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00:00potentially the biggest trade in the history of the NBA in the very early
00:05morning hours of Sunday the first couple of minutes of Sunday a trade in a
00:12notification that when it happened everybody said huh what is this fake
00:18with Shams hacked that's how big this deal was and that's how out of nowhere
00:26this trade materialized Luka Doncic traded to the LA Lakers by the Dallas
00:33Mavericks yeah Luka Doncic traded to Los Angeles in return the Mavericks get back
00:40a package highlighted by Anthony Davis Max Christie and just a single first
00:47round selection Joe I'll start with the reaction because that really was a part
00:52of this everybody waking up on Sunday had they been asleep early on a Saturday
00:58night some out at bars in clubs where they trade so monumental that the DJ
01:03broke into the sound system to say Luka Doncic is now a Laker where were you
01:10late on Saturday night or very early on Sunday morning when you saw this trade
01:15and what was your initial reaction I thought I was being pumped I really did
01:22I thought it was one of those fake you know Schefter account kind of things and
01:26I'm like oh man maybe it's maybe it's missing a letter and I'm completely you
01:31know this is this isn't really it can't happen right 25 years all to do not even
01:36in his prime there is no way Dallas would you know trade him and for
01:42somebody five years older and not in his prime anymore so none of it seemed to
01:48make any sense but as stunned as we were apparently Luca was even more
01:54stunned he had absolutely no clue that this was coming which raises a whole lot
02:00of questions Ben like just how big of a you-know-what is he that Dallas was
02:07willing to trade him away to the West Coast and the Lakers of all teams just
02:14to get him out of their hair kind of crazy there there is so much reaction
02:19including what Nico Harrison Dallas's GM had to say yesterday in an emergency
02:26press conference so he could try to explain how this deal came together in
02:31what the F his thought process was but spoiler alert everything that Nico
02:38Harrison said sounded pretty dumb when you consider who Luka Doncic is so many
02:45things went into the initial reporting of this trade including now the NBA's
02:50biggest breaking news reporter in ESPN's Shams Sharania having to back up his
02:56tweet with the trade details in the first line Joe saying yes this is real
03:02because everybody's initial response was Shams Sharania got hacked oh my god
03:08no Sharania had to say this is real here is the deal and we will break down that
03:14deal in just a moment another sign that you need to know that this is real and
03:19Luka Doncic is actually now officially a Los Angeles Laker can we go back to that
03:24b-roll footage of Luka Doncic in Dallas but still to show what the Lakers logo
03:30next to everything that Luka is doing yes Luka although wearing Mavericks
03:35attire there is going to be in LA Laker a very subtle touch done by our sports
03:41grid team behind the scenes Joe we'll get more to the reaction well listen to
03:46what Nico Harrison had to say we're at least discuss some of the quotes trying
03:51to explain the rationale in Dallas I'm not sure any of it will ever make sense
03:57Luka Doncic is not a good player Luka Doncic is not an all-star Luka Doncic is
04:03not just a guy that he might sniff all pro consideration in his NBA career this
04:09is his seventh season within the association he has spent all of them
04:14with the Dallas Mavericks he won rookie of the year in his first season in the
04:18NBA 2018-2019 and then he has been an all-pro first-team all-nba each in every
04:28season since if you want to call him the best player on the planet I would hear
04:33you out if you want to call him a top three player in the NBA you are correct
04:38I have no idea no idea why you would trade said player willingly offer him up
04:46and get back Anthony Davis who was an all-pro player by the way in just a
04:50single first round pick but part of the rationale from the reporting in the
04:57reasoning was the Mavericks were fed up with Luka Doncic they did not care for
05:01him all that much and certainly Joe did not care for his conditioning practices
05:07or lack thereof basically saying we traded Luka Doncic in the middle of the
05:12night because he's overweight yeah and but it's it's a ongoing issue it has
05:19been an ongoing issue and Dallas before they had to fork over a supermax deal
05:26worth almost 400 million dollars which by the way you know he at that press
05:31conference he said we have no indication that it wouldn't have been a bidding war
05:35that he would have signed that extension with us anyway at which particular point
05:40we would have had to have him on the open market and hoping that he would
05:43stay with us so there when you put it all together this is a move where
05:49Dallas is a little bit more geared to trying to win in the now and listen to
05:55the Lakers we all knew it they have to try to figure out what life is after
05:59LeBron the Lakers figured it out because if they can keep him in shape which is a
06:05big if man because it ain't gonna get better as he gets older if they can keep
06:09him in shape then they have one of the best generational talents dare I say
06:13since a guy they had once named Kobe pretty impressive okay who cares if the
06:19guy likes to eat or drink a beer he is the best player in the NBA if not the
06:25best top three and who's the best player on planet earth and basketball
06:29right now is he the model of physical fitness no and his name is Nicola
06:35Jokic he would rather ride a horse in a buggy than play basketball and he is
06:39still better than everybody else he is on the court with who cares if Luka I've
06:44taken crazy pills I don't care if he's overweight get his conditioning in order
06:50and maybe this will be a wake-up call for Luka Doncic but the idea that he was
06:54traded because he is fat in the return that Dallas got back was one first-round
07:01pick Anthony Davis and all pro we'll talk about ad in just a moment the Aaron
07:05Fox was shipped to San Antonio last night and the Kings got back three
07:10first-round picks and three second rounders it's Luka Doncic
07:17live right here on this Monday morning on the early line on sports grid again
07:22it is Super Bowl week in the big easy we are now just six days away from
07:27Super Bowl Sunday and Super Bowl 59 but on the first Sunday without an actual
07:33NFL game since Sunday September 8th the NBA said don't you fret we are here to
07:39deliver not with great action around the Association but great drama in the
07:44biggest blockbuster deal perhaps we have ever seen in the history of the
07:49Association is that recency bias no it is the first time in NBA history Joe
07:55that two players who were selected to all NBA teams the year prior were traded
08:01for one another in the ensuing season midway through the year and this was not
08:07floated like uh-oh Luka Doncic is unhappy in Dallas uh-oh
08:13Doncic might be up for grabs if somebody can make a compelling offer this
08:18happened in the shadows Dallas general manager Nico Harrison yesterday at a
08:24press conference had a lot to say but basically detailed how the initial
08:29conversation between himself and the Lakers GM Rob Polenka occurred he called
08:34Rob he said we'll give you Luka Doncic Rob Polenka said what are you serious no
08:40way you can't be serious it turns out that he was in they held this in secret
08:46for the last few weeks and then finalized the deal late Saturday into
08:51the very opening minutes of Sunday a deal that was finalized before Mavs head
08:57coach Jason Kidd was even told about it I mean I have no idea how to categorize
09:05what Mavericks GM Nico Harrison pulled off Joe all I know is that he shipped
09:11off Luka Doncic without telling Luka about it and without really opening up
09:16the highest bid for a generational top-three player in the NBA it's again
09:24it's unprecedented to say the least here on the when you look one-on-one let's
09:32just say this is Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic at this point in the game it is
09:39just mind-blowing how the Jazz even got involved in his trade is also hilarious
09:44with their two second round picks but the simple fact that Anthony Davis who
09:49by the way doesn't want to play center and won't have to I guess necessarily in
09:56Dallas but the problem is how many games is Anthony Davis really gonna play for
09:59you Dallas he can't stay healthy no matter where he goes if you thought
10:03conditioning was a problem for Luka waiting till you get a load of Anthony
10:07Davis tripping over air and then missing 40 games because he's like glass
10:13Joe so I do not understand a Luka at 25 years old is one of those generational
10:21talents been where listen you got to see it through no matter what fault thing
10:25you got to see what it would have caused to get you had to you you should have
10:30had this right to the end if you couldn't come up with a deal he was
10:33still going to be worth whatever it was that you were asking for but they didn't
10:38they pulled the trigger a little bit early here if you ask me look at those
10:43stats look at those stats for Luka Doncic throughout his career now in his
10:48seventh season in the NBA all spent with the Mavs by the way 28.6 points per game
10:54on average throughout a career as a scorer the third highest point per game
11:00average in NBA history behind only who will Chamberlain in Michael Jordan Luka
11:07Doncic who single-handedly brought the Dallas Mavericks to a Western Conference
11:13crown last year in an NBA Finals appearance against the Boston Celtics
11:18who was averaged throughout his postseason career thirty point nine
11:22points per game that second best at NBA history behind only who MJ and he's
11:30only 25 and you shipped him away again we will talk about Anthony Davis because
11:3780 was almost an afterthought a cast away yesterday 80 is still playing at an
11:43all NBA level it has been largely healthy throughout this regular season
11:48for the Lakers in last regular season for Los Angeles as well but the idea
11:54that Luka Doncic is conditioning and his lack of availability or serious
11:59manner in basketball was the issue so you turn to Anthony Davis to win now is
12:07insanity it should cost Nico Harrison his job we will see if it eventually
12:13does Nico Harrison was asked yesterday have you spoken to Luka Doncic and Nico
12:19pretty much said I don't think he probably wants to speak to me right now
12:24and we'll talk about the supermax component of this of this conversation
12:29because Luka is no longer entitled to that in Los Angeles I mean there is so
12:35much that we continue to break down here on the early line up next we continue to
12:39talk about the blockbuster deal between the Mavericks and the Lakers that sends
12:43Luka Doncic to Los Angeles Anthony Davis to Dallas in the Utah Jazz included in
12:50the deal as well we heard from Mavs GM yesterday Nico Harrison try to explain
12:55how this blockbuster deal came together in what his thinking was behind it he
13:02hinted at the supermax and not being sure if Luka Doncic would sign said
13:08extension this summer with the Mavericks but one of the issues with that line of
13:13thought is that Luka Doncic had made no indication he did not like Dallas would
13:19want to become a free agent would not be interested in signing what would have
13:23become the largest and richest contract in NBA history and Luka Doncic was
13:29eligible eligible excuse me for said supermax in Dallas he is not eligible for
13:36said deal with the LA Lakers so Luka Doncic would have loved the idea of
13:42becoming the richest player in NBA history as Luka shared in his statement
13:47after the deal yesterday saying that he is only known Dallas it's the place he
13:52has been since he was an 18 year old drafted technically by the Hawks but
13:57quickly traded to the Mavs on draft night back in 2018 Joe even that line of
14:03thinking from Nico Harrison does it make a lot of sense to me because either you
14:08say we are unwilling to offer up the largest deal in NBA history to one of
14:14the great talents the sport has ever seen or you are saying we're not
14:19talented enough to make sure he stays in-house and that's why we traded him
14:24none of it made sense from that rationale perspective in my estimation
14:28no unless and they're not saying it Ben but unless it was already known in that
14:34building that he was gone in 2026 he wasn't coming back and that was it so he
14:41wasn't gonna sign the 345 million dollar supermax he was gonna hit the open
14:45market and that would have been the end of it but there's obviously something
14:51else going on behind the scenes that we are privy to here because none of this
14:57on its face makes any sense when given the fact that we saw Rudy Gobert get
15:03traded for for a handful of first-round picks we saw Mikkel Bridges get traded
15:08for a handful of first-round picks and basically Donchik went for one so none
15:14of this makes any sense unless we're missing a big piece of the puzzle here
15:19and maybe more of that comes out but again if you are trading Luka Donchik
15:25because you are just mad at him you can still get more in return than Dallas did
15:31if it is truly his body and his lack of conditioning that has frustrated you not
15:36just this year but year over year over year and what seems to be his lack of
15:41commitment to his professional basketball playing okay but still get
15:47more in return for Luka Donchik and again I would take a 300 pound Luka
15:53Donchik if he was still out on the floor playing at this level because there is
15:58zero argument that Luka Donchik is not a top three player in the NBA now Joe
16:05part of this conversation is the lack of return the Mavericks got back for
16:10trading Luka Donchik a generational player in the NBA's history but one of
16:16the pieces of course is Anthony Davis and it's not some wily veteran in AD
16:21Max Christie a promising young guard the Lakers had out of Michigan State should
16:26be a nice piece for the Mavericks moving forward just that single first-round
16:30pick which is fireable in its own right for Nico Harrison but Anthony Davis was
16:35a little bit disregarded yesterday he is still a 10-time NBA All-Star he is a
16:41four-time All-NBA first team made All-NBA second team a season ago still
16:47a five-time All-Defensive team player in the NBA as well he is 31 years old he
16:53turns 32 in just a couple of months in March at about a month and a half but he
16:58is playing at a very high in All-Star All-NBA level this season thank you
17:04again for that Mavericks logo so we do know that Anthony Davis is headed to
17:08Dallas this is his 13th season in the Association and AD is still a very very
17:14talented player but the idea that Dallas as Nico Harrison tried to share with us
17:19yesterday is fully bought in and in a win-now mode because they dealt Luka
17:24Donchik and got back Anthony Davis is so stupid I can't even understand you're
17:32not it's it's not it I mean listen it win now defense first yada yada yada all
17:40those things that he said there makes all sense but the bottom line is you
17:44traded for a 31 year old extremely injury prone I guess now power forward
17:50who doesn't want to play center and one first-round pick which by the way is not
17:57going to be at the top of the draft either which means you've got yourself a
18:01mediocre player at the bottom of the first round which is what you're gonna
18:05get here so none of it makes any sense and I'm not it's not to you know Anthony
18:11Davis very good with the right fit I know LA was praying that he would take
18:18the the torch from LeBron and you know LA would be his home for the rest of his
18:23playing career and they could build around Anthony Davis but again 31 year
18:28old injury prone power forward they can't rely on him to be the face of the
18:33Laker franchise which is really why they could not have been happier to receive
18:39that phone call and then like absolutely we'll move on from Anthony Davis again
18:45as Nico Harrison just offered up himself they offered Luka Donchik the Lakers did
18:53not inquire her about Luka Donchik his status and if he was on the trading
18:58block and Nico Harrison even said that when he started speaking to Rob Polenka
19:03the GM in LA about the potential of this deal Rob Polenka like the rest of us was
19:10stunned and shocked that Luka Donchik could actually be traded to Los Angeles
19:16and for that return again if Anthony Davis was still 25 as was Kyrie maybe
19:23this would make some more sense but they are not to 80s credit he has played 42
19:29of 47 games this year with the Lakers he has avoided injuries that have plagued
19:34his career because just twice in the last seven NBA seasons has 80 played
19:40more than 60 games that is a concern from the defensive side of it Anthony
19:46Davis is of course an upgrade he doesn't need to be the center in Dallas they
19:51have guys like Derek Lively to do just that which is something Anthony Davis
19:56has expressed that he desires Kyrie Irving is there in the front in the back
20:01court as well you can understand why on paper from the X's and O's this makes
20:06some sense for Dallas outside of the context of shipping away Luka Donchik
20:11but again when you add back in that very large context it really doesn't Luka
20:17Donchik not a great defensive player oftentimes does not expend all that much
20:22effort and energy on that side of the floor there was that moment in game three
20:26of the NBA Finals this past year when Luka Donchik picked up his foul maybe
20:30like a third or fourth foul for being in a bad position yelled at his bench
20:34challenged that because it wasn't my fault I was in a bad spot that was a bad
20:39call by the refs is that a part of the the microcosm of the disagreement
20:44between effort and play from one of the three best players in the NBA and how
20:49the Mavericks want to construct things in Dallas perhaps but again it makes no
20:55sense now the updated outlook for the LA Lakers who right now are actually in a
21:00pretty decent spot big win for the Lakers on Saturday night by the way
21:04inside Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks the Lakers are 28 and 19
21:09Joe in that fifth spot in the NBA's Western Conference where the Oklahoma
21:14City Thunder are pretty much in prime position but you know who now has the
21:18third best price to win the Western Conference crown that would be the
21:22Lakers yeah and that would be a giant mistake to think that they'll do
21:28anything except fold this year LeBron and Donchik are not a great fit folks
21:35there are two guys that have to have the ball in their hand in order to be at
21:40their best and that's not going to work so they better figure something out
21:45quickly otherwise the Lakers ain't going anywhere we haven't even really talked
21:50about LeBron James in this perspective we will up next as you can tell this
21:55blockbuster all the NBA things we have to discuss the Highland on the other so
22:00now the blockbuster trade is done between Dallas and LA where does it
22:05leave both organizations this year and of course beyond from a future
22:09perspective having Luka Donchik maybe for the next decade plus in Los Angeles
22:15sensational this year the odds makers believe that with LeBron James and Luka
22:21Donchik the Lakers can make a run toward the Western Conference finals plus 850
22:27now the number on LA to win the West third best behind Oklahoma City and
22:32Denver the Thunder in prime position in the top spot in the standings and a plus
22:38105 price to win the Western Conference crown nearly at even money Joe before
22:43the break you express some skepticism that it's actually going to work this
22:47year from a basketball perspective between LeBron and Luka at least at the
22:52length of truly being a conference contender out west so in your mind
22:57maybe not worth a bet on the plus 850 price on Los Angeles yeah no it this is
23:03not a great fit at all not to mention they don't have a big on this roster now
23:08that they I mean don't forget it was Anthony Davis who was playing center in
23:13this spot and hated it and didn't want to and so now they still have to make
23:17some moves if it's truly about this season but you're talking about two ball
23:22dominant players that are only truly at their best when they have the ball in
23:27their hand so I don't I don't see how that's gonna work here but what I do see
23:31long term for the Lakers is they they are set for the next decade with their
23:37superstar in LA which probably means to me LeBron takes the farewell tour next
23:42year and does the Kobe thing where it's gifts and champagne and balloons at
23:48every stop along the way and then he hands the keys to the franchise over to
23:53Luka so it's a win for the Lakers it's just not a win for this year
23:58LeBron James has long expressed a desire to play with Luka Doncic he now gets his
24:04wish how will they manage each other's expectations on the floor that remains
24:09to be seen because LeBron wasn't like hey Rob by the way just in case if Luka
24:14Doncic is available maybe trade Anthony Davis and only first round only one
24:18first round pick for him LeBron James like the rest of us had no idea that
24:24this was happening the Lakers beat the Knicks in Madison Square Garden on
24:28Saturday night by reports LeBron James went out to dinner with his family and
24:32found out much like the rest of us a call though from Rob Polenka before the
24:38deal was finalized and the tweet was shared by Shams Charania he loved AD
24:44that being LeBron they won a championship together in the bubble in
24:47the 2020 campaign I'm sure he is sad to see Anthony Davis go I'm sure he is very
24:53happy to see Luka Doncic return in his place in Los Angeles any idea that
24:58trading for Luka Doncic now could mean the end of LeBron James in LA this
25:03season has already been kind of disbarred in a way LeBron James is not
25:09going to be dealt by reports at least is what we expect right now ahead of
25:13Thursday's NBA trade deadline and you can try to tell all of us anything you
25:19would like on how that book how this bolsters Dallas how it makes the
25:23Mavericks more of a contender than the team that Luka Doncic almost
25:27single-handedly led to a Western Conference championship last year in an
25:31NBA Finals appearance but it doesn't Dallas is now 19 to 1 to win the Western
25:36Conference show they entered this year with Luka Doncic after winning the West
25:41a season ago with one of the four best prices around a plus 500 plus 550 number
25:48even before the weekend when they still had Luka Doncic despite the fact he has
25:53not played since Christmas Day they were 10 to 1 their price nearly doubled
25:58after dealing their franchise superstar in the state of Texas yeah it's it's
26:04head-scratching on a lot of different levels here and then of course they
26:09rolled nobody out last night and got absolutely boatraced by the Cavaliers
26:13who and they're still trying to figure it all out but the reality is if they
26:18can get if they can get a D back healthy after this abdominal strain here
26:24I will be interested to see because they will be a defensive force this team for
26:29sure whether or not Kyrie can well they're gonna ask a lot more of Kyrie
26:35now at 32 years old and a bulging disc in his back but he is it's really Kyrie's
26:40team now I guess so if that's the case he's gonna have to provide a lot of that
26:46offense and don't forget they don't even have Derek Leiboville until next year so he's
26:50already out for the rest of the season so again I think both of these teams may
26:55be looking for a little more immediate results for Dallas but I think it's the
27:00long game for LA but I wouldn't be running to the window and thinking I'm
27:04getting value on Dallas winning anything either right now Daniel Gafford is also
27:09there a great defensive big to plug the center that Anthony Davis decides he
27:14wants to play in here Gafford did not play last night if the year was February
27:193rd 2018 and you were to say Kyrie Irving Klay Thompson and Anthony Davis
27:24I'd say that team's a title contender and probably the favorite it's just
27:28February 3rd 2025 again Joe this is the most shocking and perhaps biggest deal
27:35in the history of the NBA especially in in-season trade again not just from the
27:41narrative perspective and how stunning this move was this is the first time
27:45ever in NBA history that to all NBA guys were traded for one another in that
27:50ensuing season midway through the year but we had another blockbuster deal last
27:56night as well one that was more expected but still will send some shockwaves
28:01around the association De'Aaron Fox traded from Sacramento to San Antonio
28:07he'll pair up with Victor Weminyama which was his expressed desire Zach
28:12Levine has basically always been a trade rumor for the Chicago Bulls he is
28:16finally shipped away reuniting with DeMar DeRozan in Sacramento the Kings
28:20also get three first-round picks in three second-round picks see how that
28:26can work Nico Harrison in the third team in the deal the Chicago Bulls get their
28:31own 2025 pick back from the Spurs Zach Collins Trey Jones and Kevin Herter
28:36I guess the Bulls kind of like the Jazz in the Lakers in Mavericks trade the big
28:42headlines though De'Aaron Fox to San Antonio Zach Levine to the Kings yeah and
28:49by the way they already have the face of their franchise for the future in
28:53Webayama along with oh I don't know the other they have eight players been that
28:58have played at least 500 minutes together this season so they lost no
29:02pieces and they just added a superstar in there that is only gonna make this
29:08team better if you want to bet anybody today and take a shot at a flyer it's
29:13the San Antonio Spurs we'll talk about that next on the early line a weekend of
29:20blockbuster trades around the association one that was more expected
29:24last night but still a very large deal in the NBA Zach Levine makes his way
29:30from Chicago to Sacramento De'Aaron Fox in return heads to San Antonio as he
29:37wanted to in the Chicago Bulls get back a crop of players and their own 2025
29:42first-round pick back from San Antonio we'll talk about Zach Levine reuniting
29:48with DeMar DeRozan perhaps in California's capital in just a bit but
29:52the real headline Joe is De'Aaron Fox he wanted to be dealt from Sacramento did
29:58not really want to be there in a long term wanted to play with Victor
30:02Webayama in San Antonio and that's exactly what he gets De'Aaron Fox has
30:07spent all eight years of his NBA career in Sacramento big weekend for guys that
30:12were drafted fifth overall in two consecutive NBA drafts Luka Doncic in
30:172018 traded of course to the Dallas Mavericks or he was drafted third
30:21overall Trey Young fifth regardless De'Aaron Fox fifth overall in 2017 by
30:26the Kings and that's been where he has been the entirety of his time in the
30:32NBA oddly enough just an all-star once entering this season in his NBA career
30:38back in 2022 23 but still a guy that averages 25 points per game over six
30:45times and five boards and now pairs with Victor Webayama making San Antonio
30:50perhaps rather enticing in the Western Conference not only does he get Victor
30:56Webayama but he gets every other young player that San Antonio has built around
31:01Webayama over the last couple of years so they literally lost nothing but they
31:08gained a all-star point guard that is gonna bring in some leadership that's
31:13that's gonna be great for everyone and they're still they still have all their
31:18cap space and they got all of these young players on on rookie deals so
31:23they're not making any money they got all their draft capital the San Antonio
31:28Spurs in a position to do whatever and build this roster in any way they want I
31:34don't know another team in the NBA that is sitting as pretty as the San Antonio
31:39Spurs are right now it's interesting because the Spurs from a record
31:43perspective or four games below 521 and 25 the updated outlook for San Antonio
31:51is a little bit different than what we just discussed with the Mavericks and
31:54where they stand now without Luka Doncic and of course the elevated ceiling it
31:58would appear for the Los Angeles Lakers the Spurs don't have a short price to
32:03win the Western Conference their four games below 500 if the season ended
32:07today the Spurs would miss out on the play-in tournament out west by two spots
32:13but they're only two games back of the Kings who occupy that 10th and final
32:19position around the Western Conference the fourth and final to make the play-in
32:24tournament you see that plus 360 price on the Spurs to make the playoffs if
32:30they are in the play-in tournament that would require at least one if not two
32:35wins do you think there are any markets right now Joe on Wemby in the Aaron Fox
32:41in San Antonio that would be a desirable wager whether it's win total playoff
32:46price or maybe even a bigger number down the board I wouldn't shock me if
32:51if the win total is in is in play or the playoffs for that matter Ben are they
32:57legit gonna be Western Conference contenders the championship contenders
33:02probably not this year but certainly a team I'd be looking forward to backing
33:07over the next couple of seasons they are sitting pretty and once again I don't
33:13how San Antonio does it but they're gonna be relevant for the next decade or
33:17so again just like they had been prior to these last couple of years plus 125 is
33:24the price on the Spurs to make the Western Conference play-in tournament to
33:30Joe's point the last time San Antonio had the first overall pick they had it
33:35twice previous in franchise history they drafted the Admiral David Robinson and
33:40then Tim Duncan and they saw rather immediate success with both bigs rather
33:45quickly in San Antonio and then sustained success for many many seasons
33:50in the NBA with the Spurs so after such a monumental weekend in the NBA past the
33:57midway point of this year with the trade deadline now just a few days away on
34:01Thursday all-star weekend coming up in just a little bit as well here are the
34:08championship odds so put these into your brain and remember the Celtics the
34:13reigning champs and the title favorites all year still have that shortest number
34:18but the Thunder not all that far behind the Cavs the best record in the
34:22Association 40 and 9 plus 750 Knicks Nuggets and the Lakers who slashed that
34:30price in half now 19 to 1 it was 40 to 1 before the weekend in acquiring Luca
34:36Donovan live from New Orleans this is our hour to neck we welcome you to our
34:42number two live right here on a Monday morning to kick off a new week on the
34:46early line not just a new week but Super Bowl week so live from New Orleans let's
34:52not bury the lead okay dubs Kevin Walsh joins us here on TEL and I promise we
34:59will get some of Kevin's thoughts in the early build-up to Super Bowl 59 where
35:03his birds will face off against the Chiefs but Kevin primarily joins us to
35:09recap the craziest weekend we have seen in the NBA in quite some time with the
35:16blockbuster trades that we saw in the most shocking development perhaps in NBA
35:21history so Kev as always thank you for your time thanks for joining us here
35:26live for the big easy listen we had to make it happen in the most ironic fashion
35:33possible during the NBA's sky is falling rating season they overtook the lead of
35:40the Super Bowl week so yeah I don't know how they managed to do that I guess they
35:45out of nowhere traded one of the five best players in the sport probably
35:49before he even reached his prime and nobody even knew it was a remote
35:53possibility Kevin first Sunday without an actual NFL game since Sunday
35:59September 8th of 2024 in this season in the NBA waited Oh about 12 minutes a
36:06little bit after midnight when we got the shocking news from Shams Sharania
36:10that allowed all of us to look at our phones if we were still awake and say
36:14what Shams was hacked this can't be real for all K dubs though let's peel back the
36:20curtain and display your Saturday night a trip to Madison Square Garden to see
36:25LeBron James and the Lakers beat the Knicks outright as an underdog you must
36:30have enjoyed that in the Big Apple in the world's most famous arena to come
36:34home Kev get ready for your flight to New Orleans the next day and see that
36:40news what was your initial reaction to the tweet that Luka Doncic was being
36:46traded to the Lakers yeah I mean look we'll peel it back the whole way I'm
36:52very glad that the AD jersey was a little snug on the hips so I didn't wear
36:56that to the game actually itself we drove back to Queens so you can imagine
37:02I'm running around the house Connor you believe this it was it was shock and it
37:09was just constantly refreshing to understand it because the thing is I
37:13think whether you reach the conclusion or you're on your own or just through
37:17seeing everybody else's reaction it was hard not to pretty quickly go oh I guess
37:21he was hacked it was the it was the predominant thought for everybody that
37:26this was not real can't be the best feeling in the world for Nico Harrison
37:32that everybody thought the trade was fake on as opposed to even remotely a
37:36possibility when it came through so yeah it was stunning and then I immediately
37:42ran and put some some Laker bets in while I still could before numbers
37:46started to shift because at no point does my brain sleep so we had to start
37:51making some moves yeah yeah I'm still laughing at this because I thought it
37:57was a fake account myself and I'm like oh we're being punked at midnight this
38:01is great play it for me Kev here Luca comes back from the calf injuries on the
38:08court with LeBron what does this Lakers team look like to you yeah I think they
38:14immediately become one of the most dangerous teams in basketball the it's
38:19very interesting I don't know how many times we have to do this Joe you will
38:23know it well from the heat days LeBron and Wade I don't know I mean these guys
38:29both need the ball I'm not sure they can be oh they made the finals every year
38:32oh they made the finals every single year now this is not Miami LeBron but in
38:37terms of on-court fit how are we still doing this they did the on-court fit
38:42thing when he went to Cleveland to play with Kyrie but people will pretend this
38:46didn't happen they did the on-court fit thing when he was playing with Anthony
38:49Davis every time LeBron is next to someone new we go I don't know if this
38:53is gonna work and it's completely bizarre so that aspect of it will be
38:59more than fine yes they need to sharpen up the edges of the roster but for what
39:06I believe is the actual first time in LeBron's career he's not the best player
39:11on his team the Lakers and LeBron tried to will that into existence with AD
39:17being the lead guy he never truly was and I think everybody knows it Luka is
39:23better right now then LeBron James which means LeBron's the second best player on
39:29a team that's incredibly dangerous we'll continue to talk about that Lakers
39:34outlook in just a little bit but Kev when you saw not only that this trade
39:39was real and Sham Sharani then had to back that up and say no this is not fake
39:43this is what the trade details were in return to Dallas Anthony Davis second
39:50team all NBA a year ago having a great all-star year this season in LA the
39:55promising young prospect in Max Christie but only a single first-round pick what
40:02did you make of the actual components of this blockbuster trade so I I think
40:09the thing that is I want to clarify I don't agree with the Mavs evaluation of
40:15Luka or even Anthony Davis respectfully but they didn't want multiple firsts
40:23they could have had everybody thought like oh they could have had this they
40:26didn't want any of that they wanted Anthony Davis I believe they traded for
40:30AD as much as they traded Luka if that makes sense they felt that getting
40:37Anthony Davis back was incredibly important I don't think if you talk
40:41about best players in terms of trade value AD is inside that top 10 I do
40:47think he's inside that top 20 I think Dallas thinks AD is closer to that top
40:525 range and maybe more importantly they don't see Luka inside that top 5 range
40:59again I think that's insane but I think that is why they didn't ask for both
41:05Laker unprotected first-round picks so play it back for me here AD comes back
41:12it's now Kyrie's team cap what what is Dallas now no lively so what are we
41:19talking about here so it is I believe AD's team because AD now gets his wish
41:28of playing the four the Mavericks have not one but two legitimate centers well
41:34they have three centers on their team and just AD still doesn't think he's a
41:37center so they have Gafford and lively that they can play next to him when
41:42they're fully healthy and that's I think one of the things about this where we
41:47know we've heard how Luka was so disappointed and it's costing Luka
41:50Donchik over a hundred million dollars probably this move from Dallas to LA
41:56we've not heard AD's upset at all you know AD goes out there has a sit-down
42:00interview with Shams Tarhania I don't think it's that AD was desperate to get
42:04out of LA I think Anthony Davis was legitimately tired of playing the five I
42:09think he sees it as something that's taking years off his career I think he
42:14blames that for his injury issues again a lot of that is likely ridiculous I
42:19don't want it to my explanations are not agreements but I think AD is over the
42:24moon that he is now going to be in a starting lineup with Daniel Gafford as
42:29much as he was in a lineup with you know Kyrie Irving or Klay Thompson on this
42:33roster and I don't think that should be overlooked either it almost was like
42:37Anthony Davis was old parts and scrap metal traded back to Dallas he was still
42:43all second all NBA second team a year ago just made the all-star team and was
42:48an all-star selection for the 10th time in his NBA career and has been healthy
42:52this season 42 of the 47 games the Lakers have played AD has been out there
42:58you see the career resume for Anthony Davis but Kevin this is Luka Doncic
43:04Luka Doncic who you said earlier in this segment was a top five player in the NBA
43:12where do you still consider Luka ranking in the pantheon of the Association right
43:18now yeah I mean Luka to me is comfortably in the top five I would tell
43:22you he's the third best player and I would also tell you from a trade value
43:25perspective he is the second or third most valuable player in the league and
43:30there is a big drop-off after the top three it's it's Wembley it's SGA and
43:36it's Luka Wembley's in his own tier Luka and SGA are their own tier and then
43:40there's a big drop-off when you consider age and ability few are on Luka's level
43:47yep and so we'll talk about what Luka Doncic now means to the Lakers in what
43:53the ceiling is in LA this season with Kev up next live from New Orleans Kevin
44:00Walsh here for a second consecutive segment to react to the wild weekend
44:04that we saw around the NBA in the multiple blockbuster deals we had in the
44:10Association but of course Luka Doncic is now officially a Los Angeles Laker
44:15because of the calf injury that he suffered on Christmas Day Luka hasn't
44:19been back on the floor since late December but assuming he will be very
44:24very shortly Kev how do you now look at this Lakers team you mentioned it you
44:29bet them on Sunday morning after this trade was actually the real deal a price
44:36of plus 850 that prior to the weekend to win the West was 25 to 1 an NBA
44:41championship price 40 to 1 before the Luka deal that is now cut in half and
44:47then some at 19 to 1 what will be considered a successful second half and
44:53beyond for LeBron Luka in the Lakers this year I love that question because
45:01here's the reality of that question right what will determine a successful
45:06season will determine how honest people want to be I like all of you ear to the
45:13ground what are people saying I've heard from countless places well the Lakers
45:18are making a move for the future here I mean Lakers just told LeBron hey you
45:23don't even matter look Lakers are going nowhere this season so that's what I've
45:28heard and then if the Lakers get eliminated in the conference finals the
45:33season will be a massive failure LeBron lost again MJ MJ MJ so it's about how
45:38honest people want to be to me I think I will be able to give you a much better
45:44answer once the trade deadline passes it is hard to imagine the Lakers are going
45:50to be able to win a championship without trading for a big man but I fully expect
45:55them to trade for a big man I'm very curious if they are currently listening
46:00to Austin Reeves offers they never planned to trade Austin Reeves they never
46:06planned to trade for Luka Doncic it's a franchise altering move you don't want
46:11to make any mistakes you don't you're not forced to trade right Ben and Joe
46:16Austin Reeves but it is on the board now that you could trade Austin Reeves if it
46:23helps you round out this roster in a number of ways because this team could
46:27still use some additional perimeter guard specific defense yeah and that's
46:34really the thing so I mean if you were if you're Palenka and you're the Lakers
46:38who do you want to add here who is the you got to get a big right of some sort
46:43so who would you pick up the phone and call so I think Robert Williams should
46:48be able to be very easy to get out of Portland the problem is he is very
46:52injury-prone but Robert Williams in the 21 minutes a game he could give the
46:57Lakers would probably lead basketball and net rating playing next to Luka
47:00Doncic and LeBron James I think you're looking to try and Graham some defensive
47:07first options if you can I don't think Nikola Vucevic should be allowed
47:10anywhere near this basketball team I don't know what that could possibly do
47:15for them Jakob Hurdle makes sense I am not I mean who understands the cap these
47:22days I imagine bringing in Luka could take the Myles Turner stuff off the
47:26table or it makes it more likely Myles Turner would be an excellent fit I think
47:30you want yourself a defensive big if possible
47:34Clint Capella is another in Atlanta that I imagine could be had for a song okay
47:40so here are the NBA championship odds trade deadline is Thursday we still
47:45expect a flurry of moves the reigning champs and the favorites all year long
47:49the Celtics are still that but only by 20 cents in front of the Thunder the
47:54Cavs at plus 750 Knicks Nuggets and know that price on the Lakers 19 to 1
48:00right now quickly Kev before we get to the Aaron Fox on the Mavericks Nico
48:06Harrison is trying to sell everybody that Dallas is now win now do you think
48:13the Mavericks will actually win now no just so people know the Mavericks my
48:21preseason pick to win the NBA championship that's how high I was on
48:24this team so I maybe these I should have said that earlier just let you know how
48:29much I disagree with his thought process here they had a roster that could win a
48:33championship they lost Luka to just get extra big death it's a preposterous move
48:39the incredible thing is they could win the championship and I still don't think
48:42their fans would forgive them for this decision I think the Mavericks will be
48:47good I think the Mavericks could be you know frisky in a postseason series I
48:52don't think they're I don't believe they are now a legitimate championship
48:56contender as constructed what is the ceiling now Kev for San Antonio that
49:03landed a pretty big piece yesterday and and once again I don't know what the
49:09hell the Bulls are doing but San Antonio seems to know what they're doing Kev
49:15look Bulls are along for the ride I won't disagree there I don't want to
49:20know what Sacramento's doing though of being like can we get Lovino Lamar back
49:23tomorrow back together it's like no why would you ever do that my thing is I'm
49:28annoyed about this for everyone involved Fox is a is a is a good player he's
49:35all-star caliber he and Webby is an excellent pairing I don't understand why
49:40San Antonio needed to do this now I know they didn't have to give up all that
49:45much but was Fox going to refuse to go there if they didn't trade for him this
49:51moment was Fox gonna refuse to sign there I just they are not contenders
49:56with this move this season so then what I just what was the rush that that was
50:03my only thing about it I think again the pairing works really well but it's not
50:10as if the Aaron Fox has this huge resume of like Oh Wendy plus Fox makes
50:14you a contender the whole thing is Wendy makes you a contender I don't know why
50:19the Spurs would even limit themselves in terms of options I think Trey young was
50:24a better fit to play next to Wendy and they could have had him for probably
50:27just as much this offseason I know some will disagree but I like they showed
50:33patience in the offseason Fox is like hey I'd love to come over and then they
50:37canceled and and made room for that when I don't think they really needed to
50:41a lot of picks dealt back to Sacramento they get three first rounders three
50:46second rounders the Bulls get back their own 2025 first round pick from San
50:51Antonio but yeah it's really a focus on Victor women Yama making his first
50:56All-Star game this year alongside the Aaron Fox who has been in the NBA now
51:01for an eighth season only an All-Star once talented but where does this really
51:06elevate a Spurs team that is currently four games below 500 at 21 and 25