The Zach Lowe ShowHaliburton on His Return, Preseason Thoughts, and Most Intriguing Players!
Standings
How each person’s takes from this episode have turned out. Click a column to sort.
| NFNick Friedell | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1.000 | 5.8 | +120 |
 Zach Lowe | 2 | 0 | 11 | 1.000 | 5.5 | +113 |
| NDNekias Duncan | 0 | 0 | 3 | — | 3.6 | 0 |
| THTyrese Haliburton | 0 | 0 | 1 | — | 4.0 | 0 |
- The Clippers eventually trade Max Strus.
“And obviously, Max Struess is there to get traded eventually, no matter what the Clippers say.”
- The Thunder are incredibly good again.
“This Thunder team is going to be so incredibly good again.”
- The Lakers win a lot of games.
“i think the lakers are going to win a lot of games”
- The West's two juggernauts are too good for almost everybody.
“i just think the two teams in the west that are juggernauts are just going to be too good for almost everybody”
- The Cavaliers should at least rack up regular-season wins.
“And so for a Cavs team that I still think at the very least should turn out regular season wins.”
- The Cavaliers should be in the mix to come out of the East.
Conditional on another creation leap from Evan Mobley.
“The Cavs should be in the mix to come out of the East.”
- Brandon Miller and the Hornets probably agree on an extension before the season.
“I would bet on them getting something done before the season.”
On Oct 19, 2026, the Hornets and Miller agreed to a 5-year, $209M rookie-scale extension, hours before the extension deadline and before the season began.
- Source: ESPN ↗ Hornets, Brandon Miller agree to 5-year, $209M rookie extension · Oct 19, 2026
- The Hornets aren't a playoff team this year.
“i think i don't think the hornets are a playoff team this year.”
- The Hornets take a tiny step back from last season.
“I think they will take a tiny step back.”
- Brandon Miller makes an All-NBA team sooner rather than later.
“But I think Brandon Miller will make an All-NBA team sooner rather than later.”
- Yaxel Lendeborg makes an All-Rookie team.
“who I think will make an all rookie team for sure”
- The Warriors are the 10th-best team in the West and very much at risk of missing the play-in.
“i think they're the 10th best team in the west”
- Memphis or Dallas exceeds expectations.
“one of those teams behind them memphis or dallas is going to exceed expectations”
- The Warriors don't make the play-in tournament.
Replying to Lowe saying the Warriors are at risk of missing the play-in tournament, not just the playoffs.
“they aren't gonna make it”
- Yaxel Lendeborg can get into the Rookie of the Year running if he's good on both ends.
“their yaxel being in the running potentially for the rookie of”
- Brandin Podziemski gets an extension at a salary right around his $17 million cap hold.
Podziemski's cap hold is $17 million.
“I would bet on an extension with Pajemski happening, but right around that cap hold number”
On Oct 10, 2026 the Warriors and Podziemski agreed to a 5-year, $110M extension. Year-one salary is $18.9M, under $2M above the $17M cap hold, as Lowe predicted.
- Source: Hoops Rumors ↗ Warriors Sign Brandin Podziemski To Five-Year Extension · Oct 10, 2026
- A Podziemski extension comes in around $20 million a year, maybe a little more.
“It always felt like it would be somewhere around 20 to me, maybe a little more depending on the market.”
Podziemski signed a 5-year, $110M extension on Oct 10, 2026, which averages $22M a year. Salaries run $18.9M to $25M, and the four guaranteed years average about $21.2M.
- Source: Golden State of Mind ↗ Warriors sign Brandin Podziemski to 5-year, $110 million extension · Oct 11, 2026
- Brandin Podziemski signs an extension before the deadline.
“So I'd be surprised if you and I are talking a couple weeks from now and it's not done.”
The Warriors announced Podziemski's five-year, $110M rookie-scale extension on Oct. 10, 2026, nine days before the Oct. 19 deadline and two days after the podcast was recorded.
- Source: NBA.com (AP) ↗ Warriors sign Brandin Podziemski to contract extension · Oct 11, 2026
- The Warriors keep Kristaps Porzingis's contract on the books for trade purposes at least through this season.
“I feel like they're going to keep his contract on the books for trade purposes, at least through this season, and then decide.”
- At the trade deadline, the Warriors are right around the lottery sweet spot.
“i think they're going to be right around the sweet spot where the new lottery system really helps them”
- The Warriors, as constructed, aren't close enough to contend.
“This team though, as they're constructed, isn't close enough.”
- The Warriors hover around .500, maybe a few games below, most of the year.
“I think this is a team that's going to hover somewhere around 500, maybe a few games below most of the year”
- Cason Wallace should get paid (a new contract) soon.
Talking about OKC's on-ball defenders.
“Case of all, he should be getting paid here soon.”
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