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Hoops Rumors Live Chat: 12/1/2025
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Luke Adams
11:01
Thanks for all the early questions, everyone! Keep them coming.
Kevin in Houston
11:02
How real is the Reed Sheppard breakout?  Do the Rockets now try to trade Fred VanVleet if he picks up his player option next offseason?
Luke Adams
11:05
I'm not sure that Sheppard will keep making 45%+ of his three-pointers, but otherwise there's not much reason to think his recent play isn't sustainable. He was a third overall pick for a reason, and the Rockets believed all along that he was capable of much more than he showed in his rookie year.

Whether that makes VanVleet expendable remains to be seen. When the Rockets made the playoffs last spring, their series vs. Golden State gave them a better sense of what their roster was missing (a half-court scorer), then they went out and addressed that hole with the Durant trade.

They'll get another chance next spring to evaluate what the roster needs, and if it turns out they could benefit from having a guard who can organize the offense, make outside shots, and hold his own on defense, bringing back VanVleet would make a lot of sense. If their biggest hole is elsewhere, he could certainly be a logical trade chip.
Edwill
11:05
The way things are going so far the thunder might not loose another game no time soon. Do you think they can break the warriors record of 73-9
Luke Adams
11:09
The Thunder are an incredible team and I'm not going to say they CAN'T win 74 games. They've gotten to 20-1 largely without their second-best player and with a number of other role players in and out of the lineup.

On the other hand, the best team they've played on the road so far is the 13-8 Hawks. The second-best is the 9-12 Grizzlies. So the schedule will get a little more difficult in the coming weeks and months, and as good as they've been so far, getting to 74 wins would still require them to go 54-7(!) the rest of the way. It's a tall order, especially for a team that'll be more focused on defending its title than setting a regular season record.

I'd bet against it, but I can't fault anyone for betting on it.
Miles Brodges
11:10
With the new young core, I no longer fit the Hornets timeline.  Where is the best place to make an impact and build my resume for my next contract?  Will Charlotte get a decent return for me or am I overhyped?
Luke Adams
11:14
I wouldn't call you "overhyped," since it's not like I'm constantly being assailed with Miles Bridges propaganda. Don't think anyone views you as a star!

Having said that, your scoring numbers (20+ PPG for four straight seasons) are a bit empty-calorie, given your underwhelming shooting numbers, and I don't think you excel at any other aspect of the game -- decent rebounder, decent play-maker, decent defender, but not really elite in any of those areas.

There's value in that, but probably not a ton of value. I think the Hornets would have trouble getting a first-round pick back for you, unless it's very heavily protected or comes with a bad contract attached (or maybe both).
11:15
As for potential fits, the Clippers come to mind. The Kings could probably use a player like you. Maybe Memphis or Milwaukee.
Kevin in Houston
11:15
Absent an SGA injury, who has the best chance to dethrone OKC?
Luke Adams
11:17
I'd probably take Denver, given that the Nuggets took them to seven games last season and are one of the few teams who could have the best player on the court in a series vs. SGA. Need the Nuggets to get healthy though.
Shane
11:17
Will chicago make any upcoming trades?
Luke Adams
11:19
Still a little early in the season for much trade activity, but I expect them to be involved in a ton of rumors this winter. They have a ton of expiring money, which would make them a logical trade partner for any team looking to generate some 2026 cap flexibility. And the current version of the team clearly has a very limited ceiling, so tweaks will be necessary.

Giddey, Buzelis, and (I guess) Essengue are the only players on that roster who I definitely can't see being traded this season.
It’s the players
11:19
As we see the Cavs’ recent struggles with Atkinson and success for Bickerstaff with the Pistons, how many times can you even remember a coaching change making a difference enough where a championship was won?
Luke Adams
11:22
Steve Kerr replacing Mark Jackson is the only obvious one in recent memory. Nick Nurse got the Raptors over the hump in his first year after replacing Dwane Casey after a bunch of near-misses, but safe to say that wouldn't have happened without the Kawhi trade.

But yeah, as long as a coach isn't horribly mismanaging his players and lineups, he's usually not the difference-maker.
Benny the Bull
11:22
AD to the Bulls doesn't make any sense, right?  Right?!
Luke Adams
11:23
Not to me. Given his age and injury history, Davis only really makes sense for a veteran team looking to roll the dice on a player they think might be the missing piece. The Bulls aren't that team, and even with a healthy Davis, I don't see them as a title contender.
Deek
11:24
Does Sochan of the Spurs have more value right now as a trade asset or as a strong contributor to the team? Right now he doesn't feel as plugged into the team as the rest of the team.
Luke Adams
11:27
I doubt Sochan would have much value on the trade market. He's in a contract year, so any team trading for him would have to sign him to a new deal next summer. And I just can't see any team being willing to give up real assets and give a big contract to a player who's playing such a modest role this season.

Maybe you could get a second-round pick or two for him, but unless things really start clicking for him in the next few months, it wouldn't surprise me if the Spurs just let his contract expire and decide next offseason whether or not he has a place in their future.
Kevin in Houston
11:28
Is Detroit this year's Beast of the East or will Cleveland or the Knicks ultimately win the East and be the sacrificial lamb in the finals against OKC?
Luke Adams
11:32
I wouldn't feel all that confident betting on any one of those three teams right now. We're only a couple years removed from the Heat coming out of the East as the 8 seed, and I don't think many people expected the No. 4 Pacers to win the conference last year, especially at this point in the season, when they were still under .500.

I need more time to assess the East, but this sort of feels like another year where anything could happen in the playoffs. I wouldn't rule out Orlando. I think their roster is built pretty well for a playoff series.
SirkoSobaka
11:32
OKC's only big move in more than a year was the Caruso-Giddey trade. Do you see them making an acquisition before the trade deadline?
Luke Adams
11:34
Nothing major. They're clearly the best team in the NBA, with everyone else playing catch-up. No need to mess with what's working.

Also worth noting that Sam Presti's most recent big trade-deadline move, 2024's deal for Gordon Hayward, was a total bust and that he spoke after the season about underrating how difficult it would be to incorporate a player like that in mid-stream. The Thunder won last year's title after essentially doing nothing at the deadline. It would sort of surprise me if they deviate from that same approach this season.
MARK
11:35
does Detroit make a splash at the deadline or after the season
Luke Adams
11:38
Most reporting has suggested that "after the season" is more likely, which is reasonable enough.

But I definitely wouldn't rule out the idea of them doing something by the deadline. Tobias Harris' expiring contract is a nice trade chip, and if they view Jaden Ivey as more of a trade asset than a long-term Piston, moving him during the season would probably be simpler than trying to work out a sign-and-trade in restricted free agency (as we saw with Kuminga and others, those sign-and-trades involving RFAs can be tricky).

The challenge will be finding the right target. They won't make a move just for the sake of it, so it would have to be for a player who fills a need (power forward?) and could be part of the roster beyond this season.
Kim
11:38
My Atlanta Hawks are so far so good. I’m concern about Porzingis. I know he’s on an expiring contract, but they don’t seem to able to count on him for games. I get that he may not be able to play back to back. Do you think he returns next year possibly on a lesser  deal maybe one year only, or should they just draft or trade for a better center? I say draft in 2026. Thanks!!!
Luke Adams
11:42
Too early to pass judgment on Porzingis, who has only played 12 games while acclimating to a new situation. It doesn't seem like they're in any rush to extend him, so they can take the year to see how things go.

If the injuries persist all season and he ends up playing just 35-40 underwhelming games, their options will look different than if he gets healthy, hits his stride, and ends up giving them a really nice 55-60 games. For what it's worth, even though the former scenario wouldn't be ideal, it would probably put them in position to bring him back on a more team-friendly, shorter-term contract as he looks to rebuild his value.

I do think Porzingis' future in Atlanta could be somewhat tied to Trae Young's. If the Hawks want to go younger and build around Johnson, Daniels, Risacher, etc., it's quite possible neither one of those vets has a long-term future with the team.
Anthony
11:42
What is the long term outlook for the Charlotte Hornets? Who should they build around? Who should they look to move on from?
Luke Adams
11:48
I still believe in Brandon Miller, despite the injuries and the slow start this season. And this year's draft class looks pretty impressive -- especially Knueppel and Kalkbrenner.

You'd think if Tidjane Salaun is going to develop into a quality NBA player, we'd start to see real signs of it this year. We haven't yet, but there's still time.

LaMelo Ball is the big question mark to me. He's such a good scorer and play-maker, but his shot selection, turnovers, and defense are concerning. I still think he can be a winning player, but how much longer will the Hornets be content to finish in the lottery with him as their star before they feel the need to make a change there?

For what it's worth, Jeff Peterson was just hired there in March 2024, so the Ball addition predated his arrival (so did Miller, for that matter). Generally, GMs don't feel the same sort of attachment to players they didn't draft or acquire themselves.
Kevin in Houston
11:49
Are the Lakers for real?  Do they have enough defense come playoff time?
Luke Adams
11:53
As with OKC, there's some schedule-related inflation going on with the Lakers' great start. The best team they've beaten during their current seven-game winning streak is the 9-12 Bucks. They also rank 12th in the NBA in net rating despite having the league's third-best record.

Still, Reaves' emergence as a legitimate star on offense is a huge boon to a team that looked like it didn't have a ton of reliable options beyond Luka and LeBron. Concern about the defense is definitely warranted, and I'll be curious to see how they look during a slightly more challenging stretch of the schedule in their next few games.
SirkoSobaka
11:54
You're the Clippers GM. What's your 'silver bullet' trade to save the season?
Luke Adams
11:56
I'd have to put more than a couple minutes of thoughts into it to find the best possible fit, but it's gotta somehow involve John Collins' expiring $26.6MM contract. They're not getting enough out of him relative to his salary -- maybe you could find a way to turn that salary slot into a couple useful rotation players, including another play-making guard to take some pressure off Harden.
Ishbia
11:57
With the suns with a surprising start to the season without Jalen Green if this keeps up do they look to trade him or would they need him healthy and show his worth before dealing him. I also know the suns schedule has been easy would green hurt or help this team?
Luke Adams
11:59
Very curious to see how Green will fit in when he returns. The idea of a Green/Booker backcourt was always dubious, and I think it's worked better to have Booker playing alongside either a defensive ace like Ryan Dunn, a three-and-D guy like Grayson Allen, or a true point guard like Collin Gillespie.

I still think Green can be a positive contributor here, maybe even as a sixth man who drives offense off the bench. But it'll definitely be a situation worth monitoring to see how he fits.
Shocker
11:59
Craig Porter Jr. seems to be getting a decent amount of minutes for Cleveland. Is there a scenario where he could become a starter for them?
Luke Adams
12:01
Not as long as Garland and Mitchell are healthy and both still on the team -- starting all three of them wouldn't make sense defensively. But the way Porter has played, I could see him getting a chance to start if one of those star guards has to miss time -- so far, the Cavs have been turning to Lonzo Ball or a wing in that situation.
teddygreen
12:02
For the good of the NBA i hope the Clippers tear it down. If the Clippers move Harden, Kawhi, and Zubac to contenders it could possibly help close the talent gap between OKC and the rest of the NBA. For the Clippers, they do need young players and draft picks. On the plus side, other teams draft picks would not be stripped in a potential Aspiration scandal.
Luke Adams
12:04
I'm not necessarily opposed to the idea of a Clippers tear-down (though I'd probably give it at least a few more weeks to see if they start turning things around). The only two problems?

  1. This year's first-round pick is going to OKC, which would work against the idea of "closing the gap" between the Thunder and the rest of the league.
  2. The league could still strip the Clippers of other teams' draft picks in the event of an Aspiration-related punishment. I believe that's happened with some of the teams who lost second-round picks for tampering over the past few years.
12:05
Thanks for joining me for today's chat, guys! Will be trying to do this more consistently on Mondays going forward, so I'll talk to you again on the 8th. Have a great week.
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