Jokic's Historic Triple-Double & NBA Trade Rumor Bonanza!

[00:00:21] It's Friday, you know what time it is. Front Runner Podcast Collective is back on the air. I am your humble host Vince and today we will be talking about Nikola Jokic. Who else? Because he's done something amazing again. We'll also hit all the trade rumors that are fit to be on this podcast and there are a plethora of those.

[00:00:50] And then we will go around the arc and we will take in the Southeast Division and we'll kind of talk through some teams and see what's going on with them and where it all lands. But before we get there, we're going to take you a little bit behind the scenes of what goes on here.

[00:01:13] As I'm preparing for the show last night, I have something in my head for the monologue. And we're sitting there and crafting it. And lo and behold, the Lakers win, which blows my theory of what was going on there. And then we got the Jimmy Butler pictures. That was amazing.

[00:01:38] I don't know if you've seen those on social media, but those are making the rounds. So Jimmy's out partying while his team is playing. And the saga continues. We will talk about that momentarily. Trust me.

[00:01:54] We need to celebrate Jokic before we do that. And then Jokic came along. And the reason why I bring all this up is that you start off somewhere and then the NBA takes you on a completely different journey.

[00:02:09] And now we can go ahead and talk about what we actually need to talk about. And the first thing that we do need to talk about is Nikola Jokic and his incredible night last night. Did anybody witness this situation? SGA right now is no doubt number one pole position for the NBA MVP.

[00:02:39] But when Nikola Jokic goes absolutely nuclear with a monstrous triple-double, now I've got to call that. Now I've got to call what I need to call. He is the best player on the planet. We used to reserve that for LeBron. He had that crown for a long period of time. But there is no doubt about it. But there is no doubt about it.

[00:03:01] But there is no question that whether SGA wins the MVP, Giannis wins the MVP, doesn't matter. Nikola Jokic is the baddest man on the planet today playing basketball. Because Thursday night he pulls off a line that only Wilt Chamberlain has ever done.

[00:03:28] And I know all my young people, oh Wilt played against milkmen. He played against plumbers and all of this sort of stuff. But the modern day situation is going on right now. We're going to celebrate it. Nikola Jokic last night, he went over 35 points. He had over 20 rebounds. He had over 15 assists.

[00:03:54] So it looks like you were playing 2K with him. But it was real life going on last night. 132 to 123 over the Sacramento Kings. Another triple-double, by the way. The Joker logs his fourth consecutive triple-double. Look, for my money, Shea Gilchrist Alexander is still right in the thick of things in the MVP conversation.

[00:04:20] Especially with his true shooting percentage numbers that hover around the mid-60s. 65.1 the last time I checked. And he is doing something really interesting in OKC. They are winning at a really rapid pace. And he's the true leader of that team. Now, Jokic and his team got off to a real slow start. Obviously, Jamal Murray plays a big part in that situation.

[00:04:48] But now Jamal is coming around. And you're starting to see this team fully fleshed out. And it looks a lot better than what it did earlier in the season. As we turn the calendar to 2025, the Nuggets look like the Nuggets. Which is really good. We love that. But Jokic is the best player in the world.

[00:05:16] And again, check this out. During the four-game run, he's flirting with a nightly average of 29 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists. Last year, in the 2023-2024 season, his effective field goal percentage hovered around 60%. And his true shooting percentage was 67%. This season, he's bumped that up a notch.

[00:05:44] His effective field goal percentage is near 62%. And his true shooting percentage is above 68%. And he's hitting threes at a 45% rate right now. How do you stop him? You don't. You don't stop Jokic. And this is from Zach Powell. Well, Jokic has made his feats look easy. But he contributes to the team's success in multiple ways. Knocking down threes, rebounding, and scoring.

[00:06:14] And dishing inside to keep his teammates involved and defenders on their toes. He's complete. It's basically, to me, it's a larger version of Larry Bird. And I think I made this comparison sometime last year or what have you. But you can't stop him. If you put a small on him, he'll go post him up and beat him up.

[00:06:41] He'll post up your big if he just feels like it. There's not a place on the court that he can't get to. You can't speed him up. And if you try to double-T him, if you try to blitz him, he'll absolutely tear you apart. It's a tough game right now.

[00:07:05] Playing Denver, you're still hoping that the Jokic non-off-court minutes stay still as dismal as they have been. But those numbers are getting better because Aaron Gordon has returned. So Denver is almost fully put together. Now, I don't know what they're going to do in the trade deadline. And we'll get into that in a second.

[00:07:32] But this is where they are right now. They're 28-16 at the time of this recording. They have a four-game winning streak. They won eight of their last nine. And that success isn't random. They're first in the league in assists. 31 per game. They're third in points per game. And fifth in rebounds. Their biggest weakness is still the defense.

[00:07:59] They're allowing 115 points a game, which ranks them 23rd in opponent's points per game. When the offense is doing as well as it is now, you want it lower. You hope that as the players get healthier, that the continuity and being on a string on defense will start to acclimate itself.

[00:08:27] And then you coalesce into what you're going to be going into the playoffs. We will see. I still think there's some retooling that needs to be done in Denver. And we'll get into it later. But right now, I still want to talk to some of these numbers that Jokic is putting up.

[00:08:48] The one thing that I love Jokic is that he is the absolute offensive hub where you look at Luka. And Luka likes to dribble a lot. Jokic, he can handle the ball. He can have the ball and command it. He's getting off the ball. He knows he's going to get it back. But he's getting off the ball. He's quick as far as his decision making is concerned.

[00:09:17] And that is what makes him ultimately so deadly is that he seems like he's two steps ahead of you. And then the quickness of the decision is so lethal. That you have no idea what hits you. Now, there's also been a change in the starting lineup. Russell Westbrook is having set himself a season. He has played himself into the starting lineup. His energy that he has brought.

[00:09:47] And remember, in the offseason, we all question this. Me included. We can go back into the archive pods to see I was wrong. Well, Jokic wanted Westbrook. And we were wondering, what does he know that we don't? Because we thought that Westbrook, as a viable contributor, as a starter, we thought those days were done.

[00:10:14] We were trying to see if we could make him a six man and see if he could run a second unit and be able to do a lot of the rough things that he has previously done. But maybe in a more scaled down role. It's been the complete opposite. His energy has been infectious. They have needed his ornery style.

[00:10:38] They needed his curmudgeonness and his disdain for the competition. They needed some juice. And they thought Calvin Booth, who is the executive player personnel of the Denver Nuggets, he thought he was going to get that from his youthful draft picks that he's picked up over the last two or three years. A la Christian Brown.

[00:11:08] A la Julian Strother. Jalen Pickett. And Zeke Nagy is still on a milk carton somewhere. Still not playing. They bring out the corpse of DeAndre Jordan before they bring out Zeke Nagy. Which is funny to me. I love it. I don't know why Michael Malone doesn't like him. But there's some sort of grudge there.

[00:11:36] And one day when Zeke Nagy is out of Denver, maybe he'll go on like Jeff Teague's podcast. Because Jeff Teague act a fool when he on his podcast. And maybe he'll let us know what happened. But our guy cannot play in Denver for some reason. The last thing that I want to say about this Jokic situation is that I still don't like the minutes that he's playing.

[00:12:02] Obviously, this is in lieu of the bench not being as productive as it needs to be. Now, will that change? Aaron Gordon is coming off the bench. Now, I don't know if this is something that is going to be permanent. Or because of the injury, they're working him back into shape. And this is what they need to do for right now.

[00:12:28] Now, if he is going to be a permanent bench guy, that definitely helps that unit. If you can still sustain the defensive level with Michael Porter Jr., Nikola Jokic, and the band of brothers, which are Jamal Murray, Russell Westbrook, and Christian Brown. I don't know how sustainable that is.

[00:12:56] Personally, I think that Eric Gordon, I think that he's going to be a permanent bench guy. Gordon's brim protection and his overall physicality is something that's needed in that starting lineup. But I think you can get away with it in the month of January. I think once we get past the all-star break, Aaron Gordon is going to need to be in that starting lineup. Because that the serious basketball is going to be played.

[00:13:23] You also know that seeding is going to be monumentally important. So, I think it's going to be all hands on deck. Now, I don't know who loses their role off of that situation. I would probably say it might be Christian Brown. And hopefully, he can dial it back and go into that six-man role. And really be a real help and a boost of offensive production off the bench.

[00:13:51] But these are all things that are in the near distant future. But just some things to look out for when we talk about Denver. All right, let's get to this baseline buzz. This is the segment that America has been waiting for. This is also the segment, evidently, Germany has been waiting for. Shouts out to Germany, who downloads the podcast on a real level. Shouts out to all my people in Germany. Frankfurt.

[00:14:22] And Luxembourg. Luxembourg. All these other places. I hope you guys are picking up a stein for me right now. I don't drink. But go ahead. Do y'all thing. Why is this important today? Because we got all the trade stuff. All of it. So, we're going to get into it. I want to thank Soraya. Who is being excellent in trying to track down some of this information for me.

[00:14:47] And also, when I have had to update this stuff to her, she's been quickly on top of it. Thanks to Soraya. Now, February 6th. Why is that important? That date is the trade deadline. ESPN will have their little show. Everybody will have their little show. We are giving you all of the information up until that day.

[00:15:17] Now, once the trade deadline comes to fruition. How FRPC is going to handle it. We are going to let the dust settle. We're going to allow all the trades to go through. Every last one of them. And then, we're going to come dust off the microphones. And we're going to come hot.

[00:15:45] With thoughts on what has gone on. What didn't happen. And hopefully, we can bring you some context. Behind the moves or non-moves. That might be coming. So, February 6th. Our trade deadline special. Will be after. And then, we'll have all the reaction as we go. So, just hold that. Put that in your calendar. Know that we're going to do that for you.

[00:16:15] Now, let's get to some of these rumors that are going on. We are going to start with the teams that are under the most pressure. Teams that look like they need to have something done. Maybe there's a player putting pressure on the organization to have something done. But, we're going to take a look at these teams. And what they're saying right now. And what they're thinking. And then, give you our thoughts on it.

[00:16:45] Let's go ahead and start with the team that is on the hottest of hot seats. And is obviously in Los Angeles. Because, LeBron James and Anthony Davis have made it clear. That they want the front office to act. AD, this week in an ESPN special. I think we need another big. I feel like I've always been my best when I've been at the four.

[00:17:14] Having a big out there would be great. And Coach J.J. Redding echoed those concerns. Admitting the team has no room for error. They just beat Boston. I watched that whole game. I will tell you. It's the best game they played all year. It's the type of game where you go. And Laker fans know exactly what I'm talking about when I say this. Huh.

[00:17:44] Maybe there is something there. There's a couple things with this that I want to talk about. When we talk about the. Adding a big. To the Lakers. One. Is this a starter? Or is this a reserve? Because that's a big difference. Now two. If we're putting a starter in. Now he does not necessarily need to be as good as AD.

[00:18:14] He doesn't necessarily need to be. A. Super productive offensive player. It would be nice. That would be. Most optimal. If you can do it. But let's be real honest. Tell me. Laker fans. And I. You know what? I hate pouring cold water on you guys. But. Tell me the big that's out there. Okay. We have two first round picks. At our disposal.

[00:18:44] Tell me the big that's out there. That can help us with the floor spacing. And also the rim protection. That's available. Okay. See that's the problem. Yes. We can dream about Miles Turner. I've not heard anything about Miles Turner coming out of Indiana. Indiana. Now. Do you want to unearth maybe a distress asset?

[00:19:14] Is there some names out there that you want to throw out to see? Hey. What about this? What about? Maybe. What about this? The names that are out there are Walker Kessler. The names that are out there are Jonas Valanciunas. The names that are out there are Jakob Pertl. Do any of these names really excite you? I know a lot of Laker fans are very excited about Walker Kessler.

[00:19:43] But are you very excited about the price tag of Walker Kessler? Because you're dealing with Danny Ainge. And tell me the last time Danny Ainge lost a trade. Danny Ainge will allow a trade to fall completely apart. Just because he needs to be able to look his owner in the eye. And tell all of the media. We won this trade.

[00:20:13] It's an ego thing. It's a. It. Sometimes it backfires on his own team. Because sometimes you just need to make that incremental move. And if it costs you a little bit more. Fine. But. That's not how Danny operates. And I don't think that's how Danny is going to operate through this trade deadline. Now I might be. Completely wrong.

[00:20:44] History has told us that this is not. Danny is not going to sit there. And look upon the Lakers as a charity case. And say you know what. You're right. We'll only take one first rounder. So then you can go out and do something else with the second first rounder. And then maybe help your team through these pick situations that we're going to have for you. No. That is not what Danny wants to do.

[00:21:13] Danny wants to make sure when those picks come up. The Lakers are in the worst position possible. So then he can recoup the fruits of this labor. I waited four years. I waited six years for this pick. And the Lakers now suck. And now I got a lottery pick. Free one. Not even ours. Great days here in Salt Lake City.

[00:21:43] For all the fans out there who are Laker fans. Who are listening to the Trevor Lanes of the world. Yovon Buha who I absolutely love as an athletic writer. He has so much great information. And he's just such a good dude. He talks about Walker Kessler a lot too. I'm here to tell you. The Lakers are going to have to give up both first round picks for that dude.

[00:22:13] Because I don't see Danny. Allowing the Lakers to get off the hook. Now you were able maybe to unprotect that 20-27 pick that they already have. Where it's four through one protected. Just on the off chance that we completely disintegrate. Maybe you can use that. And say hey. We'll take the protections off the 27 pick. We'll give you the 20-29 pick.

[00:22:43] And we can go ahead and walk out with Walker Kessler. Is that enough for Danny to be able to say he won the trade? And you get a 23-year-old. 7'2". 260-270 pound. Stud center. Who has great defensive instincts. Right? Block shots. He's a really aggressive rebounder.

[00:23:12] He would be additive to what the Lakers are doing now. But he will also be additive to what the Lakers are doing in the future. I don't know how that's going to go. But it doesn't seem. It doesn't seem real plausible at this present time. And let's get into what Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst of ESPN said with the Lakers. Says the Lakers have shown little signs of aggression in trade talks.

[00:23:37] They've been hesitant to include their two future first round draft picks in any deal. And their remaining trade assets are expiring contracts like Christian Wood, Jackson Hayes that don't hold much value. The pressure is on. But it seems like the front office might stand pat.

[00:24:02] Which could be disastrous in the eyes of LeBron and AD. Adding to the speculation about the potential Lonzo Ball reunion. Lonzo has been solid since returning from knee surgery. Averaging 9.2 points a game. 35.9% from three. Which is basically about league average. And playing strong defense in limited minutes.

[00:24:30] If the Lakers could land him for a couple second round picks. It could be a low risk, high reward move. But that really pushes. But does it really push them into contention? Now here's the thing I will say about this. Bringing Lonzo Ball back to the Lakers. It kind of fills two roles. He's the guy that's probably going to guard your...

[00:25:00] Whoever your best ball handler is. He's probably guarding him. That takes a lot of stress off of Austin Reeves. No doubt. Now also... Lonzo can push up to the three. So he does have position versatility. Lonzo is very smart. He's a high basketball IQ. I'm not telling Laker fans anything they don't know. What? The knee injury?

[00:25:29] Obviously it scares you a little bit. But if you can... If this is... If you're doing this... I'd rather do this... Than do the Bruce Brown situation. Because I believe in Lonzo's shot. Lonzo can shoot the ball. I think that he... Has probably augmented his game... To understand some of his physical limitations now. But... I like that. By low.

[00:25:58] On Lonzo? For sure. I would entertain that... A lot easier... Than... Giving up whatever you have to give up... For Jonas Valanciunas. Honestly. I know that the cries of AD... He wants a big... But Lonzo is... A way better player... Than Jonas Valanciunas. For sure. Now... Do I think it's something that is... Really plausible? Probably not.

[00:26:28] And let's not forget... They've already made a move... Sending D'Angelo Russell... And his ex-firing contract... To the Brooklyn Nets... For Dorian Finney-Smith. The reason why that's important... Is because... D'Angelo's contract... Was the contract... That would... Would get them into... What you would consider... The higher echelon players. He was at... What? 18? So if you... Combined him... With another contract...

[00:26:57] You got to 30... Like... We... There were a lot of... Trade machine days... For your boy. Okay? If you... Put D'Angelo Russell... With Gabe Denson... That got you... To 30... Now you were... In the ballpark... Of Brandon Ingram... But now that they... Don't have that salary slot... They have to stack up... Like four contracts... To get to... What I would consider... A dude... A real dude...

[00:27:26] Now can you get... Marginal pieces... Incremental pieces... Can you get... Cameron Johnson's... Can you get... Walker Kessler's... Yes... You can get those guys... Will it make them... A contender? I don't think so... Now... Things go... Walkie... In the NBA... All the time... So you tell me that...

[00:27:55] Chet doesn't progress... As well? You tell me that... Jamal Murray... Maybe suffers... Another knee injury... And your path... Gets a little bit easier... Okay... Okay... I think we... A guy like Cameron Johnson... Or a guy like Lonzo Wall... And a... A big like... Walker Kessler... Or somebody of that elk...

[00:28:24] I would love a big... Who could shoot... Those are gonna be hard to find though... That can actually block shots... Those are hard to find... Burke Lopez is making a lot of money... Doing that... But if they could do that... I think that it would help them... But the reality is that... The Lakers roster looks more... Like a first round exit team... Than a true contender... Like I said... We had a lot of ifs... We had a lot of scenarios... That had to go down... For them...

[00:28:53] To even get to... The Western Conference Finals... Where I was making like... Oh... This happens... And this happens... Maybe... There are no definites... And if Rob Palenka... Is waiting for a definite... We're gonna be waiting a long time... We will see how all this plays out... It does not look like... Rob Palenka wants to... Pull the trigger... For my Laker fans out there... Hit me up on X... At Frontrunner PC...

[00:29:23] You can also hit up our producer... At Rhea... Underscore... Funch... FRPC... Now... Speaking of... More trades... Because... The Memphis Grizzlies... Are reported lurking... Because... The longer this Jimmy Butler thing goes... The more uglier it gets... Pat Riley might just be like... You know what? He said... Anywhere but Memphis...

[00:29:52] I'll send you to Memphis... Just saying... Now... They have the assets to make a big move... They have the draft picks... They have the mid-tier contracts... Like Marcus Smart... And Luke Kennard... The question is... Are they ready to go all in? Now here's the point... I think that... They would keep their powder dry... I think Jimmy Butler is a little bit... Aged out of the group...

[00:30:21] Or the timeline... That Memphis is currently on... Now if you were talking about... One year of glory... And you want to take a flyer on Jimmy Butler... I mean... Jimmy Butler will help... Memphis... No problem whatsoever... Because I think you would get the best out of Jimmy... Problem is that... Jimmy said... I don't want to go there... And... We see how Jimmy's acting now... So... I don't think Memphis... Even wants to even play...

[00:30:52] In that pool... Now Memphis is third in the West right now... And a little... Legitimate threat... If they make the right move... It could lead them into title contention... The question is... Are they willing to take a risk? I think... Personally... They would... I think a risk... But... Jimmy is too big a risk... It's just too big... But... If you're a Memphis Grizzly fan... I want to hear from you... Hit us up on...

[00:31:21] Blue Sky... At... FrontrunnerPC... Dot... B-Sky... Dot... Social... Or... You can hit up our producer... At... FRPC... Hyphen... Rhea... Dot... B-Sky... Dot... Social... Now... A couple of teams that we need to talk about... Standing Pat... Or... Seller... We're gonna break them all down... First up... Brooklyn Nets... They... Are sellers this season...

[00:31:50] They've already sold... Dennis Schroeder... Gone... Dorian Finney-Smith... Gone... Who's the next one? Cam Johnson... It's a matter of... When... Not if... With Cam Johnson... They need to get... To a point where they can... Properly tank... Because there's some teams that are... At this point... Ahead of them... If you want to call it that... They've lost a lot of games... So... They need to get on the tank... Train... Cam Johnson...

[00:32:19] Impedes the progress of losing... So... We need to get him out... So... He is everywhere... In every rumor... We did this... A couple nights ago... On... Wednesday... He was... He's... Everybody wants him... And... He's still the bell of the ball... At this point... Because his contract is pretty good... He is a... Really good three-point shooter... And... He is...

[00:32:48] Long as hell... He's a versatile... Three and D... Wing... Shooting... 41.8% from three... He's a great fit for any contender... And the reported... Asking price right now... Is two first-round picks... Now... We said... On Wednesday... That we thought that was ridiculous... And I don't think... That at the end of the day...

[00:33:16] Unless something crazy happens... I think that price tag will come down... As we get closer and closer to the deadline... But... You know where to be February 6th... Right here... So... Stick with us... Now the Boston Celtics... They're pretty much set... They could... Use... Another wing... But it's so hard... Because they're a second-apron team... So it has to be...

[00:33:46] Pretty much exact money... What kind of assets do you have? What are you giving up... To get this wing? If you're seeing that... Cam Johnson... Right now is going for two first-round picks... You can't play in that... You can't play in that... That poker table... Too rich for your blood... At this point... At this point... So pretty much it's... Can you develop... Jaden Springer... Who...

[00:34:15] When given minutes... Has shown that... His defensive disruption... Is something that... The Celtics kind of need right now... I would personally... Maybe put more time and effort into that... That guy... That you have on the roster... Give him more time... And see if you can get him... To be this... Constant disruptor... And does the three-point shooting continue?

[00:34:43] That might be the route to go... If I was Boston... Now let's talk about the Knicks... And my thing... Mitchell Robinson is the key... To fixing their death... But the problem is that... He's been all... He's been out all... Season with ankle surgery... And if he returns healthy... He'll definitely provide... The rim protection... That we had talked about... Adnauseum on Wednesday...

[00:35:11] My whole thing is that... Can you wait? Can you wait? His name has come up... In trade rumors... So it looks... People have either asked... To see... Because he is a... Premium rim protector... And he's also a guy that... Rebounds the hell out of the basketball... And if... I'm a team... And I know the injury history... But if I think that... He's a distressed asset...

[00:35:41] And I can pedal off something... Onto the Knicks... Or whatever the case may be... I know the Knicks are looking for a center... They're looking for a big... Just to help... Carl Anthony Towns... Just a little bit... And you don't know... Big man... In feet... In lower limbs... You never know... It's a crap shoot... My thing is... Take care of what you can take care of... If I'm the Knicks...

[00:36:11] I am doing... Everything in my power... To check on... Robert Williams III... Out in Portland... I am checking on... Seeing if I could do something with... The Utah Jazz... Bring... Bring the... The Evil Danny Ainge... The Evil Danny Ainge... Into this situation... I'm kidding... Kidding with the Evil... I'm looking at... Even Atlanta... I'm looking at teams that have... Multiple bigs... And I'm trying to see if I could...

[00:36:39] Finagle a big from one of them... Now... You can tell me... They go get... Jonas Valanciunas... I personally would want somebody... Who's closer... Who resembles... A little bit more... Of Mitchell Robinson... Just because of the athleticism... And just the rim deterrent... That he is... I don't think you're gonna get... Dollar for dollar... But if you can get... 75 cents on the dollar...

[00:37:09] And he plays... Might be a way to go... Because again... It is now... Where are we? We're at the end of January... He was supposed to be back in January... He's still not here... The Knicks core... Brunson... And Anovi... Heart... Bridges... Are logging heavy minutes... And that's not sustainable... Robinson Health... Or trade value... Could make or break... Their postseason hopes... Because he does make...

[00:37:38] About 20 mil... You could break him up... Into a couple players... Now I know that... Tom Thibodeau... Doesn't normally play... His guys... Like his bench guys a lot... He usually allows... The starters... And maybe one bench player... To log heavy minutes... Maybe if he got a couple more guys... That he trusted... A couple more guys... That are more rugged... And ready to do the damn thing... He would feel a little bit different...

[00:38:08] And he would acquiesce... And allow these starters... To... Get a couple more minutes of rescue... Because they are logging heavy minutes... And it's typical Tom Thibodeau... So... We shall see how this all works out... But Knicks fans... Are you... Ready to continue to be patient... With Mitchell Robertson... But... Or have we hit a date... Where it's time for... Some sort of...

[00:38:36] Calvary coming in... Are we using this trade deadline... To... To... Re... Fortify this position... Or are we waiting for Mitchell Robertson... Because he's just that damn good... Let me know Knicks fans... Hit me up on Twitter... At FrontrunnerPC... Or the... Producer of the show... Who got some of these stats... So... Rea... At... Rea... Underscore...

[00:39:06] Funch... FRPC... We... Turn our attention to... Chicago... And... Chicago... Are firmly in cell mode... They're reportedly open and moving... Zach Levine... Nikola Obusevich... And even Lonzo Ball... Levine... Is having a bounce back season... We documented this in the last spot... 24 points... We'll update the shooting from right now...

[00:39:34] 45.1% from 3... He's shooting 45% from 3... That's Jokic numbers... And it's a high volume... So he's getting them up... And he's knocking them down... But the contract still... Is the thing that complicates any deal... 43 million dollars... Is a huge investment... And... With these...

[00:40:03] These apron restrictions... It is... It is almost... Suicide to put yourself in this position... And we'll talk about Matt Ishbia soon... So... Don't worry... Now... Lonzo Ball is another intriguing trade tip... Let's say that again... Lonzo Ball... Is another intriguing trade chip... Teams like the Warriors... The Lakers are interested... In his two-way playmaking... Could be a difference maker...

[00:40:33] For a playoff team... Now... Vucevic... Is the guy who... Has been getting a lot of buzz... Which is interesting... Because... Keep it real... Chicago... He plays... What? Zero defense... Zero defense... Like... Zero point zero... Defense... He's a good rebounder... I know that... I know he shoots the hell out of the three ball... But he provides no rim protection...

[00:41:15] Whatsoever... Those might have hoped... Here's the thing... When you look at the numbers... Yeah... The numbers are great... With the shooting... The problem is that... It's a complete... Turnstile... In the paint... He's not stopping... Anything at the rim... I'm personally one of those guys... I like Vucevic... As a stretch big... But... You would have to have... Amazing defense... Around him... Like...

[00:41:45] A total defense... To be able to play him... And just allow him... To just be physical... And say... Hey bro... We need you to... Eat... Rebounds... We don't care if you block a shot... We need you to take a charge... Here and there... So they... They know... But... Rebounding... Shoot threes... I don't know... We'll see... I think he might be gone... By the time the trade deadline goes...

[00:42:13] I think somebody will pull the trigger on him... Now a team that I want... To... For them to pull the trigger... The Orlando Magic... The Magic... Should be Byers... The name to watch to me... Personally... Does Orlando get aggressive? They have a couple contracts... That I think would be intriguing to the team that... I'm thinking about...

[00:42:43] And I know I'm not the first person to say this... But I do actually have my reasonings to this... Anthony Simons to me... In Portland... For multiple reasons... I think... Anthony Simons... Going to Orlando... Makes so much sense... Two full reasons... One... Orlando... Has the infrastructure... As far as defensive wise...

[00:43:12] To be able to absorb... Anthony Simons... Who is not a really good defender... What Anthony Simons does... He elevates... Their spacing... Immediately... 22.5 points a game... Now keep this in mind... And I want to get to this right quick... But I want to... Tell you the most important thing... To Orlando Magic fans... He shoots 40% from three...

[00:43:41] Y'all... Need... That... And also... A league ball handler... Would also be super helpful... Knowing that... Jalen Suggs is out... You've had all these oblique injuries... And we'll get to that... Momentarily... But... Addon Simons would make them a serious... Playoff... Contender... And it throws... All kinds of... Mucky wrenches... Into the playoff scenarios...

[00:44:09] If they had Anthony Simons... And you ask me... What would they have to give up? Jonathan Isaac... Okay... That would be one... Jet Howard... Would be in that deal... And I'm sure there's a middling deal... That you can give... That doesn't hurt you as much... Maybe Cole Anthony... Maybe not... But you're not losing... You're not losing... You're not losing... You're not losing... Jalen Suggs... You're not losing...

[00:44:39] Any of your core pieces... It's really... To get you a lead ball handler... Who shoots... The three ball... At a prolific level... And he's only like... 23... So he fits your little timeline... As well... So... If you are a Lando Magic fan... What do you think about that? Let me know... Hit me up on... X or on Blue Sky... It's the same... At FrontRunnerPC... Let me know what's up...

[00:45:08] Now as far as Atlanta is concerned... They've overachieved this year... I think they're in a really good position... And we'll be talking about them... Later in the podcast... Some under the radar teams... That I want to talk about... Are the Milwaukee Bucks... And the Milwaukee Bucks... Seem to... Have put... Feelers out there... That... They seem to be... Big game hunting... And they seem to be...

[00:45:37] Dangling... Chris Middleton out there... And... I mean... It's an exploratory stage... So don't think like it's imminent... But... I've heard names like... They make calls... To see what they can do... So there's something there... In Milwaukee... Even though they are playing well... It looks like... They're... Trying to upgrade their offense...

[00:46:07] They're trying to... Get themselves... Some easy buckets... And maybe... Another guy to take the pressure valve... Off Giannis and Dame... In crunch time... So it's really interesting to me... As far as... Let's see who else do we... The Pacers... Now the Pacers... They need a wing... They need a wing defender... And... If they can get a wing defender... It would be... Great... Now...

[00:46:36] How many of these things... Do I think... Will take place? I think... Jimmy gets out of Miami... For sure... I think there's something... That is going to be worked out... Between Phoenix and Milwaukee... I think this actually turns into... A real... Big Yankee swap... Where... You get this... I get this... Crescent gets this... Now... Whoever the third or fourth team is... Be very interesting...

[00:47:05] What they get left with... And what they get compensated for... Because of what they got left with... Will be interesting to me... Maybe not to anybody else... But it would be interesting to me... I'm telling you... This is how Sam Cresti... Got all those picks... I'm telling you... This is exactly how he did it... Yeah... Jimmy Butler... I think... Gone... If you had... If you put a gun to my head... I...

[00:47:33] I still say Phoenix... Does Brandon Ingram... Get out of... New Orleans... Yes... I think... There's some... I think it's him or CJ... One of those two... I would believe... Would have to go... So I think we're going to have a really decent... Trade deadline situation... So... Be with us... Be with us... On February 6th...

[00:48:01] Because we're going to give you... As much information as we possibly can... That's our word on that... Now... We are going... To the segment... That is sweeping the nation... I heard... From a good source... That... The governor of California... Gavin Newsom... He loves this segment... Around the art...

[00:48:30] And we are in the Southeast Division... And we are going to start with the Orlando Magic... Who are now... 23-23... They are 7th... In the... Eastern Conference... They lost their... The last game... It was terrible... We're going to get into that in a second... They lost to Portland... Can't be losing to Portland... That's... That's... But... Jeff Weltman is their executive... And I have a complete man crush... On...

[00:48:59] Jamal Mosley... I think he is an incredible coach... Now... What's going on in Orlando... They got their stars back... Orlando's season... Has been defined by two things... Resilience through injuries... And glaring lack of consistent... Three-point shooting... Now... With... Franz Wagner... Returning... To the starting lineup... It's time to assess... How the team moves forward...

[00:49:28] In a crowded... Eastern Conference... The Magic have fought through... Tooth and nail this season... Sitting... Seven... In the... Eastern Conference... Despite the revolving door... Injuries... With Paul Logan Carroll... And Franz Wagner... And Orlando finally... Are they going to hit their rhythm? It's going to take some time... I think... It's probably going to take them... Probably about... 10 to 15... To get it all back... Now let's talk about... The blending... Their games part... This is the... Big key...

[00:49:58] That I want to talk about... They got blew out... In Portland... And... I think what you're going to see there... Is... Remember... Franz took a leap... When... Paulo Goncaro went out... We saw the best... Of Franz... That we had seen in a while... And it gave us great joy... Because we were like... Man... He's getting it... He is starting to really get it... And then...

[00:50:27] What played... Paulo Goncaro... Also played... Franz Wagner... We had oblique injuries... Going on... I got a whole situation to that... Down the road... We got people... We got top people on this man... Don't worry... Get this figured out... Now... Now that they're back... You have two... Really... High producing... Scorers... On your team... Now... How do you... Differentiate...

[00:50:56] Who's getting what... When do the... Opportunities come... Paulo wants to be more of a facilitator... Anyway... So I think they will figure this out... But you're seeing two young stars... Trying to figure out... Just Tatum... And Jalen Brown... Early on... They're just trying to figure out one another... They're trying to figure it out... Okay... I know you... I know you nice... Know you nice... And you a bad boy... But I'm nice too...

[00:51:26] So I'm gonna need to get my run... So these are the things... That they're gonna need to work out... I think this is... Made easier... If you have a lead guard... If you have a lead guard... That can go ahead and just... Just set up the offense a little bit better... Paulo can do less... You can take a little bit off his shoulders... Which is great... You definitely need to do that... Because that guy is going to be able to get you like 50... At any point in time...

[00:51:57] I think this would help... That dynamic... Work itself out quicker... So we'll see if they make a trade... And see what goes on there... Now... What's up with all the oblique injuries in Orlando? Like what's really going on? I want to understand... What's in the water... In Orlando... What are you feeding these guys?

[00:52:26] Because we got... Paulo... Franz... Jalen Suggs... And... Gogo Gatace... All with oblique injuries... Whoever is doing like the real crazy Pilates... If you're doing TB12... Situation... Stop doing that... Stop getting these guys hurt with these obliques... We need Jalen Suggs... We need all our dudes...

[00:52:56] To play basketball... The hell's going on... Orlando... Now... Their offensive rating... Plummeted obviously... Because of the injuries... And what have you... I think now... That you see this team... Are basically fully whole... You'll start to see the team... That you know and love... Who were complete stifling on defense... And scored just enough on offense... Unless they go out and get a guard...

[00:53:26] Unless they go out and get a guard... Now here's the thing... That I will ask... And maybe Magic fans don't... Really care at this point... Maybe this is still... A gap year... And we'll see what we can do in playoffs... But I will ask this question... Do you think you can make a deep playoff run... When you rank dead last... In three point percentage... Their league works... 30.3% from deep... Their shooting efficiency...

[00:53:55] Despite attempting... The 14th most... Three pointers per game... So... You're middle of the pack... Attempting three pointers... But you're dead last... In making three pointers... Take less threes... First thing... There's not a player above... 35.8%... From beyond the arc... If this is not a team... That is screaming for...

[00:54:25] Anthony Simons... I have no idea... Who the hell the team is... But this seems like the team... To me... In an article... Of potential trade targets... She has them getting... Trying to get Cameron Johnson... Luke Kennard... Could bring shooting to this team... Who desperately needs it... I think... I like... Cameron Johnson... Where is he gonna play? Is he a two now?

[00:54:54] I mean... I'm gonna tell you... They're pretty big now... The other thing is that... You got KCP... So I don't think... Any of this makes any sense... Whatsoever... You got KCP... You got Jalen Suggs... Coming back... You don't need... Front court players... Or wings... You need a guard... Go out and get a guard... Now... Another guy that you can go out and get... He... He can run a little bit of offense...

[00:55:23] But it's super pricey... And that's Zach Levine... So we'll see... Who... They decide to go out... And get... For this trade deadline... Let's talk about Atlanta real quick... They are also... 22 and 22... Now... Here's the thing that I really want to get... With Atlanta... We finally seen the evolution of Trey Young... Something that we've been talking about... On this podcast for a while... But it looks like... Quinn Snyder's long term plan... For Trey Young...

[00:55:52] Is finally paying dividends... With Young stepping back... As the offense focal point... To embrace a system... Around movement... Sharing... And efficiency... Said... It's not forced... It's just genuine... We both want to see... Each other... Succeed... Talking about his partnership... With Quinn Snyder... So he got buy-in from Trey... Which is something that... We couldn't... Trey could not do... With the other coaches...

[00:56:21] Let's just keep it a buck... Now... How's that matter? Trey Young's isolation plays... To drop from... 16.3%... In 2021... And 2022... To 9%... In 2024... 2025... His career high... 11.7 assists... Per game... Lead the league... And place him... In historic numbers... Like he's... There with magic... Doing stuff like that...

[00:56:50] Per game... Now... While he's shooting a career low... 40%... From the field... Young leads the NBA... With 21... Point... Potential... Assist... Per game... Highlighting his focus... On creating opportunities... For other teammates... Which... Means... Jalen Johnson... The... Emergence of... Another guy... Who can... Diversify the offense... They are also getting... A lot of... Fast break points... Because...

[00:57:20] Dyson Daniels... Is such a steel... Merchant... You know what his nickname is... I'm not gonna say it... But... He's awesome... And we love him... Now... His offensive rating... When Young shares the ball... Is plus... 7.5... His on-off rating... The Hawks are... 10.2... Points... A game... Per 100%... Better... With Young on the floor... This season... Than last... So...

[00:57:50] It's working... It's working... It's the thing that we wanted... And what makes it work... Is Jalen Johnson's... Emergence... The Hawks... And newfound success... Has been tied... Directly to Jalen Johnson... Remember when he was out... With that injury... And I think he hurt a shoulder... In the last game... So we gotta check on him... And see what's going on... With our guy... See if he's... Okay... He's gonna be able to play... But... Johnson's development... As a playmaker...

[00:58:18] In short roll... In his connection... With Young... Is redefining... Atlanta's offense... Johnson and Young... Exchange... 40.4... Passes per game... Career high... Connection for Young... And Johnson's... Assist... Percentage... On short roll... Is 18.6... Which is the league... Leading among forwards... Larry Nance Jr. Shared Snyder's... New mantra... LTFF...

[00:58:47] Let that fucker fly... So basically... Hitting threes... You know what I'm saying... So this is... Emphasizing... The freedom to shoot... Nance... Shooting... 52%... From three... Before his injury... He joked... That's done wonders... For my confidence... And my paycheck... If you can shoot the three... You stay long... Get that cheddar... For a long time... And that's what... My boy soccer was... Now... While the offensive... Has evolved...

[00:59:17] The shooting roles... And the defensive lapses... Are limiting... The Hawks ceiling... Their 27th... In three point shooting... Allowed... And is among the worst... In above the break... Accuracy... Which... 34.4... Trey still... Shoes those... 38... 40 foot... 30s... We could take that... Out his shot diet... Say listen... 32 feet... Is it... That's it...

[00:59:45] As far as you can go back... Anything past 32... We don't want you... Shooting them... They can get him... To do that... I think the... Three point percentage... For Atlanta... Would go way up... But he's such a... Volume shooter... And he's so... Not scared to shoot him... It's hard to... Reign him in... But he has sacrifice... And the system... And the buy-in... Is enough to make the Hawks... A legitimate... Playoff contender... This team is definitely... Going to go to the playoffs... Now...

[01:00:15] My thing... Is this team... One of those teams... That just needs to just... Allow... The maturation... And the continuity... To continue... And you really don't mess... With this team... Until... The offseason... Or... If you're an Atlanta Hawks fan... Are you... Jonesing... For the Hawks... To make a move... To improve this team... In which area... Would you want to improve this team? Let us know... Hit us up on Twitter...

[01:00:44] At FrontrunnerPC... Or hit up... Rhea... At Rhea... Underscore... Funch... At FRPC... We're going to hit the Miami Heat... Real quick... They are 21... And 22... Obviously... They got blown out... By Milwaukee... The other night... It was ugly... And what are we supposed to do? Jimmy... Is out... On South Beach... Partying... While his team... Is getting blown out... So... This soap opera... Simmers... And it continues...

[01:01:14] To get hotter and hotter... Miami finds itself... In a precarious position... Stuck in the middle... In the East... Standings... And trying to forge... A new identity... What does life... Without Butler... Really look like? And... Who steps up... As the future face... Of the franchise... I don't think we need to worry... About that right now... I think we just need to worry... To get... Jimmy Butler... Off the team... Miami's record...

[01:01:43] Without Butler... This season... Is 8-10... So it's not that great... And they have a... Minus... 4.8... Net rating... In his absence... January 3rd... Jimmy's one of the best... Defenders... Even... To this day... Even though he lost a step... He's still one of the best... Defenders in the league... Currently... They rank 12th... In defensive rating... For their... Worst... Worst... Finish... In 9 years... If the year ended...

[01:02:13] Right now... Yeah... This is tough... For Spolstra... And then... Obviously... The offensive inconsistency... Well... You take off... Your number one option... And now... You're making... Bam... Adelbayo... And Tyler Hero... Do the bulk of the scoring... You're gonna have some... Offensive inconsistencies... No doubt... But I will tell you right now... Spolstra... Still... Being Spolstra... He said... Get used to it... Get over it... This is the NBA life... Spol's challenge...

[01:02:41] To the perimeter players... Pick and roll defense... Is a responsibility... Of the whole team... Not just... The bigs... And this is a quote... From Bam Adelbayo... We play really good... Then we play really bad... It's about finding consistency... The thing about it is... They're in a tailspin... They don't want to answer... Any more questions... About Jimmy Butler... And... Which shows in their play... I mean...

[01:03:10] Adelbayo's doing all the things... He... He can do... As far as that's concerned... Still providing... Really good defense... He's still... Doing all the things... That you want him to do... The new revelation is that... Tyler Hero is back... He's doing all kind of... Swaggy things... He's shooting the three ball... At a really high clip... Which is great... And then they're still getting... Productivity from... Jaime Hockes Jr. And also... Kalil Ware...

[01:03:39] Kalil Ware... Little situation here... And... It's a small sample size... So I want you guys to know this... The Kalil Ware... Bam Adelbayo minutes... There's only been... 46 of them... But that duo... Has a... Positive... 11.6... Net rating... And our guy... Is also... Block his shots... He's doing lots... Great stuff... I love this kid... Did we worry about him... Coming out of school... But he...

[01:04:09] We thought that... Being in... Miami... Would be the best spot for him... And it's turned out to be right... Because they got him locked in... And this is what... Spolstra said... Where... He says... It's not just his size... It's his feel... For the positioning... That makes the difference... So I'll tell you this... They got a couple... They got a couple young pieces... That are... Intriguing... I don't think they're like... The high caliber... Would like...

[01:04:39] You're not looking at them... And saying... This is definitely a 2... And this is definitely a 3... All we need is a 1... But... They can be... Additive contributors... To your team... And I think there's a... Higher ceiling... On Kalil Ware... Than there is... On Jaime Hockett Jr. But I still think he's a solid stud... And... Does a lot of winning... Play... Basketball deals... Now... What do they want to do... With Jimmy Butler?

[01:05:09] If... You ask the Miami Heat... They want to clear... Cap space... So... I think... Either... Because... The build to Miami thing... Is not gonna work for Miami... They don't want... All those extra years... On that kind of... No... No... We need to redirect... That money somewhere else... This is why... Milwaukee is... Might be a better... Trade fit for them... Because Chris Middleton's... Money is expiring... And that's the route... They might want to go...

[01:05:39] Even though... Jimmy... Doesn't really want to go there... Or has said... That he would rather go to Phoenix... More than anything else... So... They're trying to clear the books... And they have... A specific year in mind... 2026... Now... I don't think... Any of these dudes... Are gonna hit free agency... But... Scheduled... At that point in time... Would be... Shea Gilgis... Alexander... Jaron Jackson Jr... And one... Luka... Doncic...

[01:06:08] Luka Doncic... In a Miami uniform... Pat Riley would try to kill that kid... In the conditioning drills... Oh my god... Our guy might have to drink light beer... I don't know what he's gonna do... It's gonna be crazy... We'll see... Now... With all that being said... Washington is doing Washington things... Let's talk about Charlotte real quick... Because... A lot of people are real angry... About the whole...

[01:06:38] Lomelo ball... Getting ousted... At the All-Star game... First of all... Chill... Chill... Cause my man still might make it... The coaches... Might get him in... You know what I'm saying... He's doing big things... But we do have some sad news... Brandon Miller... Is out for the rest of the season... He is going to... Have surgery... To... Repair a torn...

[01:07:08] Scapulate... Ligament... In his shooting wrist... 21 points... A game... 5 rebounds... 3.6 assists... And he was shooting... 40% from the field... 35% from 3... And 86%... From... Free throw... That was his shooting splits... Through 27 games... You're going to miss that... Definitely... But this... Is where... Tajon... Saloon... And the youth movement... And his development...

[01:07:37] Step right in... So... There's really nobody else... That... Really deserves these minutes... And I think this is a perfect opportunity... To see what you have... In Saloon... Now I told you that... When I saw him... And I was evaluating him last year... Through the draft... He looked like the perfect... 3 and D guy... He has some nasty to him... He likes to rebound... He definitely likes to defend... And he looks like he can put the ball... On the court a little bit...

[01:08:07] But he has no problem standing in the corner... And shooting threes... And I think that... Just giving him more time on the court... Being able to pick up... More experience... Isn't going to do... Nothing but help him... And help this team... In the long run... Why this matters to Saloon... He's shown flashes of brilliance... In limited minutes... His athleticism... And his versatility... Makes him a fascinating... Developmental piece...

[01:08:36] If you look at Saloon's... Per 36 stats... His on-off ratings... To highlight... His potential impact... His growth... On the shooting... Is just... Remarkable... And then if you tie in... What... They are getting... From Mark Williams... Who... His comeback from injury as well... This team is forming... Even though... Yes... Without Brandon Miller... It's a bummer... Because... Brandon Miller's second season...

[01:09:06] Was looking really good... But the thing about Brandon... Is that I don't think we have any... Doubts about... What his true development... Is going to be... Glad that we're dealing with this... Risk thing now... Also... It doesn't hurt... That Brandon Miller... Is getting this risk thing... Taken away... This year... Charlotte's not doing anything... And Cooper Flagg... Is looming... Ace Bailey... Is looming...

[01:09:36] To the chagrin... Lomelo ball... Dylan Harper... Is looming... So... We will see... What happens from there... Is... But... Does... Does... Do you know... Do you know...

[01:10:05] Do the... Coaches... Reward him... They're doing... They're doing... Exactly what they're supposed to do... 6 and 37... Congratulations... To the Washington Wizards... And their... Yeomans-like work... On tanking... I appreciate this... This is great work... You can't be mad at this... At all... So... With that being said... We're gonna get up out of here... It's Friday...

[01:10:35] Y'all go do something... So... The best part of you... Is you... Make sure that you have... People... That surround you... That are supportive... Additive... Make sure that you appreciate... Those people... As well... Go out and do some good... In this world... And we'll see you back... On this feed... On Monday... Deuce...