TH
The Kevin O'Connor Show
Yahoo Sports
Future Outlook and Closing Thoughts
From Kawhi Leonard traded to Toronto Raptors — Jun 30, 2026
Kawhi Leonard traded to Toronto Raptors — Jun 30, 2026 — starts at 0:00
It's the best time of the year in the NBA right now with the conference finals, then the finals, then the draft and summer League And on game time, you got the advantage as a fan. It's the hack for unlocking amazing tickets and just a few taps. It's incredibly easy to use and the game timee guarantee means you can trust you'll get one hundred percent authentic tickets to no matter the event that you're trying to go to. pllus F fees are always included so you get to see what you pay. I'm very thankful to get credentials to these events in the basketball world. So I will be using the game timee app instead. for my summer concerts coming up. I'm very excited about it. One of the cooler features about the Game timeime app is the seat views. You get to have a panoramic view. of your seat in the app before you buy And I've been using that when I've been looking for tickets at venues that I haven't been to before to get an idea of what it's going to look like when I decide or what seat I'm going to have at the concerts that I'm going to. So take the guesswork out of buying tickets with game time Download the Gameime app, create an account and use code KOC For twenty dollars off your first purchase, terms do apply. againg Create an account and Rdeem code KOC for twenty dollars off. Download the Gameime app today Welcome back to the Kevin O'Connor show. Kawi Leonard has been traded back to the Toronto Raptors of reunion. I don't think anybody could have anticipated when the offseason began. Who saw this coming? Kawi Leonard? trraded to the Toronto Raptors? Are you kidding me We actually got Kauwai going to Toronto. Look, I think there are a lot of things we could have anticipated this offseason. Le Bron James, possibly going to the Warriors. We could have seen that coming, Yanos going to Miami Heat. Not the biggest surprise in the world, but Cwi Leonard to Toronto Raptors. I can't believe it actually happened. We got going to the late going to the cllippers Brand Iningam Grady Dick Tw first rounders, one pick swap, two second round picks and Caine Leonard. going back to Toronto Raptors seven years after hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy after his lone season there in Toronto. man. like I I couldn't have seen this coming. I'm just blown away. I think for Toronto and for the Clippers, at least in my opinion This is a mutually beneficial deal. That's my first thought here. And let's start on the Toronto Raptor side of things as everybody cycles into the live YouTube, please be sure to give us a like as well if you have not done so already and subscribe to Yahoo NBA on the raaptors side of things here This just feels like a no brainer to me. I know it's a lot to give. You're giving some draft capital. You're giving Ingram who's, you know, not perfect. He's overpaid, but he's solid. And Grady Dick, I mean, he's terrible so far in his career. I still hope he pans out. But it's a lot of draft capital for a thirty five year old guy who's had a lot of durability and injury issues in his entire career. A guy you do have to really conform to and do things the way he wants to when he's in your organization as the Raptors knew about during that eighteen nineteen historic championship season All that said. He's Ket Leonard and he fills the precise thing the Raptors needed in order to get through in the playoffs this year Go to scoring guy who's elite efficiency from the mid range, from the three point range, who can get to the basket and he can do all of those things without sacrificing your defensive identity. The DNA of the Raptors, this team that was so fun It made you feel so optimistic this year was about defense. It was Scotty Barnes and Colin Murray Boyles and Jamal Sed causing eight second violations. It was Jacobbe Walter being a free and the guy showing progress in development still young in his career. And you had Kawi Leonard to this mix I don't think it changes anything about the DNA of this Raptor's team I don't think a thing changes about them And ultimately for Toronto now at this point They're a team where I think they're going to they're going to potentially be a contender That's what I'm expecting here for the Toronto Raptors. I think they might actually be A contender Now, are they going to be better than the Ns Are they going to be better than the Celtics? if they keep Jaying Brown, Are they going to be better than the cavves after whatever they're going to do this off season We'll see. We'll find out what's going to happen there. It's hard to know. exactly what's going to happen with those other teams. They haven't made their moves yet, but Ading Kawai Leard to one of the best defenses in basketball stillill with possible moves to make for Toronto I'm really excited about what the Raptors are going to be. I'm beyond excited. I'm shocked. I can't believe this actually happened. I just I couldn't have seen it coming. Like I thought if Kauai were to get traded by the clippers and get sent somewhere else, I thought it would be I don't know, like like a you know the warriors, somebody like that. I thought it would be the heat, you know, if they didn't get Yana, somebody like that. I just didn't I didn't see Toronto coming. And I just think it's a really cool thing that he's going to Be able to go back to the team i Leonard is going to get go Ki Leonard is going back to the team that he never should have left That's the way I feel about it. He's going back to the place he never should have left. He was in a place where they won a championship and they were set up to win more They could have won more. or at least gone on more deep playoff runs and Look now now they're in a position now where you know, as As loogical Raptors Fanatics said in the chat, they had a top three defense. And now the offense is going to be on the rise. And Id just be really excited if I'm a Raptors fan right now. And as V said, just wait till the extension twenty five max is ideal exactly. It's going to be a lower number. It's not the full thirty five percent max. as well for Kwi Leonard. I'm just I mean, if you're a Raptororss fan in the chat If you're in the live chat right now, give me a one G me a one in the chat if you're fired up about this because like I'm I'd be so stoked if I were a Raptors's fan right now. I'd be like giddy. I'd be like shaken. I'd be so excited If our Raptorss fan. and then like I said, they could still do more. They could still do more. Yeahah, I'm just I'm fired up if I'm a Raptors fan right now. thirty six, thirty seven years old, you know, I think it could be get a little scary obviously, but it's worth the risk to me. That's the way I look at it. I think worth the risk because you're giving up a lot undeniably You're giving up a lot I know Beron Ingram gets hated on, but he did have an all star season He's in his twenties. Ingram is not perfect, but he's he's a solid basketball player gettingiv him up. You're giving two first round draft picks, a pick swap and two second rounders. So you're giving up a lot for a guy who's thirty five years old, has missed a lot of games in his career, K whileenner that is and there's a lot to handle. I mean, look side of things here. They're happy to get rid of Coi Leonard because of how disastrous this era was since he went there in twenty nineteen, starting out with giving up a future two time MVP to get Koat to sign there and to bring in Paul George dealing with Uncle Dennis and the demands and the absences and the and the traveling. Oh all this and that it was just such a pain and then the ass for the clippers to deal with this Ki Leonard era. so they're happy to move on But for them, I think they must be happy if you're a cllippers fan to get that what you did. Who could have anticipated one year ago today to say you'd get two first round r picks and a pick swap in two seconds with a guy who just was named to an all star team for a thirty five year old Qi Leonard on an expiring contract. The Rapters gave up more for thirty five year old Cohi Leonard than they did for twenty seven year old Coi Leonard when they gave up Demarta Rosen, Jacob Burdle and one first round draft pick at the time. It's crazy that this is actually the way things worked out for Toronto giving up less for quote unquote prrime Kawai Leonard than the Kawai now. Obviously those circumstances were much different at the time. Kawai was coming off a weird injury in San Antonio. He was crying and whining his way out. He only wanted to go to Los Angeles. He wasn't committed to signing an extension anywhere else. I'd argue the package now was bigger than It was then with Ingram Dick two first a swap and two second round draft picks. I know some people would argue Demar de Rosen was more valuable than any of those things. And sure, I mean, you can make that argument. I respectfully disagree with you U But that's the way I feel about it. In terms of the draft capital You're giving up in this deal compared to that one back in twenty eighteen Kawi Leonard. So look, I mean, good for clippers fans. They get their move on. They're going to have Darius Garland and B an Ingram Janet Conan Nerhauser and Kobe Sanders Yeah It's a Benedict Mathter and it's a fun team I think they're a fun team and they're they're not going to be that good but they're probably going to be irrelevant. let's just be totally honest. They're going to be irrevant, but they're going to be fun. And that's something. I think that's more that's better than what they've been dealing with the last, you know, half decade with Kawai Leered In terms of the raapptors though, man. I mean, got people in the chat I' respond to some live chats now. logical Rapors f. Damar was all NBA second team, twenty eighteen average twenty eight points. Yeah, I understand. I get it. I mean, Damar was solid. Yeah, Keat Wogler two, of course, Mick. you're right. I don't know how I forgot to say the biggest reason for optimism L the clippers he's a fresh face still U But ultimately, I mean Demar was a second team all and be a guy, but Look, I think the draft capital is pretty spicy. if you're a clippers cllippers fan in this situation. People forget the Kawi started this past season injured. Yes, people do forget that. and I think that's part of the fear If you're a Raptors fan, the fear is the fact that Kawai did start last season injured and it was and he when he got back, he first looked like a shell of his former self And then things eventually got better over the course of the season and he became a dominant figure. I mean, look, the fact is Hai Leard just had somehow best regular season of his entire career Like I can't believe that at thirty four years old last year. now thirty five. He's coming off the best regular season of his entire career in terms of scoring volume and scoring efficiency. You can argue past seasons were better because he was once a better defensive player all out. but like statistically in the offensive and Ci just had the best regular season of his career now he's going to a really good Toronto Raptors team. So I'd be I'd be really excited I'd be really excited if I'm a Rapters fan right now You did see a lot of the ones in the chat earlier from Rapor fans talking about their excitement as well. Jay Lynch said cllippers can roll that draft capital into a discount to Jayen Brown. Well, here's the thing, Lynch, right? Like you want to spin things forward here with the clippers. We did hear the rumblings b the cllippers having interest in Jalen Brown, Forgive me for whoever was the first person to report that. I'm Googling it right now as we speak. I forget who first had that. Let's see. it was Steinlin. Markstein had Okaykay. I seeein Markstein had that last week. I believe that the clippers Clippers wanted Jaylen Brown and let's see who else had it Vinny Goodwell from ESPN said the Clippers badly They want Brown bad. So Vinny Vinny said that at ESPN and Mark Stein said, Okaykay, I had to flip the opposite way The opposite way. Vinny Goodwill said the Clippers want Brown badly and then Mark Stein said Los Angeles does not want Jayen Brown So who's telling the truth? Who's on the right here Here's what I've heard. about the Cippers and Kai Leonard. I've heard that there is interests So I tend to think on the good Vinn goodwill side here that there is interest in Jayalen Brown. Now, the question is how much interest Eough interest to give up what the Soundfics are demanding? I don't know. I That part I don't know. I don't know if anybody's going to give exactly what the Celphics wants for Jayalen Brown All I know is that the whole Jalen Brown situation would basically every Media member Puin on Jalen Brown out there right now. Every executive I talk to ping on Jalen Brown right now. It feels very coordinated to me. It all does to try to drive down the price on a guy who just had an unbelievable regular season sixth in MBP voting Drag the roster without Jason Tatum to fifty six wins. the two seat in the East is a former finals MVP has gotten better every season of his career, even after winning. That finals MVP I don't really buy these teams don't want Jayalen Bown. I don't buy that clippers don't want Jayalen Brown. I don't buy that the bllazers don't want Jayalen Brown I think it's Crazy talk to me. I think it's just negotiating through the media. is all this is personally That's my take on that regarding the Clippers, the Blazers and whoever else might be interested in Jayalen Brown and what his value is I think it's absurd. But ultimately I do understand why say Toronto, for example Why Toronto would go for Coi Leonard instead of a Jayalen Brown. A Jayalen Brown would cost more. B, Ci Leonard wants to be there and C why Leon is the better player in a vacuum. So I get that aspect. Why is the more efficient player? He is the better shooter that Jalen Brown So those things are completely understandable Totally understandable there Let let's go back to the live chat here So Rapers fllip RJ. Bartt and Colin Murray Boyles for Jalen Brown. I would not do that short up not interested I want to keep calling Murray Boyles and builduild with him forever. I think he's a special special defensive player. I really do can't wait to move back home to Toronto and August said, Kwmi, Hey, congrats Kwmi on the move. I know I know what the feeling is like moving back home. I lived in L.A on and off for seven, eight years. My mom was out there the last two and a half years with me and It was a really good feeling getting to move back home to the Boston area year and a half ago now. So congrats to you man and you know congrats to go home at this time too. goodood time to go to some Raptors's games. Those games are incredible, inccredible crowds. Co KOC. do you think that that since Yianis is off the table and the brown asking price is so high that they decided Kawi would be the best option. I do think there's an element to that. for sure U But ultimately, I think part of it is just, you know Sometimes good stories are unfold. I think LeBron going to the Golden State Warriors could be a good story or going back to Cleveland could be a good story. Kw Leonard leaving Toronto and then finding himself back there years later is a really beautiful story. And so I think part of it almost just feels like it was meant to be more soort than Jayen Brown, a little random going to the Raptors What do you think Mi is up to in Dallas said Luke, Tone clearly changed in yesterday's pressure for Dusty May to be more about winning now I was very intrigued by that too Very very intrigued by that. It sure felt a lot different than it did when Masayujeri spoke about future based moves ri So look This relates to everything I'm talking about with Jalen Brown. likeike why would Dallas not at least poke around on Jalen Brown. someomebody like that. And I think they I do think they were genuinely in on CoI Lonard. I think that was very real from the sources I've spoken to that they did make an offer, that they did have interest in Cohi Lonard. It's just They weren't willing to go this far, especially for a guy who wasn't committed to signing there What's the next domino to fall? said Con Um I don't think it's going to be LeBron James. I believe somebody else reported. might have been Sham saying that He is in no rush So I've already' in no rush too. We'll see what happens there h paprika Could this somewhat facilitate an AD trade? I'm not sure exactly to be honest with you. don't I don't see the connection there personally. Here's one thought I have about Anthony Davis though Here's a thought I haven't se anywhere else The warriors truly are unwilling to deal Jimmy Butler for Anthony Davis in order to make LeBron happier about going there Could another team do that And could that other team be ave even cavaliers Would the cavaliers be willing to flip pieces to go get Anthony Davis? And let me preface this in saying it would be extremely difficult to do. staying above the first apron and below the second apron. There's all these mechanics that we don't need to get into about how difficult that would be if they give up more salary than to take in, blah blah, blahah. It would be tough to do. But it's not impossible It's not impossible to do a deal around Evan Mobbley for Anthony Davis and Draft Capital. It's not impossible to do Dennis Schruder and Strs and Jared Allen Ay It's not impossible And so I wonder If all that talk that everybody has been, you know, spewing this week about The warrior is not being willing to trade Jimmy Butler for Anthony Davis and the wizard iss not really wanting Jimmy Butler. I wonder If there's another team that would. And so that's just the thought that that floated around, you know in my conversations earlier today, purely hypothetical. to be clear I'm not reporting that But it's just the thought that I've had and a conversation I've had with a number of different people throughout the day today. I'm thinking about what could happen next? What if LeBron doesn't actually go to the Golden State Warriors and what if he does go to Cleveland So that thoughts passed my mind Massive elephant in the room says, Ben, is this dude not going to get suspended even a little bit? That's a good question. I kind of glossed over the aspiration stuff earlier in part because I don't know anything about it. I don't know anything that's going to happen. I haven't heard a think about it. I don't think Hawai is going to get penalized though. I think if anything youll get a little slap on the wrist to Steve Balmer and say Yeah you misstepped, but we're not what we don't really have any evidence. So this is just a little slap on the wrist for you, a little fine and that's all I'm not expecting much more, personally. I'm not Any theories on what else the hornets are going to do this off season said Yagi I don't know. I don't know. to be honest with you, I I think they could be up to more, but I don't know. I think they should at least inquire about Jalen Brown, but I have not heard anything specific, to be clear the hornets to be totally transparent with you Niles LeBron to Cleveland is cute but make zero signs. I agree it's cute It's, you know, hey, a farewell tour, go back to Cleveland and try to help them win again, but I don't like the fit. I don't I don't like the LeBron James fit with James Harden. I don't like it with Dononna M Mitchell. It feels like it's just going to be your turn, my turn, your turn, my turn, your turn my turn, your turn my turn. I'm getting tired of saying it. We're all going to get tired of watching it. It's not going to be enjoyable Everybody and their mother has reported the same thing that Rich Paul is saying to everybody who calls him Le Brone's choices about happiness this year If it's about happiness Yes, I think he'd be very happy in Cleveland living there. He loves living in Akron. He loves the area I think that's all true. But I think from a basketball standpoint I can't see how the happiness there would exceed going to Golden State and playing with Stephan Curry and Drayalon Green in motion and movement and cutting and sharing the ball to me, I think is happiness on the court The question would be is how does he balance LeBron needs to balance happiness off court happiness on court and chances of contention. And he also needs to balance how does this affect my legacy too So I think there's a lot of components to this here and I also would add this If a brron goes to goen state for two years It does not rule out him going to Cleveland after those two years. And so if I'm LeBron, I'm going to the wararriors pereriod and the story. and then reevaluating where I am in my career two years from now or a year from now then the return to Cleveland could be on the table at that point. So U that's my thought there on on LeBron James. Niles You said, I like S bonus in Detroit a lot. I hate Son us in Detroit. I think it's a garbage fit I think's the worst possible fit for the Pistons. I think it's a big step back. and I posted that on X earlier today and Pistons fans are jumping down my throat like they always do no matter what I say about the team, whether it's positive or negative. And they're saying, oh, you clearly don't watch Jaylen Dern. He's not a good defender. You guys had the second best defensive rating in the NBA with Jayalen Dern as your as your center talking about He doesn't stink as a defender. He is a very good defender this season, more consistent than he ever was before. You know who sucks on defense? The Mantasa bonus. So bonus is one of the worst non existent defenders in the entire league Paper mache He doesn't stop anything at the rim He offers no resistance all he does is rebound at an elite level and he does that truly at an elite level. Does he help you offensively? Yes So a bonus helps you offensively. He can shoot a little bit. He can playmake, He can dribble He can help you offensively. That is all true Buts bonus and when it comes to dribble handoff actions, what he's best in is with guys who just slingshot around those screens guys who can shoot in space. And I think like getting Isaiah Joe, someone like that helps. but Kade bonus I don't see it I don't see it. I think that's a very switchable action the handoff in the pick and roll between those two. I don't think it really helps as much as you might imagine it to on paper. You need a pair of bonus with more of an elite shooter, a knockown guy in the perimeter. So Um I'm very out on that. And by the way, my sources say it's not going to happen So I don't think it's going to happen. I think Durin is going to go back to Detroit. It's just a matter of Durin trying to gain leverage here at this point I don't think Durn is going anywhere. I think this is all agent driven is my gut feeling here. You want to know why because Jalen Dern and Demonta Sabonas have the same agency, Wasserman, now the team it's called. They share an agency. And so what's trying to what are they trying to do here They're trying to get Jayalen Durn more money driving up interest and taking phone calls and taking meetings for a restricted free agent Pistons are not giving him as much money as they want And then they're also trying to get one of their clients stuck in a losing situation in Sacramento onto a winning team That's all that's happening. It's all agent driven That's it. And so I don't think it's actually going to happen. I think Jallen Dern will be back in a Pistons uniform next season. It's just going to be a matter of does he look like the guy we saw during the regular season build on that and improve on that after that just absolute gut of a post season Or does he continued having more duds and this was just an outlier level year and this is throwback name here. wasas this a Mark blunt season where he played for the contract and he goes back to being mister inconsistent up and down, up and down, frustrating pistons fans all year long I don't know. I can't predict the future there But I don't buy this dn for its a bonus. Nonsense that's being talked about right now. and mayaybe I'll live to eat my words and this will prove to be true. But I don't see it happening I do not see it happening at all So we'll see there Welcome back to the chat here. Appreciate you guys for all join me joining me live here today. We get a thousand people In the YouTube chap, guess what We only have ninety four likes ninety four likes, but a thousand people on the chat, it would really make me happy. It would make me smile. It would make my producers who are working so hard at building this channel very, very happy if you gave us a like and hit the subscribe button to Yahoo Sports NBA because you want to know why we got more emergency podcasts coming, more lives like this. when MeBron signs somewhere, we're going be live When more big news happens, we're going to be live and or we're going to have a video posted about it. Just like earlier today, I did a video with some thoughts on LeBron leaving the Lakers. We did one yesterday. John Morant was traded. I did three thoughts on John Morant. Maybe you watched that one already But I do think I do think that we could see some more emergency pods coming very, very, very soon this week. So we'll see about that with what's going to happen Let's go back to the live chat here guys. Appreciate you guys all for joining me today Let's see Do I think Derne is a Max player? No, I don't Nils. Can Scarlett said can the Raptors make Etern Cumpass finals? Yes, I think they can make the eastern. I think they can make the NBA finals NBAJ said one hundred forty four million total four years, thirty six per for Jn. I think that's Very reasonable. thirty six per for him. That makes sense US. media might actually talk about the raaptors this year said Finch Maybe maybe, I don't know, man. I don' remember the raers being talked about that much during the twenty eighteen nineteen season. I remember stuff being talked about during preseason when Kawi had his laugh during the intro th That laugh and that's about it I remember getting a lot of praise from Raptors fans that year when I was doing the mismatch because we talked about the Raptors and people were like, Ohh we love your podcast because You guys actually talk about the raaptors That does kind of amaze me. think I think raappers' fans are right about that. There are certain fan bases that complain about their teams not being talked about by National media. I think Rapters fans are right. I really do Based off of my experience of seeing posts and listening to pods, granted I don't listen as much as I used to during the eighteen nineteen season Mabs seem especially quiet, which is weird with a new GM and a lot of tradeable guys, Adam. I agree with you Have you spoken to Verno about Jh? No, I have not yet Wong. I have not spoken to Verno about it yet, but I send him I send him my best I do send him my best. What's next for Portland? said, Paparica, Paprika. Um I do think they're in on Jayalen Brown. That's just a gut feeling It's not sourced. I'd be surprised if they're not in on Jalen Brown Max, I'm not seeing that move I'm not seeing that at all Regarding Ruy I'm not saying that Um so we'll see there Mike, I agree, LFG. appreciate you joining us live today Mike, thank you. the Lakers can finally hold to their heart the house that Kobe built. Do you guys think LeBron James gets a statue Do you think LeBron James gets a statue? Becauseuse I don't. I think he his jersey number gets retired, but a statue that I don't know, onene championship I don't know. I don't think so. I don't think he's going I don't think he's going to get a statue. What power forward do the pistons get I don't know, Erin I don't know. I'm kind of scared for Detroit to be honest with you This is I mean, I look, we are free agency. It is four hundred and thirty five right now Eastern time. Free agency doesn't begin for another eighty five minutes. If my math is correct So we'll see. We got a long way to go for the pistons, but This was my fear Detroit back in January, February, when I was saying, they have to make a move. They have to capitalize on this team. They have to make the most of it Um Be I'm not seeing the move out there unless It's like Treay Murphy for an overpay. likeike I'm talking like three, four first round drop picks for Tray Murphy. That's a lot So I'd be pretty scared if I were a Pistons fan to be totally honest with you What team will you picture Kawi with? I mean, I have Aphantasia. I can't picture anything, but I'll think of him in And I'll probably in our Epers. Spurs probably because it was early in his career. I always think of LeBron at the free throw line turning around And u Gm like like just really disappointed The Coli was checking in. That's what I'll think of is LeBron at the free throw line. Um Now that's what will come to mind for me but raaptors as well. I think I'll think of that in the four bouncer h with Toronto They just st I remember the goosebumps I had. Like I remember the feeling I had when that when that four bouncer happened. I can't imagine what it was like being a Raptors fan in that moment with the four bouncer against the Philadelphia seventy sixures like that's one of the most incredible game winning shots, the most incredible shots, period. like any shot any any any scenario in the history of basketball U just awesome. It's incredible that that actually happened Fintch sh one of the biggest takeaways from this is a player of Ki stats wanting to come to Toronto. That's not a small thing That is a great point. and Kaaii recognizes what the rators have And what they have is a really, really stellar foundation that's only going to get better with the youth there. And so I think Kawai Man He's got some rings on his fingers already And I think he views Toronto as an opportunity to win more of them U I think he's thinking legacy here I think he's thinking like I probably never should have left her in the first place I'd imagine that's a big part of it here, but he's got two rings And he's got a chance to win a third and who knows what could happen in the years to come in Toronto. I would not rule that out at all Will Fox get traded said Rw twenty five. I don't think so. I haven't heard anything aboutb that, I'd be surprised. I don't think so. I'd be surprised. U LeBron absolutely does not deserve a Laker statue. Lyles's crying emoji. Yeah, I agree with you there Board man gets paid, said Con. Yes, he does. How does Ingrham help the clippers if we keep our lineup? How does Ingrham help the clippers? Well what version of your branding room are you gonna to get? Are you going get the Burning Ingrom who is willingly taking and making three pointers? Are you getting the I'm just going to live in the midrange, Brandon In room. Are you getting the Burnnding room who puts effort on defense or the Burning In room who's more laxadaisical I don't know I've been a Brandon Ingrham guy for a decade now. I had Brandon Ingrham ranked first In my draft guide in twenty sixteen ahead of Ben Simmons, I was one of the few people that had angram ahead of Simmons. I remember Jonathan Gavonei, if I remember correctly was the other one that I remember who had NBA draft coverage and put Ingram ahead of Simmons at the time So I've always been an Ingram guy. Ingram, that set, even though I had a number one. He hasn't really given number one pick return So in some ways you're right, in other ways you're wrong And with Ingram, I think he is just so up and down And u And I don't know what to expect to be totally real with you. That's that's I don't really have a good answer other than I don't know what to expect because It's up to Ingram and we get a different version of him all the time. Kyle said Zach Levine to the pistons for Jayalen Dern. I suggested this on X and people said you're an idiot You shouldn't cover basketball You don't know what you're talking about work. I think Zachlvine has just been stuck in some loser situations for a long time. And yes, he has some losing player qualities and he's part of the reason why some of those teams have lost Dude is an elite shooter He has an elite skill. He has shooting and elite athleticism. Like that's not nothing Ands so you pair that with Kate Cunningham. It addresses their need for a shooter. It addresses their need for a secondary creator I feel like I'm taking crazy pills to be totally honest with you. When I read my mentions and people are like, you're a fool Dleach you aode. Zach Lavinee stinks It's like what do you what am what we talking about here This is the thing, like certain players sometimes go from overrated to underrated And I really think that's happened with Zach Levine. He's gone from overrated at one point when he was in Chicago to underrated today Towwards the tail end of his sacramento tenure, the guy's an elite basketball shooter heats. has an elite skill. So hey We'll see what happens there to work out though. likeike if it was Jalen Durance to Sacramento for Zach Lavine. But as I said earlier And As I said earlier, I do not I do not see a Jayalind Dur and sign and trade happening as of right now at this moment at four forty one PM Eastern. Maybe things change. But I am not anticipating that at the current moment And if things change, I'll definitely say that on one of our future lives. I will share what I'm hearing there But as of now, I'm not expecting it You prefer hero with Cade said Ghoulish. I think that's a completely fair take and very much along the same lines as what I'm saying about Zachovine with his perermaner play But I'd rather Zakabe I'm not a Tyl hero guy. I'm not exactly meanan guy either to be totally clear But I'm more of hisZabbeian guy than I am a Tyler H hero guy. Tyler Ho just has done nothing in the post season ever. He had his good run in the bubble in twenty twenty and then he's done nothing in the postseason yet. every year his play has just dramatically fallen off a cliff. in the playoffs. I think as things have gotten difficult as things have gotten tough and physical, as defenses of game plan against him. his shooting percentages fall off a cliff. He's not able to get to his spots as much. I just don't trust them as a playoff player and actly Line is more like a mystery box. He's only made the post season once with the Bowls never got out of the first round So like I don't know what to expect there, but I'll give me Zactlyaby. I'll take Zalabe I'm glad we agree, Niles Is there any tractions to the Mavericks having interest in Marcus Sasser? said Cruza. Don't know. Haven't heard a thing to be honest with you. But I would love Marcus Sasser with Cooper Fag. I think those would be two tough hard noseed guys KOC to the Raptors need to trade for another ball hamler or point guard? said Cole. I would say yes. I would like to have another guard there since they didn't get one in the first round of the draft as a lot of people anticipated I would love to see the raaptors added to the guard. It's just a matter of who That's the question. who I'm not sure. Would you mean wouldould you try to trade quickly? You try to trade RJ Um, What are you trying to do there? That's a tough question Aaron Gordon went from he can only dunk to a great player winning fixes everything. Thank you, Dante. You're one hundred percent right. Aaron Gordon was a guy who like was famous for the dunk contest and people were like, Ohh he's he's a fake Good asset And then he goes to Denver and he's a championship player and he continues improving and now he's an elite highigh volume shooter players can get better and environment matters. I think that's true in basketball. It's true in life. Where you're born, what your family is, the school you go to, your environment shapes you in a lot of situations. And what does Zachly mean were drafted into a situation that set him down a different path. We may view him dramatically different today. After a decade in the NBA, then we did given the way his career unfolded. And so I still hold out hope for guys like that. I know some people make fun of me and say I'm always an optimist and looking at the bright side of things. I don't think there's any harm in viewing what players can do and thinking about what they could do in different situations or if they made certain tweaks in their games. I think it's short sighted and actually ignorant to feel otherwise about both people and basketball players Personally, that's the way I feel KOC Bob Boba Trooper. Jayalen Brown invites you on his Twitch stream yet No He didn't He didn't do that quite yet Um, but u I would I would Haily agree. I think it would be an interesting experience. I got Draymong Green on my podcast. I'd love to see what it's like. with Jalen Brown, that would be intriguing. Norm to Toronto was interesting. I like that thought, said Niles. I did not see the oh yeah, Furious said that. Okay. yeah, I think that's an intriguing idea. I'm not sure about their cap situation off the top of my head though afterfter the Ci deal Well guys That's all I got for you right now with this live. We could be back, Wh knows in thirty minutes We could get into the trade. We could be back in an hour. I think we'll be back again tonight. I think we're going to be live again tonight. So Be sure to hit the subscribe button Right now Right now, hit it please. go go go hit the live button and also while you're down there, if you want to
This excerpt was generated by Smart Features
Listen to The Kevin O'Connor Show in Podtastic
For listeners, not advertisers
All podcast names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Podcasts listed on Podtastic are publicly available shows distributed via RSS. Podtastic does not endorse nor is endorsed by any podcast or podcast creator listed in this directory.