JotCast | Hoops Rumors Live Chat: 8/10/2026

Hoops Rumors Live Chat: 8/10/2026

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Luke Adams

3:11

I can't see this happening unless the NBA finds a written contract with Kawhi's signature that says something to the effect of "Here's our plan to circumvent the cap."

I suspect the league doesn't really want to mess with the trade agreement that the Clippers and Raptors already have in place and that any discipline is more likely to hit the Clippers harder than it will hit Kawhi. That's just my best guess though -- I don't have any inside info.

Ben Simmons

3:11

Any chance MN takes a flyer on me?

Luke Adams

3:13

If you're willing to take a non-guaranteed deal and compete for a roster spot, I don't see why not. But the Wolves are a good example of a team that might not be a great fit even with the hole at PF. If you're putting the ball in Simmons' hands, it probably means that LaMelo and Ant (and, to a lesser extent, Ayo) won't have it as much, which isn't ideal.

Unclemike1526

3:13

I've looked at the new lottery rules and I really don't think it will stop anyone from tanking. The only thing I see it doing is that there will be a few more trades between the drawing and the draft when teams find out the good or bad news whatever it may be. What do you think Luke? Thanks

Luke Adams

3:16

I'm more optimistic about the new rules. In fact, I think they've already had an impact this offseason. A rebuilding team with a new front office like the Bulls would've been more inclined in the past to use their cap room primarily to take on bad contracts and accumulate draft assets. Instead, they added Norm Powell and Nic Claxton and clearly intend to be somewhat competitive, avoiding that bottom three "relegation zone."

When we get near the end of the season, there still won't be much incentive for the league's seventh- or eighth-worst team to WIN games, but there also won't be any incentives for them to LOSE games and fall to fourth- or fifth-worst, which is a good thing. Tanking would go away entirely, but I bet we see a lot less of it this season.

Sam

3:16

Last week I asked about the East, so I want to know your thoughts on regular season standings in the West. Do you think every one of last season’s top 6 teams (Thunder, Spurs, Nuggets, Lakers, Rockets, Wolves) will be back in the top 6 this season? If not, which team do you think has the best chance of making the leap, and which team is at most risk of falling out? I know it’s probably rare for this to actually happen, but I think all 6 of those teams have a very strong chance at remaining in the top 6.

Luke Adams

3:21

My instinct is to bet against the same top six teams, since you're right that it's extremely uncommon for there to be that little movement at the top of a conference from year to year.

Having said that, I definitely wouldn't bet against the Thunder or Spurs falling out. And I actually like the Rockets' roster quite a bit with FVV and Adams back.

I'm less confident about the other three teams. We still don't really know what the final version of the Nuggets will look like (will they lose Watson or a starter?). The Lakers have made a LOT of changes, and it's hard to bet on Luka playing 70+ games. And the Wolves have impressive star power but questionable depth.

If one of those teams falls out of the top six, my pick to move up might actually be the Jazz. I'm intrigued by their upside and a lot of the other teams in the play-in mix in the West have real question marks. Portland would be my other pick.

Arcman

3:21

is there a good chance Graham Ike signs with the warriors on a 2 way deal?

Luke Adams

3:22

He's probably the leading candidate right now based on his Summer League play, but I could see them letting a few Exhibit 10 camp invitees compete for that spot in October.

Dan

3:23

Do you have a fantasy chat for hoops?

Luke Adams

3:25

We don't. I'd offer to field those questions myself, but I'm not sure I'd be much help. I haven't played fantasy basketball for a few years, and the last time I did, I found that knowing every player in the league hurt me more than it helped -- I kept passing on all the stars in our auction because there were still so many more familiar names out there. Turns out those familiar non-stars weren't so great for fantasy purposes!

Ron

3:25

What is the appeal of adding Kuminga to a roster. He is very inconsistent as a player. His volume of playing minutes over the course of his career is low. In my opinion his development has stalled. You only learn the game by playing real minutes in college or the pros.

Luke Adams

3:28

He's still 23, has proven he can score consistently when given the opportunity, and has the size and versatility to be a good defender.

I have questions about his shooting and play-making, and I wouldn't want to be paying him $20MM per year, but I certainly understand why he doesn't believe he should be settling for a minimum-type contract.

Canada

3:29

Hi Luke - do you think the Raptors will eventually void the kawhi leonard trade - leonard looks more culpable with every news story - what is going on in the Raptors brain trust

Luke Adams

3:31

I mean, the Raptors knew back in 2019 that Kawhi's camp was interested in cap circumvention, but it only works if the team plays ball. I don't think it's going to turn them off Leonard himself if it turns out the Clippers played ball.

I'd expect the trade to still go through sooner or later.

Duran

3:31

What's your estimate for the years/amount I'll get when I eventually sign? Will it be with anyone besides Detroit?

Luke Adams

3:34

I expect you to be a Piston. An Alperen Sengun-type deal (5/$185MM) seems to me to be pretty fair for both sides.

Rooks

3:34

Who is your under-the-radar sleeper pick for ROY? Can't be someone drafted in the top 10

Luke Adams

3:35

Feels like a cop-out to choose the No. 11 pick, but I expect Yaxel Lendeborg to play a pretty big role for the Warriors, and he's obviously NBA-ready at age 32 (I kid, I kid).

I'd also keep an eye on Allen Graves in Toronto. I think he could end up playing a pretty significant role for the Raptors for a No. 19 pick. Realistically though, it's hard to imagine him beating out Peterson, Dybantsa, and Boozer for ROY.

Edwill

3:35

sixers Knicks opening night.do you see that happening

Luke Adams

3:36

I definitely expect that to be the featured matchup on either opening night or Christmas Day.

Unclemike1526

3:36

So in what seems like a slam dunk opportunity, Supposedly the Clippers would take Okoro( Expiring deal) And 2nd round pick(s) Which the Bulls treat like toilet paper for Mathurin. So what's the problem here? Okoro has no future here one would think and the chance to get a young player who might be or at least a more movable asset seems like the right move. So what's the hold up? Thanks Luke.

Luke Adams

3:40

Well, as its name suggests, a sign-and-trade involves two sets of negotiations -- even if the Bulls and Clippers agree on a package involving Okoro and second-round capital, the Bulls and Mathurin would need to figure out a contract that works for both sides, and it sounds like Chicago wouldn't be eager to offer more than one guaranteed year in order to preserve 2027 flexibility.

If I were the Bulls, I'd also be reluctant to use assets to acquire Mathurin, who isn't a player I'm especially high on (I had him lower than most in my FA rankings, at No. 35).

Even IF the Bulls are high on Mathurin and they're confident they can agree to terms with both him and the Clippers, I get the sense that L.A. might be waiting to see what happens with Peyton Watson and the Kawhi trade before making a decision on Mathurin.

Sabonis

3:40

What would it take for a team to obtain Sabonis from the Kingz?

Luke Adams

3:41

It sounded earlier in the summer like the Kings would've been happy with matching salary and a first-round pick, as long as that matching salary wasn't considered bad money (e.g. the Jakob Poeltl contract from Toronto).

MkeMike

3:41

How can the Bucks move Kuzma? Should they move Kuzma?

Luke Adams

3:43

If they're moving him just to move him, it would probably take a sweetener or two to do it, which doesn't make sense for a team in their position (ie. rebuilding).

They're probably better off waiting to see if they can use him as the salary-matching piece in a bigger deal in the preseason or closer to the deadline. His expiring contract would look better to a team that wants to move off a multiyear deal worth roughly the same amount.

The real Odysseus

3:44

What about the possibility of Watson signing a short term deal with the Nuggets closer to their offer than his asking price (say two years with his option for a third)? It could easily be as lucrative as playing this year on the QO and seeing what happens after that or what any of the trade suitors could/would offer him.

Luke Adams

3:47

Wouldn't be the worst outcome for Watson, though I'm not sure if Denver would be willing to offer the same sort of money ($16-18MM per year) on a shorter-term deal. That would exacerbate their tax issues this season without any assurances that they'd still have Watson on the roster in a couple years.

That sort of compromise worked for the Warriors and Kuminga last year because it already seemed like the two sides were headed for a split and signing him for $20-25MM without a NTC made it easier to move him at the deadline, but I don't get the sense that the Nuggets want to go that route with Watson. If they can't find a workable sign-and-trade or get him locked up to a long-term deal, they might actually prefer him on the QO, which would at least be easy to manage financially this year.

NAW

3:47

The Hawks have had back to back winners of the most improved player award. Think Aaron Wiggins could be #3?

Luke Adams

3:48

You never know, but I'm not sure Wiggins has that sort of untapped potential or that he'll play as big a role as Daniels and NAW did. Don't think I'd bet on it.

Harmon Ripkowski

3:48

Love your chats. Thanks. Soooo...if Mil had a handshake agreement with Trent, and decides to go through with it even if there's no enforceable agreement, is it because agents will steer players elsewhere, or...?

Luke Adams

3:49

Yeah, if we assume that's what happened, there'd be two reasons why the Bucks wouldn't want to renege on a handshake agreement:

You'd be alienating arguably the most powerful agent in the sport (Rich Paul).
You'd risk word getting around among players that you can't be trusted, hurting your reputation among other players/agents.

Willy

3:50

What’s the status of Cam Thomas

Luke Adams

3:51

His value really nosedived last year. If he signs with an NBA team this summer/fall, I'd be surprised if he gets more than the minimum. More than ever, it feels to me like front offices don't have much time for guys who can only score and don't offer much defensively or in the way of connective offensive play.

Harmon Ripkowski

3:52

How about ROY if outside top five?

Luke Adams

3:53

His Summer League play was hit and miss, but I definitely expect the Kings to give Darius Acuff a lot of run this season. He'll have the volume stats if nothing else.

Guest

3:53

Why are they saying that teams can lose the draft rights of a player they drafted? Like they could have with Dillon Mitchell or something

Luke Adams

3:57

I think there are two different things you might be referring to here. One is the recent court ruling that gave four-year college players from 2022-26 a fifth year of eligibility, which meant that guys like Dillon Mitchell, Braden Smith, and Tyler Nickel, who were drafted but had yet to sign NBA contracts were technically eligible to return to school for another season.

It doesn't seem so far as if any of those draftees are taking that route (Mitchell has since signed a two-way deal with Boston, for instance), but if they do, their NBA teams would still control their rights. For example, if Nickel goes back to school for the 2026/27 season, he'd be a domestic draft-and-stash prospect for the Knicks, who could sign him in 2027.

The other recent development for draftees was the Aug. 5 deadline for teams to issue required "tenders" to second-round picks. If a team doesn't do that, it can lose its rights to a draftee, but it's basically a formality, and every team does it.

James H

3:57

So Lebron is not coming home so why am I not signed yet?

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