The Future of the Cavs, Possible Draft Night Trades, and Paul George Rumors

June 24, 2024·1 hr 7 min·4 clips

The NBA's second apron rules could force Denver to lose Kentavious Caldwell-Pope despite being a championship favorite.

Zach Lowe and Jonathan Givony record during NBA draft week, opening with breaking news that the Cleveland Cavaliers have hired Kenny Atkinson — formerly of the Brooklyn Nets and Golden State Warriors staff — as their new head coach over finalist James Borrego. Lowe highlights the poetic reunion between Atkinson and Jarrett Allen, noting Atkinson was fired in Brooklyn partly for starting Allen over DeAndre Jordan during the Kevin Durant-Kyrie Irving era. Givony praises Atkinson as an encyclopedia of basketball who thinks the game at the highest level, and notes the Cavs conducted hundreds of intel calls before making the decision. The conversation shifts to the Cavs' broader offseason: a Donovan Mitchell max extension is expected but not finalized, Darius Garland has four years and roughly $40 million per year left on his deal, and Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are both extension-eligible. Lowe recounts Rich Paul's conspicuous shift to agent-speak when asked about Garland, reading it as a subtle signal, but argues against breaking up the core given Garland's age, health context from last season, and the defensive dominance of the Mobley-Allen pairing. Givony notes that the Cavs' coaching search specifically asked candidates for fresh ideas on utilizing the existing lineup, including five-out sets with the bigs. The hosts then explain the NBA's second apron rules in detail — restrictions on aggregating salaries, sign-and-trades, and a seven-year pick freeze — framing this as the defining financial story of the offseason. Lowe names Kentavious Caldwell-Pope as the most-discussed second apron casualty, leaning 60-40 that he leaves Denver despite the Nuggets being championship favorites, and raises the question of what message that sends to Nikola Jokic and teammates. Givony notes that second-round picks are becoming more valuable than ever under the new CBA, with teams like the Phoenix Suns at pick 22 potentially trading down for multiple second-rounders to exploit the new four-year contract exception for second-round selections. On the draft itself, Givony has Zachary Risachay going first to Atlanta, noting near-universal consensus around the league on that pick. He reports Risachay had a private workout with the San Antonio Spurs, who hold picks four and eight, and speculates the Spurs' interest in Donovan Klingan may be leverage to extract a higher price from teams wanting to trade up to four. Both hosts agree the Hawks face a massive organizational decision about Trey Young and Dejounte Murray, with New Orleans mentioned as a possible destination for one of the guards. Givony explains that Risachay's pre-draft process started late because his French league season ran deep into the playoffs, leaving him gassed and behind schedule on workouts. The Spurs are described as projecting patience around Wembanyama, not feeling pressure to chase veterans or make panic moves, and Lowe projects them winning 38-42 games organically in year two. Givony credits the Spurs' second-half adjustment — moving Wembanyama to center full-time and away from the four — as a key unlock, and both hosts agree Wembanyama is on a trajectory to be a top-10 player very soon. The episode closes beginning a discussion of Houston at pick three, where Givony has Reed Shepard mocked, and the Rockets' interesting decision about whether to use the pick or trade it for a veteran.

As heard by us

A sharp draft-week Lowe Post on Cleveland's new coach, Spurs-Hawks trade math, and the NBA's offseason leverage game.

The Lowe Post drops into draft week with the offseason already noisy: Cleveland has hired Kenny Atkinson, San Antonio is eyeing the top of the board, Atlanta's pick math is messy, and Paul George's Clippers future still feels unresolved.

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