TRADE BUZZ: Boston Celtics’ Brad Stevens TEASES Upgrade Plans | Bucks SEEKING Help for Giannis

TRADE BUZZ: Boston Celtics’ Brad Stevens TEASES Upgrade Plans | Bucks SEEKING Help for Giannis

Good afternoon and welcome to Locked on NBA Daily. On today’s show, we’ve got more and more buzz around trade season. We got a ton of new intel to get to, including new strategies by the Celtics and the Bucks and a Hall of Famer who could be on the move to a contender. You are Locked on NBA, your daily NBA podcast, part of the Locked On podcast network. Your team every day. Welcome back to Locked On NBA Daily, part of the Locked On podcast network, now the number one sports podcast network, however you’re tuning in on YouTube or on your podcast app. Thanks so much for making us your first listen every day. I’m Wes Goldberg and today we’re talking about the latest trade buzz around the league and we’re doing it with the help of Lockdown’s local experts. I have two of the best with me as always from the Lockdown Nuggets podcast. Senior NBA writer for the Action Network, it’s Matt Moore. Matt, whoever invented Elf on a Shelf is going to hell. One, one that made it perfectly clear. >> Uh, I agree. My wife and I decided whether or not we were going to start it with our newborn and we both agreed, don’t recruit your problems. Why do it? Why bring that uh chore into your house? >> Things I wish that someone had told me previously. >> From the Lockown Bulls podcast. He’s also a Bears and Bulls creator for Bleach Report. It’s Haze. >> You talk about elf on the shelf. There’s a neighbor who’s literally three houses down from me who has a large inflatable elf. He moves around different places of his house every night. It was on the front of the house the other day. It was on the back of the house today when I was walking the dog. And then uh another day earlier in the week, it was on the side of the house humping the side of the house. >> That is Christmas spirit except for the humping. That’s not >> I mean that that’s the definition of doing too much it feels like there. Um all right, we’ve got a bunch of trade intel to get to here. Uh it’s been a couple of days since we’ve talked about stuff. Let’s start in Boston where Brad Stevens talked to reporters yesterday and said that the Celtics could look to improve the team before the trade deadline as opposed to maybe trying to shed salary as most people expected going into this season, but the Celtics have been playing better. And so Brad Stevens is leaving it open, saying, quote, “We will not put a ceiling on this group. If it makes sense for us to look for things that can help us, we certainly will.” End quote. Here’s more from Locked on Celtics. This is going to be a really complicated se trade season. I mean, you know, on paper, there should be a really easy way to do this, right? Just like let’s find a center who’s a little bit cheaper than Anthony Simons, attach pick to Anthony Simons, and go get that center. On paper, that should be super easy. But like that that’s not the NBA that we watch anymore. It’s it’s a very different game now. >> Matt, does it make sense for the Celtics to be buyers before the trade deadline? >> Yes, absolutely, 100%. uh they are good enough to win the Eastern Conference. Like they are good enough to win the East. And I think um we need to start getting pretty comfortable with how exactly how good this team is and what they’re capable of because their weak point on their resume is kind of their defense, but with me with Kada, they’re actually pretty elite defensively. They like everything comes together when they have that. So, they add a center reinforcement whether it’s on the on the starting unit as a premier asset or on the bench is just like, hey, they got another guy and they added another wing. Uh, they’re absolutely going to be in position here. Like, there’s a lot of good centers that are going to be, I think, available on the market for not for numbers that I think are going to make them affordable for Boston. I think Boston should absolutely be trying to trying to capitalize. The more reinforcement you get to allow Tatum to start slow when he comes back, the better because that just sets you up for, oh, Tatum kind of settled in, you know, by the time the playoffs came around and then they’re able to actually make a run. Like, I think the Celtics are live to win the Eastern Conference. >> Matt Matt hit the nail on the head with that one. This all comes down to Tatum. I I mean, the Celtics are doing their part without Tatum being there. Uh they’re not like the Pacers. They are actually staying ahead of the pace in the Eastern Conference, which I did think they have the capability of doing. So now that you have that, you’re what, third team in the Eastern Conference, you’re playing well, you think that Jason Tatum’s coming back this season. Yeah, you owe it to yourself to try to add to this team and and load up and get yourself ready for a playoff run because if Tatum comes back with enough time, I still don’t know if he’ll ever look fully like Jason Tatum this season, but if he comes back and he’s decent, like it it it helps you and you can still win the East. Uh we talked about how light it is in the Eastern Conference. Like they can still win the East. They do need a center. They do need some some some depth there as well. and they have the trade ship in Anthony Simons that they can cash in if they need to. They have other things that they can do. So, this team is in a prime position that they’ve looked at how they started the season. Uh, if they continue this going into January, yeah, make that trade at the deadline, add to your team, and give yourself a chance in the East. >> I hate to say it, but I agree with the way that they’re playing and Tatum comes back and the way that the East is wide open. They’re wide open because the Celtics are injured. And now if the Celtics are good in getting their best player back, maybe they could, you know, theoretically get back to the top of the conference. They’re $4 million away. Uh I’m sorry, $4 million over the first apron, about $8 million under the second apron according to Sprack. So um you know, they could kind of go both ways here. They have a little bit of a cushion there if they don’t want to move over the second apron, which I doubt that they would outside of some sort of superstar type of Luca Donett style trade here. But um they could stay in that first apron or they could potentially get under that first apron. Uh back to what the locked on the guys at locked on Celtics were saying like is there a move out there where you can get under the first apron and also improve your team. The Anthony Simons contract stands. They also have that Sam Hower contract at $10 million that they can add to something and potentially get a player back uh at a little bit of a higher salary. So they definitely have some options here. I don’t know that. I mean, what kind of player, what kind of move would it take for us to look at this Boston Celtics team and say that they could actually win the conference? Is it just a center? Is there something else that they need, Hayes? >> I mean, center is the most the most pressing thing, I would think. And it’s not like they need a center that can go out there and get you 20 and 10. Like, uh, you know, just to name something like I think a Nick Claxton would do wonders on that team with the style that they play, stuff like that. So, I think depending on the caliber of center that they get that that not not to say that it it makes them what they were before. They they’re clearly head and shoulders above the East, but I think that’s enough with Jason Tatum to win the Eastern Conference. >> They don’t need anything to win the Eastern Conference. They can do it now. They can do now. >> They can do it now. >> They They can do it now. Uh especially when if they get Tatum back. Brown’s playing so well. You know, Brown’s finally healthy after years of of being banged up. Derrick White’s had a slow start to the season and he’s gotten it going and they still have kind of the formula. They share the ball. They got contributions from like guys like Jordan Walsh and and guys like Josh Minot and you know if they were to add a piece like here’s what you need to be terrified about if you’re the Eastern Conference. They don’t have dynamite assets but they do have they have kept the powder for the for the most part dry. if they start calling the Pelicans and sniffing around their pieces, their veteran pieces. If the Pelicans decide like, “All right, we got to go the other direction, and the Celtics are able to start to be like, well, look, we’ve got picks, we’ve got youngish players, and we’ve got movable contracts. We can offer you, we can do a three-way with Anthony Simons.” Like, if they start targeting some of those guys on the Pelicans, whether it’s Trey Murphy Murphy or Herb Jones, even if it’s a guy like Cavon Looney, just to add some depth, all those guys are making less than Simons who’s at 27 million. So they would be able to get to do this thing where they get under the apron and they add a component. So like everyone needs to hope hope against hope that Brad Stevens has lost Joe Dumar’s number because that’s what I would be concerned about. >> Brad Stevens has made these great moves in the past, right? And and I still can’t figure out why how they were able to turn Drew Holiday’s contract into Anthony Simons who is way more movable than Holiday at this point in their careers. He does that and now you have this Simons piece. you still have these other contracts and like you said Matt, like there’s a lot of potential deals that could be out there. This makes a lot of sense. It’s sort of the worst case scenario for uh me and Hayes in the Eastern Conference. Not so much Hayes, I guess, cuz I don’t know how much we’re believing in your Chicago Bulls. >> Everybody’s ahead of us in the Eastern Conference, so I’m not worried about it. It doesn’t change anything for us. >> That’s true. Changes a little bit more for Miami. Um I don’t know, man. I don’t. The Pistons and the Knicks are so good with the way that Mitchell Robinson is rebounding and the way that Jaylen Duran has made a leap. I still think that the Celtics are probably a big away from really competing in the Eastern Conference. >> Why? I mean, I like the offensive rebounding. It’s a good story. Joe Misoula gets a lot of credit. But when you’re going up against those guys, those offensive rebounds just aren’t going to be there the way that they are against other teams in the course of a of a season. >> Yeah. But it’s balanced out by a three-point rate, right? and they’re keeping turnovers low. So Missoula ball is working, but it does feel like the offensive rebounding is really important to this team. >> Yeah. I mean, but I would say that’s it’s just as important to New York and it’s just as important to Houston. Like if we start going down that road, Houston’s way more dependent on the offensive rebounding >> than Boston is. And so I think that that’s like kind of an element here. I do think the offensive rebounding is like, you know, you can you can compensate for a lot of that depending on how you defend and if you’re able to attack in transition to make it perilous for them. Like a lot of this is just like I I will say this too though if we want to go kind of the other way. If if Jordan Walsh slows down then everything kind of reverses course here a little bit because like he’s been awesome for them. Uh we have a lot more trade intel to get to including the latest on Milwaukeee’s plans to try to keep Yiannis. We’ll talk about that next. Stay tuned. Today’s episode is brought to you by Robin Hood. Nobody knows your money goals better than you. Robin Hood puts you in control of your money with tools that work as hard as you do. locking in on every opening, beating your PR, beating it again. Channel that drive into your money. Robin Hood puts you in control of your money. Trade stocks and ETFs, options, futures, and crypto, all on one platform. You can now build and execute your own trades from a desktop with Robin Hood Legends advanced tools, or take advantage of the new Robin Hood strategies with a tailored portfolio managed by a team of experts. You expect more from yourself, expect more from your money. Get started today at robinhood.com/yyoumoney. Again, that’s robinhood.com/youoney. Your money, your move. Uh, welcome back to Locked on NBA Daily. The best way to support the show is to subscribe on YouTube. We air Monday to Friday at 1 p.m. Eastern, wherever you get your podcasts. It’s time for Make It, Take It Thursday. Guys, you know the rules. One headline, two takes. One winner. Matt, you won two weeks ago since I was out on Thursday. We didn’t play it last week. So, uh, you get the ball first. We’re going to start in Milwaukee where the Bucks aren’t ready to give up on the Giannis era just yet. According to Eric Nem over at the Athletic, they’re looking to be buyers, not sellers before the trade line to get Giannis some more help. Here’s more from Locked on Bucks. Honestly, even if they went quote unquote big game hunting and you look at the likes of Lavine and Jeremy Grant and it’s like, well, you know, these are really good players, but it’s like are they fundamentally, you know, solving what or what kind of ails the Bucks and what do you have to give up in that scenario, right? Are you giving up, you know, any of the either the 2031 first got to give up something or, you know, Orion Rollins? There’s no easy way out of this. I certainly understand why certainly why a lot of fans at this point are kind of just like just you know put us out of our misery. Yiannis like just ask for the trade and we run the auction and see what you know we can get and we just try to you know reset this this whole thing. But again like okay if you do that then what then what right like well you’re not going anywhere for probably years anyway. Trading future assets for a star player who could leave anyway is a dangerous game. But we’ve seen the Milwaukee Bucks make these desperate moves before multiple times. N since you won make it take it last time we played. You get the ball first. Should the Bucks add to the roster in an effort to try to keep Giannis even if it means giving up valuable future assets? No. They need to keep the powder dry here. You got to have some sort of look. Like the fan base is still going to be there. You’re still going to be the Milwaukee Bucks for the most part. I advocate for always going for when you have a player like Giannis, but you’ve already gone for it. You did make all the trades. Like you had Eric Bledsoe, you traded for Drew Holiday, and then you were trying to keep the the good times rolling and so you were like, “Let’s get younger by trading Chris Middleton for Kyle Kosma.” Whoops. Well, they can’t all be diamonds. Um, the best players on this roster from a uh EPM standpoint, Asa Giannis. The next one is Kevin Porter Jr., he’s not going to have any trade value given his history. Ryan Rollins, too good to give up. can’t you cannot give up Ryan Rollins who is going to be a good player for years to come and could be a valuable asset for you as you rebuild. You don’t know what’s going to happen next if you tank out. You don’t know what’s going to happen next. You can wind up with a generational superstar and rebuild again. Teams have done that. But it’s time to go ahead and accept reality here. You don’t have the assets to go big game hunting. You were only going to get yourself in trouble. What you’re going to do is you’re going to do it like the 2009 Cavaliers who went or 2010 Cavaliers who went after Antoine Jameson to try and keep LeBron and it was a disaster. Do not make that mistake. Go ahead and give up the Ghost. >> Yeah. The thing is is it’s time to trade Giannis. Uh because even if they like let’s just say they don’t do anything and stay packed that that first pick that they can trade is 2032. Like if you move that pick even if you kept Giannis like it it it it’s Giannis could not be good by then. That’s that’s a while off. And that could be a pick, especially if you’re giving up unprotected that in that draft, we don’t know how that draft’s going to look. Of course, that could end up being the number one overall pick. It can end up being a top five pick. You don’t want to put yourself in a situation that the Brooklyn Nets put themselves in when they traded for KG and Paul Pierce and then the Celtics end up building a whole, you know, over the next 10 years off that trade, like you know. Um, so the the concept of the Milwaukee Bucks making going big game hunting just needs to stop. It’s done. This is like when you try to convince somebody that’s already told you they don’t want to be with you to stay for a little while. See if you fix it. It’s just going to end in the same way. It’s done. The relationship is over. There’s no saving it. There’s no salvaging it. That that it’s just over with. I don’t know why we’re still playing this game with will they, won’t they, should they, shouldn’t they trade Giannis or just keep him and just be bad and let let him whine and get out of there at some point. It’s over with. It’s done. I’m going to give points to Matt there for bringing up the Antoine Jameson trade as a uh cautionary tale. But uh we’re going to move on to Toronto where we have multiple reports saying that the Raptors are in the market for a center. They’ve been linked to Anthony Davis, Damont Sabonis, and Daniel Gaffford among some others. The Raptors are third in the Eastern Conference. Matt, make it take it. Could they win the conference with the right trade? >> No, this team does not have it. And a lot of it is that there’s two different teams here. There is the Brandon Ingram team and then there is the Hustle Guys team. When they have guys like Jamal Shed on the floor, when they have guys coming off of the bench, they are actually like a pretty gritty defensive team. But with Ingram on the court, it all falls apart. And you see that in these combinations where it’s like Scotty Barnes and Jamal Shed are able to defend together and Scotty Barnes and these other guys are able to defend together and you add Ingram and it all collapses. The other thing is that if they make a trade, the report is that they’re going to include RJ Barrett. Go look at any of the onoff splits. Go look at his individual numbers. I do not understand why people do not realize how good RJ Barrett is. Like people I I was a skeptic when he was in New York. I get it. RJ Barrett is really good. He is one of those players that is going to turn into He’s not going to be like an elite superstar, but he’s going to be a name brand player on the league when he’s in his prime. He’s really good and he’s versatile. Including him, I think, would be an absolute disaster. They’re going all in on trying to be a Brandon Ingram team. I got news for you. That doesn’t lead you anywhere. The question that Wes asks is if they make the right trade and it sounds like what what Matt is saying here is that the white right trade would be including Brandon Ingram in a trade. So yes, there is a world in which there is a right trade that they could win the Eastern Conference. We can’t sit here every day that we talk about and talk about how weak the Eastern Conference is and look at a team like the Toronto Raptors which are 13 offensively, top 10 defensively. If they make the right trade, yes, they can win the Eastern Conference. The question is is that are they willing to make the right trade? And that’s what the question is here because you’re right, the the on-off numbers with Brandon Ingram are terrible. They’re they’re negative 16.4 points worse per 100 possessions when he’s on the court. I’m sorry, overall point differential when he’s on the court. Negative 5.7 offensively. And the teams are scoring 10 almost 11 points more per 100 possessions when when he’s on the court. The Brandon Engel part of this is not working. But yes, there’s a world in which the right trade is out there. I just don’t know if they’re willing to do it. >> There’s a trade for the best center on on the board is Anthony Davis, right? is him a bonus. Does a trade for either one of those does that get them better? Do you think that that team is better than the Pistons? >> It’s not about being better. I I mean, we talked about that, too. It’s not necessarily about being better. It’s about matchups. We don’t even know if they’ll get to the point of playing against the Pistons. If they get up to the second seed, they could be avoided. Like, the Pistons are a young team. We’ve talked about that. And young teams that are there for the first time can be beaten. So, I’m not going to say that it’s impossible because we haven’t seen the Pistons in that position yet. >> This sort of reminds me of when the Raptors in 2019 made the trade for Marco mid-season. they were playing well and they go out and add a big man and that kind of helps propel them to the finals. The difference I guess here is that they don’t have Kawhi Leonard in this trade. They have Brandon Ingram which is a little bit different. And we also have a new front office. This is not the Messiah jury front office. So we don’t really know how aggressive they’re going to be. Points to Hayes for actually listening to the question. Uh but I I do think with the right trade, who knows? Who knows in the Eastern Conference. We’ve seen weird stuff in the past. Nobody expected the Pacers to be in the finals. bit expected the Heat to be in the finals in 2023. Scotty Barnes in the right big man. Maybe that is something. Let’s talk about Klay Thompson, who according to ESPN, Klay wants to play for a contender and the Mavericks are expected to at least test the market for Klay before the trade deadline. Hayes, make it take it. Where’s the best place for Klay Thompson to land? >> Man, that is a great question because Klay it it’s been such an up and down season for Klay Thompson. Um, I do think like just looking at it, the team we just talked about, his shooting coming off the bench for the Detroit Pistons could absolutely help help a lot with that team. Um, I don’t know if that trade gets done. We’ve heard that the Pistons are kind of focused on their youth. Um, but I think like I told you guys before, I think Klay has already landed in a blessed place. He goes home every day to Megan the Stallion who’s cooking for him. Have you seen my boy my boy Clay? He’s in heaven in his social. I’ve never seen Klay Thompson smile this much. He’s in the best place. And the best place happens between uh happens that he’s surrounded by a lot of cake. >> Almost a slip there. >> Yeah. Yeah, that was that was dicey. Uh I will I will not get us in trouble with our bosses. Uh I will just say that I I don’t really see um a scenario that’s great here for for Thompson. I just think that he has passed kind of the expiration point. He has moments, he has days. I I don’t really see a scenario where he’s able to get the get a team over the top. I don’t see a point where if you add Klay Thompson, that’s the piece that unlocks something. You know, I could see him being a good veteran addition for a team looking that’s on the up. That’s like we need that kind of a guy, but I also just don’t know if Klay Thompson is like the big strong veteran presence there. So, uh I I am kind of with Hayes and that he should just stay in Dallas and stay happy because what’s better than love? >> He used the word love, I think, back in training camp or preseason. Good for him, man. Um, I came up with a I like the idea of Detroit as Klay walking into that younish team and just saying, “Hey guys, I’ve won a championship. Let me help you uh figure this stuff out.” But >> is he better than Duncan Robinson at this point? I don’t I don’t really know, right? >> Um I I like the idea of maybe Cleveland going for it just because they need shooters. We don’t really know when Max Duce is going to come back. They could That’s a team that could really use Clay just in terms of his spacing alone. That’s a team that I could think that I think can use them. Are we considering the Cavs even contenders at this point? I don’t know. You could talk yourself into it maybe if you’re Klay Thompson. >> That’s so much money. The money >> the money is such a big part of this, man. >> Like, and I hate this that we’re at this point, but >> you But back in the pre2023 CBA, I’d be like, screw it. Go for it. Just add him on there and then you can write out the rest of his contract and it’ll be fine. Now, it’s like, nope, that’s prohibitive. That’s going to lose you the ability to do X, Y, and Z. can’t risk it. You just cannot risk it for a guy that’s at this point in his career. >> Would you do Hunter DeAndre Hunter for Klay Thompson? >> DeAndre’s been struggling offensively. Um, and the defense has been worse with him on the floor. It’s been pretty disappointing, but I blame the Cavs more for that than Hunter. You’re again, which is a more movable contract? Which one can you move again more easily? Right. That’s the Andre Hunter one, but it saves you six7 million in second luxury tax penalties if you’re Cleveland and gets you maybe a player that you need in Klay Thompson. >> See, I would feel more comfortable about that if I was the Cavs if Lonzo was still defensively what he was last year with the Bulls and he just has not been this season. >> Yeah, we have a few more trade names to get to, including a surprising one out of Atlanta that isn’t Trey Young. We’ll talk about that next. Today’s episode is brought to you by Rocket Money. Ever feel like your money just disappears each month? It happens fast. A few subscriptions here, an impulse buy there, and suddenly the numbers in your bank account don’t match the numbers in your head. 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So try Gusto today at gusto.com/lockdonba and get three months free when you run your first payroll. That’s right, three months of free payroll at gusto.com/lockdon NBA. One more time, that’s gusto.com/lockedonba. Thanks again for making the Lockdown Podcast Network your first listen every day. The Lockdown Podcast Network has a show for every team. So check out Locked On Celtics and Locked On Bucks for more on today’s top stories. Uh we got a few more names that we want to get to as we kind of go around the latest trade intel uh around the league right now. Let’s start in New Orleans where a number of players are presumed at least available for the right price. We’ve got Trey Murphy who according to multiple reports Golden State has been looking at Herb Jones. I think Michael Scott reported this morning that the Lakers are interested in him and then Jose Alvarado who uh uh Ian Begley said that the Knicks could be interested in. So um Hayes, when you look at these Pelicans players, which Pelicans player do you think could make the biggest impact if traded this season? >> Before we get into that, who won make it take it? Oh my goodness, I forgot to tell you. Uh, Hayes won with the Megan the Stallion thing. Yeah, there we go. Wait, I got to play this down. There we go. >> Yeah. >> Um, I I I love Trey Murphy the third. I think that I know defensively he’s taking a bit of a hit this year. I think his on ball defensive field goal percentage numbers are still pretty solid even though his defensive rating has taken a bit of a hit. Um, but I I just look at this guy and I think if you get him into the right system with a point guard that fits him, I think that he has 25 point per game type scoring like on ball, off ball, like he’s just a really really good player. Has size. Trey Murphy the third is the one I’d be the most interested in. He may be one of the most difficult to get. Jos Alvarado for the Knicks would make a lot of sense too or for any team that just needs a a scrappy point guard, but Trey Murphy the third is the one that stands out to me. I love that kid’s game. Yeah, I mean I think uh he’s got a lot of potential. I think Herb Jones has a lot of potential. I think um Kavon Looney I think can actually still help some teams. Jordan Hawkins is a really interesting one given his ability to just shoot because they now have, you know, fears and maybe they want to build with fears and Hawkins, but I don’t think so. Um but Murphy and Jones are entering their prime and those are guys I think that can make real big impacts. Like Jones is a type of player like he is a every what every every team’s always shopping for those wings for the playoffs. They want all the wing defensive wings possible and especially if you’re in the Western Conference, how valuable would it be to have Herb Jones if you’re going up against OKC. Like that’s the type of move I think that every team that that wants to compete with OKC needs to be looking at Herb Jones as can we get this guy? Can he be the piece to add that can slow down the Thunder offense to give us a chance to win a slugfest with them? Um, a team like the Wolves should be heavily looking at trying to get Herb Jones. That would be like a major move for them. That would give them a massive boost. Yes, they need point guard, but also being able to add Herb Jones. I I think as good as Murphy is, I think his usage rate is a little high for the contenders. I think if you’re a team like Washington, then sure, you’re shopping around there. Like, you got to be like, “Hey, can we get Trey Murphy?” But I do think that Herb Jones could have the most impact this season on the title race. Matt, you mentioned the point guard need Minnesota. What about Alvarado for them? >> Yeah, it’s not a bad idea. I don’t know that that I think they need somebody who’s maybe more of a long-term starter. >> Um I don’t I think Alvarado’s I mean, who doesn’t love GTA? But he is definitely like a backup component. Um, that’s one where I think Denver would be very interested in Alvarado where if Denver could provide a swap opportunity, like a pick swap plus some expiring money. That’s where I think they could get in on Alvarado and that’s a perfect pickup for them. Like they having Alvarado with Bruce Brown and Peyton Watson off the bench with they get their guys back healthy. That would be a pretty complete kind of look. But I love GTA. He’s excellent. I just don’t know that he could be a starting point guard fulltime. Let’s go to Atlanta where according to Michael Scott, Kristoff’s Porzingis is considered a valuable trade chip on an expiring $30.7 million salary. Here’s the twist. Uh the Hawks would only trade Porzingis if they could find an upgrade, at least according to the reporting. They’ve been mentioned as a a potential Anthony Davis suitor. Obviously, we know uh what they have in terms of what they could trade for Giannis. Um Hayes, do you see a deal out there that makes sense for Porzingis for Atlanta that could lead to some sort of upgrade for them? I uh I mean the an Anthony Davis thing if you if you feel confident he’s going to be on the court sure but I mean I wouldn’t be looking to trade Chris stops like what this team has done with Trey Young out I’d want to keep that together. The only piece I’d be looking to trade if I’m the Atlanta Hawks is Trey Young. Um because I I just I I love what they’ve done. I like like the balance as a team. I think Jaylen Johnson and his ascension as not only a a scorer but also a facilitator and playmaker this year has been great to see. I wouldn’t be moving Chris stops. I don’t think there’s a clear upgrade for them based off what Chris Stops can bring personally. >> Uh you got to move Chrisops uh because of this condition that he’s been diagnosed with. Uh postural orthostatic tacocardia syndrome pots and like from everything I’ve read and studied on it, it’s terrifying. Like it’s really serious and this this could be a career ender for him. So his value right now is as an expiring contract. But if you’re the Hawks and you’re like, “Well, you know, let’s see if we get if we get Porzingis back.” Well, if you get to the playoffs and you just don’t have 30 million in cap space that you had allocated on your roster, like that’s going to be a severe hit to you, no matter how good uh Okongu has been. So, I think they got to make the move now. You try and find a team that’s just like, “Yeah, we’re just looking to shed money. We just want to get under the apron. We just want to get under the tax.” th those are the the teams that you look at and you try and target with Porzingis and they should be buyers in terms of taking on more salary. Um, but I do think it’s like really interesting to look at it and say like, “Hey, what if we give you Trey Young and Porzingis that’s gonna be so much money, right, that team might be a little bit skittish in in sending anything back, but you could also make a lot of different deals work because of how much money that does send back for bigname players or and or one bigname player and an expiring. Um, but I think they’ve got to be pretty aggressive here given the realities of Porzingis’ situation. I don’t want that to be true because he’s been awesome. like every metric says they need to keep him like Hay said, but I just think that this condition changes the entire ball game for them. >> Based on that and based on the language out of the reporting, if they’re only willing to trade Porzingis for an upgrade, if what Matt is saying is true, if if they don’t think that Porzingis will even play anything is essentially an upgrade at that point, right? I mean, you can kind of talk yourself into any availability uh being the most important thing there. Last thing I got for you guys, and I’m this is just me being curious. We’ve talked about Jonathan Kaminga a ton on the show. There’s a little bit new reporting about how maybe Phoenix is a little bit out on on Kaminga after exploring that as an option over the summer. Sacramento Kings still monitoring that situation. But you look at some of the forwards that are out there between Trey Murphy as the bigname forward out of New Orleans and Jonathan Kaminga and Golden State. Both of these guys were drafted the same year in 2021. Which of these two forwards would you rather have? This was almost a makeup question between Kaminga and who? Murphy. Oh. Murphy easily. Trey >> Murphy. He’s good. >> This an easy question. >> Yeah, this is easy. >> This is not an easy question. This is like a no-brainer. This is like a what? Like, are you having do you smell toast question? Like that’s what this is. Like there is no >> If Matt would have said Kaminga, I probably would have gotten up and walked away. >> Yeah. >> So I I I guess I’m a Kaminga skeptic, so I was trying to like go against my own bias there. But >> you upside is still pretty high. It’s only you, the rest of the NBA that didn’t trade for what the Warriors wanted and his own coach >> who >> I mean it it should be said that the only team that really seems that they’re truly truly interested in Kaminga is the Sacramento Kings >> and that’s a bad sign. >> It’s a bad sign. Like no, Trey Murphy’s office. >> Yeah. >> If you like what you heard today, subscribe to Locked on NBA Daily, wherever you get your podcast, including on YouTube. Thank you to Matt and Hayes for their expertise every day. Thank you for making the Locked on Podcast Network your first listen. We’ll see you right back here tomorrow on Locked on NBA Daily. Are you sure?

Trade season heats up as the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks rethink their strategies amid shifting Eastern Conference power dynamics. Can Brad Stevens’ Celtics add the right center to make a title run with Jayson Tatum’s return, or will the challenges from surging teams like the New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons expose their remaining weaknesses? The Milwaukee Bucks face a franchise-defining choice: pursue another blockbuster deal to keep Giannis Antetokounmpo or prepare for a rebuild as the window closes.

Wes Goldberg, Matt Moore, and Haize break down the latest trade buzz, highlight potential impact deals for the Toronto Raptors, Atlanta Hawks, and New Orleans Pelicans, and debate whether Klay Thompson or Kristaps Porzingis moves the needle for contenders. Key insights include the market for Trey Murphy III, wild-card destinations for Klay, and what’s next for Jonathan Kuminga. Will the East crown a new king, or will proven powerhouses reload for another run?

0:00 Celtics Seeking Upgrades?
10:34 Bucks Not Ready to Give Up on Giannis
24:47 Pelicans, Hawks, Warriors Trade Targets

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