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Hoops Rumors Live Chat: 8/21/2025
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Luke Adams
1:01
Thanks for all the early questions, guys. Let's jump right in!
Guest
1:01
With two-way contracts, does a NBA year of eligibility count still if a player got called up to a ten-day during that season and didn’t play for the team? Like if the player just got a ten-day and never got NBA time, do they really lose a whole year of two-way eligibility? Is there an age limit to them?
Luke Adams
1:03
Yeah, two-way eligibility is based on years of service, and player gets credited for a year of service if he spends even one of the 174 days in a regular season under contract with a team. So a 10-day contract would be enough to credit the player with a year of service, which would count toward the two-way limit.

No age limit for two-ways though. A 40-year-old could sign one if he still only has three years of NBA service under his belt.
Liam Webster
1:03
What is the latest news on James Johnson? Will he be signed by any team?
Luke Adams
1:06
The last we heard on Johnson was from Pacers GM Chad Buchanan, who said about a month ago that Johnson is still hoping to continue his playing career.

While the Pacers are the most obvious team for him, they don't have room at the moment, but that doesn't mean that will be the case all year long -- I could see him eventually getting a 10-day deal or a rest-of-season contract later in the year if the Pacers have an open roster spot to fill.

Not out of the question that he could catch on with another team looking for some toughness and leadership, but he hasn't played anywhere besides Indiana since 2022.
KJ
1:06
I have more of an opinion question. So the bulls just announced Derek's Rose's Jersey will be retired January 24th. Now don't get me wrong as a bull fan I love me some d Rose but do you think he did enough or had enough of an impact to have his jersey retired? To be brutally honest I will retire horace's grants Jersey first I mean he was there what 10 years and three chips.Thoughts?
Luke Adams
1:09
I think Rose did enough. He was there for eight years. Won an MVP, won a Rookie of the Year, made three All-Star teams. The fact that he was from Chicago also shouldn't be understated. He has the "local hero" angle going for him, and the fact that his résumé with the team could've ultimately looked a lot more impressive if not for the health problems.
JP
1:09
Hi, can the Mavs find any trade value for Prosper and Hardy? I wanted them to resign Kai Jones, thought he would be valuable depth with all the injuries they had last season. Your thoughts? Thanks
Luke Adams
1:12
I think any Prosper trade might look similar to the one the Heat just made with Highsmith -- would probably require attaching a second-round pick to move him. I think Hardy has more value than that, but I don't get the sense they really want to move him while Kyrie is still recovering from his ACL injury.

As for Jones, that ship has probably sailed for now. No two-way eligibility left, and Dallas doesn't really have room for him on the standard roster.
Bob
1:12
It sounds like anyone interested in Coby White now would face the same issue that the Bulls are up against… which is that he has little incentive to sign an extension and looks likely to be a FA after next season. Is that correct? He could be one of, if not the top FA next summer.
Luke Adams
1:16
Yeah, his extension restrictions with any other team would be the same as the ones he's currently facing with the Bulls. Actually, for six months after any trade, they'd be even more limiting. His current max extension with the Bulls is about $87MM over four years. For six months after a trade, it'd be $52MMish over three years.

So he'll almost definitely become an unrestricted free agent. The team holding his Bird rights at that point should feel relatively good about its chances of re-signing him, but there are no guarantees in unrestricted free agency (just ask the Pacers and Myles Turner).
Edwill
1:16
Which teams that made the playoffs last season do you think might take a step back and miss the playoffs next season.
Luke Adams
1:19
The first two that come to mind are Memphis and Miami, but it feels like a cop-out to choose a pair of No. 8 seeds.

Indiana is another one that comes to mind due to the Haliburton injury, but they're pretty well coached and I expect them to still be pretty competitive this season. Ditto for Boston. I don't think either of those teams will be hurt as much by injuries to their best players as a team like Milwaukee would be.
Jacob
1:19
With the prime examples of the Celtics last summer and the Thunder this summer, do you think it's going to be a recurring trend that the defending NBA champs try to keep as much of their team together as possible? Boston returned 13 of their 15 man roster from the 2024 Championship team, while the Thunder return 14 players from their 15 man roster.
Luke Adams
1:21
Certainly it makes sense for most championship teams to try to run it back with a similar group, but I'm not convinced it'll be a trend, since I do think the Celtics and Thunder were better positioned than your average champ to do it.

Boston had 11 of its guys under contract or on team options, and was able to re-sign two more to minimum deals. OKC literally had all 15 of its players under contract or on team options. Having that level of control with so few free agents is pretty rare.
Black Ace57
1:22
I’m not sure if you know the answer to this, but does the insurance teams take out on contracts cover if a player suffers a major during international play and misses all or most of a season? Do the international teams cover it (ie Team USA when Paul George had his injury)?
Luke Adams
1:26
I'd need to do more research on this to be 100% sure about my answer, but my (tentative) understanding is that the typical insurance policies an NBA team takes out on its players don't apply to non-NBA games.

FIBA has its own insurance policies in place, but they don't cover maximum-salary NBA contracts (which are waaaay more lucrative than typical deals for most players participating in FIBA events). What I'm not sure about is if the NBA team is permitted to buy additional insurance to cover the difference or if they have to take a leap of faith when giving their OK to a player to take part in an international event.

This came up recently with the Bucks and Giannis.
My City of Rui-ns
1:26
Is Hachimura really thought of as nothing more than a dead-weight contract this season?
Luke Adams
1:28
I haven't gotten that sense. He's one of the Lakers' most obvious trade candidates because of the size of the contract (third-highest on their books outside of LeBron and Luka) and the fact that it's expiring. But he has real on-court value and the Lakers won't just view that contract as salary-matching fodder.
Ruckus
1:28
The Grizzlies recognized they needed to shake things up to take the next step toward becoming true contenders. Trading Bane—one of their core leaders—was a bold decision, but they followed it up with some solid additions that help balance out the roster.
If they can finally stay healthy, and if Ja can get his head in the right place, I really believe this team could be dangerous and surprise a lot of people this season.
What are your thoughts?
Luke Adams
1:31
I didn't necessarily dislike the Bane trade, but I'm not convinced it makes the Grizzlies a better team in the short term. That changes if Ja looks more like 2021/22 version of himself, but it's hard to count on that, and I think they'd need to get a lot from young guys like Jaylen Wells, Zach Edey, and Cedric Coward to take a real step forward.

I'm curious to see what this new version of the roster looks like, but I don't think I'll have them in my top eight in the West heading into the season.
siwanpi
1:31
Can Magic would acquire Precious Achiuwa? Would Clippers add THT to be backup of Beal? Also lastly, can Warriors successfully nabs Brogdon, Horford and Bol, son of the late great Warrior legend Manute?
Luke Adams
1:32
The Magic and Clippers are two of the teams that can't currently add a 15th man due to their proximity to the hard cap, so I wouldn't count on any more free agent signings from either team besides Exhibit 10 deals.

As for the Warriors, seems like a safe bet that Horford will end up there, and Brogdon is a maybe. Haven't heard anything linking them to Bol and I'm skeptical he'd be a priority. It sorta seems like if they can sign Horford, they'll be focusing on filling out the roster with guards and wings.
HornetsFaninVA
1:32
The Charlotte Hornets still have to trim their roster. Who do you see as the players who likely will be traded or let go?
Luke Adams
1:35
They have 18 guys on standard contracts right now. If I had to pick the three I least expect to be on the roster to open the season, it'd probably be DaQuan Jeffries, Nick Smith Jr., and Pat Connaughton.

Anyone else who might be on the fringes either has guaranteed money on his contract beyond 2025/26 or was just signed this offseason (e.g. Spencer Dinwiddie, Mason Plumlee).

Having said that, if they do try to go the trade route instead of just cutting three players, Josh Green and/or Grant Williams could be worth keeping an eye on. But they're probably more likely to be mid-season trade candidates.
KJ
1:36
We've had seven different champions so are we going to have number eight this year or will the thunder bucks or nuggets get another one?
Luke Adams
1:39
Let's see... Our last seven champs have been the Raptors, Lakers, Bucks, Warriors, Nuggets, Celtics, and Thunder.

I'd be pretty shocked if Toronto, Milwaukee, or Boston won a title in 2026. L.A. and Golden State have a non-zero chance, but I wouldn't put them among the favorites.

So it could come down to whether the Thunder or the Nuggets can win it. OKC will probably be my preseason pick, so I guess I'm leaning toward the idea of getting a repeat of one of those seven. But I wouldn't hate betting on a field that includes the Cavs, Knicks, Rockets, Clippers, Wolves, and Magic, among others.
Thomas
1:39
Do you think most of the rookie scale extensions will be postponed until after Kuminga and Giddey situations get resolved?
Luke Adams
1:41
Technically, yes, but usually the rookie scale extensions that don't get done in July aren't signed until October anyway.

Don't have time to go back right now through all the data, but a small-sample example: Last year, no rookie scale extensions got signed between July 23 and Oct. 20.

So, while it might help agents/teams to see what guys like Kuminga and Giddey sign for, those rookie scale extensions probably wouldn't have gotten done any earlier regardless of the outstanding RFA situations.
Kim
1:41
Good afternoon. I’m curious about Austin Reeves. I thought I heard he was offered like 4 years $90 million from the Lakers. Why wouldn’t he go ahead and lock that in? He could suffer an injury and then what? I vaguely remember Dennis Schroeder turned down a 4 year $80 deal with Lakers and he is like 5 teams later. Why do players do this? Betting on yourself during theses 1st and 2nd apron situations seems so risky. Teams seem hesitant to go all in now. Your opinion? Thanks!
Luke Adams
1:45
Reaves' max extension right now would be about $87.4MM over four years, and it sounds like the Lakers did put that offer on the table.

It wouldn't have been totally outrageous if Reaves had accepted that offer, but he has already taken one contract viewed as team-friendly (his current four-year, $54MMish deal), and based on his track record (20 PPG scorer, good efficiency, entering his prime), his value is probably closer to $30MM per year.

Certainly, there's some risk in passing on significant guaranteed money now in search of a larger payday, but he should feel more secure about his future earning potential. He knows the Lakers can't afford to lose him and that there would be plenty of teams who would love a shot to steal him from L.A.
KJ
1:46
If you are the rockets gm what type of extension would you give Kevin Durant?
Luke Adams
1:47
Honestly, I'd probably be fine with a two-year max. There's some risk there, but Durant has shown no real signs of slowing down yet, at least offensively (which is mainly what Houston needs him for). I'd do something like $105-110MM over two years too.
Pat Riley
1:48
First coach fired this season will be.....
Luke Adams
1:49
Willie Green's situation feels most tenuous to me. New GM, higher expectations (given that they don't own their 2026 first-round pick), and the Pelicans probably won't be in a great position to get off to a fast start with so many key players coming off major injuries.
Nico Harrison.
1:49
What am I gonna do with PJ and Gafford?  They're too expensive to be backing up Flagg, Lively, and AD.
Luke Adams
1:51
No rush to do anything yet. You can absolutely use three of those guys at once in certain lineups, and it makes sense to experiment while you're waiting for Kyrie to come back (and maybe even a little after he gets healthy, to see who he meshes with best).

Maybe by the 2026 deadline or next offseason it becomes obvious that one of those guys needs to be traded, but I don't see any urgency on that front for now.
Chris
1:51
Why has sean marks changed course and is actively avoiding the restricted free agent market? This free agent crop is significantly better than the D leaguers he signed last time like crabbe, why isnt he going after Giddey or Grimes?
Luke Adams
1:53
I can only speculate, but if I had to guess, he's probably thinking, "I made massive offers for Tyler Johnson, Allen Crabbe, and Otto Porter Jr. and still got matched. How much would I have to overpay these guys to actually have a shot at them, and why would I want to commit such a huge chunk of cap room to one non-All-Star player when we're still so early in our rebuild?"
Bob
1:53
so to continue deeper into the black hole of nba contract minutiae, do Coby White’s Bird rights go with him if he gets traded before reaching free agency?? which I take to mean that the team with his Bird rights can go over the tax threshold to sign him with no penalty..?  is that correct? if so, that certainly has value to any team acquiring him.
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