NBA Mailbag: Warriors & Lakers trade scenarios, Nuggets concerns? Zion on the move? | Hoops Tonight

NBA Mailbag: Warriors & Lakers trade scenarios, Nuggets concerns? Zion on the move? | Hoops Tonight

What’s up everybody thanks as always for supporting the show it would mean a lot to me if you would take a second to scroll down and hit that subscribe button to the Hoops Tonight YouTube channel and then follow me on social media on Tik Tok Instagram and Twitter

So you guys don’t miss any of our content over the course of this season all right let’s talk some basketball moving on to the mailbag we got a bunch of questions today we’re going to be going all over the place first question could you see the Pelicans moving on

From Zion getting some quality players to surround Brandon Ingram instead so here’s the deal it really just depends on what you can get back of course you start making calls but here’s the thing like Zion’s career is not over it looks bleak but it’s not over and he could

Still get it together and if he does get it together he could potentially become the player that we all want him to become so that’s the risk like when you send out Zion you take a risk that he ends up figuring things out right and becoming a top tier Superstar right so

For me it’s 100% about what you get back if you can get back a significant upgrade in that front Court to put alongside herb Jones and Brandon Ingram C.J McCollum and Jonas Fen chunis then by all means you you you look into it but it just it just 100% depends on on

What you can get back you know what I mean like I like even if you look at a guy like Lori marinan for instance I I look at it and I’m like okay is Lori good enough to make the Pelicans a championship Contender like I don’t know

So it’s like I’m not even sure if that’s enough so at this point I just think I think the right decision is to just kind of hang tight on Zion for a little bit but yeah if we’re still here about a year from now then then it becomes

Something that’s a little more urgent next question from Eric as of today the Chicago Bulls have won seven of their last 11 games what has been the biggest factor of their recent success additionally can you give me a quick analysis of Kobe white and talk about what he’s been working with what has

Been working with his game this is my third NBA Season watching you cover the league best NBA show out there by far thank you Eric and I sincerely appreciate you supporting the show so first of all the Bulls are actually 8 and3 in their last 11 games the short

Answer is they’re defending and rebounding really well they’re sixth in defensive rating over this span and third in rebounding percentage getting really good point of attack defense from guys like AA dunu and Alex Caruso uh demard de rosan has kind of started to get it together after getting

Off to a rough start to the season and then yeah Kobe White’s just he’s popping 247 and seven over this 11 game span he is shooting 50% from the field 47% from three and 83% from the line over that span and it’s really just a classic combination of downhill speed mixed with

The in between shot making piece specifically the pull-up two-point shot and the pull-up three-point shot we talk a lot about this concept of like defending on your heels versus defending on your toes and like if you’re a pull-up shooter that has no threat to beat a guy off the dribble he can press

Up and take the shot away if you’re a driving threat with no threat to knock down the pull-up jump shot I can play back and I can try to bait you into pull-up jump shots Co white 4.3 restricted area attempts per game over his last 11 games shooting 62% that’s

Like really really good for a guard and then he’s 16 for 32 on pullup threes over that span that’s over that’s 50% and then 12 for 26 on pull-up twos which is in the mid-40s so it’s just he’s just making all of his pull-up or making his

Pull-up jump shots at a really high rate and he’s finishing at The Rim really well which is just going to make you really really tough to guard and then he’s passing really well in pick and roll he’s got good roll chemistry with uh nicovich he’s got this like one-arm

Skip pass like he’s got the size and uh the the ability to Palm the basketball so he can pick up the dribble and rifle that one arm pass across the court to the corner when they tag the roller he’s just playing really really well uh he honestly reminds me this recent stretch

He reminds me a little bit of Devin Booker in in some of his like uh versatile perimeter shot creation the jump shot doesn’t look like Devon Booker it actually looks a little bit more like Anthony signman in the sense that the release point is a little more compact

And he he’s like more of like a quick pop release versus Devon’s got a little bit more of a drawn out release uh but he’s he’s hooping and the Bulls are hooping they’re they you know a lot of impressive wins over their last 11 as well going into Philly and beating the

Sixers go like beating the Lakers the other night Bulls are playing some good basketball next question hi Jason thanks for your videos as always with how well Jaylen Brunson has been playing along with last year’s playoffs do you think he has shown us enough to put him into that tier of

Players who can be the best play on a championship team I don’t think it’s impossible but it’s definitely a long shot to me what that means is you have to be really good at every other position that’s what I’ve talked about like if you can if you can somehow get a

Really good three to slot between Barrett Randall and then Mitchell Robinson comes back next year I’m looking at that and I’m like yeah maybe Jaylen brunson’s not one of the top 15 players in the league but if I have him and you know jul Julius Randle playing

At the level he’s been playing in the last month and let’s let’s just throw uh let’s say it’s you know Dori and Finny Smith like a guy that can guard on the perimeter and is like a really good he’s shooting over 40% from three this year

And then now RJ Barrett is like your point of attack guy in the back court next to Brunson and I’ve got two really good point of attack guys Mitchell Robinson who was a really good playoff player for the Knicks last year Randall as like your matchup attacker Brunson

Again you wouldn’t put them as a championship favorite but you’d give them a punchers chance if they were really uh really well-rounded there uh but again like the you know it’s it’s complicated because when people have this conversation like oh is he good enough to be the best player on a

Championship team really in terms of the guys that it’s like if I have this guy have a good chance to win there’s like a few of them in the entire league so I don’t think it’s it’s a shame to not have one of those guys and if anything

That’s why you don’t do something stupid like go after Donovan Mitchell if you’re going to make an Allin trade it needs to be for one of those guys and until then right now it’s it’s better to make uh more like use of your assets in a

Smaller scale just to kind of keep this team relevant and do the best you can while maintaining your flexibility to make a move down the line hi Jason with how good Tyler Harrow has been playing as of late do you think Miami should stick with the group they

Have and make a run or is there something else you would need to compete with the top teams in the East this year as good as Tyler Harrow has been playing I uh that specific archetype that like kind of skinny perimeter shot creator that can tend to struggle in the

Physicality of the playoffs not the guy that I’d be looking at there they I still think that the heat should be making a move for a backourt score they’re the kind of team that should be aggressively going after someone like Donovan Mitchell uh again like do not if

You’re a Heat fan here’s what you can’t afford to once again via Jimmy and Bam and Eric spola out execute and outsmart teams and find yourself in the Conference Finals and just be outgunned again it just can’t happen anymore you got to get them real Firepower in the back court next

Question hey Jason Lorie Markin in my opinion is extremely underrated in a league with lots of guards who also who play ISO Lori has very valuable off-ball skills with a reasonable contract if you went to the Kings where would that put them in your contenders list man he’d be

Great with the Kings I love the the the the emphasis on the off Ball scoring piece what’s so valuable about off Ball scoring is it doesn’t disrupt Rhythm for any of the other players on the floor so we talk about this a lot with Steph Curry but it’s like you know the ability

To be such a threat off the ball actually just makes things easier for everybody because they gain Rhythm by operating in more space with the ball in their hands right and like when you look at a team like you know a couple the two teams that I look at for Lori Markin in

That would make it that would make them contenders are the kings in the Thunder the Pacers I wouldn’t necessarily say they’d be a contender but they’d certainly become way more interesting but these are all teams that are a little small on that front line that

Need a big forward to put next to their Center in this case Harrison Barnes is too small for that position now with play finishing think of it pretty basically like this if I uh all these openings occur when I’m an on ball shot Creator right so for instance like if I’m looking to

Be aggressive there are guys digging down off the weak side if I’m a really good pick and rle player I’m going to like get a guy tagging the roller in a lot of cases or defending the action three on two what you end up getting is a lot of these Advantage situations on

The backside and like a lot of times you kick it out to a guy and like he’s either like good at shooting but can’t put the ball on the floor or put the ball on the floor but can’t shoot or or like maybe he’s a ball stopper and he’s

Too slow to make decisions or like just bad in general at attacking Closeouts and making reads like whatever the situation is that limitation can bog down an offense even if your upfront guys are your play uh initiators are doing a great job and so having a guy

Like Lorie Markin in that’s like oh you dug down and I made the kick out pass he’s going to make it like 45% of the time or whatever you know or like chase him off the line he’s capable of high level close out attacking and like really squeezing points out of those

Types of situations so most most importantly like I I talk about the low man responsibilities in terms of defensive rebounding and help side and like just having a much bigger stronger athlete in that position could go a long way towards fortifying any defense as well uh especially in a in an off ball

Role like that so again I the kings are a great example of a team that should be looking at him again the Thunder as well and with those two teams in particular because Daren Fox is playing at a superstar level this year because Malik monk has proven himself as a playoff

Shot Creator because of what Shay gild Alexander can do and what Jaylen Williams has been accomplishing those teams have the top end potential to where Lori marinin would be slotted properly as a play finisher where he would be most impactful next question what do you think about a Lakers trade concerning

D’Angelo Russell and Jackson Hayes for Alex Caruso and Andre Drummond another contract filler as well as ruy hamura to the nets for Dorian finny Smith hypothetically what would be the ceiling for the Lakers if they did this thank you so this is an example of what I

Would consider to be a slam dunk home run touchdown whatever the you want to call it like perfect trade deadline for the Lakers and the reason why I say that is I’ve been preaching this all season Austin’s your one LeBron’s your four ad’s you’re five and you need

Upgrades at the two and three and you need a playoff playable backup center Christian Wood and Jackson A’s have both had moments this year but I don’t think either of them uh looks like a guy that could hold down a playoff unit so what you’re pitching to me is Alex cruso big

Upgrade at the two Dorian finny Smith big upgrade at the three Andre Drummond big upgrade at the backup center so like yeah that’d be great the problem is is like to get a Chicago to do a deal like that you’d have to at least add one first first round pick and there’s going

To be a lot of suitors for Alex kuso and so I don’t necessarily think that’s super realistic um but if that could if that did go down it would be a home run for the Lakers next question after watching Carson break down Lori markkanen’s game I believe he’d be the perfect trade for

The Warriors with Steph’s gravity and Lor’s ability to cut reposition screen and mismatch hunt I think he’s the perfect fit to the Golden State offense so Jason as GM of the Warriors what would you be willing to trade for that perfect complimentary piece to Steph’s

Game and as the GM of the Jazz what would you be asking for for Lori so I would agree that Lorie marinan is the cleanest and most obvious fit for the Warriors front line uh obviously he’s not as good defensively as a guy like Pascal sakam but I think in terms of

Overall fit he’d be a better offensive weapon for the Warriors here’s the problem he’s going to be the most sought after piece at this deadline him and Donovan Mitchell probably if if if if either are even going to be made available for trade you know what I mean

Like the reason why I’ve been talking about Pascal cakam is because I find him achievable he’s on an expiring contract I I it just feels like a certainty that Toronto will trade him uh in general I think especially if Lori and Donovan Mitchell hit the market all of the big

Suitors are going to be going after those guys which might open up a window for a team like Golden State to slide in and get Pascal SE yakum right now the question is how could you get Lori it’s pretty simple you would need a team like

Utah to put a whole lot of value on Jonathan kaminga and again I really like Jonathan kaminga I’m just not sure if that’s enough and like what if it gets tricky and they’re like oh we want Moses or we want Jonathan kaminga and Brandon pamy or something like that then it be

Becomes a little more tricky because psky has been so important to them over the course of the last couple of weeks uh and you would need the salary filler of Chris Paul and you’re ditching two guards in that situation right so it’s not so much whether or not Lori is the

Best fit because I believe he is it’s more just price to me I’ve been targeting SE yakum because I I see him as the most achievable option for the uh for the Warriors at this deadline next question I’m a Warriors fan and I want to know if Pascal is

Really the answer in a trade he isn’t a great three-point shooter and I fear it will lead to spacing issues what does Pascal offer to the team to negate that issue would someone like the Lakers do the exact same strategy with Draymond and Pascal on the floor or would it be

Different thanks Jason I love watching your show keep up the good work um so this is the thing specifically with the Warriors I don’t find three-point shooting as as important obviously a three-point shot would go a long way with someone like seak as Sam is fanari in our show put so

Well the other day he talked about how like hey like if sakam was a reliable three-point shooter he’d be like Kevin Durant light and the reason why he says that is because Pascal yakum is an excellent off ball Defender he’s an EXC excellent on ball Defender he’s an

Excellent shot Creator in just about every way aside from his consistency from the perimeter and this is where I point to a guy like Andre guala how how is it that the warriors were able to succeed all those years with Andre Iguodala on the floor alongside Draymond

Green and a big part of it was first of all Iguodala was getting such high quality shots and he had so much big game experience he was comfortable taking them and that’s the thing I actually do think SE yakum would shoot well for the Warriors just based on the

Quality of the shots he would get just him being confident and comfortable in that situation two inverted spacing when you’ve got Steph Curry and Klay Thompson chasing uh running around on the perimeter and guys having to show over the top of screens I like a big part of

It would be you’d need Wiggins to regain his form but I actually do think Wiggins will get right at some point this season especially if they trade kaminga and open up his rotation minutes more but what I look at it as is you’re going to

Get a lot of one four on threes and in those four on threes it’s actually more important to have guys that are athletes that can cut along the Baseline and that are good at dribble shooting and passing to quickly capitalize on that Advantage situation then the second piece of it is the

Two-man game with Steph not since KD have they had a guy that they can really run two-man game with Steph uh in terms of like getting switches and attacking matchups and Pascal sakam has been one of the best postup players in the league this year and so having the ability to

Get step’s Defender switched onto him and take him onto the block I just think all the other offensive benefits would greatly outweigh any sort of shooting inconsistency from sakam hey Jason I have a mailbag question for you what do you think about a ruy for Buddy heel trade helps both

Teams tremendously and fills a need each team needs desperately I know it’s not going to solve all of Indy’s problems but it definitely can help as for the Lakers they’re giving up a better player but as you’ve said in previous shows there’s a log Jam at ru’s position since

LeBron and him have a similar similar archetype maybe Indie could include a pick or some other assets or players just wondering what you think about it so here’s the thing I I I agree with you from the standpoint of fit that if you traded both guys for each other it would

Make both teams better cuz one ru’s a big upgrade over uh uh um I’m blanking on his name now the the power forward for the uh OB toppen excuse me for the I’m terrible with names in general but uh it’s an upgrade on Obi top and at the forward position bigger stronger player

Better help Defender you know just a better player uh and Buddy heeld as an off ball shooter is just a better fit uh in a starting lineup alongside a guy like LeBron James and Anthony Davis than a guy like uh you know D’Angelo Russell in a two spot next to Austin Reeves or

Something like that right here’s the problem like two things one it would be a poor use of ruy as an asset cuz Ru is just a better asset than buddy and you just should be targeting higher level players two uh buddy is another skill guard and we’ve already seen with the

Lakers what it looks like when you have Austin Reeds next to another skill guard or D’Angelo Russell next to another skill guard so to me it’s not so much that I don’t think it would help either team because of course it would it just

Would be a poor use of the asset for the Lakers and they should be targeting an athlete for that position instead all right last question Jason mailback question I’m going to keep trying to get one in there I’m I’m a nuggets fan and it seems like the nuggets are just kind

Of mid right now Murray has been typical regular season Murray injuries and up and down play joic doesn’t seem very focused and has been a bit up and down rather than consistently dominant haven’t seen that from him since 2019 I know you were talking about jokic’s jump

Shot but do you think there’s something else going on are they satisfied with winning the chip and not putting in the effort they should is there maybe some locker room stuff or personal stuff going on that you’ve heard whispers about I genuinely think once the playoffs come around we’ll be fine but

I’m starting to get a bit worried if you were a nuggets fan would you be worried thoughts I am completely and utterly not worried about the Nuggets I still think they are by far the safest bet to win the title this year by far is a stretch but I think they’re clearly and

Discernably the safest bet to win the title this year the stretch actually reminds me a lot of the stretch they had before the playoffs last year you know this is a team that like knows they’re capable of reaching a certain ceiling and they’ve demonstrated ability to ramp

Up when they get to the postseason the only thing I’d be wored worried about with Denver that would take them off of my number one spot in my contenders is a season ending injury to one of their core five guys like if Jamaal Murray gets hurt cavius c pop gets hurt Michael

Porter Jr gets hurt or Aaron Gordon gets hurt any one of them I would drop them from that number one spot because I do think the downgrade to the next option is just a huge downgrade for any single one of those positions uh but if they’re

Healthy when they get they could be you know 45 and 37 and be the five seed in the West and I’d pick them to win the league like it’s just what I would do because that’s how much I trust their defense and in general I would imagine

That dur the EB and flow of the standings if they ever get to a point where they lose too many games they’ll lock back in and they’ll get back to winning I’m just entirely not worried about It

Jason Timpf answers mailbag questions including whether the New Orleans Pelicans will move off of Zion Williamson, who Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors can target in a trade to get back into playoff contention, potential trades for LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers to make, and much more!

Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/mUyCG4LJpPs

Timeline:
00:00 – Will Pelicans move on from Zion?
01:39 – What has sparked Bulls?
04:17 – Is Jalen Brunson elite?
06:15 – Can Heat go on NBA Finals run?
07:06 – Lauri Markkanen to Kings?
09:55 – Potential Lakers trades
11:12 – Markkanen’s fit with Warriors
13:04 – Is Pascal Siakam to Warriors the right fit?
15:23 – Rui for Buddy Hield?
16:54 – Worried about the Nuggets?

Follow Jason Timpf on social:
Tweets by _JasonLT
https://www.instagram.com/jtimpf15/

Shop the hottest gear in all of sports podcasting: https://thevolume.com/shop-all-new

Follow us on social media:
https://www.instagram.com/thevolumesports
Tweets by TheVolumeSports
https://www.facebook.com/TheVolumeSports

@thevolumesports

Learn more about the Volume:
https://www.thevolume.com

#nba #lakers #warriors #lebronjames #lebron #stephcurry #stephencurry #goldenstatewarriors #losangeleslakers #chicagobulls #bulls #kings #sacramentokings #zionwilliamson #pelicans #neworleanspelicans #miamiheat #heat #basketball #sports