"The Hoop Collective" podcast, hosted by ESPN's Brian Windhorst, releases episodes every Monday, Wednesday and Friday during the NBA season. Windhorst and his guests break down what's happening on and off the court, evaluating the trends you need to know and examining the latest news from across the NBA.
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'The Hoop Collective' episodes
July 21: Explaining the Lu Dort trade and summer extensions to watch
Brian is joined by ESPN's Bobby Marks and Vince Goodwill to react to the three-team trade that sent Lu Dort to the Atlanta Hawks, including why the Oklahoma City Thunder would do this deal, what it means for the Thunder's future and if the Hawks are now a team to watch in the East. They move on to a potential Jonathan Kuminga move and a few other players to watch this summer.
Topics:
1:01: Thunder trade Lu Dort to Hawks in 3-team deal
2:22: Windy Storytime: Getting Davis traded
4:52: What motivated OKC to do this deal?
20:33: Is Atlanta a team to keep an eye on?
25:20: Risacher a good flier for Dallas to take?
29:56: What does the future hold for Jonathan Kuminga?
35:27: Why have we seen so few extensions so far?
37:06: How will Karl-Anthony Towns impact the future of the Knicks?
42:11: Explaining the Jokic extension situation moving forward
43:14: Best fake trades from summer league class
Marks on why the Thunder did this deal: "I think certainly financially, I mean, I think that's the top of the line here. Where you look at where Oklahoma City was, they were a second apron team. I always thought that once they exercised the (Lu) Dort option before free agency that that contract was going to be traded.
"I never thought it was going to be extended and I never thought they were going to play out the year and let him become a free agent. So, when you look at it financially, it gets them under the second apron. I think they've gotten seven seconds in in the three trades they've done [this offseason]. They've created some trade exceptions.
"I think you look at it, they basically had a decision when they wanted to be in the second apron. Do you want to be in it this year or do you want to be in it potentially next year when Cason Wallace -- who's rookie extension eligible now -- will hit the books and that will certainly push them over."
Goodwill on potential Knicks contract hurdles: "[Jalen Brunson] signed a year early. He could have signed for $100 million more by signing later. Every dollar of that what $280 [million] or $300 [million] that he's supposed to get next summer, he's going to get all of that. How does that affect any of this conversation?
"That affects what you do with Karl-Anthony Towns. Karl-Anthony Towns wanted an extension before the season started. Did not get it. And now we're in this spot where Karl-Anthony Towns sacrificed a lot. Wound up going into the playoffs as their most important player. You saw how critical he was to them rolling through the East, them rolling through the Finals, his defense on Victor Wembanyama. And usually when that happens, a player wants to get rewarded for his sacrifice.
"How do the Knicks balance both of those things? Is it possible to do both of those things? Because, you know, Jalen Brunson is going to have to eat first, but Karl-Anthony Towns is going to be up first for a contract extension. It's going to be delicate. I'm curious to see how Leon Rose and Jim Dolan and those guys handle that situation."
Marks on the situation in Denver: "The [Nikola] Jokic one is fascinating for me. It's interesting and I know he's come out and said that Denver is where he's going to be and all that and he's going to sign next year, but man, I'm just looking at their roster, like what they've done or really haven't done this offseason.
"And going into next year, as the third-best, fourth-best, fifth-[best team], I don't know. You can go down the pecking order there. They're basically the same team, right? They're the same team and they still have the Peyton Watson situation to figure out here."
July 17: Changes in Portland? And the Trent Jr. investigation, LeBron updates
Brian is joined by ESPN's Tim MacMahon to cover interesting reporting from Portland and commissioner Adam Silver's press conference about the Trail Blazers' future in Portland. They move on to the league's investigation into the Gary Trent Jr. contract in Milwaukee before they welcome ESPN's Dave McMenamin on the podcast to break down LeBron James day at Fanatics Fest NYC.
Topics:
0:40: Reactions from Adam Silver's press conference
01:45: Unique situation developing with the Trail Blazers
25:40: Trent Jr. contract is officially under investigation
32:55: What we learned from LeBron at Fanatics Fest
47:16: Windy Storytime: Pat Riley cookie removal
56:54: Brian's honest talk about LeBron's future
Windhorst on the Blazers' situation in Portland: "So here's the sequence of events: Adam Silver goes to Portland in March.
"There's a press conference. He says, 'We're going to get a deal here. We want to be in Portland long-term.' OK? Nothing's happened since March. Adam Silver comes out, and this is the most relevant statement that he makes this week, where he basically said that the negotiations have gone off track. Well, he said what we're most focused on right now at the league office is the deal we discussed when we were in Portland in March.
"[He said] 'I was hoping more progress would have been made by now on that agreement. It seems they have gone off track in various ways. We're working with both sides to ensure the Trail Blazers can have a long-term future in Portland, but there are several open issues that still need to be resolved.' This is Adam Silver rattling the saber, it's not like Adam Silver is making threats, but this is basically saying that there are open issues here.
"And I will just say that there were no votes on expansion taken, to move the expansion process along in at the owners meetings in Vegas this summer. There was a possibility that expansion would move forward, that they would formally announce that they were expanding. That did not happen. I'm not saying that those two are related.
"I'm just saying it did not happen. But if you wanted one of your owners to have leverage to move a team, you wouldn't necessarily have expansion all lined up and announced because it takes away some of the leverage. So MacMahon, I think beyond the basketball court, the future of the Blazers in Portland is the most relevant thing [in the league currently]."
Windhorst on the Trent Jr. investigation: "I had an NBA executive tell me this week in Vegas that the penalty shouldn't be that the contract would get voided. The penalty should if the Bucks are found to have done this. And it's a big if and I'm not accusing them. This executive said to me, 'Hey, if they are found guilty of this, the contract should be doubled on their books. Not wiped out. Should be doubled.'
Windhorst on potential LeBron fits: "You know I'm from Cleveland. You know my ties there. The more I've looked at this and the more I've had conversations, the more Miami makes sense to me. And now when I hear 'I'm thinking about a couple of years,' it makes even more sense to me. Why Miami? Because I think that's where he goes and fits.
"He can go there and have the ball. He also can go there and be protected on defense. In Cleveland, he can be protected on defense for sure, but he wouldn't have the ball. I want to be clear, he can play with anybody. You think I don't think he can play with anybody? He can do anything.
"But I don't see him playing with Donovan [Mitchell] and [James] Harden as being a clean fit. Of course he can do it. I just don't see that clean fit. I see the fit in Miami. [It] makes more sense to me and I've come to that as I've watched this unfold for the last three weeks and have had a bunch of conversations, and I'm not trying to cause any problems.
"I'm not trying to report anything. I'm just telling you my perception."
July 14: Wemby agrees to less money and the Bucks' bold deal
Brian is joined by ESPN's Tim MacMahon to cover Victor Wembanyama's new extension, including whether Wembanyama taking less money to help the San Antonio Spurs' pursuit of titles and could be a new trend among superstars chasing championships. They then move on to the Gary Trent Jr. deal in Milwaukee and the reaction it's garnering around the league. They close on the Bam Adebayo-Tyler Herro altercation and the biggest standouts from NBA Summer League.
Topics:
1:02: Brian's golf outing in Vegas
2:14: MacMahon's favorite story of Summer League
5:04: LeBron free agency in sit-and-wait position
7:12: Wemby gives discount to Spurs on extension
15:17: Strong NBPA reaction to Wemby contract
24:24: Trent Jr. contract shocking the league
32:40: Pelicans' surprising DeAndre Jordan deal
35:14: Adebayo-Herro altercation
38:44: Udonis Haslem calls out Draymond Green
42:25: MacMahon's deeply-thought-out NBA proposal
44:24: Biggest Summer League overreactions so far
Windhorst on what the league is hearing about LeBron James: "There is a dearth of information on this. The people in the league are all talking to each other, trying to find out what LeBron is thinking.
"There's not a lot of information. A whole bunch of NBA owners were up at the Sun Valley media conference last week in Idaho. ...
But, anyway, a bunch of the owners are there, and they were chatting and some of the owners who are trying to get LeBron were talking to each other. And they were like, 'Hey, you heard anything? Nope. Have you heard anything? Nope.' LeBron is reaching out and talking to players on some of these teams.
And they report back to their GM or their coach like, 'Hey, LeBron called or what did you think?' You know, so I mean, who knows, maybe we'll do an emergency podcast soon. I know there's this real desire to push the story to the next level.
And that desire often spills out in aggregation. And I know that especially this week of the year, it's like the deadest sports week of the year. And I know that there's like this, 'There's got to be news.' And, you know, we're already in the mid-July. There's no news. There just hasn't been."
MacMahon on what the Bucks could be doing with Trent Jr. contract: "Why would they do that? Why would they give a guy coming off a really bad year a full midlevel? Why would they agree to that this summer?
"I'm just going to tell you, Windy, I'll answer my own question: There is no logical explanation for the Milwaukee Bucks agreeing to this contract this summer. So, the only logical explanation, unless they are just complete buffoons in the Milwaukee Bucks front office, which I do not believe, I don't believe they're buffoons, the only logical explanation would be something nefarious.
"And boy oh boy, if I'm Adam Silver and I'm some of those head honchos in the league office, I'd sniff around a little bit on this one."
MacMahon on his biggest Summer League overreaction so far: "Listen, what good is Summer League for if not absolute ridiculously immature knee-jerk reactions?
"Caleb Wilson, Rookie of the Year, MVP, Hall of Famer, lockdown (defender), 3-point shooter all of a sudden. I'm obviously being a bit facetious, but the guy felt like he should have been the No. 1 pick, which all the top four picks did. He's clearly been working on a shot. Came in with a chip on his shoulder and dropped 35 in his Summer League debut. I'm intrigued."
July 10: Kawhi trade on pause: What it means for Clippers and Raptors, plus a blockbuster battle of top picks
Brian is joined by ESPN's Tim MacMahon and Vince Goodwill to react to the news that the Kawhi Leonard trade to the Raptors has been put on hold due to the Aspiration investigation. The guys break down what it might mean in terms of potential punishments, whether expectations are for the trade to still happen and what information both sides had prior to the deal.
Then, they tell some wild Pat Riley stories before exploring an interesting trend with elite talent of the 2028 NBA draft class. Finally, they react to the blockbuster battle between the No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa and No. 2 pick Darryn Peterson in summer league.
Topics:
2:54: Kawhi trade to Raptors now on pause
26:09: Windy story time: a Pat Riley podcast?
35:45: Trend of elite 2028 draft class getting to college early
46:52: Updated "Hoop Collective" summer schedule
47:49: Dybantsa vs. Peterson summer league reaction
MacMahon, Windhorst and Goodwill on the stalled Kawhi trade:
MacMahon: "The Clippers' statement is, like, five paragraphs, but I'm going to read one paragraph: 'On June 30, we reached an agreement in principle to trade Kawhi to the Toronto Raptors. We have since been informed that the trade could only be finalized if the Raptors ownership group assumes the risk of penalties related to Kawhi's contract that could theoretically result from the ongoing investigation. The investigation is ongoing and we expect the trade to be finalized following its conclusion.'
"The key words there: We have since been informed."
Windhorst: "Well, I went to a pretty high authority and was told that the Raptors -- I can't speak to the Clippers, but I can speak to what the Raptors were told. I have been told that the Raptors were informed before they came to a verbal agreement of this exact set of circumstances. That this is not a change in circumstances." ...
Goodwill: "This is a big mess. Windy, Tim, the fact that this trade hasn't been finalized, this is an embarrassment for the league at this point. The fact that all of this has come out. They've got ESPN. Like, they know what's been reported about Kawhi being traded there, whatever day it was. The problem is the Raptors cannot conduct real league business because they were operating under the guise that probably nothing was going to happen to Kawhi Leonard.
"You're not giving up all that draft capital and everything that they gave up if you believe that Kawhi Leonard is going to be heavily penalized for this investigation.
"So the fact that the league let this go on for a couple weeks now is an embarrassment for the league. I don't care what their excuses are or what they've notified the teams of. Clearly the message was not relayed clearly, and this falls at the feet of Adam Silver. Bottom line."
July 8: Huge announcement, Mitchell extension and Stevens talks Brown trade
Brian is joined by ESPN's Tim MacMahon to congratulate special guest Tim Bontemps on his new role with the Atlanta Hawks and thank him for his years of dedication to the podcast. They the duo breaks down the Donovan Mitchell extension, including whether it makes sense for the Cavaliers and if it will impact their pursuit of LeBron James. They then move on to react to Brad Stevens' Jaylen Brown news conference and the rationale being presented before closing on Summer League performances and what they're looking forward to in Las Vegas this week.
Topics:
0:43: A special goodbye to Tim Bontemps
17:23: Donovan Mitchell inks huge extension with Cleveland
27:45: How will this contract be viewed around the league?
28:52: Reaction to Brad Stevens' Celtics news conference
40:11: Darryn Peterson's extraordinarily impressive debut for Jazz
47:38: Big Peterson-AJ Dybantsa matchup set for Thursday
54:28: Shoutout to Kyle Lowry on his retirement
55:18: One last "Hoop Collective" thank you to Bontemps
MacMahon on how the league is viewing Mitchell's deal: "He's an All-NBA player. In one sense, him committing to four years is a major win. But we just saw how rough the market was for Jaylen Brown, in large part because of how much salary he made. ...
"One of the GMs basically said, 'In terms of this kind of money, you've got to be a generational talent.' And, you know, this guy didn't think Jaylen Brown was close to that, but he essentially said, 'Yeah, when you get into the $70 million range, which is obviously where this is, there might only be a couple players in the league that are worth that kind of money.'
"And so there is a major risk involved here, especially when you've got Evan Mobley making $50-plus [million] a year."
MacMahon on how the Mitchell deal impacts the LeBron pursuit: "And look, the challenge really is: (1) How much luxury tax is Dan Gilbert going to be willing to pay as you're building out this roster? And then, 2) just the handcuffs that come in place with a contract this big on your books as you build out the roster.
"And they've been one of, if not the most expensive teams in the league. I mean, one way you can really get around some of these things is if you sign a perennial All-Star to a minimum contract, which the Cavaliers might have a chance to do. That helps manage the books when the team gets really expensive. But I think that's probably going to be a once in a-lifetime opportunity."
MacMahon on Peterson's Summer League performance: "I'm sitting down with the scouts and I'm watching the games with grizzled scouts, with guys who've been in the league for 20, 25, 30 years. They're raving about [Peterson]. They're telling me they think he has scoring-leader type of potential. They're raving about the way that he's directing traffic, the reads that he's making, the poise he's playing with, the passes that he's making.
"And honestly, like the scoring thing, that's not a surprise because that's the stuff you heard the most about -- his potential just to be an extremely explosive scorer. He had a 12-assist, two-turnover performance against the Grizzlies and he's being guarded a lot by Cedric Coward. It was a really strong summer league lineup that the Grizzlies are throwing out there with Cedric Coward and [Cam] Boozer. Coward's a very good wing defender already in the NBA. And Peterson was completely unbothered by that.
"Twenty-five points on 15 shots, like I said, 12 assists and a lot of the assists are where he's manipulating the defense and making the reads, and he's making tough passes that, as the guys said, only the really good players can make that read and that pass, and he did it on multiple occasions."
July 6: Key factors in LeBron James' free agency and early standouts in summer league
Brian is joined by ESPN's Tim MacMahon and Bobby Marks to cover the latest on LeBron James' free agency, including what could be factors in his decision, what teams make the most sense and what his internal team is potentially suggesting. They then move on to a few standout players from the NBA summer league thus far before closing on some major extension talks around the league.
Topics:
2:40 Latest updates on potential LeBron destinations
5:14: Has the modern CBA impacted player movement?
12:13: Analyzing where LeBron stands in his free agency
21:05: What teams have a real chance at landing LeBron?
32:25: Potential ties for LeBron to the Denver Nuggets
36:21: Interesting Knicks comment from Rich Paul on LeBron
38:10: Will LeBron's decision shift the power in the NBA again?
41:11: Biggest early NBA summer league takeaways
44:18: Darryn Peterson and the Jazz: one of NBA's most interesting teams
48:36: Underrated NBA summer league standouts so far
51:34: Key extensions to watch from 2023 draft class
Windhorst's update on LeBron: "The last I heard was that the teams had not heard anything. The teams that were interested in LeBron, they had made contact and they hadn't heard anything. They're like, 'Well, we don't know what to make of it.'
"And this is what happened with the previous LeBron free agency when he switched teams. They didn't know, LeBron called in and was basically like, 'Yep, I'm coming.' And they're like, 'Oh, OK.' It wasn't like maybe they felt good. Like they said, 'Oh, I think the vibe is good.' But the Heat didn't know he was coming. The Cavs didn't know he was coming back.
"You want to know how I know they didn't know? Because they were about 10 minutes away from offering Gordon Hayward a max contract offer sheet. He was in the building in Cleveland. And when Mark Termini, one of LeBron's agents, found out that Gordon Hayward was in Cleveland, he called them up and he was like, 'What are you doing? Why are you spending your cap space?'"
MacMahon on LeBron's ties to the Nuggets: "Part of the whole LeBron-to-Denver thing, obviously, Joker is reason No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. But Josh Kroenke, who I believe his official title is chairman, but he's the day-to-day ownership presence, has a relationship with LeBron. They do stuff like hang out on yachts together, as friends tend to do.
"And another tie is Jared Dudley, who is on the front of the Nuggets bench as an assistant coach. He's a guy who's got a good relationship with LeBron, was a vet on that Lakers championship team. So there's some ties there."
MacMahon on who has stood out early in summer league: [Cameron Boozer's] vision is incredible. Like, he had four assists, but that does not even come close to explaining how great of a passing performance he had.
"His ability to create advantages, whether it's off the dribble or with power in the post, whatever combination, he sees the floor three steps ahead, plays the chess game of seeing the floor and then at that size just makes any pass he wants. He's an incredible power-point forward. Fun to watch."
July 3: Why Did The Jaylen Brown Trade Happen Now?
Brian is joined by ESPN's Vincent Goodwill and Tim MacMahon to cover the ripple effects of the blockbuster Jaylen Brown trade and why the Boston Celtics felt like they needed to make this deal now. They then move on to the Los Angeles Lakers adding Walker Kessler and whether the return was too high to improve the Lakers' roster around Luka Doncic. The trio closes on how much better Brown makes the 76ers and whether Philadelphia could be a potential home for LeBron James.
Topics:
1:45: NBA still trying to make sense of the Brown trade
14:38: Why did this Brown trade have to happen now?
16:00: Can Kessler elevate the Lakers' ceiling?
31:57: Windy Storytime: A wild time in free agency
36:14: Was the price too high on the Kessler trade?
40:28: Breaking down 76ers roster outlook with Brown
51:15: 76ers need to at least make a phone call for LeBron
53:58: Not sure what the approach is for the Pistons
MacMahon on why the Brown deal happened: "I had a primary decision maker for another team in the league say if you make $60 million, this is what you're worth in a trade. If he made $40 [million], every single team in the league would have been lining up for Jaylen.
"It reached a point where, for whatever reasons, the Boston Celtics believed they needed to move on from Jaylen Brown. I don't even want to get into the blame game on that, but they reached that point where they believed they needed to move on from Jaylen Brown. I'm pretty sure they reached that point before they put him in a in an offer for Giannis [Antetokounmpo].
"And then after that, they just had to find the best deal. I think that there's plenty of room to criticize the approach that the Celtics took in terms of they went out swinging for sky-high value. They went out trying to trade Jaylen Brown at the value of the sixth-most valuable player in the league, which is what he was in the MVP voting, when the league does not perceive him to be sixth-best player league -- in terms of the people who are making decisions on the trade. In part because of his contract and then, this is such a hot button issue, but the advanced analytics are not favorable to Jaylen Brown."
Goodwill on if the Lakers gave up too much for Kessler: "They don't have the breathing room [now], and the draft picks usually are your breathing room to get: A) cheap talent year over year to wind up augmenting your players being on big time salaries, to cost control all of that; B) being able to put a draft pick in a trade at the deadline if you need to.
"They don't have any of those any of those mechanisms right now. You look at, are they athletic enough? No, aside from Walker Kessler, who's clearly an above average athlete playing center. But do you have enough athleticism around this ballclub to make you a better perimeter defensive team? Because if you're not, it doesn't matter that you get Walker Kessler at the rim.
"If everybody's on a freeway down there, you're going to get this guy in foul trouble and or put him in so many damn collisions and pick-and-rolls that he can't cover all that space. A GM told me, 'Is Rob Pelinka trying to get fired?' That's what a GM asked me yesterday."
MacMahon on Detroit's lack of activity in the offseason: "Like Norm Powell, if they would've signed Norm Powell, I'd be sitting here saying, 'Hey, man, that's a really, really great fit for Detroit.' He's not a superstar, but he's an All-Star who fits.
"Can you trade for Tyler Herro? Can you pull off something in the trade market with the flexibility and the picks that you have? They've got to find something because bringing back a team that feels like it hit its head on the ceiling in the second round last year after barely getting out of the first round, that that's a tough look, man."
July 1: EMERGENCY REACTION: Boston trades Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia
Brian is joined by ESPN's Tim MacMahon and Bobby Marks to breakdown the blockbuster Jaylen Brown trade between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers, including why the Celtics would make this trade now, how big of a win the trade is for the 76ers and what the rest of the league is saying about the deal.
Topics:
00:16: Trade reaction
02:20: How did this trade happen between Boston and Philadelphia
17:35: The trade has given the 76ers life this season
20:50: Why this trade is so shocking around the league
Windhorst on the league reaction to the trade: "The league speculation -- it's not reporting, but I don't dispute it -- is that this was a trade that was made under duress. This was not a trade that you would make in a clinical setting. There's no deadline. Didn't have to do it by the end of July 1. You wouldn't do this trade under these circumstances if everything was equal. ... Something wasn't equal.
"We'll see what gets said about it, but that's been the multiple person reaction from the executives. I was actually on the phone with a general manager who was driving and I knew [the deal] was coming. I just didn't know the terms. And when I saw the terms, I read them to him and he was shocked and said, 'Thank God I'm at a stoplight.'"
MacMahon's reaction to the Celtics taking this deal now: "You can criticize the process, the approach that the Celtics took here, and you damn sure can criticize the results, but this was the best offer that they had on the table. And it wasn't for a lack of hunting, of searching or looking.
"Now, why didn't they pile more on to their offer to try to get Giannis [Antetokounmpo]? I believe what happened was they decided we're trading Jaylen Brown and then they tried to get Giannis and they got caught without contingency plans.
"The one thing I'll be honest about here: I don't understand why they took this offer now. Training camp doesn't start next week. Like, this seems to me to be an offer you take in late August or September because you feel like, well crap, I got to take the best thing on the table and there's not much good there."
July 1: LeBron's best landing spots, reaction to blockbuster Kawhi trade
Brian is joined by ESPN's Tim MacMahon and Bobby Marks to break down an eventful first day of NBA free agency. First the trio talks about LeBron James' departure from the Lakers and which teams might make the most sense for him this season. Then, they pivot to a discussion over what the Lakers can do now to build a contender for Luka Doncic in L.A. in the near future.
Next, the guys talk about the Raptors' blockbuster trade for Kawhi Leonard, including whether this move makes Toronto a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference. Finally, they examine why the Clippers are a very interesting team to follow after this move and a big change for the NBA Cup Final.
Topics:
1:22: LeBron not returning to the Lakers this season
7:39: Which landing spot is the best for LeBron?
17:08: A potential outlier team for LeBron
20:04: What do the Lakers do with LeBron not returning?
32:27: Raptors bring back Kawhi in trade with Clippers
41:42: A potentially fruitful pivot executed by Clippers
47:31: Could Nikola Jokic be looking to move soon?
49:06: Due diligence was done by the Raptors on Kawhi
52:18: NBA Cup Final officially moving to Hinkle Fieldhouse
MacMahon on LeBron's final chapter: "If it's just about maximizing the chance to win a championship, then he's going back home, right? I think that the Cavaliers would have the best chance if James Harden becomes their fourth-best player. That to me is their best chance. It's also the best storybook ending if this is indeed the last year. You know, the place obviously where it all started, where he delivered the first championship in 50-whatever years in the city's pro sports history. That's the storybook ending."
Windhorst and MacMahon on a wild-card team for LeBron:
Windhorst: "I have long believed that if there was an outlier team for LeBron, if he was willing to take some exception, it's Denver. if you noticed, during the year this year, he was overly effusive with Jokic."
MacMahon: "It'd be the two most brilliant basketball minds in the league joining forces, and they're complementary, where him and Luka was kind of a 'Who's got the ball in his hands?' Joker's all about having a guy who can run pick and roll either way."
Windhorst on whether the Aspiration investigation impacted the Kawhi trade: "Before they entered into this, Toronto and the Clippers, I believe, checked with the league office to make sure that there wouldn't be a holdup based on this Aspiration investigation."
