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Hoops Rumors Live Chat: 1/5/2026
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Luke Adams
3:13
Hey guys, apologies for the late start -- we'll still be going for the full hour today. Let's jump right in.
Mack Donald
3:13
Will the Wiz be able to get anything for CJ or Middleton, or will they be bought out after the deadline?
Luke Adams
3:17
I can't see them getting anything for Middleton, who doesn't look like the player he once was. McCollum hasn't dealt with the same sort of injury issues and is still playing pretty well, so getting something for him is more viable.

Still, his cap hit is so high that finding the right match won't be easy. I think the Clippers would be a good fit, but if they don't include John Collins in an offer, it would probably take at least three player to match McCollum's salary (maybe Bogdanovic, Beal, and Jones if they're worried about Jones' health the rest of the season?).

Anyway, even if the Wizards can find a trade partner for McCollum, we're probably talking second-round compensation or maybe a lottery-protected first-rounder if they're taking on multiyear money.
nba fan
3:17
could / have teams in the past lined up trades ahead of a players trade eligible date? ie. could we see trades go through on jan 15?
Luke Adams
3:19
It's possible. There were a couple deals completed last season on Dec. 15 as soon as guys became trade-eligible that I'm sure were tentatively agreed upon before that date.

Those two Dec. 15 deals last year were motivated by teams (Miami and Golden State) eager to add injury replacements and - in the case of the Nets/Warriors deal involving Melton and Schröder - a desire to get them done in time (ie. by Dec. 16) to potentially aggregate those players' salaries again before the trade deadline.

Not sure those circumstances will be in play for any teams on Jan. 15, but maybe the Warriors, for instance, will be eager to move Kuminga at that point for a player that will actually play.
Edwill
3:19
Do you think this years trade deadline will be very busy
Luke Adams
3:21
Deadlines are always busy -- the question is whether we get a few big names moved or whether it's mostly second- or third-tier guys and salary-motivated moves. I'm still optimistic that we could see some fireworks. At this point last year, there were no real indications that deals involving Luka Doncic or De'Aaron Fox were coming. Lots could happen in the next month.
Tarunafish
3:21
Do you think the Jazz will give Keyonte George a max deal this offseason? Or will they wait until 2027?
Luke Adams
3:24
George has had a great first half, but if I'm the Jazz, I'm not sure I'm ready to hand him a max deal as soon as I can. I still have real questions about his defense and how he'll hold up on that end of the court for a team actually trying to contend.

Utah's negotiations with Walker Kessler this past offseason also suggested that the front office was happy to take an important young player to restricted free agency in order to maximize the team's cap flexibility. We could see them go the same route with George unless they can get him at a much more team-friendly rate than the max.
Ludwig Shot a Brick
3:25
I’ve been a Trae Young fan since we drafted him. As much as it pains me to say it, the Hawks are a better team this year without him. Chemistry issues are valid. In your opinion, should we trade now or later? Or not at all?
Luke Adams
3:29
It's a boring reply, but it really comes down to what you can get for him. If you can move him for a couple quality rotation players and maybe get a decent point guard in the deal, sure, I think it makes sense to pull the trigger. But if the offers are underwhelming, it's probably the right call to hold off until the offseason.

The Hawks will also have a better idea at that point of where their Bucks/Pelicans draft pick will land and what sort of player they could get with that pick, which could inform what they're looking for in a Trae trade.
Walleye Wade
3:29
MN gonna go get PG help ?
Luke Adams
3:31
Think they'd love to. Not sure if they're prepared to give up Randle to do it -- if not, a mid-level target like a Coby White or Dennis Schöder makes more sense (though White isn't really a true PG and Schröder's multiyear guaranteed money isn't ideal).
ThunderUP
3:31
Will Utah be active sellers in the trade market to nose dive and ensure they keep their top-8 protected NBA draft picks? If so, will the NBA be closely watching their injury reports and player rest to fine them for failure to comply to CBA?
Luke Adams
3:35
I think the NBA will be watching that closely either way. Worth noting that Austin Ainge said "you won't see that this year" in his introductory press conference back in June, he was referencing manipulating players' availability/minutes during the second half. So I think the Jazz will have to be extra-careful about trying to pull those same shenanigans this time around.

As for selling, yes. I wouldn't expect to see core guys like Markkanen, Bailey, and George go anywhere, but would be shocked if Utah doesn't trade some of its effective role players -- Mykhailiuk for sure. Maybe Nurkic too.
Guest
3:35
Do the Lakers have a realistic chance of getting a decent 3&D wing without involving 31/32 first round picks?
Luke Adams
3:37
Maybe there's a path to a guy like Keon Ellis using only second-round picks and a first-round swap, since he's on an expiring contract. But a more established player who is under contract for multiple years will probably require a first-rounder.
Anthony Edwards Hype Machine
3:37
The Nets have been 🔥. Haven't said that in forever. They got a lot of 💩 for all those first round picks but it looks like the program is coming together. Fernandez has them playing hard. An ideal off-season for Brooklyn looks like what?
Luke Adams
3:42
I still think a high draft pick to have a shot at a Peterson/Boozer/Dybantsa type is the number one goal. As good as they've been lately, they still have the fifth-worst record in the NBA (11-21), and we saw them go into tank mode last year after a pretty solid start (they started 13-21 and finished 13-35).

I'll be curious to see how eager they are to take a step forward and go into win-now mode during the 2026 offseason. They don't control their 2027 first-rounder, so there's no real incentivize to tank next season, but they have all their picks from 2028 onward, so it's not as if they're in a situation like the Mavs (who have their 2026 pick, but not 2027-30). A gradual rebuild could still make more sense than going out in free agency this summer and signing vets to contribute immediately.
Guest
3:43
Would you rather have Sabonis or Zion in Chicago?
Luke Adams
3:44
Might actually be Zion. His contract structure is a lot more team-friendly, and his ceiling is higher (even if Sabonis has the better floor).

Not sure I'd be aggressively pursuing either guy if I were in the Bulls' front office, but I see the appeal of trying to buy low on a star-level talent.
BBall br
3:44
Let's say Mitchell Robinson continues to be healthy and sits out back to backs and continues to play as he has this season and playoffs, what kind of contract do you think he can fetch this offseason?
Luke Adams
3:47
The best comparable for Robinson might be Steven Adams, another situational big man whose strength is his rebounding (especially offensive rebounding). Adams got $39MM for three years last summer with a similarly concerning injury history, and he's almost five years older than Robinson. So if I'm representing Mitch, I'd probably be aiming a little higher than that -- something in the $15-20MM per year range rather than $13MM.
JS
3:48
Surely where there’s smoke, there’s fire - is AD the most likely among big names to be moved?
Luke Adams
3:49
If the trade deadline were tomorrow, I think that's right. With a month to go, hard to say for sure. Another major injury between now and Feb. 5 probably takes him off the market, and I do think at least one or two other big names will emerge as increasingly viable trade candidates in the coming weeks.
aspiration of the play in
3:50
With the Clippers still 10 games under .500 but only 2.5 games from the last play in, do you think they'll double down and become buyers?   They waited for Jones Jr to come back but he's out another month.
Luke Adams
3:53
The Jones injury is a bummer, and the Celtics loss was a setback, but I think the six-game winning streak before that reminded them how good they can be (they beat likely Western playoff teams like the Lakers and Rockets during that stretch) and will probably solidify their position as buyers.

Making the play-in in the West looks pretty doable (Portland and Memphis are in there despite being 4-5 games below .500) and the Clippers have no real incentive to sell/tank, since they don't control their first-round pick. I don't think they're gonna be that aggressive on the trade market, but I could see them giving up a couple second-rounders to upgrade the rotation.
Guest
3:53
can AD go to the warriors for kuminga, dray, and buddy hield + cash or is this a crazy thought?
Luke Adams
3:55
I don't think it's a 100% lock that the Warriors keep Draymond, but I feel like if they move him, it'll be because they can get someone like Giannis, not a way riskier max-salary guy like AD. Also don't see this package moving the needle for the Mavs, who know an AD trade would be viewed as an extension of their return for Luka and will be wary of selling low.
Celticsfan44
3:55
With how well the Celtics are playing, do you think they'll move Simmons at the deadline? Or, will they try do get a cheaper upgrade up front and hold onto Simmons?
Luke Adams
3:59
I expect they'll still explore trade scenarios involving Simons. But it won't be a case of "How can we use Simons' contract to shed salary and maybe duck the tax?" It'll be more like "How can we use Simons' contract to upgrade our rotation and maybe save a little money in the process?"

For instance, if they felt like having Vucevic on the roster would make them better than having Simons on the roster (I'm not convinced of this, but it's just an example), attaching some draft compensation to Simons to get Vucevic could be pretty appealing, since they'd also save a ton of tax money by swapping out Simons' expiring $27.7MM contract for Vucevic's $21.5MM.
10 Day Contracts
4:00
What centers are available? Alot of centers are hurt in the league right now
Luke Adams
4:01
Charles Bassey, Moses Brown, and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, and James Wiseman are some of the bigs recently in the NBA who are available now (full free agent list here). John Butler and Jamarion Sharp are a couple who have been pretty good in the G League. Not a ton out there though.
BeatLA2026
4:01
what the miami heat gonna do this year?
Luke Adams
4:05
Hard to get a read on them -- they've been really streaky. Also still up in the air what the NBA will allow them to do with Rozier's contract.

They've been good enough that I can't see them selling off guys like Powell and Wiggins, but they're not just one piece away either. Maybe they'll try to see what they can get using the Rozier/Fontecchio expiring money and draft assets, but they sorta feel like a team that would be better off waiting until the summer to do anything big.
Centers
4:05
Who are some backup centers the Hawks could look at to help cover for Porzingis being in/out of the lineup? They need another "big big", not a PF/C tweener
Luke Adams
4:06
If we're talking about minor trade candidates, guys like Day'Ron Sharpe, Nick Richards, and Kevon Looney could probably be had.
Bubba
4:07
The Wizards are winning now, but they seem to be using a bunch of different lineups - it changes every game. Is this getting youngsters experience, or is it tanking? Or both?
Luke Adams
4:10
I do think lineup experimentation is an underrated tanking mechanism. Holding out players with phantom injuries or limiting a key guy to 15-20 minutes in a winnable game is way more blatant than using a four-guard lineup, watching it get killed, and saying "Well, we wanted to try it to see if it would work!" Plus there's the added bonus of actually maybe finding something that DOES work through that experimentation.

That's a long way of saying that my answer is probably both.
Trae Young deal
4:11
Trae Young to the Kings for Schroder, DeRozan, and Ellis. Who says "yes" or "no"? What would need to be added from either side to make it happen?
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