out this equation, and I have a pretty good idea what team that's going to be. So I'll say this so before I'll
probably get myself in trouble. It was so well, I I was gonna I didn't give it too much, but uh, you know, we were going to be in Memphis, Sacramento, Philly, Lakers, Sons, Golden State, Boston. Those are the teams. So out of those teams, who do you think is probably getting getting yanked now that I'm going from l A to Milwaukee. I don't know, but.
It's Memphis, Memphis, Sack, Philly, Boston Lakers, and who else?
War Warriors, Sacramento.
I already had sacriment and and and yeah, the defending champs. You probably need to cover Denver Warriors, Memphis, I'm gonna sack, Philly, Boston Lakers. I'm gonna say Sack is gonna get bumped off.
I don't know your.
Hometown Kings oh Man, Is Mike Brown gonna be upset? Mike Brown is not. Mike Brown is going to be downloading this pod Friday morning. He is going to be calling you.
I was with Mike yesterday. Last night we went with a comedy.
So last night I'm not liking the King's chances. That's all I'm saying. Let's let's talk about the basketball for a second. Mhm. Is Milwaukee the favorites in the East? Now they are?
For me? Yeah, favorites in the East? Yeah, for sure? For sure. Stein he didn't it didn't lose my much. They didn't. They didn't. They didn't. You know, you can make the case they didn't lose much at all. You know, Like Dame is ready, like Dame is going to be And it's crazy, I noticed to be true, but to hear Dame tell me, you know, it's in the story, you know, to have a He's he's thrilled to have the opportunity to play with somebody better than him. And
I've never heard him say that before. Like, and we know, you know, Giannie is a two times or three time MVP two time Believe right, two times in.
Two time regular season, one time in the.
Final Yeah, and you know, I mean, you know that stuff, but it's like it kind of really hits you, like Dame, like, dang, this is something different. And so no, they're the favorites, man, and Dame is going to spread that floor. They're going to have so much room to operate. Yannest is going to be able to do his thing, Chris Milton's going to get so many open shots. It's going to it's
going to be chaos. It's going to be chaos. They're definitely the favorites in the East and too, I would I would say probably even the favorites in the entire league.
Well, look, I mean, they're losing Holiday is going to be a big blow and there's no question that that's going to change this team in a dramatic way. But I I am a believer that what Dame brings offensively, how dynamic he is offensively, is going to offset some of what they're losing defensively, because that that's thing. Giannis and Dame are going to co carry this team and neither one has ever had that opportunity to co carry
a team, and that should make them incredibly dangerous. And when when the Bucks have flamed out in the playoffs. Offense grind you know, offense in the grindy conditions of playoff bastball. That's been the problem.
Yep, you're right right.
And Philly, Philly, with Harden still there, crazy uncertain what we're gonna see out of the Sixers. Miami, they didn't trade for Bradley Beal. They we were told at the time they were saving all their best chips for Lillard. They didn't get Dame Lillard. Now the Heat will tell you they didn't have a chance to get Dame Lillard, and Dame's agent Aaron Goodwin has gone on record is basically saying the Heat didn't even have a chance to
properly negotiate. But whatever the circumstances, the Heat have lost Gay Vincent, they've lost Max Strus, and they weren't able to make a big trade. They've taken a step back. And Boston there's a lot of uncertainty, you know, there's a lot of They they made a bold move too to bring in Porzingis, but moving on from Marcus Smart and Grant Williams, you know they're gonna be going through a transition too. So the East is there for Milwaukee's taking for sure.
For sure, I'm excited to see it all, excited to see that all play. And obviously, you know that's Dame is my guy. I'm very happy for him. And that's what I was trying to say early on, is you know, I know, you know, I told him, I know Miami was your your spot, but you probably ended up in
the best scenario possible. When you're talking about just basketball, that team, from top to bottom, they are stacked great role players, Jay Crowder, Malik Beasley, Bobby Portis, you know, you got the Lopez Twins, like Chris Miller, like this is a you know, he teams back up with his former teammate pet Conneton you know who started off in Portland. They're going to be really good, really really good. And so I'm happy that he's going to have the opportunity to actually play on the big stage.
Let's talk before we go, and look, this is just podcast one of this is this is a trade with so many, such far reaching impact. We're gonna be talking about this trade for months and in different ways. And look, if you're I mean you're going to Milwaukee, I'm gonna want to hear all about that trip as soon as soon as we can pin you down in a corner after that one, because you're going right to you know you're going to be there from from day one of
that thing. Like we said Portland, we got to take a step back and it'll be easier to assess how the Blazers did in this trade when we know exactly what they get for Drew Holiday. So let's look at Phoenix, a team that you know very well. How do you you know Phoenix's involvement here to ship out Ayton, to bring in use of Nurkics, to basically turn aighton into three or four contracts to address their depth. What do you think about what the Suns did here in participating in this?
And didn't we do a pod? Uh? You know I'm getting old. I'm forty two now. We did a part. We did a pod on Phoenix's potential involvement last week? Did we not? Man? Did we we are click at allso of this stuff?
I don't think I think you are. I think I think you imagine this.
Maybe you saw last episode.
Producer, Ryan, did we talk at length about Phoenix jumping into this? I don't think we did this?
Ryan, Our producer.
Last episode, No, last episode was the Tylu interview.
Prior to that was the last episode Wow.
Prior to that it was you did a little bit on the Yannis reaction, and then before that it was Mark Spears. I think, I think, I think, I think this was one of your many media appearances away from this podcast.
You know, I don't do many appearances outside.
I saw a Sacramento radio station got you on the air recently.
Was that? Yeah, I did. I did do that? You got me there? Did I say anything about that there? Yeah? I did. I did. That's what it was. I talked about it there. Okay, so Phoenix was thank you, producer, Ryan. You know, when you got two old heads up here, sometimes the youngsters have to jump in and remind us where we left off.
At one old head and one senior citizen.
Oh man, oh speaking of senior citizens, Din, just realize, man, you know, I've been playing basketball four days a week. I'm in two basketball leagues. My left knee has been killing me over the past month, and I'm not good with going in getting checked, but it's just it been killing me. I mean, it's not like really stopping me one hundred percent from doing what I gotta do. But it's just pain I gotta go through. I've never had
a surgery, never had anything like that before. So I decided to get checked out this week, get the knee X ray. I thought I was gonna need an mri X ray. Revealed that I've lost cartilage in my left knee and I'm experiencing our for arthritis and it's not bone to bone in that left and I have a little bit of cartless left. And he said, he said, what you can do? He says, really nothing you can do to repair it, but you can go get those PRP injections or stem cell injections or get steroid injections.
And I'm like, wow, this is what has come to and so I'm actually thinking start. He was like, So I called Jared Jefferies, you know who is a works in the front office of the different Nuggets. I covered him in Portland because I remember he got PRP injection when he was in Portland. And so I'm on the phone with him and I was like, Hey, what would you recommend? He said, no, get the stem cell injection. He's like, you make enough money where you can go to Europe and go get that and I'm like, okay,
so how much does that cost? He said about fifteen twenty thousand. I'm like, man, you I'm like, you crazy man, And then I start thinking I'm crazy, Like I'm actually thinking I'm athlete, Like this is like this procedure is necessary for me.
You need to get you need you need to go to Germany and get one of these. Well, don't you want to bring don't you want to bring the media game back? This summer? You didn't bring the you didn't bring the media game back.
Yeah, but that's that's that's I can. I can tolerate in the game once a year, you know what I mean? Like, I'm actually really contemplating going to Mexico or going to Germany to get some type of procedure as if I got to play eighty two games.
We're gonna we're gonna do a pod on that too if you do that. But yeah, you before you answer this son's question, can you still dunk?
Yes? I can still dunk. I can still do just.
Making sure just making sure that half, making sure that half of this podcast duo can still throw one down.
Yeah, I'll prove it to you if you need be.
But yeah, with the Suns like they were waiting for the Portland trail Blazers contacted them a few weeks ago, might have been a little bit earlier than that, and they threw out different scenarios of of what they might be able to give Phoenix in return for DeAndre Ayton, and Phoenix was always they were always, i would say, looking to n load Ayton, but they were very open to moving Ayden, and they just felt like a use of Nurkic bringing him on board because he's a guy
who who can initiate the offense from the top of the key, dribble hand off, you know, give you pick, could be nice, big screens at the top, one of the greatest screener, one of the greatest screeners we have in this league. It's very underrated skill that he has and nobody really knows about him, and he just works well with better players. And eighton is a guy who is looking to to continue ascending in his talents in the skill set once more of a role, and I
don't think he's going to get that. And I think the Suns felt like they didn't know if Ayton will would accept favorably a more diminished role that centered primarily on the defensive end. And so but one thing I know, Phoenix, they they are they did want a point guard. I know Phoenix gave Portland a list of names that would suffice because they were they were not going to do a Nurkic for Aydon swap. They wanted other pieces in return. And so you know, I don't think Phoenix is done,
you know, trying to find that backup point guard. That's that's still something they lack on that squad. But I was told that Phoenix was very interested in Kyle Lowry and and I think that's why Dame always held out hope that Portland at last minute will go back to Miami with some potential offer on the table. And that is something that was seeing Kyle Lowry to Phoenix, Phoenix give Ayton to Portland, Nurkis to whatever, and so it just never panned out. But no, I like to move.
You know, I know Nurk is happy to be. He loves the sun, and so I know that guy really good. He loves the sun. So you get a lot of sun in Phoenix, So I know I know he's ecstatic about that opportunity.
All right, Everyone, like I said this is just our first kind of look at this massive, massive trade. That because again, because Chris Haynes is the world's foremost damologist, this is by no means the last time that we're going to put this trade and it's zillions of angles under the microscope. We're gonna keep talking about it, keep
looking at it. And Yeah, if Chris Hanes is going to Milwaukee for the first you know, the first, the very first words of the Honest and Dame era, I mean, like I said, I'm already curious about what you will learn and hear on that trip.
He's going to be I'm actually going to go a little bit earlier now. So the books announced that they're having a welcome rally, right yeah, on Saturday, and so you'll be.
There for that too.
Yeah, I'm gonna be there for that.
Go to Carsons for me.
Yeah, I went. I went the last time I was there. And you like phenomenal, phenomenal, steak phenomenal, you know through your mouth.
Go to Carsons. Text me a picture. I will be jealous. I love Milwaukee, I really do. It's one of my It's one of my sleeper cities. Yes, growing I always have a good time when I go to Milwaukee. All right, everyone, like I said, that does it for this edition of
this league uncut. But the season is basically here. All thirty teams will be back to work as a Monday day, so we will be back to our twice a week podcast frequency very very soon, and you will be getting all kinds of stories about Chris's travel, Chris's knees, Chris's rec league stats, which I'm going to be working to obtain.
Let's keep it at knee style, knee singular not plural. Don't say knees.
Are you playing well? Are you at least playing well?
Sty I just finished a league in which I averaged twenty three points a game in this league? How many say it will man?
How many assists?
Okay, I'll give my five or six assists, you know what the yeah, I'll look for my teammates. I look for my teammates. Stein, But it really hit me Steyn, like I'm really I'm facing a little bit of depression because there's only there's only so much longer that I have left to dunk the ball. And I really like that, I really hold that dearly to be able to I've been doing. I've been dunking the ball since I was fifteen. Yeah, I can't dunk it like I used to anymore. But
time is catching up. Starn timeout a time. It captures everybody, and right now it has my need.
Man, you are all over the place, all right. I think we did it. This was a good first effort in our attempts to capture all things Dame Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks. We will be back soon with more. The season is here, this league uncut back in your podcast app wherever you get your podcast, Apple, Spotify, you name it, it's there. Please if you would be so kind to give us a five star rating, we would be hugely appreciative. And like I said, we will be
back soon with more of this league uncut. And yes, everyone, let's rejoice the NBA's seventy eight season has arrived and that I'll do it for us. See you next time. This league and cuttage an iHeartRadio Production put a lock up. Chris Haynes and Mark Stein