The NBA weekend is off to a very strong start.
For 70 minutes Friday, I was joined by Bleacher Report’s ace scribe Jake Fischer to cover as many pertinent around-the-league topics as we could stuff into a single Spotify Greenroom session.
I tried to keep track on a nearby notepad of every team and topic we touched on, but I’m pretty sure what follows is only a partial list:
🏀 We had a long discussion about the state of “college basketball free agency” and the impact of NIL deals on various levels of the sport as chronicled in Jake’s latest B/R piece.
🏀 We tackled Russell Westbrook’s future in Los Angeles and the feasibility of the Lakers waiving and stretching Westbrook after this season.
🏀 We naturally touched on the future of Washington’s Bradley Beal.
🏀 We talked some more about the NCAA Tournament and Paolo Banchero’s rising draft stock after two strong performances to lead Duke into the Elite Eight.
🏀 We tackled the free-agent futures of Phoenix’s Deandre Ayton and Dallas’ Jalen Brunson.
🏀 We went deep on the teams expected to resume the trade chase for Detroit’s Jerami Grant.
🏀 We likewise assessed the Magic, Knicks, Sixers and Warriors.
🏀 We analyzed Ben Simmons’ immediate future with the Nets.
🏀 We closed with a discussion about Utah’s Quin Snyder and his uncertain future in Salt Lake City after my Monday piece on the matter.
🏀 PS — Jake also shared some news about his future book plans in the wake of his excellent Built to Lose: How the NBA’s Tanking Era Changed the League Forever tome.
In short: There’s tons here because, again, I know that list isn’t complete.
If you weren't able to join us live ... fear not. Full-fledged paid subscribers to The Stein Line, as always, get a recording emailed to them after the fact to catch up on the conversation at their leisure.