Giannis Antetokounmpo to Miami Heat?? Clippers to TRADE Kawhi Leonard or James Harden??

Giannis Antetokounmpo to Miami Heat?? Clippers to TRADE Kawhi Leonard or James Harden??

I wish we could talk to you about what we just were talking about, but you know what? I’m gonna do it. Sam on the spot right now. Sam joining us from the athletic. Who’s the most handsome man that exists in the world? I wasn’t a part of this conversation. Yeah. Topic two. What are we doing next? Yeah. Yeah. I named like six. Sam, you passed the test, Sam. Congrats. You passed the test. This isn’t a trick question. Yes, it is. We have real answers. Yeah, real answers. All right. Yeah, let’s move on. I agree. You guys are the worst. You guys are boring. No, I’m not going to move on. All right, rumors. Let’s talk. You know, we’re starting with Giannis. Um cuz every single day there are 37 of those graphics on Instagram with would you and who says no to this trade? So, here we are. Number one, has he actually asked for a trade out of Milwaukee yet? Man, that’s a it’s a tricky question. Um Michelle, I mean, the answer last summer is yes. You know what I mean? Like, they had real conversations about the Knicks. you had a one team list where he expressed a desire to play with the Knicks. Uh it was such a clunky situation though because by the time that request was granted or was was kind of lobbyed, the Knicks were looking at their team like we we think we’re title contenders and and they weren’t thinking about things like that. It was late in the summer. They didn’t have the the minations to do something and it didn’t really go anywhere. Um, right now you’re talking about a gray area situation where the frustration reached a really high level, but I think you know what you’re kind of hinting at is that there have been there’s been some push back on the idea that he that he asked for a trade again. I mean, the team has indicated that was not the case. Uh, his camp has been a little bit mixed about it. Uh, you know, and obviously he’s heard now and then he comes out with his messaging that he wants to run through a wall and make it work. You know, kind of where his feet are planted right now. I think the bottom line is mid-season trades are so hard, especially for a guy like that. I think he knows like you got to chill a little bit and try to push this thing through because if this is going to happen, the summertime is is better. Yeah. And Sam, going back to May, you reported that the Bucks GM John Horse would go for blood, right? And we know what it took just to get a Desmond Bane. We know what it took for the Rudy Go Bear. We know it’s going to take a boatload, right? So, does that make things a little complicated for teams that are short on assets? 100%. Yeah. I mean, that’s where John is. First of all, John got an extension not too long ago. So, leverage there on his part, you know what I mean? Backing from the organization, relatively new ownership group that knows they have to get it right. Um, and a really tricky landscape because of the Bucks not having um, you know, assets of their own. They’ve got to recoup that stuff. Um, so I think, you know, that’s where it doesn’t matter how much pressure gets applied, in my opinion, to John and the group. They’re not going to rush this thing. Um, and Giannis’s personality is still part of the equation here because he’s just so far not showing to be the guy who’s going to go the Jimmy Butler route and go ahead and make it so uncomfortable that they just have to do it. and even to a much less degree Dear Fox in Sacramento when he, you know, was clearly done with, you know, with his Kings experience. Giannis is not doing that. Every time a story comes out that might tell you a little bit about how frustrated his camp is, uh, he and his people and even, you know, even his family kind of push back a little bit and say, “No, we’re okay. We’re pushing. We’re pushing.” So, that’s where for me I’m still looking at the summertime. Yeah. And even though you know the Knicks continue to come up in in the conversation around Giannis, but there there’s also other teams that can offer more for him that have more things at play um that they can pull them in. When it’s all said and done in your opinion, what is the most likely place you think Giannis will land after all of this? Um I mean Lou, I think probably honestly Miami to me is pretty interesting because we know the culture. We know their appetite to go out and get star players, especially when when it’s a time when they’re not at a title contending status. Uh that’s where they are right now. But they have a lot of good things going for them. The culture is intact. We know the interest is there. And if you’re Giannis, you know, there’s so much smoke in the past about him and the Warriors, for example. Um but, you know, I don’t know that he’s looking to go that direction. And I think Miami could be a great fit if the Knicks thing isn’t there because I think New York as a market Giannis in his business sense is looked at that in the past and it’s something that people kind of sleep on with him is that uh he’s one of those guys that like you know whether it’s a product of his upbringing or what it might be like he has no interest in leaving any money on the table. He wants to be the biggest kind of profile off the court that he could possibly be. So New York checks all those boxes. But if the next thing is too hard to execute and and Brooklyn being as much of a mess as they are, then to me maybe he looks at Miami and and tries to make that work uh you know with with some of those guys that they have. Sam, switching lanes here a bit. My former team, the Kings, they’re six and 18 right now. Front office is looking to blow it up. Fans are yelling at Zack Lavine to play defense. What is what is the mor morale like in Sacramento right now? Yeah, I mean you’ve you’ve lived it, Demarcus. It’s bad. Not to this degree, certainly. U it’s it’s pretty bad because when they made the trade for Fox, I think the mistake they made from the fan standpoint was they they really framed it like, “Okay, well, Zack Lavine is an all-star level player and who’s going to allow us to remain competitive and push for the playoffs.” And when that didn’t happen and not even close in the early part of the season, uh you know, the fans started turning uh pretty bad and and now you have the the shifting of the storyline and the framing which is it’s time to rebuild. So um that’s a tough pill to swallow. Again, something you know well is that the varied DV is is you know an extremely involved owner I think to a negative degree with this franchise. And right now, GM Scott Perry is is trying to keep him at bay and convince him that this might take three, four, five years to turn around. So, morale is bad. Um, the team is fighting. You know, they fought last night. They were down big against Indiana and and and Russ had a really good night and they just kind of fell apart at the end. But, it’s it’s one of those things. I think everybody in the room knows what it is, which is that the vets are going to compete and be proud um and and do their thing, but this roster is just completely in flux. I mean, really, you’re just talking about Nick Clifford and uh you know, a couple other guys who are part of the future. Um you know, the rest of them, they’re trying to test the market and figure out what kind of moves they can make. So, Zack, Demar, Sabonis, they’re all in the trade rumors. one, two, or all of them are moved by the deadline, you think? Or not? I feel like it should be Yeah. No, it should be easy enough for Demar to find a new home. I think, you know, because you know what he brings. Uh his contract next year is it’s tricky because he’s got 10 million out of 25 million guaranteed. It’s a partial guarantee. Uh you know, there were some I reported on the Clippers interest. You know, I think that’s challenging to get done. Um, but he just feels like a guy that that a contender could go pick up to to try to add to what they’re doing. The the Zack thing is hard, man. Like, he’s it’s just such a big number. And, you know, there’s been reporting that the Bucks have done some some kind of quiet research on Zack. They’ve had interest in the past. That’s the only real concrete team that I’m aware of that that is even analyzing Zack’s situation. So, I mean, to me, that one’s hard. And then Demanis is is a really big number, too. Uh, and he’s not only a big number, you know, I think you would argue that his market is better than the other two guys, but the problem like you guys were talking about Minnesota earlier and the way they function, right, with Julius Randle and and and kind of, you know, a big run in the offense. That’s Domomas at his best, but there’s only so many teams in the league that I think have any interest in in having their offense be centered around a guy like that. So, um, I’ve talked to his camp recently. It does not sound like they anticipate being moved at the deadline. It’s it’s more a message of patience. Um and he really likes living in the area and as far as quality of life, he’s you know, he’s doing okay. Um but they that that’s why Scott Perry is asking for a long runway and a lot of patience here is because the market for their guys, I don’t think is great. But so no untouchables though. Everyone’s on the table or you think those couple young guys are kind of being held out? Uh Keegan Murray, I mean they love Keegan. uh they just paid him. Now, if you you know, if you have a chance to really make a a difference, and this is me talking, their me their message is that Keegan is untouchable, but we all know that that, you know, there’s a threshold there for for, you know, all but one or two guys in the league. Um they just paid him, right? Like they gave him the big contract where uh you know, he really paid him like a one or a two guy when, you know, to this point, you know, last year he was more a three or a four guy. Um and so, you know, that is a guy that they are invested in. Uh Keon Ellis is probably marketwise, you know, who they’re going to have no problem finding suitors for. You know, I talked to somebody yesterday about, you know, the Lakers are looking for a 3 and D type guy. Uh you know, could it be Keon? Could it be a Herb Jones? Somebody like that. U so you know, you can find a suitor for Keon, but but how much does that move the needle in terms of what’s coming back for the Kings trying to turn this thing around? God, I just feel um here’s the good news. We have not really spoken on the Grizzlies or Jaw. Look how sad you guys all just said. I know. I know. We’re kind of a bummer segment. We’re No, we’re going to pick it up with morale right now cuz we’ve said nothing about them for several days, which is a good thing because nothing that we had said before that was necessarily positive. It looks like J’s been coaching the team up. You’ve got Edy back. I I don’t know if this is temporary or has it sort of started to mend a little bit between all of the parties uh including the coach out in Memphis. Yeah, they came through uh through my part of town recently and I kind of enjoyed every once in a while I kind of just, you know, if it’s a team that’s been in the news, you just kind of watch and and you know, observe the old human condition. And man, Jaw like he was in a good place. And um you know, admittedly, considering how much time we spend talking and writing about the stuff that happened early on in the season when it seemed like he was ready to get out of Memphis and he was frustrated with the coaching staff. You know, what I saw that night was a very different picture where he was obviously hurt, but he’s on the bench coaching guys up. Um literally even engaging with Tomas Eelo about stuff, you know, on on the playboard, um things like that. So talking to people around the team, you know, Zack Kleimman, their GM, continues to not show much interest, if any, in moving Jaw and to tell people that they’re trying to push this thing through. Um, and and again, you know, it seems like Jaw and even his his camp and his family are are trying to make it work. So, um, I don’t know. I mean, to take it back to the Minnesota conversation, uh, you know, hearing you guys break down all the the things that the T-Wolves could use and knowing that Minnesota is interested in Jaw, I mean, that just seems like a perfect fit. So, we got a long ways to go before the deadline, but um, they’re in a tricky spot because when they made that Desmond Bane trade with Orlando, the league basically felt like it signaled the beginning of the rebuild. Uh, but they’ve tried to, you know, kind of stubbornly stay in the middle since then, and folks are a little skeptical that they can do that. Yeah. So, you’re you’re optimistic. You think once Jaws back in the in the lineup, the Grizzlies are are are they’re more than likely they’ll make a playoff push with him in the lineup opposed to entertaining trade offers. That’s what you’re thinking. I mean, Lou, you can do both, right? Like, you can do both quietly. I I I think. But yes, I mean, it’s it’s good for their leverage that they have a good team. You know, they’ve been winning games without Jaw. Zack Edy is is a hell of a lot better of a player at the NBA level than people thought he was going to be. uh and they you know and they’re good. So that’s if you can have J be in a decent headsp space and show that he’s not one foot out the door or two feet out the door and then you can have teams winning game, you know, have them winning games, then the quiet trade calls whenever they might come are a whole lot easier because you can tell teams like we’re not tripping here, like we’re okay, right? Um but it is a good place to be in that that you have a good group that is functioning together which was not the case early on. Yeah, that’s a fact. Always good to have options though, just just in case. No doubt. Uh let’s talk Jonathan Kaminga. Um he got a DMP Sunday against the Bulls. Steph didn’t play, Draymond didn’t play, Horford didn’t play. Um after a strong start to the season, you know, things are kind of slowing down for him. Do you see him getting moved at the deadline? I I do. I just don’t know where. Uh the the urgency is there. Uh everything seems to have gone south. It’s It’s just crazy how quickly things can change. And hopefully the dog’s not too loud, guys. Sorry about that. Um, love it. Kaminga is it’s it’s like the first five, six, seven games. You were talking about, you know, an absolute 180 from before. He was he was, you know, running the floor. He’s playing defense the way, you know, helpside was an issue in the past. He was doing better at that. Steve Kerr was raving about him. And I remember talking to someone in the Warriors front office who was literally telling me that there’s just not many people that that we would trade him for right now with how he’s helping our team. And and now all of a sudden uh it’s the exact opposite. His his body language is down. He’s getting DMPS. Um you know, he’s he’s posting some cryptic stuff on social. And it it’s going to be hard because the market for him has always been, you know, um based on his upside, right? And so Brooklyn was interested for a while, but they want to know, is that a guy that that could be part of your core. Um, no matter what he’s done in the past, all of a sudden now, you know, when you see a guy on the sideline and you see the lack of productivity, it’s going to make trade calls hard. And really, uh, I think the more likely thing is, can the Warriors find a deal where it’s not really centered on Kaminga, where he just ends up being a throwin, you know, and a and a sweetener, uh, to get something done. Uh that’s the flexibility they wanted with his contract, that two-year $48 million deal. Uh but but you know, the optics right now are are in the favor of whoever is, you know, calling about him, if that makes sense. Yeah. Uh my last question for you, Sam, Clippers, yikes, nightmare season, from the Kawaii from the Kawawaii scandal to how they handle the Chris Paul situation to now 6 and 18. Is there a world where they try and trade Kawawaii and James Harden and rebuild? Like what what do they do? Because they are so built to win now and they are not winning now. I I I mean there should be a world 100% there should be. Um I don’t see it, you know, because they they you know, Steve Balmer, man, he has just got this this inexplicable in in my opinion borderline insane addiction to this group, if that makes sense. like I I I don’t understand it. Uh cuz when you talk about Kawai and and regardless of the truth regarding that scandal, uh the the level of scrutiny and distraction that has come from, you know, from that partnership with Kawaii has been so problematic, but Steve has has never wavered in his loyalty to Kawaii and continues to barrel down that road. Um, you know, I, as an aside, I appreciated your guys commentary on on the Chris Paul situation when that went down and couldn’t agree with you more about how poorly they handled that. And, and the subtext there is like I I think that they’re, call it loyalty or like connection with James Harden played a part in that situation. So, they keep rocking with this group um knowing that in a you know, they’ve got all of their contracts are coming up in a couple years and they’ve been looking at the summer of 2027 for quite some time and it feels like that’s still the road they’re going down is sticking with what they have as bad as this is. Uh and it’s been awful. Um so, uh you know, it’s it’s it’s hard to explain how uh this group I especially in a year where they have the All-Star weekend coming their way. I mean, you talk about a the wrong kind of mood to have when the entire league is going to be in your arena in February, man. Um, so, but no, I don’t I don’t see him saying, “Oh, yeah, it’s coming up.” I mean, it’s and and who knows what kind of, you know, revelations might come out about the aspiration investigation around then. You know what I mean? Like these timelines are all starting to maybe collide together. Uh, but to the initial question, I Yeah, I don’t see them blowing it up. I see them trying to continue to to do stuff around the edges and and pull this thing out. This was the saddest Sammy. Thanks. We’re done, buddy. Thank you. Merry Christmas. Hey, I tried to start it light-hearted. Y’all didn’t want to play, so here we are. Um, what are you asking? The Kings, the Clippers. I know. Next time we’ll do all Can we talk Thunder next time? OKC. We have some fun. Come back soon. We will do only the best. Uh, we appreciate the time, man. Thank you. We’ll be right back. All right, guys. Be good. Run it over. Run it back. Run it up. And run it back. Run it back.

On December 9, 2025 episode of ‘Run It Back’ on FanDuel TV, co-hosts Michelle Beadle, Boogie Cousins, Chandler Parsons, and Lou Williams are joined by Sam Amick of The Athletic to talk about trade rumors among Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bucks, Sacramento Kings, Warriors, & Clippers.

FULL EPISODE HERE: https://youtube.com/live/BpjkG23AaV4

CHAPTERS
0:00 SAM AMICK INTERVIEW
0:52 HAS GIANNIS ASKED FOR A TRADE?
5:04 FIRESELL IN SACRAMENTO
9:44 JA MORANT RELATIONSHIP WITH GRIZZLIES
12:34 JONATHAN KUMINGA TO BE TRADED
14:24 CLIPPERS TRADE KAWHI & HARDEN? INSANE ADDICTION TO CLIPS

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