Hour 1 - Micah Nori's Contract

The Portland Trail Blazers gave new head coach Micah Nori a one-year guaranteed contract with team options on the second and third years, paying below market base salary with heavy incentives. JB Bickerstaff, president of the National Basketball Coaches Association, called it "a slap in the face to the value of the coaches." Ben Maller's take: this is just Tom Dundon being Tom Dundon.

The Lamelo Ball Trade Rumor

The biggest story of the hour isn't a done deal yet, but it's close. The Charlotte Hornets are reportedly deep in trade talks involving point guard Lamelo Ball — even though Ball himself is "perfectly happy" in Charlotte. Maller notes that when rumors like this surface, the deal is usually already far down the road and "we're the last to know."

The Hornets' calculus is straightforward: they've decided to build around Brandon Miller (the second overall pick in 2023) and rookie Khan Knipple, who generated buzz last season with his three-point shooting. Those two have effectively "jumped over" Ball on the team's hierarchy. Ball's numbers are solid — 20 points and 7 assists per game this past season while playing 72 games — but Maller describes him as an "acquired taste" who "lives in Candy Land" with "a lot of empty calories." He's talented but erratic, injury-prone, and carries the full star-player lifestyle package.