The Giannis Never-Trade and a Mega-Mailbag With Zach Lowe, Plus Wyndham Clark’s Second U.S. Open Title With Joe House
The '23 Nuggets beat everyone in Simmons and Lowe's all-time champions tournament — and the Knicks' title may have permanently killed the Brooklyn Nets as a franchise.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Giannis Never-Trade and a Mega-Mailbag With Zach Lowe, Plus Wyndham Clark’s Second U.S. Open Title With Joe House
The '23 Nuggets beat everyone in Simmons and Lowe's all-time champions tournament — and the Knicks' title may have permanently killed the Brooklyn Nets as a franchise.
TL;DR
Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe break down the Giannis trade hostage crisis — still unresolved, with Boston and Miami as the two primary suitors [1] — Bill Simmons "Boston and Miami are the two finalists for Giannis, and the key variable is whether the Celtics will top Miami's offer. Kuzma is likely the…" 05:15 — before diving into a mega-mailbag covering fake trades, the NBA draft, a tournament of the last eight champions (won by the '23 Nuggets in their simulation) [2] — Zach Lowe "16-3 in the playoffs. Greatest point differential in playoff history. A 53-year drought ended. The Wembenyama collision. The greatest comeb…" 51:50 , and the greatest NBA free-agent signings of all time. Joe House then joins to recap Wyndham Clark's wire-to-wire US Open title at Shinnecock and discuss the surging US men's soccer team at the FIFA World Cup. Key takeaway: Brunson's Knicks title erased decades of franchise trauma and may have permanently marginalized the Brooklyn Nets.
Bill Simmons is joined by Zach Lowe to discuss the latest Giannis trade rumors before a mega-mailbag covering NBA draft picks, fake trades, and a champions tournament simulation. Joe House then joins to react to Wyndham Clark's US Open win and discuss the FIFA World Cup.
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The episode opens with back-to-back sponsor reads for PNC Bank and PayPal before Bill Simmons dives into a live intro on Netflix. He previews upcoming Rewatchables episodes — Domestic Disturbance, The Good Son, and Pacific Heights — as part of From Hell Month, and teases Tuesday's Netflix show with Joe House and Jay Kyleman timed to the NBA draft. Zach Lowe's laptop dies mid-entrance, creating a moment of chaos before he pops back online, setting a loose, spontaneous tone for the conversation to come.
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With the Giannis trade dragging into what Simmons dubs 'Day 305 of the hostage crisis,' he and Zach Lowe calmly dissect the situation. Milwaukee's owner Jimmy Haslam has said he'd like a deal done before the draft, and both hosts believe that's still likely. Simmons is firmly in the Boston camp, though deeply conflicted [1] — Bill Simmons "Boston and Miami are the two finalists for Giannis, and the key variable is whether the Celtics will top Miami's offer. Kuzma is likely the…" 05:15 , while noting Miami's offer is capped by their refusal to include Bam Adebayo. The conversation surfaces a compelling theory: Kyle Kuzma — on an expiring deal — is the 'Giannis tax' that whichever team wins this bidding war will have to absorb. For Miami, that complicates roster building around Bam and Giannis dramatically. For Boston, it would mean attaching Kuzma to a Jaylen Brown package. Lowe advocates for patience and serenity, joking about throwing out the first pitch at Citi Field and attending a World Cup game as his coping mechanisms for the endless waiting.
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Joshua from the mailbag proposes an NBA brothers 2-on-2 All-Star tournament, and Simmons works through eight pairings: the Thompsons, the Harpers (Dylan and Ron Jr.), the Wagners, the Williams brothers, the Holidays, the Wallaces, and the Currys. Simmons likes the Thompson twins at minus-140 in the finals against the Harpers. Lowe loves the concept but would make Giannis choose only one brother, creating generational family trauma in the process. The Stutz email raises the Luka-Brunson Mavericks as a rival to OKC's Durant-Westbrook-Harden team as the century's biggest 'what if we kept this together' tragedy; both hosts go with OKC because all three won MVPs and made the Finals together, providing proof of concept. The Dantley-Rodman parallel emerges as the best historical frame for Fox and Harper in San Antonio: eventually the younger player's minutes demand forces a trade, and Detroit won two titles afterward. The Fox contract discussion ($221M for 4 years) lands it as a top-5 worst contract candidate given signs of declining athleticism.
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Joe House delivers a detailed account of Clark's US Open week. The tournament's outcome was essentially decided Thursday when Clark shot a 64 in conditions that were supposed to favor the field — the winds forecasters predicted never materialized. He then ground out 2 over par over his final three rounds, making clutch par saves from extraordinary positions. [1] — Joe House "Clark played from the lead wire-to-wire at Shinnecock, winning by a stroke on the back of clutch par saves and a decisive eagle on 16 Satur…" 1:38:13 The decisive shot was an eagle on hole 16 Saturday — the only eagle made on that hole all week — which House calls the shot of the tournament. On Sunday, Clark bogeyed the par-3 17th, nearly gifting Sam Burns a playoff, before two-putting from 52 feet on 18 to seal the win. The crowd rooted hard against Clark throughout: his unpopularity traces to a driver-throwing incident that nearly hit a spectator at the PGA Championship and, most damningly, smashing an antique locker at Oakmont with insufficient follow-up remorse. Simmons points out that golf fans constantly complain about boring golfers but then demand jail time when one acts out — House agrees the sport may have needed a villain.
- Second apron
- An NBA salary threshold above the luxury tax line that triggers severe restrictions on team-building moves, including limits on trades and sign-and-trades.
- Trade exception
- A credit a team receives when it trades away more salary than it takes in, which can be used within one year to absorb a player's contract without sending salary back.
- Sign-and-trade
- An NBA transaction where a player's rights are traded to another team as part of a deal that allows the new team to sign the player to a longer contract than they could offer outright.
- Apron
- In NBA salary cap terms, a spending threshold above the luxury tax (there are two: the first and second apron) that limits certain roster-building actions.
- Play-in game
- An NBA postseason format in which the 7th through 10th seeds in each conference compete in a mini-tournament for the 7th and 8th playoff seeds.
- PER
- Player Efficiency Rating — a per-minute NBA performance metric that aggregates statistics into a single number, with league average set at 15.
- Value Over Replacement Player (VORP)
- An NBA advanced metric estimating a player's total contribution compared to a theoretical 'replacement-level' player who would be freely available.
- Net rating
- The point differential per 100 possessions when a player or team is on the court, used to measure overall team quality independent of pace.
- Unrestricted free agent
- An NBA player whose contract has expired and who is free to sign with any team without their previous team having the right to match offers.
- Team option
- A contract clause giving the team — not the player — the right to extend the deal for an additional year at a pre-agreed salary.
- Wire to wire
- In sports, leading a competition from start to finish without ever relinquishing the top position; used here to describe Wyndham Clark's US Open performance.
- Grand Slam
- In golf, winning all four major championships (the Masters, PGA Championship, US Open, and The Open Championship) within a career — or in the same calendar year (calendar Grand Slam).
- Gack
- Informal verb meaning to miss an easy or makeable shot/putt under pressure; used here by Joe House to describe Clark's missed par putt on 17.
- Sediment layer
- Figurative language used by Zach Lowe to describe a deep, granular level of trade detail — as in geological strata that requires digging to reach.
- Hooliganism
- Rowdy, partisan fan behavior, especially associated with European soccer culture; used by Zach Lowe to describe the full fan experience he wanted at a World Cup match.
- Eponymous
- Named after a person; not used here, but the concept of 'Lawrence O'Brien Trophy' prompted Simmons to note it was named for a commissioner — the trophy's namesake.
Chapter 2 · 01:15
Giannis trade rumors
With the Giannis trade dragging into what Simmons dubs 'Day 305 of the hostage crisis,' he and Zach Lowe calmly dissect the situation. Milwaukee's owner Jimmy Haslam has said he'd like a deal done before the draft, and both hosts believe that's still likely. Simmons is firmly in the Boston camp, though deeply conflicted [1] — Bill Simmons "Boston and Miami are the two finalists for Giannis, and the key variable is whether the Celtics will top Miami's offer. Kuzma is likely the…" 05:15 , while noting Miami's offer is capped by their refusal to include Bam Adebayo. The conversation surfaces a compelling theory: Kyle Kuzma — on an expiring deal — is the 'Giannis tax' that whichever team wins this bidding war will have to absorb. For Miami, that complicates roster building around Bam and Giannis dramatically. For Boston, it would mean attaching Kuzma to a Jaylen Brown package. Lowe advocates for patience and serenity, joking about throwing out the first pitch at Citi Field and attending a World Cup game as his coping mechanisms for the endless waiting.
Boston and Miami are the two finalists for Giannis, and the key variable is whether the Celtics will top Miami's offer. Kuzma is likely the 'Giannis tax' — the extra piece whichever team takes him will have to absorb.
Boston Celtics and Miami Heat are the two primary suitors for Giannis, with Milwaukee waiting to see if Boston will top Miami's offer.
Brown got a genuine taste of being the lead guy while Tatum was limited, and that's nearly impossible to walk back. Like Stringer Bell running the business while Avon was in jail, giving that back is its own kind of crisis.
The Knicks solved every problem thrown at them in the playoffs, posted the highest point differential in playoff history, and have a genuinely elite alpha in Brunson. Their model mirrors the '70–73 Knicks and the '08–12 Celtics.
Chapter 3 · 24:46
Mega-mailbag
Joshua from the mailbag proposes an NBA brothers 2-on-2 All-Star tournament, and Simmons works through eight pairings: the Thompsons, the Harpers (Dylan and Ron Jr.), the Wagners, the Williams brothers, the Holidays, the Wallaces, and the Currys. Simmons likes the Thompson twins at minus-140 in the finals against the Harpers. Lowe loves the concept but would make Giannis choose only one brother, creating generational family trauma in the process. The Stutz email raises the Luka-Brunson Mavericks as a rival to OKC's Durant-Westbrook-Harden team as the century's biggest 'what if we kept this together' tragedy; both hosts go with OKC because all three won MVPs and made the Finals together, providing proof of concept. The Dantley-Rodman parallel emerges as the best historical frame for Fox and Harper in San Antonio: eventually the younger player's minutes demand forces a trade, and Detroit won two titles afterward. The Fox contract discussion ($221M for 4 years) lands it as a top-5 worst contract candidate given signs of declining athleticism.
Claims made here
Nikola Jokic averaged approximately 31 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists while shooting around 50% from three in the 2023 NBA playoffs.
The 2026 New York Knicks posted a 16-3 playoff record with the greatest point differential in NBA playoff history.
The 2026 Knicks ended a 53-year NBA championship drought for New York.
The 2015 Portland Trail Blazers had a team that included Damian Lillard, Wesley Matthews, Nicolas Batum, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Robin Lopez, and were beaten by Memphis in 5 games.
Eddie Johnson scored over 19,000 career NBA points without ever making an All-Star team.
Jalen Brunson signed with the New York Knicks for 4 years and $106 million as a free agent.
The book Scorecasting concluded that referee bias — not travel or crowd noise — is the single biggest factor explaining home-court advantage in sports.
Running all eight recent champions through a simulated bracket, Simmons and Lowe both independently landed on the 2023 Nuggets as the winner. Jokic's playoff heater — roughly 31-14-11 with 50% from three — makes that team nearly impossible to beat.
Nikola Jokic's 2023 playoff run featured approximately 31 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists per game while shooting around 50% from three.
In the 2026 playoffs, OKC needed 7 games to beat a Denver team missing Michael Porter Jr. (one arm) and Aaron Gordon (one leg), raising questions about their postseason dominance.
In Simmons and Lowe's simulated tournament of the last 8 NBA champions, the 2023 Nuggets defeated the 2026 Knicks in the finals, making them the best team of the group.
Denver won't trade Jokic, but if they did, Utah's package — headlined by the No. 2 pick and Markkanen — is the only offer close to sufficient. OKC and Houston have interesting assets too, but the Jazz are the one team that could make a true 'screw you' offer.
16-3 in the playoffs. Greatest point differential in playoff history. A 53-year drought ended. The Wembenyama collision. The greatest comeback in NBA history. Zach Lowe makes the case: this is a maximum-prestige championship.
The 2026 Knicks went 16-3 in the playoffs, posting the greatest point differential in playoff history and ending a 53-year title drought.
The New York Knicks won their first NBA championship in 53 years in 2026, ending one of the longest title droughts for a major-market franchise.
When you win a title, every painful memory — every villain, every blown call, every crushing loss — simply evaporates. For Knicks fans that means Reggie Miller, Pat Riley, Isaiah Thomas, Trae Young, and Tyrese Halliburton are all gone. Just dust.
An entire generation of New York kids just became Knicks fans forever. The Nets — already irrelevant — now face a city where NBA basketball means exactly one franchise. Even the Liberty outdraws them culturally.
The Durant-Westbrook-Harden OKC team is still the biggest 'what if we kept this together' team of the century. They made the Finals together, all three won MVPs separately, and then poof — it was gone. Brunson's title only makes that counterfactual more haunting.
The late-'80s Pistons traded Adrian Dantley because Dennis Rodman needed more minutes — and they won two titles after. That's the historical parallel for San Antonio: Fox is Dantley, Harper is Rodman. Someone will eventually have to move.
The Indiana Pacers lost Halliburton to an Achilles in Game 7, watched their tank season cost them their lottery pick, and then had to witness the Knicks win the title without facing them. One fan compared the whole arc to Boogie Nights. He's not wrong.
Shaq to the Lakers in '96 — 8 years, 3 rings, 4 Finals, 1 MVP — probably edges Brunson. But Brunson's deal is unique: it wasn't even a max contract, and the sub-max structure gave the Knicks the salary flexibility to build the title team around him.
The Dallas Mavericks offered Brunson 4 years and $55 million in an extension before he left as a free agent for the Knicks at $106 million.
Jalen Brunson signed with the Knicks for 4 years and $106 million — far above what Dallas offered — in a signing widely seen as a steal given his Finals MVP performance.
Bill Simmons argued Shaq's 1996 signing with the Lakers (8 years, 3 rings, 4 Finals, 1 MVP) tops Brunson's Knicks deal as the best free-agent signing of all time.
Tyrese Halliburton tearing his Achilles in Game 7 cast a black cloud over OKC's title win. If the Pacers win that game, does Brunson's Knicks legacy even happen the same way? The injury robbed the sport of one of its greatest possible stories.
Jalen Brunson averaged 33 points per game in the 2026 NBA Finals, compared to Tyrese Halliburton's 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists.
Chapter 4 · 1:35:44
U.S. Open reactions
Joe House delivers a detailed account of Clark's US Open week. The tournament's outcome was essentially decided Thursday when Clark shot a 64 in conditions that were supposed to favor the field — the winds forecasters predicted never materialized. He then ground out 2 over par over his final three rounds, making clutch par saves from extraordinary positions. [1] — Joe House "Clark played from the lead wire-to-wire at Shinnecock, winning by a stroke on the back of clutch par saves and a decisive eagle on 16 Satur…" 1:38:13 The decisive shot was an eagle on hole 16 Saturday — the only eagle made on that hole all week — which House calls the shot of the tournament. On Sunday, Clark bogeyed the par-3 17th, nearly gifting Sam Burns a playoff, before two-putting from 52 feet on 18 to seal the win. The crowd rooted hard against Clark throughout: his unpopularity traces to a driver-throwing incident that nearly hit a spectator at the PGA Championship and, most damningly, smashing an antique locker at Oakmont with insufficient follow-up remorse. Simmons points out that golf fans constantly complain about boring golfers but then demand jail time when one acts out — House agrees the sport may have needed a villain.
Claims made here
Bryson DeChambeau hit a 401-yard drive on the 18th hole of Shinnecock Hills before missing the cut at the 2026 US Open.
Clark shot 2 over par across his final three rounds of the 2026 US Open after opening with a 64.
Wyndham Clark's opening round 64 at the 2026 US Open — shot when winds were supposed to be at their worst on Thursday — was the decisive round that won him the tournament.
Clark made eagle on hole 16 on Saturday — the only eagle made on that hole the entire tournament — which extended his lead and effectively won him the US Open.
24 men have won multiple US Open golf titles.
James Harden left OKC and was given a 4-year, $64 million contract by Houston — which turned out to be a bargain given post-lockout salary inflation.
Wyndham Clark was ranked 135th on the PGA Tour in putting before the 2026 US Open after changing his putter at the Masters.
De'Aaron Fox signed a 4-year, $221 million extension with the Sacramento Kings.
Clark played from the lead wire-to-wire at Shinnecock, winning by a stroke on the back of clutch par saves and a decisive eagle on 16 Saturday. He's deeply unpopular after destroying a locker at Oakmont — but that might be exactly what golf needed.
The US team dominated Paraguay in a way that made even the soccer community take them seriously. McKinney, Balogun, and Jedi Freeman — Antonio Freeman's son — give this squad a charisma and toughness that previous US teams lacked completely.
After his opening 64, Wyndham Clark shot 2 over par across his remaining three rounds at Shinnecock Hills, holding on by a single stroke.
Wyndham Clark's opening 64 at the US Open — shot when the winds were supposed to be at their worst — was the round that ultimately won him the tournament.
According to a real-time search, 24 men have won multiple US Open golf titles, a group Clark joined with his 2026 win.
When Harden left OKC, the Thunder's offer was 4 years for $64 million; Houston immediately signed him for 4 years and $64 million — a bargain given where salaries were heading.
Wyndham Clark had changed his putter at the Masters and was ranked 135th on tour in putting before his US Open win, which relied heavily on clutch par saves.
De'Aaron Fox signed a massive 4-year, $221 million extension with Sacramento, making him a top-5 worst contract candidate given his declining athleticism and the team's situation.
No indexed bits in this chapter.
Show stoppers
16-3 in the playoffs. Greatest point differential in playoff history. A 53-year drought ended. The Wembenyama collision. The greatest comeback in NBA history. Zach Lowe makes the case: this is a maximum-prestige championship.
An entire generation of New York kids just became Knicks fans forever. The Nets — already irrelevant — now face a city where NBA basketball means exactly one franchise. Even the Liberty outdraws them culturally.
Snapshots ()
Key Quotes ()
This episode
Cast
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Central subject of the episode's trade discussion; Milwaukee Bucks star seeking a trade amid reports Boston and Miami are the primary suitors.
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New York Knicks guard who won the 2026 Finals MVP and is debated as the best free-agent signing in NBA history.
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2026 US Open champion who won wire-to-wire at Shinnecock Hills; discussed for his controversial behavior and cult villain status among golf fans.
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Boston Celtics star potentially involved in a Giannis trade package; discussed in the context of whether his era with Tatum has run its course.
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Denver Nuggets center; the subject of an elaborate hypothetical trade discussion, with Utah identified as the team best positioned to acquire him.
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Indiana Pacers guard who tore his Achilles in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals; his injury is discussed as one of the great NBA what-ifs.
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San Antonio Spurs guard and top NBA draft prospect; discussed as the reason San Antonio would decline a hypothetical trade for Cade Cunningham or Flag.
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Discussed in the context of the OKC 'what-if' — his trade to Houston is cited as one of the worst roster decisions in NBA history.
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San Antonio Spurs center and potential face of the NBA; discussed as having been made a villain in simplified terms by the Knicks' title run.
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American golfer who made the strongest Sunday charge at the 2026 US Open; Joe House revealed he had Burns as a preseason pick at 40-to-1.
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World No. 1 golfer who was in contention at the 2026 US Open but couldn't convert birdie opportunities, failing in his Grand Slam bid.
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2026 NBA champions; discussed extensively as a potential dynasty and for the impact of their title on the Brooklyn Nets.
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One of the two primary suitors for Giannis; discussed in the context of whether to trade Jaylen Brown and reset the team.
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2025 NBA champions; discussed as potential Jokic trade partners and as participants in the simulated champions tournament.
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2023 NBA champions; Simmons and Lowe pick them as winners of their simulated 8-team champions tournament on the strength of Jokic's historic playoff run.
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Discussed as having one of the most catastrophically bad years in recent NBA history, from Halliburton's Achilles tear to losing their draft pick.
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Discussed as an existentially challenged franchise whose relevance may have been permanently diminished by the Knicks' championship.
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The other primary suitor for Giannis alongside Boston; discussed for what they can realistically offer without including Bam Adebayo.
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Discussed in the context of the 2025 NBA Finals, the Fox-Harper dynamic, and as an example of a team that earned 'of course they drafted that guy' reactions.
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Golf course in the Hamptons that hosted the 2026 US Open, noted for its putting challenges and late-afternoon wind conditions.
Stats
This episode
Claims & Sources
Factual claims made this episode, and whether a source was named.
The 2026 New York Knicks posted a 16-3 playoff record with the greatest point differential in NBA playoff history.
The 2026 Knicks ended a 53-year NBA championship drought for New York.
Nikola Jokic averaged approximately 31 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists while shooting around 50% from three in the 2023 NBA playoffs.
24 men have won multiple US Open golf titles.
The book Scorecasting concluded that referee bias — not travel or crowd noise — is the single biggest factor explaining home-court advantage in sports.
Wyndham Clark was ranked 135th on the PGA Tour in putting before the 2026 US Open after changing his putter at the Masters.
Wyndham Clark's opening round 64 at the 2026 US Open — shot when winds were supposed to be at their worst on Thursday — was the decisive round that won him the tournament.
Clark shot 2 over par across his final three rounds of the 2026 US Open after opening with a 64.
James Harden left OKC and was given a 4-year, $64 million contract by Houston — which turned out to be a bargain given post-lockout salary inflation.
Jalen Brunson signed with the New York Knicks for 4 years and $106 million as a free agent.
De'Aaron Fox signed a 4-year, $221 million extension with the Sacramento Kings.
Clark made eagle on hole 16 on Saturday — the only eagle made on that hole the entire tournament — which extended his lead and effectively won him the US Open.
The 2015 Portland Trail Blazers had a team that included Damian Lillard, Wesley Matthews, Nicolas Batum, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Robin Lopez, and were beaten by Memphis in 5 games.
Eddie Johnson scored over 19,000 career NBA points without ever making an All-Star team.
Bryson DeChambeau hit a 401-yard drive on the 18th hole of Shinnecock Hills before missing the cut at the 2026 US Open.
