A Crazy NBA Month With Zach Lowe, Plus Taylor Sheridan on Building a TV Empire and the Problems With Hollywood

June 29, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The NBA's offseason is a pressure cooker of egos, leverage, and brutal math. Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe sat down to dissect the most chaotic month in recent memory, and the conversation reveals a league where the line between contender and rebuild is thinner than a single injury or a single bad contract. The core tension: teams are trying to win now with players who are either too expensive, too fragile, or too unhappy to be the second-best guy on a championship roster.

The Jalen Brown Paradox: Too Good to Trade, Too Expensive to Keep

The central drama of the episode is the Boston Celtics' dilemma with Jalen Brown. Simmons and Lowe agree that Brown is a legitimate star—durable, a 29-point-per-game scorer, a Finals MVP. But his contract (nearly $65 million per year) and his role as the clear second option to Jayson Tatum have created a toxic situation. The Celtics' mistake, Simmons argues, wasn't exploring a trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo; it was doing so secretly and then letting the news leak. "Once you put him in one trade, now you have to trade him," Simmons says. "And now that there's blood in the water and teams know they have to trade him, you're gonna get shitty offers."

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What you'll learn

1 (02:11) **Opening & Zach Lowe's World Cup Hangover** - Simmons and Lowe banter about Croatia's World Cup win and Lowe's in-person streak.
2 (03:24) **Jalen Brown Trade Saga: The Giannis Miscalculation** - Breakdown of how the Celtics’ failed pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo damaged their relationship with Jalen Brown.
3 (11:02) **The Hard Economics of Trading Jalen Brown** - Lowe and Simmons debate why Brown’s contract and status make him a difficult player to trade for fair value.
4 (20:19) **Fictional Trade Scenarios: Denver & New Orleans** - Simmons pitches a Jamal Murray + Cam Johnson for Jalen Brown + Howser trade, exploring the fit with Nikola Jokic.
5 (35:26) **The Lamelo Ball Trade: Simmons vs. Lowe** - A heated debate on Minnesota acquiring Lamelo Ball from Charlotte.
6 (45:54) **Charlotte's Masterclass Rebuild** - Simmons praises the Hornets' front office for selling high on Lamelo and Miles Bridges in separate trades.
7 (65:56) **Giannis in Miami: Geometry Problems** - Skepticism about the fit between Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo on offense, despite the defensive potential.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Zach Lowe Bill Simmons

Show Notes

The Ringer’s Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe go LIVE on Netflix to give their thoughts on the latest Jaylen Brown trade rumors before breaking down the Hornets trades, possible LeBron landing spots, and much more. Then, Taylor Sheridan joins the pod to talk about his new book, ‘How to Survive in Prison,’ before diving into his beginnings in screenwriting, how he works differently from others, and the success of his films and television shows.

(0:00) Intro

(1:15) Jaylen Brown trade rumors

(34:29) LaMelo Ball traded to the Wolves

(54:23) Miles Bridges to the Suns and other trade news

(01:26:40) Taylor Sheridan on his new book, screenwriting, and more!

Host: Bill Simmons

Guests: Zach Lowe and Taylor Sheridan

Producers: Chia Hao Tat, Eduardo Ocampo, and Chris Wohlers

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