Bobby Marks Details Potential Trae Young Wizards Extension | Grant & Danny

Añadido: 2026-05-24

[00:00:00]and welcome on our favorite national NBA guest to talk all things Wizards and NBA playoffs with Bobby Marks joins us now from ESPN. Bobby, it's great to have you back on in the district. Your piece on your free agent rankings, top 20 players for 2026 and some of your predictions for the off season was awesome. So, I actually want to start locally with the Wiz and what you had to say about Trey Young. You've concocted an extension here. Looks like 3 years, 130 million, 40 million salary next season replaces his 49 million player option. Walk me through this. Is there any reason not to do that now? I was kind of hoping no extension. Do you think it's a lock that they extend him?

[00:00:41]Well, I don't know. I mean, listen, I think there's a I think there's a lot of different directions you can go with with Trey. I think certainly he could opt in and then you could potentially navigate something during during the year. He'll have He'll have up until next, you know, June 30th of next year to do it to do a 4-year deal or as I as you wrote as I wrote, you know, you could you could lower that number potentially to go from 49 to 40 or high 30s and then the trade-off with him doing that is to add some guaranteed years here. So, there's Listen, there's a lot of there's a lot of different directions as far as with that. I think you know, I think the days of a max player, you know, him and Anthony Davis I think are probably are probably over just based on where they are at this stage of of their career here. So, yeah, I mean, I think if you want to just play it out, you can do that too. I think there's certainly risk when it when it comes to that, but I but I do think you know, probably where he is, he's probably you know, a 38 to 40 million dollar player right now.

[00:01:42]I mean, I think some of the things that made it attractive when they acquired a guy like Trey Young and Anthony Davis is the fact that they weren't tied to them long-term. So, what do you think of Trey Young as a player at this point so that you're giving him 3 years. So, he's going to be here for the foreseeable future. Do you think he's someone that can still be a big part of a team that hopefully is starting to make a push for the playoffs here soon.

[00:02:04]He should. I mean, you guys went through three years of building through the draft and it's you know, you guys you've seen what happens. You know, I think I think eventually you you know, you have to get talent on the roster and I think you you did with with Trey and and certainly Anthony Davis and then you get the number one pick and I think you're at a different development stage than where you were you know, what what where you were a couple years ago. He's still a He's still a really good player. I know you know, what the numbers said last year with when on and off and when he didn't play in Atlanta here, but I think certainly is you know, he's one of the better passing guards here and I would I would just kind of caution that if you do want to just play out the year, you know, there's 17 18 million dollars that are going to have significant cap space next off season, which is in 27 to go out and and and sign him with that and everything. So, I do I wouldn't I would be stunned with if if you know, you basically he's plays out the year on an expiring contract. 9.8 assists per game in his career for Trae Young, you point out in your piece. Trails only Magic Johnson and John Stockton in NBA history. Pretty amazing playmaker and creator offensively, which is what the Wizards have coveted. I was listening to Michael Winger talk to Ryan Russillo in an interview recently and they were talking about free agency basically. And as someone who who ran a cap and ran front offices, I want to ask you about this.

[00:03:28]You know where I'm going with this, but it was basically like the idea was Winger was saying that cap space is great, but it's risky. Like you just don't know. He didn't say the quiet part out loud, which is I'm running the Wizards front office. I don't know if guys want to come here or not. You hope so, but we've been here and done this. I remember when they thought Kevin Durant was coming and then they ended up having to give the bag to Ian Mahinmi and Andrew Nicholson or something.

[00:03:51]Yeah. What do you make of like I like the idea of what's behind door number three over keeping Anthony Davis around, keeping Trae Young around? But maybe I've got to recalibrate on that because the bird in the hand might be better than this mystery player that may or may not ever come here.

[00:04:08]I think for me to go on TV and talk about cap space, it's awesome.

[00:04:13]So being a front office, not so much. I think it's I think there's I think there's there's certainly caution in there and I think that's why we've seen the ability of I think the last couple years we've had 60 players sign extensions. This off season has got three teams that have cap space. That's a big reason why Yeah, we wrote this article today. It's kind of what I would pay these guys based on and and some of them were really the unrestricted free agents and it probably hurt the some of these agents' heart a little bit as far as what these numbers would be. But yeah, the real the reality is is that last year we we saw one player change teams in free agency that signed for more than $20 million per year and that was Myles Turner and that was because Milwaukee used the wave and stretch provision on Damian Lillard. To build a roster with cap space outside of your own free agents, it's extremely, extremely difficult. I do not envy what Rob Pelinka and the Lakers are going to have to go through this summer if they do not run this group back here. So I as I you know, so I agree with what Michael and the group did as far as going out and get you know, pre-free agency we call it, getting Trae in January, AD in February here because let's face it, if they don't do those two deals, they're probably staring at 80 million, 90 million dollars and not you know, a high-level free agent group.

[00:05:32]Talking with Bobby Marks here on Grant and Danny. Toby Altschuler sitting in for Danny. What do you think happens with Anthony Davis? I mean that that's been a big discussion around here is is he even going to play for the Wizards?

[00:05:43]You're mentioning maybe they even have to consider a contract with him as well.

[00:05:47]What do you think ultimately happens there?

[00:05:50]You know, it's interesting. AD's extension eligible as of August 6th. He can extend for four more years.

[00:05:57]Basically, you you take the player option away and then add four to that.

[00:06:01]So, it really be 3 years of of new money. I I think I think you have to, you know, you know, temper it a little bit. He the days of a 4-year $275 million extension not doesn't exist anymore for him. He's, you know, 33 years old. We know the durability issues here. I do think if it makes sense where there's a compromise from both sides. And I know you you could make the argument, well, we haven't seen him on on the court yet.

[00:06:25]That is certainly fair, and I think that's something you can entertain, um, you know, during during the regular season here. I don't think it's a, you know, sense of, uh, urgency there.

[00:06:36]Bobby Marks of ESPN talking all things Wizards NBA. We'll get to the national landscape in a second. One more on the Wiz. They hit the lottery.

[00:06:45]>> A lot of people are still >> Yeah. thrilled about what lies ahead for them here. Yeah.

[00:06:49]>> I think it was viewed the moment they won the lottery when we were all in shock that they won the rights to AJ Dybantsa. And it doesn't really seem like that's actually the reality of it.

[00:07:00]Both because maybe there's more due diligence to do here, and maybe it's Peterson or something else. But also, maybe it's the asset that you won where Sure. Utah wants to come up from two and get Dybantsa, and you move back and get Peterson and and something else. How do you view the top of the draft board? Is it Dybantsa in a gap or is it closer than that?

[00:07:21]No, it's there's no This isn't Victor.

[00:07:24]>> [laughter] >> This is not Victor, and it's probably not even Cooper Flag last year. I think there's I think you can make a case for two for both players at number one.

[00:07:33]Uh, with AJ and, uh, certainly Darren.

[00:07:36]And I think there's two really good players that are right behind them with, uh, with Boozer and Caleb Wilson of of North Carolina.

[00:07:43]You know, we were we did the night of lottery or the day of lottery and we you know, we went heavy on them and I'm like waving my hand. I'm like, there's other guys out there, you know, like it's like there is a really good there is a really good big four of this of this group here. So, I think he I think you have to be careful. I think you know, the next five weeks or you know, up until the draft they're going to go through every process. They you know, they'll bring both guys in. They'll evaluate them on the court. They'll meet with ownership.

[00:08:08]I think you have to go back to the to the tape a lot as far as watching A.J.

[00:08:12]at BYU.

[00:08:13]And I think Darian at Kansas and back to high school and figuring out kind of what's the best fit. I said it on TV last week during the combine. I think it would be important to have your own players there when either player comes through. So, if it whether it be A.D. or Trey or some of your younger players as far as interacting to see how that fit is with with that group and everything like that. So, if they stay at one or if you move back to two, I think you're going to get a really uh I think you'll get a really good player there.

[00:08:42]If they do get offers, if there is calls coming from Utah, like A, is that realistic? B, how far back would you be willing to go? What could they add?

[00:08:53]>> past two. You wouldn't I wouldn't go past two. No.

[00:08:57]>> [laughter] >> Okay, so let's say if it's the Jazz coming up for the Bonstan. Their owner by the way is a a BYU donor who got him to BYU. They have a relationship. So, there's some truth I think maybe to the interest there. Let's say you go back to Peterson. What could you get in that trade?

[00:09:12]That's a good question. I mean, I think it's a matter of how how much separation is there between the two players. If you kind of see them neck and neck, uh I think you know, certainly the the asking price is probably you know, you you would certainly probably want to ask for a lot as far as uh whether be a future first, whether be a player, uh you know, certainly East Bayley has been mentioned a lot. We've heard his name a lot. I think I think we saw a couple years ago or I don't know maybe more than a couple years ago, Boston moving back from one to three.

[00:09:41]They wind up getting Tatum, Fultz goes to Philly. They wind up getting a future first out of that deal here. Um so yeah, I think it's it's a matter of um you know, how if you do want to move back a spot, how you how do you evaluate both players? I think if you have AJ on your board and there is some separation between the two players with Darren or maybe if it's maybe potentially Boozer or something like that. Maybe you figure you can get Cam Boozer at three or two or you know, I think there's a ways to do it. I just think you you can't be cute with it. I think it the the one thing you don't want to do is move back in the draft and and and pick a player that you know, that you know, you're basically kind of stuck with.

[00:10:18]Going national here Bobby, I feel like we've had this discussion plenty, but uh what's going to happen with LeBron?

[00:10:23]>> [laughter] >> It's a good question. You know, he was um he did a podcast with Steve Nash this week and he went through like I I think I I saw it on TV, you know, what what June or July or August and I was like, "Well, wait a minute. If he's If he's still thinking about August, he's not going to be on the Lakers." That ain't going to happen because he basically has this big cap hold that's you know, that's holding against the cap and they can't um they can't go out and sign players until they figure out his future here. I I think there's a couple ways you can look at it.

[00:10:52]There's there's you know, the run it back option as far as with um you know, bringing the same group back and him at a lesser number. In the article today, we had him at one one year $30 million and that would allow you to some flexibility to run it back here. I think if you're looking elsewhere, it becomes a lot more complicated as far as if from a financial standpoint just because there's not a not a ton of cap space um you know, out there and everything like that. So, you're looking at the veteran minimum, the million. So, I think he'll still play.

[00:11:27]Um I think the big question of is will be where is it?

[00:11:30]It sounds like you do think there's an actual chance that he's not a Laker and he's not a Cav though. That he could have add another team to the back of the basketball card.

[00:11:41]I think it's a matter of what he wants to do. I mean, he's made almost $600 million in his career. So, I don't think we're at a point where it's about, you know, breaking the bank on the next contract. I think it gives whatever it gives him the ability to win a championship or considering that he's been in LA for a long time and his family lives there, uh, you know, I don't know if, you know, I don't know if him going to chase a ring somewhere in San Antonio, for example, wouldn't, you know, you know, you know, appease him as far as for that here. But, I think Listen, if the Lakers say to him, "Hey, we're going to go in a different direction." which they haven't, um, "and we were going to use this cap space to go chase these three players and this is kind of what you have for him." I think everything should be on the table.

[00:12:24]Bobby, I'm curious what you thought of these playoffs and obviously we have some really good conference finals matchups and also from like a front office perspective, is there anything that you're seeing with the way these four teams that are left have been constructed that maybe you could see trending in the next couple of years?

[00:12:39]Depth. Depth matters. You better have depth if you want to go far in these playoffs. I think you see it in OKC with Jalen Williams injury and then you've got, you know, Cason Wallace and Isaiah Joe and Jared McCain and like there's a litany of guards there. Um, Alex Caruso, you know, San Antonio too, uh, the ability to sustain Victor not playing or or Donte DiVincenzo not playing. I think that's that's probably my biggest my biggest takeaway is there here is that, um, to build a roster to sustain these playoffs, um, you've got to you've got to add depth. It was something that was an Achilles for the Knicks last year and they bring up, you know, they signed Jordan Clarkson, Deuce McBride hasn't extended more minutes, um, Landry Shamet's been really good, Mitchell Robinson plays more. So, to get through it, you got to have you got to have guys um you know coming off your bench.

[00:13:31]Bobby Marks is on social at Bobby Marks 42. You should check out his piece on ESPN.com, which is fantastic. Of course, you watch him on ESPN's television coverage. Last one for me is is on Wemby and what we saw in game one. And I know that there's been a second game since and SGA bounces back and scores 30 and the Thunder even the series, but I'm still kind of buzzing based on that first game. And Wemby I'm afterwards going full Jordan like, yeah, I took that personally. That was incredible theater. First two wins this series and and does Wemby have a chance to become the the face of the sport by the time this postseason's done?

[00:14:08]Oh, I think he certainly does. I mean, certainly them getting out of the these um out of the conference finals would certainly help his case. I think you know, when I watch him play, I I mean, the amount of times I like chuckle to myself on some of the plays that he makes uh certainly offensively and and and defensively and his impact.

[00:14:26]And it reminds me like when we were young, we used to put that Nerf hoop on the back of our door and we used to pretend we can dunk and do all these different things. And it was it's like watching that, right? Like how easy and effortless it is for him. Um so I think listen, he's only in the third year of his career, which is remarkable.

[00:14:44]And they will continue to get better. I mean, the scary thought is that I had a piece earlier in the week is that between them and Oklahoma City, they have 50 draft picks between them in the next 8 years.

[00:14:54]So, they will continually reload the these two really good rosters.

[00:14:59]Well, Bobby, appreciate the time. The Wizards fans are buzzing, so excited exciting time for that. And the conference finals have been great, so always great to chat with you.

[00:15:07]Sounds good. Appreciate it.

[00:15:08]>> Love talking to Bobby Marks. He's the best.