Hoops Rumors Live Chat: 7/27/2026
powered byJotCast
This chat is available to members only. Please log in to participate.
Luke Adams
3:00
Thanks for all the questions so far, guys! We'll get underway in just a couple minutes.
Chris D
3:04
Now that Denver has matched the contract for Spencer Jones, do you think OKC might shift it's focus onto Justin Champagnie (who was rumored to be a target earlier in the offseason)? He seems to be a similar type player/prifile/positiion. If so what kind of offer might be acceptable to the Wizards?
Luke Adams
3:08
If the Thunder's goal is to add a wing capable of playing playoff minutes who costs about $6MM or less and isn't on an expiring contract, Champagnie is one of the few targets that makes sense, so I could see it. Jaylon Tyson and Jaylen Wells are a couple others, but I think it'd be tough to pry them away from their current teams.

Champagnie might be a little more attainable but I doubt the Wizards would just give him away for a second-rounder or two. It's not like they need to stockpile more low-value draft picks. Giving up a first-round pick for Champagnie would probably be an overpay, but maybe there's some sort of creative middle ground that would work for both sides (e.g. the Thunder give up a heavily protected first-rounder and get a second-rounder or two back along with Champagnie).
Granger33
3:08
Are the pacers really going to pay the luxury tax or so expect another move from them?
Luke Adams
3:09
Depends in large part on how their season's going in Jan/Feb. If they're in play-in territory fighting for a playoff spot, I imagine they'll look to get out of the tax. If they're a top-two seed and they look like a title contender without any obviously expendable pieces, it's probably less of a priority. (Having said that, I think the former scenario is probably more likely than the latter in what figures to be a very competitive Eastern Conference.)
B-Wild
3:10
Is it just me, or does Atlanta have a glut of guards? I count six significant names, if I'm not mistaken. Daniels, CJ, Dort, NAW, Wiggins, and Hield. Plus Kisbert, a SG/SF type. It makes one wonder why they acquired Dort and Wiggins and also re-signed CJ. Do they plan on keeping all of them? Is there really room for them all to play? CJ, Daniels, and NAW are going to get a lot of minutes, making one question how many minutes are left for Dort and Wiggins, who were traded for.
Luke Adams
3:13
You can also add Ryan Nembhard and Devin Carter to that list, though I suspect Carter may not be on the opening night roster. I also don't really consider guys like Dort, Wiggins, and Hield to be "guards," per se. They're more like wings, and you could easily play any of them alongside multiple other guards.

Of course, also worth noting that Atlanta has 17 players on standard contracts right now, so the roster in general looks crowded. I'd consider Hield and Carter strong candidates not to make the final 15.
ExcitedBucksFan
3:13
Why is everyone picking us to be bottom of the barrel? I think the bucks have a realistic shot of making the playoffs in a weaker eastern conference.
Luke Adams
3:16
You think the East is weaker? I think it'd be a major disappointment for any of the Knicks, Sixers, Celtics, Raptors, Pistons, Cavs, Pacers, Heat, Magic, or Hawks if they miss the playoffs -- and that's 10 teams, so at least two of them will. That group doesn't even include the Wizards or Hornets, who will have playoff aspirations.

I don't think the Bucks' roster is horrible or anything, and they have no reason to tank, but they'd be exceeding my expectations if they crack the top 10 in the East.
GrizzMan
3:16
Now that KCP is out, what kind of roster moves will Memphis make?
Luke Adams
3:18
They'll still have at least four guys to trade/cut after they sign Karim Lopez. My best guess is that the odd men out are D'Angelo Russell, AJ Johnson, Kris Murray, and Taj Gibson.
ZoMama33
3:18
Do you actually think the Heat will go for both Beal/Derozan now that LBJ move was busted. Any word if they could move Jovics contract before the season?
Luke Adams
3:19
Both? Probably not. Maybe one, but there are too many other holes on the roster to add both of them, IMO.
Keith
3:19
If Kris Murray gets cut from Memphis, do you see him going to Sacramento to join his brother?
Luke Adams
3:20
He'd probably have to be willing to sign a two-way contract.
Sam
3:20
What are your thoughts on the Hornets' offseason? Do you think possibly taking a step back in the short term in exchange for long term draft and financial flexibility was a good trade-off?
Luke Adams
3:23
I liked the Bridges trade quite a bit, and I'm a Naz Reid fan. I'm not convinced yet that moving LaMelo was the right move (his on/off numbers and the impact he had on the team's offensive success last season were pretty remarkable), but I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt for now and see how they look next season -- if they weren't sold on him as a long-term cornerstone, they chose the right time to sell high.
Danny Manning
3:23
Greetings from Greece! It's getting comic the decision of the Leonard case. If they had found anything why it's getting too long? Maybe because zero is the answer? When will this end to sign Mathurin and or Watson?
Luke Adams
3:26
I'm not as bothered by some as the amount of time that investigation has taken. You want to chase down every potential lead and make sure you're not missing anything, since it would be an awful look if it turned out later that there was something important you didn't find.

I'm just guessing at what they might have found, but I suspect it won't be nearly as clear cut as "there was nothing to find" or "we found a clear smoking gun." I won't be surprised if they found a lot of stuff that look suspicious and are weighing whether there's enough circumstantial evidence to warrant a significant punishment.
GabeOfThrones
3:26
Why is Denver’s tax bill so high when they have only exceeded the second apron by a small amount? How does that equate to a $231m tax bill?
Luke Adams
3:29
There are multiple thresholds above the $165MM salary cap -- the tax line ($200.4MM), the first apron ($209MM), and the second apron ($221.7MM). Being a little over the second apron means you're quite a bit over the tax line.

The other problem for the Nuggets is that they were taxpayers for three straight seasons from 2023-25, which means they'll be paying the repeater penalties unless they can get out of the tax for another season after doing so in 2026. Those rates get more expensive a lot faster than they do for a standard taxpayer.

(For what it's worth also, the Nuggets' current projected tax bill is $68MM, not $231MM. The second figure is what it would be if Watson re-signed for $23MM.)
Ishbia
3:30
Are the Suns making a mistake by holding onto Jalen Green
Luke Adams
3:31
He's coming off a down, injury-plagued year, so his trade value this summer would've been pretty minimal. Not wanting to sell low doesn't mean they're committed to keeping him indefinitely.
Knicks
3:31
It seems the Knicks are running out of 3rd string Center options.  Who do you think they are still looking at and could there still be a trade of Duece for a second string center moving Drummond to 3rd string.
Luke Adams
3:36
They're in a similar boat to the Thunder, except they're searching for a cheap center instead of a cheap wing. Unless they want a guy like Nick Richards, free agency doesn't really offer any solutions, and it doesn't seem like they've had any luck trading for low-cost options like Yves Missi or Moussa Diabate.

I still think a trade is probably their best bet. A Jericho Sims reunion might be interesting -- the Bucks have a bit of a roster crunch to deal with. I'd keep an eye on Micah Potter too. The Blazers claimed him off waivers, but between Donovan Clingan, Robert Williams, Yang Hansen, and Branden Carlson, they have a pretty crowded center situation and may not end up having room for Potter.

A couple of the Kings' young guys are intriguing too (Raynaud and Cardwell) but they'd be tougher to acquire.
Kj
3:36
Is it just me that the Final Four is already set with Spurs, OKC, 76ers and NY or can someone realistically crash the party?
Luke Adams
3:36
I'd be a lot more confident in the Spurs and Thunder making the final four than the Knicks and Sixers. Think there are a bunch of Eastern teams that could realistically get there if things break right and they stay healthy.
Darin617
3:37
Would there be any chance that in the next CBA that they would get rid of both max and supermax contracts?
Luke Adams
3:37
Highly doubt it, but I could see the super-max rules getting tweaked a little to make them a little more team-friendly.
Seamhead
3:38
It's the Nuggets best-of-bad-options nightmare. Do they: Sign and trade Watson, trade Johnson, trade Gordon, or trade Murray? I still think the latter is their best way out of CBA purgatory.
Luke Adams
3:40
If they could make a Murray trade similar to the one the Hornets made with LaMelo (getting a high-quality rotation player back and saving a bunch of money in the process), that'd be a win. But I just don't see many matches for Murray at this point. His contract isn't that much different from the Jaylen Brown one that the Celtics just had such a tough time moving.
B-Wild
3:41
Do you think Durant stays in Houston past this season? I'd bet against it.
Luke Adams
3:42
I'd probably bet against it too. I actually thought there was a decent chance he'd be moved this summer. Though I admit I'm pretty curious to see what this Houston team looks like with VanVleet and Adams back. I do like the personnel.
Plucky
3:43
Surely the Celtics aren’t going into the season with this roster. Right?
Luke Adams
3:46
It doesn't look that bad to me. The center position is stronger than it was last year, and if Tatum is back to full strength, he has the potential to give them what Brown did last year and more. I get that the Paul George of it all isn't particularly inspiring, but I actually think his fit is being underrated. He's still a very good three-point shooter, he looked as healthy at the end of last season as he had in a few years, and the Celtics don't need him to score 25 a night or anything.
Demar
3:46
Where else besides Miami would make the most sense for me to go?
Luke Adams
3:48
I like the Pistons as a fit. Maybe Golden State. Could see Denver becoming a fit depending on what roster moves they have to make, though they probably wouldn't have much money to offer. I don't even hate Minnesota if you're willing to play for the minimum or close to it.
KJ
3:48
If James gets #5 season does that hurt or help his legacy?  Honestly this would be same as the last go around with Jordan if he joined the Spurs at the time with Tim, Admiral, Parker and Ginolbi.  Thoughts?
Luke Adams
3:49
Disagree. No one viewed the Sixers as some stacked super-team a week ago, when they were, what, 10th in title odds? If LeBron had joined the Spurs or Thunder or Knicks, I could understand giving that decision the side-eye, but winning a title would this Philly team would be extremely impressive.
Dunleavy Jr.’s assistant
3:50
Where do we go from here, Luke? LeBron shunned us - albeit, half of us in the organization were hoping he’d retire. In your honest opinion, would it be worth it for this franchise - referring to now AND for the imminent future - to surrender those three first-rounders Joe Dumars wants for Murphy III? We’re running out of ideas how to improve the roster. I can totally picture mass layoffs happening if we endure another season like last year. I’d probably be the first one gone, in fact.
Load More Messages
Connecting…