Will LeBron remain a Laker? Danny Green says LBJ won't VALUE himself at a discount 👀 | NBA Today

0:00 That is Victor Webeyama being ejected last

0:02 night for the first time in his career.

0:04 You can see it here.

0:04 It's early in the second quarter of the Spurs game four against the Wolves.

0:08 And Victor, yeah, he just elbows Nas Reed in the neck.

0:11 And then you can see Wemby after he was assessed the flagrant two,

0:14 he seems unsure of what that meant.

0:15 He asked Harrison Barnes and now I get

0:17 to ask Sham Shiranya because the league it

0:19 came to a decision earlier today already Shams

0:22 on Weby's foul and any potential future consequences.

0:25 What did the league decide in terms of future discipline here?

0:30 Malikica, sources tell me that there will be no further

0:33 NBA discipline for Victor Womenyama after that elbow to Nas Reed.

0:38 So, no suspension, no fine.

0:40 Victor Romanyama is fully clear to play

0:42 in game five on Tuesday night in San Antonio.

0:46 The two major things to take in account into the NBA's decision is one,

0:50 Victor Romanyama was ejected for the majority of game four.

0:54 But most importantly, there is no prior history,

0:57 no prior accounts of any violent activity for Victor Romanyama.

1:00 And that clearly played a part in the NBA ruling today.

1:03 No suspension, no fine for Webby.

1:05 All right.

1:06 And that that's huge because now this series is all tied up.

1:08 They're heading back to San Antonio.

1:09 And we know how consequential games fives are

1:12 when a series is all tied up at 22.

1:14 Shams, thank you very much for that insight.

1:16 Nas Reed though, he was on the other side of that elbow.

1:19 He had this to say about it.

1:22 How much did it impact you?

1:23 How much did it hurt?

1:24 And uh have you been hit like that before in this game?

1:28 Pain is weakness leaving the body.

1:30 That's it.

1:31 I

1:31 mean, of course, they're a really great team with him on the floor,

1:33 but they play a lot slower when he's on the floor cuz,

1:36 you know, everything is involved around him.

1:38 When he's not on the floor, everybody is play it's just like,

1:41 you know, when every team is missing their best player, everybody plays free.

1:43 they get more shots, more confident.

1:46 Okay, so there are some numbers to back that up, right?

1:48 Because their offensive efficiency,

1:50 it was better after Wemi was ejected than it was beforehand.

1:55 It's tough though to adjust when you have your your your star player,

1:58 your best player leave in the middle of a game.

1:59 But with that, San Antonio, they had a four-point lead headed into the fourth.

2:02 Anthony Edwards, though, he took over making big plays.

2:05 That's what the stars do.

2:06 A fired up after that big bucket.

2:08 And then a few minutes later here, the lead is down to just two.

2:12 Nas Reed working little hand off there to Anthony Edwards.

2:16 Better be up and just a little little tap on it afterwards as well.

2:22 And then three minutes left.

2:22 The Wolves down one.

2:23 Nas Reed backing down to Aaron Fox gives it up to Rudy Goar.

2:26 And here's where you wonder.

2:27 Luke Cornett, he held it down inside.

2:29 But you have to wonder if those easy

2:31 looks from Goar just made easier by the fact

2:33 there was no Victor Webbyama again attacking

2:35 the paint with no Wemby to man the middle.

2:37 And another 35-point game for Edwards.

2:40 This is the fifth most in NBA history before turning 25 by the way.

2:43 Under a minute left.

2:44 Minnesota up five looking to close this out.

2:46 Iodumo can't get it to go.

2:48 Nas Reed right there.

2:49 What did we say?

2:50 Manning the paint.

2:51 So Minnesota able to survive here.

2:54 Here's Anthony Edwards after the big win.

2:57 Today is Mother's Day and um so I just wanted

3:01 to win for my mom and it was just that simple.

3:06 Was she on your mind all day today or Sure.

3:09 Yeah, I couldn't lose this game for her for sure.

3:13 Anthony Edwards has has shared in the past how much

3:15 Mother's Day uh means to him and is special for him.

3:18 He of course he lost his mom to cancer back

3:21 in 2015 and aunt's playoff careerh high of 44 points.

3:24 It also came on Mother's Day right in 2024.

3:27 And after Mother's Day yesterday,

3:29 Edwards now has more 30-point games in the playoffs

3:32 than all other players in franchise history combined here.

3:36 So certainly Anthony Edwards playing for something incredibly special.

3:39 On the Spurs side of this though,

3:40 here's Mitch Johnson talking about the impact of Wemby's ejection.

3:46 He's gotten chucked.

3:46 He's gotten pushed down in transition, running freely, all the stuff.

3:51 He doesn't complain one time.

3:54 We don't complain because we're just going to play.

3:56 We don't really give, excuse my language,

3:58 but at some stage he should be protected.

4:01 And if not, he's going to have to protect himself.

4:03 and unfortunately stuff like that happens.

4:06 All right, so interesting insight there from Mitch

4:08 Johnson as we say hello to Big Park.

4:10 Welcoming Park into the show.

4:12 Uh Park, I'm curious your reaction here because no suspension for Victor.

4:15 I'm not sure that I would say that that's the reason they lost the game, right?

4:18 The Wolves, they started attacking the paint

4:20 the more Rudy had some dunks down the stretch.

4:22 How did you see Victor being out impacting this one?

4:27 Well, to be honest, obviously it stopped them from being

4:29 able to get to the to the to the cup, but this was all about Anthony Edwards.

4:34 This was Anthony Edwards embracing and taking over the moment,

4:38 and he wasn't waiting on anyone else.

4:40 He was going to get that win.

4:42 We heard him in the postgame interview talking about

4:44 he was going to get that for his mama.

4:46 That was deep in his soul because he did just that.

4:49 And obviously, it opens it up when you don't have

4:52 your defensive player of the year in the middle to anchor it.

4:55 So aunt did a fine job of picking that balance and get down downhill.

5:01 But DG Malikica, can y'all listen?

5:04 This has been an exciting series outside of what happened last night.

5:09 This perimeter play these guards, Anthony Els, Dylan Harper,

5:13 Jay McDaniels, uh, uh, Champany, that's his name.

5:18 Yeah.

5:18 Hey, they they've been bumping.

5:20 I love they been Yeah.

5:21 They've been getting their feet hot and I love it.

5:24 Yeah.

5:24 Certainly.

5:24 I I think that this has been the best

5:25 series so far of the second round without a doubt.

5:28 But Danny, you noticed a direct impact, right?

5:30 No Victor Webinama.

5:32 How were the the Wolves able to take advantage?

5:34 We give a lot of credit to Anthony Edwards, but you know,

5:36 Cornette 2 did a great job, but they were attacking the rim.

5:38 They were attacking the paint when you saw Cornette.

5:40 Cornette is a good big, can move laterally,

5:42 but doesn't take up as much space and recover as fast as Wimby.

5:45 You see Anthony Edwards come off the screen here.

5:47 Sees little Cornette up high.

5:48 I'm going to go right at the rim.

5:50 And Cornette usually can get back, but he's not.

5:52 I said WBY can probably get that shot.

5:54 L Cornet can't.

5:55 Same thing here.

5:56 Get another screen and roll.

5:57 Got Cornet in it.

5:58 You got a little mismatch one-on-one.

6:00 He has decent foot speed and WBY has good foot speed too,

6:03 but WBY again he has so takes up so much area.

6:05 He can give more ground.

6:06 Luke Cornett has to be up on the three-point

6:08 line to contest these shots and get back.

6:10 As you see in Sunday's game, 38 drives, shots off drives.

6:14 Second most under Chris Finch.

6:16 Ironically, the game before they had 32 kickouts.

6:18 That was the most kickouts under Chris Finch.

6:20 And this was the second most drives or shots

6:22 off drives since Chris Finch has been a coach here.

6:24 So they're getting a lot more open looks and they're

6:26 being more aggressive attacking the rim, which they should.

6:28 And that'll change in game five.

6:30 Yeah.

6:30 Because you know that in game five now Victor Webama is going

6:33 to come back with a with a bit of a chip on his shoulder.

6:35 Not because that wasn't I wasn't sure it in real time as I

6:39 watched it back it was a kind of a textbook flagrant to foul, right?

6:42 Um but Victor, give him any sort of kindling, he will light that fire.

6:48 and I certainly expect that in this game five.

6:50 LeBron is is facing being swept.

6:52 It's a situation that he's been in before.

6:54 You spoke to him about this.

6:56 What's his mindset going into this game?

6:58 So, I asked him with the prospect of an elimination game coming up and you

7:02 would know that this is maybe the last time this group gets to play together,

7:06 do you acknowledge it with one another?

7:08 And like, let's do what we can because

7:10 we may never have a moment like this again.

7:13 And he said, no, we don't talk about that.

7:15 It's just about approaching the moment at hand.

7:16 Now, of course, when I asked him that question,

7:19 I wasn't really just asking about that group.

7:21 I was asking about his context within that group in particular.

7:26 This is the first time in his Laker career, eight years in, where he'll be going

7:29 into a summer without a contract option with the Lakers.

7:33 Fully unrestricted free agent.

7:35 Now, earlier in the year, I think one of the options that we

7:38 were weighing was whether he would play period.

7:42 Yeah, I would say all indicators say

7:42 that he will continue playing NBA basketball, right?

7:45 But the question is whether we'll be in Los Angeles and

7:48 you know if he wants to be able to enjoy life,

7:51 build his businesses off the court,

7:54 get in golf every day on an off day in Southern California, obviously his family

8:00 and win.

8:01 All of them are kind of here.

8:03 I think the winning part is the only part that you have to get answered

8:06 and the and also potentially how much money it could be worth, right?

8:08 a contract piece here in Los Angeles because they don't have

8:11 the the contracts that LeBron James has been used to signing here to offer.

8:15 You two have both played with LeBron.

8:18 Having that context, what do you think?

8:20 Do you do you think that he is going to return to Los Angeles?

8:24 I I don't um I think that there's an a chance,

8:27 but I just don't see a world where LeBron James takes

8:30 a pay cut of what they're going to ask of him to do.

8:33 Um and again, I think the winning part might

8:35 come into he wants to be here with his family, build his businesses.

8:38 It's a if he I expect only one more year after this year.

8:42 If it's just one year, I don't think it matters to him.

8:44 And if it ends up back in Cleveland, I think he'd be okay with that.

8:46 And you have a better chance of also coming out of the East with Cleveland.

8:50 The East is not as strong as the West being here with the Lakers.

8:54 Um Yeah.

8:54 And he's I just don't see a world where he

8:57 allows himself to be valued at a discount.

8:59 What do you think, Perk?

9:02 Well, I I know the Lakers have been talking over

9:05 the past this past season about turning the page, right?

9:09 But and I know Braun, he's smart enough to weigh all his options.

9:13 If I'm Brawn, I'm not rushing to anything.

9:15 I don't have my mind made up.

9:17 And I actually leave this opportunity to return back for the Lakers open.

9:22 Because what's happening is right now if you're

9:24 the Lakers and you're sitting up here saying, "Well,

9:27 hey, the plan was was to build around

9:30 Luca and Austin Reeves." Okay, Luca, we get it.

9:34 Austin Reeves, and I get it.

9:36 He's coming back off of injury,

9:37 but what he what he's displayed in these playoffs

9:42 has been pretty damn bad to say he's auditioning to be a franchise of one

9:46 of the most historic franchises in sports,

9:49 a franchise that's about championships.

9:52 And so you got to ask yourself if you're Jeanie Bus and Rob Pelinka,

9:56 hey, can Austin Reeds be my second option on a championship team?

10:01 He hasn't showed that this postseason offensively and defensively.

10:06 Last game, they were literally headh hunting him and picking on him.

10:10 You can't have two guys that are not

10:13 good or average defenders and as your franchise guys.

10:16 You could have your top dog is

10:19 that, but your second option got to be able to defend.

10:22 And if you're Bru, you're sitting back and you're saying,

10:25 "I'mma wait to see what kind of moves the Lakers make.

10:28 I know what a championship team look like." And then all of a sudden,

10:31 maybe the Lakers make some moves that it looked like eye candy.

10:35 And all of a sudden, we get reporting from my boy Dave saying

10:39 that LeBron James is returning back to Los Angeles.

10:42 Well, my boy Perk, I want to tell you this though, Austin,

10:47 the context of him as a player is when

10:48 he has LeBron James and Luca Donish on the court.

10:51 I think when you think about him,

10:53 it's not necessarily just as a number two option.

10:56 Now, I do think that will be the conversation that occurs

10:59 when it comes to the the dollar amount that will be offered.

11:02 If his representatives can get Chicago or get Brooklyn to offer that full max,

11:09 then maybe the conversation shifts.

11:11 But as it stands now, Austin said repeatedly,

11:15 I hope to finish my career a Laker.

11:17 So, I do think they have some kind of intrinsic buyin

11:21 from Austin to begin with, which could give a bit of a discount.

11:25 Then maybe you also get LeBron to give some

11:27 sort of a discount if you know that he's

11:30 coming back and then there's a further plan to fill

11:32 out this roster because you can't just have Luca,

11:34 LeBron, and Austin on the court.

11:36 That wouldn't be enough in this OKC series.

11:39 You got to have 10, 11 guys who can play and effective game.

11:44 No, I agree.

11:44 And Dave, listen, I hope every morning and wish

11:47 every morning that I could lose weight overnight,

11:51 but it's it just don't happen that way, right?

11:54 And so, look, to me, if I'm if I'm evaluating the Lakers roster,

11:58 if I'm brawing, I'm saying to myself, okay, I see the flaws in Austin Reeves.

12:03 To me, it's two guys that have proven themselves to be untouchable.

12:08 Obviously, one of them is Luca Donic.

12:11 The other one, in my opinion,

12:12 who has made a a big impression on me is Marcus Smart.

12:16 And I'm not looking at his shooting numbers in this series because he has done

12:20 an outstanding job defensively on guarding SGA

12:25 who's arguably the best player in the world.

12:27 So again, I'm just asking because

12:30 we're talking about a tough Western Conference.

12:32 San Antonio, OKC, Minnesota, all these teams are not going anywhere.

12:38 Is Austin Reeves and Luca Donish two guys that could be leading

12:42 the face of your franchise and take you to the promised land?

12:45 Well, and I think this is sort of this is

12:47 unspooled into a conversation that we could be having tomorrow, right?

12:50 I think a lot of us here expect that the Oklahoma City Thunder,

12:53 the way that they've been playing to take care of business,

12:55 but these are questions for the Lakers off seasonason.

12:57 There's going to be a lot that they're going to have to deal with.