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Hoops Rumors Live Chat: 2/16/2023
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Luke Adams
10:00
Hey guys, thanks for all your early questions. A couple housekeeping notes before I start answering them:
10:01
I used to do live chats on Tuesdays and Dana Gauruder used to host the Thursday ones, but we've swapped going forward to better fit our schedules. Dana's Tues. chat will be at 2 pm CT and my Thurs. chat will be at this time (10 am CT) from now on.
10:04
Thursdays will also be the day that I send out a weekly article to Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers, which you can receive by signing up here for $29.89 per year: https://www.hoopsrumors.com/membership?ref=post-2-16-23

(This membership will also includes weekly MLB and NFL content, exclusive live chats, and an ad-free browsing experience -- I think it's a good value, but it's entirely optional and you can still get the usual Hoops Rumors experience on the site for free.)
With that out of the way, let's dive into your questions...
EonADS
10:04
Any speculation on what the Warriors might get as compensation from the Blazers? At least one second seems warranted.
Luke Adams
10:06
We'll see what the NBA's investigations turns up. I think there's a chance the Warriors won't get anything if the league determines it's just a matter of two teams' medical staff evaluating an injury differently (especially since it's not like it was a secret that Payton had surgery and had been showing up on the injury report frequently since coming back).
10:07
The last time a team got compensated in a situation like this was back in 2012 or 2013 when the Celtics got a second-round pick from the Thunder as a result of their Jeff Green trade. In that case, his heart condition was season-ending and seemed potentially career-threatening. So it's hard to imagine the Warriors getting more than a second-rounder back in this scenario.
Russell Westbrook
10:07
Am I seriously considering staying with Utah or am I going elsewhere
Luke Adams
10:09
I think if a team like the Clippers really wants to sign you, negotiating a buyout makes sense. But if you're making a lateral move to a team like the Bulls or Wizards, there's certainly a case for just finishing the season in Utah -- that way, you'd still have your Bird rights this summer, opening up a lot of sign-and-trade opportunities that wouldn't be available if you sign a low-cost deal with a new team right now.
Bucksfan
10:09
Should the Bucks look to add a veteran like Pat Beverley or Will Barton or look at signing a younger player they can develop since their roster is getting older?
Luke Adams
10:11
A veteran addition makes more sense for them, and I think either of the two you mentioned would be fits. They're going for a title this year -- they can wait until the summer to target developmental projects.
Arcman
10:11
Kevin Love would be the perfect signing for the warriors. Am I correct on that?
Luke Adams
10:11
He'd be fun to watch in that offense, but they need defense more than scoring. Not sure it's the best match for him or them.
KJ
10:12
So where is Kevin Love going? I think Miami has to be the leader since they have no legit power forwards and he would have a good chance for major minutes if not start also Phoenix will be a good stop because the only backup for the four is that kid from OKC. 76ers could be an option because unlike Tucker at least he'll score but where do you see him going
Luke Adams
10:14
Phoenix makes a lot of sense to me, given that the Suns still have an open roster spot and traded away their stretch big (Saric) last week. You're right that the Heat look like a match too, though Love probably doesn't fit the bill of the exact sort of PF they're looking for (considering they're still essentially trying to fill the P.J. Tucker role). Portland or one of the L.A. teams could also appeal to Love, who has ties to both areas, but I don't necessarily love the on-court fit in any of those spots.
Kobellena
10:15
With Mazzula getting the official title of HC does that mean they officially gave Ime the axe?
Luke Adams
10:16
I haven't been following the news too closely this morning, but the sense all along was that Mazzulla would only be formally promoted once the team had no legal concerns about replacing Udoka. I'm guessing they reached some sort of settlement with him to resolve the legal side of things.
Nate
10:16
So for the Rockets…Silas has to go right? How is it that for a team that paid John Wall over 90 mil to go away so we could play the young guys (or specifically KPJ)…we freely admit that we run zero plays for our #3 overall pick like he said? Just disgusted by that as a fan…not to mention how much he seems to want to marginalize Sengun and Green at times at the expense of KPJ when he’s in there, who I like…but who’s development isn’t nearly as paramount to the future of the team as the other 3. Any speculation on another coach we could hire that’d be a better fit? I keep thinking about how Mike D’Dantoni would surely get far more out of this group than this
Luke Adams
10:19
I'd be shocked if Silas is still the head coach to start the 2023/24 season. The losing is one thing, but the Rockets players seem to be tuning Silas out. Ideally the Rockets would be able to find their own Taylor Jenkins/Mark Daigneault/Willie Green type, who immediately hits his stride as a head coach after only having assistant experience. But I wonder if - based on the Silas experience - they'll be more inclined to choose someone with some head coaching experience.
Deadline
10:19
What was your favorite trade last week and why?
Luke Adams
10:21
The Durant trade becoming a four-team deal was fun from a cap perspective -- some interesting matching stuff happened there and it generated an $18MM+ trade exception for the Nets. The Kyrie trade was also a fun one to figure out from a cap perspective due to his and Finney-Smith's trade kickers and Dinwiddie's incentives.
10:22
Since it's boring to just say that the two trades involving the biggest stars were my favorite though, I'll also mention the Clippers/Rockets/Grizzlies deal that send Luke Kennard to Memphis and Eric Gordon to the Clippers. That was a fun little one that could help two legit contenders and might move Houston up 5-10 spots in the first round.
10:24
Also, it wasn't my favorite trade, but the details on one of the second-round picks the Celtics sent the Thunder in the Muscala deal nearly broke my brain when I was trying to update our list of traded second-round picks to explain which teams will get which picks. There are six second-rounders that have a horribly confusing set of conditions applied to them. Will be fun to untangle at the end of the season.
Clipper Darrel
10:24
Would Pat Beverly be a better fit for Clippers than Westbrook?
Luke Adams
10:25
I get the sense the front office thinks so. They don't want another ball-dominant player to take touches away from Kawhi and PG, and Beverley is a better defender than Westbrook.
Guest
10:25
How valuable will 2nd round picks be going forward? Seems like teams were throwing them around more than at any other trade deadline
Luke Adams
10:26
It seems like teams don't really value second-round picks that fall outside of the top 40, since those picks typically end up being used on guys who will accept two-way contracts or are willing to be stashed. Wouldn't be surprised if all the movement we saw with those picks at this year's deadline is a trend that continues into the offseason.
NBA Gms
10:27
With Kevin Love somewhat unexpectedly asking for buyout do you have any additional buyout candidates that could be a surprise as well
Luke Adams
10:29
Yeah, reports after the deadline seemed to suggest that Love was happy staying in Cleveland. That one surprised me -- I didn't even have him on our list of buyout candidates. Derrick Rose is in a similar situation in New York, though maybe he wouldn't qualify as a surprise.
10:31
I'm looking through rosters now and trying to come up with a good name, but not coming up with many great candidates. A real surprise would be if there's a player who's not on an expiring contract but gives up money in a future season to be let go (ie. Richaun Holmes, Furkan Korkmaz, etc.)
JOEL EMBIID
10:31
Am I really going to sit out All-Star Game? If so who will they get? Since he's in my division I would vote for Brunson
Luke Adams
10:32
If a frontcourt replacement is necessary, Jimmy Butler would be my pick. But if we just need someone from the East, Brunson is certainly deserving.
KJ
10:32
Since there's only 24 or 25 games left give me one team that's currently in the playoff hunt that's going to start tanking and give me one team that is currently on the outside looking in but is going to make a last-minute push
Luke Adams
10:34
We may finally see the Jazz and Pacers go into tank mode, like we expected them to at the start of the year. They've both fallen out of the top 10 as of last night, and would be incentivized to slip a few more spots in the standings since they didn't enter the season expecting to make the playoffs. It wouldn't shock me to see Portland go into late-season tank mode again if Lillard and Grant are OK with it, since they'll lose their first-round pick if it's not in the lottery and it would make a strong trade chip this summer.
10:35
As for non-playoff contenders who could make one more push, I feel like there aren't many great candidates, but I could see the Magic making some teams in the Eastern play-in race sweat down the stretch. They're only four games back of the 10th seed.
Guest
10:35
Do the Sun's have the cap room to pursue Irving this summer?
Luke Adams
10:36
No. In fact, they project to be a taxpayer, which would prohibit them from even acquiring Irving via sign-and-trade. They'd need to get pretty creative if they want to take another run at Kyrie this summer.
TBone
10:36
What are the Pistons going to do with all the young centers they have? Have they written off Marvin Bagley III?
Luke Adams
10:38
They seem to view Isaiah Stewart as more of a four, so even if Jalen Duren is their center of the future, they'll still need one more. Maybe Wiseman is that guy and they try to turn Bagley into a four too? I dunno, it doesn't seem like they've given up on Bagley at all, having signed him to a pretty lucrative (and guaranteed) three-year deal last summer. It seems like there's going to have to be an odd man out there sooner or later, but for now Troy Weaver seems invested in the twin towers approach.
Okc
10:39
Odds that okc trades 5 first rounders for the first pick in the draft to add wemby?
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