April 14, 2026
Valkyries Trade Flau’jae Johnson for Marta Suarez: 2026 WNBA Draft Reaction | Podhalla

Podhalla breaks down the shocking Golden State Valkyries trade sending Flau’jae Johnson to Seattle for Marta Suarez. Brian Gonzales and guest Nathan Canilao analyze the 2026 WNBA Draft fallout and GM Ohemaa Nyanin’s vague post-draft comments.
Guest Spotlight
Nathan Canilao is a reporter for the Bay Area News Group, covering the intersection of sports and culture with a focus on the WNBA and the Golden State Valkyries.
- Follow Nathan on X: https://x.com/nathancanilao
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WEBVTT
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[SPEAKER_01]: How is it going everyone?
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[SPEAKER_01]: Welcome back to Podhala.
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[SPEAKER_01]: One half of this podcast is currently in San Diego, so I decided that something crazy happened last night in the Valkyries were a part of the WMBA draft where they drafted a player.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And they only had her for not that long.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And so I brought in a very special guest to help me break this down Nathan can't allow from I see your stuff and in the Mercury, I have a subscription.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I would recommend it to everyone.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I got a good deal.
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[SPEAKER_01]: It's like a dollar for a year just to get Nathan stuff.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So, you know, I've been following I told you before the podcast that you and a select few whether that be Kenzo, even Marissa, and Jamie, like you guys have kind of been some of my day one follows for the Valkyries and, you know, me and my dad, we reference your guys' work on this podcast all the time.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I'm very appreciative that you found some time to be able to join me today to talk about this crazy event.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So man, how you doing?
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[SPEAKER_00]: I did a good.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Thanks for having me on Bryan a long time listener for me.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I think follow you guys for a little bit now.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And yeah, it's it was one crazy draft night to say the least one that I don't think many of us were expected.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Not at all, man.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And that's what we are here to talk about.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So just to kind of bury the lead here and then what we're discussing is that the Valkyries drafted LSU's Flagej Johnson last night with the number eight overall pick in the 2026 draft and then within what?
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[SPEAKER_01]: Like an hour, 45 minutes, they traded her for Marta Suarez, who was who went number 16 overall and also a 2028 second round pick.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So, man, I have the first thing,
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[SPEAKER_01]: And all caps, I said, what happened?
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[SPEAKER_01]: But I think how we should start this is maybe, I've been thinking about this from a timeline of events like this came and then this happened and this happened and I feel like,
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[SPEAKER_01]: I feel like the news has kind of changed and maybe the rationale for why they did this.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Like I thought it was one way and then, you know, when I hear this new report come out, I'm like, okay, so maybe it wasn't that because of that.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And so I think it might be helpful to kind of just get a sense of the timeline here.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And then I, I wanted to ask you, you know, what you thought about that.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So for time on I have is one, the Valkyrie's draft flage.
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[SPEAKER_01]: and then the storm draft, uh, Marta Suarez, and then the Valkyries trade, a flage a four Marta Suarez and a 20 28 second round pick.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And the next thing I have is, oh, Hema speaks to the media of via Zoom.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And she says she's exhausted and doesn't want to talk about the trade or strategy.
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[SPEAKER_01]: She said it's some other stuff too.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I read Kenzo's transcript from Twitter.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And then there was an ESPN piece from Kendra Andrews and Alexa Filipu that came out around midnight and has a quote from Ohema saying the following quote.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Seattle and I had an agreement that trade picks prior to any athlete selection.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I want to be super clear about the draft.
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[SPEAKER_01]: This had nothing to do with Flagea or any specific athlete selection end quote.
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[SPEAKER_01]: The next thing, Mercen, Gemmy confirms that the deadline to trade draft picks was Sunday at 5 p.m. Eastern time, hinting that the Valks in Storm, the Valks in Storm trade might have been a pre-agree upon before they knew who was available and then the last thing I have,
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[SPEAKER_01]: is Alexa Phillipu follows up her piece from earlier and reports that after 5 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday, teams could not trade picks until after the selections were executed on draft day.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Sorceress told the SPN Golden State in Seattle spoke pre-draft about a potential trade framework, but the deal wasn't agreed
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[SPEAKER_01]: uh... to until golden state was on the clock with the number eight selection gold and state made the decision to trade down to the second round after the players uh... they were eyeing to draft were taken earlier in the first round ciato instructed gold and state to pick johnson and later at number sixteen golden state and struck and ciato the select martispoir as am i forgetting anything big in there as that kind of encapsulate what happened last night that's a few got it spot on it's exactly what happened uh... it was one of
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[SPEAKER_00]: Um, in other drought, like the thing I think, I think it gets lost is like, we're mostly, we're not in New York, right?
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[SPEAKER_00]: So we're all just, we're kind of watching it on TV as it's happening.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And I think when, you know, in similar situations, whether it's the NFL draft or the NBA draft, most the time I would say, if a trade like this is going to happen, you know, the big newsbreakers get it.
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[SPEAKER_00]: you know minutes before so you so the fans know at least okay so this team's gonna pick this this player but that's really for another team right it's a trade that you know if i think we saw this kind of happened with look at dr to trade young but like you know like
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[SPEAKER_00]: Shoms, those guys kind of news happening.
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[SPEAKER_00]: They tweet it.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So the fans are not really confused.
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[SPEAKER_00]: They know Dallas is getting Luca.
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[SPEAKER_00]: They know Atlanta is getting Triumph.
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[SPEAKER_00]: But the way it kind of broke down on TV, right?
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[SPEAKER_00]: You have Rebecca Lobo and Ryan Rucco and all the commentators, Andrea Carter, like they're talking about, oh, this is a fit.
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[SPEAKER_00]: This is a
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[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, how great is, you know, this, we're Golden State Flage in the music and the Bay Area, and they're talking about this stuff.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And so as a fan, and even me, as I'm watching in the, you know, walking on my TV, and I'm reporting on this, I'm like, oh,
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[SPEAKER_00]: this is a legit and then so it is surprising after an hour that you get the trade news uh they trade down obviously and there's a lot of things I'm sure we're going to get into with the asset management of this but like you get smart swars and it's kind of uh you know it's it catches everybody by surprise that they traded from eight to 16 they went from mid-round pit to the second round.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So, it was a lot, I think, going on to initially happen, right?
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[SPEAKER_00]: So, you have this whole thing, the fans are like, what's going on, you know, even media members are like, I don't know what's going on, we're going to talk to him about now or just hold on.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So we get to the, you know, obviously we get to the press conference, it's a zoom, it's a zoom call, all the local beatwriters, all 15, you know, I've been about 15 of us in the room.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And, um,
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[SPEAKER_00]: You know, we at first question gets asked and it's essentially what's kind of the logic behind the trade and can you just go into the details of when the timing of the trade happened.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I think it was really important for everybody in the room to know when that was going to, you know, it was beforehand.
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[SPEAKER_00]: If this was a spur of the moment thing to happen after, you know, the fact,
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[SPEAKER_00]: And it was just surprising that you get, you know, from a communication standpoint, obviously, a journal manager on him and Nyan and what was talking about how, she didn't want to go on a details, she was exhausted from just kind of the draft process.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that really caught the fans off-kart.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I think once the transcript, as you mentioned, Kenzov, Fuku'dad, of great, he transcribed the whole thing and you could see exactly what was happening.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It was very, it would just off-putting, I think,
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[SPEAKER_00]: uh, response to a trade that really felt like, uh, a downgrade at the time.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Now, I think we'll get again, we'll probably get into this, but Mark Swars is a good fit, but Flage Johnson has the potential to be a very good player, probably, and, you know, maybe an all-star level player.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So it was, it was essentially, it was very, I think, um, perplexing to see a general manager not have those answers.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Um, and then obviously, like you said, you've got to go back,
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[SPEAKER_00]: You know, fans are going crazy, you know, all of our, I'm going to group show all beat writers, our phones are blowing up on on Twitter and Instagram or whatever.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And I think kind of the the weirdest part of it was kind of, you know, after that all happened about an hour, two hours after I'll have a spoke, then she went to ESPN and kind of had a statement, didn't really clear anything up, but did clear up at least that this was a trade
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[SPEAKER_00]: Really weird night, I think it was honestly probably one of the more odd nights, you know, a press conference, you know, if you want to talk about, you know, press conferences, you know, they don't win new seasons, but they could certainly lose you one.
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[SPEAKER_00]: This was definitely one of those moments where, you know, I think the fan base was really looking for answers on something and the fact that it didn't the factories didn't have those answers and couldn't eloquently put it together.
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[SPEAKER_00]: After the fact, I think definitely,
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[SPEAKER_00]: made a big impression on the family, especially early on where we're really early in the season.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know if this is going to be something that linger or or however, but it's going to be, it's definitely a talking point.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I think this is something that will linger.
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[SPEAKER_00]: At least until training camp starts on Sunday.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and I feel like you keep saying something pretty interesting in there, which is like the fans found it off putting like the fans that did you find it particularly like like like a caught you off guard because I feel like I've been, you know, paying attention to Oh, have ever since she was hired and those answers didn't totally shock me based on how, you know, she's kind of answered stuff that, you know, I've paid attention to I went to I believe the Bay Area in Visaline women's classic, which was, you know, a
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[SPEAKER_01]: four college teams playing each other at chase center not I went this past year but the year before I would have like talked to like a ton of people before the game started and there were it was before the expansion draft so people are asking her like obviously like oh what are you guys looking for the expansion draft like I'll tell us tell us tell us she's like I'm not telling y'all strategy like I'm not gonna do that
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I could almost see some reminiscent like in what she was telling you guys like I don't discuss strategy like I don't really want to talk about this like I feel like some of the stuff I've paid attention to her it didn't completely catch me off guard but I could see how someone who's never really heard her before like yeah no I think that you'd expect a little bit more so how about for you because you've definitely heard her talk way more than I have like I've only you know tuned in a handful of times but you're you know I'm sure you've you know of herder
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[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, no, I mean, there's been moments like this as as great of a season as it was last year.
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[SPEAKER_00]: There were moments like this that I think maybe got lost in translation, right?
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[SPEAKER_00]: I think that the one that sticks out to me was the Julie Van Lue situation, you know, obviously, you know, it happens and there's like a lot of uproar and you kind of get a glimpse of,
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[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, him in these, in these kind of these moments that, you know, the Julie Van Lue, I mean, I remember when they wave Caitlin Chen to be right before the start of the season, that was a big deal, right?
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[SPEAKER_00]: So, yeah, I wasn't shocked like that it could have turned out that way.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I felt like for me, and a lot of the beatwriters have, I think, shared this opinion as well.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I think when you are a GM and when you are a person who is making decisions for the team,
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[SPEAKER_00]: Especially in a moment like the draft I think there is a at least a baseline like hey when you get on and you you you're about to you know talk about what what just happened there is a level of hey you probably should you know know how to communicate Why this move happened aside from just saying I don't want to right so I think for for me at least I was shocked that You know we're not talking about anything necessarily controversial I actually thought the trade
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[SPEAKER_00]: was not as bad as people are making it out to be, I mean, again, Flage, I don't, there was something that she could definitely have the Valkyries with, right?
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[SPEAKER_00]: But she's not the really a Valkyries player in my opinion.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So I thought, like the trade itself made sense.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that's why it felt so weird, because
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[SPEAKER_00]: It's a move that honestly was not that big of a deal if you didn't have to make it a big deal.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, as long as she came out of there and said, hey, you know what, we really like Mark Swarrers.
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[SPEAKER_00]: We think she could help us win.
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[SPEAKER_00]: We thought we had there's value in adding a second round pick.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I think those are things that really could quiet at this down.
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[SPEAKER_00]: But I think
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[SPEAKER_00]: when you look at the quotes and you hear, I'm not sure if the video has come out, but if you could hear, oh, Emma, and saying, you know, essentially shutting down any question pertaining to the trade and pertaining to the decision, it is a little bit off as a beatwriter.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I'm sure as a fan to hear your GM
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[SPEAKER_00]: kind of just not, you know, avoid a something that really is benign, you know, in most sports and in most senses, but on a night where obviously the fan base and a lot of people are looking at you and asking, well, why why about this trade.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And I think so it was it was definitely odd.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And I think it'll be very interesting to see how they respond to it, because I don't think this is going to end here if oh, Emma obviously speaks again in the next week.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It's going to come up again.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So we're interesting to see how she deals with it.
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[SPEAKER_00]: If she does come back and talks to the media once again.
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[SPEAKER_01]: We were talking about it in the in our little BSPN pod hall a discord which shameless plug if anyone wants to join it's probably he's probably going to link it in the show notes so make sure to check that out because we're the conversations are going nuts and there while this stuff is happening but one of my initial reactions when that happened was like okay.
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[SPEAKER_01]: You know, some of what you said, I do feel like for me and I know we're not necessarily going into like how the players would have fit per se.
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[SPEAKER_01]: It's more so like kind of how everything went down.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But I felt like there was a chance for flage to really fit with this system and there was probably also a chance for her to really not fit with this system.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I didn't feel like there was like a middle.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I felt like going through the draft some of her, the questions about her was like almost like her motor and from a play to play game to game basis, like is she going to give it her all?
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[SPEAKER_01]: Because you could see sometimes if her getting benched mid game and then, you know, even that latest game where they played against Duke where, you know, they Ashlyn Jackson now Valkyrie, you know, hit that shot on Flage, but Flage was like,
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[SPEAKER_01]: benched until like in the fourth, you know, not throughout the whole game, of course, but some an important chunk of the fourth and I want to say it was like the five or six minute mark she gets brought back in and I just lit something under her and she's going nuts and, you know, my brother texted and he was like, I watched her like missed two free throws in that game and I was like, well, you do, did you see like everything else she was doing for that game like she looked like.
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[SPEAKER_01]: she looked like the top pick like a top three pick when she's playing at that like fire under her but you know high motor level but I think some of the question was like can she keep that motor um she and she keep that there's also some of that with Olivia Miles on defense I should sometimes take possessions off and I felt like with Flagey there was you know a little bit of that question and with the Valkyrie system it's like
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[SPEAKER_01]: everyone's go go go go like hopefully they can inspire that out of her but at the same time if if they didn't then I could see how it really wasn't going to work but I feel like my initial reaction
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[SPEAKER_01]: to all that going down was one, I was pumped we got flaws A man.
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[SPEAKER_01]: To me, I did like a little, you know, my own little big board that I'm not as tapped in as any of these draft in and let's per se, but it was flaws A was like my number five and I was like, okay, so five drop to eight, like that's, of course, a value pick then.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But when the trade happened in my mind, my mind immediately went to those new developmental spots where I was just like looking at the roster of who we have now.
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[SPEAKER_01]: there's like four or five players that like still don't have a contract with this team that were like either on the team last year or you know we're still waiting on Janelle and Eliana's numbers or something like that and there's two spots left like a me here in Chen or on you know what training camp deals or something like there's still only two spots left and they're not on the team and you know tell me just sign today but you know tips doesn't have a
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[SPEAKER_01]: You're telling me, one of those two spots is going to go to, you know, a first-round pick.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I just didn't, um, that was something that I had in the back of my mind.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And so I was texting in our, in our discord.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I was like, I wonder if they could flip this for as you mag before.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I was right about who they were going to trade.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I was right about the team they were going to trade with, but not about who they were getting back in return.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But I think it's a little bit of my mind went to those developmental spots.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And it's like, when the trade happened, I was like, okay, so maybe you can convince
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[SPEAKER_01]: You know, do be a part of one of those two new developmental spots that are getting introduced was my initial thought because maybe you can't convince a first rounder to do that, especially someone a flaws days like celebrity should just be like trade me or like I'm not I don't want to go here, you know, I can go anywhere else and probably not anywhere else, but a lot of other teams and she'll get a lot of run on Seattle, like it's a really good spot for her to end up in.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And I'm going to keep saying, we reference this in the discord too.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And Marissa and Jamie, I believe, said it on her new kind of sub stack or something.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Something she's got going on.
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[SPEAKER_01]: She was saying, and we were saying in the discord is like,
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[SPEAKER_01]: Maybe the thought process was that Martha Swarras would've go into one of those developmental spots, but because of, oh, him was response and because of the blowback, it's almost like she has to kid one of these roster spots now.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Because it's like, how are you gonna put her on a developmental spot and flageh's cooking in Seattle?
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[SPEAKER_01]: Like that just feels like that would be a tough look.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And I'm almost wondering, does that put pressure on Martha to like,
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[SPEAKER_01]: have to, you know, maybe it's not something she's totally thinking about, but I'm looking at it from afar.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I'm like, I kind of feel like she's got to make this roster now.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And now what went from these 10 spots to, you know, Flage getting traded, not being the 11 spot.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Now it's Martha that comes in.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And now you still have a Martha Caitlin Chen, a me here, like who's, and you know, all these players that they've been signing lately to training camp deals, is that something
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[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, no, I, I, I, I, I think you're 100% right.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, it is a lot of pressure on Marta Swara is to make this team.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And for, you know, early second round pick historically that's not like you're really like on the fringes, right?
17:57.982 --> 17:58.583
[SPEAKER_00]: And so,
17:59.052 --> 18:01.037
[SPEAKER_00]: You look at where she fits in, right?
18:01.097 --> 18:04.945
[SPEAKER_00]: I think there's a lot of things she could do passing the three-point threat.
18:05.006 --> 18:12.122
[SPEAKER_00]: She's obviously a taller player could play down low, could defend one through four, you know, a lot of positions.
18:13.505 --> 18:17.955
[SPEAKER_00]: The problem is now, like you said, like, flaws J is going to play in Seattle.
18:17.935 --> 18:34.122
[SPEAKER_00]: like she will play she I don't know show contribute right away but what what I do know is that the guard the guard kind of depth and Seattle is a little thin show she'll get her run so she you're you're gonna see flage johnson on the floor this see at least this season
18:34.642 --> 18:40.349
[SPEAKER_00]: The, like you said, they're like, March, March is where as in another category of, will she even make this team?
18:40.389 --> 18:44.515
[SPEAKER_00]: And if she does, I mean, can you Baker and developmental play?
18:44.535 --> 18:54.928
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, how, how bad of a look without, without with that B, if you traded a potential, you know, star future star, or maybe even a star in Flage Johnson.
18:54.908 --> 19:12.046
[SPEAKER_00]: And now you're basically betting on Martha Swarras who we don't know is going to make seeming, you know, if she does make it as a developmental player, you're essentially saying we traded a player who's contributing right now on a WNBA, you know, I wouldn't say maybe play off to play off fringe team.
19:12.987 --> 19:15.971
[SPEAKER_00]: You traded that player for essentially a developmental player.
19:16.011 --> 19:24.780
[SPEAKER_00]: So there's a lot of pressure for Mark Swarras, which I don't think is kind of fair to her,
19:25.385 --> 19:37.973
[SPEAKER_00]: There's going to be a lot of a lot of things with that and I mean at the same time, I mean, we look, I look at kind of the depth chart for the boundaries right now and there's a lot of forwards and a lot of centers that are going to play.
19:38.033 --> 19:40.980
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I mean, you look at Janelle Solone's going to play.
19:40.960 --> 19:44.386
[SPEAKER_00]: Right, you know, early on a group pair is going to play Chet, she's in the scene.
19:44.406 --> 19:47.932
[SPEAKER_00]: So that's three players who are already ahead of her in the depth chart.
19:48.353 --> 19:53.582
[SPEAKER_00]: And then you kind of look at who else is, I mean, Kyle Charles is a guard forward that that was interchangeable last year.
19:54.083 --> 19:55.325
[SPEAKER_00]: She'll be in training camp.
19:55.485 --> 19:56.507
[SPEAKER_00]: She's on a multi-year deal.
19:56.547 --> 19:58.210
[SPEAKER_00]: She'll most likely make the team.
19:58.190 --> 20:12.295
[SPEAKER_00]: Kate Martin spent some time at the three like that's another player and then they brought in a whole host of international players that we don't know But real you know the American audience isn't really know about but our ball and overseas and who are all, you know Fullwards and and in center.
20:12.335 --> 20:20.890
[SPEAKER_00]: So it's gonna be a really uphill battle and that I'm even mentioned with Tisha Amir who's gonna be fighting for a training camp spot So are you know obviously a roster spot, so
20:21.528 --> 20:23.370
[SPEAKER_00]: It is a lot of pressure on her.
20:23.430 --> 20:50.016
[SPEAKER_00]: We'll see how it goes, but like from a fixed standpoint, if the stuff she did at TCU at Cal, if it translates, it could be a really great addition to this team, but it's asking a lot for a player who is a rookie, who's stepping into a new environment, new system, especially in that early in the coffee system that demands defense demands a lot of
20:50.350 --> 20:57.363
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, it will be, it'll be interesting, but there is certainly pressure, I think, on March Swers to be a impact player right away.
20:58.846 --> 21:11.008
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, especially considering, like, I know, you look at last year and we had Temi, there was Iliana Rupere, there was a Tisha Me here, there was Monique Billings, all four of those players.
21:11.107 --> 21:29.149
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, some some could play for, but mostly fives and and even Monique was put in at small ball five a lot like Iliana repair could be put in at five and then they even had like a lizard can't leave for like a week or two or something and this year it's like you lose Monique you lose Tammy and you have Iliana repair.
21:29.129 --> 21:39.952
[SPEAKER_01]: A me here's on a training camp contract and then you bring in swore as and I know swore I don't know if swore as is we'll see because I'm not as familiar with I need to like take a deeper dive into her game.
21:39.992 --> 21:46.847
[SPEAKER_01]: I wonder if there's, you know, Natalie might try a small ball five with her, but she's only like six three and I feel like all those other players are like six four and up.
21:47.408 --> 21:49.112
[SPEAKER_01]: But do you think that they're.
21:49.092 --> 22:00.692
[SPEAKER_01]: cool with like rolling out their what happened what used to be a pretty deep kind of center power forward uh rotation is now kind of you've lost to and not really replaced them.
22:00.712 --> 22:11.792
[SPEAKER_01]: Do you see them you know, did you see that role being taken up by Marta like kind of like Harry you're saying with the pressure or do you do you think they're still gonna maybe add which I don't know how they could they only they already have those 10 spots
22:11.772 --> 22:20.128
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I mean, right now they have 15 players on the roster, assuming we're at least going to get two of the three draft picks into training camp that makes it 17, right?
22:20.168 --> 22:30.388
[SPEAKER_00]: So they're going to have to cut essentially three players, because you can only have a total of 14, I mean, with 12 roster, two developmental, right?
22:31.145 --> 22:36.259
[SPEAKER_00]: I see, I mean, with Marta, I do think that small ball five is in the realm of possible.
22:36.279 --> 22:38.986
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, just kind of checking her out how she played at TCU.
22:39.006 --> 22:41.172
[SPEAKER_00]: She did have a lot of backs of the basket work.
22:41.192 --> 22:42.014
[SPEAKER_00]: She did guard five.
22:42.034 --> 22:45.002
[SPEAKER_00]: I was like, that was something that she was able to do.
22:45.877 --> 22:53.685
[SPEAKER_00]: I just think it's going to be tough because, I mean, on top of, obviously, I'll be out of repair and why I think is going to play a lot of five.
22:53.765 --> 22:57.409
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, Kai is stoked, they just signed Kai is stoked for God.
22:57.529 --> 22:59.211
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not saying that.
22:59.231 --> 22:59.992
[SPEAKER_01]: That's nice.
23:00.012 --> 23:01.593
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, she's going to, she might start.
23:01.673 --> 23:03.255
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, she, she didn't have very good possibilities.
23:03.275 --> 23:05.197
[SPEAKER_00]: She's a two-year contract player.
23:05.537 --> 23:15.748
[SPEAKER_00]: I know she hasn't had like crazy point for game numbers, but it's a player that Natalie Nicosi obviously trusts from her time and last Vegas, and she's stuck
23:15.728 --> 23:16.931
[SPEAKER_00]: all their championships.
23:17.391 --> 23:24.947
[SPEAKER_00]: So yeah, I mean, for for for Swarez, you know, you're going to have to at least show some versatility.
23:25.088 --> 23:32.944
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't think we could kind of label her as a three or four or five yet, but I think what might be, I mean, from my expectation, it should be that.
23:33.869 --> 23:36.834
[SPEAKER_00]: She could have, she has some versatility so that she can move around.
23:36.874 --> 23:39.859
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that's the basing that Natalie was looking for that.
23:39.899 --> 23:47.692
[SPEAKER_00]: That's something that she really liked last year out out of, you know, Iliana Rupaire, Janelle Solona, all these players who kind of played bigger than they what they were.
23:47.712 --> 23:52.941
[SPEAKER_00]: So it'll be interesting to see how she kind of fits in that dynamic, but
23:52.921 --> 24:08.854
[SPEAKER_00]: She definitely has, I think, there's definitely more pressure for her to show her skills and show that she could be a good player, I mean, even a rotational player to a certain degree in training camp so that they can kind of justify what this pick really meant.
24:09.712 --> 24:15.419
[SPEAKER_01]: and going back a little bit to kind of just like the decision of trading Flage for Marta.
24:16.100 --> 24:25.172
[SPEAKER_01]: And you know, I feel in a Philippus first report, it was Oh Hammer saying we had a deal agreed on with Seattle beforehand.
24:26.073 --> 24:33.202
[SPEAKER_01]: And then you see, you know, Marissa saying that they had to have had that agreement before 5 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday.
24:33.222 --> 24:39.550
[SPEAKER_01]: And then Philippu followed up and said they seemingly said they did not have a deal of
24:39.530 --> 24:49.911
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, before 5 PM Eastern and it sounds like there's a distinction between, um, the agreement of trading the draft pick versus maybe.
24:50.009 --> 24:52.432
[SPEAKER_01]: trading the player after they're taken.
24:52.813 --> 24:59.281
[SPEAKER_01]: I might need to look into that a little more, but it sounds like they did not actually have this trade agreed on before that deadline.
24:59.301 --> 25:08.492
[SPEAKER_01]: And in fact, it was when it sounded like a verbal agreement, instead of something that was actually like in the books by 5 p.m. Eastern on Sunday.
25:08.532 --> 25:12.978
[SPEAKER_01]: And it sounds like, you know, Seattle made, is that what it said?
25:13.018 --> 25:13.599
[SPEAKER_01]: Is that what they said?
25:13.619 --> 25:16.843
[SPEAKER_01]: They said in the second one where they said,
25:17.532 --> 25:18.515
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, I believe so.
25:18.555 --> 25:24.653
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, so I think what had to to my understanding and again, it is to these draft rules are kind of crazy.
25:24.673 --> 25:30.951
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't understand why they can't fix this, but so once 5 PM Sunday came.
25:31.336 --> 25:56.905
[SPEAKER_00]: that means that all the draft picks were set so like they're not going to move like there's no movement from that point you're only trading player rights so they're going to have to put on the hat right yeah so they're going to have to do that because you're you're not you can't trade the the spot anymore you're now you're trading the rights so to me that signals that the this trade was either made late Sunday night
25:57.543 --> 26:01.930
[SPEAKER_00]: early Monday morning or kind of write up to the draft like that.
26:01.950 --> 26:10.064
[SPEAKER_00]: That's the only kind of spots to me what this trade actually seem possible with the rules and everything like that.
26:10.384 --> 26:15.392
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think there's a bigger question of like, okay, why does that kind of have to happen?
26:15.412 --> 26:16.574
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, it's kind of weird.
26:16.594 --> 26:17.836
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know what I'm trying to get to.
26:17.896 --> 26:20.441
[SPEAKER_01]: It's like they didn't have to do it.
26:21.442 --> 26:23.646
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I mean, it's very weird thing.
26:23.686 --> 26:24.327
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean,
26:25.015 --> 26:32.768
[SPEAKER_00]: To me, and this is kind of more on the league, but it is very weird to have a player put on a hat only for them to be traded 30 minutes later.
26:32.828 --> 26:36.755
[SPEAKER_00]: I just think that's a very weird, you know, spot to be in.
26:36.775 --> 26:45.689
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think, I mean, there's a lot of cultivating things Brian about this because I think to me what that the pick signal.
26:45.710 --> 26:47.973
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, there was a lot of wrenches thrown in.
26:48.514 --> 26:49.015
[SPEAKER_00]: I think,
26:49.450 --> 26:56.229
[SPEAKER_00]: Like for example, you know, Gabriella Hakez, I thought getting picked at five was huge.
26:56.289 --> 27:00.962
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I think that really disrupted draft boards because no one had or that high.
27:01.297 --> 27:03.720
[SPEAKER_01]: Uh, she also had been the biggest shocker of the draft.
27:03.740 --> 27:05.162
[SPEAKER_01]: Had they not tried to flush it.
27:05.182 --> 27:08.667
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, I mean, it's that all we'd be talking about is like, Gabriella went five.
27:08.707 --> 27:11.651
[SPEAKER_00]: It, I mean, it was a shocker to me.
27:11.671 --> 27:13.514
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, a lot of people online, obviously.
27:13.534 --> 27:14.595
[SPEAKER_00]: And it was a shocker to me.
27:14.615 --> 27:17.259
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I had her slated to go and say to eight.
27:17.339 --> 27:19.682
[SPEAKER_00]: And I thought she could go all the way down a second.
27:19.722 --> 27:24.028
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, there was to me, like her range was like eight to the 16.
27:24.068 --> 27:25.330
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, it was in that kind of,
27:25.310 --> 27:28.875
[SPEAKER_00]: We're spot but her going all the way to five now.
27:28.935 --> 27:30.517
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, you I think it was to run.
27:30.537 --> 27:38.969
[SPEAKER_00]: I've known that's around with it's Rontel who's at six and so they went like Kiki rice and then Portland goes Ayana, Martin.
27:38.989 --> 27:45.158
[SPEAKER_00]: So there's three point guards off the board and the Valkyries biggest need going to draft night was back up point guard
27:45.138 --> 27:51.947
[SPEAKER_00]: So, it makes it weird because, I mean, obviously, it looks like they weren't high on either the South Carolina guards.
27:53.530 --> 28:01.601
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't think they were going to take either of those and then they kind of just went for what's kind of the need here and we can use a versatile big.
28:02.282 --> 28:13.137
[SPEAKER_00]: So it was a lot of things I think that transpired that did not help the whole situation, I mean, but at the end of the day it was certainly one that could have been avoided with maybe some better communication.
28:13.403 --> 28:20.358
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, yeah, I mean, we were saying on this podcast like, hey, once the Valkyries make their first ever trade, like it could be, it's going to be big.
28:20.418 --> 28:21.320
[SPEAKER_01]: It's going to be a big deal.
28:21.440 --> 28:23.164
[SPEAKER_01]: And that was the first trade.
28:23.785 --> 28:24.166
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
28:25.509 --> 28:27.313
[SPEAKER_01]: And then what a deal it's been and we were right.
28:27.373 --> 28:28.235
[SPEAKER_01]: It hasn't been a big deal.
28:29.237 --> 28:32.003
[SPEAKER_01]: I guess I think that kind of covers.
28:32.253 --> 28:32.934
[SPEAKER_01]: kind of everything.
28:33.154 --> 28:41.483
[SPEAKER_01]: But I guess, okay, before I asked my last question, you were kind of saying that, hey, maybe it's not as bad of a trade as, you know, somewhere making it enough to see him.
28:41.503 --> 28:50.073
[SPEAKER_01]: And I agree, like, and I will maybe not fully agree, but I agree in the sense of like, you know, fans saying this is like the worst thing that ever happened.
28:50.093 --> 28:54.618
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, okay, but there's, there's, there's, there's much worse that can happen.
28:54.698 --> 28:58.362
[SPEAKER_01]: But, um, I do think from a
28:59.050 --> 29:03.297
[SPEAKER_01]: And this is me without knowing what other deals were out there, what they could have gotten.
29:03.398 --> 29:06.042
[SPEAKER_01]: But just, you know, Flagea was number five on my board.
29:06.082 --> 29:13.836
[SPEAKER_01]: It feels like she was maybe slipping in some people's boards, but at least, you know, probably number five on a lot of people's boards.
29:13.856 --> 29:16.080
[SPEAKER_01]: And for that's a fall to eight, you know, there's value there.
29:16.420 --> 29:21.189
[SPEAKER_01]: And you just, you know, they moved essentially eight picks back.
29:21.950 --> 29:23.573
[SPEAKER_01]: And, um,
29:23.722 --> 29:31.723
[SPEAKER_01]: They moved eight picks back and then got a second round pick in 2028 and that trade, I feel like that trade.
29:32.041 --> 29:35.766
[SPEAKER_01]: doesn't make as much sense when flage is there.
29:35.826 --> 29:46.001
[SPEAKER_01]: But when flage is taken and then you're looking at like Medina Oca and you're looking at Cody McMahon and you're looking at some of these other players where it's like okay, flage was like the highest like a high ceiling player.
29:46.021 --> 29:51.749
[SPEAKER_01]: There was a tier of players, flage is taken and now we're into this next tier that doesn't make as much sense for this pick.
29:52.109 --> 29:57.977
[SPEAKER_01]: Then I understand it, but flage being there is where I'm just like there was more value to extract from this pick.
29:57.997 --> 29:59.820
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think that's where I'm like,
29:59.800 --> 30:08.410
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, Emma, you've earned my trust, you've done things that I say in our discord, like, you've proved my MBA-wired brain wrong, like five times.
30:08.490 --> 30:26.331
[SPEAKER_01]: So you have earned, like, my trust, and, you know, even what she said in the presser, like, I've kind of texted, like, you know, she's earned some goodwill for me, like, I understand that she could have been better with these responses, but I'm not kind of completely judged the trade yet because she's been, like,
30:27.813 --> 30:35.983
[SPEAKER_01]: I guess, but at the same time though, I'm still kind of like from a value perspective, could you have gotten more from Flodget and I guess we'll never know.
30:36.083 --> 30:45.035
[SPEAKER_01]: But are you still like kind of, what's you're like, more into like, how you feel about like the actual value?
30:45.315 --> 30:51.183
[SPEAKER_00]: So on the player field, so like we're not, we're all kind of girl and I say okay, the trade isn't that bad is on the player for player side.
30:51.203 --> 30:57.010
[SPEAKER_00]: Like I understand the player for player, what you're saying about like the asset management of this, I think is that's where they kind of,
30:57.277 --> 31:14.813
[SPEAKER_00]: made the kind of blue trade is that okay you're trading down you're essentially trading down but the things that you've got to add to that were is it's just one thing it's a second round pick in two years like that's a that's a player that really knows and make a team into it right and that pick also
31:15.552 --> 31:18.758
[SPEAKER_00]: 2028 we're adding I believe one of the expansion teams is coming in.
31:18.798 --> 31:19.359
[SPEAKER_00]: I can't remember.
31:19.399 --> 31:27.554
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it's Cleveland, but that I mean that team, I mean that's that pick is going to get moved to spot because now Cleveland's in it, right?
31:27.594 --> 31:39.315
[SPEAKER_00]: So like it is from an asset, Matt, like the assets they got on top of what you know to trade the whole point of trading down is I get the player I want plus stuff.
31:39.515 --> 31:45.151
[SPEAKER_00]: The plus stuff they got was not good like that was not they essentially just went swap for swap.
31:45.172 --> 31:46.255
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, it's beyond it.
31:46.275 --> 31:49.103
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean the second like I said the 20 28 second round pick
31:49.606 --> 32:02.118
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, that that's just not a pick that's going to be a, you know, right, we see we see that we see who's at the top of the 2027 and the 2028 draft, but like, that's who's at the top, you know, we don't know who's going to be in the second round.
32:02.138 --> 32:03.740
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, we have no idea who that.
32:03.840 --> 32:06.923
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, that could be, you know, I don't even know who that could be, right?
32:06.943 --> 32:16.272
[SPEAKER_00]: So like, that is a very, that's where I think there's a lot of crisis and be warranted because from just a asset compiling standpoint,
32:17.078 --> 32:20.503
[SPEAKER_00]: I, you know, I think what maybe would have made the trade better.
32:20.543 --> 32:24.149
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, now from an optic stamp was like, can you, could you have gotten the first next year?
32:24.209 --> 32:25.471
[SPEAKER_00]: Could you have gotten the first and two years?
32:25.551 --> 32:30.759
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, that's, that's something I think, you know, you changed the parameters of this deal a little bit.
32:30.779 --> 32:34.425
[SPEAKER_00]: And, you know, oh, we got a first, but we got a first next year or we got a first and two.
32:34.545 --> 32:37.730
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, like maybe flood, you know, maybe first and two.
32:37.750 --> 32:39.373
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I can see out of the way.
32:39.393 --> 32:41.536
[SPEAKER_01]: I wouldn't, I don't know if I'm going to give up my, my top picks.
32:41.556 --> 32:42.738
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know who that's.
32:42.858 --> 32:43.980
[SPEAKER_01]: Absolutely not.
32:43.960 --> 32:55.436
[SPEAKER_01]: That's kind of what we're both saying is like if it was like you they're needed to be one maybe one other thing attached to that to make that make sense, but just to trade down eight spots and grab another second round pick.
32:55.456 --> 33:07.493
[SPEAKER_01]: I know some people are saying 16 is basically a first round pick because it's only one pick into the second round, but it still feels like with flagey like her falling to you wasn't just the eight number eight pick anymore.
33:07.533 --> 33:10.137
[SPEAKER_01]: It's almost like you had number five in a sense.
33:10.117 --> 33:22.810
[SPEAKER_01]: Sure, that's where it's like, I wish there was more you could have gotten back from that, but, you know, time will tell and if LaJay cooks, that's going to be a different story, if Marta cooks, that's going to be a different story, and if they both cook,
33:23.178 --> 33:23.518
[SPEAKER_01]: I hope.
33:26.041 --> 33:35.350
[SPEAKER_00]: I know one of the things that I thought was really interesting that I was trying to get a sense on this morning is, I know a lot of people are like, well, this is Joe Lucas fault.
33:35.430 --> 33:37.732
[SPEAKER_00]: This is Joe putting his phone on the scale.
33:38.392 --> 33:47.021
[SPEAKER_00]: And you know, why do I do know Joe does, I mean, it's why the report of Joe does put his, you know, imprint on things when he feels like he needs to.
33:48.162 --> 33:52.746
[SPEAKER_00]: But the sense I got and I've been talking to the channels is like, this is not that.
33:53.283 --> 34:05.773
[SPEAKER_00]: from kind of even even just as a practical standpoint, like if you're an owner, he doesn't know basketball, like his basketball people do, but he does he knows business and from a business standpoint, like
34:06.293 --> 34:09.037
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, funny job to me, someone who joke or what?
34:09.317 --> 34:09.518
[SPEAKER_00]: What?
34:09.538 --> 34:10.800
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
34:11.280 --> 34:13.824
[SPEAKER_00]: So, but like, I do think there is something to be said.
34:13.844 --> 34:18.811
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I know that that was like a big fan, I don't know if it's conspiracy or just something that they threw out there.
34:18.871 --> 34:22.977
[SPEAKER_00]: But like a lot of people were in the mentions were like, well, this is what happens when you do a Joe Lake up.
34:23.017 --> 34:23.718
[SPEAKER_00]: And I don't know.
34:23.738 --> 34:27.404
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's not to hate for Joe Lake up, but I just know, you know, out talking to people.
34:27.444 --> 34:30.168
[SPEAKER_00]: This is not a, this was not necessarily a Joe Lake up thing.
34:30.188 --> 34:31.710
[SPEAKER_00]: This is more, I think.
34:31.690 --> 34:35.695
[SPEAKER_00]: they felt like March to War as was a good player.
34:35.755 --> 34:45.388
[SPEAKER_00]: So, interesting, interesting theories I've seen online, but I can tell you is that I don't think there was much on her meddling in a disadvantage.
34:45.408 --> 34:47.591
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I mean, look who Joe's people were.
34:48.352 --> 34:53.038
[SPEAKER_01]: He's Joe's been right about a lot of things, but he was a big on-wise, and he was a big on-comingo for the warrior's side.
34:53.098 --> 35:00.668
[SPEAKER_01]: And, you know, that if LaJay just seems like someone who's like would totally be like someone who you'd want to invest in, someone who's not potential.
35:00.648 --> 35:01.869
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, he loves upset, right?
35:01.889 --> 35:04.512
[SPEAKER_00]: He loves the coming, like the can they be stars?
35:04.572 --> 35:07.175
[SPEAKER_00]: The can-wise would be a star, like he loves that part of it.
35:07.215 --> 35:10.018
[SPEAKER_00]: So like, this is kind of the back, this is like a backwards thing.
35:10.038 --> 35:12.962
[SPEAKER_00]: If we think that he wanted a player in the second round.
35:13.002 --> 35:19.629
[SPEAKER_00]: So if it's interesting, but yeah, I think it is part of the story here.
35:19.689 --> 35:23.213
[SPEAKER_00]: It's like, this is a player in March as far as who, like,
35:23.193 --> 35:38.839
[SPEAKER_00]: The GM, the coaches, I think, really liked at the end of the day, and yeah, the asset part of it obviously is not great, but in terms of the player, it is a player that I think they felt like could help us win right now.
35:38.971 --> 35:42.757
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, man, my last quote, thank you so much for being a part of this podcast.
35:42.777 --> 35:45.521
[SPEAKER_01]: And it's been very much, this has been a great conversation.
35:45.541 --> 35:58.180
[SPEAKER_01]: I wanted to ask you one more thing, though, and it is in relation to the Ohema Pressure and maybe the next time that there's an introductory press conference maybe from Martha Swarras that, you know, you and some of your other media folks might attend.
35:58.200 --> 36:01.645
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know, I just assume that, you know, maybe there is going to be something like that.
36:02.626 --> 36:08.455
[SPEAKER_01]: Have you talked to with any your like friends in the media, or have you thought to yourself,
36:08.435 --> 36:21.035
[SPEAKER_01]: Maybe you guys might phrase some of the questions differently to get a different response that, oh, I'm a, you know, versus what you guys just got or do you think that maybe she's going to change her tune a little bit on how she responds to these questions?
36:22.036 --> 36:32.653
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, I think with, you know, it is something we've obviously been talking about all morning and all afternoon about how, you know, going forward, how to ask these questions and I do think
36:32.971 --> 36:39.080
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, on our side, there's definitely some rooms that like try to ask these questions in a way that we could kind of get our answers, right?
36:39.100 --> 36:41.483
[SPEAKER_00]: That thing that's something that journalists are always trying to get better at.
36:42.185 --> 36:57.527
[SPEAKER_00]: I do think on the other end though, part of I think the frustration from the fan base and even frustration from other media men, I'm not, I mean, last night was crazy, but I'm not thinking about it too much, but I think part of the frustration just overall is like,
36:57.963 --> 37:16.596
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, like how do we get someone who's you know, and essentially position a power to talk about things that, you know, the paying customers with value fans, the fan base care about and you know, I do think part, I mean, I'll have a made a very clear last night and she's made it pretty clear over the year that I've covered her is like,
37:17.048 --> 37:41.233
[SPEAKER_00]: anything that has to do with strategy or I mean anything anything that has to do with anything of their plans she's really not going to talk about it and if she does it's going to be more in the generalities and you know kind of speaking about a player and in specific and so it'll be interesting I think that would be interesting it's something we're going to have to monitor as the season goes on but it'll be interesting to see um
37:41.821 --> 37:58.265
[SPEAKER_00]: how this, you know, from Natalie, to Hema, to even, you know, even wake up when he does talk, I mean, how transparent they're going to be about certain things, especially now, I mean, we're in a social media, you know, world, we're in everybody knows what they're saying.
37:58.285 --> 38:01.570
[SPEAKER_00]: You don't, you know, this is stuff that's going to be out there all the time.
38:01.650 --> 38:02.091
[SPEAKER_00]: So,
38:02.071 --> 38:03.854
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm curious to see how they're going to handle it.
38:03.874 --> 38:05.677
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, there's going to be more points like this Brian.
38:05.717 --> 38:12.628
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, obviously, the rookie intros, you know, we expect, oh, I'm going to be there, I'm expecting a least training camp.
38:12.648 --> 38:14.151
[SPEAKER_00]: She'll show up once or twice.
38:14.752 --> 38:17.296
[SPEAKER_00]: And obviously, like, trade deadline and things like that.
38:17.376 --> 38:20.020
[SPEAKER_00]: When the roster is really, can, can turn.
38:20.081 --> 38:21.242
[SPEAKER_00]: Those are the times we're going to see here.
38:21.703 --> 38:27.673
[SPEAKER_00]: So the interesting to see how that plays out, I'm not totally sure how it will, but, um,
38:27.653 --> 38:36.786
[SPEAKER_00]: I think I have I mean if it last night was any indication there I mean the factories are pretty tight to the vest and they're they're going to
38:37.205 --> 38:38.627
[SPEAKER_00]: release things when they want to.
38:38.687 --> 38:56.131
[SPEAKER_00]: And I mean, even going back to, you know, last week in the office, and I mean, how many teams were we're talking to Alexa, Phillip Wu and Kendra Andrews, and create all the great, you know, WNB Air Force, Korean Copeland, Sean Hurt, all these people, cover the league, they're getting all the kind of the leaks.
38:56.872 --> 39:05.845
[SPEAKER_00]: And when it came the Valkyries, those were things that were coming out as it seemed like they came out, and they made their fresh release as a team, and they didn't share with anybody, and that's how it went.
39:05.825 --> 39:14.468
[SPEAKER_00]: And, you know, interesting to see, but I think it's safe to say that they're going to be seeing this tight to the vest, ferry New England Patriots, like if I had to compare it to anything.
39:15.308 --> 39:15.949
[SPEAKER_01]: got a man.
39:16.329 --> 39:17.070
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, thank you, man.
39:17.090 --> 39:30.668
[SPEAKER_01]: I really appreciate you jumping on this podcast and, you know, like I said, you're one of my day one, Valks followers that I've been, you know, following your work and been appreciative of the news that you bring to the timeline.
39:30.988 --> 39:32.890
[SPEAKER_01]: Because I'm always sending in and I'm always copying links.
39:32.910 --> 39:34.132
[SPEAKER_01]: You know how it is in group chats.
39:34.152 --> 39:36.255
[SPEAKER_01]: We're just copying links and sending in the group chat.
39:36.715 --> 39:39.078
[SPEAKER_01]: So your links have comprised a lot of wood.
39:39.118 --> 39:42.042
[SPEAKER_01]: I send to my WMA friends.
39:42.022 --> 39:45.400
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, always appreciate you, man, and yet do you have anything to plug?
39:45.987 --> 39:49.552
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, yeah, you could read me at the San Jose Mercury News or at the East Bay Times.
39:50.133 --> 39:53.557
[SPEAKER_00]: Obviously, subscribe if you can, it's like price, that's a dollar for a year.
39:53.617 --> 40:00.707
[SPEAKER_00]: So, I'll be at, you know, all of that pre-s game home games this year, and we'll be covering the team up until then they're seated.
40:00.747 --> 40:06.395
[SPEAKER_00]: So, yeah, San Jose Mercury News East Bay Times, you can follow me on Twitter at Nathan Cannellow.
40:06.415 --> 40:10.721
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll have all my tweets and analysis, all the story links will be there.
40:10.801 --> 40:13.665
[SPEAKER_00]: So, yeah, that's Mercury News East Bay Times.
40:14.236 --> 40:17.861
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm telling you guys, man, a dollar for a year, can't beat it.
40:18.182 --> 40:18.662
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's nice.
40:18.723 --> 40:19.544
[SPEAKER_01]: You can't beat them, man.
40:19.684 --> 40:20.405
[SPEAKER_01]: You can't beat that.
40:21.026 --> 40:27.976
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, and after that, to plug that even more, sometimes you do that, I'd like a dollar for a year, and then you get stuck if you missed it.
40:28.237 --> 40:30.840
[SPEAKER_01]: And then it's like, oh, you just re-uped like $70 for the next year.
40:31.001 --> 40:31.822
[SPEAKER_01]: That's not how it is.
40:31.862 --> 40:34.145
[SPEAKER_01]: I did check that a subscription to make sure that that's not how it is.
40:34.205 --> 40:35.367
[SPEAKER_01]: You'll re-up for
40:35.347 --> 40:37.711
[SPEAKER_01]: the next month instead of on a year level.
40:37.751 --> 40:41.096
[SPEAKER_01]: So if you do forget you're only eating like $20 as opposed to $70.
40:41.136 --> 40:43.019
[SPEAKER_01]: But you know, just be better.
40:43.079 --> 40:53.434
[SPEAKER_01]: Just be less like me and don't get screwed over by your athletic subscription that you forget about the day in a re-ups for $75 and now you have to wait for another year to cancel.
40:54.556 --> 40:55.117
[SPEAKER_01]: But yeah, man.
40:55.658 --> 40:56.138
[SPEAKER_00]: I've been there.
40:56.219 --> 41:02.468
[SPEAKER_00]: I've checked my phone many
41:03.899 --> 41:04.461
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, man.
41:04.481 --> 41:05.544
[SPEAKER_01]: So thank you again.
41:05.604 --> 41:11.061
[SPEAKER_01]: I appreciate you for jumping on here and and that was yeah great conversation and thank you for all you do.
41:11.122 --> 41:13.609
[SPEAKER_01]: So with that being said thank you Nathan.
41:13.850 --> 41:17.622
[SPEAKER_01]: I am Brian and we will see you when we see you piece Alex.
00:00.132 --> 00:11.403
[SPEAKER_01]: How is it going everyone?
00:11.463 --> 00:13.525
[SPEAKER_01]: Welcome back to Podhala.
00:14.186 --> 00:25.617
[SPEAKER_01]: One half of this podcast is currently in San Diego, so I decided that something crazy happened last night in the Valkyries were a part of the WMBA draft where they drafted a player.
00:25.597 --> 00:27.840
[SPEAKER_01]: And they only had her for not that long.
00:28.080 --> 00:39.356
[SPEAKER_01]: And so I brought in a very special guest to help me break this down Nathan can't allow from I see your stuff and in the Mercury, I have a subscription.
00:39.376 --> 00:41.959
[SPEAKER_01]: I would recommend it to everyone.
00:41.979 --> 00:42.720
[SPEAKER_01]: I got a good deal.
00:42.780 --> 00:45.664
[SPEAKER_01]: It's like a dollar for a year just to get Nathan stuff.
00:45.644 --> 01:04.953
[SPEAKER_01]: So, you know, I've been following I told you before the podcast that you and a select few whether that be Kenzo, even Marissa, and Jamie, like you guys have kind of been some of my day one follows for the Valkyries and, you know, me and my dad, we reference your guys' work on this podcast all the time.
01:04.973 --> 01:09.700
[SPEAKER_01]: So I'm very appreciative that you found some time to be able to join me today to talk about this crazy event.
01:09.740 --> 01:11.162
[SPEAKER_01]: So man, how you doing?
01:11.142 --> 01:11.905
[SPEAKER_00]: I did a good.
01:11.985 --> 01:14.212
[SPEAKER_00]: Thanks for having me on Bryan a long time listener for me.
01:14.232 --> 01:15.838
[SPEAKER_00]: I think follow you guys for a little bit now.
01:15.958 --> 01:22.620
[SPEAKER_00]: And yeah, it's it was one crazy draft night to say the least one that I don't think many of us were expected.
01:23.107 --> 01:24.169
[SPEAKER_01]: Not at all, man.
01:24.189 --> 01:25.651
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's what we are here to talk about.
01:25.711 --> 01:39.051
[SPEAKER_01]: So just to kind of bury the lead here and then what we're discussing is that the Valkyries drafted LSU's Flagej Johnson last night with the number eight overall pick in the 2026 draft and then within what?
01:39.092 --> 01:48.025
[SPEAKER_01]: Like an hour, 45 minutes, they traded her for Marta Suarez, who was who went number 16 overall and also a 2028 second round pick.
01:48.887 --> 01:51.831
[SPEAKER_01]: So, man, I have the first thing,
01:52.807 --> 01:54.532
[SPEAKER_01]: And all caps, I said, what happened?
01:55.033 --> 02:04.639
[SPEAKER_01]: But I think how we should start this is maybe, I've been thinking about this from a timeline of events like this came and then this happened and this happened and I feel like,
02:04.771 --> 02:09.560
[SPEAKER_01]: I feel like the news has kind of changed and maybe the rationale for why they did this.
02:09.580 --> 02:16.994
[SPEAKER_01]: Like I thought it was one way and then, you know, when I hear this new report come out, I'm like, okay, so maybe it wasn't that because of that.
02:17.095 --> 02:20.341
[SPEAKER_01]: And so I think it might be helpful to kind of just get a sense of the timeline here.
02:20.722 --> 02:23.487
[SPEAKER_01]: And then I, I wanted to ask you, you know, what you thought about that.
02:23.567 --> 02:27.775
[SPEAKER_01]: So for time on I have is one, the Valkyrie's draft flage.
02:27.755 --> 02:36.668
[SPEAKER_01]: and then the storm draft, uh, Marta Suarez, and then the Valkyries trade, a flage a four Marta Suarez and a 20 28 second round pick.
02:36.901 --> 02:39.764
[SPEAKER_01]: And the next thing I have is, oh, Hema speaks to the media of via Zoom.
02:40.305 --> 02:43.589
[SPEAKER_01]: And she says she's exhausted and doesn't want to talk about the trade or strategy.
02:43.669 --> 02:45.051
[SPEAKER_01]: She said it's some other stuff too.
02:45.131 --> 02:48.856
[SPEAKER_01]: I read Kenzo's transcript from Twitter.
02:49.456 --> 02:59.128
[SPEAKER_01]: And then there was an ESPN piece from Kendra Andrews and Alexa Filipu that came out around midnight and has a quote from Ohema saying the following quote.
02:59.108 --> 03:03.413
[SPEAKER_01]: Seattle and I had an agreement that trade picks prior to any athlete selection.
03:03.594 --> 03:05.276
[SPEAKER_01]: I want to be super clear about the draft.
03:05.736 --> 03:10.142
[SPEAKER_01]: This had nothing to do with Flagea or any specific athlete selection end quote.
03:10.162 --> 03:27.023
[SPEAKER_01]: The next thing, Mercen, Gemmy confirms that the deadline to trade draft picks was Sunday at 5 p.m. Eastern time, hinting that the Valks in Storm, the Valks in Storm trade might have been a pre-agree upon before they knew who was available and then the last thing I have,
03:27.509 --> 03:39.354
[SPEAKER_01]: is Alexa Phillipu follows up her piece from earlier and reports that after 5 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday, teams could not trade picks until after the selections were executed on draft day.
03:39.895 --> 03:46.328
[SPEAKER_01]: Sorceress told the SPN Golden State in Seattle spoke pre-draft about a potential trade framework, but the deal wasn't agreed
03:46.308 --> 04:15.859
[SPEAKER_01]: uh... to until golden state was on the clock with the number eight selection gold and state made the decision to trade down to the second round after the players uh... they were eyeing to draft were taken earlier in the first round ciato instructed gold and state to pick johnson and later at number sixteen golden state and struck and ciato the select martispoir as am i forgetting anything big in there as that kind of encapsulate what happened last night that's a few got it spot on it's exactly what happened uh... it was one of
04:15.839 --> 04:22.367
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, in other drought, like the thing I think, I think it gets lost is like, we're mostly, we're not in New York, right?
04:22.387 --> 04:25.290
[SPEAKER_00]: So we're all just, we're kind of watching it on TV as it's happening.
04:25.310 --> 04:38.286
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think when, you know, in similar situations, whether it's the NFL draft or the NBA draft, most the time I would say, if a trade like this is going to happen, you know, the big newsbreakers get it.
04:38.705 --> 04:51.685
[SPEAKER_00]: you know minutes before so you so the fans know at least okay so this team's gonna pick this this player but that's really for another team right it's a trade that you know if i think we saw this kind of happened with look at dr to trade young but like you know like
04:52.103 --> 04:54.806
[SPEAKER_00]: Shoms, those guys kind of news happening.
04:55.026 --> 04:55.547
[SPEAKER_00]: They tweet it.
04:55.827 --> 04:57.289
[SPEAKER_00]: So the fans are not really confused.
04:57.309 --> 04:58.811
[SPEAKER_00]: They know Dallas is getting Luca.
04:59.111 --> 05:01.293
[SPEAKER_00]: They know Atlanta is getting Triumph.
05:01.854 --> 05:04.998
[SPEAKER_00]: But the way it kind of broke down on TV, right?
05:05.038 --> 05:13.547
[SPEAKER_00]: You have Rebecca Lobo and Ryan Rucco and all the commentators, Andrea Carter, like they're talking about, oh, this is a fit.
05:13.687 --> 05:14.348
[SPEAKER_00]: This is a
05:14.328 --> 05:22.004
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, how great is, you know, this, we're Golden State Flage in the music and the Bay Area, and they're talking about this stuff.
05:22.304 --> 05:27.595
[SPEAKER_00]: And so as a fan, and even me, as I'm watching in the, you know, walking on my TV, and I'm reporting on this, I'm like, oh,
05:28.064 --> 05:47.980
[SPEAKER_00]: this is a legit and then so it is surprising after an hour that you get the trade news uh they trade down obviously and there's a lot of things I'm sure we're going to get into with the asset management of this but like you get smart swars and it's kind of uh you know it's it catches everybody by surprise that they traded from eight to 16 they went from mid-round pit to the second round.
05:47.960 --> 05:53.206
[SPEAKER_00]: So, it was a lot, I think, going on to initially happen, right?
05:53.286 --> 06:01.776
[SPEAKER_00]: So, you have this whole thing, the fans are like, what's going on, you know, even media members are like, I don't know what's going on, we're going to talk to him about now or just hold on.
06:02.456 --> 06:10.586
[SPEAKER_00]: So we get to the, you know, obviously we get to the press conference, it's a zoom, it's a zoom call, all the local beatwriters, all 15, you know, I've been about 15 of us in the room.
06:11.226 --> 06:11.807
[SPEAKER_00]: And, um,
06:12.395 --> 06:22.037
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, we at first question gets asked and it's essentially what's kind of the logic behind the trade and can you just go into the details of when the timing of the trade happened.
06:22.057 --> 06:27.249
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it was really important for everybody in the room to know when that was going to, you know, it was beforehand.
06:27.650 --> 06:31.078
[SPEAKER_00]: If this was a spur of the moment thing to happen after, you know, the fact,
06:31.278 --> 06:44.197
[SPEAKER_00]: And it was just surprising that you get, you know, from a communication standpoint, obviously, a journal manager on him and Nyan and what was talking about how, she didn't want to go on a details, she was exhausted from just kind of the draft process.
06:44.818 --> 06:47.782
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that really caught the fans off-kart.
06:47.802 --> 06:55.513
[SPEAKER_00]: I think once the transcript, as you mentioned, Kenzov, Fuku'dad, of great, he transcribed the whole thing and you could see exactly what was happening.
06:56.755 --> 07:00.340
[SPEAKER_00]: It was very, it would just off-putting, I think,
07:00.708 --> 07:06.834
[SPEAKER_00]: uh, response to a trade that really felt like, uh, a downgrade at the time.
07:06.894 --> 07:17.526
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, I think we'll get again, we'll probably get into this, but Mark Swars is a good fit, but Flage Johnson has the potential to be a very good player, probably, and, you know, maybe an all-star level player.
07:17.946 --> 07:25.254
[SPEAKER_00]: So it was, it was essentially, it was very, I think, um, perplexing to see a general manager not have those answers.
07:25.934 --> 07:28.437
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, and then obviously, like you said, you've got to go back,
07:28.805 --> 07:36.114
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, fans are going crazy, you know, all of our, I'm going to group show all beat writers, our phones are blowing up on on Twitter and Instagram or whatever.
07:36.754 --> 07:57.158
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think kind of the the weirdest part of it was kind of, you know, after that all happened about an hour, two hours after I'll have a spoke, then she went to ESPN and kind of had a statement, didn't really clear anything up, but did clear up at least that this was a trade
07:57.712 --> 08:10.350
[SPEAKER_00]: Really weird night, I think it was honestly probably one of the more odd nights, you know, a press conference, you know, if you want to talk about, you know, press conferences, you know, they don't win new seasons, but they could certainly lose you one.
08:11.231 --> 08:22.067
[SPEAKER_00]: This was definitely one of those moments where, you know, I think the fan base was really looking for answers on something and the fact that it didn't the factories didn't have those answers and couldn't eloquently put it together.
08:22.107 --> 08:24.951
[SPEAKER_00]: After the fact, I think definitely,
08:25.235 --> 08:30.268
[SPEAKER_00]: made a big impression on the family, especially early on where we're really early in the season.
08:30.328 --> 08:36.866
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know if this is going to be something that linger or or however, but it's going to be, it's definitely a talking point.
08:36.906 --> 08:38.470
[SPEAKER_00]: I think this is something that will linger.
08:38.490 --> 08:41.117
[SPEAKER_00]: At least until training camp starts on Sunday.
08:41.468 --> 09:11.391
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and I feel like you keep saying something pretty interesting in there, which is like the fans found it off putting like the fans that did you find it particularly like like like a caught you off guard because I feel like I've been, you know, paying attention to Oh, have ever since she was hired and those answers didn't totally shock me based on how, you know, she's kind of answered stuff that, you know, I've paid attention to I went to I believe the Bay Area in Visaline women's classic, which was, you know, a
09:11.371 --> 09:30.358
[SPEAKER_01]: four college teams playing each other at chase center not I went this past year but the year before I would have like talked to like a ton of people before the game started and there were it was before the expansion draft so people are asking her like obviously like oh what are you guys looking for the expansion draft like I'll tell us tell us tell us she's like I'm not telling y'all strategy like I'm not gonna do that
09:30.338 --> 10:00.193
[SPEAKER_01]: So I could almost see some reminiscent like in what she was telling you guys like I don't discuss strategy like I don't really want to talk about this like I feel like some of the stuff I've paid attention to her it didn't completely catch me off guard but I could see how someone who's never really heard her before like yeah no I think that you'd expect a little bit more so how about for you because you've definitely heard her talk way more than I have like I've only you know tuned in a handful of times but you're you know I'm sure you've you know of herder
10:00.612 --> 10:05.621
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, no, I mean, there's been moments like this as as great of a season as it was last year.
10:05.661 --> 10:08.827
[SPEAKER_00]: There were moments like this that I think maybe got lost in translation, right?
10:08.847 --> 10:19.347
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that the one that sticks out to me was the Julie Van Lue situation, you know, obviously, you know, it happens and there's like a lot of uproar and you kind of get a glimpse of,
10:19.327 --> 10:29.100
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, him in these, in these kind of these moments that, you know, the Julie Van Lue, I mean, I remember when they wave Caitlin Chen to be right before the start of the season, that was a big deal, right?
10:29.180 --> 10:34.667
[SPEAKER_00]: So, yeah, I wasn't shocked like that it could have turned out that way.
10:34.707 --> 10:39.874
[SPEAKER_00]: I felt like for me, and a lot of the beatwriters have, I think, shared this opinion as well.
10:39.894 --> 10:47.224
[SPEAKER_00]: I think when you are a GM and when you are a person who is making decisions for the team,
10:47.879 --> 11:17.228
[SPEAKER_00]: Especially in a moment like the draft I think there is a at least a baseline like hey when you get on and you you you're about to you know talk about what what just happened there is a level of hey you probably should you know know how to communicate Why this move happened aside from just saying I don't want to right so I think for for me at least I was shocked that You know we're not talking about anything necessarily controversial I actually thought the trade
11:17.545 --> 11:25.458
[SPEAKER_00]: was not as bad as people are making it out to be, I mean, again, Flage, I don't, there was something that she could definitely have the Valkyries with, right?
11:25.538 --> 11:29.404
[SPEAKER_00]: But she's not the really a Valkyries player in my opinion.
11:29.685 --> 11:31.828
[SPEAKER_00]: So I thought, like the trade itself made sense.
11:32.610 --> 11:35.875
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that's why it felt so weird, because
11:36.277 --> 11:41.389
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a move that honestly was not that big of a deal if you didn't have to make it a big deal.
11:41.409 --> 11:45.879
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, as long as she came out of there and said, hey, you know what, we really like Mark Swarrers.
11:46.441 --> 11:47.664
[SPEAKER_00]: We think she could help us win.
11:47.704 --> 11:50.169
[SPEAKER_00]: We thought we had there's value in adding a second round pick.
11:50.209 --> 11:53.036
[SPEAKER_00]: I think those are things that really could quiet at this down.
11:53.517 --> 11:54.319
[SPEAKER_00]: But I think
11:54.873 --> 12:11.677
[SPEAKER_00]: when you look at the quotes and you hear, I'm not sure if the video has come out, but if you could hear, oh, Emma, and saying, you know, essentially shutting down any question pertaining to the trade and pertaining to the decision, it is a little bit off as a beatwriter.
12:11.737 --> 12:15.582
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm sure as a fan to hear your GM
12:15.562 --> 12:31.018
[SPEAKER_00]: kind of just not, you know, avoid a something that really is benign, you know, in most sports and in most senses, but on a night where obviously the fan base and a lot of people are looking at you and asking, well, why why about this trade.
12:31.058 --> 12:34.245
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think so it was it was definitely odd.
12:34.225 --> 12:42.902
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think it'll be very interesting to see how they respond to it, because I don't think this is going to end here if oh, Emma obviously speaks again in the next week.
12:43.283 --> 12:44.064
[SPEAKER_00]: It's going to come up again.
12:44.084 --> 12:46.429
[SPEAKER_00]: So we're interesting to see how she deals with it.
12:46.810 --> 12:50.597
[SPEAKER_00]: If she does come back and talks to the media once again.
12:51.185 --> 13:11.168
[SPEAKER_01]: We were talking about it in the in our little BSPN pod hall a discord which shameless plug if anyone wants to join it's probably he's probably going to link it in the show notes so make sure to check that out because we're the conversations are going nuts and there while this stuff is happening but one of my initial reactions when that happened was like okay.
13:11.249 --> 13:18.201
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, some of what you said, I do feel like for me and I know we're not necessarily going into like how the players would have fit per se.
13:18.241 --> 13:20.625
[SPEAKER_01]: It's more so like kind of how everything went down.
13:20.665 --> 13:28.498
[SPEAKER_01]: But I felt like there was a chance for flage to really fit with this system and there was probably also a chance for her to really not fit with this system.
13:28.558 --> 13:30.642
[SPEAKER_01]: I didn't feel like there was like a middle.
13:30.622 --> 13:39.212
[SPEAKER_01]: I felt like going through the draft some of her, the questions about her was like almost like her motor and from a play to play game to game basis, like is she going to give it her all?
13:39.472 --> 13:52.748
[SPEAKER_01]: Because you could see sometimes if her getting benched mid game and then, you know, even that latest game where they played against Duke where, you know, they Ashlyn Jackson now Valkyrie, you know, hit that shot on Flage, but Flage was like,
13:52.728 --> 14:12.778
[SPEAKER_01]: benched until like in the fourth, you know, not throughout the whole game, of course, but some an important chunk of the fourth and I want to say it was like the five or six minute mark she gets brought back in and I just lit something under her and she's going nuts and, you know, my brother texted and he was like, I watched her like missed two free throws in that game and I was like, well, you do, did you see like everything else she was doing for that game like she looked like.
14:12.758 --> 14:35.340
[SPEAKER_01]: she looked like the top pick like a top three pick when she's playing at that like fire under her but you know high motor level but I think some of the question was like can she keep that motor um she and she keep that there's also some of that with Olivia Miles on defense I should sometimes take possessions off and I felt like with Flagey there was you know a little bit of that question and with the Valkyrie system it's like
14:35.320 --> 14:45.162
[SPEAKER_01]: everyone's go go go go like hopefully they can inspire that out of her but at the same time if if they didn't then I could see how it really wasn't going to work but I feel like my initial reaction
14:45.867 --> 14:49.032
[SPEAKER_01]: to all that going down was one, I was pumped we got flaws A man.
14:49.092 --> 15:01.712
[SPEAKER_01]: To me, I did like a little, you know, my own little big board that I'm not as tapped in as any of these draft in and let's per se, but it was flaws A was like my number five and I was like, okay, so five drop to eight, like that's, of course, a value pick then.
15:02.033 --> 15:02.694
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
15:02.914 --> 15:12.229
[SPEAKER_01]: But when the trade happened in my mind, my mind immediately went to those new developmental spots where I was just like looking at the roster of who we have now.
15:12.631 --> 15:37.221
[SPEAKER_01]: there's like four or five players that like still don't have a contract with this team that were like either on the team last year or you know we're still waiting on Janelle and Eliana's numbers or something like that and there's two spots left like a me here in Chen or on you know what training camp deals or something like there's still only two spots left and they're not on the team and you know tell me just sign today but you know tips doesn't have a
15:37.201 --> 15:42.487
[SPEAKER_01]: You're telling me, one of those two spots is going to go to, you know, a first-round pick.
15:42.507 --> 15:46.571
[SPEAKER_01]: I just didn't, um, that was something that I had in the back of my mind.
15:46.611 --> 15:48.153
[SPEAKER_01]: And so I was texting in our, in our discord.
15:48.173 --> 15:50.495
[SPEAKER_01]: I was like, I wonder if they could flip this for as you mag before.
15:51.396 --> 15:53.439
[SPEAKER_01]: I was right about who they were going to trade.
15:53.479 --> 15:57.403
[SPEAKER_01]: I was right about the team they were going to trade with, but not about who they were getting back in return.
15:57.803 --> 16:00.546
[SPEAKER_01]: But I think it's a little bit of my mind went to those developmental spots.
16:00.586 --> 16:05.672
[SPEAKER_01]: And it's like, when the trade happened, I was like, okay, so maybe you can convince
16:06.783 --> 16:36.030
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, do be a part of one of those two new developmental spots that are getting introduced was my initial thought because maybe you can't convince a first rounder to do that, especially someone a flaws days like celebrity should just be like trade me or like I'm not I don't want to go here, you know, I can go anywhere else and probably not anywhere else, but a lot of other teams and she'll get a lot of run on Seattle, like it's a really good spot for her to end up in.
16:36.533 --> 16:38.721
[SPEAKER_01]: And I'm going to keep saying, we reference this in the discord too.
16:38.981 --> 16:44.641
[SPEAKER_01]: And Marissa and Jamie, I believe, said it on her new kind of sub stack or something.
16:44.661 --> 16:45.544
[SPEAKER_01]: Something she's got going on.
16:45.905 --> 16:49.277
[SPEAKER_01]: She was saying, and we were saying in the discord is like,
16:49.915 --> 17:01.196
[SPEAKER_01]: Maybe the thought process was that Martha Swarras would've go into one of those developmental spots, but because of, oh, him was response and because of the blowback, it's almost like she has to kid one of these roster spots now.
17:01.737 --> 17:06.826
[SPEAKER_01]: Because it's like, how are you gonna put her on a developmental spot and flageh's cooking in Seattle?
17:06.866 --> 17:08.709
[SPEAKER_01]: Like that just feels like that would be a tough look.
17:08.990 --> 17:12.396
[SPEAKER_01]: And I'm almost wondering, does that put pressure on Martha to like,
17:12.376 --> 17:16.900
[SPEAKER_01]: have to, you know, maybe it's not something she's totally thinking about, but I'm looking at it from afar.
17:16.920 --> 17:19.362
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm like, I kind of feel like she's got to make this roster now.
17:19.863 --> 17:25.828
[SPEAKER_01]: And now what went from these 10 spots to, you know, Flage getting traded, not being the 11 spot.
17:25.888 --> 17:27.129
[SPEAKER_01]: Now it's Martha that comes in.
17:27.169 --> 17:42.383
[SPEAKER_01]: And now you still have a Martha Caitlin Chen, a me here, like who's, and you know, all these players that they've been signing lately to training camp deals, is that something
17:42.363 --> 17:45.972
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, no, I, I, I, I, I think you're 100% right.
17:46.032 --> 17:49.481
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, it is a lot of pressure on Marta Swara is to make this team.
17:50.042 --> 17:57.601
[SPEAKER_00]: And for, you know, early second round pick historically that's not like you're really like on the fringes, right?
17:57.982 --> 17:58.583
[SPEAKER_00]: And so,
17:59.052 --> 18:01.037
[SPEAKER_00]: You look at where she fits in, right?
18:01.097 --> 18:04.945
[SPEAKER_00]: I think there's a lot of things she could do passing the three-point threat.
18:05.006 --> 18:12.122
[SPEAKER_00]: She's obviously a taller player could play down low, could defend one through four, you know, a lot of positions.
18:13.505 --> 18:17.955
[SPEAKER_00]: The problem is now, like you said, like, flaws J is going to play in Seattle.
18:17.935 --> 18:34.122
[SPEAKER_00]: like she will play she I don't know show contribute right away but what what I do know is that the guard the guard kind of depth and Seattle is a little thin show she'll get her run so she you're you're gonna see flage johnson on the floor this see at least this season
18:34.642 --> 18:40.349
[SPEAKER_00]: The, like you said, they're like, March, March is where as in another category of, will she even make this team?
18:40.389 --> 18:44.515
[SPEAKER_00]: And if she does, I mean, can you Baker and developmental play?
18:44.535 --> 18:54.928
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, how, how bad of a look without, without with that B, if you traded a potential, you know, star future star, or maybe even a star in Flage Johnson.
18:54.908 --> 19:12.046
[SPEAKER_00]: And now you're basically betting on Martha Swarras who we don't know is going to make seeming, you know, if she does make it as a developmental player, you're essentially saying we traded a player who's contributing right now on a WNBA, you know, I wouldn't say maybe play off to play off fringe team.
19:12.987 --> 19:15.971
[SPEAKER_00]: You traded that player for essentially a developmental player.
19:16.011 --> 19:24.780
[SPEAKER_00]: So there's a lot of pressure for Mark Swarras, which I don't think is kind of fair to her,
19:25.385 --> 19:37.973
[SPEAKER_00]: There's going to be a lot of a lot of things with that and I mean at the same time, I mean, we look, I look at kind of the depth chart for the boundaries right now and there's a lot of forwards and a lot of centers that are going to play.
19:38.033 --> 19:40.980
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I mean, you look at Janelle Solone's going to play.
19:40.960 --> 19:44.386
[SPEAKER_00]: Right, you know, early on a group pair is going to play Chet, she's in the scene.
19:44.406 --> 19:47.932
[SPEAKER_00]: So that's three players who are already ahead of her in the depth chart.
19:48.353 --> 19:53.582
[SPEAKER_00]: And then you kind of look at who else is, I mean, Kyle Charles is a guard forward that that was interchangeable last year.
19:54.083 --> 19:55.325
[SPEAKER_00]: She'll be in training camp.
19:55.485 --> 19:56.507
[SPEAKER_00]: She's on a multi-year deal.
19:56.547 --> 19:58.210
[SPEAKER_00]: She'll most likely make the team.
19:58.190 --> 20:12.295
[SPEAKER_00]: Kate Martin spent some time at the three like that's another player and then they brought in a whole host of international players that we don't know But real you know the American audience isn't really know about but our ball and overseas and who are all, you know Fullwards and and in center.
20:12.335 --> 20:20.890
[SPEAKER_00]: So it's gonna be a really uphill battle and that I'm even mentioned with Tisha Amir who's gonna be fighting for a training camp spot So are you know obviously a roster spot, so
20:21.528 --> 20:23.370
[SPEAKER_00]: It is a lot of pressure on her.
20:23.430 --> 20:50.016
[SPEAKER_00]: We'll see how it goes, but like from a fixed standpoint, if the stuff she did at TCU at Cal, if it translates, it could be a really great addition to this team, but it's asking a lot for a player who is a rookie, who's stepping into a new environment, new system, especially in that early in the coffee system that demands defense demands a lot of
20:50.350 --> 20:57.363
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, it will be, it'll be interesting, but there is certainly pressure, I think, on March Swers to be a impact player right away.
20:58.846 --> 21:11.008
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, especially considering, like, I know, you look at last year and we had Temi, there was Iliana Rupere, there was a Tisha Me here, there was Monique Billings, all four of those players.
21:11.107 --> 21:29.149
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, some some could play for, but mostly fives and and even Monique was put in at small ball five a lot like Iliana repair could be put in at five and then they even had like a lizard can't leave for like a week or two or something and this year it's like you lose Monique you lose Tammy and you have Iliana repair.
21:29.129 --> 21:39.952
[SPEAKER_01]: A me here's on a training camp contract and then you bring in swore as and I know swore I don't know if swore as is we'll see because I'm not as familiar with I need to like take a deeper dive into her game.
21:39.992 --> 21:46.847
[SPEAKER_01]: I wonder if there's, you know, Natalie might try a small ball five with her, but she's only like six three and I feel like all those other players are like six four and up.
21:47.408 --> 21:49.112
[SPEAKER_01]: But do you think that they're.
21:49.092 --> 22:00.692
[SPEAKER_01]: cool with like rolling out their what happened what used to be a pretty deep kind of center power forward uh rotation is now kind of you've lost to and not really replaced them.
22:00.712 --> 22:11.792
[SPEAKER_01]: Do you see them you know, did you see that role being taken up by Marta like kind of like Harry you're saying with the pressure or do you do you think they're still gonna maybe add which I don't know how they could they only they already have those 10 spots
22:11.772 --> 22:20.128
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I mean, right now they have 15 players on the roster, assuming we're at least going to get two of the three draft picks into training camp that makes it 17, right?
22:20.168 --> 22:30.388
[SPEAKER_00]: So they're going to have to cut essentially three players, because you can only have a total of 14, I mean, with 12 roster, two developmental, right?
22:31.145 --> 22:36.259
[SPEAKER_00]: I see, I mean, with Marta, I do think that small ball five is in the realm of possible.
22:36.279 --> 22:38.986
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, just kind of checking her out how she played at TCU.
22:39.006 --> 22:41.172
[SPEAKER_00]: She did have a lot of backs of the basket work.
22:41.192 --> 22:42.014
[SPEAKER_00]: She did guard five.
22:42.034 --> 22:45.002
[SPEAKER_00]: I was like, that was something that she was able to do.
22:45.877 --> 22:53.685
[SPEAKER_00]: I just think it's going to be tough because, I mean, on top of, obviously, I'll be out of repair and why I think is going to play a lot of five.
22:53.765 --> 22:57.409
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, Kai is stoked, they just signed Kai is stoked for God.
22:57.529 --> 22:59.211
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not saying that.
22:59.231 --> 22:59.992
[SPEAKER_01]: That's nice.
23:00.012 --> 23:01.593
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, she's going to, she might start.
23:01.673 --> 23:03.255
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, she, she didn't have very good possibilities.
23:03.275 --> 23:05.197
[SPEAKER_00]: She's a two-year contract player.
23:05.537 --> 23:15.748
[SPEAKER_00]: I know she hasn't had like crazy point for game numbers, but it's a player that Natalie Nicosi obviously trusts from her time and last Vegas, and she's stuck
23:15.728 --> 23:16.931
[SPEAKER_00]: all their championships.
23:17.391 --> 23:24.947
[SPEAKER_00]: So yeah, I mean, for for for Swarez, you know, you're going to have to at least show some versatility.
23:25.088 --> 23:32.944
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't think we could kind of label her as a three or four or five yet, but I think what might be, I mean, from my expectation, it should be that.
23:33.869 --> 23:36.834
[SPEAKER_00]: She could have, she has some versatility so that she can move around.
23:36.874 --> 23:39.859
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that's the basing that Natalie was looking for that.
23:39.899 --> 23:47.692
[SPEAKER_00]: That's something that she really liked last year out out of, you know, Iliana Rupaire, Janelle Solona, all these players who kind of played bigger than they what they were.
23:47.712 --> 23:52.941
[SPEAKER_00]: So it'll be interesting to see how she kind of fits in that dynamic, but
23:52.921 --> 24:08.854
[SPEAKER_00]: She definitely has, I think, there's definitely more pressure for her to show her skills and show that she could be a good player, I mean, even a rotational player to a certain degree in training camp so that they can kind of justify what this pick really meant.
24:09.712 --> 24:15.419
[SPEAKER_01]: and going back a little bit to kind of just like the decision of trading Flage for Marta.
24:16.100 --> 24:25.172
[SPEAKER_01]: And you know, I feel in a Philippus first report, it was Oh Hammer saying we had a deal agreed on with Seattle beforehand.
24:26.073 --> 24:33.202
[SPEAKER_01]: And then you see, you know, Marissa saying that they had to have had that agreement before 5 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday.
24:33.222 --> 24:39.550
[SPEAKER_01]: And then Philippu followed up and said they seemingly said they did not have a deal of
24:39.530 --> 24:49.911
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, before 5 PM Eastern and it sounds like there's a distinction between, um, the agreement of trading the draft pick versus maybe.
24:50.009 --> 24:52.432
[SPEAKER_01]: trading the player after they're taken.
24:52.813 --> 24:59.281
[SPEAKER_01]: I might need to look into that a little more, but it sounds like they did not actually have this trade agreed on before that deadline.
24:59.301 --> 25:08.492
[SPEAKER_01]: And in fact, it was when it sounded like a verbal agreement, instead of something that was actually like in the books by 5 p.m. Eastern on Sunday.
25:08.532 --> 25:12.978
[SPEAKER_01]: And it sounds like, you know, Seattle made, is that what it said?
25:13.018 --> 25:13.599
[SPEAKER_01]: Is that what they said?
25:13.619 --> 25:16.843
[SPEAKER_01]: They said in the second one where they said,
25:17.532 --> 25:18.515
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, I believe so.
25:18.555 --> 25:24.653
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, so I think what had to to my understanding and again, it is to these draft rules are kind of crazy.
25:24.673 --> 25:30.951
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't understand why they can't fix this, but so once 5 PM Sunday came.
25:31.336 --> 25:56.905
[SPEAKER_00]: that means that all the draft picks were set so like they're not going to move like there's no movement from that point you're only trading player rights so they're going to have to put on the hat right yeah so they're going to have to do that because you're you're not you can't trade the the spot anymore you're now you're trading the rights so to me that signals that the this trade was either made late Sunday night
25:57.543 --> 26:01.930
[SPEAKER_00]: early Monday morning or kind of write up to the draft like that.
26:01.950 --> 26:10.064
[SPEAKER_00]: That's the only kind of spots to me what this trade actually seem possible with the rules and everything like that.
26:10.384 --> 26:15.392
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think there's a bigger question of like, okay, why does that kind of have to happen?
26:15.412 --> 26:16.574
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, it's kind of weird.
26:16.594 --> 26:17.836
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know what I'm trying to get to.
26:17.896 --> 26:20.441
[SPEAKER_01]: It's like they didn't have to do it.
26:21.442 --> 26:23.646
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I mean, it's very weird thing.
26:23.686 --> 26:24.327
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean,
26:25.015 --> 26:32.768
[SPEAKER_00]: To me, and this is kind of more on the league, but it is very weird to have a player put on a hat only for them to be traded 30 minutes later.
26:32.828 --> 26:36.755
[SPEAKER_00]: I just think that's a very weird, you know, spot to be in.
26:36.775 --> 26:45.689
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think, I mean, there's a lot of cultivating things Brian about this because I think to me what that the pick signal.
26:45.710 --> 26:47.973
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, there was a lot of wrenches thrown in.
26:48.514 --> 26:49.015
[SPEAKER_00]: I think,
26:49.450 --> 26:56.229
[SPEAKER_00]: Like for example, you know, Gabriella Hakez, I thought getting picked at five was huge.
26:56.289 --> 27:00.962
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I think that really disrupted draft boards because no one had or that high.
27:01.297 --> 27:03.720
[SPEAKER_01]: Uh, she also had been the biggest shocker of the draft.
27:03.740 --> 27:05.162
[SPEAKER_01]: Had they not tried to flush it.
27:05.182 --> 27:08.667
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, I mean, it's that all we'd be talking about is like, Gabriella went five.
27:08.707 --> 27:11.651
[SPEAKER_00]: It, I mean, it was a shocker to me.
27:11.671 --> 27:13.514
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, a lot of people online, obviously.
27:13.534 --> 27:14.595
[SPEAKER_00]: And it was a shocker to me.
27:14.615 --> 27:17.259
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I had her slated to go and say to eight.
27:17.339 --> 27:19.682
[SPEAKER_00]: And I thought she could go all the way down a second.
27:19.722 --> 27:24.028
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, there was to me, like her range was like eight to the 16.
27:24.068 --> 27:25.330
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, it was in that kind of,
27:25.310 --> 27:28.875
[SPEAKER_00]: We're spot but her going all the way to five now.
27:28.935 --> 27:30.517
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, you I think it was to run.
27:30.537 --> 27:38.969
[SPEAKER_00]: I've known that's around with it's Rontel who's at six and so they went like Kiki rice and then Portland goes Ayana, Martin.
27:38.989 --> 27:45.158
[SPEAKER_00]: So there's three point guards off the board and the Valkyries biggest need going to draft night was back up point guard
27:45.138 --> 27:51.947
[SPEAKER_00]: So, it makes it weird because, I mean, obviously, it looks like they weren't high on either the South Carolina guards.
27:53.530 --> 28:01.601
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't think they were going to take either of those and then they kind of just went for what's kind of the need here and we can use a versatile big.
28:02.282 --> 28:13.137
[SPEAKER_00]: So it was a lot of things I think that transpired that did not help the whole situation, I mean, but at the end of the day it was certainly one that could have been avoided with maybe some better communication.
28:13.403 --> 28:20.358
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, yeah, I mean, we were saying on this podcast like, hey, once the Valkyries make their first ever trade, like it could be, it's going to be big.
28:20.418 --> 28:21.320
[SPEAKER_01]: It's going to be a big deal.
28:21.440 --> 28:23.164
[SPEAKER_01]: And that was the first trade.
28:23.785 --> 28:24.166
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
28:25.509 --> 28:27.313
[SPEAKER_01]: And then what a deal it's been and we were right.
28:27.373 --> 28:28.235
[SPEAKER_01]: It hasn't been a big deal.
28:29.237 --> 28:32.003
[SPEAKER_01]: I guess I think that kind of covers.
28:32.253 --> 28:32.934
[SPEAKER_01]: kind of everything.
28:33.154 --> 28:41.483
[SPEAKER_01]: But I guess, okay, before I asked my last question, you were kind of saying that, hey, maybe it's not as bad of a trade as, you know, somewhere making it enough to see him.
28:41.503 --> 28:50.073
[SPEAKER_01]: And I agree, like, and I will maybe not fully agree, but I agree in the sense of like, you know, fans saying this is like the worst thing that ever happened.
28:50.093 --> 28:54.618
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, okay, but there's, there's, there's, there's much worse that can happen.
28:54.698 --> 28:58.362
[SPEAKER_01]: But, um, I do think from a
28:59.050 --> 29:03.297
[SPEAKER_01]: And this is me without knowing what other deals were out there, what they could have gotten.
29:03.398 --> 29:06.042
[SPEAKER_01]: But just, you know, Flagea was number five on my board.
29:06.082 --> 29:13.836
[SPEAKER_01]: It feels like she was maybe slipping in some people's boards, but at least, you know, probably number five on a lot of people's boards.
29:13.856 --> 29:16.080
[SPEAKER_01]: And for that's a fall to eight, you know, there's value there.
29:16.420 --> 29:21.189
[SPEAKER_01]: And you just, you know, they moved essentially eight picks back.
29:21.950 --> 29:23.573
[SPEAKER_01]: And, um,
29:23.722 --> 29:31.723
[SPEAKER_01]: They moved eight picks back and then got a second round pick in 2028 and that trade, I feel like that trade.
29:32.041 --> 29:35.766
[SPEAKER_01]: doesn't make as much sense when flage is there.
29:35.826 --> 29:46.001
[SPEAKER_01]: But when flage is taken and then you're looking at like Medina Oca and you're looking at Cody McMahon and you're looking at some of these other players where it's like okay, flage was like the highest like a high ceiling player.
29:46.021 --> 29:51.749
[SPEAKER_01]: There was a tier of players, flage is taken and now we're into this next tier that doesn't make as much sense for this pick.
29:52.109 --> 29:57.977
[SPEAKER_01]: Then I understand it, but flage being there is where I'm just like there was more value to extract from this pick.
29:57.997 --> 29:59.820
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think that's where I'm like,
29:59.800 --> 30:08.410
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, Emma, you've earned my trust, you've done things that I say in our discord, like, you've proved my MBA-wired brain wrong, like five times.
30:08.490 --> 30:26.331
[SPEAKER_01]: So you have earned, like, my trust, and, you know, even what she said in the presser, like, I've kind of texted, like, you know, she's earned some goodwill for me, like, I understand that she could have been better with these responses, but I'm not kind of completely judged the trade yet because she's been, like,
30:27.813 --> 30:35.983
[SPEAKER_01]: I guess, but at the same time though, I'm still kind of like from a value perspective, could you have gotten more from Flodget and I guess we'll never know.
30:36.083 --> 30:45.035
[SPEAKER_01]: But are you still like kind of, what's you're like, more into like, how you feel about like the actual value?
30:45.315 --> 30:51.183
[SPEAKER_00]: So on the player field, so like we're not, we're all kind of girl and I say okay, the trade isn't that bad is on the player for player side.
30:51.203 --> 30:57.010
[SPEAKER_00]: Like I understand the player for player, what you're saying about like the asset management of this, I think is that's where they kind of,
30:57.277 --> 31:14.813
[SPEAKER_00]: made the kind of blue trade is that okay you're trading down you're essentially trading down but the things that you've got to add to that were is it's just one thing it's a second round pick in two years like that's a that's a player that really knows and make a team into it right and that pick also
31:15.552 --> 31:18.758
[SPEAKER_00]: 2028 we're adding I believe one of the expansion teams is coming in.
31:18.798 --> 31:19.359
[SPEAKER_00]: I can't remember.
31:19.399 --> 31:27.554
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it's Cleveland, but that I mean that team, I mean that's that pick is going to get moved to spot because now Cleveland's in it, right?
31:27.594 --> 31:39.315
[SPEAKER_00]: So like it is from an asset, Matt, like the assets they got on top of what you know to trade the whole point of trading down is I get the player I want plus stuff.
31:39.515 --> 31:45.151
[SPEAKER_00]: The plus stuff they got was not good like that was not they essentially just went swap for swap.
31:45.172 --> 31:46.255
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, it's beyond it.
31:46.275 --> 31:49.103
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean the second like I said the 20 28 second round pick
31:49.606 --> 32:02.118
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, that that's just not a pick that's going to be a, you know, right, we see we see that we see who's at the top of the 2027 and the 2028 draft, but like, that's who's at the top, you know, we don't know who's going to be in the second round.
32:02.138 --> 32:03.740
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, we have no idea who that.
32:03.840 --> 32:06.923
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, that could be, you know, I don't even know who that could be, right?
32:06.943 --> 32:16.272
[SPEAKER_00]: So like, that is a very, that's where I think there's a lot of crisis and be warranted because from just a asset compiling standpoint,
32:17.078 --> 32:20.503
[SPEAKER_00]: I, you know, I think what maybe would have made the trade better.
32:20.543 --> 32:24.149
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, now from an optic stamp was like, can you, could you have gotten the first next year?
32:24.209 --> 32:25.471
[SPEAKER_00]: Could you have gotten the first and two years?
32:25.551 --> 32:30.759
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, that's, that's something I think, you know, you changed the parameters of this deal a little bit.
32:30.779 --> 32:34.425
[SPEAKER_00]: And, you know, oh, we got a first, but we got a first next year or we got a first and two.
32:34.545 --> 32:37.730
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, like maybe flood, you know, maybe first and two.
32:37.750 --> 32:39.373
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I can see out of the way.
32:39.393 --> 32:41.536
[SPEAKER_01]: I wouldn't, I don't know if I'm going to give up my, my top picks.
32:41.556 --> 32:42.738
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know who that's.
32:42.858 --> 32:43.980
[SPEAKER_01]: Absolutely not.
32:43.960 --> 32:55.436
[SPEAKER_01]: That's kind of what we're both saying is like if it was like you they're needed to be one maybe one other thing attached to that to make that make sense, but just to trade down eight spots and grab another second round pick.
32:55.456 --> 33:07.493
[SPEAKER_01]: I know some people are saying 16 is basically a first round pick because it's only one pick into the second round, but it still feels like with flagey like her falling to you wasn't just the eight number eight pick anymore.
33:07.533 --> 33:10.137
[SPEAKER_01]: It's almost like you had number five in a sense.
33:10.117 --> 33:22.810
[SPEAKER_01]: Sure, that's where it's like, I wish there was more you could have gotten back from that, but, you know, time will tell and if LaJay cooks, that's going to be a different story, if Marta cooks, that's going to be a different story, and if they both cook,
33:23.178 --> 33:23.518
[SPEAKER_01]: I hope.
33:26.041 --> 33:35.350
[SPEAKER_00]: I know one of the things that I thought was really interesting that I was trying to get a sense on this morning is, I know a lot of people are like, well, this is Joe Lucas fault.
33:35.430 --> 33:37.732
[SPEAKER_00]: This is Joe putting his phone on the scale.
33:38.392 --> 33:47.021
[SPEAKER_00]: And you know, why do I do know Joe does, I mean, it's why the report of Joe does put his, you know, imprint on things when he feels like he needs to.
33:48.162 --> 33:52.746
[SPEAKER_00]: But the sense I got and I've been talking to the channels is like, this is not that.
33:53.283 --> 34:05.773
[SPEAKER_00]: from kind of even even just as a practical standpoint, like if you're an owner, he doesn't know basketball, like his basketball people do, but he does he knows business and from a business standpoint, like
34:06.293 --> 34:09.037
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, funny job to me, someone who joke or what?
34:09.317 --> 34:09.518
[SPEAKER_00]: What?
34:09.538 --> 34:10.800
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
34:11.280 --> 34:13.824
[SPEAKER_00]: So, but like, I do think there is something to be said.
34:13.844 --> 34:18.811
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I know that that was like a big fan, I don't know if it's conspiracy or just something that they threw out there.
34:18.871 --> 34:22.977
[SPEAKER_00]: But like a lot of people were in the mentions were like, well, this is what happens when you do a Joe Lake up.
34:23.017 --> 34:23.718
[SPEAKER_00]: And I don't know.
34:23.738 --> 34:27.404
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's not to hate for Joe Lake up, but I just know, you know, out talking to people.
34:27.444 --> 34:30.168
[SPEAKER_00]: This is not a, this was not necessarily a Joe Lake up thing.
34:30.188 --> 34:31.710
[SPEAKER_00]: This is more, I think.
34:31.690 --> 34:35.695
[SPEAKER_00]: they felt like March to War as was a good player.
34:35.755 --> 34:45.388
[SPEAKER_00]: So, interesting, interesting theories I've seen online, but I can tell you is that I don't think there was much on her meddling in a disadvantage.
34:45.408 --> 34:47.591
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I mean, look who Joe's people were.
34:48.352 --> 34:53.038
[SPEAKER_01]: He's Joe's been right about a lot of things, but he was a big on-wise, and he was a big on-comingo for the warrior's side.
34:53.098 --> 35:00.668
[SPEAKER_01]: And, you know, that if LaJay just seems like someone who's like would totally be like someone who you'd want to invest in, someone who's not potential.
35:00.648 --> 35:01.869
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, he loves upset, right?
35:01.889 --> 35:04.512
[SPEAKER_00]: He loves the coming, like the can they be stars?
35:04.572 --> 35:07.175
[SPEAKER_00]: The can-wise would be a star, like he loves that part of it.
35:07.215 --> 35:10.018
[SPEAKER_00]: So like, this is kind of the back, this is like a backwards thing.
35:10.038 --> 35:12.962
[SPEAKER_00]: If we think that he wanted a player in the second round.
35:13.002 --> 35:19.629
[SPEAKER_00]: So if it's interesting, but yeah, I think it is part of the story here.
35:19.689 --> 35:23.213
[SPEAKER_00]: It's like, this is a player in March as far as who, like,
35:23.193 --> 35:38.839
[SPEAKER_00]: The GM, the coaches, I think, really liked at the end of the day, and yeah, the asset part of it obviously is not great, but in terms of the player, it is a player that I think they felt like could help us win right now.
35:38.971 --> 35:42.757
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, man, my last quote, thank you so much for being a part of this podcast.
35:42.777 --> 35:45.521
[SPEAKER_01]: And it's been very much, this has been a great conversation.
35:45.541 --> 35:58.180
[SPEAKER_01]: I wanted to ask you one more thing, though, and it is in relation to the Ohema Pressure and maybe the next time that there's an introductory press conference maybe from Martha Swarras that, you know, you and some of your other media folks might attend.
35:58.200 --> 36:01.645
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know, I just assume that, you know, maybe there is going to be something like that.
36:02.626 --> 36:08.455
[SPEAKER_01]: Have you talked to with any your like friends in the media, or have you thought to yourself,
36:08.435 --> 36:21.035
[SPEAKER_01]: Maybe you guys might phrase some of the questions differently to get a different response that, oh, I'm a, you know, versus what you guys just got or do you think that maybe she's going to change her tune a little bit on how she responds to these questions?
36:22.036 --> 36:32.653
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, I think with, you know, it is something we've obviously been talking about all morning and all afternoon about how, you know, going forward, how to ask these questions and I do think
36:32.971 --> 36:39.080
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, on our side, there's definitely some rooms that like try to ask these questions in a way that we could kind of get our answers, right?
36:39.100 --> 36:41.483
[SPEAKER_00]: That thing that's something that journalists are always trying to get better at.
36:42.185 --> 36:57.527
[SPEAKER_00]: I do think on the other end though, part of I think the frustration from the fan base and even frustration from other media men, I'm not, I mean, last night was crazy, but I'm not thinking about it too much, but I think part of the frustration just overall is like,
36:57.963 --> 37:16.596
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, like how do we get someone who's you know, and essentially position a power to talk about things that, you know, the paying customers with value fans, the fan base care about and you know, I do think part, I mean, I'll have a made a very clear last night and she's made it pretty clear over the year that I've covered her is like,
37:17.048 --> 37:41.233
[SPEAKER_00]: anything that has to do with strategy or I mean anything anything that has to do with anything of their plans she's really not going to talk about it and if she does it's going to be more in the generalities and you know kind of speaking about a player and in specific and so it'll be interesting I think that would be interesting it's something we're going to have to monitor as the season goes on but it'll be interesting to see um
37:41.821 --> 37:58.265
[SPEAKER_00]: how this, you know, from Natalie, to Hema, to even, you know, even wake up when he does talk, I mean, how transparent they're going to be about certain things, especially now, I mean, we're in a social media, you know, world, we're in everybody knows what they're saying.
37:58.285 --> 38:01.570
[SPEAKER_00]: You don't, you know, this is stuff that's going to be out there all the time.
38:01.650 --> 38:02.091
[SPEAKER_00]: So,
38:02.071 --> 38:03.854
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm curious to see how they're going to handle it.
38:03.874 --> 38:05.677
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, there's going to be more points like this Brian.
38:05.717 --> 38:12.628
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, obviously, the rookie intros, you know, we expect, oh, I'm going to be there, I'm expecting a least training camp.
38:12.648 --> 38:14.151
[SPEAKER_00]: She'll show up once or twice.
38:14.752 --> 38:17.296
[SPEAKER_00]: And obviously, like, trade deadline and things like that.
38:17.376 --> 38:20.020
[SPEAKER_00]: When the roster is really, can, can turn.
38:20.081 --> 38:21.242
[SPEAKER_00]: Those are the times we're going to see here.
38:21.703 --> 38:27.673
[SPEAKER_00]: So the interesting to see how that plays out, I'm not totally sure how it will, but, um,
38:27.653 --> 38:36.786
[SPEAKER_00]: I think I have I mean if it last night was any indication there I mean the factories are pretty tight to the vest and they're they're going to
38:37.205 --> 38:38.627
[SPEAKER_00]: release things when they want to.
38:38.687 --> 38:56.131
[SPEAKER_00]: And I mean, even going back to, you know, last week in the office, and I mean, how many teams were we're talking to Alexa, Phillip Wu and Kendra Andrews, and create all the great, you know, WNB Air Force, Korean Copeland, Sean Hurt, all these people, cover the league, they're getting all the kind of the leaks.
38:56.872 --> 39:05.845
[SPEAKER_00]: And when it came the Valkyries, those were things that were coming out as it seemed like they came out, and they made their fresh release as a team, and they didn't share with anybody, and that's how it went.
39:05.825 --> 39:14.468
[SPEAKER_00]: And, you know, interesting to see, but I think it's safe to say that they're going to be seeing this tight to the vest, ferry New England Patriots, like if I had to compare it to anything.
39:15.308 --> 39:15.949
[SPEAKER_01]: got a man.
39:16.329 --> 39:17.070
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, thank you, man.
39:17.090 --> 39:30.668
[SPEAKER_01]: I really appreciate you jumping on this podcast and, you know, like I said, you're one of my day one, Valks followers that I've been, you know, following your work and been appreciative of the news that you bring to the timeline.
39:30.988 --> 39:32.890
[SPEAKER_01]: Because I'm always sending in and I'm always copying links.
39:32.910 --> 39:34.132
[SPEAKER_01]: You know how it is in group chats.
39:34.152 --> 39:36.255
[SPEAKER_01]: We're just copying links and sending in the group chat.
39:36.715 --> 39:39.078
[SPEAKER_01]: So your links have comprised a lot of wood.
39:39.118 --> 39:42.042
[SPEAKER_01]: I send to my WMA friends.
39:42.022 --> 39:45.400
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, always appreciate you, man, and yet do you have anything to plug?
39:45.987 --> 39:49.552
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, yeah, you could read me at the San Jose Mercury News or at the East Bay Times.
39:50.133 --> 39:53.557
[SPEAKER_00]: Obviously, subscribe if you can, it's like price, that's a dollar for a year.
39:53.617 --> 40:00.707
[SPEAKER_00]: So, I'll be at, you know, all of that pre-s game home games this year, and we'll be covering the team up until then they're seated.
40:00.747 --> 40:06.395
[SPEAKER_00]: So, yeah, San Jose Mercury News East Bay Times, you can follow me on Twitter at Nathan Cannellow.
40:06.415 --> 40:10.721
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll have all my tweets and analysis, all the story links will be there.
40:10.801 --> 40:13.665
[SPEAKER_00]: So, yeah, that's Mercury News East Bay Times.
40:14.236 --> 40:17.861
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm telling you guys, man, a dollar for a year, can't beat it.
40:18.182 --> 40:18.662
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's nice.
40:18.723 --> 40:19.544
[SPEAKER_01]: You can't beat them, man.
40:19.684 --> 40:20.405
[SPEAKER_01]: You can't beat that.
40:21.026 --> 40:27.976
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, and after that, to plug that even more, sometimes you do that, I'd like a dollar for a year, and then you get stuck if you missed it.
40:28.237 --> 40:30.840
[SPEAKER_01]: And then it's like, oh, you just re-uped like $70 for the next year.
40:31.001 --> 40:31.822
[SPEAKER_01]: That's not how it is.
40:31.862 --> 40:34.145
[SPEAKER_01]: I did check that a subscription to make sure that that's not how it is.
40:34.205 --> 40:35.367
[SPEAKER_01]: You'll re-up for
40:35.347 --> 40:37.711
[SPEAKER_01]: the next month instead of on a year level.
40:37.751 --> 40:41.096
[SPEAKER_01]: So if you do forget you're only eating like $20 as opposed to $70.
40:41.136 --> 40:43.019
[SPEAKER_01]: But you know, just be better.
40:43.079 --> 40:53.434
[SPEAKER_01]: Just be less like me and don't get screwed over by your athletic subscription that you forget about the day in a re-ups for $75 and now you have to wait for another year to cancel.
40:54.556 --> 40:55.117
[SPEAKER_01]: But yeah, man.
40:55.658 --> 40:56.138
[SPEAKER_00]: I've been there.
40:56.219 --> 41:02.468
[SPEAKER_00]: I've checked my phone many
41:03.899 --> 41:04.461
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, man.
41:04.481 --> 41:05.544
[SPEAKER_01]: So thank you again.
41:05.604 --> 41:11.061
[SPEAKER_01]: I appreciate you for jumping on here and and that was yeah great conversation and thank you for all you do.
41:11.122 --> 41:13.609
[SPEAKER_01]: So with that being said thank you Nathan.
41:13.850 --> 41:17.622
[SPEAKER_01]: I am Brian and we will see you when we see you piece Alex.












