Best of The Herd

Live from Chicago on Combine week, it’s the Herd. We’ve got deals brewing around the league and, in an hour, I’m unveiling a wild new tech I first saw months ago that went from freaky to can’t‑stop‑using.

I love Lamar, but a cap hit near seventy four million dollars crushes depth. That’s how you slide out of the title chase, especially when you still need to take care of your elite center and you’ve dealt with off‑season no‑shows, mystery injuries, and that constant push to be the top‑paid guy.

The Lakers rolled out the welcome mat for Luka, but his conditioning, defense, and constant chirping are real issues. Hiring Tony Bennett to shape their draft feels odd at first, yet it could be their Brad Stevens move in a league where the new CBA punishes splashy trades and rewards draft‑and‑develop, something the Lakers historically haven’t nailed.

Luka’s so ball‑dominant as a scorer that building a winner around him is a puzzle. Nash and Chris Paul controlled the rock too, but they were pass‑first; this is a tougher fit.

Bennett’s eye is real. He pulled Klay to Washington State and unearthed guys like Joe Harris and Malcolm Brogdon. He finds overlooked players and turns them into pros, which is exactly what L.A. needs.

On Kansas City, Phase One looked like Brady’s early Pats run, but the landscape’s different now. There’s only one bye per conference, the division’s nasty, Andy’s not getting younger, the roster has holes, and while Mahomes’ deal isn’t a trap, it’s not a discount either.

Brett Veach will zoom out and load up around Mahomes, whether Kelce returns or not. The question is sequencing premium talent in the draft to give him real weapons.

I don’t have the Chiefs winning their division this year. Denver’s cheap rookie‑QB window is tempting, though they’ll still need to fix the run game while Mahomes faces more third‑and‑long than he did a few years ago.

I could even see Mahomes missing a few early weeks and I don’t get those double‑digit win projections with this roster. It’s thin.

They need multiple starters on offense. Moving off Joe Thuney hurt, and when you pay a star QB, a star weapon, and a star defender, you’ve got to hit late in drafts—miss a Skyy Moore here, a back there, and suddenly you’re light at tackle and in the backfield.

All right, here’s the new thing: Sports AI on the Fox Sports app. We fed it two years of this show, so you can ask me anything and get a version of me with my cadence and takes; it felt bizarre at first and now it’s addictive.

We demoed it. On Fernando Mendoza: smart, accurate, fast processor, protects the ball, but he’s not a sandlot superhero—give him structure and playmakers and he hums. On Sam Darnold: tools and toughness were never the issue; with grown‑up coaching and support, the ceiling shows. On J‑Mac as a coach: a CEO recruiter who hires a killer play‑caller, leans older and tougher, and sweats details.

It actually sounds like you. I expected a robot; it feels like a real conversation.

So, this Luka‑LeBron fit has looked clunky on both ends, and the chatter’s getting louder. What are you hearing inside the Lakers?

They want to get to summer and build around Luka without LeBron. Lineups with LeBron, Luka, and Austin Reeves hemorrhage points and the offense overlaps, so the plan is to use three firsts and significant cap space—if LeBron doesn’t return—to add defenders and shooters around Luka.

How do you move off LeBron with respect after everything he’s done?

If he wants another season, there have to be frank talks on money and role, including the possibility he’s not always closing. That kind of conversation might steer him to weigh options like Cleveland.

The league smacked Utah and others for tanking. Does that fix the issue or just hit small markets?

Utah’s fourth‑quarter sit‑downs were blatant, but tanking is a symptom of restrictive cap rules. Scrap the lottery and set the order by record; give bad teams real pathways to improve and you’ll reduce perverse incentives.

Spurs rolled Detroit and Wemby barely needed to score to control the game. Are they the next decade’s team?

Wemby projects as an all‑timer. Teams can scheme him for a night, but his adaptability, coaching, and guard play make a rapid leap—and even a first‑run deep playoff push—very real.

Last one: Kansas star Darryn Peterson’s missed time with cramping and there’s talk of a mental block. Is it hurting his draft slot?

Not yet, but teams want answers. Strong interviews keep him at the top; vague ones could drop him.

Rachel Nichols, always great. J‑Mac’s eyeing his airtime, and yes, the AI breakdown was scary good. From Chicago, it’s the Herd.