Dunc'd On Basketball NBA Podcast

Nate and Danny discuss the latest Kawhi Leonard news, then answer listener questions from around the league. We hit on the Grizz start, Spurs 3-guard lineup, OKC trading for wing help, and much more.

News

• 0:29 Kawhi Leonard's left-knee swelling and Toronto's outlook

Mailbag

Questions below use the submitted wording.

• 6:29 Scantron: What team have you changed your priors on the quickest and why? With the Grizzles, although the competition could be better, have you change your feelings on their ceiling seeing how they have played thus far? Boozers vision has been...

Nate and Danny Leroux examine what Jalen Williams’ ankle injury could mean for Oklahoma City, then break down crunch-time games from across the weekend, including Rockets–Spurs, Knicks–Celtics, and the Grizzlies–Warriors game they attended in person. They also discuss the Pelicans’ closing lineups, Luka Dončić’s scoring, early rookie performances, and the latest injuries around the league.

0:22 — Jalen Williams’ injury and Oklahoma City’s depth, trade options, and championship hopes.
10:18 — Rockets–Spurs: Houston’s offense and Alperen Şengün against Victor Wembanyama.
16:33 — San Antonio’s three-guard lineup and crunch-time alternatives.
23:38 — Rockets–Spurs: The final possession and Amen...

Nate and Danny Leroux discuss every game from tonight’s 11-game NBA slate, including Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball’s partnership, Anthony Davis in Washington, Tyrese Haliburton’s return, and Warriors–Lakers. They break down new-look lineups, key rotation decisions, and early-season questions around the league, plus Kristaps Porziņģis’ uncertain future with Golden State.

0:27 — Timberwolves–Heat: Edwards, LaMelo, and Giannis, plus Miami’s defense and rebounding.
11:00 — Bucks–Wizards: Anthony Davis, Trae Young, and Milwaukee’s defensive matchups and rotation.
25:26 — Hawks–Magic: Paolo Banchero, Orlando’s offensive changes, and Atlanta’s revamped bench.
37:03 — Pacers–Pelicans: Tyrese Haliburton’s return...

Nate and Danny Leroux break down extensions for Cason Wallace and Jaden McDaniels.

0:33 — Cason Wallace’s extension and Oklahoma City’s long-term finances.

10:16 — Jaden McDaniels’ one-year extension and Minnesota’s approach.

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Nate and Danny Leroux make their 2026–27 NBA predictions, working through all 30 teams’ regular-season outlooks before picking conference finalists, a champion, and the teams most at risk of relegation. They also debate Victor Wembanyama’s next step, the MVP race, coaching honors and the hot seat, defensive breakout candidates, Sixth Man of the Year, and the top rookies and sophomores.

1:15 — Eastern Conference standings and tiers.

10:13 — Charlotte, Washington, and the bottom of the East.

14:10 — Western Conference standings: Oklahoma City, San Antonio, and the next tier.

22:07 — Western Conference depth concerns, the play-in race, and the lower tier...

Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com joins to preview the Cleveland Cavaliers, from the lessons of last season’s playoff run to the fit of Donovan Mitchell and James Harden. They examine Evan Mobley’s next steps, Peyton Watson’s arrival, and the shooting, depth and defensive questions that will shape Cleveland’s championship hopes.

Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic joins to preview the Minnesota Timberwolves after their major offseason overhaul, including LaMelo Ball’s fit alongside Anthony Edwards, Jonathan Kuminga’s opportunity, and Jaden McDaniels’ expanding offensive role. They examine Minnesota’s new playing style, concerns about frontcourt depth...

Jared Weiss of The Athletic joins to preview the San Antonio Spurs, including the three-guard lineup, Dylan Harper’s development, and Victor Wembanyama’s next steps after the Finals. They examine the shooting and rotation tradeoffs, how Tobias Harris and Carter Bryant fit, and the matchup with Oklahoma City in the race for the West.

- 0:02 — The three-guard lineup and Dylan Harper’s development

- 5:24 — Offensive spacing and playing through Wembanyama

- 10:17 — Devin Vassell, Julian Champagnie and the starting lineup

- 15:35 — Closing lineups, guard roles and De’Aaron Fox’s health

- 22:09 — Vic...

Kostya Medvedovsky, creator of DARKO, joins Nate to explain how his projections work, what we can learn from preseason, and where his team and player evaluations differ from conventional wisdom. They also explore aging curves for the NBA’s veteran stars, the impact of tanking reform, and which player profiles translate best to the playoffs.

Nate and Danny Leroux discuss Brandin Podziemski’s extension, the Knicks’ negotiations with Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart, and the latest developments in the Lakers’ ownership dispute. They also examine preseason injuries and rotation decisions around the league, the Spurs’ three-guard lineup, NBA expansion and the league’s European plans, and the debate over Portland’s firing of announcer Braiden Bell.

Timestamps

Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian joins to preview the Memphis Grizzlies, including Cameron Boozer’s rookie expectations.

- 0:46 — Last season’s reset and the franchise’s new direction

- 5:09 — Cameron Boozer’s game, fit and rookie expectations

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Derek Bodner of PHLY joins to preview the Philadelphia 76ers, including how LeBron James and Jaylen Brown fit alongside Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. They examine Embiid’s health and conditioning, how the stars will share the offense, and the shooting, depth and defensive questions that will shape Philadelphia’s season.

Caitlin Cooper of Basketball She Wrote joins to preview the Indiana Pacers, including Tyrese Haliburton’s return, Ivica Zubac’s fit, and Andrew Nembhard’s development. They examine how Indiana’s playing style could evolve, questions about the bench and health, and the path back to contention in the Eastern Conference.

Read and support Caitlin’s work at ⁠Basketball She Wrote⁠:

David Locke, radio voice of the Utah Jazz and founder of the Locked On Podcast Network, joins to preview Utah’s season, including Keyonte George’s development, Jaren Jackson Jr.’s fit alongside Lauri Markkanen, and expectations for Darryn Peterson and Ace Bailey. They examine the rotation, Will Hardy’s system, and the offensive and defensive questions that will shape Utah’s place in the West.

Nate and Danny make their over/under picks for every Eastern Conference team, weighing roster changes, health, depth, and fit. They also examine how lottery reform could redistribute wins across the league and complicate this season’s projections. 

Eastern Conference Over/Unders

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Nate and Danny make their over/under picks for every Western Conference team, weighing roster changes, health, depth, and fit. They also examine how lottery reform could redistribute wins across the league and complicate this season’s projections.

- 3:46 — Dallas Mavericks

- 16:31 — Denver Nuggets

- 20:06 — Golden State Warriors

- 27:04 — Houston Rockets

- 30:08 — Los Angeles Clippers

- 37:20 — Los Angeles Lakers

- 40:18 — Memphis Grizzlies

- 46:28 — Minnesota Timberwolves

- 52:09 — New Orleans Pelicans

- 56:26 — Oklahoma City Thunder

- 1:01:18 — Phoenix Suns

- 1:06:29 — Portland T...

Blake Murphy of Sportsnet joins to preview the Toronto Raptors, including Kawhi Leonard’s fit, how the rotation and playing style could evolve, and the development of Scottie Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles. They also discuss Toronto’s strengths and weaknesses, potential roster moves, and expectations for the season and playoffs.

0:52 — Looking back at last season and the playoff run 5:56 — Kawhi Leonard’s fit and impact

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Jovan Buha of Buha’s Block and Lakers Collective is our guest to break down LA’s new look this season around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.  How good will Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Collin Sexton be in their new roles? Who will the 5th starter be? What will the Lakers scheme be defensively? Plus, we make our predictions for the 2026-27 Lakers season.  

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Dan Feldman and Danny Leroux are the teams and Nate is the player agent, as they try to navigate rookie scale extensions in this increasingly impacted environment. Can they come to agreements on the key players like Keyonte George, Brandon Miller, Cason Wallace, Ausar Thompson, Anthony Black, and more?

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Adam Mares of DNVR and the All-NBA pod joins to discuss a pivotal season in Denver. We look back on what went wrong for the Nuggets in their brutal loss to the Wolves after a promising season, and how the new version of the team addresses those issues. What do we expect from newcomer DeMar DeRozan and how will David Adelman deploy him? Plus, why Jokic didn’t extend, and Adam invokes geopolitics as he discusses whether the Nuggets would ever consider trading Jokic.  Finally, we discuss how the Nuggets match up against potential playoff opponents and make our win...

Couper Moorhead of HEAT.com makes his long-awaited Dunc’d On debut to look ahead to the most anticipated Miami season in some time. We break down Miami’s offensive system last year and how it can be tweaked to accommodate Giannis, and what Erik Spolestra can do defensively to incorporate the former Defensive Player of the Year.

Plus, we hit on the rest of the newcomers, discuss how the holdovers will fit in around Giannis, and break down the Heat’s strengths and weaknesses going into the season.

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James Plowright of the Buzz Beat Podcast uses his dulcet British tones to break down the upcoming Hornets season. Was the LaMelo trade the right move? How do newcomers Naz Reid, Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale, and the rookies fit in? How can Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel evolve as they take on more offensive responsibility? Plus, we make our predictions for the Hornets season.

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Nate puts on his legal hat and combs through Jeanie Buss’ new legal filings as well as the litigation she relies on from 2017 to see whether she should be able to prevent the sale of the remaining Buss family interest and remain controlling owner. ⁠Check out the relevant filings for yourself here⁠.

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Noa Dalzell of CLNS and Nate look back at Boston’s surprising 2025-26 season and debate whether the Celtics’ success justified—or complicated—the decision to dramatically reshape the roster. They examine how the departures and additions change the roles of Jayson Tatum, Payton Pritchard, Paul George, Mitchell Robinson, and Boston’s group of young wings. They also dig into the biggest questions for the Celtics on both ends of the floor, including shot creation, defensive matchups, rotation decisions, and Joe Mazzulla’s approach in the playoffs. Finally, they give their predictions for the Celtics’ season and discuss how Boston matches...

Brad Rowland of Locked on Hawks bats his traditional leadoff role to discuss Atlanta's season. We look into how real their close to last season was, how newcomers Lu Dort, Kingston Flemings, and Aaron Wiggins will fit in, and what Jalen Johnson needs to do to take the next step after a rough playoffs. Plus, we give our predictions for the Hawks' season.

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Nate and Danny can finally sum up the offseasons for the Nuggets and Cavs, improbably through a trade with each other! We put the Peyton Watson deal into context for both teams and give them offseason grades, while also discussing DeMar DeRozan to the Nuggets. We also break down Klay Thompson’s fit in Miami and whether they should have prioritized him over DeRozan or Bradley Beal.

0:00 Denver Nuggets offseason grade — Peyton Watson sign-and-trade, DeMar DeRozan signing, Nikola Jokić’s future

32:29 Cleveland Cavaliers offseason grade — James Harden contract, Peyton Watson acquisition

46:46 Klay Thompson to the Mi...

It's time to hold ourselves accountable and see how we feel about the East's 2025 offseason a year on. Which teams' offseasons do we feel worse about now, and which better? Which ones were we right on at the time, and which did we get totally wrong?

0:32 Atlanta Hawks — Pelicans draft trade, Nickeil Alexander-Walker signing, Kristaps Porziņģis trade, Dyson Daniels extension, Onsi Saleh hiring

9:21 Boston Celtics — Jrue Holiday–Anfernee Simons trade, Kristaps Porziņģis trade, Hugo González draft pick, Josh Minott and Luka Garza signings

15:36 Brooklyn Nets — Egor Demin, Nolan Traoré, Drake Powell, Ben Sa...

A quick hitter on today's news of the Buss family voting to sell their remaining shares to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger and evaluating Jeanie Buss' arguments to block the sale. Plus, an ESPN report indicates the league "has no evidence" of salary cap circumvention, what does Nate make of it?

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Nate and Danny react to the shock sale of the Lakers. Why did this happen now, and what does it mean for the Lakers and the league?

Bradley Beal gets a new contract that is clear evidence of circumvention, while Pablo Torre uncovers more evidence of clear circumvention.

Dennis Schröder is traded to Charlotte. Why it was an easy call for the Hornets, and what it could open up for the Cavs.

We explain why Jeff Schwartz’s comments about the CBA harming veteran players were so off base.

Finally we...

It's time to hold ourselves accountable and see how we feel about the 2025 offseason a year on. Which teams' offseasons do we feel worse about now, and which better? Which ones were we right on at the time, and which did we get totally wrong?

Golden State Warriors — Jonathan Kuminga re-signing, Al Horford signing, De’Anthony Melton signing, Gary Payton II return, Will Richard draft pick

Houston Rockets — Kevin Durant trade, Fred VanVleet re-signing, Jabari Smith Jr. extension, Dorian Finney-Smith signing, Clint Capela signing, Steven Adams extension

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Danny has returned and we catch up on the latest Kawhi Leonard scandal and why extensions like those for Dillon Brooks and Naji Marshall are far more to blame for the league's financial predicament than the dreaded Aprons.

Then, we finish out our assessment of the summer leaguers for HOU, IND, MIA, MIN, NOP, NYK, ORL, and POR.

We continue to look at this crazy summer in the West, with huge moves like the Lakers trading for Walker Kessler.

Los Angeles Lakers — LeBron James departure, Austin Reaves extension, Walker Kessler sign-and-trade, Quentin Grimes signing, Sandro Mamukelashvili signing, Collin Sexton signing, Deandre Ayton trade, Cameron Carr draft pick

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Nate and Danny continue their review of every relevant player in Summer League:

Los Angeles Lakers: Cameron Carr, Adou Thiero, Arthur Kaluma

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Ho...

LeBron James stuns everyone by agreeing to join the Philadelphia 76ers. He said it was about the best chance to win, so how good is this Sixers team in the East? What is the best way to maximize the talents of Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown, LeBron, and Embiid? Are they going to be able to guard anyone? Plus, should LeBron have chosen another team as the best shot of winning a championship?

Nate and Danny continue their review of every relevant player in Summer League, continuing through the lottery and discussing OKC, Charlotte, Detroit, Toronto...

Nate and Danny go long on the fascinating Dort/Risacher trade. Was this the right way to save money by OKC? And was giving up on Risacher the right move for Atlanta?

Then, we break down the offseasons with our letter grading system for OKC, ATL, DAL, WAS, MEM and CHI, before hitting on some news including Matisse Thybulle in LA.

0:42 – Oklahoma City Thunder

31:06 – Atlanta Hawks

53:56 – Dallas Mavericks

1:07:32 – Washington Wizards

1:18:41 – Memphis Grizzlies

1:27:32 – Chicago Bulls

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Nate and Danny start their breakdown of all the projected roster players in Summer League with Washington Wizards AJ Dybantsa, Will Riley and Tre Johnson.

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We discuss why the Milwaukee Bucks should be punished for their blatant circumvention of the salary cap with Gary Trent Jr, and whether it’s the most ridiculous contract in NBA history.

Victor Wembanyama limits himself to the 25% max. How does that simplify the Spurs’ future?

Plus, WATFOs on Bronny James, Jaylen Brown in Philly, the dregs of the West, the Bucks being punished, and Bronny James.

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We give our early summer league impressions on Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, and Cam Boozer. Then, what to make of the Kawhi Leonard trade being on hold? Is this evidence that the league is handling this the wrong way?

We also talk about the ongoing LeBron James drama on where he will play next year, and where he should play next year. Plus, the latest on Peyton Watson and the Clippers and breaking down the six-team trade.

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A news catch-up on the DFS trade to Charlotte, Ayton trade to Washington, and something being rotten in the state of Denver.

Plus, Nate and Danny explains why the people who are focusing so much on the Second Apron as the explanation for the Jaylen Brown trade are way, way off.

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We break down the gobsmacking Jaylen Brown trade, then look at the many other signings league-wide on a Day 2 of Free Agency that did not disappoint.

0:00 — Jaylen Brown trade setup

1:08 — Boston’s side of the Jaylen Brown trade

9:15 — Celtics’ asset return and long-term direction

13:02 — Evaluating Jaylen Brown’s value

19:51 — Brown’s playoff skill set and Boston’s risk

28:26 — Philadelphia’s side of the Jaylen Brown trade

37:43 — Sixers roster after the trade

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The Raptors acquire Kawhi Leonard for 2 picks, a swap, and Brandon Ingram. How good can the Raptors be now in the East? Was it worth pushing their chips in to get Kawhi now? And how do we feel about what they gave up to get him?

For the Clippers, was this a better move than keeping Kawhi and extending him? And should the Spurs have gotten involved if this were the price?

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