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Trade Rumors Front Office NBA Chat
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Luke Adams
11:01
Welcome to the first Trade Rumors Front Office NBA chat! It's been a wild two or three weeks in the NBA -- now seems like a good time to take stock of all that's happened.
Mike
11:01
What do you think of the Grizzlies roster? Good enough to make the playoffs?
Luke Adams
11:02
I like the Grizzlies' young core quite a bit, but I think they might be in for a little regression after last season. Plus, the conference will be more competitive and injuries are still a concern (JJJ and Winslow remain sidelined).
11:03
With 10 teams in each conference essentially in the playoff mix now due to the new play-in format, Memphis should be in the running. But I'd be surprised if they end up as one of the West's top eight teams.
Anthony
11:04
Do you expect the Warriors to bounce back?
Luke Adams
11:05
I was (obviously) more bullish on the Warriors prior to Klay's Achilles tear. Their ceiling looks a lot more limited without his shooting and defense.
I expect them to be in the playoff mix, but not for a top-four seed.
Robin
11:06
Can the sixers really challenge for a finals spot?
Luke Adams
11:07
As someone who picked the Sixers to make the 2020 Finals prior to last season, I probably can't be trusted to properly assess their outlook. But I like this version of the team more than last season's -- surrounding Embiid and Simmons with shooters like Seth Curry and Danny Green is the best way to avoid floor-spacing issues.
I still have at least a couple teams ahead of them in the East, but there's no reason why the Sixers shouldn't win at least one playoff series.
Arthur
11:08
What are the odds of Giannis staying in Milwaukee if he doesn't accept the super-max offer?
Luke Adams
11:09
There will be a temptation to start plugging Giannis into Trade Machine proposals if he passes on the Bucks' super-max offer this month. But unless he explicitly requests a trade, I don't think it changes much for Milwaukee right away.
11:10
The Bucks can still offer him the super-max during the 2021 offseason. It makes sense to play out the year with him and try to re-sign him at that point. If they're able to win the 2021 championship (or even just make the Finals), they'd be able to make a much stronger case that he can win long-term in Milwaukee.
TC
11:10
joakim Noah to the bulls before he retires?
Luke Adams
11:12
Since Noah's agent was the one talking about his probable retirement, I'd be surprised if Noah is seriously looking to continue his career at this point (if he wanted to keep playing, his agent wouldn't be saying the word "retirement" publicly). But a one-day contract to retire as a Bull seems like a given. Maybe he even joins Billy Donovan's coaching staff at some point.
Rubio Reunion
11:12
As a former Wolves season ticket holder (don't laugh!) who recently moved back to Minnesota after several years away, I've lost touch with the team a bit. How does the reacquisition of Rubio impact the backcourt? Is the plan for Rubio to be the primary PG? Will they add a second option -- maybe a combo guard to complement both him and D'Lo?
Luke Adams
11:15
Playing Rubio and D'Lo together shouldn't be an issue. We're seeing more and more teams have success with backcourts made up of multiple point guards (think Lowry/VanVleet in Toronto, CP3/SGA/Schroder last year in OKC).
11:16
I think Minnesota's major offseason moves are probably done, but Anthony Edwards looks like that third guard who can share ball-handling duties with Rubio and D'Lo and play beside either one of them.
Kristaps Knees
11:16
What mid season trades do you foresee changing the NBA landscape?
Luke Adams
11:17
This question came in a couple days ago, at which point I would've mentioned Westbrook or Wall -- those are two big options off the table!
11:18
Usually we see star-caliber players traded during the offseason rather than during the season, since it can be hard to incorporate that kind of player mid-stream. But if a team like the Rockets or Pacers gets off to a bad start or have chemistry issues, I wouldn't be shocked to see Harden and/or Oladipo trade rumors regain some steam before the deadline.
A Wiseman Once Said
11:18
Who will be the best player from the 2020 draft and why is it Obi Toppin?
Luke Adams
11:19
Toppin actually might be my pick for Rookie of the Year. He'll have an opportunity to play a major role right away, and at age 22, he's better positioned than most incoming rookies to adjust to the NBA quickly.
11:20
I think we'll see a lot of this year's rookies be slowly integrated into their teams' rotations -- without Summer League and with a shortened offseason, there's just not that much time to get them up to speed.
11:21
As for the best long-term player from this year's draft... I like the floors for guys like Toppin, Tyrese Haliburton, and Devin Vassell. But I have a really hard time determining whose ceiling is highest and who has the best chance of reaching it.
11:22
I'll say Onyeka Okongwu, but I don't feel great about it.
Fred Van Fleek
11:22
How good can OG Anunoby be? Is he a difference maker for Toronto this season?
Luke Adams
11:24
He can handle the ball a little, but Anunoby probably isn't going to be creating his own shots or putting up 30-point nights too often, so that limits his upside. But in his three-and-D role, he definitely still has room to get even better.
11:25
I don't think it's unreasonable to expect him to develop into a perennial All-Defense candidate who reliably makes 37-40% of his threes, which is really valuable.
Lakerball
11:25
Are you surprised that AD decided to stay in LA? What does that mean for the west?
Luke Adams
11:26
No surprise that Davis stuck with the Lakers -- Kawhi leaving a team after winning a title was an exception to the rule, not the start of a new trend. I have to admit I'm a little surprised by the contract AD agreed to though.
11:27
Signing for five years instead of taking a short-term deal might cost him a little money in the long run, but it's hard to blame anyone for locking in that kind of guaranteed money. Besides, if making sure he earned every last dollar he could was AD's priority, he would've stayed with the Pelicans and signed the super-max extension he was eligible for prior to the trade.
JR
11:27
Who should be the Celtics top target with the Hayward trade exception?
Luke Adams
11:29
The Celtics' newly-created trade exception allows them to take back up to $28.6MM in salary. That takes popular hypothetical trade targets like Brad Beal ($28.75MM) and Andre Drummond ($28.75MM) out of the equation.
It's also worth noting that because of Boston's hard cap in 2020/21, they won't be able to use that entire TPE during the season without sending out some salary.
11:31
I think it's probably too early to identify specific targets, since we don't know yet who might become available by this season's deadline or the 2021 offseason. I will say I wouldn't count on Danny Ainge being too aggressive with it during the 2020/21 season. It's probably more valuable an asset next offseason, when more players could be on the move and sign-and-trades are a possibility again.
DG
11:31
Can you make any sense of what the Pistons did in the last few weeks?
Luke Adams
11:33
Honestly, not really. I'm higher than most on Mason Plumlee and even I was surprised by the deal he got from Detroit. Ditto for Jerami Grant. Troy Weaver clearly had a specific plan in mind and executed it without concern about how it would be received, but it's not what I would have expected.
11:34
Weaver's a smart guy though and he's definitely done his homework thoroughly on the four players he drafted -- I'll bet at least one or two of them turn into really good pros.
Arthur
11:34
Who do you think is a better fit, John Wall in Houston or Russell Westbrook in Washington?
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