In this episode of NBA One‑on‑One, Draymond Green and Baron Davis break down the NBA buyout market from a player’s viewpoint, explaining how veteran contracts can be renegotiated after the trade deadline for a chance to join a contender. They focus on Ben Simmons’ recent buyout and signing with the Los Angeles Clippers, debating his defensive IQ, playmaking ability, and the low‑risk, high‑reward nature of the move. The hosts then pivot to promote Vice Sports’ new college‑basketball docuseries—Calipari’s “Razor’s Edge” and Pitino’s “Red Storm Rising”—detailing airing times. Finally, they discuss the upcoming All‑Star Weekend, predicting competition in the Skills Challenge (highlighting CP and Victor Wembanyama) and offering personal predictions for the Dunk Contest, naming Mac McClung as their pick and Stephon Castle as a dark horse. The conversation is informal, peppered with banter and enthusiastic commentary.
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This segment is called NBA One-on-One. Today's lesson will explain the buyout market from a player's point of view. Draymond, take it away.
The buyout market from a player's point of view, I obviously haven't experienced it from like being in the shoe, but I have experienced it in watching the buyout market and being like, yo, we can get that guy. The buyout market is after the trade deadline. You got guys going to teams or staying on bad teams à la Ben Simmons or getting traded to a bad team that's not in the playoff race. And they're in the last year of their contract. They take a buyout, meaning they negotiate with the team. Hey, you owe me $15 million. You can pay me $14.5 million. I'm gonna take the buyout and I'm gonna go somewhere else. Go somewhere else. So in most cases, sign a minimum deal, make up that money that they miss, and they play for usually a contending team, a playoff team. Yeah. And so that is kind of my view on the biomarkers from a player's perspective, as someone who's never really worn the shoe. But yeah, but been watching, you've seen it happen. Absolutely. The biggest biomarker signing so far this season is Ben Simmons to the Clippers.
Uh-oh.
Ben said he signed with the Clippers because they were transparent on how they would use him and he feels wanted. What can Ben Simmons bring to help elevate the Clippers?
Y'all got some competition, buddy. Okay, here's my Ben Simmons assessment. If the Clippers can count on him, count on him For anything, whether he comes to play hard, they gonna be super successful. If he comes and wants to be a defender, they'll be super successful. If he comes and wants to be a playmaker, they'll be super successful. All he has to do is just commit to playing basketball. And if he can be the best version of any one of those things for the Clippers, ah man, the sky is the limit. I mean, you sitting on somebody who has high basketball IQ, loves playing defense, right? And just hasn't figured out his when. Now, you know, you in a short window of, all right, can you do it? Can you do it? Like, 'cause you know, you show glimpses, or can you be that alternate glue guy? And so if I look at Ben Simmons, I look, at him being a Boris Diaw for the Clippers. Like, he can be important. He can be the guy off the bench that can help them sustain and cover a lot of ground. Now you got him, Kawhi, Norm, Zubac, right? You got defenders, Derek Jones. You got defenders, you know what I'm saying? He could be integral, man. What are your thoughts?
No, I agree. I think if he can tap back into half of what he was, you know, uh, the potential that he has shown to being a multiple-time All-Star, uh, I think that's beneficial for the Clippers. Uh, another playmaker, you know, uh, another switchable defender. Um, so I think it could be beneficial, but he gotta go be Ben Simmons. Uh, and like I said, ain't gotta be the All-Star Ben Simmons. Not— no one's expecting that, but he gotta be somewhat of Ben Simmons.
He gotta be something.
And I think—
Show up. Yeah. Come on, bro. If he show up, he gonna be all right, I think. And I think too, as a coach, it's gonna feed him, you know what I'm saying?
Yeah. I think it's a low risk, high reward possible move. Calling all college basketball fans. I have some must-watch TV for you. In two exciting new docuseries, Vice Sports will follow legendary head coaches Arkansas' John Calipari, and St. John's Rick Pitino, as they lead their teams through the ups and downs, triumphs, and trials of this long competitive college basketball season.
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Draymond Green and Patino's "Red Storm Rising" is airing now on Tuesdays at 10:00 PM Eastern time only on Vice TV.
Tune in each week. Check the link in the bio for where to watch Vice TV.
All right, All-Star Weekend is this week, this weekend coming up. You'll be competing in the skills challenge with Moses Moody. We know you're gonna try your best to beat out Mitchell and Mobley, Zach Richochet and Alex Sar, and Chris Paul and Wemby. Who do you think would be your biggest competition, the skills challenge?
I think the biggest competition is CP and Wemby. I'd imagine they're the favorite to win, but we coming for that title.
All it is is the passing. And you're a good passer.
Yeah.
So you just gotta focus on the passing. Don't get caught up on the passing thing.
Mm-hmm, for sure.
You know I won the skills challenge record time.
Word.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, come on, man.
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ah, ah.
That was too easy. They need to put one of the passing things like somewhere in the stands or something for me. You know, focus on the passing. You got everything else. The passing is just perfect that, and you gonna do that.
No doubt. No doubt. Okay.
But you don't think Mitchell and Mobley present any type of true competition for y'all too?
No, they both good passers. Good length, good speed. But I think CP and Wimby is the favorite.
They the front runners? Okay.
Sure. They the front runner for sure. You judging the slam dunk contest. Who you got winning? You got Montrezl Buzelis from the Bulls, Stephon Castle, Andre Jackson Jr. Mac McClung. I'm gonna say you should not comment on who you got winning because that—
Yeah, I should be asking you.
Yeah, I definitely think it's probably best that I answer. So I got Mac McClung winning, but my dark horse is Stephon Castle.
Man, I'm excited just to see, you know, these young dudes. You know, Matt McClung, he won before. But you know, Stephen Castle, Andre Jackson Jr., shout out. I mean, that dude can fly. I'm excited. I'm excited. I'm excited to even be judging the dunk contest. Like, damn, man, I'm so lucky to be a part of this and be a part of this All-Star weekend in San Francisco. All the dope stuff we got going on and all the dope stuff the NBA got going on to be a part of the dunk contest and to be a judge. I just hope I'm good at giving the right numbers. Don't be out there like, you know, being a judge, man, is like jury duty, you know? After they dunk, they looking at you like, what you gonna go give me, dog? What you, you know? So I gotta, I'm gonna go with the vibe of the fans and I'm gonna go with, and I'm gonna judge based on could I have done that?
Wow. Well, you got the criteria, guys, to do dunks that BD couldn't do. I can't do none of them anyway. Like I said, don't be out there judging like Dr. J. Love Doc. OG. But I've watched countless of dunk contests and like guys get a 10 and Doc gives somebody like an 8. It's like, Doc, how they get all 10s and a 7, Doc?
Oh, you know, don't feel bad.
I won't be that bad.
I'll be more consistent.
Hey, before we get outta here, shout out to Kyrie and Draymond Green for being there. The Stars replacing Giannis and AD, well deserved to both of those guys.
My dawg.
Still no LaMelo. Like I said, I think that has a little representation. When you have nobody that can fight for you, it don't end well. So I hope these young kids are paying attention. Representation matters. Representation is everything.
