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Hoops Rumors Live Chat: 12/15/2025
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Luke Adams
3:00
Thanks for all the early questions, guys! Today's chat starts now.
Cash
3:00
Saw an article that said the knicks might be interested in a reunion with Dante divincenzo. Is that actually possible? How would the Financials work? What would a sample deal look like?
Luke Adams
3:05
Would be very difficult to make that work without a third team involved, since neither the Knicks nor the Timberwolves can take back more salary than they send out, and even the workarounds for that issue wouldn't necessarily work for a very hard-capped New York team.

Example: Technically, Donte DiVincenzo ($11,990,000) + a minimum-salary player for Mitchell Robinson ($12,954,546) would be a trade that would work for both teams IF the Knicks had more breathing room than they do below their hard cap.

It's not an impossible deal, especially if a third team that can take on some salary gets involved. But hard to see how the Knicks do it without sending out Robinson.
r. alan
3:06
I'm curious about your thoughts on the Wizards. Specifically Cam Whitmore and Tre Johnson. They are both stuck on the second unit. Is that really because they are gaining experience or is it because they will always be complementary pieces instead of starters. And are they really just one player away. Usually teams one player away do not lose that many games. Are they on track with the rebuild?
Luke Adams
3:10
I'm not really a Whitmore believer and don't view him as someone who will be a starter-caliber player. I think there's more reason for optimism with Johnson, who is still 19 years old and has yet to play in 20 NBA games. Haven't seen him a play a ton this season, but he's looked promising enough to me.

The team definitely isn't one player away, but if they end up with someone like Peterson or Dybantsa in next year's draft, I'd feel quite a bit better about the young core than I do now (I think they have some solid pieces now but none that I'd feel great about building around as a No. 1 option).
Hornets fan
3:10
With Kon, Miller, Bridges as our core, don't you think LaMelo should be traded?
Luke Adams
3:13
I'd be on board with trading LaMelo, but getting the sort of return that would make it worthwhile is easier said than done. Given his red flags (injury history, defensive concerns, lack of playoff experience, questions about shot selection + desire to win), you're probably not getting a huge package for him.

Maybe it's still worthwhile to move him if you're convinced he's not part of the long-term core, but he has so much talent as a scorer and play-maker that I'd be pretty reluctant to give up on him unless I'm 1000% sure about that.
Guest
3:13
Can NBA team call up their own player from their G-League team to then have their G-League team jump ahead in the waiver pool? How Spurs called up Kyle Mangas and got Christian Koloko?
Luke Adams
3:17
Not only does a team calling up its own player from the G League NOT get what's called an "order priority" for the G League waiver process, but I'm pretty sure a two-way contract doesn't qualify as a call-up for the sake of that rule anyway. So the Mangas signing definitely wouldn't have given the Spurs a waiver edge for Koloko.
Tarunafish
3:17
If the Bucks are serious about trading Giannis, would they get a better return by waiting until the offseason to complete a deal?
Luke Adams
3:20
They'd probably have more options in the offseason, when more teams have roster and cap flexibility. It's not as hard to match salaries or to do a lopsided (e.g. 5-for-1) deal at that point.

Still, that doesn't necessarily mean they'd maximize their return by waiting. There are still scenarios that could work during the season, and if there's a team that believes Giannis is the missing piece for a championship, maybe they'd be even more likely to get aggressive in February than in June.
Bob
3:20
how much are the Celts over the apron and how important is it to get under?  Would they deal Hauser for a smaller salary to get under?  And would that be worth their high 2nd?
Luke Adams
3:23
They're over the first apron by around $8MMish. So yes, moving Hauser ($10.04MM) would do it.

But getting under the first apron isn't really that important. It would be more meaningful for the Celtics to get below the TAX line, since right now they're subject to more punitive repeater penalties (because they've been a taxpayer for three seasons in a row). If they can get out of the tax for two years, they'd reset the repeater clock and would be normal rates when they go back into the tax in future seasons.

They're in the tax by about $12MM, so just moving Hauser wouldn't do it. I expect the Celtics will explore ways they could duck the tax, but I'm not sure it will be a priority if the team is in the thick of the playoff race and Tatum is gonna come back in the second half.
jleary78
3:23
Now that he is trade eligible, do you see anyone having interest in Yabusele?
Luke Adams
3:25
He definitely doesn't have positive value, but I bet there are teams out there that think they could get more out of him than the Knicks have.

For what it's worth, the Nuggets, Sixers, Spurs, and Bucks were also linked to him in the offseason. Not sure all those teams are still fits (Spurs ended up trading for Olynyk later, for instance), but I bet Denver would love to find a way to slot him into the Zeke Nnaji spot. They'd need a third team to try to figure that out, since the Knicks aren't taking Nnaji.
Harry the Hawk
3:25
I think it's obvious the Hawks need more size to help with rebounding, etc.  What's a realistic trade target?  Not sure Giannis or AD trades are possible or make a ton of sense.....
Luke Adams
3:29
Maybe this is a Yabusele spot?

It depends what sort of salary range they're shopping in. Obviously a player in the $5-6MM neighborhood don't make sense if they're moving Porzingis, but if they just want to add a low-cost, low-risk guy on a short-term deal, I expect there will be a bunch of centers available. Day'Ron Sharpe is a good rebounder. Maybe Nick Richards? Even Clint Capela sorta makes sense, though maybe the Hawks are done with him.
Black Ace57
3:29
At what point does Giannis have to stop beating around the bush and say if he wants to stay or go? It reminds me of the last half season of Lillard in Portland with the trade talk and being evasive.
Luke Adams
3:32
I think Giannis is probably legitimately torn. He loves Milwaukee, likes the idea of being loyal to a single team, and doesn't want to be "that guy" who requests a trade, but he also badly wants to be competing for a title and presumably recognizes that the Bucks' roster isn't championship-caliber.

Given what a difficult decision it is for him, it sorta feels like he's more likely to request a trade in the offseason, when he has time to step back and really assess all his options and isn't around his teammates all the time.

I, of course, have no idea what's going on in his head -- maybe he requests a trade next week, or maybe he never does! This is just the impression I get as an outside observer.
Buster Trade
3:32
What is the potential for a trade of Zion Williamson or LaMelo Ball? Or other similarly situated players; i.e., formerly untouchable, young "franchise" types who have not lived up to their potential.  With both Williamson and Ball I can see where these franchises may want to move forward with more reliable options like Trey Murphy and Kon Knueppel respectively and try and realize some return for their oft injured "stars."
Luke Adams
3:34
I addressed this earlier with LaMelo, but it's the same situation with Zion: There will probably be another team willing to roll the dice on a player with that much talent, but there are so many red flags there that the return is unlikely to be what you'd want for an All-Star caliber talent.

Is it still worth it to rip off the band-aid and get a fresh start? I think you could make that case more for the Pelicans with Zion right now than the Hornets with LaMelo.
Dust N' Bones
3:34
Will the Timberwolves try to acquire Chris Paul or give Bones Hyland a real chance going forward to earn sizable rotation minutes?
Luke Adams
3:37
Minnesota's sorta interesting for CP3. They have an open roster spot. They have enough room below the second apron to add a 15th man. They don't have a whole lot of point guard depth.

Still, I wonder if they feel like they sort of already have their version of CP3 (wise/savvy vet with lots of playoff experience who can be a leader in the locker room) in Mike Conley. Paul only really makes sense if you feel like he's capable of lot more on the court than what he showed in L.A. this fall.

I think Hyland still gets those minutes for now. I'm not entirely convinced the Clippers will be able to trade Paul. If he's eventually waived, the Wolves could reassess at that point.
3:38
Probably worth noting too that Minnesota is about as far from Los Angeles as it gets from an NBA perspective. Is Paul open to playing anywhere now after being pretty picky over the summer? TBD.
theBigLip
3:39
Don’t the Pistons “have” to trade Tobias this year? If they extend Duren and Ivey in the offseason, going over the cap, and Tobias just walks, there’s no way to recoup that salary slot. Right?
Luke Adams
3:45
Yeah, that scenario wouldn't be ideal, but they could probably avoid an outcome in which Harris walks for nothing. Even if he agrees to sign with another team before the Pistons have something else lined up, there could be time during the July moratorium to figure out how to turn it into a sign-and-trade in order to bring someone back.

I'm also not sure a new deal for Ivey is a lock. If the Pistons were to let him and Harris walk, they could open up $30MMish in cap room while keeping Duren's cap hold on the books (then going over the cap to sign him). But then you risk losing Ivey for nothing.

I do think that for all the noise we're hearing about the Pistons being in no hurry to make any sort of major in-season trade, it does make sense for them to explore their options with Harris and/or Ivey for this reason. It wouldn't be as easy to maximize their value in the offseason.
Help
3:45
The Warriors are a mess even with Curry back.   Is this fixable or should they bite the bullet and trade for the future?  Kuminga probably has negative value.  Does Draymond have trade value and should Warriors consider it?
Luke Adams
3:49
I'm not ready to give up on this roster yet (the Warriors have been a streaky team in recent years), but the Kuminga situation has played out about as poorly as it possibly could have for Golden State in the past few weeks, which will complicate their in-season trade plans. As long as he's getting DNP-CDs, it's gonna be pretty hard to get much value for him without attaching draft picks.

I still see the Warriors as buyers, not sellers, but they'll probably be pretty hesitant to give up any future first-round pick that might be in a post-Curry season.
GrizzMan
3:49
Is Ja in Memphis at seasons end?
Luke Adams
3:50
Right now I'm inclined to say yes, but it also feels like a tenuous situation after the incident earlier in the season. One more blow-up like that and all of the sudden he looks like the NBA's top trade candidate again.
ManWithaDream
3:51
Is this a trade that could make sense:                                               Knicks Receive:
Saddiq Bey
Jose Alvarado
Karlo Matkovic

Pelicans Receive:

Guerschon Yabusele
Pacome Dadiet
Landry Shamet
Tyler Kolek
2026 second round pick
2028 second round pick
Walid
3:51
What do you think the Pelicans are looking to get back for Jose Alverado? Are the Knicks most likely to trade for him?
Luke Adams
3:55
I don't think that specific proposal makes a lot of sense for the Pelicans. Yabusele is a negative asset (the Knicks would probably need to give up a second-rounder to move him at this point), and the other three guys don't move the needle at all, so the Pelicans are basically giving up two quality reserves (Bey + Alvarado) for a second-round pick.

Also not sure if it would leave the Knicks with enough cap flexibility to add a new 14th man while staying below the hard cap.

Still, I do think a player like Alvarado makes sense for the Knicks in general, since he'll likely cost multiple second-round picks instead of a first-rounder, and his $4.5MM salary is pretty manageable.

I'd need to double-check to see how many second-round picks the Knicks actually control, but something like Yabusele + three second-rounders for Alvarado would probably get New Orleans' attention.
BBall br
3:56
Now that time has passed, do you think the Luka trade was legitimate? Even at the time it made no sense.
Luke Adams
3:59
I mean, if the possible explanations are...

a) One guy convinced himself that he could make a daring, counterintuitive deal and prove what a smart executive he was.
b) The NBA orchestrated a plan to get the Lakers a new face of the franchise and give the Mavericks the No. 1 overall pick several months later (despite there being no guarantee even by April that they'd be in the lottery at all).

... I believe (a) is more likely than (b).
Bobharl
3:59
Why wouldn’t the pistons be able to extend both Ivey and duren with bird rights?
Luke Adams
4:01
They could, but in order to hang onto those Bird rights, they'd need to keep the cap holds for both players on their books, which works out to nearly $50MM for the two of them even before they sign. So re-signing both would mean operating as an over-the-cap team unless they can move off some money and/or get Ivey on a pretty team-friendly deal.
Giannis
4:01
I know Giannis is a top 5 guy in the league now, but as a Hawks fan, I'm super leery of blowing up my future (trading ZR or the Bucks/Pels 2026 pick) for him. As he ages, I worry that his best abilities - his strength and agility - will start to deteriorate. That, on top of not being able to shoot, will make him not worth what was given up. Heck, he could start complaining because he doesn't want to be in Atlanta and ask for a trade. Thoughts?
Luke Adams
4:05
I get the concerns. I still think he makes sense for a team like the Hawks because they have enough assets that they could put together a compelling package and still have plenty left over. But giving up that unprotected Bucks/Pelicans pick would scare me (more than giving up Risacher would). They should probably only give up that pick if they can include top-3 protection OR if including it without protections saves them from tacking on an extra 2-3 future first-rounders.
Bob
4:05
Do you think Dayron Sharpe will fetched a high 2nd or late 1st?
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