JotCast | Hoops Rumors Live Chat: 3/16/2026

Hoops Rumors Live Chat: 3/16/2026

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Luke Adams

3:00

Thanks for all the early questions, guys! Let's get started.

Kim

3:01

Good afternoon. I read today that the league will vote for expansion of 2 more NBA teams in Seattle and Las Vegas which I think is great. However, if this happens (possibly season 2028-2029), how do you think the East will be reconfigured? I say they just move Minnesota and Memphis over to the east . Others are saying only one west team will move to the east. This is confusing. We need competition in the east so I say move them both. What do you think will happen if the new teams get approved? Thanks!

Joey Jojo Jr. Shabadoo

3:01

If Seattle and Vegas become the new expansion teams, do the Grizz and Pelicans move to the Eastern Conference?

Luke Adams

3:04

There are 15 teams in each conference now, so if two get added to the West, just one would need to move from West to East, resulting in 16 in each conference.

This is obviously the most logical setup and will likely lead to realignment of the divisions as well -- four eight-team divisions like the NHL is a possibility, but having eight four-team divisions like the NFL probably makes more sense.

As for which teams moves, Minnesota looks like the most obvious candidate to me geographically. It's not technically as far east as either Memphis or New Orleans, but it's in closer proximity to some Eastern Conference teams in the Midwest (Milwaukee, Chicago, etc.) and it'd be logical for the Wolves to be grouped into a division with those teams.

Edwill

3:04

Do you think if the Pistons don't do so good in the playoffs that they make a major move in the offseason. The Gm said they want to build the team slowly and keep the young cord. Me personally with the east wide open this season I think they miss a opportunity to really add a difference maker at the trade deadline that not only could help cade out but can make the Pistons a championship contender.

Luke Adams

3:08

Cade is on a long-term deal and Duren will be signed to one this summer as a restricted free agent. Ausar Thompson and Isaiah Stewart could also be extended this offseason. Outside of those guys, I wouldn't necessarily assume that anyone else is a lock to be a Piston in a year or two, especially if they get eliminated before the Eastern Finals this spring.

They're well positioned to make a big move this summer and should probably seriously consider it, assuming this season ends in anything short of a championship. Any trade offer they make for an impact player would probably be heavy on draft assets -- maybe something similar to the Bane deal the Magic made last offseason.

Somewher down in texas

3:08

Do the mavericks keep Irving this off season? His trade value is non-existent, who are they're likely trade candidates and possible FA targets?

Luke Adams

3:10

I'd be pretty surprised if Kyrie is traded this summer. Even though they took a step back with the AD trade, the Mavs have no incentive to be bad beyond this season (they don't control their first-round picks from 2027-30) and the presence of a play-maker like Irving could do wonders for Flagg's development.

Plus, as you say, Irving's trade value is probably at a low right now. If he has a strong first half and they ultimately determine he's not part of their long-term plans, they might be able to get a stronger return at next year's deadline.

Joey Jojo Jr. Shabadoo

3:11

If you're Rafael Stone, what are the parameters you feel comfortable signing/matching Tari Eason's next contract in his RFA?

Luke Adams

3:14

Depends on how he finishes the season, but at this point, I'd be fine matching anything up to at least $120MM over four years. I wouldn't feel great about putting that sort of offer on the table if I'm not facing significant competition for him though.

If teams with cap room are looking elsewhere and there's no offer sheet out there for Eason, I'd be seeking a deal closer to $20MM per year.

Sacramento fan

3:14

Is Doug Christie dumb for saying the kings won’t tank and are now using the mavericks winning the lottery last year as justification as to why it doesn’t matter have the worst record? Do you think the kings know how a lottery works? I’m completely unsure if the organization even understands these basic concepts as a fan. Let me tell you how awful it was to watch Demar Derozan play 41 minutes and score 40 on Jazz players playing their 3rd career game and playing 43 minutes at 26 years old.

Luke Adams

3:18

I'm no huge fan of Doug Christie as a head coach, but I wouldn't be too bothered by his comments about tanking. They struck me as pretty typical fare for coaches, who never speak out in support of tanking.

I can understand the frustration of Kings fans who thought their team was headed for the No. 1 or 2 spot in the lottery seeing them win four of their last five games, but those victories felt sort of fluky. Three of them were against terrible teams, and guys like Daeqwon Plowden are playing 30 minutes per night. I expect the Kings will go back to their losing ways very soon, but passing the Wizards and Nets in the standings could be costly.

Bball fan

3:19

Why is nobody talking about the Warriors stealth tanking? Sure curry is “hurt” but it seems they keep pushing the timeline back and want to get to the 10 seed before he even considers coming back. Honestly if I were them considering how good the draft is I would try to be the 10 seed and lose to the blazers in the playoffs in. Get that young piece that can be around when curry retires because this team is doomed in 4 years.

Luke Adams

3:22

I don't think it's "tanking" so much as the fact that they recognize there's little upside in pushing veterans to play through injuries -- at this point, they're not gonna do better than the No. 8 seed in the regular season standings, but they also can't do worse than No. 10. So why not give the vets, including Curry, all the time they need to recover from various ailments? If they still end up getting a playoff spot, great, but if not, as you say, they're pretty well positioned to get a good pick in a strong draft.

Joey Jojo Jr. Shabadoo

3:22

Are the Hornets a 50 win team next season?

Luke Adams

3:25

I'd take the under at this point. There are basically never more than four 50-win teams in the East, and sometimes it's just two or three. As much as I like the Hornets, I'm not quite ready to pencil them in as a top-three team in the East for 2026/27 quite yet.

We'll see what they do this offseason though. Certainly, they're trending in the right direction, but as we saw with this year's Magic and Hawks, the path from "breakout young team" to "50-win contender" isn't always linear.

Trog

3:25

Is there a maximum to the number of hardship contracts a team can have? Hypothetically, if the Grizzlies wanted to declare seven more were out (name your "illness"/"injury") and they wanted to sign seven from the G league, could they do so?

Luke Adams

3:28

It's a good question. I don't believe there's a specific limit attached to the rule, but it's not actually in the CBA, so I can't double-check it (the language related to hardship rules is in the NBA handbook, which isn't public and which I don't have a copy of at this point).

Assuming there's no language about it, I guess technically the limit would be 15, if every single player on your roster was out with a long-term injury? Don't expect we'll ever see that though!

Wemby, SGA, Ant, or Jokic

3:28

Of all the players in the NBA, if you were starting a team, who would you take first? I'd want (1) Wemby, (2) Ant, then (3) SGA

Luke Adams

3:30

Yeah, I think Wemby would be my top pick too. Then probably SGA (he's older than Edwards, but at age 27, he's still got plenty of prime years left).

Just Curious

3:30

What do you think Jazz's next moves should be to become competitive? Are there trades they should make to fill in their roster, or do they just make their draft pick and sign a free agent with their MLE?

Luke Adams

3:32

They certainly have ammo for trades, but their roster will be undergoing some major changes already, with Jaren Jackson Jr. added to the mix and potentially another top-five prospect joining the group. I think if I were them, I'd focus on re-signing Walker Kessler and maybe adding some reliable backcourt help with the mid-level, then see what that group looks like before doing anything else too drastic.

Unclemike1526

3:32

So I was just looking through some draft picks the Bulls might take and came upon Ament. The description of him was he's a PF without a whole lot of power which would make him the perfect pick for the Bulls to go with all the other PF's they've drafted by mistake. I think I'd rather trade down and get a guy like Morez Johnson who I KNOW is a real PF with power they could use right? I mean we already have yet another PF with no power in Essengue so we need another? What are your thoughts Luke? Thanks man

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