Hoops Rumors Live Chat: 10/14/2026
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Luke Adams
1:05
Hey guys! Apologies for the late start -- had to do some housekeeping re: the Clippers waiving Cam Christie.
Plenty of questions already in the queue. Keep 'em coming and I'll get to as many as I can!
Lonnie Walker IV
1:05
Why was I cut? I'm exactly what Denver needs off the bench
Luke Adams
1:07
If the Nuggets were operating below the tax line, they probably would've been happy to keep you in that 15th roster spot to open the season. But they're the only NBA team operating over the second apron, so carrying a full 15-man roster doesn't really make sense for them right now, and 14 other guys have guaranteed deals.

I'd need more time to do the exact math, but hanging onto you would've cost the Nuggets exponentially more in tax penalties beyond your minimum salary.
Caris LeVert
1:07
Chances I make Milwaukee's roster? If not me, then who's the 2 cuts?
Luke Adams
1:09
I've thought for a while that you and Pete Nance would be the two odd men out in Milwaukee. Can't say the preseason has made me change my mind so far, given that you've gone 0-of-5 from the floor with five turnovers in 29 minutes. Not great!
Sixersfan
1:10
If Joel Embiid plays fewer than 60 games during the regular season, do you see the Sixers being stuck in the play-in tourney?
Luke Adams
1:12
Depends how far below 60 we're talking. If he plays 50-55 games, I think the Sixers will be just fine. They nearly avoided the play-in last season with Embiid playing 38 games, and there's more talent on the roster this year.

On the other hand, the East is gonna be really competitive this season, so there will be at least a couple teams with championship aspirations who unexpectedly find themselves in the 7/8 spots. I'd be surprised if the 76ers are one of them, but we'll see how long it takes them to mesh. To me, the chemistry issue could be an even bigger wild-card factor than Embiid's health.
stanley
1:12
I'd like to believe the Knicks are high on retaining both Wiseman and Bruce Brown, so Dadiet would have to be shipped out. Who do you see as potential suitors for a salary dump trade?
Luke Adams
1:14
Generally, the teams with the lowest payrolls are the best bets to accommodate salary dumps, so I'd keep an eye on the likes of Brooklyn, Memphis, Chicago, Charlotte, and Utah.

But Dadiet's salary is modest enough that any team with a little breathing room below the tax line could accommodate it. Milwaukee, Dallas, Washington, Portland, and Detroit are some others who would work.
Chris D
1:15
Ive seen a lot of Wizards fans excited by the play of DeAndre Ayton in preseason. It seems like he has been ridden out of town in each stop at Phoenix, Portland, and the Lakers. I get that he's on an $8 mil expiring deal so no real risk to the Wiz. What is your read on him and how do you think he's perceived broadly in the NBA?
Luke Adams
1:19
He's the type of center who was probably better suited for the NBA 20 or 30 years ago than he is today's game. If a team were to run its offense through him, he'd be an automatic 20/10 guy, but no teams these days are running their offenses through a center who isn't a great play-maker, so Ayton's teams would rather have him focus on other areas besides scoring (rebounding, screen-setting, defense, etc.). He can still be effective if he buys into that sort of role, but getting that buy-in was a bit of a struggle last year with the Lakers and never really happened before that.
sam
1:19
Last chat before the regular season, so my last chat of the year. So, which GMs do you think may be on the hot seat? Rob Pelinka’s name has come up a lot after the Lakers’ offseason signings and change in ownership. But do you think there are other hot seat candidates that aren’t getting talked about?
Luke Adams
1:22
Pelinka is definitely the first one that comes to mind. There are some long-tenured guys like Sean Marks (Nets), Jeff Weltman (Magic), and Jon Horst (Bucks) that I wonder about, though they all seem pretty well-liked by their respective ownership groups.

Joe Cronin is worth keeping an eye on with the new owner in Portland.

Lawrence Frank is another interesting one, though maybe what the Clippers went through this year actually brought him and Ballmer closer rather than being a black mark against him.
Shocker
1:22
It feels like Cleveland has a fair bit of variance due to most of their money being tied up in two imperfect and aging players. What do you think the floor and ceiling is for this team?
Luke Adams
1:25
I like their floor more than their ceiling. I suppose if everything breaks right, they have a chance to come out of the East, but I'm a bit worried about their depth behind the starting five, and Harden hasn't exactly been a playoff riser over the course of his career.

While I don't think any Eastern Conference team should necessarily be considered a top-six lock this season, Cleveland is probably one of the better bets. They should be a very good regular season team and I'd be shocked if they don't make the playoffs. But they're definitely not a lock to get to the second round.
CAHILL201
1:25
who will get the most minutes of the warriors centers?  KP, Horford, or Bassey?  My bet is Bassey since the other 2 are always hurt.
Luke Adams
1:26
I'll say Horford. I think he'll be more available than Porzingis, and I'm not sure how heavily Bassey will be used even when the older guys are out. It seems like Kerr might be comfortable rolling with Draymond/Yaxel as a 4/5 combo.
GrizzMan
1:26
If you’re the Grizz front office, how hard do you push this team to win? 29.5 seems like a high number of wins…
Luke Adams
1:28
I don't think I'm gonna be pursuing in-season moves to upgrade the roster in the short term unless they really exceed expectations, but there's no reason to hold back or tank, given the new lottery rules.

While the Grizzlies lack veteran star-power, I do like how deep their roster is. Once they officially set their 15-man roster, I think almost everyone they have under contract will be a candidate for rotation minutes (with the possible exception of Karim Lopez, who I expect will see plenty of G League time in Nov/Dec.)
Trayce Jackson-Davis
1:29
Does Toronto not trust me as the third big enough that they needed to sign Trey Jemison and Jamarion Sharp to 2 way deals?
Luke Adams
1:30
Well, Trey Jemison just got waived, and Sharp isn't actually on a two-way deal yet -- only competing for one. I wouldn't read too much into it if I were you.
Stew
1:30
Best player not on an NBA contract right now is?
Luke Adams
1:33
Fun question! My mind immediately goes to a free agent like a Cam Thomas or Lonnie Walker, but I think there are probably better options in other leagues, including the EuroLeague. Or maybe it's a top 2027 prospect like a Tyran Stokes?

Think my pick might actually be Russell Westbrook, who retired this summer. He was pretty productive as an NBA regular last year!
Edwill
1:34
how long do you think the knicks window of being title contenders will last. With the kat extension issue plus Josh hart and McBride also wanting extensions plus there core group of  players are getting older it looks like there title contender window might not be long.
Luke Adams
1:36
I don't love how they're handling their cap situation, but as long as things don't go totally south with Towns and he's still on the roster in a year, there's no reason to think their window shouldn't be open for at least a couple more years. They'll probably lose McBride next summer (or earlier), but with Alvarado and Shamet they have enough backcourt depth to withstand that.
Lukas Adam
1:37
Best player on a 2-way contract right now?
Luke Adams
1:40
I was surprised that Jamir Watkins ended up back on a two-way deal with Washington. Chaney Johnson with the Nets is making a strong case for a promotion. And Denver (Cam Whitmore, Ryan Nembhard) and Philadelphia (Caleb Love, Rayan Rupert) both have multiple contenders.

I bet 15-20 of the guys currently on two-way deals will end up on standard contracts before the season is over.
Tao of Hoop
1:40
Who will be the best player to get cut before the regular season starts?  And who will pick him up?
Luke Adams
1:43
If the Knicks don't make a trade, it seems like they'll probably end up cutting Bruce Brown, which would mean any team with an open 15-man roster spot and enough room below their hard cap could claim him off waivers and have him on a non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract with a Jan. 7 guarantee date.

Assuming Brown is waived, there should be multiple teams with interest. Could see the Kings or Jazz making a claim.
CJ McCollum
1:43
After getting rid of Devin Carter and Ryan Nembhard, is there enough ball handling? Me, Nickeil, Dyson, and Kingston.
Luke Adams
1:44
I think so. Jalen Johnson will have the ball in his hands a lot too, and two of the Hawks' two-way players are guards who can handle the ball if needed (RayJ Dennis, Keshon Gilbert).
Dalton Knecht
1:44
Assuming I'm waived, would I have any interest around the league?
Luke Adams
1:45
As a two-way contract guy, potentially. Think you'd have some work to do to earn another 15-man roster spot.
Tao of Hoop
1:45
Thanks !  If Brown is waived, does that mean that Wiseman made it.
He looks like he has
Luke Adams
1:46
It certainly seems like the Knicks plan to keep one of the centers, which is why I expect Brown not to make it (again, barring a trade). Might give Wiseman the slight edge for now, but I'm not even sure the Knicks know for sure yet whether it'll be him, Eubanks, or Bradley.
Ja Morant
1:47
Me, Dame, Scoot, Jrue. 2 will start, 2 will not. What's gonna happen?
Luke Adams
1:50
It certainly seems like the tentative plan for now is to have Morant and Lillard start together. I remain skeptical about how that will work. It just seems like having Holiday start alongside one of those two guys and the other run the second unit makes the lineup much more balanced, and that would be an easy change to make once the Blazers hit their first rut of the fall.

Wouldn't shock me if Ja and Dame open the season as starters and we get a story in early November about Morant accepting a sixth-man role for the sake of the team.
Sean Marks
1:50
Would a Clowney for McBride and Dadiet deal make any sense?
Luke Adams
1:51
I don't think Clowney brings enough to the table to make it worthwhile for the Knicks, especially given the financial implications (his $5.4MM salary would make it even trickier to stay under the second apron all season).
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