FULL NBA Today: Beal to LA? Warriors Want LeBron Again & CP3 Clippers Talk

SportsLand

avant-hier

🔥 On NBA Today, experts unpack three major offseason storylines:

Bradley Beal is expected to reach a buyout with the Suns and hit the market. The Clippers lead, but the Lakers, Warriors, Bucks, and Timberwolves are in the hunt. A Beal–Lakers combo with LeBron & Luka is generating buzz despite the Clips’ front-runner status

Golden State is again reportedly exploring a LeBron trade, aiming to reunite him with Stephen Curry. Prior interest arose at the 2023 deadline, and the Wolves have revisited possibilities .

Chris Paul remains unsettled and could land with the Clippers or Bucks, as teams eye veteran floor leadership

Don't miss expert takes on how these potential moves could reshape the Western Conference.

🔖 Hashtags + Keyword Tags (Inside the Description)
Hashtags:
#NBAToday #BradleyBeal #Lakers #LeBronJames #Warriors #ChrisPaul #Clippers #NBAOffseason

Keyword Tags (Inside Description):
Bradley Beal Lakers rumors, Beal Clippers favorite, LeBron to Warriors trade, Warriors LeBron interest, Chris Paul Clippers odds, NBA big three combos, free agency 2025

Catégorie

🥇

Sport

Transcription

Afficher la transcription complète de la vidéo

00:00three steals. He also drew nine Lakers fouls and turned it over just once. We'll talk a little

00:06bit more about Cooper and his debut a little later in the show. As you know, everyone is in

00:10Vegas right now. It's the center of the NBA universe. And look at who we have here. Mark

00:15Laurie and Alex Rodriguez, now officially the owners of the Minnesota Timberwolves. So I want

00:20to start from the beginning, guys. I know you guys are best friends. You guys do a lot together.

00:23When did you guys decide that you wanted to own an NBA team?

00:28Well, I'll tell you what. Mark and I took a run at the New York Mets, and it was an incredible

00:34process. It took about eight months. We were the second winners. And when that kind of fell through,

00:41we were very disappointed. And shortly after came this opportunity. And in a five, 10-minute call,

00:46we said, let's go for it. Yeah, that was basically it. It was a blessing in disguise looking back now.

00:51We couldn't be happier. Alex, you personally, you and Michael Jordan,

00:57the two former athletes turned owners, governors, like not minority, but co-owners here with Mark

01:03Laurie. What does that make you feel being in that position to say you and Michael Jordan,

01:08like that's a prestigious role for you guys after being athletes?

01:11I mean, first of all, it's just an incredible honor. I mean, to be part of this incredible,

01:17both leagues, WN and the NBA. Michael is someone who I looked up to for a very long time as Magic.

01:22Magic's been also a good friend and a great mentor. And I just think about that 12-year-old boy who saw

01:28his mom working two jobs and collecting food stamps. And to go from there to here with a great

01:34partner like Mark, I just could not be more honored. I want to know a little bit more about the dynamic

01:38between you two. This is the first time I've ever hang out with you guys, and I've seen you guys

01:41kind of bickering back and forth. What is the business relationship between you guys,

01:45and how does that work out? Yeah, we're like co-chairmen, co-founders of a startup. I think

01:50that's the way we operate. We're great friends, as you said. And, you know, we share a common set

01:55of values, but we come at it with a complementary set of skills. And I think we always seem to get

02:01to a better answer when we're thinking about something together. So, yeah, I think it's been

02:08great, and it's only getting better with time.

02:10So, I think about it, Christine, from a basketball perspective, right? And Alex Rodriguez,

02:16Mark, Laurie, now you guys are going to be a luxury tax-paying team for the second straight year.

02:21Before that, this franchise hadn't done that in over 20 years. So, you guys are projected to be

02:26high spenders moving forward. How do you guys view that now? Like, do you guys want to continue to

02:31spend at a high level? How do you view spending in today's NBA?

02:35Yeah, I mean, you know, just like a startup, you're investing into the future enterprise value

02:40of the team. And that's on behalf of the fans. That's on behalf of the community

02:45and the players, right? As well as us. But, you know, the franchise values are increasing at a rapid

02:52rate, and we're taking that money and reinvesting it back in to create a winning culture, a sustainable

02:58culture of winning. So, yeah.

03:00Alex got paid a few times as an MLB player. So, now you're on the other side with Mark here,

03:05having to take care of players, coming up on deals. How do you view that as an owner?

03:09I mean, I just think that the NBA and the WNBA are two of the greatest leagues in the world.

03:13They're both global leagues. By far, two biggest assets are the fan base, the communities, and our

03:20players. I mean, if you think about the amount of talent that you have around the globe, 30 percent

03:25of our league comes from outside of the U.S. You can probably say it'll be 40 percent in the next 10

03:29years. So, I think we're in a great place. I think players are our partners, and the league is growing,

03:35and it's just really an exciting time. Shams, I like that you just mentioned how much money A-Rod

03:39made when he was playing, because there's an article on .com right now that speculates that

03:43the first NBA player to make one million dollars a game could be Anthony Edwards. When you think

03:48about that, what comes to mind? What do you think about?

03:51Well, I think that's a sign that the game is very healthy. The revenues are growing. Obviously,

03:54we signed a new 11-year deal, media deal, which is very healthy. And look, without the players and

04:00without the fans, you have no league. So, that's what's really exciting. I'm a player. I think

04:05player first most of the time, all the time. And to see a guy like Anthony Edwards and his

04:09development over the last four or five years, you got to give him a lot of credit.

04:13I think there's a lot of speculation whether or not Anthony Edwards will be the face of the league,

04:17the face of the franchise. I know that you've been there before. What do you wish the public knew

04:21about how much it takes to be the face of a franchise and of a league?

04:24You know, I'll go first. And Mark, I'd love to hear from you as well. I mean,

04:27probably different aspects of it. I remember sitting at a Miami Heat game a couple of years

04:31ago for the playoffs. And all Anthony Edwards talked about, and he sat right next to me for

04:36two games, how much he wanted to be in the Western Conference Finals, go to the Finals and win a

04:41title. And when I talked to him today, I mean, he's going to the gym two or three times a day,

04:46running stairs the other day at Twins Field. And he is 100% committed to being a great basketball

04:51player, not a social media star, but one of the great basketball players of all time.

04:55Yeah. I mean, as a startup founder, I've never been a professional athlete

04:59before, but I definitely respect his work ethic and he's dialed in and he really appreciates

05:06the game. And I think that's important.

05:09So you guys, when you guys started purchasing the team, there's multiple layers, right?

05:13Investing in the community, the players, the building those dynamics back again with your,

05:18with your fan base. Another thing also that, that I know has been in the works is a new arena plan

05:23at some point, you know, whether it's in the 2030s, whatever. I know Mark, you have a lot of

05:27great, bright ideas as a creative type. How do you guys envision that whole process and you

05:33personally, Mark, with your mind?

05:35Yeah, no, I think treat it with a clean slate. Look at the best of what's been done everywhere else

05:40and see where there's room for improvement to introduce technology, to increase the fan experience,

05:46whether it be augmented reality or what have you. You know, when we do it, we're going to do it

05:51right. And we're going to, you know, push to, to create the best arena and the best fan experience

05:56in, in, in all sports. If you're going to do it, you got to do it right.

05:59Is there anything innovative that you guys are planning to do when it comes to the fan

06:02experience specifically?

06:04Yeah. I mean, we just announced today that we signed a deal with Jump. So Alex and I helped

06:10co-found NextGen Ticketing Exchange. That's very cool. That's fully integrated fan experience that I

06:16think is going to take it to another level. You're able to, I just won't give you one little,

06:21you know, teaser. You're able to move from any seat to any other seat in the arena in real time

06:26during the game. So if somebody leaves fourth quarter, that seat frees up. Anybody in the

06:31arena could, in a reverse auction, move down to that seat. It could be 10 bucks, five bucks,

06:35whatever. So it's fully dynamic ticketing exchange, which should always keep seats full

06:40close to, to any sporting event. So that's just one piece of it. There's a lot of tentacles to it.

06:45So they would have to auction. They would have to auction to get that seat.

06:49It just automatically happened. Oh, okay. Like Uber. Okay. And Christine,

06:52this actually started in a conversation Mark and I had probably four years ago,

06:56where we were always the kids that snuck into Yankee Stadium or Shea Stadium. It would be in

07:00the upper deck. We paid $2. And then the goal is by the 7.30th inning, you're all the way down

07:04behind on a plate. Sneaking way down. Because you got to be quicker than the ushers. And Mark,

07:08all of a sudden, like a week later, he's like, I got an idea. And boom, we started Jump.

07:13Yeah. And that's how it started. I love that.

07:15That's amazing. You could be sitting courtside by the end of the game. That's amazing.

07:17Well, guys, thank you so much for joining us. And congratulations on all that you guys are doing.

07:20Thank you. Can't wait to see you. Thanks so much.

07:22All right. Let's get back to the action on the court last night. Time for our big

07:26three plays of the night. Number three, Carter Bryant, the number 14 pick in the draft out of Arizona.

07:35What did he do?

07:40There he is with a block off the backboard for the Spurs. He had five points and three blocks at number two.

07:48He was a monster defensively. He was. Come on, show your heart.

07:55All right. Number two. LeBissier. He was also a monster.

08:02Let's see that. Put it back.

08:04Oh.

08:05That was crazy. Put him out on poster.

08:08Former Kentucky legend.

08:09Uh-huh. He had 14 points off the bench.

08:16All right. And number one play.

08:18Jamari. You know people say booyah.

08:21He was.

08:23Buzzer. Beater.

08:25Wait for it.

08:29There it is.

08:31Four three.

08:33Should you storm the court during Summer League?

08:35When you hit game winners in Summer League.

08:36Is that what you should do?

08:38Christine Williamson, Bobby Marks, Tom Sharania, and Udonis Haslam here.

08:42Start with the good, UD.

08:43What did you see from Cooper that you liked last night?

08:45Well, the defense.

08:46The activity defensively.

08:47Oftentimes, and everybody on this panel can tell you,

08:49it's hard to get young guys to play weak side defense,

08:52to take your 2-9, which is people at home being the paint when the ball is on the other side.

08:55You see his first deal was him from being on the help side, getting out on the break.

08:59You see the block.

09:00That's, once again, him being on the help side, being the low man, getting that block.

09:03And then getting out in transition and not just going down hill, being overly aggressive,

09:07making the right play at the right time.

09:09I know he felt like that was the worst game of his career.

09:11Cooper, he's probably going to have worse games in the NBA.

09:13But that is not a bad game to start with.

09:15That is something that we see.

09:16And guys that know basketball say, okay, that's something to work with.

09:19You got something there, Dallas.

09:20I thought him being uncomfortable was probably the most important thing I saw.

09:25And before the game, I walked out with Jason Kidd, and I said,

09:28we're going to see him at point guard.

09:29And he goes, first possession.

09:31And you saw that with Cooper.

09:32And basically, what the Lakers did, they threw a double at him.

09:34I've never seen that before in a Summer League game.

09:36They threw a double at him.

09:37And we saw him primarily at point guard.

09:39And you do know that this is about experimenting.

09:42Summer League is all about experiment.

09:43We can throw five for 21 out the window.

09:45It's about putting a player in an uncomfortable position,

09:47kind of getting him out of his comfort level.

09:49And we saw that.

09:50And what I'll remember from this game is the block

09:53and then the transition as far as the assist to win this game.

09:56Do you remember your first game, UD, ever playing in the NBA?

09:59Because I would imagine there's not only the pressure of playing for the first time,

10:03but when you think about how much pressure Coop has,

10:05I know we said he doesn't have that much pressure.

10:06He's going to the Mavs.

10:07But wouldn't that be a factor in how he played last night?

10:10Yeah, I think so.

10:11Any young guy comes in.

10:12Any young guy, when you're stepping into Summer League,

10:14except for undrafted guys like myself.

10:16Undrafted guys like myself, you've got to put up,

10:17numbers, you've got to turn heads.

10:19You cannot have a bad offensive game.

10:20But a guy like Cooper Flagg,

10:21you're not judging him off his numbers at the end of the game.

10:24You're really judging him, like Bobby said.

10:25How does he deal in uncomfortable situations?

10:27Can he get comfortable being uncomfortable?

10:29And high-stressed situations, is he going to make the right play?

10:32Is he going to get guys involved?

10:33Is he going to get guys open?

10:34And offensively, when he came down and he had an open side

10:37and he had a mismatch, he recognized that space

10:39and he took advantage of that every single time.

10:41That is encouraging for an 18-year-old young man.

10:43Yeah, he's so young.

10:44You talked to Mark Cuban after his debut.

10:46What did he say?

10:46Yeah, I spoke to Mark Cuban last night and today.

10:48Just for his overall thoughts, being there with Patrick Dumont,

10:51the owner, Kyrie Irving, that whole team.

10:53He said to me that Cooper Flagg is a far better passer

10:57than they anticipated when he came in for summer league workouts.

11:00He said his size, vision, his IQ, they're already elite.

11:04They feel like every single game that goes by,

11:06Mark Cuban said he's going to learn more and more about the game.

11:08He was getting to his spots.

11:10He was getting his shots off.

11:11He was making an impact on both ends of the floor.

11:12Those are all positive signs for a template for him moving forward.

11:16UD, when you think about Coop's game, a lot of people said he didn't have weaknesses,

11:20but what is something that you think he should work on, if anything?

11:22He's got to get a little stronger.

11:23We watched him try to back down Bronny, and he wasn't really moving Bronny.

11:27And Bronny's, what, a year removed from college?

11:28But also, he came out early, too.

11:30So these are two young men, but that's nothing to really worry about

11:32because most young guys, when they come in his league,

11:34they have to adjust to the physicality.

11:36They have to adjust to the strength.

11:37You're not playing against kids anymore.

11:38You're playing against grown men.

11:39You have to guard your yard.

11:40So understanding just the physicality of the game, getting stronger,

11:43that's something that will come with time.

11:44I think Jason Kidd and Dallas Mavericks understand that.

11:46Yeah, he has a plenty of long career to figure that stuff out.

11:49All right, let's keep it in the West.

11:51Sunstar Devin Booker has agreed to a two-year projected $145 million

11:55maximum contract extension with the franchise through the 2029-30 season,

12:00the highest annual extension salary in NBA history.

12:04Here is Booker signing his contract next to the man who will sign those checks,

12:10Matt Ishbia.

12:11So here's the thing.

12:12Booker's $72.7 million projected average annual value

12:16passes SGA's Supermax deal for the highest in NBA history.

12:19And as you can see here, no deal had even reached $63 million per year

12:25before this week.

12:27Shams, what exactly does this mean for Booker and the Suns?

12:31Christine, for starters, Devin Booker is Mr. Phoenix.

12:34I'm told the entire Suns roster flew out Wednesday to be there for him,

12:39to celebrate and honor his extension.

12:41I'm told they surprised him with a team dinner at Delilah at the win.

12:45So everything about Devin Booker has been commitment back to the franchise.

12:49He said publicly, privately, behind the scenes, he wants to retire in Phoenix.

12:53He wants to bring a championship to Phoenix.

12:55And Booker, Suns owner Matt Ishbia met for an hour before this agreement

12:59to finalize not only the contract but discuss how they would be moving forward

13:04through the next couple years.

13:05This is a Suns team that has had a lot of transition.

13:07They have had a complete roster overhaul.

13:10So what is the partnership, the vision of the future looks like?

13:13They are on the same page.

13:14They're aligned now.

13:15And this cements him as the face of that franchise moving forward.

13:18Five years, $316 million on his Suns contract moving forward.

13:23Bobby, what does this mean for the future of the Suns?

13:24Well, I mean, I looked at that graphic, and I remember when the salary cap used to be $73 million.

13:29And now we have it for one player here.

13:31I think for Phoenix, the one constant is always going to be Devin Booker,

13:35who was drafted in 2015.

13:36As much as the ups and downs this organization has had,

13:39and certainly going to the NBA Finals, he's been that one constant presence.

13:43I think for the organization moving forward,

13:45they had a two-year window with Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal and Devin Booker.

13:49And the most important thing to do is to pivot from that,

13:52and that's what they're doing right now.

13:54And the most important thing to learn is that what gets teams in trouble is when you're stubborn.

13:58When you're stubborn, hang on to players that maybe have not, you know,

14:02gotten you to further into playoffs than you think.

14:04And I think that's where we're thinking where Phoenix is going.

14:07A good draft would come on Mile Watch.

14:09They added Jalen Green and certainly Dylan Brooks here,

14:11but it's a change in direction.

14:13But as we said, the one constant is Devin Booker.

14:15Yeah, I agree with you a thousand percent.

14:16Devin Booker is the constant.

14:17He's the guy that we knew was going to be there.

14:19If there's anything that they have gone through,

14:22he's the one rose that has grown from this concrete.

14:24Like, nothing else has been good about that.

14:26But I'll say this.

14:27Like, when you look at the Phoenix Suns,

14:28it's about what's going to be around Devin Booker.

14:31Like, you lost James Jones.

14:32You continue to lose coaches.

14:33You continue to make different moves.

14:35So praise to Devin Booker.

14:38He deserves it.

14:39We are happy.

14:40But that does nothing for me.

14:41Yeah.

14:41I need to see what you're going to put around him.

14:43I need to see what's next with the coaching staff.

14:46And I need to see how that works and how it puts together.

14:48You got Jalen Green.

14:48You got some young pieces.

14:49You got defensive wings now.

14:51You went and got some bigs now.

14:52You got a couple of bigs.

14:53So you got a lot of different pieces.

14:55I just want to see how it all works together.

14:56But congratulations to Booker.

14:57He definitely deserves it.

14:58A really good point there from UD,

15:00because the next question is what's going to happen with Bradley Beal.

15:03Shams, what is the latest with him?

15:04The Suns are working through a resolution on his future.

15:07These are conversations that have been going on.

15:09You think about buyout via stretch and waive.

15:13But Bradley Beal also has a lot of say in this as well.

15:16They're going to stretch his contract.

15:18He would have to give up about $13.9 million.

15:21And then the other side of that is finding the next home.

15:25So these are conversations that are very fluid.

15:27They're ongoing.

15:28A lot of it is on Brad Beal, his representation,

15:31Mark Bartlestein at Priority Sports,

15:32and the Suns working together to figure out just exactly when

15:36and if there is a resolution, if he is departing,

15:39where for Bradley Beal to where he's going to give up

15:41that amount of money in a buyout?

15:43In my opinion, I kind of look at this as similar to the commingual situation.

15:46It's time for Brad to go somewhere else where he can be free

15:49mentally as a basketball player and be his best version.

15:51I told you this before.

15:53We're sensitive.

15:54We want to be wanted.

15:55We want to feel like you want us on your team.

15:57Once that has lost from a basketball player,

15:59it's better off just for us to go somewhere else.

16:00Yeah, yeah.

16:01We know how the Suns season ended last season.

16:04We are so incredibly happy to have the head coach

16:06of the Orlando Magic, Jamal Mosley, joining us now.

16:10I mean, that DAP, I don't think I've ever connected on anything

16:14that good.

16:16That's a good DAP.

16:17The DAP hurl around the world, if you will.

16:19I was excited.

16:20With Desmond Bain.

16:20Obviously, great to have him on your squad.

16:23How has it been having a vet like him on the team?

16:25It's been fantastic.

16:27Just talking to people throughout the league that have coached him,

16:29been around him.

16:30His ability to reach out to the guys has been good so far.

16:34He was in the gym the other day with Franz and Anthony Black already.

16:37Just his work ethic, his character, his care factor,

16:40just leadership that he brings to the table

16:43is going to be so special for us.

16:45I mean, for me, I look at you guys as a connected group.

16:49You guys really understand the power of connection.

16:51You guys, it's really, you understand who the two main guys are,

16:55but everyone stars in their role on that team.

16:57So when you bring a guy in from outside and you have a connected group,

17:00how do you see him fitting?

17:01I know you already reached out to guys and all that,

17:03but once you get in high-intensity situations and tempers get deflaring,

17:06some of that stuff goes out the window.

17:07I'm a true believer in building those relationships

17:09and those connections off the basketball court,

17:12and that just helps you.

17:12When you're playing next to a brother as a teammate, it's different.

17:15How are those guys building that, and how are you encouraging it?

17:17They're doing things throughout the summer.

17:18Like I said, Jalen's over in the other gym working out right now.

17:21Anthony Black's with him.

17:23These guys stay connected throughout the summer.

17:24They've reached out.

17:25They're texting each other.

17:26They're staying connected that way,

17:28and I think that's so important for this group

17:30just to continue the chemistry of what our core guys have already built

17:33up until this point and adding Desmond,

17:36and who is someone that fits that.

17:37He knows about that.

17:39He understands what it takes in order to win at a high level,

17:42that is the chemistry and the camaraderie you have,

17:44as well as the real live conversations

17:46that you have to have on a daily basis.

17:48Coach, every year we see that under-the-radar transaction

17:51that people really aren't talking about,

17:53and last year we saw Alex Caruso go to Oklahoma City.

17:57This year, Tyus Jones comes to the magic.

18:00How about his impact as far as,

18:02certainly from the locker room presence as far as a veteran,

18:04but also a guy that can run the offense for you?

18:08Well, it's so important.

18:09I mean, Tyus is connected more than people just see from the outside

18:12of what he's able to do on the court.

18:14You've got to think he played with Desmond for years.

18:16He knows Paolo because of the Duke connection.

18:19He's from Minnesota, where Jalen Suggs is from Minnesota.

18:22He's the old head in Minnesota, to say.

18:25And then there's Wendell, who's also at Duke.

18:27So those connections go farther than the court,

18:30so that ability to have that in the locker room is huge.

18:34I mean, first and foremost for me, let me just give you credit,

18:36I think y'all got the most two-way players in the league.

18:38When I look at your roster and I play against y'all,

18:40you run 17 pick-and-rolls and you still don't have a matchup you want to attack.

18:43So kudos to that, the guys that want to defend.

18:45But I'm going to get on the offensive end of it.

18:47Desmond Bang had a lot of experience handling the ball with Jai out.

18:50He got better at it.

18:51I saw it.

18:52They were able to win a couple games.

18:53He got comfortable doing it.

18:54Getting Suggs back, he's the guy who's able to handle the ball.

18:57You just also brought up Tyus.

18:58You're going to have a lot of different options out there to play with.

19:00Are your wheels already turning about how we're going to maneuver this

19:03and keep guys engaged and involved?

19:05The wheels have been turning, and I think that's the great part about it.

19:08I talked to Des's college coach, Jamie.

19:10He played point in Selman College.

19:12So when he got the ball in his hands in Memphis when Jai was out,

19:15he was able to control that offense and understand what he needed to do.

19:18And the biggest part for our guys is you want decision makers.

19:21You want guys that can make the right play at the right time for their teammates.

19:24And when you have that point guard mentality,

19:26you're able to get others involved the right way, and that's what we have.

19:31I mean, this is my last.

19:32So many people complain about the trade and say you gave up too much.

19:36But what I tell people is when you have guys like Wagner

19:38and you have guys like Paulo,

19:40these are guys that can dominate their one-on-one match.

19:42If you can give them just an inch more space offensively,

19:45it makes all the difference for these offensively talented guys.

19:48So people saying what you gave up for Desmond Bay,

19:50but they don't understand the impact that that's going to have for you guys offensively.

19:53And he's a dog defensively as well.

19:55Two-way player, two-way player.

19:57And you said it's a difference between a step of Paulo getting down the lane

20:01and then a guy helping off the strong side corner or him staying hugged up.

20:04And that's the difference maker for us.

20:05And, you know, the guys that and the things we gave up,

20:08you talk about the chemistry in the locker room

20:10and what we're able to have with these guys bringing it, coming in.

20:13It's going to be incredible.

20:15I love how passionate UD is about this.

20:18Coach, I want to ask you, obviously, the Eastern Conference,

20:20it's kind of up in the air.

20:21When you think about all the pieces and the roster that you have is currently constructed,

20:24how do you feel like you guys stack up in the East?

20:26You know, I like where our team is.

20:28I like the moves we've made.

20:29You know, the DeVos family going in, our front office going in,

20:32understanding what we're capable of doing when we're healthy.

20:35I think that plays a big part in it.

20:37We talked about being top four, top five last year.

20:40And I think our guys are hungry enough to understand that we got to, you know,

20:43you got to play the year.

20:44You got to, you know, training camp is going to be a great level line of competition

20:47for each one of these guys, but I like where we stack up in the East.

20:51Well, I'm going to double up on what UD said as far as when you go.

20:55And it's not even really in trade when you trade draft picks that are in 2028 or 2030

21:01because, Coach, you know this, your roster is young.

21:04It's not like you're adding Desmond to a group of players in their mid-30s

21:08and this is the last run or you have a two-year window.

21:11But when you have, you just signed Paulo to that max contract.

21:15Franz was signed last year.

21:16You have Jalen, who was signed to an extent, Suggs, signed to an extension.

21:21Like this group could be together for the next three or four years

21:25in a world where we live in this world of like two-year windows, right?

21:28And we never want to say the window is always open,

21:30but this group could be together for a long period of time.

21:33And like UD said, that chemistry and that camaraderie goes so far.

21:37And when you have it with a young core group of guys that have gotten paid,

21:40the next step is to how do you create championship culture?

21:44How do you create the – it's about winning now, not about trying to get the check.

21:48You've done that.

21:49So now what's about the important part for the team?

21:51And how can we build and keep growing and going there?

21:53All right.

21:53So we're here at Summer League, obviously.

21:55Let's talk about what your guys were able to do last night against the Kings.

22:00Four minutes left is where we start this one off.

22:03Tristan Da Silva?

22:04Yes.

22:05His ability to step up and play this year is going to be big for us.

22:09Very big.

22:10Another guy who's not bad defensively as well.

22:12His length, his size, his basketball IQ, Jace Richardson, his speed, his basketball IQ.

22:19We keep talking about the IQ of guys.

22:22That's so important.

22:23You want guys that can just continue to make the right play.

22:26Yeah.

22:26Just like that whip baseline.

22:27That's exactly right.

22:28Baseline drive, baseline drift.

22:30Make sure we got that corner field.

22:32What did you like?

22:33Good pass.

22:34What did you like out of what they were able to do last night against the Kings?

22:36Well, they started off a little bit slow.

22:38And I think that's first game jitters.

22:40But their ability to come back.

22:41And what we talk about us as a team is we're going to keep fighting no matter the score,

22:45no matter the time.

22:46And then now that they got comfortable within that first game under their belt,

22:50knowing what they're able to do, the quick passes, the quick decisions,

22:53making their teammates better, the energy that we have to bring every single night,

22:57both offensively and defensively, is going to be big for this group.

23:00What do you think are the biggest things that they need to work on

23:02in order to get to the team to where you want them to be in the Eastern Conference next season?

23:05I really think it's a mindset.

23:07I mean, our guys all work.

23:08They all work, whether they're together in the gym

23:10or they're out on their own getting their work in.

23:12They all work.

23:12So the mindset of understanding what it takes to build and be a champion.

23:16And I think that's just championship habits, championship focus,

23:20understand the ability to communicate with each other at a high level

23:23and push each other to a different degree.

23:25Coaches can put them in the best situation to be successful.

23:28We do that.

23:29But, again, on that court, they've got to be able to push each other willingly

23:32and hold each other accountable at that high level.

23:35Beautiful.

23:36Anything else, guys?

23:37I'm happy you said that.

23:38I mean, as great as you guys are, there were times where it was on the basketball court

23:42and D-Wade LeBron would look at us and say, don't look at them.

23:45They can't help us right now.

23:46Yeah.

23:46What are we going to do?

23:47And that's why, to the point of the chemistry and the camaraderie,

23:50when you can hold your brothers on that court accountable,

23:52it changes levels for a team.

23:54Yes.

23:54All right, Coach.

23:55Well, good luck the rest of the way.

23:56So while the Warriors, they round out their slate tonight,

23:59here in the desert, Steph Curry is out in Lake Tahoe

24:02at American Century Championship Celebrity Golf Tournament,

24:05sticking both no-look jumpers and long-range putts.

24:10Steph also had a little bit of fun from the tee box.

24:14Check him out, impersonating LeBron James

24:16as he welcomed him to the golf community.

24:20I mean, he looks like him a little bit, a little exaggerated.

24:27Hey, man, listen, everybody can't do everything like Steph can.

24:30Steph spoke on the bronze golf game during yesterday's media availability.

24:34Take a listen to this.

24:37I talked to him last week, and he told me how much fun he had.

24:41You know, there's something to work with with that swing, though.

24:44That's kind of what I was going for.

24:46Do you think he could play out here and maybe even be a competitor?

24:50Out here?

24:52I mean, Charles plays some probably.

24:58Okay, so in case you were wondering,

25:00Charles Barkley is a 7,500 to 1 odds to win this weekend.

25:06That's pretty damn bad.

25:07I don't know.

25:08Does UD golf UD?

25:09I'm probably about a 7,500 to 1.

25:11That's what I'm assuming.

25:12You're not a golfer?

25:12No, at all.

25:13And that's why he should have better odds than me.

25:15So I know he ain't good.

25:16Are you a golfer, Bobby?

25:17I'm not.

25:18I played once, and I think my clubs wound up in a tree.

25:21So not good.

25:22I tell you what, there's probably a better chance of me growing hair

25:24than Charles Barkley winning that golf tournament.

25:26Yeah.

25:28Hey, we don't do any ball slander over here.

25:30Okay, so it's pretty interesting that Steph said that he's talked to James

25:34over the last week, especially if you consider the story that Brian

25:37Winhorse and Ramona Shelburne released this morning on ESPN.com

25:41about the state of the limbo between the Lakers and LeBron

25:43after a very eventful six months.

25:46The story read, in part, the gigantic trade that had landed Donchich in L.A.

25:51had formed sudden new realities, one of which was James'

25:55eventually becoming an expiring contract for the first time in his 23-year career.

26:01It was the strongest sign yet that the end of the Lakers' tenure was near.

26:05Later in the story, Ramona and Wendy both reported, quote,

26:08a handful of teams, including Golden State Warriors, who tried to trade for James

26:13in 23-24, considered again whether to make an offer, sources said.

26:17It was abundantly clear that the 21-time All-Stars time as the face of the Lakers

26:22had for the first time a planned end date, even if James' record-setting NBA career

26:27did not yet.

26:28Whether the 25-26 season is to be James' final season in the NBA is up to him.

26:34But if he wanted the kind of Hollywood ending that only the Lakers can give

26:38legends of the game, the release date was set.

26:44Very interesting.

26:46Your thoughts, UD?

26:48I mean, once again, I'm going to say it to my camera.

26:52We are sensitive.

26:53We want to feel appreciated.

26:55We want to feel wanted, especially a guy like LeBron James who's accomplished

26:58what he's accomplished.

26:59When you talk about what he's done as a Laker, what, 10, 15-year slump?

27:02They go to the finals.

27:03They get one.

27:04He brings them back.

27:05And all of a sudden, everybody's talking about the Lakers again.

27:07I understand how LeBron feels.

27:09He wants to put himself in a situation to win the championship.

27:11That is not a championship roster right now.

27:14So I look at that situation.

27:15I say to myself, if he's unhappy, if he's disgruntled, you want to connect the group.

27:18You don't want any squares in your circle.

27:20That does not fit.

27:21So you don't want to disconnect the LeBron James in that locker room.

27:24So to the Lakers, rightfully so, this is the future.

27:27Luka Doncic is your future.

27:29We are preparing for the future.

27:30LeBron James is not a part of that future right now.

27:32So both sides have a point.

27:34Will they figure it out to meet in the middle?

27:35I don't know.

27:36But LeBron James being happy, that should be his main purpose and his main goal.

27:39And I respect that.

27:41I'll tell you what.

27:41I think we're in uncharted territory.

27:43I don't, I've never, and you, D, and Choms, you've been around this for a long time.

27:47I don't remember a situation like this.

27:49It's almost like going back and looking at, like, the 97 Bulls, and Jordan as great as

27:54he was, and then you add another generational player, and now you're waiting to buy time

27:58to build around that younger player here.

28:00And I think for LeBron James, who's still at a top 10 all-NBA, second-team all-NBA, who

28:07still plays at a high level, it is going to be fascinating to watch a player that has

28:12a no-trade clause and that can basically dictate as far as if there ever isn't another ending

28:16outside of Los Angeles here.

28:18And where the Lakers are, they've got the potential of going free agent shopping next

28:23offseason.

28:24But that's in 2026.

28:26We still have another year to get through that.

28:29Yes.

28:29So, to me, Rich Paul was very clear in his comments that he gave me the day LeBron James

28:39exercised a player option for the first time in his career for almost $53 million.

28:45And it was abundantly clear to me that day LeBron James' feelings are, and he's understanding

28:51that the Lakers are moving forward here, building for the future, and that means building around

28:55Luka Doncic and that being their number one priority.

28:57He understands it.

28:58He supports it.

29:00He gets where they want to go.

29:02So, threading that line of building for now, as well as building for the future, that is

29:07a tough, you know, through line that the Lakers are trying to balance here, where you have

29:12LeBron James, who came to your organization in 2018.

29:15You went to the NBA Finals.

29:16You went to another Western Conference Finals appearance.

29:18So, you won a championship in 2020.

29:20So, they've had a level of success here in Los Angeles.

29:23But then, how do you map out the next few years as LeBron James is entering, whether he

29:29has one year left, two years left, or three years left?

29:31So, the Lakers have to balance that aspect of it.

29:34And they are building, you know, more and more around Luka Doncic and what that means,

29:39trying to compete.

29:40But on the same token, LeBron James has earned the right, as Udonis Haslam just said.

29:44And he's earned the right to end his career on his terms when it comes to how many years,

29:49whether he has one year left, two years left, or three years left, and potentially how he

29:52wants his last year to play out in terms of comfort and just everything around him in

29:57a team environment.

29:58So, do you think that that means that he could end his career in L.A. or elsewhere, UD?

30:03He could definitely possibly end it elsewhere.

30:05If this is his last go-around, I think he wants to be comfortable.

30:09He wants to enjoy it.

30:09He wants to put himself in a situation, most importantly, to win a championship.

30:13That was the big thing for him this summer, looking at what moves they were going to

30:17make, the pieces, the center situation, which is huge for unlocking him and Luka, who can

30:21get to the rim, catch those lobs, vertical space, and open up everything.

30:24If he can put himself in that situation in another organization, I think he will explore

30:29that.

30:29Where do you think would make sense?

30:31I mean, he's talking to Steph.

30:33Who's going to turn down the chef?

30:34If chef cooking up something, I'm showing up for dinner.

30:37For sure.

30:37That's for damn sure.

30:38If chef cooking, I'm showing.

30:39I think the interesting thing to follow is where this Lakers team is during the course

30:44of the season, and a really difficult Western Conference, where a lot of the other teams

30:48have gotten significantly better here.

30:50When you look at Oklahoma City returns to their same group, Denver has gotten better.

30:55Minnesota brings back Nas Reed and Julius Randall.

30:57Dallas, of course, we're waiting on Kyrie Irving here.

31:00Where are they?

31:01If they're struggling, let's say we get into December, what direction do you go?

31:05And if you don't think you're a playoff team or a top six team, do you start to go,

31:10do you look at moving him potentially with, of course, as far as where he wants to go?

31:15I think that's, if there's not a clear path for them to win a championship, I think that's

31:18going to be the most interesting thing to watch.

31:20You just named six teams, so we know they ain't top six.

31:22And we left the Clippers out, so they ain't top seven either.

31:25It'd be very breaking news here on NBA Today.

31:28Shams Sarania was on his phone the end of last block, so I asked him what exactly was

31:32going on.

31:32What was going on in your phone there, Shams?

31:34So we have, we do have some news in free agency still.

31:38Free agency center, Isaiah Jackson has agreed to a three-year, $21 million deal to return

31:42to the Indiana Pacers.

31:44Obviously, they lost Miles Turner in free agency in that stunner of a move, but they bring back

31:49Isaiah Jackson, his agents, Drew Morrison, Sam Rose at CAA, tell me.

31:53So he's back there in Indiana, a young big that they're very excited about moving forward.

32:00It'll be huge.

32:01Any thoughts there, UD?

32:016'10".

32:02Shams had to let me know.

32:04I thought he was a little smaller than that, but it's 6'10", but I know he's athletic,

32:06has a good motor, gets up and down the floor, can play with pace.

32:09So the way they play, getting up and down, having the fastest pace in the league, I think

32:13he'll fit in good, and he's done well with them.

32:15All right.

32:15Good news there for Indiana.

32:17Let's keep it here in Las Vegas, because last night we had one of the most anticipated

32:22debuts of the summer of the association.

32:25Cooper Flagg and the Mavs.

32:27Look at Kyrie Erdogan, our Cuban there, having a grand old time.

32:31First quarter, he gets a steal.

32:32He drives.

32:33Take a look at the 9.

32:34We decide.

32:34Back break.

32:35Yup.

32:38On your head.

32:41Now the fourth.

32:42Give me that.

32:43The block.

32:44Then he finds his teammate, Ryan Nimhard.

32:48Great pass.

32:50Dallas will win 87-85.

32:54So, you know, rookies, they have to find their footing.

32:56We were talking about it a little bit earlier.

32:57A lot of nerves when they play their first game.

32:59Bobby, when you think about a team and a rookie that needs to pop out today, who would

33:04you say?

33:04Well, I mean, I think it's from Minnesota.

33:06It's the two players, Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr.

33:09And I look at it, eventually Mike Conley is probably towards the tail end of his career.

33:14And Dillingham, who they traded for with San Antonio, is going to have to be that filler

33:17for him.

33:19And then we saw Shannon Jr. a little bit in the playoffs last year.

33:23As far as contributing here.

33:24So, those are the two players for me to...

33:26Oh, my God, my throat.

33:28I'm going to keep an eye on it.

33:28It's Vegas.

33:29It's Vegas.

33:30Shannon had a big playoff run, though, last year.

33:33And so, seeing his development.

33:35And then Dillingham, like Bobby just said, that point guard.

33:38That debut Rob Dillingham is a point guard of the future.

33:40Yeah.

33:41I think Shannon's going to play a huge role.

Recommandations