Daryl Ruiter: Free Agency Is Basically Dead in the NBA
Podcast: The Ken Carman Show with Anthony LimaPublished On: Mon Jul 27 2026
Description: Lima and Daryl Ruiter pivot from previewing Todd Monken's blunt, no-filter coaching style in Browns training camp to breaking down why the Cavs' offseason has stalled, explaining that the new CBA's second apron makes signing Jonathan Kuminga to the money he wants nearly impossible without a sign-and-trade. They debate whether trading away Max Strus, whom Lima compares to a young Matthew Dellavedova and Anderson Varejao, is worth it to get a needed athletic upgrade, while acknowledging the roster desperately lacks explosiveness and defensive versatility. The two also work through their complicated feelings on Donovan Mitchell's max contract, agreeing he's a needed scorer but not a true number one, and lean on the idea that 41-year-old LeBron and 37-year-old James Harden wouldn't have solved the team's youth and athleticism problem anyway.
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