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Hoops Rumors Live Chat: 2/20/2025
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Luke Adams
2:16
Thanks for the early questions, guys! Apologies for the delay -- we'll get underway momentarily.
Your Name
2:20
how similar is Wemby’s blood clot injury to Chris Bosh?
Luke Adams
2:23
Bosh was forced to retire early due to recurring blood clots, including ones affecting his lungs. Wembanyama's issue isn't nearly at that level at this point, and hopefully it'll never get there. There are other examples of NBA players who dealt with a single blood clot of this nature (deep vein thrombosis) and been fine since then -- Brandon Ingram is the most notable one. Ausar Thompson and Christian Koloko have also made comebacks from blood clot issues more recently.
Obviously, any health issue along these lines is a major concern, especially for a star like Wembanyama. But for now, there's no reason to think his career will end the same way Bosh's did.
Craig
2:24
With Philadelphia at the cusp of keeping or losing their Top-6 protected pick? Do you think they should shut down Maxey and Embid? Especially with the Spurs now going to lose more games and the tankathon getting more aggressive as a race to the bottom.
Luke Adams
2:26
I think there are legitimate health-related arguments to be made for shutting down George and Embiid, but Maxey has seemed fine, so coming up with a reason to put him on the bench for nearly two months seems like a long shot. And I do think as long as Maxey's out there, it'll be hard for them to out-tank the teams below them in the standings.

There's no easy answer here, but my thinking is that they shouldn't let the draft pick affect how they handle the rest of the season. Wherever they end up in the standings, they'll need some luck to keep that pick.
Powell
2:27
Any thoughts on LeBron pulling out of the ASG the day of? Seems like it was not a new issue.
Luke Adams
2:29
It didn't really bother me. Anthony Edwards ended up not playing too -- I don't have an issue with both of them waiting to see if their nagging injuries would have healed in time to allow them to suit up. There were plenty of complaints that the format didn't allow for a lot of the All-Stars to play very much, so LeBron and Ant not playing actually helped a little in that respect.
Rookie of the year
2:30
Who gets your vote!
Luke Adams
2:32
Whoever wins this award will easily be the least impressive winner since Malcolm Brogdon in 2017 and may end up being even worse than that. I'm hopeful that someone will finish the year on a tear and make a real case for ROY honors, but as of today... I guess Jaylen Wells is still my pick. His numbers aren't great, but he's been a reliable rotation player for one of the best teams in the NBA.
I could see a guy like Stephon Castle or Kel'el Ware finishing strong and stealing it.
Right Field Rob
2:33
Surprised the Warriors kept Hield or likely no takers?
Luke Adams
2:34
His contract includes a little more guaranteed money than Anderson's, which probably made Anderson the easier of the two to move. They only needed to include one of them in the Butler deal and it didn't really sound like the Warriors got close to anything else after that.
Heat
2:34
With cap space in 2026 and possibly 2 lottery picks this year can you see challenging in the East in short order?
Luke Adams
2:36
Cap space hasn't really been a recipe for success lately (ask the Sixers) and I'm skeptical that they'll end up with two 2025 lottery picks (a single pick in the mid-teens is probably more likely). I don't hate the Heat's pieces, but they'll need some luck to get back to legit contention within the next couple years, even in a relatively weak conference.
Cowbell Kingdom
2:37
Does Bogdanovic make sense for the Kings now that he's been waived since they have an open roster spot?
Luke Adams
2:37
He's out for the rest of the season due to another foot surgery, so no. I'm not entirely convinced we'll ever see him again in the NBA. Recurring foot issues at his age (36 in April) are concerning.
Tao of Hoop
2:38
With the Bucks able to sign a player for 20 games during Bobby Portis’s suspension, who might they be looking at, and who’s the best fit?  I’m not convinced it has to be a big man, since they have Lopez, Giannis, Kuzma, Sims and Prince to toggle in the front court.
Luke Adams
2:41
For what it's worth, the Bucks already have an open roster spot, so being able to move Portis to the suspended list to create a second opening doesn't necessarily do much for them. I'm actually curious about whether they'll move him to the suspended list at all, since it would force them to add a 14th man after two weeks. They might be happy to roll with the current group for now and not keep adding to their tax bill.
2:42
If they do add someone, I agree that it doesn't need to be a big man. Josh Richardson could be interesting if he's healthy.
Craig
2:42
Should Shai leaving his agent be worrisome in any way for the Oklahoma City Thunder resigning him this summer?
Luke Adams
2:43
If anything, it seems like an encouraging sign for the Thunder, since it signals that he recognizes his super-max extension won't require much (if any) negotiation.
STUMPY
2:43
What's next for LAK?  Len's not working out so far.  Any bigs available or wait till summer.
Luke Adams
2:44
Mo Bamba is the only guy out there who would really pique my interest at all. Maybe Moses Brown once his 10-day in Dallas expires. But they're not going to find a legit answer at center until the offseason.
Guest
2:44
Is there anywhere like a G-League handbook online that we can read like a link? Like I know NBA has the CBA online, does the G-League have one too?
Luke Adams
2:45
I don't believe the handbook is public. I'm hoping now that they have a real union that the G League players will be able to negotiate a full-fledged CBA that eventually gets posted online, but I haven't heard anything to suggest it'll happen anytime soon.
Daniel
2:46
Mavericks gave out updates to their big men and Jason Kidd said that on March 6th will be the big reevaluation day.  Is there any hope for this Mavs team since the Luka trade?
Luke Adams
2:48
If they can hold steady for the next couple weeks, I'm not giving up on them. In the East, getting in via the play-in and going up against Cleveland or Boston in round one figures to result in a quick exit, but I'm not sure that's a given in the West. The Mavs beat the Thunder in last year's playoffs and a healthy version of this Mavs team wouldn't be a huge underdog against the Grizzlies either.
GrizzMan
2:48
With Wendy out, is JJJ the favorite for DPOY? Does that kinda hurt the Grizz, since it pushes his next contract?
Luke Adams
2:50
A brief check-in on the new betting odds suggests that Jaren Jackson and Evan Mobley are essentially co-favorites, which is fascinating since both players have a lot of money on the line based on whether or not they win the award. Jackson would become eligible for a super-max extension if he's DPOY, while Mobley's max extension would start at 30% of the cap next season instead of 25%.

I actually think the Grizzlies are probably rooting for JJJ much harder than the Cavs are rooting for Mobley. Jackson becoming super-max eligible would make it a lot easier to extend him, whereas Mobley's extension increasing in value would push the Cavs further into the tax for the coming seasons.
Chris Boucher
2:51
Do you think he will be back with the Raptors next year or suiting up for a different team?
Luke Adams
2:52
Trading Olynyk and retaining Boucher at the deadline made me think the Raptors planned to keep him, but after seeing the numbers on the Ingram extension, I'm not so sure -- Toronto might want to fill the rest of its roster out with minimum or near-minimum guys, given how close its 2025/26 salary already is to the tax.

I could see Boucher returning if the Raptors don't get a great lottery pick or shed some salary elsewhere. I do think the two sides like each other -- it'd just be a matter of making the finances work.
Go Cavs!!!!!
2:53
I think the Cavs need another big man off the bench, do you think there will be buyout candidates for them?
Luke Adams
2:55
It's pretty slim pickings on the free agency market for big men. As I mentioned earlier, Mo Bamba and Moses Brown are the only ones I really like at this point. I suppose someone like Marvin Bagley or Cody Zeller could shake loose, but they don't do much for me.

P.J. Tucker could be interesting for the Cavs as an insurance policy. I wouldn't want him playing key minutes in the playoffs, but he has a ton of postseason experience and brings a bit of an edge.
GN
2:55
Due to general lack of cap space this summer do you expect more sign and trades or more guys taking the middle level or lower?
Luke Adams
2:58
We had 11 players signed-and-traded last offseason -- six were legitimate free agents that the team actually wanted and five were signed-and-traded for salary-matching purposes.

I could absolutely see those numbers (11 total signed-and-traded players; 6 "real" ones) being topped in 2025, especially since I think teams could become increasingly inclined to save their MLEs for possible in-season trades.
Anthony Edwards Hype Machine
2:58
Is my man Naz Reid an All- Star next year if he's the starting PF? Simple question. Looking for an answer.
Luke Adams
2:59
The competition in the West is too strong for me to forecast an All-Star season for Reid, but I do think there's a reasonable chance he's the starting PF next season and has a career year.
A.P.
2:59
Are the Pacers planning on keeping Myles Turner this offseason?  Seems like the Lakers should be after him in the summer.
Luke Adams
3:00
His name popped up in some pre-deadline trade speculation, but by all accounts that was just wishful thinking from potential suitors and the Pacers never considered moving him. That suggests to me that they're pretty confident about paying what it will take to keep him. Wouldn't shock me if they tried to move Obi Toppin in an effort to create some extra cap flexibility to give Turner a big raise.
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