Third Apron – Details, episodes & analysis

Last night, it seemed like Dorian Finney-Smith was headed to Memphis. Instead, he's headed to the Lakers for three second-round picks. The Lakers have done a decent job at replenishing their wing depth since 2021 and have their most depth there in a while. I think they certainly upgraded their top lineup, but not sure if its enough to put them over the top in the West. Meanwhile, the Nets continue to build on their pile of draft picks. They have the most picks over the next seven drafts than anyone else. 0:00 Intro 1:06 Lakers trade limitations and their post-trade cap outlook 2:46 Next targets for the Lakers 3:28 Remaining draft assets they can trade and why they're not trading for a star 4:33 Why the Lakers might not be able to get the type of guard they're looking for 6:15 Overall thoughts on acquiring Dorian Finney-Smith 9:00 Nets cap perspective 10:19 Cameron Johnson's trade candidacy 11:09 Why I don't think D'Angelo Russell is getting bought out 12:14 Updated 2025 cap space projection 13:11 Overall thoughts on the trade for the Nets Please subscribe and share if you enjoyed this. You can follow me on: The Third Apron: https://yossigozlan.substack.com/ Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/YossiGozlan BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/yossigozlan.bsky.social Instagram, Threads, and TikTok: @YossiGozlanNBA Salary cap sheets: www.capsheets.com Links: https://linktr.ee/yossigozlan

The Kings got a taste of success by making the playoffs in 2023 and the pressure has been on to build on that. They just fired Mike Brown in a move that was poorly received around the league. It seems like they're going to do something at the trade deadline if things don't improve. I'm just not sure there's a move that can help them. I think this team is too fundamentally flawed, and I'm not sure they were ever even that good two years ago. They had insanely good health and took advantage of a weird bunched up Western Conference. They haven't been able to keep up since the West's hierarchy stabilized. Along with the recent De'Aaron Fox rumors, things could get very interesting in Sacramento soon. 0:00 Intro 1:07 Mike Brown firing thoughts 2:17 Leaguewide reaction on the firing 3:11 De'Aaron Fox trade rumors 5:14 Kings trade deadline objectives 5:54 What the Kings have to offer 8:41 How the Kings could acquire a max player like Zach LaVine 11:06 Acquiring a more affordable wing shooter like Cam Johnson 12:42 More realistic trade targets Please subscribe and share if you enjoyed this. You can follow me on: Third Apron on Substack: https://thirdapron.com/ Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/YossiGozlan BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/yossigozlan.bsky.social Instagram, Threads, and TikTok: @YossiGozlanNBA Salary cap sheets: www.capsheets.com Links: https://linktr.ee/yossigozlan

Things have only gone up for the Grizzlies since 2019 and the 2023 playoffs was a brutal reality check for them. And after just going through a gap year filled with injuries, it feels like the league has forgotten about them. They should be back in the playoff picture for the West just by being healthy. However, they do have some moves to make, particularly at center. They should be able to acquire any of the big men that are reportedly available on the trade market. I go over several scenarios where the Grizzlies get a new center, varying from the draft to expensive veterans. 0:00 Intro 0:25 Grizzlies 2024-25 payroll 2:02 How the Grizzlies can open up more trade flexibility 3:25 Scenario where the Grizzlies move up in the draft to select a center 4:55 Expensive center options like Clint Capela or Brook Lopez 6:34 More affordable center options 7:51 Walker Kessler scenario Please subscribe and share if you enjoyed this. You can follow me on: Twitter/X: @YossiGozlan Instagram, Threads, BlueSky, and TikTok: @YossiGozlanNBA You can also view my salary cap sheets at: www.capsheets.com

Here it is. Over an hour of an in-depth dive on every single team and the top free agents. I look at each team and see just how much they can spend, how they could use their resources, and list any restrictions they may be subjected to. I then go over my top 40 free agents and rank them into tiers based on how much I could see them getting annually on their next contract. 0:00 Intro 0:56 Cap Space Teams 2:48 Detroit Pistons 4:26 Philadelphia 76ers 5:47 Utah Jazz 6:51 Oklahoma City Thunder 8:22 Orlando Magic 10:00 Toronto Raptors 10:46 San Antonio Spurs 11:45 Charlotte Hornets 12:39 Over the Cap Teams 13:49 Atlanta Hawks 15:32 Brooklyn Nets 17:20 Chicago Bulls 18:58 Cleveland Cavaliers 20:03 Golden State Warriors 21:42 Houston Rockets 23:12 Indiana Pacers 24:09 Memphis Grizzlies 25:39 New Orleans Pelicans 27:15 Portland Trail Blazers 28:14 Sacramento Kings 29:10 Washington Wizards 30:41 First Apron Teams 31:57 Dallas Mavericks 32:48 Los Angeles Lakers 33:49 Miami Heat 34:56 New York Knicks 36:11 Second Apron Teams 38:29 Boston Celtics 40:43 Denver Nuggets 41:36 Los Angeles Clippers 42:43 Milwaukee Bucks 43:43 Minnesota Timberwolves 44:46 Phoenix Suns 46:17 Free Agency Tiers 49:57 $35 million+ Tier 49:43 $30-35 million Tier 50:16 $25-30 million Tier 50:49 $19-25 million Tier 55:29 $13-19 million Tier 1:03:27 $8-13 million Tier Please subscribe and share if you enjoyed this. You can follow me on: Twitter/X: @YossiGozlan Instagram, Threads, BlueSky, and TikTok: @YossiGozlanNBA You can also view my salary cap sheets at: www.capsheets.com

What a run. I was very critical of their trade deadline. I thought they gave up too many assets in the past year for what seemed like floor-raising moves at best. But after seeing them have one of the best post-trade deadline records, I had a feeling that they could have a deep run if the seeding breaks right for them. I felt the only team that could stand in their way were the Denver Nuggets, and thankfully they didn't have to face them. For all we know, this might be the furthest this Mavs team goes for the next few years, but they should still be really good going forward. Their offseason should be relatively simple: re-sign Derrick Jones Jr. I go into how they could open up flexibility to re-sign him, who they could pursue if he doesn't return, and how. 0:00 Intro 0:30 Mavericks 2024-25 Payroll 1:44 Derrick Jones Jr. 2:56 Non-taxpayer Mid-Level Exception 3:44 How they could unlock the exception to re-sign Jones Jr. 4:29 Scenario where the Mavs pursue an affordable wing if Jones Jr. leaves 5:32 Scenario where the Mavs pursue a more expensive wing like Jerami Grant Please subscribe and share if you enjoyed this. You can follow me on: Twitter/X: @YossiGozlan Instagram, Threads, BlueSky, and TikTok: @YossiGozlanNBA You can also view my salary cap sheets at: www.capsheets.com

The Warriors as we know them may be gone, but at least they're finally about to have some financial relief. That's because they're finally in a position to avoid the luxury tax after spending nearly $700 million in penalties over the last 9 seasons. It seems like they'll part ways with Chris Paul and Kevon Looney to generate all these savings. They'll be looking to run things back with Stephen Curry, DraymondGreen, and hopefully Klay Thompson. His future is up in the air as both sides have been far apart in extension talks for over a year now. If avoiding the tax is an objective, then they're unlikely to make many major additions this summer. But what if they can add an All-Star? I go over several roster builds for the Warriors, including revisiting their (extremely unlikely) attempt to acquire LeBron James in last year's trade deadline. 0:00 Intro 0:33 Luxury tax penalties over the last 9 seasons 1:52 Warriors 2024-25 payroll analysis 3:27 More relevant payroll without Chris Paul and Kevon Looney 4:31 Payroll projection featuring Klay Thompson and Gary Payton II on new contracts 6:29 How the non-taxpayer mid-level exception could be factored in 8:05 Revisiting their attempt to trade for LeBron James and how it could still be done 10:33 Jonathan Kuminga's potential extension 11:29 Projecting the 2025-26 Warriors and why Andrew Wiggins' time in Golden State could be coming up Please subscribe and share if you enjoyed this. You can follow me on: Twitter/X: @YossiGozlan Instagram, Threads, BlueSky, and TikTok: @YossiGozlanNBA You can also view my salary cap sheets at: www.capsheets.com

The post-Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving era has not been kind to the Nets. For what it's worth, I think they made out really nicely in their respective trades. They now have a surplus of draft equity that could be enough to acquire an All-Star. But will one become available to them? And what kind would they need to really elevate this roster to title contention? I'm skeptical they'll be able to transform this roster to where they want it to be anytime soon. They might be better off negotiating a trade with the Rockets that allows them to get control of their draft picks back so they can take a step back and enter a rebuild. They might be able to get back to relevance faster that way with some young players they can build a future with. 0:00 Intro 0:43 Nets 2024-25 payroll analysis 1:59 Nicolas Claxton 2:57 Mikal Bridges 3:58 Nets 2025 cap space projection and why they might hold off on extending Cam Thomas and Day'Ron Sharpe 5:45 The case for the Nets trading Mikal Bridges to Houston for their picks back 7:14 What a Nets rebuild could look like with some of their picks back 8:21 Giannis Antetokounmpo pipedream scenario Please subscribe and share if you enjoyed this. You can follow me on: Twitter/X: @YossiGozlan Instagram, Threads, BlueSky, and TikTok: @YossiGozlanNBA You can also view my salary cap sheets at: www.capsheets.com

Is it crazy to think that the Rockets are close to being a contender? They made a huge step forward last season after bringing in Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks and hiring Ime Udoka. They also saw breakthrough seasons from players like Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green, both of whom are eligible for contract extensions this summer. But they have the draft equity and young players to make an aggressive offer for an All-Star-level player. And if they can't get anybody now, they could potentially have max cap space in 2025. They're well-positioned over the next two years to make a huge addition to their lineup. 0:00 Intro 0:52 Rockets 2024-25 payroll analysis 3:42 Alperen Sengun 5:00 Jalen Green 6:03 Donovan Mitchell scenarios 7:40 How the Rockets could generate max cap space in 2025 while re-signing Sengun 9:06 Mikal Bridges scenarios 10:31 Why the Rockets need to consolidate some of their young players in a trade in the future Please subscribe and share if you enjoyed this. You can follow me on: Twitter/X: @YossiGozlan Instagram, Threads, BlueSky, and TikTok: @YossiGozlanNBA You can also view my salary cap sheets at: www.capsheets.com

After getting a taste of the playoffs in 2023, last year's Kings could not repeat the same magic. They only lost two more games and suffered several injuries down the stretch that left them shorthanded. However, the rest of the Western Conference also got much stronger, and the Kings probably weren't any closer to getting out of the first round. The Kings will look to aggressively improve the roster this summer and will seek upgrades in the trade market to improve their starting lineup and bench. But they also need to maintain what they have. Malik Monk is entering unrestricted free agency and is limited to offering him a four-year, $78 million contract. Will that be enough to retain him or will another team with cap space steal him away? It will be a challenge for the Kings to accomplish all their goals, which could require an expensive payroll for them to improve over rival teams in the West and sustain their core for several more seasons. 0:00 Intro 0:29 Kings 2024-25 payroll analysis 2:28 Malik Monk 3:31 Brandon Ingram trade scenario if Monk leaves 6:32 Scenario where Monk stays and Kings open up the full mid-level 7:42 Same scenario but they also trade for Kyle Kuzma 9:24 Why this build is sustainable with incoming raises for De'Aaron Fox and Keegan Murray Please subscribe and share if you enjoyed this. You can follow me on: Twitter/X: @YossiGozlan Instagram, Threads, BlueSky, and TikTok: @YossiGozlanNBA You can also view my salary cap sheets at: www.capsheets.com

The Pelicans FINALLY had a (mostly) healthy season and gave this group its fair shot. And they did well maintaining a top 6 seed throughout most of the season. However, they dropped all the way down to the 8 seed and were completely outclassed by the Thunder in the first round of the playoffs. Now that the organization understands the roster and its personnel more, they can identify who to move and who to bring in. They are reportedly seeking an upgrade at center, which is obvious, but also at point guard. They've been linked to Trae Young, Darius Garland, and Dejounte Murray, and I think they have the assets to get any of them as well as a center like Jarrett Allen or Clint Capela. With Trey Murphy set to extend and get promoted to the starting lineup, Ingram seems like the odd man out, especially with a max extension looming. But if they're also bringing in a new point guard, they should probably move CJ McCollum as well. It may be complicated to pull all that off, but thankfully they have up to 6 first-round picks they could trade to move things along. 0:00 Intro 0:58 2024-25 Pelicans payroll analysis 2:16 Brandon Ingram and his contract situation 3:15 Why the Pelicans need to trade one or both of Ingram or CJ McCollum 4:27 Dejounte Murray and Clint Capela scenario 5:55 Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen scenario 7:02 Projecting into the future and why this is a more sustainable Please subscribe and share if you enjoyed this. You can follow me on: Twitter/X: @YossiGozlan Instagram, Threads, BlueSky, and TikTok: @YossiGozlanNBA You can also view my salary cap sheets at: www.capsheets.com