It’s a definite! Perk says Lakers need to bring back BOTH Austin Reaves & Rui Hachimura

The Rockets they have over sixty million in cap space to reshape their roster. The next closest teams are the Spurs and the Pacers. They each have over thirty million in cap space. And whenever I say cap space, that means we're obligated. We must bring in our front office insider, Bobby Marks, into the conversation to help us sort through all of this. So, Mr. Bobby, let's run through some of the teams out west. And we're going to start with the team that lost in the Western Conference finals, the Los Angeles Lakers, because they have some big decisions coming into this offseason. What's the outlook for their situation? Yeah, two priorities are certainly Austin Reeves and Rui Hachimor, who are restricted free agents here. I think the likelihood is that both are back in a Lakers uniform. My big question is what happens at the end of the week with Mo Bamba, who's got a non-guaranteed contract, and Malik Beasley has a team option. There is a little bit of a sliver here that the Lakers could potentially create roughly $17 million in room if they let both players and D'Angelo Russell go. So, all eyes at the end of the week. But I would expect Reeves and Hachimor back in a Lakers uniform. Well, I can tell you, Bobby, driving around Los Angeles, Reeves is all over billboards all over the city. Seriously. I know you. It's like Dwight Howard. I know. It's everywhere. It's everywhere. For a few thoughts on why the Lakers need to re-sign Reeves and Hachimor, it has nothing to do with the billboards. Why do they need to do that? Well, Reeves is a lock. Anytime somebody is yelling, I am him, that is a definite lock. He deserved it, right? He earned it this postseason. But when it comes down to Rui, Rui, look, we talk about patience, and I'm not talking about the ones that are in the hospitals. I'm talking about patience of developing this young man. The Lakers have given him life. Phil Handy has done an excellent job in his player development. LeBron James has done a great job taking him under his wing. And when I think of Rui, Rui was a lottery pick. Yes, he didn't work with the Washington Wizards, but this kid is going to continue to get better. I believe that he could be an 18 to 20 point score in this league, his ability of stretching the floor. But now I'm starting to see him play with a little bit more tenacity. I'm seeing him play with a little bit more force and a little bit more confidence. So if I'm the Lakers, it's a definite. I bring back Austin Reeves, the guy that has taken over LeBron James and Anthony Davis as being the face of the franchise. But I'm definitely not giving up on Rui Hachamara, and I'm bringing him back at any cost as well. Also some decisions to make on Lonnie Walker, on Dennis Schroeder. So all live in Los Angeles. Let's stay there because earlier in the show, Zach, you said the Clippers. They are the key team to watch this offseason. So Bobby, what's the Clippers approach? Yeah, a lot of different options here. Certainly starts with Russell Westbrook. The most they can offer Westbrook is $3.8 million because of the rules of the salary cap here. I think him, Mason Plumlee is another interesting player here who is a unrestricted free agent. But Malika, the cost to keep Plumlee. I mean, you could be looking at paying an additional $40 million in luxury tax penalties here. And then as we saw with the failed Malcolm Brogdon trade, they've got the assets, an expiring contract, whether it be Nick Platoon and Robert Covington, Marcus Morris out there to maybe go out and try to swing a deal here. Yeah, Bobby, you mentioned the swings they've already taken and maybe have missed on, we can say, Ramona. So where do they go from here? Yeah, I think they've had some questions at the point guard position for a number of years here. They had Reggie Jackson there, swapped him for Bowens Highland. Russell Westbrook came in there and was their point guard. But as Bobby mentioned, they can only pay him a certain amount. So they've been looking to upgrade. They tried to get Malcolm Brogdon. They were in on Chris Paul discussions as well. Didn't get him, but they have some other options there because of those expiring contracts to upgrade at the point guard position. Let's get to Dallas, my friends, because the Mavericks, they got a little work to do, right? They had a disappointing second half of the season that had them out of the play entirely. Kyrie, an unrestricted free agent. So what do you see the Mavs doing here, Bobby? Well, Malika, I think certainly it's a priority of Kyrie Irving. You cannot go back-to-back offseason, lose Jalen Brunson and now Irving. I think the big question is how do you thread the needle with Irving and still having your $12.4 million non-tax mid-level exception to use. And to do that, so you're going to have to have Irving take a lesser number than that $47 million max number. Somewhere in that $37 million to $38 million range. And will he do that here? What's the market out there besides Irving? And who actually are you negotiating against? You also, when you talk about Kyrie, it's about what he turned down in Brooklyn before he asked for a trade there. He's got to compare what he has already given up versus what he might re-sign for. And the question is, is there leverage for him elsewhere, either in L.A. or Philadelphia, other kinds of spots that he can create leverage to get a bigger deal for the Mavs? But let's say they're a better tailor than I am and they do thread that needle. Zach, how do you see that? That was bad, you shouldn't have laughed. Zach, how do you see Kyrie and Luka and that duo playing out here? I think offensively they're going to be dynamite. They were dynamite last season. What scares me is the defense and the lack of depth on the wing. They are very, very young between Josh Green, Jaden Hardy, the two kids they just drafted, one's a center, I realize, Derek Lively. They're counting on those guys to develop quickly because the Western Conference does not offer you a lot of time and patience. Every team almost is going to be trying to win next year. But I've got to stop the Mavs talk. I've got to stop the Mavs talk for a second. I either hallucinated, I either hallucinated for a second or I heard Perk call Austin Reeves the face of the Lakers over LeBron and Anthony Davis. Did that just happen and nobody addressed it? That has to be addressed. I mean, Zach, I know when you're in L.A., you're pretty much from the studio in your hotel room. But Malika just talked about how she's riding around L.A. and she's seeing nothing but Austin Reeves billboards. I wasn't the one sitting in the Crypto.com Arena chatting MVP. The fans were. They were the ones that were crowning him MVP. I'm just saying, Austin Reeves has taken this team by storm. And I'm going to ask you this, Zach Lowe. Let me play host for a minute, Malika. Go ahead, my friend. What was the last time we saw LeBron James defer to another guard the way that he did with Austin Reeves in the postseason? Kyrie. No, there's no question. Austin Reeves is really, really good. And he earned those touches, and he earned his I am him moment. He's great at getting to the line. He's a good passer. He's got good size. Face of the franchise. I know. I almost fell out of my chair. Kirk LeBron James plays for that team. His player option, a lot of interest in Van Vliet in the marketplace. I don't buy that in the end Draymond's going to walk away from the organization. But even more, I don't buy that he's walking away from Steph. We're about to enter arguably the most exciting time in the NBA. Grab your popcorn and buckle up. All right. I got my popcorn. And in honor of free agency, let's check out a little top of the top brought to you by Charles Schwab, the biggest free agent signings in NBA history. And you know where we got to start. We got to start with Shaq Pop. Yes, we do. That was a headline in the LA Times when Jerry West went out and traded and got him in the free agency. And it was like change the course of the franchise forever. He signs with the Lakers for seven years, $121 million in Los Angeles. Shaq was a three-time NBA champion, three-time finals MVP. He won regular season MVP in 2000. It's pretty hard to beat that. But might I interest you in some T-Mac, Kendrick Perkins, the magic acquiring Tracy McGrady? That was so underrated. And listen, T-Mac was that dude. We're talking about Kevin Durant before Kevin Durant, 6'9", 6'10". At the two-guard position, one of the most prolific scores to ever touch the basketball. But then there was the big return. Steve Nash to the Suns, regular season MVP back-to-back, 2005-2006, 50-40-90 club in four separate seasons. People forgot about those Dallas years. Yeah. Yeah, just ignore those. I mean, not people in Dallas. Well, how about this? I mean, no one. And I mean, no one forgets when LeBron James Perk takes his talents to South Beach. Look, that was one of the most shocking times right there. We thought LeBron would be forever in the Cavs jersey. When he went to Miami, that ended the Boston Celtics. Not that dunk on Jason Terry. It was the signing of LeBron James. But then, I mean, the most shocking signing in the modern era, Kevin Durant to the Golden State Warriors. And also the Hamptons, the guys flying to the Hamptons. The Hamptons 5. Malika went to the house. The actual house is like a place in Warriors history now. Yeah. I drove out to the house out there and did a story on it, this huge mansion that no one knew was there and what happened. Of course you did. But it's like a place of Warriors lore. Of course you did. Come on. If that's not a New York Times story, I don't know what is. Kevin Perkins, Ramona Shelburne. What is at stake in your mind for Philadelphia as we enter free agency? Well, I tell you, they ain't adding mushrooms and bell peppers and cheese wheels to it. It's the big Philly himself. And Joel Embiid is at stake. Like, the 76ers and Daryl Morey, they have to get this right. Because if I'm Joel Embiid, I go one more season. If I don't reach the conference finals with the personnel this organization has put around me, guess what? I'm looking at other organizations and I'm saying, what's next for me? He has been more than loyal and reliable to this franchise. We're talking about an MVP. We're talking about a two-time scoring champ. Embiid is at stake if the Philadelphia 76ers can't get this right and surround the pieces and the personnel around him to at least make a run to get to the conference finals.