According Thio.

Adrian Ward Janowski.

James Harden turned down a two year, $103 million extension from the Rockets would have made him the MBA's 1st $50 million a year player.

He has made it clear to Houston's ownership that he is focused on a trade to the Nets.

I think I can speak safely for Malika Andrews that we can't imagine turning down 50 year.

That's I'm just trying to try to wrap my brain around that.

It's great to have you in the studio.

Tremendous work in the bubble, and we're happy to have you out of the bubble and with us today, give us the perspective on this from the Net side, if you will, from the Nets point of view and I can't really believe I'm saying this about a former M V P.

But for the Nets signing James Harden, it really is a luxury for them.

It is not a necessity.

That's not how they're looking this, Of course, they want to surround their two big stars and Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant with the most talent that they possibly can.

They also want to keep them happy.

And Kevin Durant used to play with James Harden.

That being said their priority this offseason.

I'm told it's resigning.

Guys like Joe Harris, who they expect you really get a lot of the interest out on the market and a lot of money thrown at them.

If they consign James Harden, that's great.

But they're not willing to throw the Moon and the stars at the Houston Rockets in order to do it, which is really what that would require.

If you're going to trade James Harden, you need something massive and return it.

Sort of the first big test for the Rockets GM Rafael Stone.

What are people saying around the league about Harden turning down 50 mil per year for the next few years?

Well, you know how shocked you in Iowa turning down that sort of money.

That sentiment actually resonates with some of the players that I've been talking to around the league.

Even millionaires looked at that and said, Wow, that is a lot of money to turn down.

But it goes back to the discussion that we have had multiple times about big contracts about Supermax contracts because, remember, it's not just money that keeps people in the market.

He has to clearly be quite unhappy and not see potentially that there is a chance for him to win an imminent championship there.

He really likes the guys in Brooklyn.

We'll see if that can happen.

But there's no imminent deal on the horizon, and and there's no riel imminent reason, as we heard from, woke a few minutes ago for Houston to make a deal.

At that point, they can sit back, see what offers come in.

Maybe you won't be in a Rockets uniforms.

Maybe you won't be in a Nets uniformed.

Maybe it'll be someone completely both Eric Bledsoe.

George Hill going to Milwaukee to New Orleans, team up with Zion Williamson.

What are you hearing about their reaction to this news?

Well, let's remember that this was a very tight, me tightly knit locker room in Milwaukee J, so it is a little bit bittersweet.

Let's start with Eric Bledsoe because I've been in touch on that side and he's okay with this, but again, there is a little bit of it's going to be a little store to leave Milwaukee in some ways because he told me not two years ago.

At this point, the Milwaukee was home after everything he went through in Phoenix.

He really did feel comfortable there.

He found some of himself there and got some confidence back.

And then on the side of George Hill, Remember, he left his home to go back to Milwaukee.

The campaign and canvases the election cycles was going.

So this is These are two guys that really care about that community.

They're definitely going to be missed in Milwaukee.

But there is a lot of excitement right about the prospect of playing with someone like Zion Williamson.

Like Lonzo Ball like Brandon Ingram, all of that.

There's a lot of promise for indeed, Milwaukee making these moves because they want to keep their Guyana's for the year left on his current contract eligible for that Supermax deal this offseason.

So what are you hearing about?

If the Bucks have any more plans moving forward?

Yeah, absolutely.

I mean, right now they're plan is they need to be filling out those minimum deals because while they really have an exciting core that they're going to be continuing to build around with you honest with Chris Middleton.

Now with Drew, Holiday and Bogdan Bogdanovich.

They need some depth.

Two years ago, that's really what was keeping this team afloat, especially as some of their starters had some struggles in the playoffs.

So now what John Horse is going to be looking to do is fill out that roster a little bit.

They lost Dante DiVincenzo.

That was someone that they were very excited about, right?

They lost D.

J.

Wilson.

Now what they're looking at is what can we fill out on minimum contracts to try to make this a little bit more of a robust, well rounded roster and to keep you honest, happy and in Milwaukee, hopefully for them.

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