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Hoops Rumors Live Chat: 7/13/2023
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Luke Adams
9:30
Thanks for the early questions, guys! I won't be able to do a full hour today, but I'll aim to get through as many questions as possible with the time I do have.
EonADS
9:30
Oooh, early chat to save me from my boredom! Where does Christian Wood end up? And for how much?
Luke Adams
9:31
It seems increasingly likely at this point in the offseason that he'll have to settle for the minimum. Miami's a spot to watch, especially if they're able to make a trade for Dame and end up with a bunch of open roster spots.
Trog
9:31
Do you see any 2 way players from last year snagging standard spots with their former/a new team? To me, if you're looking to fill out the back end of your roster, there is good value there for players like Jeff Dowtin, Lester Quiñones and Kendall Brown.
Luke Adams
9:34
It's pretty rare for two-way RFAs to change teams unless the team decides to drop the QO. So guys like Quinones and Dowtin are decent bets to end up on a standard roster in 2023/24, but at this point it's most likely to happen in Golden State and Toronto, respectively. Neemias Queta is another one to watch. I like Saben Lee and Dominick Barlow too, but the Suns and Spurs have pretty crowded rosters already.
KJ
9:34
Based on the GMs comment, realistically when is Dame going to get traded? I'm beginning to get a Ben Simmons  February vibe
Luke Adams
9:36
I still think it happens before training camps start. A lot of posturing going on right now, but it's still very early in the process (it may feel like Dame has been on the block forever, but his trade request only happened 12 days ago!). The Donovan Mitchell trade last offseason happened in early September. I could see that sort of timeline here.
Pacers
9:36
Do we really make a move for Siakam? Seems like PF has already been addressed with walker and toppin
Luke Adams
9:38
I mean... Siakam is a two-time All-NBA forward, while Walker is a rookie and Toppin has been a career backup. I think the latter two have real upside, but I don't think the Pacers can sit back and say, "We're set at power forward!" That being said, I'd be a little surprised if they gave up a huge package for Siakam. Don't think they're far enough along in their retooling process to go all-in for a win-now vet.
Sixers' centers
9:39
Did you expect Morey to match the Jazz/s qualifying offer for Bball Paul? I was sweating it out and was pleasantly surprised when he did. But now the 76ers have 4 centers on the roster. What's the plan, do you suppose?
Luke Adams
9:41
It made sense to match on Reed if only to keep the asset. As for the depth chart at center... it's a bit crowded, but given Embiid's injury history, that's much better than it being too thin. Bamba, Harrell, and Reed all do slightly different things well, so it may pay off over the course of the season to have all of them there. I was a bit surprised they brought Harrell back though.
KJ
9:41
I'm looking at the Bucks roster and don't you think they need at least 1 back up point guard.
Luke Adams
9:42
Jon Horst apparently doesn't think so -- he downplayed the need for another point guard in a recent interview, suggesting the Bucks have plenty of secondary play-makers on the roster already.
9:44
I think that's probably fine to start the season, especially given the underwhelming options on the free agent market. A guy like Raul Neto or Ish Smith or Goran Dragic isn't the missing piece on this roster. Kendrick Nunn is interesting, but probably not the sort of traditional veteran PG you'd want on this team.
Trog
9:45
I'm not an avid soccer fan, so I'm not really understanding the appeal of the new mid-season tournament that the NBA implemented. What is the allure of winning the tourney, if that team is going to be a punchline? For example, say Charlotte ends up being a sub .500 team for the season, but has a nice run of basketball at the break. Are fans really going to call them a co-champion of the season or celebrate that success? The whole thing just seems like a desperate cash grab and seems like the NBA could get just better ratings and interest by doing something different like expanding the dunk and 3 pt shootout to each team ... or having a Big3 style 3-on-3 tournament. If there's nothing different about the way the new mid season tournament is played and the crown doesn't mean anything, what's the point?
Luke Adams
9:49
I've been staunchly in favor of the in-season tournament, which I think puts me in the minority. So my counter-argument would be:

1. Don't think of it as a postseason alternative. Think of it as an alternative to Nov/Dec regular season games, which can sometimes be a bit of a slog.
2. If the Hornets finish below .500 but manage to win the play-in tournament, that would be more memorable than if they finished below .500 despite having a nice little regular season stretch in Nov/Dec. No one's gonna view them as co-champions, but it'd be a nice little silver lining to an otherwise forgettable season.

I will say that I think there should be some additional incentive for the championship game beyond the cash. That's an incentive for the players, not for the fans. It's hard to come up with an incentive that makes sense for all sides though -- for instance, an extra draft pick for the in-tournament champ might actually be a bad thing for the players currently on the roster.
Silver
9:49
Do any rookie contracts count against the salary cap? I'm confused about that...
Luke Adams
9:50
Yes. Players signed using the second-round exception won't count until July 31, but first-rounders count as soon as they're drafted.
BobT
9:50
Biggest surprises—good and bad—in summer league so far?
Luke Adams
9:51
Honestly, I find it hard to watch many Summer League games -- the level of play just isn't very high. I haven't seen enough to hold strong opinions about this year's Vegas results, but I'm glad to see Chet Holmgren looking healthy and effective. He has the potential to be a game-changer for an OKC team that was missing rim protection last season.
Guest
9:51
What do you think will happen to Grant now Dame is Miami bound and they’re looking to rebuild. After signing that contract I doubt he has great value, and may be too expensive to add to any of the contenders?
Luke Adams
9:54
I know the Blazers have said they were prepared to do that deal whether or not Dame requested a trade, but I'm unconvinced. It might look like one of the league's most onerous contracts in a year or two, but it doesn't make sense for Portland to move off of it if it has negative value. Unless Grant gets off to a great start this year and is moved at the 2024 deadline, he might be stuck with the Blazers for a while.
Anthony
9:54
I feel with the amount of money the are probably about to give Jaylen Brown they should not give him a no trade or a 15% trade kicker.Am I wrong?
Guest
9:54
Why do you think Jaylen Browns contract is taking so long? You would expect that if they were set on him they’d just pay him the max and move on. It’s a championship team and stalling this long I’m sure would mess with the players heads. The fact they’re dragging it out so long makes me think there’s a trade on the horizon(possibly 3 team for Dame or another star they have their eye on).
Luke Adams
9:56
I wouldn't be worried at this point about the delay with Brown. Super-max deals are easy for perennial NBA candidates like Jokic, Giannis, and Embiid, but there's more to consider for someone like Brown, who isn't the No. 1 option on his own team. When Gobert signed a super-max extension with the Jazz in 2020, it took until right before the season started. This one should be done much sooner than that.
9:57
As for the trade kicker, I'd only be willing to put that in if Brown took less than the max. Otherwise, I agree, it's a perk that's not necessary.
Dub
9:57
What odds do you give Lilliard to the Heat?
Luke Adams
9:58
Better than 50/50, but not necessarily by a lot. The Blazers really need to find a second team willing to take a shot on Lillard despite his stated preference for the Heat -- if they can take a strong backup offer into negotiations with Miami, it's their best chance of getting all the pieces they want from the Heat.
Guest
9:59
Any other moves up the Pistons’ sleeves? Are they going to use their room exception?
Luke Adams
10:01
They still have one roster spot to fill, so I don't think they're done, but I wouldn't expect them to do much more in free agency. If they do anything big-ish before the season starts, it'll probably be on the trade market (like when they acquired Bogdanovic last September). Even though they've used up their cap room, non-tax teams have a lot of flexibility under the new CBA to salary-match in trades, so they could get creative, maybe taking on another unwanted contract with a draft pick.
Lakers fan
10:01
Who do you think the Lakers should sign with their 14th roster spot?  Rumor is they're waiting to see if Christian Wood will take the min.
Luke Adams
10:04
I think I prefer Biyombo over Wood for them -- adding one more solid frontcourt defender to match up against bigger centers and take the pressure off AD makes more sense to me than adding an offense-first guy who's a liability on defense. They have the personnel to make either work, but adding a more defensive-minded player would probably be better for AD.
Trog
10:04
For all of the hysteria surrounding free agency each season, there is virtually no player movement unless a team is in a financial pinch and/or has a different valuation of the player (ex: Toronto with VanVleet, Dallas with Brunson). Do you think this creates stability for the league or does more harm than good?
Luke Adams
10:06
We're still getting star movement on the trade market. From an optics perspective, it was probably better for the NBA when that movement was happening in free agency, since fans don't love seeing players on long-term contracts push for trades to specific teams. But this new system actually may be better for parity across the league -- teams are at least getting a bunch of assets when they lose a star in a trade rather than free agency.
Connor🏀
10:06
Could Brandon Miller win rookie of year for Buzz City?🏀
Luke Adams
10:07
Could he? Sure, but I probably wouldn't bet on him over Wembanyama or Scoot.
Josh
10:07
What do you think ultimately happens with harden?
Luke Adams
10:07
Finding it hard to get a read on that situation and what teams are willing to offer for him. I think he's more likely than Lillard to open the season with his current team.
Guess
10:08
Whiteside, Bol Bol, Cauley-Stein, They deserve a team right? Where should they sign?
Luke Adams
10:09
Sounds like Bol will probably end up in Phoenix. I'd be a little surprised if Whiteside or Cauley-Stein gets a guaranteed full-season deal. It's hard for guys like that to break back into the league when they've missed a full season.
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