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Hoops Rumors Live Chat: 1/19/2026
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Luke Adams
1:02
Thanks for the early questions, guys! Just sorting through them and will get underway in a minute.
Ishbia
1:03
Do the Suns make a trade or do they stand pat? They have trade pieces but do they not mess with their chemistry? They have needs but if filled they are at best 6th seed.
Luke Adams
1:05
I expect the Suns to do something, even if it's something minor that gets them out of luxury tax territory (they're just barely over the tax line right now).

I don't really see them as a team looking to make win-now moves though. This season has gone better than expected, but they still lack future draft assets and aren't just one piece away from being a championship-caliber team. Ducking the tax and keeping an eye out for players who might be able to help them beyond the season will probably be their top priorities.
GrizzliesFan901
1:06
Do you think the game in London and Morant's comments about loyalty and the logo tattoo mean that things have changed in terms of a trade?
Luke Adams
1:10
That was interesting. Having watched Bobby Marks discuss the situation a couple days earlier, I couldn't help but notice that the comments Morant made were exactly what Marks said he'd advise Ja to say if he were representing him. Basically, Marks' point was that if Morant comes out and says he wants to be with the Grizzlies for life, it sort of takes the scrutiny off him and puts it back on the team, which now looks like the "bad guy" in the situation for trying to trade him when he's publicly said he doesn't want to be moved.

From the Grizzlies' perspective, Morant's on-court performance was a positive -- more games like that should only boost his stock and increase the likelihood of them getting the sort of offer they want for him. I fully expect they'll keep listening to inquiries leading up to Feb. 5, but won't move him for pennies on the dollar. They want something real in return.
R.B.
1:11
I remember the criticism when Joe Dumars traded away that unprotected draft pick to move up and select Derik Queen. So how "bad" is that decision looking now that Queen is playing so well and it looks like his two rookies have a great long-term future? Dumars obviously saw something that a lot of NBA analysts didn't.
Luke Adams
1:15
I think it's important to note that the criticism of that deal wasn't that Queen wasn't worth drafting or moving up for -- it was that it shouldn't have taken an unprotected "most favorable" pick coming from two potential non-playoff teams to get the deal done.

If Queen turns into an All-Star caliber player and the Pelicans/Bucks pick ends up at No. 7 or something, the trade could end up working out pretty well for New Orleans. But that would be a case of evaluating the result rather than the process.
Michael
1:15
Who's got a brighter future, Benn Mathurin or Andrew Nembhard.  I would keep Benn and trade Andrew..
Luke Adams
1:17
I'll take Nembhard. I don't dislike Mathurin, who could easily become a 20 PPG scorer, but Nembhard is a better defender and has a more varied skill set in general. Easier for me to picture him in a team's closing lineup in a playoff series.
All-Stars
1:17
Who are your picks for the All-Star reserves after seeing the starters?
Luke Adams
1:18
Will need a couple minutes to make sure I'm not missing anyone here. In the meantime, here are the just-announced starters for the East and West:

East:
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Jaylen Brown
Jalen Brunson
Cade Cunningham
Tyrese Maxey

West:
Stephen Curry
Luka Doncic
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Nikola Jokic
Victor Wembanyama
1:22
In the East, I'd probably take Donovan Mitchell, Jalen Johnson, Scottie Barnes, Pascal Siakam, Norm Powell, and Jalen Duren.

Would need to think a little more about the 12th spot. Michael Porter Jr. is a strong candidate, though he's missed some time.
1:24
In the West, I like Anthony Edwards, Kevin Durant, and Jamal Murray for sure. Probably Deni Avdija. Chet Holmgren. Devin Booker.

Again, 12th spot would require some extra thought. Kawhi has been awesome but maybe hasn't played enough. Alperen Sengun is a good candidate. Would need to take a deeper dive to be confident about my pick.
Bob
1:24
Do you think the Raptors do anything at the trade deadline? They have movable salaries and are playing pretty well so far. Dark horse for Morant?
Luke Adams
1:27
By all accounts, it sounds like they're open to doing something pretty big. They've been linked to Anthony Davis, Domantas Sabonis, Ja Morant, and (before the Wizards trade) Trae Young, among others.

I think one key reason why Toronto is in the market for a high-priced impact player like that is because it would give the team an opportunity to move off Immanuel Quickley's contract, which looks like a potential albatross. But conversely, a potential trade partner would be seeking extra draft compensation for taking on that sort of long-term salary.

It'll come down to asking price, but if there's an opportunity to buy a little low on a player with All-Star level talent, I expect the Raptors to be all over it, like they were a year ago with Ingram.
Dan
1:27
Isn't Julius Randle an all-star?
Luke Adams
1:31
He's definitely in the conversation for that 12th spot too and I think you could make a good case for him. His durability is a point in his favor. He hasn't been better than someone like Kawhi on a per-game basis, but those extra 13 appearances are valuable.
Bulls fan
1:31
What kind of moves do you expect Chicago to make during the trade deadline?  Will they move Coby White?  Will they bring in jonathan Kuminga?  I hear that Patrick Williams maybe hard to trade due to his contact?
Luke Adams
1:34
Yeah, Williams is a negative asset right now and I don't think it makes much sense for the Bulls to trade him at this point. It's not like they need the cap flexibility -- half their roster is on expiring contracts, so they'll have plenty of cap room this summer as is.

As for White, he's a tricky trade candidate because he's battled injuries this season, is on an expiring deal, and is unlikely to sign an extension before reaching unrestricted free agency. If the Bulls can get a first-round pick for him, I think they should strongly consider it, but it's hard to get a first-rounder for anyone on an expiring contract unless it's a star-level player.

Wouldn't make Kuminga a priority if I were the Bulls, but if the price is low enough and he ends up falling into their laps in a multi-team scenario, sure, he's worth a flier.

Dosunmu is probably the most interesting trade candidate on that roster, but it sounds like the Bulls would prefer to keep him and extend him if they can.
Desmond
1:34
Where do you come out as far as spurs needing to use the Barnes and or Olynyk contracts in trade to not lose those salary slots or should they lose salary slots knowing they are soon to become a high payroll team soon ?
Luke Adams
1:38
Don't think keeping those salary slots is all that important for the Spurs. That's a greater priority for a team that has already has 2-3 maximum-salary players, since it's harder for that team to add talent around its highest-paid guys. The Spurs should have plenty of avenues to pursue upgrades in the offseason, including using the full mid-level exception and taking back more salary than they send out in trades.

IF keeping the salary slot is an important consideration but there's no decent deals out there this winter, they could always bring one or both of those players back on short-term contracts to maintain them as expiring or pseudo-expiring trade chips in 2026/27.
Dunleavy
1:38
what’s the hold up with the kuminga trade? i would have thought, the quicker, the better.
Luke Adams
1:40
I touched on this last week -- "the quicker, the better" is certainly the thinking from the Warriors' side, since they'd love to swap Kuminga for someone who will actually be part of the rotation.

But their potential trade partners would likely only move this early if they don't think a more favorable deal will surface by Feb. 5. For the most part, those potential trade partners aren't in any rush and would prefer to wait out the market to make sure they don't miss out on a better opportunity in a couple weeks.
Hal
1:40
What do you do if you are the heat?  Trade Wiggins? Powell? Herro?  Wait till the summer to see on Giannis? Sign Powell to ext?
Luke Adams
1:45
I'm not overly bullish on the current Heat roster, so I'd certainly be open to listening to offers on Wiggins, Powell, and Herro to see what teams are willing to offer. I think there's probably a way to trade one or more of those guys and still be in position to make a play for Giannis in the summer (or down the road), especially if they're able to take back players on expiring or short-term contracts.

As much as I like Powell, I'd be wary of committing too much money or too many years to a guy who has dealt with a bunch of nagging injuries this season and will be 33 by this summer. Anything more than two guaranteed years feels a little risky to me.
ATL
1:45
Is Quin Snyder on the hot seat?  Hawks have had injuries to deal with but feels like this team has underachieved.  He can't keep his job if they lose in the play in, again - right??
Luke Adams
1:49
He certainly deserves some scrutiny -- if the Hawks don't turn things around in the second half, this'll be his third straight losing season (he was also under .500 in his half-season after taking over from Nate McMillan in 2022/23). And new GM Onsi Saleh wasn't the one who hired Snyder, so maybe he'll want the opportunity to bring in his own choice.

On the other hand, there have been no indications to this point that Snyder is on the hot seat, and you could argue that the Trae Young situation and pivoting to building around the younger core are the reasons why Atlanta has fallen short of expectations so far.

We'll see how the second half goes, but it wouldn't shock me if the Hawks make a change this spring.
Bob
1:49
MPJ is only “missing time” for load (tanking) management. He should definitely be on the AS roster.
Luke Adams
1:50
I agree that it feels unfair to punish the player for the team's decision to rest him. I do think games played totals matter, but maybe more so for end-of-season awards than All-Star nods.
Bargzzz
1:51
My Knicks have been no fun lately. Seems KAT is wearing out his welcome. Maybe Milwaukee makes one more desperate move?
Luke Adams
1:53
Is the thinking here a Giannis deal centered around KAT? Or would they be getting KAT to supplement Giannis? I can't see the Bucks being interested in the former. The latter is more interesting from Milwaukee's perspective, but I'm skeptical about the Knicks' interest in taking a package headlined by Kyle Kuzma and a struggling Myles Turner.
Wolves missing PG
1:53
If Finch isn't going to play Dillingham any meaningful minutes wouldn't make more sense to send him down to the G league so he can get some playing time and experience?
Luke Adams
1:56
There's value for a young guy like that in being around the NBA team as much as possible, and there's also some politics/PR factors to consider if you want to assign a top-10 draft pick (whom you spent a lot to get) to the G League.

But from a developmental perspective, it probably wouldn't be a bad idea. Dominating at that level could get his confidence up and help him build some momentum for when he's recalled to the NBA.
Keith
1:56
chances that Giannis finishes the season in Milwaukee?
Luke Adams
1:58
Hmm, maybe 80/20? I still don't think it's impossible that Giannis conveys to the Bucks before the deadline that he'd be open to a move, but we're running out of time for that to happen -- and even if it does, a trade of that magnitude would be a lot easier to figure out in the summer.
Anthony Edwards Hype Machine
1:58
Warriors have won 5 out of the last 6 to climb to 24-19. Something change or just an easy part of the schedule?
Luke Adams
2:01
The schedule has definitely been more favorable -- they lucked out by getting the Blazers without Avdija and the Knicks without Brunson.

But I do think there have been some encouraging signs during this stretch too. Melton's really rounding into form and is an underrated role player (his +/- numbers with Golden State since he first joined the team in 2024 are wild), and Horford is looking more like the player the Warriors thought they were getting.
Bob
2:01
Zubac to the Celts feels like a very Celtics move. Do you think the Clips are open to a deal like that.. maybe Simons plus the Cs 26 FRP plus a future pick or swap. Maybe the Nets facilitate by taking Bogdanovic back.  Clippers are definitely going to be active and the Celts probably see an opportunity in the EC they weren’t expecting and could push chips in.
Luke Adams
2:04
The Clips have won 12 of their last 14 games and seem to have renewed confidence in their chances to make the playoffs, so I doubt they'd consider moving Zubac unless they're absolutely blown away by the offer. Simons, a first-rounder, and one more pick/swap wouldn't be enough to qualify. It might take three first-rounders for L.A. to seriously consider it. Zubac is really good and on a very team-friendly contract.
Thanks for the questions today, guys! Enjoy the afternoon basketball today, and have a great week. We'll do this again next Monday.
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