People who never saw great athletes play frequently can’t believe the claims about them. We’ve seen this recently with some who doubt that Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a single NBA game, apparently because there’s no video. In 1962, though, not only was the NBA not on TV a lot, TV cameras looked like this (he did score 100, by the way, as his teammate, Al Attles, attested).

More recently, there is a bizarre theory that Babe Ruth didn’t actually exist because, again, there’s not much video. Well, of course there wasn’t much video in the 1920s.

This is what those sorts of cameras looked like about 100 or so years ago. You had to advance the film manually, there was a lot of technical expertise involved, the film wasn’t necessarily cheap, and you also had to have a certain level of expertise to develop it.

And of course you had to get lucky to an extent because it’s not like they filmed every minute of every game.

Which brings us to a more recent misunderstanding: could Larry Bird play in today’s game?

Which is a really dumb question.

The argument is that Bird was too slow and too unathletic to play in today’s game, which is just foolish. People had the same concerns when he came into the league in 1979. There were plenty of freak athletes in the NBA in the 1980s – Clyde Drexler, Scottie Pippen, Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, and Michael Jordan, to name a few. All of those guys have talked about what a nightmare it was to play against Bird.

Beyond that, though, today, Luka Doncic and Kon Knueppel are slow, unathletic players, and they’re thriving.

Also, in the 1980s, guys like Bill Laimbeer and Charles Oakley made their living essentially mugging opponents. In today’s game, you can’t do that.

But that’s not the main reason Bird would thrive.

It’s true that he wasn’t fast or athletic by the normal definition of those things, but his hands and his mind were extraordinary.

He made decisions incredibly quickly and ruthlessly, and he moved the ball like no one else has ever done.

Look at this collection of some of his best assists, and ask yourself: could he do this in today’s game?

And the only answer, with the rules favoring the offense, is yes.

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Still making my way through the Atlantic Division as I explore the world of basketball around us. I feel like LeVar Burton doing Reading Rainbow, except instead of riveting children’s stories, I’m learning about why nobody has won back-to-back titles since the Golden State Warriors last did it between 2017 and 2018. One of those teams that had an opportunity and squandered it is the Boston Celtics, who won in 2024 and then suddenly have a roster that looks markedly different than that squad.

Golden State and Boston played twice last season with Boston winning both. Jaylen Brown had a triple-double in one and dropped 32 in the other. Brown was the one lighting the match both times, much to Golden State’s chagrin. But it makes sense as Brown was Finals MVP two years ago and finished sixth in MVP voting last season. He’s 29 and in his prime, and led the Celtics after his running mate Jayson Tatum got injured.

So naturally, Boston’s offseason move was to trade him. And Boston sent him to their division rivals in Philadelphia for Paul George and four draft picks: two firsts, two seconds. FASCINATING. I mean I love Playoff P’s game as much as the next guy, but I did NOT see that trade coming.

So what’s the roster now? Jayson Tatum, still working his way back from the Achilles tear that cost him the first 62 games of last season. PG13, on an expensive deal, with health a real question at this point in his career. They’ve got Mitchell Robinson and Neemias Queta manning the paint, with the timeless wonder Mike Conley running point at 38 years old.

But I wonder if that means the Celtics didn’t just trade Jaylen Brown; did they trade title contention this year too? What does Boston know about Jaylen Brown that the rest of us don’t?

Brown and Tatum won a title together and Brown’s the healthier player as of late. Unless Brown is constantly acting like the smartest guy in the room (lol) every clue in my mind keeps coming back to money. Reading between the lines, this feels less like Boston souring on Brown as a player and more like Boston deciding it couldn’t afford him at the same time as Tatum and everything else on the books.

If that’s the real answer, it’s a lot less interesting than “we don’t believe in him anymore,” and honestly worse for the rest of the league, because it means the sixth-place MVP finisher is walking around for the price of an expiring vet and picks purely because of the way the new cap rules bite. I defer to an SB Nation article by Ricky O’Donnell to shed some light on this topic:

The simple version for why the Celtics traded Brown is because he’s a good player, but a bad asset. He’s owed $180 million over the next three years, and the Celtics decided their team wasn’t good enough right now with him on that deal to win a championship. Why did the Celtics trade Brown? I don’t think it’s because he believes he’s the smartest guy in the room, or because they couldn’t repair the relationship. It’s more because Brown finished with a -1.6 RAPM last season. By time decay RAPM, Brown ranks No. 270 in the league. 

Well if his RAPM was so bad why did Boston just throw him a farewell block party?! We’re talking ten thousand people on Boston Common and a key to the city. Did you see that street sign that says “Jaylen Brown Way”? They traded him in July but they named a street after him in August. Boston, pick a lane!!

He’ll walk back into that building wearing a Sixers jersey this season. Good luck figuring out whether that crowd is supposed to cheer, cry, or boo. So thanks, Boston. You finally found a way to stop Jaylen Brown from kicking the Warriors’ (regular season) ass in a Celtics jersey.

In the spirit of Bill Simmons and his NBA trade-value rankings, I wanted to rank the Utah Jazz players by how valuable they are as prospects.

Just like with Bill Simmons’ trade value rankings, this isn’t ranking players from best to worst (even though that is a consideration) but rather a list of who is the “most untradable” based on multiple factors. From Bill Simmons, here are the considerations:

Rule no. 1: Salaries matter (more than ever in the Apron Era, by the way).

Rule no. 2: Age matters.

Rule no. 3: Contract length matters.

Rule no. 4: Happiness matters; so does durability.

Rule no. 5: Bizarre real-life trades SHOULD affect the list.

Rule no. 6: Concentrate on degrees.

Basically, you can sum this up as the likelihood that the Jazz will trade this player. With that out of the way, let’s get started.

10. Josh Green | 26’ $14.6m | Age 26 | Drafted 18th overall

With a list of players ranked by how untradable they are, the first on the list has to be the guy who was signed because of how tradeable his contract is.

That said, Green does bring a lot to the table as a role player. He has good size at 6’6” and shoots 42% from three. He’s not all-defense, but he’s a positive defender. Considering all of that, and that he’s still just 26, he has a chance to make himself much more untradeable. Although, in a weird way, him playing well makes him more tradeable? Look, it’s a weird paradox here, and I don’t know the witchcraft that can help him. But let’s just say Green playing well helps the Jazz in a variety of ways, whether it’s winning games or helping Utah make a big trade come trade deadline.

9. Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk | 26’ $3.8m, 27’ $4.0m (Team Option) | Age: 29 | Drafted 47th overall

If this were a player ranking list, Svi Mykhailiuk would be higher. His shooting is consistently great, and he brings a fearlessness backed up by real production. His contract is also incredibly affordable. You could argue the value you get for the cost makes him one of the best values in the league.

The defense is the biggest liability here. If he was more impactful on that end, he’d be even more untradable. Ironically, if Svi wasn’t so low in salary, he’d be more tradable. His $3M+ contract is difficult to move because it’s hard to find a salary match for Svi with comparable winning production. Unless Svi is added to a multi-player trade, it’s not likely to see him be moved.

8. Isaiah Collier | 26’ $2.7M, 27’ $4.9M, 28’ RFA | Age 22 | Drafted 29th Overall

This is a tough one. Collier would typically be higher in the rankings because of his age and lower salary. The issue is that Collier hasn’t proven he can shoot the three consistently, or that he can impact the game in a winning way. Dunks and threes has him as a negative on the offensive and defensive end with a -3.6 overall EPM. What does that mean? He’s the #553 ranked player in the league.

Alllllll that said, Collier is in the 98th percentile in assist rate. He’s also just 22 and is still in the “potential” zone as a player. He’s tantalizing enough now that there may be a team interested in that potential. The best case for Utah is if he can improve while on the Jazz and can become the third guard in the Jazz rotation.

7. Josh Okogie | 26’ $6M, 27’ $6M | Age: 28 | Drafted 20th overall

Okogie was a nice addition to the Jazz this offseason with the sole purpose of improving Utah’s defensive intensity. Okogie has also shot 38% from three last season. If he keeps up that production, it makes him incredibly valuable. Like Mykhailiuk, Okogie’s contract isn’t big at $6M, so he’s probably only going to be in a multi-team deal if that happened.

But Utah isn’t as interested in moving this contract unless they have to. Okogie is the perfect type of role player for the Jazz.

6. Brice Sensabaugh | 26’ $4.8M, 27’ RFA | Age: 23 | Drafted 28th overall

This was not on purpose, but I like that Brice Sensabaugh comes in at #6 on this list because he has the potential to be a fantastic 6th man in the league. Sensabaugh has got to work on his consistency, but on some nights you’ll see Sensabaugh play and he’ll look like one of the best shooters in the league.

Sensabaugh is a career 38% shooter and shoots 45% from the field. He’s also not just a catch-and-shoot player, he can handle the ball and score in the mid-range. He’s the type of player that can get you 30 on any given night. That type of scoring punch is really valuable off the bench, and the more that Sensabaugh develops alongside Keyonte George and Darryn Peterson, the more likely he is to be a valuable contributor.

5. Lauri Markkanen | 26’ $46M, 27’ $49M, 28’ $53M, 29’ UFA | Age: 29 | Drafted 7th overall

Here’s where things get interesting. Markkanen is one of the more proven players on the Jazz with his three-point shooting, his transition play, his cutting, and his improved mid-range post game. The Jazz have had him as the cornerstone player during the entire tank and now come out of it with Markkanen proving to be a complementary star rather than the focal point of a winning team. And when I say complementary player, that’s not a slight. Markkanen, when he’s playing well, is one of the best off-ball players in the league on the offensive end.

The issue with Markkanen is that he makes a LOT of money for a complementary player. For a team that is not interested in winning, that’s not an issue. When you’re playing to win, that salary can get scary. If Darryn Peterson and Keyonte George look like a star duo next year, Markkanen looks more expendable. If Ace Bailey takes off, it might be only a matter of time before a move happens.

4. Jaren Jackson Jr. | 26’ $49M, 27’ $50M, 28’ $52M, 29’ $53M | Age: 27 | Drafted 4th overall

Jaren Jackson Jr. was easily the biggest surprise from last season. In a year where fans expected to be losing games to get the best player possible in the draft, the last thing they expected was to trade for a former All-Star and DPOY.

Utah’s biggest need this upcoming season is more defense. Jackson’s two-way ability is exactly what Utah needed, as well as some proven star power and veteran leadership on the floor. Jackson is arguably the best player on the Jazz, and Utah was able to get him for three picks, which shows just how valuable he is. But that does mean he’s tradable. Jackson is in the middle of his prime on a max contract, and Utah is hoping he can find his DPOY form this year. If he does, it takes Utah to another level. If he doesn’t and isn’t living up to his contract? We might start seeing some trade rumors. That seems extremely unlikely. Utah has the firepower to allow Jackson to focus on what he does best and doesn’t have to be the focal point of the offense. That would put Jackson into the complementary player category. Utah can only have so many complementary players on the roster making max money. At some point, Utah will likely have to choose between Jackson and Markkanen.

3. Keyonte George | 26’ $6.5M, 27’ RFA | Age: 23 | Drafted 16th overall

No one on the Jazz rocketed up in the rankings more last season than Keyonte George. He was a frontrunner for Most Improved Player last season, thanks to his incredible leap in production. He had a legitimate shot until he was pulled so Utah could tank for Peterson. That potential he showed, along with his age and cheap contract, makes him extremely unlikely to be traded.

There’s also more to George’s game than just production. He’s looked like a real leader for the Jazz on and off the court and has been a big part of the Jazz in Utah’s offseason workouts. George is completely bought into Utah and is poised to get a big contract this season. Depending on that contract, he may rise and fall on this list. If he has an all-star season and meshes well with Darryn Peterson, he becomes invaluable to the future of the Jazz and becomes almost untradeable.

2. Ace Bailey | 26’ $9.5M, 27’ $9.9M, 28 $12.6M, 29’ RFA | Age: 20 | Drafted 5th overall

Before Utah had the luckiest night in team history, Ace Bailey was the potential savior of the franchise. Even with Darryn Peterson on the team, Ace Bailey is the player that could swing everything for Utah towards a championship. At 6’8” with his athelticism, defensive potential, and scoring, he’s got as much a chance as anyone to be a true star in the league. His rookie season wasn’t Rookie of the Year caliber, but he did show enough signs that he could become something special.

This is a big year for Bailey, and he needs to show improvement. If he does, he’s probably as untouchable as Peterson. Wings with his talent and size are impossible to get outside of the draft, and there’s almost zero chance Utah would take a call with someone asking for Bailey.

1. Darryn Peterson | 26’ $13.1M, 27’ $13.8M, 28’ $14.5M, 29’ $18.3M, 30’ RFA | Age: 20 | Drafted 2nd overall

This was a difficult list to think through, but this was the easiest of all the choices. The list of players the Jazz would consider in a trade for Peterson right now is extremely small. It may only be one and rhyme with … Memben…pama?

Peterson has the talent and upside to be one of the literal best players in the league. His skill level is the type that just needs refining rather than developing. He should destroy opposing defenses this upcoming season, and it’s scary to think of how good he can become when he improves his decision-making and acclimates to the grind of the league.

Utah has some tough decisions ahead with other contracts, but building the team around Peterson is one of the easiest they’ll ever make.

I’ve been hanging out in the Western Conference doing my division by division analysis, until my phone started blowing up from my college buddies in the Eastern time zone. They wanna hear what the Gold Blooded King is seeing with their teams too apparently. Ask, and you shall receive my friends!

But where to start? I’ll tell you where, the storied Atlantic division. Why you ask? Wellp, that’s where the Toronto Raptors play. And that’s the team Kawhi Leonard is trying to escape to after Draymond Green’s Warriors banished his Clippers out of the play-in tournament and into the off-season. And if he gets there legally or illegally, it doesn’t matter!

Golden State did not handle Toronto well last season. The Raptors swept the season series 2-0, and imposed their length, athleticism and physicality on the Dubs. If there was ever a time the Warriors fans would wish for James Wiseman and Jonathan Kuminga picks to have panned out, it was these games where the Warriors just had no answer for the swarming, bouncy style of play Toronto has. They averaged 140+ points on Golden State last year…that’s insane!

Toronto went 46-36, third in the Atlantic, and lost in the first round to Cleveland in seven games. Then the front office looked at a team that finished 5th in the league in defense and 15th on offense and decided the fix wasn’t patience. Rather, it’s THE KLAW. They decided to send Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and draft capital out the door to the Clippers. Kawhi Leonard, come on back to the North!

And Toronto didn’t really have to rip the foundation out to get him. Ingram was probably the worst defensive starter they ran out there. Not that he’s a slouch so to speak, but that’s just how good that Raptors squad is on that side of the ball. So if this trade goes through…they are basically just trading their worst defensive starter for Kawhi Leonard???

Kawhi isn’t walking into some tired roster squeezing out one last run either. They’ve got a great mix of youth and vets with playoff experience. RJ Barrett is 26, former Warrior prospect Trayce Jackson-Davis is also 26, and then you’ve got that monster Scottie Barnes at 25. Immanuel Quickley is back and reportedly healthy after missing the whole postseason and he’s only 27. Their oldest player is Kyle “SloMo” Anderson at 32! This team is primed for a run.

The one thing standing in the way is the league itself. The Clippers are still under investigation for alleged cap circumvention in how this deal got structured. If the NBA unwinds it, Brandon Ingram has to walk back into Raptors training camp next month after everybody already watched Toronto trade him away. Toronto’s operating like the trade sticks.

And look Dub Nation, I know none of us wants to hear “Kawhi Leonard” and “Toronto Raptors” in the same sentence again. The last time that combination showed up in June, it ended with a title and the Finals we don’t talk about at family dinners. KD’s Achilles, Klay’s ACL, Oracle’s last game, and a banner in Toronto. All bad for the Bay.

I hope this trade sticks so the Dubs can get some measure of vengeance.

Dub Nation! This has been a piece I’ve been looking forward to writing for a minute as we finish our recap of the offseason moves of the Southwest division. The San Antonio Spurs won the Western Conference Finals and in my mind would have won the NBA Finals if they had that dawg in them. But if they had met a healthy Golden State Warriors team in the playoffs last year I HAVE NO DOUBT that the Dubs would have tucked the kids in San Antonio to sleep. But that’s just me though.

Golden State and San Antonio split the season series 2-2, but the way it split says everything. The Warriors won both meetings in November ON THE SPURS HOME FLOOR in the span of three days.

The Spurs won both in the second half over the wounded Dubs en route to a magicalish run.

San Antonio went 62-20, beat OKC in a Game 7 in the Western Conference finals, and made a climb to the NBA Finals nobody outside the building saw coming. Then they did the single most un-superstar thing a 22-year-old with a $303 million contract sitting right there in front of him could do. Victor Wembanyama signed for less money on purpose. Woooow that’s quite selfless of the skyscraping giant, very Spursy, very demure. What other Spurs 7-footer does that remind me of? Let’s check in with Sports Illustrated on the details:

Heading into his fourth year as the MVP favorite fresh off a Finals appearance, Wembanyama could have signed a five-year contract worth up to $303 million if he hit MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, or All-NBA. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that instead, Wembanyama accepted $252 million with a player option in the fifth year and no escalators to the super max. It’s 25% of the salary cap instead of 30%, and it gives the Spurs a better chance to build a contender around him.

“San Antonio worked in close partnership with Wembanyama and his representatives, offering the full super max and different variations of extensions,” Charania said on Friday afternoon. “But Wembanyama ultimately chose a contract sacrifice rooted in giving him and the organization increased ability to build a sustained title contender around him.”

Tim Duncan would be proud.

The Spurs also added Tobias Harris, a 34-year-old, 6-foot-8 forward who can space the floor and guard bigger wings, exactly what San Antonio didn’t have when their frontcourt depth ran dry in the Finals. Their only real drama is at point guard, and it’s a good problem to have. De’Aaron Fox struggled in the Finals playing through a high ankle sprain, which was tough when you have Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper chomping at the bit to take the wheel.

And then there’s the aforementioned bill they gotta pay to afford these luxurious problems. Our friends at Pounding the Rock have been mulling that this summer:

First, Stephon Castle will become eligible for an extension next summer. Assuming he continues to improve as a player, he’ll want the max. The Spurs would surely love it if he took less and will have the threat of restricted free agency, which gives them control of Castle’s destiny, as a bargaining tool. The issue with wielding that weapon is that it could damage the relationship with Castle, who was a starter on a Finals team. If the front office thinks he’s a part of the untouchable core going forward, keeping him happy and feeling important will be paramount. Can they do that without offering the 25 percent max?

Golden State knows exactly what that math looks like on the other side of it, because the Warriors have been paying the tax to keep a core intact since before Wembanyama was drafted. San Antonio’s about to find out what that actually costs. This year, though, they didn’t have to choose. They kept everybody, added a piece, and still own bragging rights over everybody in the conference.

Enjoy the easy offseason, San Antonio. It’s the last one you get for a while. The Warriors absolutely can’t wait to see you again.

Another division, another team that is trying to find a better day now that the Golden State Warriors dynasty is on its last legs. We’re in the Southwest division now; let’s take it straight to the bottom. I’m not just talking about the division standings, I’m talking the Bayou where the New Orleans Pelicans reside. The Warriors took two of three from New Orleans last season, getting the best of a team that went 26-56 last year.

They fired their coach, hired Jamahl Mosley away from Orlando, and then just… stopped for a month. No first-round picks. No major free agency moves. Definitely no significant trades. They LOST Kevon Looney?! What part of the game is that? Even Sports Illustrated couldn’t believe it:

Coming off another disappointing sub-30-win season, the New Orleans Pelicans needed to make swift changes this offseason. That started with a brand-new coaching staff led by former Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley, who will try to rebuild the Pelicans’ culture. Many thought sweeping personnel changes would be next after the team won just 26 games last year.

This is a team that won 26 games and acted like it just made the conference finals. At least they resigned DeAndre Jordan? Then, deep into the offseason, New Orleans finally did something. They got Bennedict Mathurin off the Clippers for two years and $16 million.

Now here’s what’s curious: New Orleans already has Zion Williamson barreling toward the rim. Derik Queen wants to live down there too. Can’t forget that Dejounte Murray and Saddiq Bey like to get busy around the rim and aren’t exactly keeping defenders awake at night from three. Trey Murphy III can shoot the hell out of it, but somebody’s got to give that man some help. Herbert Jones made an All-Defensive team two years ago, and his three-point shot has cratered to 31 percent over the last two seasons.

So naturally the Pelicans went out… and got another dude who wants to attack the basket?! But don’t take my word for it, just ask the folks from Pelicans Debrief:

The one thing that always seems to elude the Pelicans is three-point shooting. When you look at their current roster, they only have one legitimate three-point shooter, and that is Trey Murphy III. Unfortunately, three-point shooting is not Mathurin’s strongest skill. He did shoot 37% from three in his sophomore season. He was able to replicate that in the first half of last season with the Pacers. However, when he was with the Los Angeles Clippers last season, he shot an abysmal 20% from three.

Twenty percent! I don’t want to use my journalism powers out of turn, but it may be time to do a Perry Mason style investigation of whether or not the Pelicans are in forever tank mode. By the way, as much as people bemoan the Warriors injury issues, the Pelicans REALLY can’t stay healthy. Dejounte Murray played 14 games last year coming back from a ruptured Achilles. Zion playing 60 games still qualifies as a special occasion.

And to add insult to injury, the one guy other than Murphy who I would really believe is supposed to be a stone cold shooter is a champion and Warriors fan-favorite Jordan Poole! What did he shoot from beyond the arc last season? 33%?! Nononono this can’t be. Somebody free my dawg JP!

If the Warriors want to make any kind of noise in the playoffs next season, beating teams like the Pelicans is mandatory. Even one misstep against a team like this can put a team on the bubble straight out of the sixth seed and into the play-in tournament, which the Warriors haven’t had the best of luck in since its inception. #FreePoole

The only thing less rewarding than watching Cody Williams play basketball was holding to the hope that he could develop into a talented NBA-level contributor.

The second lottery pick of the tanking era, the Utah Jazz selected Williams with the 10th overall pick in what was a putrid NBA Draft class. We knew it would be a comparatively garbage crop of talent — you could smell the stench months in advance — yet Utahns still celebrated Williams’ selection at the time.

A former 5-star McDonald’s All-American with an elastic wingspan, a 41.5% clip from three-point land in his freshman season at Colorado, and stardom in his DNA, Williams was a great proposition at that point in the draft. In theory, he was a low-danger prospect dredged from a draft pool of filth.

In practice, however, it took no time at all for Jazz fans to wallow in the melancholy of a rebuild apparently prolonged for yet another season.

He was incredibly disappointing in his first two years with the Jazz, posting stat lines that should be buried in the archives, far away from the eyes of impressionable, vulnerable youth.

Cody Williams Rookie Stats:

21.6 minutes
4.6 points
1.2 assists
2.3 rebounds
0.5 steals
0.3 blocks
0.9 turnovers
32.3% FG
25.9% 3PT

Cody Williams Sophomore Stats:

24.3 minutes (+2.7)
8.8 points (+4.2)
2.0 assists (+0.8)
3.0 rebounds (+0.7)
0.8 steals (+0.3)
0.4 blocks (+0.1)
1.1 turnovers (+0.2)
46.8% FG (+14.5%)
21.4% 3PT (-4.5%)

Williams isn’t the worst basketball player ever, nor should he be treated as a villain or disease that must be eradicated. I tend to exaggerate for effect.

In fact, I have long been a supporter of Williams. Call it homerism, blind optimism, or poor player evaluation skills, but I still believe that there’s a world in which Williams develops into a good or even great piece of a competitive team.

He’s still only 21 years old. And though the “young = good” fallacy is still prevalent in NBA circles, I still believe that given the right training and plenty of patience, Cody Williams has the potential to be an effective NBA-level player. Patience runs thin at the highest level of basketball, and the Jazz apparently burned through their supply when they dealt Williams for a role player and a stack of bills.

The Jazz saw him in practice. They saw him in games. They had seen enough, and they quit on the second lottery pick of the post-Gobert-Mitchell era just seven months after trading Taylor Hendricks.

The key difference between the Hendricks and Williams trades? Hendricks played a key role in bringing Jaren Jackson Jr. — a multiple-time All-Star and former Defensive Player of the Year — to Utah. Williams yielded Josh Green, a player suspected to be little more than a situational outside weapon in the short-term and a tradable contract in the long-term.

Not exactly a resume-builder.

Though it spanned just two seasons, the era of Cody Williams dug up feelings in his supporters akin to the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Please allow this article to serve as a therapy session. A moment of safety from the harsh realities of Utah Jazz basketball in the past 24 calendar page flips or so, and a calming gulp of oxygen as we move toward a better future.

The Five Stages of Cody Williams

Denial

On draft day, Cody Williams was seen as an underwhelming but promising prospect. He has fantastic measurables, standing at 6’8” with a 7’1” wingspan; he fit comfortably into the archetype of a modern NBA wing. Toss into the mix the fact that Williams hit 41.5% of his three-pointers at Colorado, and it seemed all he needed to transform into a dependable 3-and-D player was a few hundred hours in the weight room.

As unrefined as his game still was, Williams was always going to be a project. Surely, given enough time, he could gain the physicality and ball skills of his older brother, Jalen, right?

Anger

It didn’t take long before Williams’ uninspiring production frustrated Jazz fans, many of whom (Williams’ ride-or-die supporters) clung to denial while the remainder slipped into the second phase.

He was bad as a rookie (dubbed the worst player in the NBA by some) and not much better as a sophomore.

He had basically fallen out of Will Hardy’s rotation in the early stages of his sophomore season, never leaving the bench in 5 of the first 14 games of the season. Cody had visibly lost all confidence in his jump shot, and for good reason — 21.4% is an abysmal three-point rate for a wing, and even worse for a player who knocked down a sizzling rate from distance in college.

…On just 1.7 attempts per game. That’s a low sample size that might have been a bit deceptive for Utah’s scouts, considering 41.5% looks much more appealing than 0.7 made three-pointers per game. Now shooting more than that at the NBA level, Williams can’t seem to find the net on open looks (he gets plenty of those).

He just scored 35 points in a G League game — where is that guy when he suits up for the Jazz?

The Jazz could have just gone the safe route and taken Matas Buzelis. Heck, Isaiah Collier and Kyle Filipowski are outplaying Williams, and they were drafted 20 picks later.

It seems the Jazz had been fooled or simply missed in the 2024 NBA Draft lottery.

Bargaining

But he’s not even a real top-10 pick anyway, right? After all, his draft class was atrocious. Remember Zaccharie Risacher? Tijaun Salaun? Reed Sheppard? Rob Dillingham? These were all top-10 picks, and none of them have behaved as such since entering the NBA. The number-one overall pick, Risacher, was unceremoniously traded from Atlanta this offseason, and it wasn’t headline news in the slightest.

When you think about it in this frame of mind, Cody Williams isn’t a true top-10 prospect when compared to prospects typically in his draft range. He’s a project, after all, so it would be unrealistic to expect him to play well in just his second season.

These are the lies we told ourselves. These are the rationalizations we voluntarily internalized to protect ourselves from the truth that we expected more from a lottery pick.

We celebrated every routine positive. Praised him for making the right play on defense or for dunking when he had a gently obstructed runway to the basket. Williams wasn’t what we hoped, so we moved the goalposts to qualify him as a success, even if unknowingly.

Depression

In his third year at the Summer League, he was still a non-factor. Look at who AJ Dybantsa has to keep help defense at bay: Tre Johnson and Will Reily have been awesome during the Summer League.

Yet with Darryn Peterson claiming the defense’s attention, and against lesser competition, Cody Williams still shrank. He crept in the shadows. He was timid, cautious, and sickeningly irrelevant on the court.

It all came to a head when he posted a zero-point effort in 23 minutes of playing time. This was rock bottom for those still holding to the tattered remains of their Cody Williams stock. Dejected, sobbing, and crumpled into a heap on the concrete, we clenched our fists upon understanding what we saw wasn’t a larval stage of his development — it was an unforgiving telegram from reality.

Acceptance

This didn’t fully arrive until he was dealt to Minnesota.

Discarded for a bench wing who scored fewer than 5 points per game last season, Cody Williams was packaged with John Konchar in a trade that sent the pair to Minnesota.

Maybe Cody Williams will become a shade of the player many hoped he could become in Utah. The T-Wolves could have a plan to dig out the perfect version of the 21-year-old wing, and that perfect version may come back to haunt the Jazz in the years to come. Maybe.

But in Utah, the nightmare is over now. You’re safe. The Utah Jazz have traded Cody Williams, and he cannot hurt you anymore.

Calvin Barrett is the Associate Editor for SLC Dunk. Originally from Springville, Utah, he currently lives in Japan and has covered the NBA and college athletics since 2024.

Let’s keep it rolling like a runaway train Dub Nation, alllll through the divisions as we break down what these other franchises have been up to this summer. I remember back during the dynasty’s heyday I would smirk and chuckle as other teams spun the wheel of transactions looking for a prayer against the Golden Empire. Now, I peer with furrowed brows as the league tries to leave Steph Curry’s Golden State Warriors in the dust. Let’s take a peek at the Southwest division. That’s where former Warriors hero and future Hall-of-Famer Kevin Durant is a part of that league wide effort to beat the Dubs, as his Houston Rockets took two of three from Golden State last season.

Currently, Houston is heading into Year 2 of the KD experiment. Last season ended in shambles for the Rockets (as it always has since 1995), this time with a first-round exit to a severely depleted Lakers team in what would be LeBron James’ final series victory in the Western Conference. But the Rockets were missing point guard Fred VanVleet and center Steven Adams, while KD missed a ton of time in the series.

Then Giannis hit the market and Houston had the assets to make a real run at him. In the end, a deal wasn’t made per ESPN:

Rafael Stone isn’t Daryl Morey. Back in Morey’s days as general manager from 2007 to 2020, the Rockets seemingly relished cycling through star players in pursuit of a championship: Dwight Howard, James Harden, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook all took turns.

Even though the Rockets were embarrassed by the undermanned Los Angeles Lakers in a first-round series loss, Stone resisted the temptation to blow up his coaching staff or roster. Instead, he retained Ime Udoka as coach, re-signed Eason, acquired veterans Marcus Smart and Bogdan Bogdanovic, and shipped out Finney-Smith, who barely contributed last season.

Everything else this offseason is Houston choosing depth and continuity. Tari Eason got a five-year, $81.5 million extension, while Smart and Bogdanovic came in for toughness and shooting. Chip Engelland, the shooting coach who won two titles in San Antonio, got hired. Fred VanVleet is running it back after a torn ACL cost him all of last season.

Steven Adams is also back after ankle surgery in January ended his season early. And when Laci Watson of Roundtable Sports published a Houston-centric priorities piece back in May and then graded it, there was some guarded confidence:

I questioned whether Fred VanVleet represented Houston’s long-term answer at the position. VanVleet remains under contract after exercising his player option, but the Rockets clearly wanted additional options. Smart’s another experienced ballhandler, Bruce Thornton gives Houston a developmental guard, and Reed Sheppard stays part of the equation.

So, did they solve the long-term point guard question? I’m not ready to give myself that one yet. But they certainly acknowledged it.

Of course, when a team has Durant they carry the immediate weight of championship expectations. The Warriors were the only franchise that was able to take that weight and use it to club their foes on the way to multiple championships, but that’s what they do. They did it before he was there, and after he left. For the Rockets trying to press the KD button and watch a championship materialize, this season could be the moment KD wins his first non-GSW title, or it’s another referendum on just how hard it is to win it all in the NBA.

If their young guard Amen Thompson provides the consistent two-way punch this team needs, that dream could be realized. He’s a guy who can be an absolute monster defensively and then give you 40 points on the other end.

Golden State knows exactly what this bet looks like from the inside. A team deciding the roster doesn’t need an overhaul, it just needs everybody healthy at the same time. Now Houston’s betting VanVleet’s knee, Adams’ body, and the roster they already had can prove Rafael Stone right. We’ll find out if that’s enough.

The Villains bracket continues, as we try to find the biggest villain in Spurs history. We’ve already covered Spurs Killers and Dirty Players. This time we’ll discuss the most bittersweet region: Former Spurs. We’ll look at players who once wore Silver and Black but, through their actions or their words, earned the ire of the fans that once rooted for their success.

For this exercise, we’ll focus exclusively on the basketball side of things and not their personal lives or legal troubles, so some names you expected to see will likely be missing.

Now Let’s look at the field, and don’t forget to vote!

1. Kawhi Leonard vs. 8. Marcus Morris

Unsurprisingly, The Nephew gets the top seed. You know the story. Leonard was fantastic for the Spurs in the first years of his career, reinvigorating an aging team and helping the Silver and Black raise their fifth banner. Then he got injured in the playoffs in 2016 by fellow Spurs villain Zaza Pachulia, and nothing was the same.

A quadriceps injury limited Leonard the following year, and he distrusted the team’s medical personnel who cleared him. He went to rehab in New York and avoided people from the franchise, actually hiding when they tried to check up on him. The rumors from his camp started flying, and they painted the Spurs in a bad light. As the relationship got worse, and with the help of Uncle Dennis Robertson, he forced his way out in the messiest way possible after suiting up for just nine games in 2017/18.

Despite the terrible ending, Kawhi at least had some great moments with the franchise. His first-round opponent never wore the jersey. Technically, he was never officially a Spur, and the fact that he used that technicality is what makes him a villain.

Morris agreed to terms with the Spurs before the 2019/20 season. Shams Charania announced the news, and it looked like it was a done deal that would be finalized shortly after. It never happened, as Morris reneged on the deal to join the Knicks instead.

The betrayal left the franchise in a precarious position, because after agreeing to terms with Morris using the mid-level exception, the front office engineered a trade sending out Davis Bertans, who had been helpful in the regular season, and bringing in DeMarre Carroll while opening a roster spot. Once Morris backed out, they found themselves without Bertans and with no mid-level exception target late in the offseason, and had to settle for Trey Lyles.

The 2019/20 was not going to win a title no matter what but was made worse by Morris getting cold feet and not honoring his word.

2. Stephen Jackson vs. 7. Dennis Rodman

Another once-beloved and successful Spur who has done his best to lose every ounce of goodwill with the fanbase as a high seed. Jackson found his place as a starter for the 2023 title team, making big plays in the postseason, but unfortunately, he refused to sign a lucrative extension with the Spurs, hoping to get more money as a free agent.

Still, the fans loved Jackson and were happy when he found his way back in 2012. Jack was in the tail end of his career but still contributed in the playoffs. The next year, however, things took a turn. Jackson really struggled and saw his minutes reduced. Jackson wasn’t happy about it. To solve things, Gregg Popovich called him into a meeting in which he asked him to accept that he was not better than Manu Ginobili, but Jackson refused to do it and was unceremoniously cut. He retired a year later and has spent his entire career as a podcaster criticizing the Spurs every chance he gets.

A quick look at the numbers and the accolades would suggest Rodman’s Spurs years were good. He led the league in rebounding and made All-Defensive teams. The problems, as they typically did with him, didn’t have to do with his skills but his attitude.

Rodman clashed with then-coach Bob Hill, whom he never respected, and general manager Gregg Popovich, whom he later claimed hated him. He routinely skipped shootarounds and didn’t pay attention in huddles. Rodman started his second season suspended for conduct detrimental to the team and was benched in Game 5 of the 1995 Conference Finals after arriving late to practice. It was such a horrendous culture fit that even the normally diplomatic David Robinson actually said he was glad Rodman got traded.

What made it all hurt more was that Rodman went on to help the Bulls win the titles the Spurs hoped he’d help The Admiral win.

3. Robert Horry vs. 6. Derek Anderson

Just like Leonard and Jackson, Robert Horry was once an integral part of title teams in San Antonio, and just like them, he has gone out of his way to squander the love and respect his success earned him from the fanbase. Ever since retiring, he has taken every opportunity to downplay the excellence of Tim Duncan, once saying that Hakeem Olajuwon was “20 times better” than The Big Fundamental and criticizing his work ethic. In the same segment, he took shots at Manu Ginobili.

He recently said Victor Wembanyama is not a top five player in the league, and not close to other greats. There have been other comments over the years about his teammates. At this point, it’s just clear he has no love for the franchise.

Horry’s opponent in this round is someone who broke fans’ hearts not with his words but with his actions. Anderson had a terrific 2000/01 season with the Spurs. The guard started all 82 games and was the team’s second-leading scorer behind Tim Duncan. Despite playoff struggles and an injury, the Spurs wanted to bring the 27-year-old back to help an aging San Antonio core continue to contend. They offered the journeyman a six-year deal, but Anderson wasn’t happy with how long it took for the team to negotiate with him and refused it, verbally agreeing to a deal with the Trail Blazers instead and leaving the Spurs with no choice but to trade him for an aging Steve Smith.

Things didn’t work out for Anderson in Portland, so there’s a case to be made that the Spurs dodged a bullet, but at the time it felt like Anderson let his pride ruin what could have been a great partnership.

4. Richard Jefferson vs. 5. Dejounte Murray

Jefferson’s Spurs tenure could be kindly described as just unfortunate. The team thought he’d be the 3-and-D wing San Antonio needed, and he simply wasn’t. The experience of watching Jefferson, however, was extremely unenjoyable.

Jefferson was a disappointment and looked so out of place that Gregg Popovich personally supervised his workouts in the summer of 2010, hoping to make things work. They didn’t, and Jefferson became an overpaid specialist who couldn’t really be trusted in big moments. The Spurs had to actually attach a first-rounder to get him off the books on a trade. What makes it all worse is that even though the Spurs unarguably extended his career by helping him transition from volume scorer to role player, he has seemingly taken shots at the franchise in his post-retirement media career.

Dejounte Murray’s tenure was completely different. He was a late first-round pick who exceeded expectations, and there was genuine fan excitement about the duo of Murray and Derrick White becoming the backcourt of the future. Unfortunately, the Spurs were never particularly good with Murray, and when the Hawks came in with a trade offer that was too good to pass up, they accepted it. Murray didn’t handle things well after, taking to social media to describe how happy he was with being traded, then bashing the organization while arguing with fans, saying the Spurs were “gonna be losing for the next 15 years.”

Those words came close to the trade, and Murray was an emotional guy, so they could have been excused had he not doubled down later. On Stephen Jackson’s podcast, he said the Spurs tried to “break him” and participated in Jackson’s favorite hobby: bashing Tony Parker, whom Murray accused of not mentoring him.

The Utah Jazz recently announced they have signed guard/wing Matthew Murrell to a contract. The details are undisclosed, but this deal is likely an Exhibit 10 contract – this means it will function primarily as a training camp contract, while providing Murrell a financial incentive to remain in Utah with the Jazz’s affiliate G-League team, assuming he doesn’t secure a guaranteed roster spot. Odds are this contract is very similar to Harrison Ingram’s, who’s signing was also announced by the team relatively recently.

I felt a strong blast-from-the-past when I saw Matthew Murrell’s name on the Utah Jazz twitter account. When I was scouting the NBA draft back in 2022, I recall jotting down Murrell as a standout and a name to watch in future drafts. While he never was selected, he found his way onto the Salt Lake City Stars for the 2025-2026 season, where he struggled with his efficiency but clearly made a positive impression on management and the coaching staff.

Dating back to his college days, Murrell has been a streaky shooter with a shot that you still always expect to go in – the shooting form just looks too nice to miss. He combines this with a really solid frame and athleticism; he measures in at 6’4 in shoes, 200 pounds, with a 6’8.25” wingspan and a 40 inch max vertical (that he uses on his jump shot – he gets great elevation when he shoots). What caught my eye in college was that he looks the part. He moves with that synergy of strength and fluidity required of NBA role-players. This frame and athleticism allows him switchability on defense depending on the lineup surrounding him.

The worry with Murrell is that he isn’t quite good enough at any one thing to stick around the NBA. First and foremost, the long range shooting needs to stabilize – he shot 40% on good volume in 2024, but then both the volume and efficiency decreased in 2025. In the G-League, he shot 39% from three during the 12 game tip-off tournament, but only 28% when looking at the season as a whole. With his offensive game so reliant on his shooting (the ball handling is serviceable, but nobody would mistake him and his 1.9 collegiate assists per game for a point guard) and his defense additive but not exceptional, the three point percentages need to find a home in the mid-to-high 30s. If they do, Murrell has a punchers chance at finding a long-time home in the league as a strong, pesky shooter in the vein of one of OKCs many strong, pesky role-players. During this next season, when Murrell will likely once again be with the SLC Stars, he will be asked to prove how legitimate his shooting truly is. I consider that a wise, low-stakes bet by the Jazz coaching staff and management.

Watch some of Murrell’s scoring highlights below.

Dub Nation let’s keep cruising through the Western Conference, particularly the Southwest conference. Let’s take a trip down to Beale St and listen to some blues and eat some good BBQ. If you caught my piece back in February about Memphis eating itself alive from the inside, you already know the shape of this one. The once great Grizzlies that as recently as 2023 were considered a legitimate contender have become damn near unrecognizable. It all spiraled after Ja Morant’s injuries and off-court mess, Jaren Jackson Jr. getting dealt to Utah, and what suddenly devolved into what appeared to be a tank job. Last year’s Grizzlies finished 25-57 and the Warriors took all three meetings. They may have been named after a ferocious bear, but last season Memphis’ basketball team was looking more like circus dancing bears: getting tortured for entertainment. Sigh.

Remember how we even got here? This was supposed to be the team that knocked the Warriors off their throne! There was the 2021 play-in that the Dubs faltered in at the hands of the Grizz. Then there was that 2022 series with the trash talk and the flagrants and Dillon Brooks running his mouth that through sheer will and grit the Warriors emerged victoriously from. And then there was the play-in rematch game in 2024 where Golden State stuck a critical blow, eliminating Memphis.

Golden State outlasted every bit of it of the whooping of the tricks Memphis had intended. Now Ja’s in Portland, Jackson’s in Utah, Desmond Bane’s gone, Brooks has been gone, and even their former head coach Taylor Jenkins is gone. The Warriors had a lot to do with disintegrating that franchise’s dreams into the ash, scattered across the barren wasteland of past wannabe contenders.

As I referenced earlier, Memphis traded Ja Morant to Portland for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray. Compare that to what GM Zach Kleiman got moving the other two stars: four unprotected first-rounders for Desmond Bane, three more for Jackson.

What’s left? I feel like 21-year-old GG Jackson is the longest-tenured player on the roster. The plan seems to center aroun No. 3 pick Cameron Boozer out of Duke, a 19-year-old who certainly has the family pedigree working in his favor. The other name doing a lot of heavy lifting is Zach Edey. Here’s the skinny on the oft injured big man per ESPN:

Literally and figuratively, the 7-foot-3, 305-pound Edey plays a huge part in the Grizzlies’ long-term plans. He has shown flashes of being a dominant interior presence with a soft touch, profiling as a terrific complement to Boozer, a bruising 253-pounder with a point guard’s vision and feel. But Edey’s health looms like a dark cloud. He played only 11 games last season because of lingering issues with his left ankle, which he had surgery on after his rookie season and again last March. The Grizzlies have depth at center after trading for Stewart and signing Post in restricted free agency, but their plans for a relatively quick rebuild rely on Edey being healthy and productive.

Yes, Memphis is going big, adding Isaiah Stewart and former Golden State Warrior prospect Quinten Post at center for depth. That hints to me that maybe they’re not fully trusting Edey to just show up healthy. A rebuild built partly around a guy who can’t stay on the floor isn’t much of a foundation yet.

Pardon me if I don’t believe Golden State needs to worry about Memphis this season as much as they did in years past. Memphis needs to worry about Memphis. Icarus flew too close to the sun and ended up trading away his broken wings for Blazer players. The answer this offseason was to trade away the guy who symbolized all of it for pennies and start completely over. Memphis finally admitted it, and admitting it is always the first step to recovery.

Inside the offices and along the corridors of HSS Training Center, Nets staff and players dismiss the doomsaying conventional wisdom of ESPN and the Las Vegas sports books which have them winning between 18 and 24.5 out of 82 next season. That’s either a drop-off from two years of tanking (ESPN) or a slight improvement (FanDuel, et al.) One word being used to describe ESPN’s low total is “ridiculous.” And no, from top to bottom, they don’t mind being under-estimated. They are young, after all.

The Nets own internal win projection is a state secret. Yes, there is one. Nothing’s been said publicly either although Mikel Brown Jr. quoted Julius Randle as saying, “we will shock the world.” You’ll near more from the team on Media Day now a month away, on September 28. Sure the East, particularly the Atlantic Division is a lot stronger and the Nets will almost certainly be the youngest team in the NBA … not just for this season but in decades. And two of the five youngest players on the roster will likely start at the 1 and 2.

But projections are just that. We were told that the internal win projection for 2009-10 was somewhere around 17 That was the 12-70 season. An the other end of the scale, the internal projection for 2018-19 was 37. They won 42 and secured the sixth seed. And if you expect, like we do, an active trade deadline, what happens then could certainly alter things. So could injuries to your own team or to others.

There was also this past week, a couple of social media posts projecting the Nets beyond this season, just a little optimism from outside 168 39th Street in Sunset Park. Sam Quinn basically defended Sean Marks & co. after Bleacher Report put the Nets front office at No. 28 in their rankings. Quinn had put the Nets in the middle of the pack, at No. 16, earlier this month…

We have been hearing something similar…

And in the Nets newly released video on the off-season (more on that below,) editors chose to use this line from Marks talking about the future..

“I’m excited to see the roster grow,” said the GM following the Draft. “and I’m excited to see whatever falls our way in either trades and free agency.”

We’ve also heard that the trade deadline could be busier than normal — the Nets have historically made their biggest moves at the Draft.

Quinn’s tweet has nothing specific about targets for all those picks nor time. He was a 30,000-foot view. Like us he knows the lay of the Nets land: 10 firsts that can be traded tomorrow and anther 19 seconds available at a moment’s notice as well. They have other assets too, including a tiny bit of cap space, the full $9.4 million room MLE, $48.9 million space between payroll and first apron and nearly $7 million in cash considerations which have some utility specifically in salary dumps. Specifically, Brooklyn used cash to close deals four times last uear, including in the dumps that got them the 22nd pick that became Drake Powell as well as the one that got them Josh Minott.

They also have a couple of lesser known advantages. Because they’ve been under the luxury tax threshold the last three seasons, there’s no worry they’ll fall into repeater tax hell until 2030 which will be after the current CBA expires. Marks has a “surplus” of six firsts. meaning that over next seven years they have six more firsts than they would have if they only had their own. Some teams have a deficit. That’s what Quinn means by a “clean cap sheet” and “massive first round pick surplus.”

We know many of you will stop reading right here. Flexibility again?!? How about some wins?!? Why didn’t they use all those assets this summer?!? The answer to the last question is what you might call Marks’s “double A” rule, invoked at last year’s Media Day: they’re not interested in breaking the bank for anyone who doesn’t “automatically and absolutely” change the team’s “trajectory” and ultimately “sustained success.”

Incremental moves like trading Nic Claxton for Julius Randle and another first round pick are fine, but they’re hanging on to those picks believing they are currently the coin of the realm in the NBA. They’re always looking to adding some as they did in the Randle trade! They believe, strongly, the route to that “sustained success” in the age of first and second aprons is cycling through and developing first rounders who have cheap four-year deals. If they hit on enough of them, they’ll have good young players — and cap room to sign or trade for the higher-paid star or two without fear of luxury tax or aprons.

Here’s a practical example. Let’s imagine (hope) that both Egor Demin and Mikel Brown Jr. reach the potential that Nets brass believe they can: starting backcourt mates with All-Star possibilities. Demin is under contract for the next three seasons; Brown Jr. for four. This year, the two of them will make a combined $16 million — Demin, an eighth pick in his second year, $7.2 million; Brown Jr, a sixth pick in his rookie year, $8.8 million.

At no point during their four-year rookie deals will either make more than $12.6 million a year. If the salary cap goes up the customary seven to 10 percent each year from its current $165 million, neither’s salary will come close to 10% of the team’s cap space. Compare that to Michael Porter Jr. whose $40.8 million salary will represent 24% of the cap. Plus the Nets won’t have to pay either one the big bucks until 2030 in Demin’s case, 2031 in Brown Jr.‘s.

Here’s another practical example. The eight players on rookie deals this season — Noah Clowney, Egor Demin, Nolan Traore, Drake Powell, Ben Saraf, Danny Wolf, Mikel Brown Jr. and Joshua Jefferson — will earn $38 million which is a little less than a quarter of the salary cap.

No, we are not saying it will work!! The Flatbush 5 has been criticized since the night they were drafted and three of them — Powell, Saraf and Wolf — did not have good Summer Leagues. Another, Traore, was hurt. The Nets have until October 31 to decide whether to keep them through a third year but no one expects the Nets will bail on their development this early. The team will face the same decision on year 4 guarantees a year from now. That calculus could be different. Even if it works to perfection, there’s concerns that they’ll face big decisions on big money all at once. (They should be so lucky.)

There are other elements to the strategy. They’ll take low-cost risks on so-called “fallen angels” like Josh Minott (and remember they took shots at Kobe Bufkin and Ochai Agbaji that failed.) They do not want, at least at this point in the rebuild, to cut long-term deals either. Thus, the impasse with Michael Porter Jr. as well as the team and “mutual” second-year options Minott, Day’Ron Sharpe, Moe Wagner and Keon Ellis agreed to this summer.

Indeed, other than the rookies with their two-year guarantees on four-year deals, only Terance Mann is owed guaranteed money beyond this season. He’s got $31 million left on his deal. Julius Randle has a player option. The roster is built to turn on a dime and unsentimentally move on.

It is a fairly unique (extreme?) strategy that will test ownership’s resolve and fans’ patience. It’s also lost on some pundits perhaps because of those unique qualities. Some might say the strategy is the response of the failed Big Three experience. It is unquestionably at the opposite end of what they did in the culmination of Marks first rebuild when they signed Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, DeAndre Jordan, traded for James Harden and added their friends, whether Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge or Mike James and DeAndre Bembry while dumping firsts to preserve cap space. We know that didn’t work.

Jordi Fernandez likes Julius Randle … and vice versa

The Nets released their latest Brooklyn Bridge video this week. It’s a 20-minute report on the off-season, which as usual, featured top notch production from the team’s video unit. It also provides some new insights into the team’s thinking on the Draft and free agency, plus what some might call “Easter eggs,” little hints of things hidden in the nooks and crannies.

One thing in particular caught our eye, which was the focus on the addition of Julius Randle. Here’s Jordi Fernandez speaking to camera (with a broad smile) about what the 31-year-old brings.

“Julius is an established, all-star. playoff player, a player that is going to come here and show everybody else how it’s done. I’m very excited to get to coach him, and for him to raise the floor,” Fernandez said.

Randle, who’ is happy to be back in New York where he excelled as a Knick, returned the favor telling the Nets producers he’s “excited” about his new role with a new team.

“I’m excited to be here. We got a lot of talent on this team, a lot of young talent and you know, I’m really excited to just help them.

Could Randle follow the model of Michael Porter Jr., who had his best season in the NBA last year under Fernandez? Earlier this month, his agent Mark Bartelstein praised Fernandez’s work MPJ. specifically how Fernandez used his client creatively.

“Jordi has been great for him,” said Bartelstein on SiriusXM.. “Jordi has been so innovative in how he used him.” Next up: Julius Randle?

Nets rookies answer up

In that same video, there an enlightenting section on how the Nets rookies fared in pre-draft interviews.

Mikel Brown Jr. spoke about leadership. When Sean Marks asked about how Brown Jr. leads, the 20-year-old was not taken aback. In fact, he seemed to suggest there was only one answer … and he gets it.

“By taking command!” he said. “Taking charge, knowing that I can take accountability when I’m messing up. They can get on me just I can get on them. I love to play the game the right way. I’m not … I’m not the one to be selfish, to care about stats. I want to win at the end of the day.”

The Nets other first rounder, 22-year-old 6’9” point forward Joshua Jefferson was asked, again by Marks, what set him apart at the Draft Combine. He was specific and not afraid to talk about how unique he thinks his game is.

“My vocalness on the defensive side of the ball,” he told the Nets GM. “I felt like the loudest person in the gym. I think I was playmaking, rebounding, I was defending. I don’t think there’s a lot of players in this draft are capable of doing all those things at a high level. That’s what I think I’m really good at doing and then that professional mature approach to the game.

“There’s not going to be any nonsense with me,” he added. “I’m just going to come in, get my work done, put in extra work and then be a good person to be around.“

As for Tyler Bilodeau, the Nets 43rd pick who’ll start his career as a two-way, Marks asked what he thinks his NBA role will be. Shooting, of course, is a given, but also promised physicality.

“Offensively, as a floor spacer said he 6’9” wing who had the highest 3-point percentage (46%) in the 2026 draft class. “You know, I think I can get into actions. I feel I have a high IQ so I can make plays and read things well, can shoot the ball at a high level, can play pick and roll, try to confuse defenses and that sort of thing. And two, if I can get into a mismatch, punish the mismatch.”

Terance Mann likes his role mentoring the rooks

Meanwhile,  Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe wrote Saturday in a paywalled story got about Terance Mann, who grew up in Lowell, Mass. He spoke to Mann at his annual youth basketball camp.

“It’s amazing to be a part of it,” he said of the Nets situation. “To be a pioneer and help turn the corner for this organization. That’s really what my goal is, to try to be (a) cornerstone at that. It was very different. The organization had things they needed to accomplish. They had their own goals. It was a different situation than I was in in L.A. with the Clippers or even Atlanta with the Hawks. I grew really close with the guys on the team and we’re ready to tackle this year.”

The comments mirror those made this summer by Michael Porter Jr. after he took four members of the Flatbush 5 on a fishing vacation at Lake of the Ozarks in his home state of Missouri.

Final Note

Things will get a bit more interesting next week. Players will gather at HSS Training Center after Labor Day and begin scimmaging (without coaches’ guidance still the first day of practice on September 29.)

In addition, we should get confirmation on who the Nets invite to that training camp. So far only 6’9” Arkansas big man, Nick Pringle, is confirmed. Three Summer League players were rumored to be of interest to the Nets — Deon Brown, a 6’4” combo guard out of St. Louis; Ben Humrichaus, a 6’9” wing out of Illinois and Dain Dainja, a 6’9” big with a 7’7” wingspan who played for the Heat G League team last year. Also, this week, a Chinese website reported that 7-footer Grant Nelson. who played for Long Island and Brooklyn last year. will be on hand for camp. The third two-way slot also remains open.

We will also start hearing who looks good through the rumor mill. Whatever optimism out there we will take. Gotta have an antidote to ESPN and Vegas.

In the meantime, here’s another Sam Quinn tweet…

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NCAA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Nets fans and fans across the country.

We’ll consider this the end of a three-part series asking a similar question among all Brooklyn Nets fans: Who is this team we’re about to watch? Will they be good, bad, or somewhere in between — and if they aren’t ready to compete, can they at least be fun to watch while building toward the future?

Mikel Brown Jr., Julius Randle, Moe Wagner, Keon Ellis, and Joshua Jefferson are the additions from the summer. Nicolas Claxton is one of the key names that has departed.

In the first poll, we asked Nets fans how many games they’ll win, which 56% voted 30-39 range.

In the second poll, we asked if the Nets will be in the postseason race and 48% of fans voted “No.”

Now, we’re asking fans: What seed in the East will the Nets finish?

Have a fun Nets question? Submit yours here!