Month / July 2022

Jaylen Brown, Kevin Durant, trade, Atlantic Files
by Alex Fischbein

Jaylen Brown for Kevin Durant is dumb | The Atlantic Files Ep237

This week on the Atlantic Files podcast, we talk about the rumors surrounding a trade between the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets that would swap Jaylen Brown and Kevin Durant, whether or not Miles Bridges will play in the NBA ever again, Jerry West vs JJ Redick, Collin Sexton not getting any free agency attention, and John Collins fouling out of the Drew League!

The latest rumor around the NBA is that the Boston Celtics offered a package of Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and other assets to the Nets for Kevin Durant. Brown took to Twitter to voice his displeasure about the rumor. If Boston is really contemplating a deal like this, they are flat-out dumb. A team who just reached the NBA Finals and had a fighting chance to win the Finals does not need to be blown up just for one player. Don’t get too carried away Brad Stevens.

In other news, one of Mike’s previous favorite players fouled out and lost in the Drew League. That’s none other than John Collins. We’ve had debates about Collins against Julius Randle in the past, but Collins keeps proving he’s not worth the contract.

Speaking of worth the money, Collin Sexton seems to be a player that should be worth a medium-sized contract. The fact that he got pretty much zero buzz in free agency was quite mind-boggling. Whether it was either rumors of a sign-and-trade or just other teams offering a contract in general, we didn’t hear a single thing. Wonder how he’ll end up proving himself again in Cleveland next season.

Miles Bridges, which we’ve talked about in the past episode, has officially been brought up on charges. So, we took this time to ponder whether or not he’ll play another game in the NBA.

Finally, there has been some beef between JJ Redick and Jerry West. Redick hit a soft spot when he said basketball was just a bunch of “plumbers and firefighters” back in the day. West is firing back, saying Redick didn’t even have a great career and couldn’t hold a candle to players like himself. This one is fun!

Timecodes:
00:00 Intro
01:12 Boston Celtics should not trade Jaylen Brown
04:49 Talent gap between Jaylen Brown and Devin Booker
06:56 Why Boston would be dumb to get Kevin Durant
19:17 Is the East stronger than the West in 2022-23?
20:46 John Collins fouls out and loses in Drew League
26:51 Will Miles Bridges ever play in the NBA again?
28:26 Collin Sexton not getting any free-agency buzz
33:16 JJ Redick and Jerry West beef
38:34 Closing thoughts

Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, Kevin Durant, Summer League, Atlantic Files
by Alex Fischbein

Jalen Brunson, Brooklyn Nets, & Summer League | The Atlantic Files Ep236

This week on the Atlantic Files, we’re talking Jalen Brunson to the New York Knicks and the potential tampering charge, the continuing drama surrounding the Brooklyn Nets, all of our NBA Summer League takeaways and observations, Bobby Marks suggesting the Philadelphia 76ers should be investigated, and the Phoenix Suns matching Deandre Ayton’s offer sheet.

To start everything off, it was more than necessary to talk about the NBA Summer League and all the prospects trying to show why they deserve a shot in the NBA. Chet Holmgren and Paolo Banchero had such a great showing that the teams felt comfortable shutting them down early. Outside of the top three, there were a lot of surprises both good and bad.

Brigining it back to the players who are already established, the New York Knicks seem to have a tampering charge on the way. If the whole hiring of his father to the coaching staff didn’t raise a red flag in the first place, then I’m not sure what else to say. The Knicks seem to have a need to tamper to really get bigger names to come there, so it was only inevitable!

Then, the Philadelphia 76ers get roped into all the tampering talk. Mark Stein wrote about how the Sixers will likely be investigated for the PJ Tucker signing, and Bobby Marks proclaimed that they should be investigated for James Harden taking less money on his contract. If this is really all about just the Tucker signing… Well, there should be better ways to waste the NBA’s time and money. As far as the Harden paycut goes, it sounds as though Marks is more salty than anything else.

Switching back to New York, we have the Brooklyn Nets drama series continuing with a looming future of running it back with the same core. Kevin Durant’s trade options are drying out, Kyrie Irving’s only option so far has been the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Nets haven’t seen anything that they actually like. I guess it comes down to playing with whatever they already have on the team.

Finally, the Phoenix Suns matched the offer sheet from the Indiana Pacers to keep Deandre Ayton around for much longer and for much more money than previously expected. This is part of the reason why it looks like Durant isn’t going to be traded, but now the Suns have some decisions to make. Where do they go now to try to get back to the NBA Finals?

Timecodes:
00:00:00 Intro
00:02:11 2022 NBA Summer League analysis
00:27:42 Sixers and PJ Tucker investigated for tampering
00:34:50 New York Knicks and Jalen Brunson also tampering
00:43:36 Brooklyn Nets running it back now?
00:55:13 Phoenix Suns match Deandre Ayton’s offer sheet
01:00:27 NBA Play-in games are here to stay
01:04:05 What’s for dinner?

Brooklyn Nets, Kevin Durant, trade, Atlantic Files, Podcast
by Alex Fischbein

Kevin Durant slithering away again | The Atlantic Files Ep235

This week on the Atlantic Files podcast, we talk about Kevin Durant requesting a trade seemingly out of nowhere, the continuing saga around Kyrie Irving, the Philadelphia 76ers signing some much-needed role players, and all of the results of the NBA Free Agency period so far!

Kevin Durant shocked the NBA world by requesting a trade after only two failed seasons on the team that he wanted to create. His and the Brooklyn Nets’ shortcomings have been well documented over the last couple of seasons. So, after seeing his former team win a championship, something inside of him said that he needed to go somewhere else to win a ring. If his legacy wasn’t on the line before, it sure is now.

Durant’s teammate and friend, Kyrie Irving, is also waiting to hear about a trade away from Brooklyn. He did opt into his contract, only to hear Durant want out. Now, the Nets are working with the Los Angeles Lakers and maybe others to find a place to finally rid themselves of this headache.

In other news in the Atlantic, the Philadelphia 76ers addressed one of their biggest needs this off-season. They needed some tough enforcers and some bench pieces to prevent their bench from only scoring six points in meaningful games. Adding the likes of PJ Tucker, and Danuel House, and trading for De’Anthony Melton did just that. Of course, the Sixers fans are never happy, so they’re waiting for another shoe to drop and a big deal to take place.

Finally, we recapped some of the biggest moves and takeaways of the 2022 NBA free agency period so far. A lot of Eastern teams made moves to get better and a handful of teams decided it was time to blow it all up.

Timestamps:
00:00:00 Intro
00:05:53 Kevin Durant requests a trade, Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat top two
00:30:11 Kyrie Irving opted in but looking for trade as well
00:47:12 Philadelphia 76ers sign role players and trade Danny Green
01:00:21 Takeaways from 2022 NBA Free Agency so far