Zach Kleiman Media Availability

Zach Kleiman Media Availability

What do we got isach with all the the moves you made lately what message you send into your fan base so taking a step back just you know zooming out before getting into you know the exact moves you know we obviously th this season has been the season you know

Right there’s been a lot of uh things from a health standpoint you know in particular that haven’t gone our way and you know what we’re doing is being very very intentional about you know what we see as a championship window you know that has opened and you know we care

Deeply about every single game that we play and that’s going to remain you know the rest of the season I think Taylor and the group are doing a great job focusing on developing the right habits competing at a high level I think we saw that again you know last night um and

You know seeing what you know what else can we find from from a roster building you know standpoint the rest of the way but uh we are uh you know in ter terms of what we’re certainly focused on and and I think uh you know I would imagine

The fans uh you know care about as well is H how are we putting the team in a position to go out and and compete at the highest level you know of the NBA next year and Beyond you know with with this young core that we have with J

Jiren Dez uh we’ve been really intrigued by uh by Marcus sm’s you know fit onc court and off court so far I think he’s uh you know been a driver you know elevating the group’s approach you know as well um the emergence of of Vince Williams um GG Jackson you know excited

That that uh he’s now you know with us you know definitively multi-year you know as well uh we’re we’re focused on we we believe uh you know have real conviction that with uh especially with some of the the guys who have you know kind of broken out recently that this

Team you know there there’s more work to be done you know we’re looking forward to this offseason and this offseason was definitely a major driver of this trade deadline how do we put our ourselves in a position to be able to have some more flexibility to capitalize on um you know

Whe whether we’re picking 15th 10th 7th fourth first you know wherever that pick you know might land you know right this year we want to be in a position where you know we we have flexibility whether it’s draft or trade to put this team in a position to go out and really compete

You know at the highest level in you know again I I think it’s a a window of contention that you know the the age of our our key guys kind of beginning to enter their Prime um we’re excited to to do everything we can to capitalize on that isach um regarding the center

Position if we can get into that uh one with Stephen Adams you talking to you earlier this year it sound like he was still kind of a piece to your future uh what in particular led to you you know making that move in terms of you know

Trading Steven Adams and then two how do you address the center position going forward like what are some ways that you’re kind of considering uh addressing that position yeah I mean on a on a human level you know this is a trade deadline where you know there’s three

Guys you know really in in Stephen and Xavier Tillman and David Rody who I think were you know drivers you know of the locker room they all brought different things you know in their approach but um like truly wonderful individuals who you are going to be missed and and difficult decisions I

Think in in each of those cases um you know Stephen um obviously we we’ve missed him you know on the court this year as well I think he’s gonna be back and I think he’s going to be great I think he’s going to be Stephen Adams you

Know with Houston um you know but for us again really taking a step back and being intentional about we we have this unique opportunity you know at this draft and again wherever that pick might be you know we we want to be in a position where we’re able to kind of

Navigate and steer that in different directions to have optionality you know we we certainly have not solved you know at this point probably for I mean jiren is certainly one of the the long-term bigs and I think there’s an open question of you know who who do we

Pursue be it by you know trade draft free agency you know what is there another addition that we look to make uh to to optimize jiren to optimize our front court and to generally position the team to be successful I mean there’s uh work to be done there most

Definitely um the Adams deal at least for the moment in terms of projecting into next season moved you from the quote unquote second apron of the tax down in I think into the first apron area that that’s territory the team hasn’t the franchise hasn’t had to really grapple with for a generation

Really you’re going to be grappling with it going into next season do you have certain parameters on where you can be or want to be relative to the luxury tax yeah there there’s not a a budget that we have to operate from there’s not a

Place that we need to be you know by any means relative to you know any marker luxury tax first apron second apron you know or otherwise um there are under the new CBA there’s there’s basketball you know limitations at at each of those thresholds and you know as we think

About you know on the court how do we how do we assemble manage you know continue to build a roster that has a chance to compete and continue to compete you know at the highest level um those are all things that will have to weigh from a team building standpoint

But uh we’re fortunate you know uh Robert is a incredible owner both financially um tactfully you know we we are fortunate to be able to operate in a way where uh we don’t have to operate from reaching you know a certain end but it is something you know that from a

Basketball team building standpoint especially under the new CBA that we have to be mindful of correct Zach in terms of dealing you’re back you mentioned Stephen gave you guys flexibility but in terms of dealing both him and X is any part of that equation you guys feeling strongly about Brandon

And his recovery and where that stands or is that kind of a separate entity yeah no I I think Brandon is a significant part of the big equation you know if you will going forward Brandon’s doing really well in his recovery um I think there’s a you know we we’ll make a

Determination when we get a little bit closer but uh Brandon has not been ruled out you know for the season I think if things uh you know if it’s advis you know regardless of record or anything like that like a little Cameo at the end of the season just to build

Momentum you know going into next season I think that’s still something that’s potentially on the table for Brandon Clark and you know obviously we’ve we’ve missed Brandon you know among all of the guys you know that we’ve missed this season but uh Brandon historically you

Know has been a a an excellent you know pairing with jiren you know on the court and others um you know I again I I think there’s additions we’re going to going to look to make to the roster as well but uh we do see Brandon as someone who

Can be a significant part of this group going forward um Zach so just with with the moves of Adams and x and just also with the eye test and data that you’ve seen with jiren both at the four and at the five just how did those moves play into

How you see jiren projecting into playing his full-time minutes in either front Court position yeah first off just credit to jiren you know for a second I mean J jiren is out there my God what what he is developed into on court off Court he is

Still you know again the the record is where it is right now but what jiren is doing I mean it’s it’s absolutely incredible and and could not give more credit to him and his approach and how steady you know I think he’s been dayto day I think the the beauty you know of

Jiren’s game um you know on both ends of the floor is that you know there’s always this dialogue of oh is is jiren a four or is jiren a five yes right like he’s he can be both right like there sometimes when you talk about players you talk about tweeners and they’re

They’re neither you know right like that’s the problem they’re not there’s uh there’s some major deficiency you know at both positions that doesn’t allow them to be effective terribly at either I think you know again kind of the beauty of of jiren’s skill set and size and and everything that he brings

To the table we we’ve now seen over multiple years with many different big combinations that jiren can be really effective both as a five you know as as well as as a four with a more you know traditional big probably selling Steven Adam short but with a big of of Stevens

Ilk you know if you will so um as we’re thinking about you know optimizing this team in the play in the context of playoff basketball which continues to be the focus that’s very much you know when we’re thinking about bringing bringing in retaining all those things H how do

We put the team in a position to win you know four playoff series in a row there’s different bigs we have to go up against there’s different types of teams we have to you know get through and I think jiren’s ability to effectively play both the four and the five is part

Of his he’s playing more five you know right now and I think that’s excellent you know for him developmentally um he probably played a a little bit more the four last year but I think we’ve seen in the playoffs things you know teams Trend a little bit more towards small ball and

Jiren being able to Be an Effective five in that context I think is critical you know but at the same time be being able to be an effective four and play off a more traditional big and Roam and be disruptive defensively um I I think it’s more valuable you know than most bigs

Because he can play both Zack in the back signing gii to a multi-year deal spoke volumes about how y’all feel about him as a player what do you think he can add to the franchise moving forward yeah ve very excited about G’s uh growth even just over the course of the season I

Mean from when Gigi came in pre-draft you know the summer league you know early early phase of his time with us obviously a lot of time with the hustle we’ve thrown a lot at him you know and from when we first sat down with him GG

Has proven to be very very open very receptive very coachable gii wants to be great and he wants to be a team player and we’ve given him a lot of feedback you know constructive feedback over the course of the year and he just keeps

Soaking it up you know I I don’t need to tell you guys about the potential and the and more than flashes this isn’t just oh he’s doing do something impressive you know here and there like Gigi’s stringing it together in a meaningful way that’s you know impacting

Winning basketball you know in in large part and um with that with the frame you know that he has that’s a um you know the mold of a wing that we we haven’t you know really had you know recently and very excited about uh he he has he

Has more work to do you know most definitely but we believe in him I think he’s going to keep putting in the work and uh we’re going to do our part certainly to help him realize that potential Zach the the medical evaluations and re re-evaluations will

Come when they come but how essential is it uh to maybe see some of the veterans on the court with GG and you know some of these younger guys at at some point later this season and secondly how much more Capital uh is there in second round

Picks now that obviously you guys have done a great job of stockpiling those in terms of having that optionality moving forward yeah so on on the health front uh Dez and Marcus in particular I think that’s probably who you’re who you’re getting at there they’re both doing well they’re they’re attacking their rehab

You know taking it dayto day but I think they’re making good progress uh there’s not a set timeline though at this point um in terms of the the draft Capital you know yeah this is uh you know maybe not the most exciting deadline and that there’s not you know a a significant you

Know uh starting caliber player Edition maybe that we’ve we’ve added although we’re excited about uh youah coming back Omar Stevens is going to join the group as well happy to touch on you know that also we uh we prioritized flexibility and and you know generating some draft

Assets we were in a position where we we still have all of our firsts with some upside you know we had that going in we’ve added a little more upside you know to one of our firsts and we we were down to two seconds so we now have many

I off the top of my head I I don’t even know exactly how many we have now but we’ve we’ve added several which as we’re getting into this draft you know be it trades that we could look at involving you know the first round pick moving up

Moving down moving around adding a pick and a player you know there’s a lot of ways we can play it that are now uh you know avenues that I think are are going to be open to us now that might not otherwise have been which when we’re

Talking about an asset as significant as what could be you know a high-end first round pick we’re we’re focusing on that like that’s that’s kind of the driver if there’s a you know a decision tree if you will of of what comes next it’s you know let’s see where that pick lands and

Then we can decide we don’t want to be we’re not going to be locked into a position you know with with that pick for example we want to see where that is what players you know stand out you know at that point in the draft and what trade possibilities you know there are

And then from there we’ll figure out the next steps that’s it’s just it’s a unique asset for a team that has the talent that we already have to potentially have a pick that that you know is is in that range of the draft this is tied into that a little

Bit I’m curious you’re going to be entering an off season the first offseason where all three of your big stars are going to be under you know big contracts how if at all does you brought up team building earlier does the team building philosophy change now that

You’re entering a phase where you know a large chunk of your cap is going to be taken up by all by these three guys yeah I mean that they’re all at a a more than you know deserved place at this point with with where they’re at contractually

That that does take up a a more significant you know chunk you know under under the salary cap rules under under any CBA you know certainly uh I think a lot of the philosophy still applies that we’re trying to find guys who might be undervalued guys who might

Be under the radar you know guys who fit you know most importantly at the end of the day that we think could help us you know in the context of playoff basketball um we have some more roster spots you know going forward as well that’s or potential roster spots you

Know at least um I think that’s something that we have coming out of this deadline that we we actually haven’t had you know in some time and you know being intentional with those roster spots to both add you you know be it experienced players you know who we

Think um you know they might not be at you know an enormous you know Financial commitment but you know are there some guys who on the margins you know could fit and could help the group and at the same time you know are there still being

Able to identify in the draft you know in certainly the last couple of years GG Jackson Vince Williams like if we can hopefully continue to find guys who can who can emerge you know and and help us we’re we’re not going to foreclose you know any Avenue to adding guys that we

Think could help but we’re very open-minded at this point and and um you know uh going to be intentional about the fact that we’re the competitive windows open and we want to you know pursue moves that are are going to give the group the chance to compete you know next year and

Beyond Zach and right middle in the back um what’s the franchise’s message right now to Jake and to zier you know obviously there’s been some struggles there’s been some injuries um you move away from R you know these former number one picks that right now are still

Struggling to find their their way with the franchise as you sit here now what would be your message to those two guys besides hey get healthy and get better where do they stand with the two guys yeah I mean what we’re the way that we’re viewing the rest of the season for

For Jake for zier and for the rest of the group is you know the these games are incredibly important you know for for your development for the group we’re taking them all very seriously and and I think think there’s an opportunity you know the rest of the way where even if

Uh you know obviously we’re we’re down several guys and some of them aren’t coming back you know potentially this season you know right so no delusions about that but relative to early on in the season you know where some of the opportunity came for those guys I mean

We we positionally I’m not sure you know like we we we had so many wings you know on the roster to start the year and our injuries were to point guard and to Big you know so a lot of guys were forced to play up out of position forced to play

Down you know out of position you know I think one of the things that we can do the rest of the way even if you know some of the guys at those spots they’re a little bit more um you know they’re younger they’re they’re you know more developmental you know projects you know

If you will but I think we can probably better surround them you know the rest of the way with guys who can uh potentially put them in positions to be successful so we’re excited you know to see what those guys can make of those opportunities I think that everyone you

Know is going to have opportunities you know the rest of the way um so we’re we’re excited you know we take every single game you know that we play seriously we learn from every single game that we play um I’m excited to see what you know what transpires the rest of the way

Here listen I mean that there’s a you know we’re in a spot where we have a lot of young players and you know we nothing has been ruled out you know certainly let me say that I mean I think there’s everyone at the very least has shown you

Know that in stretches there’s lot to be encouraged by you know what they bring to the table and what we’re focused on right now is giving those guys opportunities and positions to be successful and I I think you know wouldn’t surprise me if there’s uh some guys who emerge and maybe maybe surprise

People um trading tman trading tman implied the team was not looking to resign him in free agency this summer what does not trading Luke Canard imply about his team option this summer and the team’s approach to his future y um having not touched on X if I can just digress on

That one for a second talked about Stephen at length before but Xavier Tillman unbelievable part of this group you know for four years um driver again I think I’ve used that word before but someone who really um you know is a you know fits our DNA certainly of of what

We’ve been about and has you know him and his family have Port into you know this this group and what we’ve been about so ve very much going to miss a and and know over a shorter you know year and a half David Rody as well you

Know one of the hardest workers on the team I think he’s going to be successful and we’re wishing all those guys you know the best you know going forward um Luke you know is someone that we we value you know Luke is proven I think to

Be uh a unique you know and and impactful on court fit including in the context of playoff basketball you know we go back to that Lakers series don’t know the numbers off the top of my head but we played really well you know when Luke was on the court we played really

Well when Luke and Dez were on the court together um obviously we hold a team option you know on Luke going into next season but Luke is someone uh that we think is has been a great fit you know so far and uh you know we it wasn’t

Someone we were like you know looking to move luk Luke is someone we feel strongly about uh as as part of the scoup um based on you know where you are this season you know as youve said kind of alluded to uh do you foresee in any

Way you know especially with Marcus and Dez your record kind of play or role potentially in their availability later this season no the record you know that never plays a role in in availability I think we we we’ll be smart you know we want to make sure that our guys are

Going to be in a position to you know be fully healthy and obviously we want the group to be able to you know uh hit the ground running next season but uh we we’ll take those a day at a time a week at a time we’ll be smart with the

Decisions but there decisions won’t be made based on the record thanks everyone app for

Zach Kleiman meets with the media the day after the NBA Trade Deadline. He discusses the trades made before the deadline, the signing of GG Jackson II to the roster and return timeline for injured players.

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