Snapshot · The Bill Simmons Podcast
Charlotte traded LaMelo, Green, and Bridges ($78M in salary) and received Nas Reid, O'Neal, and Grace Nowen ($52M), instantly generating massive cap flexibility.
Where this was said
At 59:00 · chapter starts 54:23
With LeBron's future unresolved, Simmons and Lowe work through the realistic options. Simmons has said Golden State for three months and sticks with it, while also making the basketball case for San Antonio: the Spurs were a Finals contender who appeared to be missing one veteran leader, the money works with Cornette and Keldon Johnson's expirings, and at 41 years old nobody is going to begrudge LeBron chasing another ring [1] — Bill Simmons "San Antonio solves real roster needs and LeBron could be the missing piece from their Finals run. But Golden State offers the sunset ride w…" 1:08:21 . Lowe flags San Antonio's dignity as a franchise — it befits how LeBron sees himself. Denver comes up briefly (Jokic + LeBron would be mesmerizing) but the money is tight. Golden State wins the 'most fun' vote from both hosts: the LeBron-Curry rivalry arc — from bitter Finals opponents through Team USA's 2024 Olympics run — has transformed into something that could close beautifully if they won together. Both agree Anthony Davis to Washington is the most likely blockbuster of the summer, and Simmons floats Detroit and a weird LeBron destination as the wildcard 'wow' moments to watch for.
Phoenix gave up an unprotected first-round pick in 2033 to get Miles Bridges — a rental who'll need to be re-signed. No protections, no ceiling on the pick, and Charlotte walks away with what could be a lottery pick a decade from now.
Charlotte flipped $78M in salary to $52M, generated a $41M trade exception, loaded up on first-round picks, and has the infrastructure to build something real. They may have just become the best-positioned franchise in the Eastern Conference for the next 7 years.
Both Giannis and Bam want to operate in the middle of the floor. That's not a problem until you need spacing — and then you have a traffic jam. For Miami to be a true contender, Bam needs to become a legitimate 3-point threat. He's not there yet.
Memphis would take Jalen Green straight up and call it a win. But Lowe argues even that requires no draft sweetener — it's Morant or nothing. The list of teams that need a point guard is short, and none of them seem particularly interested.
San Antonio solves real roster needs and LeBron could be the missing piece from their Finals run. But Golden State offers the sunset ride with Curry and the chance to sell out every arena on a farewell tour. Either way, nobody's calling it a ring chase at 41.
San Antonio was a Finals contender last year and was missing one veteran leader. LeBron in the Keldon Johnson and Luke Kornet minutes changes everything — and at 41, nobody calls it a ring chase. It's just the old gunslinger riding with a great young team.
Thomas's wife is already ranked in the top 2,000 CrossFit athletes in the world — roughly the top 1% — and Thomas wants her to pursue the sport professionally now that he is graduating law school.
Research shows athletes who mentally imagine practicing basketball or soccer have better performance than those who do not include imagination in their training.
Rico Verhoeven dominated approximately 10 of 12 rounds against undisputed heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk before a controversial post-bell stoppage.
Rico's appeal confirmed the fight was stopped after the bell rang, and the ringside doctor found no concussion or disorientation — yet the result was never overturned.
Glory Kickboxing uses 5 judges rather than boxing's 3, which Joe Rogan argues reduces the chance of a corrupt or incompetent minority swinging the result.
Rico Verhoeven had only one professional boxing match before fighting undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk for the WBC title.
Despite having just one pro boxing match, Rico Verhoeven had been training boxing for 15 years alongside his kickboxing career.
Rico used a full 6 months to transition from kickboxing stance to a proper boxing stance under trainer Peter Fury, calling it essential rewiring.
Rico Verhoeven has had approximately 75 professional kickboxing fights, giving him a massive combat sports experience advantage over pure boxers.
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