ESPN’s Shams Charania Talks Wemby, LeBron, Giannis, NBA Draft & More w/ Rich

Shams Charania brought the show his latest read on a few of the loudest NBA storylines, including the one he broke the morning of his appearance. Jason Kidd is no longer the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks.

"Jason Kidd was let go as the head coach," Charania told Rich. "He was fired as head coach."

The framing is significant. Kidd is on the hook for four years and roughly $45 million. The Mavericks will pay him out unless he lands another coaching job that creates an offset. The decision came from Masai Ujiri, the new team president and alternate governor, who Charania said is implementing a complete fresh start.

The throughline is the residue of the Luka Dončić trade and everything around it. Nico Harrison is gone. Anthony Davis has been traded out for salaries and picks. Kidd, who Charania noted held some level of support for the Dončić trade, is now gone too.

"Masai Ujiri just wanted a clean slate from it," Charania said. "That's what he did. That's what he started his implementation for. And everyone now knows there's a new sheriff in town."

The coaching search, in Charania's read, will be comprehensive. Ujiri will find his long-term partner on the bench, not just a stopgap.

The draft conversation was the second piece of new content. The Washington Wizards hold the number-one pick. The presumed top selection is AJ Dybantsa, but Charania left the room open.

"There's a lot of questions about the top of this draft," Charania said.

The pool he listed included Dybantsa, Darren Peterson, Caleb Wilson, and Cam Boozer. The top four picks are held by Washington, Utah, Memphis, and Chicago. Charania said all four front offices are seriously considering multiple players at their slots. He noted specifically that Washington at number one is weighing three to five candidates. Utah at number two is in the same mode.

"If Darren Peterson goes number one, like is that going to surprise people?" Charania asked, and then answered his own question. "I don't think so either."

Oklahoma City was the other team Charania flagged as worth watching. The Thunder routinely sit on multiple first-round picks and multiple second-round picks. They have made moves up the board before. With the 12th pick this year, Charania said they would consider moving up if someone they liked sat at 8, 9, 10, or 11. The Thunder, in his read, stay optional all the way to draft night.

On Victor Wembanyama, Charania reaffirmed the read he gave 24 hours earlier. The Game 1 performance against Oklahoma City was directly motivated by the MVP outcome. Wemby is wired for it. The Spurs organization, with Gregg Popovich still in place as president of basketball operations and Brian Wright running day-to-day with Mitch Johnson as head coach, is built to nurture exactly the version of Wemby that arrived in Game 1.

On Giannis Antetokounmpo, the timeline has not shifted. The Bucks are officially open for business. Giannis has signaled to the front office for months that he is ready to move on. Jimmy Haslam said publicly the deadline is June. Charania expects a real trade exploration over the next six weeks, with Miami, Minnesota, Boston, and the Lakers all in the mix. The Lakers' offer of three first-round picks and cap space, in Charania's read, is not the best Milwaukee will get.

On LeBron James, Charania confirmed the play-one-more-season expectation. The Lakers want him back. Multiple contenders are circling for the open market scenario. Where LeBron lands is, in Charania's words, a multi-week conversation that the next month will resolve.

The closer was about Charania's own news-breaking habits. He went to brunch the morning he broke the Jason Kidd story. The room found that distinctive.

"Brunch and breaking," Rich said.

Charania accepted the criticism and added one defense.

"By going to brunch, I kind of cheated on lunch," he said.

Rich offered him Prime Video password access in exchange for a single piece of homework. Find out what Gregg Popovich said to Victor Wembanyama on the tarmac after his ejection in the Minnesota series. Charania promised to chase it.