"The Hoop Collective" podcast, hosted by ESPN's Brian Windhorst, releases episodes every Monday, Wednesday and Friday during the NBA season and Tuesday and Friday during the offseason. Windhorst and his guests break down what's happening on and off the court, evaluating the trends you need to know and examining the latest news from across the NBA.
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Latest episodes:
Sept. 25 | Sept. 22 | Sept. 18 | Sept. 15 | Sept. 11
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'The Hoop Collective' episodes
Sept. 25: Huge question for the Knicks, OKC's spending and Kawhi's extension
Brian is joined by ESPN's Tim MacMahon to discuss Karl-Anthony Towns' ongoing contract negotiation with the New York Knicks. They then move on to some interesting quotes from the Oklahoma City Thunder's executive vice president and general manager, Sam Presti, before closing on Kawhi Leonard's extension with the Toronto Raptors.
Topics:
04:46: KAT extension talks with Knicks are far apart
17:54: How committed is OKC to keeping this team together?
38:11: Raptors extend Kawhi
Windhorst on the potential KAT extension: "I want to talk about the the overall value of the contract because Karl Towns is eligible to sign a 4-year, $276 million extension. That's his max that he's eligible to get.
"He and his side have a position on what he wants to sign for. The Knicks have a position in which they have offered. So that's the parameters. From what I understand, they are tens of millions apart. They're not close."
Windhorst on what expansion could mean for existing teams: "I talked to one owner who said that, you know, obviously they haven't expanded, the money's not in, etc., etc., but I talked to an owner who said that they believe that they're looking at a windfall of of between $500 and $600 million."
MacMahon's reaction to the Kawhi extension: "I get why they did the extension. I don't want to hear it's a discount. I don't want to hear it's, 'Oh, it's $11 million less the max.' This is a humongous extension for a player with major durability issues who's in his mid-30s.
"It's $25 million more than Kevin Durant got. It's not a long-term risk, but it's a big, big risk for the Raptors. I understand it, because he does raise their ceiling to where like, hey, they've got a chance to compete for a championship. But I don't love the extension for them."
Sept. 22: Extensions that deserve more attention
Brian is joined by ESPN's Tim MacMahon to cover the substantial extensions that flew under the radar this offseason and some future deals to keep an eye on. They close on financial bonuses that separate the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks with the rest of the league.
Topics:
0:40: Our World Tour has some big predictions
7:07: Keyonte George inks extension with the Jazz
11:59: How will Utah build with Peterson?
21:26: Ausar Thompson inks extension with Pistons
24:43: Qualifying offer history shows danger in Detroit
30:04: Windy Storytime: Famous lies
36:03: A huge development for Amen Thompson
41:16: Kuminga quote on championship culture
43:14: Will Warriors get Podziemski extension done?
47:35: Hornets looking to get deal with Miller done
48:28: New info on Lakers' ownership situation
57:25: Fascinating info in Knicks' financials
1:00:25: Why value for Lakers and Knicks remains strong
MacMahon on Jalen Duren's contract standoff with Detroit: "There has never ever been a player with anything close to the credentials that Duren has, an All-Star third team all NBA, a damn near 20 and 10 guy for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. There's never been a guy in that kind of a situation who signed for the qualifying offer. The closest comp you can get to that is actually another Pistons big man. It was Greg Monroe, but it was completely different circumstances."
Windhorst on a potential Brandon Miller extension in Charlotte: "I think if it's a five-year deal, I think you're looking for that. If it's a five-year deal, I think you're looking if you're him, you want that first number to be a two. Maybe right around two, but I'm sure that's probably what he's looking for. So, keep an eye on that."
Sept. 18: Future Power Rankings discussion
Brian is joined by ESPN's Tim MacMahon and Bobby Marks to breakdown ESPN's recent NBA Future Power Rankings, including the surprise risers and fallers on this season's list.
Topics:
01:10: Hoop Collective 2026 World tour announcement
08:52: NBA Future Power Rankings reaction
11:22: Thunder best Spurs in ESPN rankings for No. 1
13:32: Boston surprisingly ranks up at No. 3
19:10: Rockets too high at 4th in ESPN rankings
22:16: Knicks fall one spot after winning the title
28:22: Detroit has a huge decision coming soon
33:03: Hornets take a huge jump in latest rankings
36:39: Why the 76ers are so hard to project
40:40: Hawks are an interesting team to watch
43:06: Big prove it year coming for the Cavaliers
46:46: What will the future be for Kawhi in Toronto
49:13: Lakers believe in this team moving forward
51:31: Nuggets drop down substantially in rankings
55:30: Warriors one of biggest drops in league
59:08: Discussing the state of the Clippers
1:02:50: Kings are officially ranked last
Sept. 15: Ballmer punishment accepted, Kawhi trade completed and owner meetings ahead
Brian is joined by ESPN's Vincent Goodwill and Tim MacMahon to discuss LA Clippers' owner Steve Ballmer accepting the NBA's punishment and how that led to the completion of the Kawhi Leonard trade to the Toronto Raptors. The trio breaks down what to expect from Leonard on the court and if we'll see an elite performance out of him once again. They then close on the NBA owners' meetings, including the state of expansion in the NBA.
Topics:
00:50: Brian pays off his OSU-Texas hat bet
03:15: Ballmer statement accepts NBA's punishment
11:48: Why the Clippers needed to accept this
20:03: Background on Kawhi deal with Clippers and Raptors
24:40: Windy Storytime: Kawhi in Toronto
33:06: How elite is Kawhi still in the NBA?
41:30: Kawhi's 2024 Team USA time was instructive
46:36: Clippers giving out Chris Paul's jersey number reaction
52:37: What Brian is watching in NBA owners' meetings
53:30: Thoughts on state of expansion in the NBA
1:04: Bidders to watch for possible Vegas expansion
1:09: Adam Silver's tone about Clippers is important
Sept. 11: Why the future of NBA Europe is uncertain
Brian is joined by Aris Barkas, the publishing director of Eurohoops, to discuss the future plans for the NBA in Europe, including if it's actually feasible, how it could possibly work out and the current state of European basketball.
Topics:
2:39: Windy Storytime: Team USA's historic World Cup defeat
5:03: Explaining the current setup of European basketball
9:24: What is the future for NBA Europe proposals?
17:37: What is possible to occur with NBA Europe?
30:19: What is the end goal for NBA Europe?
44:50: What do we think happens with NBA Europe?