And now the low post welcome to the low post podcast on Friday afternoon. Oh my god We didn't expect to be doing an extra podcast but lo and behold The other shoe always lurking somewhere somewhere over the Barclays Center always were lurking. Oh, there it is it dropped and Kyrie Irving according to Wojan others has requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets about two weeks after celebrating the fact that the Nets No longer had any halfway in players in their locker room as they The implication being they had halfway in players James Harden in their locker room the last time Kevin Durant got injured in the whole franchise Was up ended Bobby Marks. I think the lesson here is Kevin Durant just can't ever get injured every time he gets injured It's just complete madness at all times and now Kyrie we are 20.
Let's see January 8th. How many days ago is that? 26 days ago. Yeah, the Nets had just won 18 out of 20 games Roland destroying everybody even though Ben Simmons was still a shell of himself.
Everything was great 26 days later they face the possibility of And you need to get you need to get notes to talk about what's happened to the Brooklyn Nets in the last two years They face the possibility of trading all their good young players and picks for James Harden and then trading James Harden for a player who Currently either doesn't play or doesn't do much when he does play and they got a couple extra picks for their trouble in doing that Maybe trading Kyrie Irving for like what's lower than pennies on the dollar? I don't even know I don't even know if it's pennies on the dollar when you consider how unreliable and unavailable and unavailable Kyrie I'm gonna say maybe it's pennies on the pennies I don't know and then if that return goes poorly as Confident is Kevin Durant isn't himself and his ability to lift any roster of committed competent players to High levels at some point the talent drain would become such that the final and most dramatic shoe to drop the shoe that everyone Has been waiting that everyone around the league is talking about as we speak is Kevin Durant Renewing his trade request at some point and definitely down the line I don't think we're there. Yeah, but it is remarkable all three of these guys hard and Kyrie and KDF requested trades in like a not very long period of time I don't know. What do you got Bobby?
What do you know? This is just like it's Again, we're 26 days removed from his jock long gonna maybe be the first in season Replacement to win coach of the year He pushed all the right buttons and nets are rolling everyone scared of them again And now here we are after I think pointedly Contract extension talks to the nets and carving didn't go the way Kyrie Irving would like them to go I don't think any other team is gonna give him a deal That's gonna be like that much to his liking, but what do you got to say for me? Yeah, I mean I always say like nothing should surprise me in the league But at two o'clock when you when that comes across it actually did catch me off guard a little bit here because it really hadn't been you know Signs right like basically we heard about the extension from his from his agent was also his stepmom that they were willing to play ball From Brooklyn's perspective. They were willing to either play out the year or maybe get an extension on their terms here He's extension eligible four years one 98.
That's the number. I did not see Brooklyn going in that direction It was only we could go last Saturday against the next where he was tremendous, right? Like he's been good and we throw out that Boston game, you know the blowout here I mean he's you know, he's played out at all star level, but it was I always said it's been a show me Year, right? This is a show me year that you we just you know, there should be a long-term marriage and a commitment And I thought we were heading there You mentioned Durant which is interesting because Eventually like we were going to get to a point right like if Kyrie Irving was either gonna be honest roster and a new contract in July or he Wasn't and then what's the next domino, right?
Because you look at the roaster, right? Like I can make an argument for Durant saying, you know What Kyrie's gone. I've got Ben Simmons, you know, I got Ben filled out the event Simmons I don't I don't even have a rotate. I don't even have a I don't know how to start her and Ben Simmons right now And if I'm Kevin Durant and we'll see how this all plays out and if Irving's not here I'm looking at Ben Simmons Joe Harris, Nick Clackston, Cam Thomas Royce O'Neill, Patty Mills They're on sharp and I'm over to salary cap this coming summer.
Yeah, that's humming summer someone said on NBA today Or I don't someone said somewhere today when I was listening. Well, you know, I think yeah I was on NBA today Well, this is they can retool with cap room uses caps a lot this summer They don't have cap room It's it's two summers from now now unless they just start dumping everyone every way which is hard to do because there's only one team Right now that has as cap room and that's a spurs There's always the summer to be able to do that but yeah, there's no retool. That's the team I remember again as I said like Kevin Durant is Kevin Durant like he knows who he is He knows what he can do He also is not that far removed from kind of in a backhanded way that I think didn't come off the way He meant it remember that interview he gave where he was like I'm out here with like Edmund Sumner and so and so and so and so and So and like it's kind of getting hard like well that could be life that could be life because we can sit here and go through the deals Bobby Kyrie Irving for Russell Westbrook and a pick Kyrie Irving and Joe Harris or whatever for us We're gonna pick it That's not helpful. That's not helpful to me is Kevin Durant Kyrie Irving for Tim Hardaway Jr.
And Christian Wood on an expiring deal That's not super helpful for me as Kevin Durant who knows if Christian would be on the team next year Russell I probably won't be on the team next year. I don't know where the hell Russell Westbrook will be And by the way, I'll this is where I'll lead you I would if you ask me right now I would probably take Dallas and the Lakers over the field for likely Kyrie destinations with with a couple of teams that make me Wonder but I think those two have to come in as if this actually happens those are the favorites, right? Yeah, I would say so I mean like Miami doesn't make sense for me from Brooklyn's perspective because what does Kyle Ariana another year do for you Right like and because like my concern with these you know taking back money is now Durant asked out this summer now we're stuck with like whoa now we got this guy under contract here and so You know like Minnesota's you know we threw it through Minnesota like what does the angel also Nasri do for you, right? Like does that do anything for you?
Like why would Minnesota right like I also I saw you throw that out and I'm like why am I doing that if I'm Minnesota? And this is Anthony Edwards team now already, right? Like I even think the angel Russell who's having the best shooting year of his career has kind of accepted like this is Anthony Edwards team We'll see what Carl Anthony towns thinks about it when he comes back when Anthony Edwards maybe deserves to make the all-star team And the angel Russell actually as a spot-up hybrid guard is a pretty good fit next to number one ball handler Anthony Edwards Why am I upending that for Kyrieving? I know the angel of Russell's a free agent to be this summer Maybe Minnesota's not totally in love with him as the answer this new regime But like I don't think the market for the angel of Russell's gonna be like a banana I think they can say we might be able to resign him on like a four-year hundred hundred ten million dollar deal He's fine.
We'll live with it now. You do run into the option that you've probably been through this is in the front office It's like the jail and Brunson thing Is it does the hometown team the incumbent team have to kind of outbid the market or is there gonna be resentment that you made Me go out there and get offers and and didn't take care of me ahead of time I don't know, but if I'm in the soda, I'm like, why am I not sure why don't I just do that? Why am I upending my team for Kyrie Irving who I'm sorry anyway continue Yeah, no, no makes sense because like unless you're if you're willing to commit three or three or four years to Kyrie Irving It makes no sense, right? Like it doesn't like what is like?
What is he like? Do you say four years? Oh, I said it's been four years How have the last four years gone? I had to write a five on five and chrono and go through the last four years I mean, it's exhausting.
It's exhausting just writing about it. I mean everything I mean even like Zach, I mean like we could even go back to I don't want to talk a lot about but 2019 20 the year that The rant was going was out like I remember that thought out the game when he gave that press conference Whether the in the hallway where he basically questioned Sean Marks saying I don't think there's enough talent around like that's where it all Started and every year it's been drama enough with the drama the best the best all-timer to me Was when he talked about how I think it was after they got swept last year right by Boston that me and Kevin and Joe and Sean Are gonna manage the franchise together? It's like manage the franchise about playing for the franchise like consistently before we can start getting Like managing the franchise. I don't mean to I don't mean to sort of go off here But you know we were on the show today and Tristan Thompson who's been on the show this week doing really well Was like well Kyrie's really bought in lately like I understand why Kyrie's holding out for the most extent most money possible Like what do you want the owners to get the money?
I totally sympathize with that give the players the money But and he kept using the term bought in I'm like bought in you don't get to play for like three straight weeks And say you've bought in like that's just that's just not how it works There's no world I would be blown to smithereens of any team trades for Kyrie Irving and promises him as part of that trade We'll guarantee minimum three years little at least three years fully guaranteed at least I don't I don't I don't see it I mean I would be hesitant even if a team, you know, he's traded I mean this you know any way any you know that the trade bonus I've talked about it and if you straight in He's still eligible. I mean it's two years 78 million 78 change I mean I'm be you maybe I would do two years. I mean that's probably of the number I guess maybe Hey sports fans the ESPN app has all of ESPN all in one place The ESPN app is your home to thousands of live events ESPN shows and originals across every ESPN network in service And now you can check if you already have ESPN and limited as part of your TV package for no additional call visit activate.esbn.com You'll learn how to access your account or sign off then start streaming in the ESPN app It's all the ESPN all in one place sign off or activate now So here's the question. What are the Lakers even offer like do the Lakers if you're Rob Palinka do you offer both the picks?
No, okay, so if the answer is no and I agree with you the answer should be no I just can't I can't mortgage everything for for a guy whose reliability has been under fair scrutiny So if the Lakers don't offer both first-round picks if you're Sean Marks and he offers Russ in one pick Do you do it or do you just say screw it? We're playing it out? We like that's just not worth it to us. We're playing it out.
I mean I would probably play it out I don't think it's worth it because you're just gonna let Westbrook expire and now he becomes a free agent and now you're I mean Irving gives you a unless like basically Kyrie just sits out the rest of the year Right? I mean like that's the only like if he goes to that way But Irving on the roster if you continues to play and I know we will have the whole drama the trade stuff gives you a better chance Because I think this is gonna be it Zach as this team constructed gives them what at least one more chance with the rant on the roster compared To where Russell Westbrook is even if that even if the threat is for him to leave as a free agent and then where are you going? I mean where you gonna free agent? I mean I put out the teams that have room I know teams can create room and they're signing trades and all that stuff.
We're gonna go to Houston You're gonna go down there. They're gonna pay 36 million to play with Jalen Green Is that what they want to do? So I think for me if you know and you know there's such a little bit of a discrepancy to it You know Westbrook in Irving Sally like something else got to come back because you know you're taking on some money tax wise if I'm Brooklyn But if I'm not getting you know I mean it's got to make sense for me to do the deal or I'm gonna call his bluff and let's play out the season Which they did with the rant now the difference is they had years with the rant and they also had a player who I think they were confident He's going to play Kevin Durant's a pro and he's going to play by the way where it seems like ancient history But it was only June 2022 the the glory years of 2022 way back when so whenever months ago when member the Kairi Optin opt out drama was at the center of the league and I'm looking at the world story right now Kairi Submitted this this list of teams that he'd be willing to accept a sign and trade to In the event that he opted out of 36 million and the nets were to trade him and here's the line the lead of older story outside of Los Angeles Lakers there are currently no known teams planning to pursue sign and trade deals for Brooklyn That's got our earring what happened a day later He opted in because the market was completely dried up now in some ways It's almost smarter to do it now on his part because you do have teams in the middle of the season who are disappointed Desperate reaching and maybe one of them reaches in his direction I just don't know who the team is if it's not Dallas or the Lakers And I don't know that those teams are gonna offer me enough that I just don't say screw it now I have to have a meeting with the rant though If I'm the if I'm the next I need to sit down with the rant and just take his temperature on all of this because ultimately Bobby All the noise all the drama is always around Kairi and before that harden and currently Simmons the guy here who really moves the league is Durant that's that's the end game that actually matters That's what all the vultures have been circling overhead for the since they got a limited from the playoffs last year Is what's going to happen with the ramp? Yeah, and I think if you take Durant's temperature He's probably gonna say let's get through the season and we'll talk about any off season where this roster is That's probably that's the Durant position You mentioned Miami this does coincide speaking of teams that are kind of getting antsy mid-season with a series of games With Kyle Lowry has been benched late in games and in crunch time and has just one of five two of six every game That's interesting.
Don't know that they want it. I don't know what it's this just happened I don't have like really super hard Miami Intel you outlined what the offer would be and why it not might not be appealing to the nets The Clippers have been mentioned So I might take all along about the Clippers who have been linked to both Russ and Kyrie is like what if point guards? Everything I've heard for a year is leading me to say I would be very very surprised if the Clippers actually dipped their toe into this Kyrie Irving situation Maybe that'll change if Kawai goes to them and says do this or else or whatever I just don't get the sense that they have the appetite for it. Yeah, I mean, I don't either I mean like they're not trading Terrence Mann.
I mean that's like it's basically like I mean I don't even know like Covington canard and fillers right like that And that's kind of what you're staring at if you're if you're you know What you know the Clippers have all you're not trained you're trying to first off pick not for basically a three month rental I don't think the intent is to resign in long-term here and um, you know for Brooklyn What are those two players? You know as we're going back to the whole thing, you know, both guys have like passed this this season Right like does that make sense if you eventually have to get to the position where Durant has moved. Um, so I just I mean Yeah, they've got the they've got all the contracts, but I just I don't I don't see it with the Clippers I'm not gonna do the fake the ranch raids. We've all done that.
Oh, that's for another day. We've all done that already Several times. I mean you can speak to this the league big massive things like going from Kyrie Domino to KD domino That doesn't often happen in six day spans, right? Like I just don't see All of it exploding before this coming trade that one not not with it, you know, it's just why it's so much easier in the offseason to do deals, right?
There's no there's no clock there's there's a clock I mean we're look we're staring at six days here and you know, it's one thing for the Irving And then it's another thing with the rant and you're basically like and the bigger deals happening in the offseason here because as we always say There's always going to be one or two teams that are disappointed how their season ends and are willing to give up more on July 1st compared to February 9th and more people are in play just more there's more again because The other thing too like you texted me with like, you know, the seven-year rule of draft picks, right? So now 2000 she's 2030 2030 now becomes involved, right? Because now teams can add more draft picks, right? There's more flexibility there It's just stunning that they could be left here with Ben Simmons and a couple of picks And Ben Simmons by the way, either scores single digits or doesn't or is a late scratch every game Whenever they get for Kyrie, whatever that is and then Durant sitting there like whoa What it just it's just a stunning turn of events considering that I will always go back to the late 2021 season in early playoffs When they had harden Kyrie and Durant They looked unbeatable like this they had actually built the team that was worth trading all the cap space and all the picks for And it just fell apart I mean the hard and hamstring injury early in the milwaukee series is one of the great One of the first play is one of the great sort of what if moments and I know that he had injured it before that and then he came back If that team is healthy, I think that's a championship team And so it's easy to sit here and laugh at the nets say you all they should have known these combustible personalities like they look like they had done it And by the same token if they're if they're forced to rebuild from a very disadvantageous position where other teams control all their draft picks They've done that before too.
This front office has but it's just The way simmons is played makes this so much more painful because the hope was you mentioned philadelphia Ben simmons the hope was he'd be a good player again and right now He's he's not a trade asset really just a stunning turn of events I'm actually just very interested to see how it unfolds and and who if anybody decides to offer the nets something that the nets team Yeah, I mean, I think that also probably offer like hard away and something else, right? I would think right just to get off that money Um, you know there, but what does that? I mean it goes back to like what does it do for brook? Right?
You gotta throw you gotta throw a pick in there. So it's it is it's like deja vu of like late june Right? We're the night of the draft when all this broke loose, but we're only we're now in season in season is a lot more harder Um, I'm just fascinated and I know where four months or five months away from here is that what team is willing to commit to Irving? Long-term not just one year long-term The perfect yeah, he's the ultimate.
He's a max player one year not three four. He's a one-year max player And again, it's too early to talk about the Durant stuff because as I said, he's Kevin Durant He knows what he can do and I think I don't I don't know what Kevin Durant is thinking I don't but I I've hit it and said on this podcast before I don't necessarily think that they're tethered together The way they used to be and so I think there is a universe where he looks around at whatever happens in the next six months and said, okay I'm cool with this I chose this team. I'm cool with it It's just hard today to see the transactions that get you there But we've got a lot of time to do that Bobby Marx. Thanks for hopping on it to last minute It's gonna be a wild six days and then it'll be a wild few months and it'll be even wilder week in July I thought we were just gonna be talking about your advantage trades next week.
No, yeah I think your advantage both stays in the zone of health expired Bobby Marx. Thank you, sir. Thanks, Zach