NBA Trade Rumor Mill (Hour 4)

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But isn't that what you'd expect from the ultimate electric driving machine? Take advantage of exceptional lease and finance offers today. Time for your daily news brief. We get you caught up on the rumors, reports and reconnaissance from the day in sports.

Let's start off with Wendy as they call him. Brian Windhorst of ESPN on get up says the Portland Trail Blazers making the pick at three could actually upset Damian Lillard. Dame does not want a youth movement. He wants to play with veterans. He wants the team to upgrade fast and immediately with veteran players that can help him now.

Having said that, if the Blazers don't like what they're offered and they use this pick on one of the young players, you're potentially causing a bit of an issue there with Dame Lillard. I kind of like that music that they used in the background, Hickey. Not bad. A little upbeat, different than your normal elevator music. Now I know what Brian Windhorst said because I listened to the clip before we played it on the air. But if I was just to hear that for the first time, the way that my brain works, I would have been totally distracted. I would have only listened to the music. I would have never listened to the actual content of what Brian Windhorst was providing.

But that's just the way that my brain works. So anyway, getting into the actual details of what Brian Windhorst had to say. At this point, doesn't Portland have to know what Damian Lillard wants? If the decision is in their hands in order to make him say that he wants to stay and he has to do X, Y, and Z in order to get him to stay. If they hear from Dame, you make a pick at three, I'm not going to be happy. I'm going to force their way out.

Is that the organization just saying, okay, you've been fearful of being the bad guy. We're going to go operate our own way. We understand and appreciate your loyalty. We're going to make the pick at three.

And if you don't like it, that will work to move you. And it feels like we're in a staring contest here. Where Portland has to be appreciative that Damian Lillard wants to stay. And then he stayed so long. But you can't get to the point where you let him take full control of the organization and then make decisions just in fear of maybe that he's going to say, I want out. Because this team is nowhere close to winning. And I mean, winning a championship. And sure, you don't want Damian Lillard out of town.

But if he's 32 and you're still going to need three more years to get this young talent developed to go give him a chance to win, by then he's going to be past his prime anyway. So it's almost as if they're at a staring game where it's now finally seeming like Portland, if they make the pick at three, is going to be doing what's in the best interest of the franchise. But then I need Dame to do what's in the best interest of himself. And that's something so far, Hickey, that he's failed to do. Because he should have left Portland a few years ago.

And I appreciate his loyalty. But at this point, it's the definition of insanity. He should find his way to go to Miami at this point and get traded to the Heat. And if you're the Blazers, you have to do what's in your best interest as a franchise going forward.

I think right now, the closest thing you can get to winning a championship or the path that will get you there is by making the pick at number three. And if that means eventually jettisoning Damian Lillard to Miami, so be it. Anferdi Simons and Shaden Sharpe, there was that report that Portland's goal is to remain competitive with Damian Lillard and build for the future with Anferdi Simons and Shaden Sharpe as the number three pick.

That was from Draft Express. But then you add from Jake Fisher of Yahoo Sports that Portland is prepared to make a significant offer to the Miami Heat for Bam out of bio and or potentially Paul George as well. So it's like, I don't know what to believe. It's almost as when we go back to the NFL draft, Hickey, because we cover that extensively here on CBS Sports Radio, where you have two possible outcomes, but you get 9,000 different reports on how we get to those two possible outcomes. Either they're going to make the pick at three and Dame's going to force his way out or Dame's going to stay, or they're going to go move that pick and get a player to go team up with Dame. Those are the two things that are going to happen.

And I'm just fascinated to see how it's going to play out. I have what maybe could be a stupid question, but going back to the Jake Fisher report of the Portland Trailblazers are preparing to offer a significant trade for Bam out of bio? Yeah. Is that Dame Lloyd in that trade?

See, that's significant. That's what I thought earlier this morning. But if you're Miami, are you trading Bam out of bio to get Dame? I think it would be more so Tyler Herro. If you're the Blazers, which would you rather have? I'd rather have Bam out of bio.

Same. So let me read that again, because it's a good point that you brought up. The Blazers are prepared to make a significant offer to the Miami Heat for Bam out of bio. Maybe you're right. Maybe that is Damian Lillard in there. But if you're the Heat, you're not like I could be wrong, but let's just say this is an offer like they're trying to acquire Bam to go win a championship and Dame is staying in Portland.

What are you? Are you even entertaining an offer that has nothing that has nothing? You're talking about if you're Miami? Yeah. If you're Miami, would you accept a Bam trade that has nothing to do with Dame Lloyd in it?

Unless you're like, Amfordy Simons. I don't think Miami is trading Bam out of bio to begin with. That's why I didn't really believe that report all that much. And I feel like Miami could with how Pat Riley spoke today about Tyler Herro made him to be the greatest thing ever to save the, to come on the face of the earth.

I feel like that was him setting himself up to offer him in a trade package for Dame Lillard. That's just the way that I interpreted it. Isn't that kind of like what I'm talking about? I don't know. I don't know what I'm talking about. That's just the way that I interpreted it. Isn't that kind of like a football coach when he goes, yeah, that player's not going to get cut.

We absolutely love. And the next thing you know, snip, snip, he's out. Oh yeah. Tyler here is the best player. He's untradeable a day later.

Oh, he's actually in the demon lowly trade. Official predictions. What happens with Dame Lillard staying or going in Portland? I will say going. Oh, so you've changed.

Yes. I think the Blazers will make the pick at three. I think they're doing the right thing in their future.

I want to say you're right. And I do think they're going to make the pick at three. But Dame keeps on leaving these, these breadcrumbs and then he picks them up and anything he dropped didn't end up being true. I think they're going to make the pick at three and he's going to stay.

I don't think that's a smart thing to do. I think he should leave. But this guy at this point, Hickey, how many times are you going to sit here and say, Damian Lillard needs to leave. Damian Lillard, like we've been having this conversation now for five years, few years ago is respectable at this point.

It just makes no sense. This team's not we're close to winning the championship. And he's also added to it by himself talking about his future and maybe leaving as well. I shouldn't give him the benefit of the doubt. I probably should go with you and saying, you know what, until we see it until he actually does leave, I don't believe he will leave, but it's one of the situations where it feels almost like the definition of insanity. I think I'll have a breakdown though, on Thursday night, if they trade Zion Williamson to Portland and Portland gives up the number three overall pick. I think that if you're a Portland Trailblazers fan, sure, Dame stays, but you can't trust Zion Williamson to ever be on the court, unfortunately.

Let's go to Brian Windhorst again. He says the Clippers are the most likely destination to go land Chris Paul. Even though he's close with LeBron James and the Lakers potentially have an open job at starting point guard, I think the Clippers, based on what I can glean, are the team that may be the better fit for him. And of course you would say, well, what about Russell Westbrook there? And I do think that's something that the Clippers would potentially have to work out. But I think that there could be some mutual interest there between the Clippers and Chris Paul, depending on if he's able to become a free agent. I actually would prefer at this stage of both their careers, Russell Westbrook over Chris Paul. I know this was a rough year for Russell Westbrook cookie, but I kind of thought Russell Westbrook played well in the postseason. And, and I hate to use the word narrative, but I feel like the narrative finally started to get positive for Russell Westbrook again. I guess I'm going to frame this as a problem. I think part of the problem as to why he was able to quote unquote shine is because Kawhi was out and Paul George was out. Fair.

That's a very good point. He also all of a sudden now had the ball in his hands and was able to have more freedom compared to, and now this hasn't been the case, but in an ideal playoff world for the Clippers, you have your two best players healthy and playing, which would significantly cut down the workload of Russell Westbrook. And then all of a sudden to see that good of a player, I would say, no, we talked about Phoenix, how they brought in Bradley Beal. And it's a lot of similar pieces in Phoenix.

Aren't they a lot of similar pieces in Los Angeles? You have three guys that they're always hurt in Chris Paul, Paul, George and Kawhi Leonard and always hurt come playoff time. Yes. Which is a problem.

A big time problem. I don't even know what, what the heck's going to happen to Kawhi Leonard this year with how late that injury suffered. And whenever there is something ambiguous with Kawhi Leonard, I think we've all learned, expect him to miss an entire season. I was going to, do you remember what the exact diagnosis was? Cause I forget. I forget what they said it was. Was it an Achilles? I thought it was a knee. I could be, again, this is, it was originally a knee sprain, and then it turned out to be something else. Well, that was, I think it was the same thing.

I'll hope that's not the same. Cause I remember two years ago is the knee sprain, all of a sudden, boom, Torney CL, he's out for the next year and a half. Uh, Tormaniscus in the playoffs.

Tormaniscus, there it is. Unsure if surgery will be required. That was from April 27th. Of course. Unsure because nothing is sure with Kawhi Leonard. All I'm sure about is you'll miss a lot of games next year. Let's go to Mike Dunleavy Jr. He says he wants to keep Draymond green. Steve has said it.

I'll reiterate. We really want Draymond back. What he means to this organization, this team in terms of trying to win at the highest level. Uh, we, we, we feel like we have to have him. I'd fire him right now. I know he just got the promotion hickey. I'd fire Mike Dunleavy Jr. Right now. There's no reason to say that you want Draymond green right now.

None. The guy has been tremendous for your franchise. You love him. He's on your team. You can't stand him if you have to go up against him, but you need to break up this court to elongate the championship window for Steph Curry. And right now the juice is no longer worth the squeeze for Draymond green.

And if you think Jordan pool and Draymond green, after what happened in co-exist, you're out of your mind. And here's Mike Dunleavy saying Jordan pool is going to be a big part of the team's future. We love having those guys here, Jordan, especially with his contract extension, uh, plan to have him here for four more years at least. And then Jonathan's, you know what? He's shown really good progression and growth.

I think in this first couple of years, unfortunately for him, I think the plane time hasn't been there. And so that's on all of our shoulders to figure out how do we get them in the game more, um, that's on Jonathan's shoulders to, you know, to improve and make the right adjustments to his game, as well as, you know, our front office, our coaching staff, figuring out what works. So, uh, both those guys really, really good young players were pleased with, they have great value around the league. And, um, you know, obviously a lot of rumors and stuff come up at this time of the year, but, um, we're happy with those guys. I know you said yesterday that you believe Draymond Green will be back, but if you are Mike Dunleavy Jr, are you bringing back Draymond Green?

Cause I think I've made it abundantly clear. If I was Mike Dunleavy Jr, who I just said should be fired for wanting to bring back Draymond Green, I would obviously not bring back Draymond. If it's me, I would prioritize Jordan Poole over Draymond Green. You elongate just the Warriors ability to compete in general. Plus not to mention, if you're trying to trade them, Jordan Poole's value is nothing right now.

So you're not going to get a lot back. Whereas if you want to trade them in a year or two, he builds it up different story. Let's go to Patrick Peterson on the Jim Rome show. Who's now part of the Pittsburgh Steelers started his career with the Cardinals and recently played with the Minnesota Vikings. He says the Steelers will go as far as Kenny Pickett will take them. We have all the pieces that we need on defense. You know, defense win championships. We have talent across the board on the officer's side of the ball.

I believe the front office did a great job. You know, now it's all going to come down to how well Kenny can play and can he put the ball where it needs to go. Now it's going to all fall on him if he can go out there and show us what he's capable of. I'm actually rooting for Kenny Pickett this year, Hickey. For one reason and one reason only. You have any reason why I'm rooting for Kenny Pickett?

Because Penn State legend Alan Robinson needs a quarterback to finally get him the ball and maybe this is the one. No. Oh. Has something to do with Penn State though. I do not know why.

You don't believe in Kenny Pickett? Small hands. Yeah. Two gloves. Just saying.

Hand trusted guy wears two gloves. Did he win an American athletic conference? Did he win an ACC Player of the Year award? That he did. That he did. He just had something against Pitt. No, it's the fact that he was a starter for five years and had one good year out of five.

That's my concern. It's not a very good track record. I'm rooting for him. I thought he did some really good things down the stretch next year.

And I just don't like the way that you've dismissed him from the start. You didn't even praise him last year. He did some good things down the stretch right there. He played well against the Colts.

There's a compliment for him Monday night football. He played actually really well. That was probably his best game, at least up to that point, maybe this season. But fourth quarter comeback. That's not a strong argument right there for Kenny Pickett. And I also don't disagree with how bad the Colts were at the end of the season. It's not like it's the 85 Bears he beat. The Colts are terrible.

Absolutely terrible. You said say something nice. I'm trying to say something nice about him.

There's a lot of other things as well. Dalvin Cook says he wants to play with DeAndre Hopkins this season. I'm chef for podcast. He was one of those guys that I was going to reach out to because I know he got the same mindset as me. Like we trying to go win. We're trying to get on the roster and trying to go contend. So if we can't end up on the same roster and be on the same team, you know, that'd be the beauty of the situation. You know, we know what we're trying to come do and what we bring to the team. So if we end up on the same roster, man, that'd be some epic. Everyone good to take pay cuts for that to happen and drastically reduce that salary that you guys want? Yeah, I don't think so.

That's why DeAndre Hopkins and Dalvin Cook won't be on the same team. That's the news brief for the Zach Gelb show on CBS Sports Radio. Closing Bell next.

Show. This is going to be something to monitor for Louisa rise. I know today his average dip below 400 once again, but last night he got to back up to 400. He was five for five last night up against the blue Jays today, only one for four. His average currently sits at three 98.

Hickey we're in June right now, late June 4th of July is right around the corner. And we have a baseball player that's hovering right around 400. This is gonna be a major story. Now I know we plays for the Marlins, the Marlins having a good season. I don't know how much national buzz this does generate. And a lot of times in national radio, we don't usually talk a lot about baseball unless someone's cheating.

Rob Manfred does something stupid. It's show Aotani or it's playoff time. But I think Louisa rise, if we get to, what do you say?

August? And he's in within reach? I do think people are gonna be tracking that. And that's gonna start to gain a lot of momentum because that would be really something. So give a stock up to Louisa rise. The defensive player of the week is sponsored by the Navy federal credit union who proudly serves the armed forces, DOD veterans and their families, their members of the mission.

Learn more at navyfederal.org. How about Mets pitcher, Max Scherzer? He dominated the Astros lineup, striking out eight, allowing four hits in one run in New York's 11 to one victory. The eight innings where the most Scherzer is pitched in a Mets uniform.

Give Max Scherzer a stock up. Now Hickey, a little while back, you proclaimed the Mets are back and now they've been struggling a lot. I know they got the victory last night.

I haven't heard anything from you today. The Mets are currently getting one hit as they're going to the bottom of the six. This game is in Houston and the Astros are up three, nothing. Last night, I'm assuming was a tease, but probably something you'll start to believe in a little bit with this baseball team. Cause you so easily get pulled back in by this, just really dysfunctional ball club. Well, I told you I had too much talent to be playing like this. I'm not going to let one win in which the hitting and the pitching all came together.

All of a sudden get me going crazy. It's a long season, so I'm not going to overreact. They're right back to what they're doing best. Any of Verlinden gives up two run home run and they're not hitting.

So I'm not overreacting to one game. All this talent that you talk about. Where is this talent? I'm not being serious. Lindor was having a good year. I like the move a lot. Like he's not playing up to it. Like he's not playing up to $300 million for a reason. Peter Lonzo was leading the baseball and home runs when he, before he got hurt, McNeil Alvarez, who is the best prospect in baseball for getting third base left field in right field. Brett Beatty is a really good player. A young prospect. He's like top prospect. He's playing well so far. It's not his fault. He's okay.

Come on. Starling Marte is a career, basically 300 hitter who's starting to heat up, but has had a brutal two and a half months, but basically 300 last year. And you're paying two top of the line guys that are older.

You're paying them big money. Verlinden won the Cy Young last year. And David Robertson's been good, but outside of that, that bullpen has not been that good. Bullpen's not there for they're overused. They actually got, you know, they actually got depth in the starting pitching.

I think bullpen's been fine. Here's the fundamental difference that we have. You thought this team was a whole lot better than I did entering this season.

That's the difference. We just laid it out. It's not, I don't think it's crazy. We just outlined the reasons why they're a good team or on paper are a good team. Like there's a reason to believe. You laid that out. I disagree with a lot of that. I don't think this team was that great. We were just talking about what, six out of the nine hitters being good hitters.

Like it's, again, it's not crazy. Like they are playing bad, but that doesn't mean they are a bad overall. They're playing bad, but that doesn't mean they're bad overall. Like players are slumping. Yeah. Like players are slumping. Yes, absolutely. But are they like, is Lindor, I just have bad players having a bad year, having a bad year. Is he a bad player? No.

Here is the difference though. In years past, the Mets would be winning and then the downfall comes. Now they're not playing well and they're going to have to have their backs up against the wall. But I've seen so far with this team's backs up against the wall, I have zero reason to believe that they're going to go on this tear and they're going to go make this run to go get in the postseason, even with the extra postseason spot. Anyway, Joey Votto did return last night, had a home run. Joey Votto thanks the fans for supporting his return to the field. This is courtesy of Valley Sports Cincinnati. I have to say thank you to the Reds fans, everyone in Cincinnati, any Reds fan out there that gave me so much love and support today.

This is your team and I know that all you want is for us to play well, for us to earn that championship you deserve and for you to support me with such a hot team for me to rejoin the team and for you to support me in doing that. It means a great deal to me and I'm so glad to be back and it's so good to get a win today. This Reds story is fun and by the way, they're now up 8-2 against the Colorado Rockies. I think a lot of people, Hickey, are going to be pulling for this Reds team throughout the summer and now Joey Votto is back.

That's good to see as well. I know he has two strikeouts tonight and he's 0-4 but that is one of the more, for a guy that's won an MVP and a guy that's had this much success as he's had, he's one of the more underappreciated stars and Joey Votto seems like a really good dude, Hickey. I'm a big fan of Joey Votto. Especially with how media savvy he is. He's always good, he's funny, he's quirky, he has a personality. Usually for baseball that's the knock on these guys.

They're very robotic, they go through the motions every day. We talk to the media, he always gives a good quote, he's always very passionate, tells you what he actually thinks. Yeah, he's a guy that definitely does not get maybe the attention nationally for either his persona or his play. I'll be rooting for the Reds this summer. I'll also be rooting for the Arizona Diamondbacks. They're 44-29. Remember we had their president on, Derek Hall right before the season started and he's talking about, okay yeah we have a young roster, we got a lot of young players, but the NOS is so tough with the Dodgers and the Padres and the Giants. Right now they're in first place by three and a half games. Giants in second, Dodgers in third, and then the Padres have been just really disappointing being two games under 500. But I love what the Arizona Diamondbacks are doing. Corbin Carroll's been an absolute stud and a force to be reckoned with. So give the Arizona Diamondbacks who got another win last night, a stock up. Mariah Mills, her Twitter account was suspended.

You know who we're giving a stock up to, Hickey? Zion Williamson. Because Zion Williamson, he needed Mariah Mills' Twitter account to get suspended. And don't get me wrong, the thing she was tweeting was very entertaining the first few days.

But then when you get today like six, seven, and eight, it's just like okay. Enough out of Mariah Mills though. Thank you to Mr. Musk for suspending the account of Mariah Mills. I gotta give a stock down to Damian Lillard. Dame, I've been one of your biggest supporters, but we're at a point where I don't know why you keep on giving the Portland Trail Blazers the benefit of the doubt. And I think the third overall pick's gonna come on Thursday night. I don't think they're gonna trade for Zion Williamson.

You hear bam out of bio, Paul George. I don't think that's gonna happen. They're gonna take whoever's available, whether it's Henderson or Miller there at the third overall pick. And then Dame, you have to finally go to Portland and say you won out. I don't know if they'll do that, but I'm getting frustrated with Damian Lillard, liking tweets, advocating to bring in Zion Williamson. You don't want Zion with the Trail Blazers.

You guys never available. So give Damian Lillard a stock down. So Nolan Gorman had a great start to the year for the St. Louis Cardinals.

And you know what, Hickey? I pulled to you. I made a trade for him in fantasy baseball. And I think I mushed him because this dude who has 15 home runs and had a pretty damn good average, he has been having an awful, and I mean just putrid, month of June.

He got benched tonight. He's batting 107 in the month of June. And he's added two home runs since I've traded for him. So he's batting 231 now on the season, has 15 home runs and 46 RBIs. I know he's a rookie, but this has just been an awful month of June for Nolan Gorman, stock down. And finally Drew Rosenhaus. I know the shark was on the hook, but what are you doing jumping into the water?

You would never see me. I don't care if it looks secure jumping in the ocean and getting that close to a shark. That was just a really, really, really, really potential dangerous situation. So I'm giving a stock down to Drew Rosenhaus. He should know better too. It is the Zach Gelb show on CBS Sports Radio.