Welcome to this League Uncut in the world of twenty four hour NBA news. This's you, Chris Haynes. It's time, Mark Stein. It's so time. This League Uncut is underway and on fire. This should be a good one.
Friends, Welcome in to another edition of This League Uncut. Mark Stein Chris Haynes no longer side by side on the Vegas Strip fun while it lasted, though, we are still kind of basking in the glory of our first live pod together, the first time we were together anywhere in months, had a tremendous hour at Caesar's Palace with Lakers coach Darvin Ham. So good we made it a two part episod. But summer league is over. I am back in Dallas, the esteemed mister Haynes back in Northern California.
Free agency, as we've been saying it ended, essentially ended quite quickly, most of the big names off the board within forty eight to seventy two hours. At this point, pretty much all the salary cap space has been spent. There are still some names out there, Kelly Ubray, Christian Wood, Derek Jones Junior. If you want to look at restricted free agents, PJ. Washington. His situation still remains unsolved, but you know, free agency wise, we've pretty much seen it
all at this point. The league, nonetheless, if Summer League is over all the thirty teams have gone home, executives and coaches have started to disperse on some semblance of a vacation. But the league is also still on a three pronged trade watch. Damian Lillard, James Harden, Pascal Siakam all three year All stars. All three, maybe not all three, but all three theoretically could be traded between now and the start of the season. Remember, the season starts a
little bit later this time around. We've got the World Cup coming up in Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines. That's August twenty fifth to September tenth. Training camp starts. October second is media day for twenty eight of the league's thirty teams, Dallas and Minnesota because they are playing abroad in the Exhibi Mission season, they they'll have their media days.
Believe it's the twenty ninth of September. First practice on September thirtieth, But Lillard Harden them, how many of those guys will any of those guys be moved before training camp starts. And now I bring in my good friend, the man who has all the answers to all of these difficult questions. And I'm kidding because nobody has those answers. But I like, I like putting Hi under, putting him, putting him on the spot a little bit. Here, my man, Chris Haynes, How you doing, how you holding up? You
get back? You get back home from Vegas?
Okay, I'm back home.
But I definitely do not have all the answers because if I did, my a C would be fixed by now.
Man, it's scandal still without a C.
How long has it been.
It's been about a month now, been about a month now. And the AC service, the company keeps counseling on only on me. It's just just they've just been back lawn. I don't know when they're going to get to me. And I've been sweating my ass off right now. And our producer, our great producer, Ryan said that I could not sit by my fan that I was comfortably sitting at because it would show excuse me, it would you would hear it on this podcast. So for our listeners, Stein,
I am away from the fan. I'm about ten feet away from the fan. I can't feel it, but hopefully you guys and the listeners can't hear it. I'm just pushing through Stein to get through, but I'm doing it off my listeners also because our great producer Ryan told.
Me to Ryan's what I'm When Ryan Music speaks, we say, yes, we don't even question it.
But I'm good, Man, I'm good. It was good seeing you Stein.
It was a good when I give another shout out to Darvin Ham for coming through for us out there in Vegas at Caesars Palace.
Man, that was one awesome podcast.
Yeah, and before we even get to the trade stuff, and we will, we will get to all three of those guys a second. But I really do want to tip the cap to Darvin Ham because I've written about this a couple of times, just so people understand. You know, there was a pretty crazy situation at Caesar's the day that we were there, and you know it was written
about extensively. It was national news. But the part that I've written about, you know, we didn't see it since it feel that there was nothing near us really that would even let you know anything was going on. But NBA security sent out alerts that day to basically anybody at the Summer League in a team capacity, and I saw,
you know, I've seen what these alerts looked like. And NBA security was basically telling anyone associated with Summer League do not go to Caesar's Palace right now because of police activity in the area. And Darvin Ham easily could have seen that alert and said, you know what, guys, I'm out, but he didn't. He came to the pod as scheduled, right on time and gave us an hour when we asked for like twenty twenty five minutes. So
that was truly truly a Yoman effort. And I hope everybody loved that because I don't think you could ask for much more candor than we got from the Lakers coach. But all right, that is enough. That is enough backstory and background. I know you guys all want to know about the trades, but I mean the reality is, you know, there's not a ton of movement. I think we anyone who has followed the Damian Lillard situation understands this pretty clearly. At this point, Damian Lillard wants to go to Miami.
The Blazers to this point do not like the offers that have been put on the table by the heat. Nobody else is bidding at this point, and so we have generally a stalemate. What's going to happen to make this thing move? Will it move? Will Chris Haynes will his will his air conditioning be repaired before we get some movement on the Damian Lillard situation.
I still hope. So oh, I still hope.
So I mean, what do you what do you think is going on? What is the best what is the best update you can provide on on what's going on with Dame? Uh?
This is what I can say that's happening. It's obviously the Miami heat. You know, they're a bit frustrated with how things are moving along slowly. Portland is telling them
to bring us your best offer. Miami would like to know what does Portland want and Miami is not getting that answer, and so they feel like things can be moving on a little bit quicker if Portland would say exactly what it is they want, because obviously Miami doesn't have all the assets that Portland would want in a return for Damian little trade, so they want to know, Okay, what do we have to get out there, what other teams to, what other teams do do we have to
get involved to make this work, and so far the communication is just not there.
And so that's that's making.
This situation rather frustrating on on that side for Miami, what I can tell you is both teams are they're heading to their head on vacation and you know, especially the key the key people in the front office who plays a larger responsibility in trying to make a deal happen. That's not to say that a trade can't be done during vacation, but that's that's just where things stand right now, and that's that's just where we're headed.
So still not a lot of clarity. Still not a lot of clarity.
And I know Demi Lili's agent, Aaron Goodwin, was hoping that Miami and Portland would meet in Las Vegas during Summer League.
That did not happen. So this, you know, this could potentially be the long game.
It sounds like it. I mean, we know that a Miami offer as it stands, it's obviously going to feature Tyler Hero and multiple first round picks and some pick swaps. You know, does it include you know, does it include a Caleb Martin. Does it include other young players on the heat roster? Is there a way Miami can put something together on its own without the help of a third or a fourth team that that Partland would ever accept.
I mean, these are the questions that everybody in the league's been asking, But I'm gonna ask you something different. Let's say there's no change in status between now and October. Second, what would be your forecast? Does Dame go to Blazers camp? Does he potentially not go to Blazers camp. It's I think it's hard for people who have watched him and just know how much he loves to play, it's kind
of hard to imagine him not reporting to camp. But do we have any sense of where this thing would go if if there's no movement here for the next six seven weeks.
To be honest with you, Stein, I don't know. I really don't know.
All I can say is I know Dame is, you know, spending time with the kids, and he's ramped up his offseason workouts, so he's pretty his own Dan. He's being He's been pretty low key. I've talked to him just on a few occasions, you know, giving himim his space, So I've really don't know if he even knows the
answer to that. I think, you know, he obviously would want a resolution quicker than later, so I think he's just trying to bury his head into his workouts and to his family in hopes of this thing coming to a resolution.
I just don't just don't know if that's anytime soon.
Yeah, like you said, I mean we expected at the least some sort of communication between the teams in Vegas, and as you just clarified, we didn't even get that. So making that kind of forecast not easy right now. And that's kind of the problem with all these things is, you know, I know everybody wants us to say, yes, the trade is going to happen on August whatever, fill in the you know, it's just it's just not possible
right now. I mean last year, and we saw this last summer, you know, Donovan Mitchell, there was very intense discussion about Donovan Mitchell trades right around the time of Summer League in Vegas, and we didn't see a Donovan Mitchell trade to Cleveland until early September. So it is hard to forecast in all these situations. You know, the
same goes with James Harden in Philly. You know, obviously that interest in that storyline got sparked further this week when the quotes came out from Joel Embiid about I want to win a title in Philly or wherever it is, and that naturally put a brighter spotlight on the Sixers. But it's I think it's somewhat of the same thing. Is that, you know, James Harden has made it clear that he wants to be elsewhere. The Sixers have tried to dissuade him of that stance, and admittedly have not
succeeded in those attempts. James Harden still wants out. Think we saw an IG post from him earlier today. You know, I am not the IG expert, but I've been assured that this was from his IG account. Verified been comfortable for so long, It's time to get uncomfortable. A very cryptic statement from James Harden. What are you hearing, if anything? On the Harden front. We know the Clippers are where he wants to go, how how fiercely the Clippers are
prepared to go after him. I think it's still somewhat of a matter of debate. Where are we on Harden.
This is what I can say on the Harden front. Philly is not going to just give him away. That's in a lot of ways. I don't know if I will compare this to Dame situation. Yeah, Like I don't know if I will compare us the Dame situation, because it seems to be a little bit more tension on
that front. But then again, there's some tension here as well, you know, And I think I don't want to say anything and speculate, but it'd be They've got to wait to see what James Harden says about how everything really played out.
I'm pretty sure there's a.
Lot more that hasn't been reported out there as to why he's choosing to go this route all of a sudden. So what I do know is Philly is going to try to maximize their return.
This won't be you know, if.
Dame's situation wasn't at the forefront, it would be this James Harden news right here, and it probably be a lot more dissecting of it if there really hasn't been.
Really the primarily focus has been on.
Dame now, I think largely because this is Dame's first trade request after what eleven years and this is what James Harden's third so we got of like bend down this role before.
So uh, you know, I don't know they're prepared as well.
You know from what I was told, Philly is prepared as well to take this all the way to training camp if they don't find the right deal.
So you know, what does James Harden do?
That's the thing. I think the training camp questions that they're even louder when it comes to Harden because because of course we remember it was just two ish years ago that he wanted to be traded away from Houston and his training camp presence, he didn't show up right away. He clearly was not in optimal condition. And that's what people are wondering now, what you know, if there is no trade, if the Sixers maintain this fairly rigid stance
that they've taken. And you know, Darryl Morey has been you know, he's now addressed as publicly. He's gone on ninety seven point five FM and Philly much like he did during the Ben Simmons trade saga. And and you know, Darryl Morey has spelled it out and said that unless he gets a star level player back or the pieces that can clearly ensure a subsequent trade that lead to a star player back that they're not just going to
give in and trade James Harden. So how uncomfortable? James Harden is the one who used that word earlier Thursday. We're taping this on Thursday night. The Thursday word again from James Harden quote, been comfortable for so long, it's time to get uncomfortable. How uncomfortable is he prepared to
make it for the Sixers in camp? I mean, and you know that is again a question that not the easiest to answer on July twentieth, but understandably the question that a lot of people around the league are asking. I mean, and b to someone that you've covered closely as well, you know, certain what he told Maverick Carter, I mean that was, you know, generated its own slew of headlines, and understandably so when a player of Embiid's stature even hints that he might not be in Philly
for life. But certainly, in my dealings with Joel over the years, I mean, my vibe has always been that he greatly values what he's built with the Sixers. I do think he really wants to win there and break through there and not have to go somewhere else. I guess I'm not being the super fairest to you today in your sweltering abode with no air conditioning by asking you to jump in the head of all these guys.
But what have you made of the whole embiid talk surrounding kind of this embid story that has, you know, developed out of the Harden story.
I remember stunt.
I think I might have told you before m B spoke with Rachel Nichols. I believe it was doing it was doing Summer League, and he told her that he was he wished James Harden mistake and he's trying to convince him. I spoke with him over the phone. You know it was a private call. Then you know I spoke with him on the phone. Believe I told you, and he told me that you know, I'm trying to get him to stay. He was like, we're just better with him than without him. And he doesn't he doesn't
think that they will. He will, they will be able to get equal value in return going into next season because we know Joel e Bean is trying to win now, trying to win now and so that was you know that that was between us, but he since said it publicly now and so I feel like it's okay to reveal that.
But he said it.
He said he was trolling when he made the made those remarks to Math. But in the trolling, I do believe there is some light that's being shed a little bit, like he's finally like kind of cracking the door open to the possibility of leaving, which would only add probably a little bit more urgency to the front office to make sure they get to make sure they're on their toes, making sure they're doing everything that they can to keep a winning roster around him, because Jordan bid has went
through a bunch of different changes throughout his tenure there in Philly, a bunch of different marquee players have come and gone, So you know, it was only it's only right to kind of look at him to see as he that next superstar Domino to request the trade. So even though he said he's troller, I think that he's opening up a little bit of a window into what the future may bring if things don't change.
A lot of pressure on the Sixers right now, lots of pressure they've got to resolve the hard situation. As you say, keeping Joel Embiid happy is priority number one. They've made a coaching change, how dramatic a change that will be in the team's on court fortunes. Can Nick Nurse bring in a new approach that drastically changes the playoff output of a sixer team and a franchise that has not gotten past the second round since two thousand
and one, since the days of Alan Iverson. We said it a lot last season, and we're going to be saying it a lot more this coming season. Philly is under the microscope in a huge, huge, huge way, not just with Harden, but now ensuring that Joel Embiid wants to stay there and complete the process. We move now to the third name of the three, the trio that we're monitoring here on Trade Watch. Okay, maybe this isn't
my smoothest transition, but bear with us. Left my smoothness in Vegas, Pascal Siakam, You know, when I was talking to various teams at Summer League, some in some corners, I heard that the Damian Lillard situation would most likely have to play out before we got any clarity on a Siakam trade destination. And then I heard in some other corners that no, it could move independently of Damian Lillard. But I will put my hand up and say, I really don't know which of those forecasts is going to
be proven correct. Really, it was just the most consistent messaging I got, and I was in Vegas on Trade Talk Matters, was you know, it's not just a two all star situation. Damian Lillard, yes, James Harden, yes, but just make sure that we include Pascal Siakam in his future in our forecast. Now, Look, Toronto is so unpredictable. I think there are also well placed observers around the league who will not be surprised if the Raptors decide
to keep Siakam. But I will just say me personally now, speaking purely for myself, I came away with the impression from my various discussions in Vegas that the Raptors do want to make at least one more move of significance before training camp starts. And I don't think there's any shortage of interest in Pascal Siakam. You and I both
have been talking for ages now about Atlanta's interest. That goes back to before the draft the Hawks really like the idea of Siakam, but haven't been able to construct a trade that Toronto has wanted to partake in. During Summer League, both Indiana and Orlando emerged as possible destinations. But look, this is a very unique situation because, like James Harden, Pascal Siakam is only under contract for one
more season roughly thirty seven to thirty eight million. The better half of this podcast, Chris Haynes reported right at the draft that you know, Pascal Siakam is not going to just re sign with anyone who trades for him. To this point, Siakam has expressed that he would like to stay in Toronto. He's not looking to force his
way out of Toronto. So for anyone that trades for Pascal Siakam, the question you have to ask answer for yourself is how much are you willing to put on the table for a guy who has only one year left on his deal and might not re sign with you.
Yeah, and that's the fear, And I think maybe that's the hang up as well.
Why this is taken so long is because teams don't feel like they can put their best offers on the table because you know, I reported you reported that, you know, there is a there's a good amount of teams that he would not do an extension with and so essentially that will be a one year rental and teams that want to fork out all of their assets or present their best offers for a one year rental player, even to the caliber of Pascal. So you know, it's a
tough situation that Toronto Raptors find themselves in. I can definitely see Pascal remaining a member of the Raptors, but there's there's still a lot of smoke.
There's still some teams that's.
Still making calls to try to see if anything can be done.
But I think we have to look at where we're at in the off season.
You know, as it pertains to Atlanta, that's been a team that's been primarily linked to Pascal for for a while. And you know before when there was talks going on, John Collins was a part of some of those talks.
You know, he's since been been traded.
Does does does Atlanta have anything Toronto will want at this stage? So there does Like if you're asking me right now, Stein, do I think he's traded before the season or if he's still a member of the Raptors as of right now, I would lean towards saying I think he would will remain a member of the Toronto Raptors.
And look, I guess the way I approach this is again, you know, last season, last off season is still so fresh in the memory that that Donovan Mitchell trade materialized in September, So there is still time. We're nearing the end of July, but you know, there's still lots of
time before training camp. And look with Toronto there, you know, I wrote this in my last Around the League notebook, there is an inherent skepticism attached to the Raptors now about what they want to do on the trade front because of what just happened at the last trade deadline.
All of these guys are almost all of them were mentioned as potential trade candidates to some degree, Van Vliet, Gary Trent, Junior, Siakam and Ananobi less so, but you know, people still at least asked the questions and wondered, and in the end, Toronto didn't trade anyone and ended up making a trade to add win Now talent by bringing in Yakub Purdle from San Antonio. And they've since resigned Purtle to a four year deal in the eighty million range.
So there is that skepticism out there that you know, does Toronto Is Toronto truly prepared to trade Siakam even after Van Vliet's departure. But it really, it really depends right now on who you ask, and you're gonna get a different forecast from almost anyone you hit up on this question. All right, friends, I really, I really have to cut this off now because you know, when Chris and I record these we have a special program reuse
where we can see each other. Obviously you guys can't see us on this podcast, but you know, I'm just watching. I'm watching my friend suffer here. And look, the heat in Dallas has been absolutely miserable, miserable, like to the point where I'm just I'm throwing rackets around the house. It is so hot. But our air conditioning works. Poor Chris Haynes in Sacramento no air conditioning for I don't I've lost track of how many days it's been. But
this was the case. This was the case before we did our Vegas pod and it is still the case. And if you could see mister Haynes right now, he is not happy with me how long this pod has taken. So we have to let him go America and uh and and reple replenish himself because this he's been he has been putting in the work in this pod.
Yeah, but you know what's time. I do it for our loyal listeners. Anything for my loyal listeners.
Don That's why you are beloved. You are beloved. I hope, I hope nobody rebounds better after this thing drops than your air conditioning system. Wishing you all the best, All right, everyone that will do it for this edition of this league uncut, Stein and Haynes. We will be back with you guys soon, precisely when is still TBD. But with that three pronged trade watch, who knows who knows when something will happen that will demand some immediate reaction from
your guys. And let's all wish some cooler, cooler, breezier times in Chris Haynes's life. Everybody, remember, please rate, review, and subscribe to this show. Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you get your pods. Take care, everybody, and try to stay cool out there. And that's dreadful sight, and that'll do it for us. See you next time.
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Chris Haynes and Mark Stein