What Does the Lakers Perfect Offseason Look Like?

All right.

Well, the Lakers season is over, but that does not mean it is time to stop talking about the Los Angeles Lakers who continue to be at the epicenter of the NBA universe.

No better person to bring in to help educate me on all things Lakers than Yvon Buja.

Longtime Lakers reporter, covers it over at Boja's Block on YouTube now.

And, uh, Yvon, we got a lot to unpack here when it comes to the Lakers.

Um, And I guess we've got to start with LeBron James, um, who's going to be a free agent this offseason.

Uh, and I want to start with you with the article that Dave McMenamin wrote over at ESPN.

com.

You're at every Laker game.

You've been covering this team for a number of years now.

Uh, what did you make of that?

The idea that the tension, uh, still exists at a pretty significant level between the Lakers and LeBron?

I was not surprised.

Uh, I think this has been a complicated, uh, relationship between the two sides for several years now.

I think it really traces back to the Russell Westbrook trade.

And that was a fracture point for that relationship to some degree, but they have made it work.

They've gone to a conference finals since then and, uh, LeBron has signed, uh, multiple contracts since then.

So, uh, they have found a way to make it work, uh, up to this point.

But going back to last summer, remember, there was no talk of a potential contract extension from either side.

And that's when, uh, you know, LeBron opted in and, uh, Rich Paul.

Uh, released that statement talking about that he understands that the Lakers are now, uh, you know, functionally Luca's team, but, uh, that LeBron wants to win a championship and, and he cares about the present.

And so I think like that situation of just not really talking about any, uh, future contract past this season, plus that statement that came out and some of the things that transpired throughout the course of the season , uh, all led to, uh, Some of the reporting that has come out since the Lakers were eliminated.

So I was not surprised by it.

Uh, I think I, I, I have been like a little surprised by maybe how aggressive it has been coming out in terms of their stance on how like LeBron feels about it.

But, um, yeah, I mean, I, I, I'm not surprised by it and I am interested to see, I, I still would bet that LeBron ends up being a Laker next season in, in, you know, whether that's a one-year deal.

Two-year deal, whatever, but, uh, it is going to be interesting how they approach it because it seems based on, uh, that story and a couple of other things that have come out, uh, publicly that he wants to be courted by the Lakers.

He, he wants them to show that they're, uh, interested in retaining him and it's not as simple as, hey, here's a contract offer.

Even if it's more than what anyone else could pay you, uh, just take this.

It's like, uh, I think he wants to be valued at what he, you know, views his value at.

And then if they want to pay him less than that, it's got to be, well, we're gonna do X, Y, Z, and if we do X, you know, if you take a pay cut, we'll do X Y Z and we'll, we'll build a better roster.

So, uh, the negotiate the negotiation is gonna be interesting.

Yeah, and he should be valued at a high level.

Um, he's no longer a $50 million per year player, but a guy that averages like 28.8 for your team that is still a top 25 player in this league is going to be valuable to every team in the NBA, um.

I, I, I guess my question after reading that story, and I was around a little bit this year, but like LeBron's smart enough to know that this is Lucas's team, that this team was, was being built around another star.

And he also was smart enough to realize, you know, in late February, early March that he needed to become that third option and succeeded wildly at it.

Like, you know, that.

That stretch where they went 16 and 2, he was shooting like 56% from the floor.

He was shooting like 38% from three-point range.

Like he had not only embraced that role, uh, but he had, had thrived in it.

I mean, I guess, you know, you're around a lot more than I am, but like, you know, this idea that handing JJ Reddick the game ball was somehow like a slight after Reddick's 100th win.

Um, I mean, I, whoever told our friend Dave McMenam that anecdote about, you know, putting blindfolds on and Pretending what, asking what the player is without the name is that's, that's not good.

That, that, that's, that's not something I'm sure that LeBron wants to read.

But like he, I mean, do you believe he kind of understands his position now with the team?

Like, do, do you think if he comes back next year, that he's perfectly willing to go back to that role that he was successful and the team was successful in the month of March?

It's a good question.

I, I think that there's probably a hybrid, uh, solution here where he's more of the number 2 and Austin Reeves is more of the number 3.

I, I think to your point, like LeBron doesn't have any illusions of, of where he's at in the pecking order.

Like that, there was a passing of the baton, so to speak, when the Lakers acquired Lukadoncic.

He's in, in his prime superstar who had just taken, uh, his previous team to the finals, uh, you know, less than, A year prior.

So, uh, like Lucas a top 3 player in the league or, or top 5, wherever you want to put him.

And so LeBron is not at that level.

But to your point, he also like, uh, what was the last man standing, uh, among the Lakers' big 3, at least at the, uh, end of the regular season, and he morphed from being that number 3 back to being the number 1 that he is more accustomed to being and then led this group to a first-round series win.

And, Uh, was by far the best player in that series.

And then, uh, what was probably the Lakers' best player, I would say in that OKC series as well.

So even at 41, to your point, like he, he's still producing at a top 25, top 20, whatever level.

And those guys typically get paid at least 40+ million, if not in that, you know, 50-ish million range.

Now, based on his age, based on maybe some of the injury stuff, you could argue that, uh, you, you know, that number should be lower.

But I, I do wonder, like, it was interesting to me that he came out, uh, in the , the exit interview after the loss and just unprompted, brought up the number 3 situation and that he's never been a number 3 in his entire life at any level, going back to even his like prep school days.

He's never been a 3 in his life.

He's always been, uh, the number 1 really in, in maybe a couple of situations, uh, you know, more than 2.

so I, I, I wonder if like the semantics.

With that might matter to him.

And that's where again, I, I kind of bring, go back to the first point of, I, I, you know, it feels like at least me reading the tea leaves here and, and what's come out and, and just covering LeBron for the last 7 years, like he feels like I should be valued at a certain level.

I should be making a certain amount of money.

And not only are you guys likely not going to offer me how much I'm actually worth, but you guys also want me to come back and be a number 3.

Option behind Luca and Austin.

And I showed I am much better than being a #3 option.

I'd be a #1 option on, uh, you know, a good amount of teams in the league and still be able to, to lead teams to the playoffs.

So how they navigate that of like, you're not only going to not get the money you think you deserve, but you're also going to have a smaller role.

I, I think that's like the, the, you know, the, at the core of the negotiation this summer.

The interesting thing is that, go, go ahead.

No, I was gonna ask, like, do you think that there is competition out there for LeBron because we've heard the names, right?

We, we hear Golden State, we hear Cleveland, we hear New York, we hear Miami.

Like these are just kind of the perfunctory, like, hey, these are the teams that we think that, that makes sense to be connected to LeBron James.

But none of those teams have real cap space.

The teams that do have cap space are not going to be spending it on LeBron James.

Like, do you think the Lakers have competition here for him?

I, I do.

I, I, I think especially with how he closed the season , I, I think if we, if we were having this conversation, uh, maybe back in January or February, uh, I think there would, would probably have been less competition or at least less competition at a certain number.

But I think if, if his salary drops to a low enough number, which like all the teams you mentioned are either only going to be able to offer him a non-taxpayer MLE which is roughly starting around 15 to $16 million a year, or even a, a minimum.

Contract, which obviously, you know, for him would be about 3.

something or maybe around $4 million.

So that's much less money than I, I think the Lakers would offer him, but still, if they're only offering him, let's just say 20 $25 million and they're like , hey, this is more than anyone else could pay you by like, you know, a little chunk, but, but we're giving you, uh, more than, than anyone else.

We're, we're paying you above the , the current market.

I think in that range, you might be able to find a team that is like, hey , can we unload this player here, create a little bit of space and maybe try to sign LeBron in a similar range?

Or can we do a sign and trade for LeBron and maybe the Lakers, uh, create a trade exception or, uh, they get back, uh, uh, you know, starting level player or something.

And, uh, it addresses a different need for the Lakers.

Like I, I think at a certain number, there will be some competition for him.

Now, once you get to like the 30 plus range, that's gonna be hard for teams to move that type of money around or, uh, to, to put that much money on the table in a trade.

But if the Lakers are only looking to pay him at, You know, 15 to 25 million somewhere in that range.

I do think there are teams that can move some money around or even put some, uh, assets on the table to trade with, with the Lakers in a potential sign and trade to drum up some interest for him.

So that, I, I think that's like a potential alternative here, but I, I do think, If, if the Lakers, it seems like if the Lakers don't court him, and they don't say, hey, we still view you as like a $40 million dollar player, but we have to pay you $20 million because we want to keep Marcus Smart.

We want to add, uh, you know, make a competitive offer sheet for Walker Kessler, Peyton Watson or whoever in, in restricted free agency.

Uh, you know, we need you to take this pay cut.

Like, I, I think they need to sell him on it rather than just, uh, assume that, hey, well, here's 20 million, no one else could pay you this, uh, take it or leave it.

I, I don't think that's gonna go over well.

So I, I do think how they approach the negotiation is going to be a key thing here.

Yeah, the reality is like to get a Walker Kessler and to get a Peyton Watson, you're probably gonna have to offer them more than you'd offer LeBron James if we're being honest.

Like Walker Kessler especially.

I mean, it's.

It's crazy like that.

It just feels like the, the ending to this has to be just pay the guy whatever he wants for one year.

Just, just pay it.

Like you got a new ownership group that's got a gazillion dollars.

I, I understand that flexibility matters.

You've got to take care of other things first, but if it just comes down to money and spending a certain amount of money.

Just pay the guy.

He's worth it.

Like he sells tickets.

He drives ratings.

He's worth it, like, I say this all the time, like superstars in the NBA are the most underpaid class of athlete in professional sports because they drive revenue.

They drive eyeballs more than football, hockey, baseball.

Superstars like LeBron James drive revenue.

He's gonna be worth Every nickel to him.

I, I, they, they do need the flexibility to kind of start to build this team out around Luka Dacic .

But once you're paying Luca max money, you're probably paying Austin Reeves max money, which we'll get to.

It's not like your flexibility is gonna be great anyway, at least when it comes to signing guys, uh, in free agency.

Um, on Austin Reeves.

Is it as simple as, here's a max contract, Austin, do you want to be back with the Lakers or do you think that is going to become a negotiation as well?

I think there will be a little bit of a negotiation there.

Uh, I mean, you could certainly make the case that he is worth the, the 5-year, $241 million 239 million dollars.

I think it depends on where the, the cap ends up being at.

Uh, but that's roughly $48 million a year in terms of average annual value.

And, uh, I think that like there's a gap between that and say Austin on like a 5-year, $200 million dollar, uh, deal.

Which is $40 million average annual value.

Like, I, I think that puts him more in line with some of the top number 3s in the league or, or some of the, the lower number twos in the league, which I think is probably more his price tag range when you get to the $48 million average annual value.

Obviously, with the cap going up, like some of these things are, are going to age better in terms of like how the contracts look now versus, uh, where they'll look in, in 3 to 5 years.

But I, I, I do wonder.

If there is some room for negotiation here because similar to LeBron, I mean, he can go potentially get a max contract from, uh, a Brooklyn or a Chicago, but, uh, it, it is going to be one fewer year and in totality, uh, let's just say that they're making the, the 5-year, 200 offer.

I think that the max from other teams is around like 4 years, 180.

So you're giving up an extra year and you'd be losing in this scenario, an extra 20 million.

So I think it's, it's gonna be interesting to see what Austin values because, uh, he is someone who, uh, grew up a Laker fan , grew up a huge Kobe fan, has loved being in LA.

It's obviously been great for his career.

Like , he kind of became a star before he actually became a star on the court, right?

He, he, uh, got a big shoe deal, uh, in, in China and, uh, just, you know, felt like he was almost a celebrity as he was ascending through the ranks with, with the Lakers.

And, and then this year really popped as, uh, the number 2 for.

Most of the season and especially to start the year, but was looking like an all-star, all NBA type guy.

So, uh, I mean, it might be as simple as the, the 5 years, $240 million.

And I, I think that the key distinction here with Austin versus LeBron when we're talking about their contracts is the way this is gonna go is that, uh, the Lakers are going to keep Austin on his $21 million cap hold and then make their moves .

And then once they've made their moves potentially with the cap space, come back to Austin.

And of course, they'll have already discussed, uh, uh, a contract structure, but whatever they say.

Sign Austin to will just be going above the cap and will not impact their ability to actually sign free agents or make trades or whatnot.

With LeBron, it's a little bit different here because the whole notion of Lakers having cap space is based on them either quickly signing LeBron to a smaller contract or just rescinding his rights entirely and then operating with LeBron as a free agent and then you could still keep him, but that's what creates that, uh, additional, uh, cap space.

So I would say it, it, it would like with Austin, it, it really.

It just comes down to how do you think that contract is going to age?

And, and, you know, do you think he is worth nearly, uh, I think at the end of that deal, it'd be making over $50 million.

Like, do you, do you think he's at that point or, or do you think he's like a little bit lower?

And I think the unfortunate thing with how the Lakers' season ended was that this whole season was building up.

Like I, I got so many questions throughout the season from, from fans about how much should we, we pay Austin?

How much is Austin worth?

And we just kind of had that undercut with, it looked like they were finally having momentum.

It was finally Luca and Austin together.

We, we're getting to see what that looked like.

They both go down.

Austin ends up coming back, but I don't think it was ever quite physically himself.

And we just never see Austin and Luca together.

And like, this is what the Lakers are banking on is that Austin can be that Jalen Brunson, Kyrie Irving next to Luca, which worked in 2022 and 2024, but we just didn't get to see it.

And we don't know what those two look like in a playoff series outside of that Minnesota series, which I just think Austin was a much different player.

Even Luca was a different player than he was this past season.

So, I think there's still an open-ended question of like, how do Luca and Austin truly fit together against the best teams in the NBA and the Lakers are gonna have to make that calculus of, do we just pay him the max and it's that simple, or do we try to negotiate this down a little bit and see if he'll give us like a little bit of a hometown discount.

Yeah, you're 100% right about the, the, the injuries.

It, it derailed the Lakers from making a run, sure, but they were never going to win a championship with, with that group.

What it did cause was, The owner, the, the front office just didn't have an opportunity to kind of get data on these guys, right?

Like to, to see what Luca, Reeves, LeBron would look like against an elite playoff team in Oklahoma City .

And, and that's just a killer.

That way, I know that was a killer for the front office to not get that information as they go into this offseason.

I will, I, I do think it's interesting.

There are teams out there with cap space.

Austin Reeves is a young player.

Those teams are gonna be interested.

Like Austin Reeves is gonna have suitors this offseason.

Somebody's gonna offer him a big contract.

So, I think it's important for the Lakers not to get too cute with this.

And I think Austin wants to come back.

I think he likes it there and you know this better than I do, but I think he like, obviously likes Luca.

He likes the situation.

He's a homegrown talent out there in Los Angeles.

Great to be a star in LA but I, I think they're, from what I am able to gather, they're gonna be teams making a run at him, you know, come July 1st, ready to, to give him a big offer and I'm wondering, I think the Lakers have to be wary of that as they go into, uh, this offseason.

But there, there are other , I mean, the other areas that they've got to fix.

Obviously, the front line is, is a big problem.

I mean, I just thought it was funny that JJ had his, I, I think it's like the Billy Donovan can't play Cantor moment from years ago if you remember that where the cameras caught Billy just saying you can't play the guy.

Um, You know, Aiden had some good moments.

He had some good stretches.

Um, like LeBron in a way, I thought he became more accepting of his role as the season progressed.

But where are we now with this guy at the end of the season?

Like, do you think the Lakers look at him as being the right piece to be that rim runner alongside Luca, to, to, to be the next Gafford, Lively, what have you?

Or are they going to be on the lookout again this summer for another big like that?

I think they're gonna be on the lookout, uh, again for, uh, another big like that.

I think that the two obvious holes on the roster right now are a, a starting level center at a certain caliber, uh, because I, I think if you look around the West right now, like, these teams aren't going anywhere and they're all loaded with, uh, Denver's got Jokic, Minnesota's got Gobert, San Antonio's got Wemby, OKC's got Hartenstein and Chet.

Even Houston's got.

Shengoon, who Ayton held his own against in that first-round series, but, uh, Shengoon's still early twenties, like will, will continue to get better.

Uh, like the, the West is not only loaded in general, but it's loaded specifically with all-star, all NBA level talent at the center spot.

So I think it's an area that the Lakers are going to have to invest in.

The other spot I think would be getting a better two-way wing to fit next to Luca, Austin, and LeBron slot.

Marcus Smart in a bench role and, uh, just get him, like he, he is someone who's dealt with injuries the last few years, including this season.

And with him now in his early 30s, uh, I think you'd probably like to just reduce his role, his, his minutes a little bit.

Like he was great in his role.

It's just, if you could get him maybe as like a low 20s minute guy, it's probably a more sustainable role for him and you could keep him healthier longer.

But back to the center spot.

Like DA, to your point, he held up to, you know, his contract.

He's making $8 million this year.

I think he overperformed that.

Like he, he, to me in the regular season was probably more of like a $15 to $20 million center based on, uh, you know, one of the best finishers in the NBA, one of the best rebounders in the NBA, and, and just like did what the Lakers needed of him.

Now, I think we've seen some of the limitations now where, uh, uh, you know, I was tracking this all season, but like against most of the good teams.

He didn't play to the, you know, the, the highest level and I, I, especially against OKC didn't score against them in double figures in the regular season and then ended up having, uh, two games against them in the playoffs where he got to just 10 points.

Then the other two, he was in single digits.

So like, he didn't play well against OKC the entire season and that is a giant red flag because that's a team that's directly in LA's way.

Uh, I would say it was a mixed bag, uh, against San Antonio, did have a game where he held his own against.

And then had, had a couple of games where he wasn't quite up to par.

So, I, I think with, with him, it's like, he can get you, like he's a fine placeholder and he still can be productive and, uh, he still is one of the best finishers and honestly, one of the most talented big men in the league.

Like I, I saw, uh, you know, I'd, I'd covered Phoenix in the playoffs, you know, several years ago, but I, I saw like why people fall in love with DeAndre Ayton.

It's just ultimately the lack of consistency and the lack of motor, uh, I think are the two things that derail him.

And so for LA I think it depends on, like, let's just say for example, they are able to clear enough cap space to make a competitive offer for Peyton Watson and they're able to pry Peyton Watson out of Denver.

I think at that point, depending on how much money you have left over, you could potentially run it back with DeAndre Eyton for another year and be like, uh, maybe you would invest in, in another backup center just to, to kind of, uh, beef up your rotation .

And be like, hey, we have more DA insurance.

If he doesn't perform well or whatever, we can go to the, like, maybe it's to Robert Williams or someone for, for relatively cheap.

Uh, and then, you know, you have Eyton, Williams, Hayes, you're going with this three-headed center rotation, and then you've really invested on the wing, or you can go the other way and try to get the Walker, Kessler, Jalen Duran, uh, Mitchell Robinson's out there, uh, maybe Isaiah Hartenstein shakes loose in OKC if they.

You know, uh, cut some, some salary.

Like, I, I think it really depends on which position they invest in, but I think they have to invest in one of those two positions.

And if they invest in one, I think it's gonna be hard to equally invest in the other.

So then that's where maybe you find a cheaper placehold.

And I think he could be OK again in, you know, for, for another season, but I, I think he showed there's a limitation here of, you know, again, he, he was great against Houston.

I thought he outplayed Shen Go straight up in multiple games.

He had a pretty good series, but you saw when it got to a different level of, of team, he just, he basically became unplayable in that series.

So, I, I think as long as you build the roster around like, OK, you know, we, we know this guy can, can be fine up to a certain level, and then, uh, you know, we got to shift toward maybe Robert Williams, Jackson Hayes, who, whoever else they, they decide to sign.

I think you could build it that way, but no, I mean, they're gonna be looking like that, that's been a big point of emphasis for them.

You remember the Mark Williams trade, they got nicked.

Like, they've been looking for the center of the future.

I think they took a, a low-risk flyer on DA but clearly he's not the answer.

I like Robert Williams in that role.

Uh, I think Robert, I think Robert Williams fits better than.

I, I would start if they signed him.

I mean, you gotta be careful with the minutes with him too, right, and just keeping him healthy, but I, I would make him the starting center.

He started shooting 3s last year too.

Like I didn't think I'd ever see Robert Williams like shooting from anywhere beyond like 3 ft, and the, the average, yeah, I think he shot like close to 40%, very small volume, very small volume.

It was like 0.

a 3 per game that he was shooting, but hey.

If, if he become, if Robert Williams becomes a corner three-point shooter, that'll just change the NBA.

Um, last thing for you.

I gotta ask you about Giannis and if he fits into the Lakers' plans.

Obviously, the Bucks are open for business.

They're trying to get something done before the draft.

Uh, you know, the Lakers are the Lakers.

They're always going big game hunting.

Do you see the Lakers in the mix?

Not necessarily that they're gonna get him, but do you see them making a play for Giannis before the draft?

I do.

Uh, now, the, it, it really depends what Milwaukee wants because the Lakers can't, uh, like, you know, for example, Houston.

If Houston, It is embarrassed by their first-round, uh, playoff exit, which they should be, uh, and, and decides to, OK, like we don't really believe in this young core.

Houston can put, uh, you know, Shengoon or Thompson or both.

I, I doubt both, but like, you know, they, they, they can get that aggressive if, if they, yeah, let's just say Shengoon, uh, you could throw in Jabari Smith, Reed Shepherd, or, or whatever combination of, of young guys you want to put together.

And then they also have upwards of 4 picks and 4 pretty valuable picks that they could put on the table as well.

So you're getting some blue chip, you know, Shengoon's a, uh, all-star, all NBA, I think he's gonna make 3rd team all NBA or or definitely getting a lot of votes for that.

Uh, so you're getting like this young big man who, yes, has some flaws, has some limitations, but, uh, all-star, all NBA guy, you, you're getting a couple.

of other interesting young guys and multiple picks.

Like the Lakers can't match that offer.

There's plenty of teams out there that can offer blue chip and multiple picks.

What the Lakers can offer is right now, Milwaukee's in, uh, let's just say a tough financial situation to a degree with, you got the Dame Lillard, uh, you know, stretched salary on your cap sheet.

You got this contract from Miles Turner, which, uh , has not aged well.

In my opinion, since they signed it, and you're just kind of in a, a, a tough, uh, you don't control your own picks, so you can't even really tank.

So, I mean, that is more incentive to go get those picks from, uh, the, the teams that have them.

But like, Milwaukee's in a bit of a tough situation of, even if they get off Giannis, they're not necessarily set up to, uh, tank and, and, you know, get all this young talent in, in the coming years.

So what the Lakers can offer.

is a get out of jail free card of they already are around 50 million in cap space if they rescind most of the rights to their free agents.

Uh, maybe they can offload some, uh, additional money and get that closer to Giannis's salary in the low 60s.

But if the Lakers can find a way to offload some additional salary, which, uh, you know, would require some additional draft compensation.

They could just say, hey, Milwaukee, like, or, or, you know, probably expand it to a three-team trade, but you could just dump Giannis on us and like just not take back any salary and completely get out of the Giannis business, uh, financially and like have that cap relief and we'll give you all our picks.

We'll, we'll give you a bunch of swaps.

And, uh, you know, if you like any of our young talent, we, you know, we'll give you a due Thero, Dalton Conne or whoever.

But like it, it is the, it, it's the one situation where like every, every theoretical Giannis trade requires Milwaukee receiving something and adding to it and some of these packages, it's like, It's not the, the best blue chip young talent, right?

So, I, I think they'd have to be at a point where they care more about the cap sheet and the finances of it, or maybe Giannis directly comes out and says like, I only want to play for the Lakers.

That's the only place I'm going to, uh, resign or extend in the future.

Uh, you get one of those two scenarios, I think the Lakers are, are really in the mix.

Otherwise, it, it does just come down.

Like, I mean, does, like, I, if I'm Milwaukee, I want blue chip talent and I want the picks.

So that's where the Lakers fall short.

But, uh, I mean, maybe, you know, maybe they get really aggressive and throw Austin Reeves in the deal, but then if you're Milwaukee, like Austin is about to be 28, that doesn't really match their timeline.

So I , I think it would come down, it would have to be like Giannis either really pushes for it or Milwaukee's like, we really don't like the offers on the table from like a player and asset standpoint.

What if we just get these 3 picks from the Lakers and just dump Giannis and just have a clean cap sheet or, or, you know, cleaner cap sheet moving forward.

That, that's the way I could see it playing out, but I would certainly not make them the favorites.

I think there are several teams that can, uh, outbid them with, with a combination of young talent and multiple picks.

Let me tell you something.

If the Lakers wind up with Giannis and Luka Dacic for less than the Knicks paid for McHale Bridges, that would be, that would be enough to light the NBA on fire at that point.

I think, I think NBA Twitter would make for a fun offseason, would make for a, and look, that team.

A team with Giannis and Luca would have more variants, I think, than any superstar team in modern history.

And I say that because they could be outstanding.

They could be NBA champion favorites.

But have there been any two players in the last few years that have seen the phrase soft tissue injury attached to them more than Giannis and Luka Dacic?

And that's got to be terrifying.

Giannis, I think is what Either 31, gonna be 31 years old.

Lucas battled some stuff over the years.

You could be great or you could wind up turning to the Brooklyn Nets of the mid-2010s like with, with all the injuries that their guys suffered, uh, over the years.

It'd be fascinating to see, but I, I agree with you.

They're, they're a dark horse, I'd say at best.

I think it would take Giannis saying, Trade me there.

I'm only signing an extension there.

I only want to go there.

That's tough because in addition to the Rockets, I think Golden State will probably come back to the table now that the Steve Kerr situation.

is resolved.

There's some other teams, Atlanta, Boston, who knows if they decide to get into the mix, uh, but it would be fascinating.

It would make, uh, LA showtime out there, uh, once again.

Uh, good stuff, Yvon.

Great to talk to you, man.

Check out Yvon over at Boja's Block on YouTube, uh, podcast there regularly on that site.

Uh, great to see you, man.

Appreciate your time.

Great to see you, Chris.

Talk soon.