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Hoops Rumors Live Chat: 8/17/2023
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dka
10:01
What is your prediction when the Damian Lillard/Heat trade will be finalized?  This month?  Before training camp?  As a Lakers fan, it appears this needs to happen before Christian Wood makes a decision
Luke Adams
10:02
There's been no indication of any forward progress lately. That can change quickly, but I'd still be surprised if anything happens in August. September is my best guess for some action. I doubt the Trail Blazers will want the situation hanging over them when training camps start.
Big john
10:02
Do you expect changes if Bulls don't make the playoffs or go deep? Seem like Bulls just don't have the talent or front office to get over this hump.
Luke Adams
10:06
I sort of figured there'd be changes this past offseason after the Bulls didn't make the playoffs. With another down year, something would have to give -- it's just a question of whether or not this front office is given an opportunity to make those changes. I think they would be.
kevduce
10:06
Do you think Miles McBride gets minutes for the Knicks or is he on the outside looking in?
Luke Adams
10:08
I'm skeptical that McBride will be a regular rotation piece to open the season, but opportunities for minutes always arise at some point, either via injuries or someone underperforming (like when Fournier and Rose were pulled from the rotation last year). If he can take advantage of that chance when it comes, his role could increase.
Sean
10:08
Are there any Euro players that are playing in the World Cup that are on NBA teams radar that could possibly sign training camp deals or guaranteed contracts to start the season.  Like Simone Fontecchio  was able to do with the Jazz a season ago.
Luke Adams
10:10
I haven't heard any real buzz recently about European players making the move to the NBA. It's a little late in the offseason for that to happen, since most guys have either signed new contracts overseas or have seen their NBA opt-out windows close. It's possible that certain guys who play well in the World Cup could put themselves in position to come stateside in 2024 and beyond.
Some guy
10:11
Why do you pick and choose what bad stories comments are open on. We can talk about Watson but we can’t talk about wander Franco ? Policing the freedom of speech really isn’t cool at all
Luke Adams
10:14
While all the Trade Rumors sites are under one umbrella, they're run relatively independently -- I have no say in how MLBTR or PFR manage their comment sections, and I'm generally not told how to manage the comments at Hoops Rumors. My preference is to keep comment sections open whenever I can, so I'd only close them if the inappropriate/offensive/derogatory stuff outweighed the reasonable ones by a wide margin.
Drew
10:15
Should the Sixers just pull the trigger on a Harden-to-the-Clippers trade at this point if they can get veteran role players and a future first?
Luke Adams
10:19
If they could get Mann and a lightly protected first-round pick as part of the return, I think it's worth it just to avoid ongoing drama with Harden. But they can't just accept 25 cents on the dollar (ie. Morris, Powell, and a heavily protected future pick). They still have enough leverage here (is Harden really going to tank his career by not reporting to the team?) to do better than that.
10:20
As bad as the situation looks now, it's worth noting that around this time last year, Kevin Durant was calling for Sean Marks and Steve Nash to be fired. That eventually worked out OK for the Nets (at least in terms of the return they got for KD).
EonADS
10:21
Regarding the Bulls, could playing DeRozan at the point be a partial solution? It would let the Bulls get optimum production out of P-Will, and it would maximize DeRozan's ball-dominant playstyle. He has the chops as a playmaker to make it work; he was the primary ball-handler and play-runner for the 2020-2021 Spurs. 6.9 assists to 2 turnovers (with only half being bad passes).
Luke Adams
10:23
DeRozan can't really defend point guards, so they'd probably still need to have a Jevon Carter or Alex Caruso type on the floor with him. But I don't mind the idea of using him in a point forward type role, since he'll have the ball in his hands quite a bit anyway.
Keith
10:23
Thoughts on the Porzingis foot injury? Will this be a problem that lasts all season?
Luke Adams
10:25
Plantar fasciitis is one of those injuries that can linger if it's not treated/rested properly. The Celtics have enough talent and depth on their roster to let KP take his time with the recovery and make sure he's 100% before he's returning, so I don't think it'll bother them if he has to miss the start of the season. Even in that scenario though, it's impossible to guarantee there won't be another flare-up (or some related issue) at some point, especially with someone who has Porzingis' history of leg injuries.
Arcman
10:25
What happened to Anthony Lamb? Played for the warriors last year off the bench. Did he go overseas or is his past keeping him from another NBA contract?
Luke Adams
10:28
Haven't heard anything about him since the Warriors declined to give him a QO in June, so as far as I know, he's still a free agent. I don't know that the sexual assault allegations you're referring to will keep him from getting another job eventually (the Warriors knew about them when they signed him last year), but maybe they've been a deciding factor when teams have considered signing him and other similar players so far this summer.
Adam Silvers Neighbor
10:28
Are you surprised about how little the league is doing about these Harden, Irving, Lillard, etc type situations? Opting into a contract with no intent to honor it, seems pretty egregious
Luke Adams
10:31
Well, nothing has really happened so far -- there have been rumors that Harden won't report to camp and honor his contract, but they're just rumors for now. And the CBA does include language that gives teams options in that scenario. We'll see how the situations are resolved, but if the NBA had wanted to come down harder on the players in these scenarios, the most recent CBA negotiation would have been the time to push for those changes.
Some guy
10:31
Think rockets could sneak into the play-in?
Luke Adams
10:31
It's possible. I don't think it's especially likely. Think the young guys might still be a year away from really jelling.
Some dude
10:32
What is your thought on the PJ Washington situation? Why hasn't the Hornets sign him yet?
Luke Adams
10:36
There are usually one or two RFAs every year whose contract situations remain unresolved well into the offseason. They often work out "compromise" contracts -- something in between the one-year qualifying offer and a four-year deal. Josh Hart was one example a few years ago. He eventually signed a three-year deal that included unusual third-year terms (essentially a mutual team/player option).
10:37
I think Washington and the Hornets will work something out sooner or later, with a two-year deal (or three-year with an option) more likely than anything too short- or long-term.
Drew
10:37
What is your biggest pet peeve when it comes to NBA media (rumors, reporting, etc.)
Luke Adams
10:41
Great question. I'd need more time to think about it, but a couple that come to mind immediately:
  1. When contract figures based on percentages of future salary caps are presented as an absolute figure (ie. reporters simply referring to Jaylen Brown's contract as being worth $304MM, without mentioning that's an absolute best-case projection).
  2. Aggregators that take a reporter expressing his opinion on something and present it (with no clarification) as a report.
Some dude
10:41
Can Denver do it again this year? Their bench is not that deep at the moment
Luke Adams
10:42
They're definitely betting heavily on some first- and second-year guys contributing as regular rotation players. I'm not going to rule them out for a repeat, but I certainly wouldn't take them over the field at the moment.
Rodbro
10:43
Harden has clashed with someone at every stop. He didn't get along with Westbrook or Chris Paul. So why would he want to reunite with Westbrook in LA. And aren't teams wary of him as being disruptive and destroying team unity?
Luke Adams
10:46
I'm sympathetic to players tiring of certain situations and wanting to seek out new ones, but if I were running a team, I'd be extremely wary of how often Harden has found himself in that situation over the last few years. That's probably why the Clippers have been unwilling to give up much of real value for him.
R. Alan
10:46
Why do NBA writers spend time coming up with all these ridiculous trade ideas that are never going to happen? Do those stories get a lot of clicks.
Luke Adams
10:47
We don't do a whole lot of that, but I assume those stories do pretty well in terms of traffic. NBA fans love arguing about trade ideas!
Drew
10:48
If I told you that an NBA team is going to win 3 of the next 6 titles, which teams would be your top 3 guesses?
Luke Adams
10:50
Oh that's a fun one. Denver, Phoenix, Milwaukee, and Boston are the first four that come to mind... let's trim the Suns from that list, since it remains to be seen how their new big three will work.
10:51
It's pretty tempting to lean toward young teams like the Pelicans, Thunder, etc., but if you only have a six-year window and you're playing the odds, it's hard to pick a team that probably doesn't have a chance to win a title in 2024.
Harry Giles
10:51
Any takers willing to gamble a 2-Way on Giles?   I heard he had a few Workouts......
Luke Adams
10:52
I hope he gets an opportunity. It'd be a shame if he and his agent successfully lobbied for a "Harry Giles rule" in the CBA that made him eligible for a two-way deal and then he didn't end up signing one.
Still lots of two-way openings around the league with the introduction of the third slot.
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