The trade deadline dust settles — and then Luka Dončić limps off with a hamstring. Ric Bucher and Brendan Haywood break down what Luka missing time could mean for the Lakers’ playoff seeding, why Austin Reaves’ workload is a quiet red flag, and the uncomfortable truth: the Lakers aren’t built to fully maximize Luka yet.

From there, it’s a full trade-deadline autopsy. Brendan calls Boston adding Nikola Vučević a sneaky contender move, while Chicago’s direction gets torched. Ric pushes back hard on Utah’s massive spend for Jaren Jackson Jr., igniting a debate about Defensive Player of the Year value, foul trouble, rebounding, and team context.

Then the big-picture questions: Giannis stays past the deadline — but for how long? Golden State pivots to star names — but does it matter? The episode closes with a draft showdown: Brendan plants his flag on Darryn Peterson as the No. 1 pick, while Ric makes the case for AJ Dybantsa, breaking down size, skill, upside, and the physical red flags teams are watching closely.

Time Stamps:

00:00 — What Finding The Seams is all about

00:49 — Sponsor: New Air Club

01:33 — Luka Dončić hamstring: Lakers playoff impact

03:47 — Lakers schedule + seeding danger

04:13 — LeBron aging + Joel Embiid concerns

06:16 — Austin Reaves workload & injury risk

08:10 — The Luka blueprint: why roster build matters

11:03 — “Dirty work” players contenders need

12:20 — Lakers offseason reality check

14:10 — Best deadline move: Celtics add Nikola Vučević

15:25 — Minnesota’s Mike Conley money move & vet value

19:02 — Chicago’s confusing deadline direction

20:36 — Utah’s gamble on Jaren Jackson Jr.

21:41 — DPOY debate: blocks vs real defense

27:05 — Why Utah has to overpay in trades

30:48 — Ace Bailey’s role in Utah

32:09 — Giannis’ future after the deadline

35:22 — Warriors’ pivot: does it move the needle?

40:35 — Wizards shake-up: Trae Young, Anthony Davis & Alex Sarr

44:30 — Draft debate: Darryn Peterson vs AJ Dybantsa

49:27 — Peterson durability questions

50:39 — Wrap & subscribe

#FindingTheSeams #RicBucher #BrendanHaywood #NBA #NBATradeDeadline #Lakers #LukaDoncic #LeBronJames #Celtics #NikolaVucevic #JarenJacksonJr #Giannis #NBADraft #DarrynPeterson #AJDybantsa

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