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Hoops Rumors Live Chat: 10/20/2025
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Luke Adams
1:00
Thanks for all the early questions, guys! Let's jump right in...
Kevin Houston
1:00
Over/Under on rookie extensions today? I say 4 get done. Braun, Eason and two random ones.
Luke Adams
1:02
I can't decide whether the over/under should be set at 2.5 or 3.5, which probably means I'm expecting 3. Eason and Braun are good bets. I wouldn't be shocked if Daniels and the Hawks work something out, or if one of the Pistons guys (more likely Duren than Ivey) signs. I wouldn't even be that surprised if Sochan and the Spurs get something done, since San Antonio extends guys more often than not, though I don't really think he's earned it yet.
Guest
1:02
With G-League training camp starting soon, is there a limit to the amount of players that can be on a G-League training camp roster?
Luke Adams
1:03
Not sure if the new G League CBA changed anything, but I believe the previous limit was 15 (not counting players on two-way contracts or those on assignment from the NBA team).
ChicagoTimberSpurs
1:03
Who's the Bulls starting 5 on opening night with Coby White injured?
Luke Adams
1:04
Josh Giddey, Matas Buzelis, and Nikola Vucevic seem locked in. Sounds like Isaac Okoro will probably start too. I'd probably put Ayo Dosunmu in the fifth spot and bring Tre Jones off the bench as the third guard.
Trader Bob
1:05
True or False? Tari Eason deserves a decent contract extension, but he is Prime Grade A 100% guaranteed trade bait.
Luke Adams
1:07
I like Eason as a player and think it would make sense to lock him up if the price is in the neighborhood of $20MM per year. I suppose he could be a trade chip on that deal, but I don't think they'd be signing him just to trade him (like it sort of felt as if they were doing with Jalen Green last year). I could see him stepping into the Dillon Brooks role and thriving in it, especially if he can bump his 3PT% a little -- the Rockets will need floor spacers around guys like Sengun, Amen, and Jabari Smith.
Sam
1:07
What would you say the chances of a mid-season Kuminga trade are? It seems likely, but he only becomes trade eligible mid January, which leaves the Warriors with a slim window between then and the February trade deadline.
Luke Adams
1:09
Eh, there aren't many trades that happen between now and January 15 anyway -- usually no more than 3-4 in a given year. So I don't think it matters much that they'll only have a few weeks to trade him. If they decide they want to do it, they really only need one day, since it's not like they can't talk to teams about him before he becomes trade-eligible.

As for the odds of a midseason trade involving Kuminga, I don't think it's a mortal lock, but I'd definitely put it well north of 50% at this point. If they figure out how they want to use him over the next couple months and he and the team are both thriving, that number will drop, but we haven't seen proof yet that that's likely to happen.
False Nuggets
1:09
I think there is a good chance the Nuggets take a step back this season (big roster changes) and barely avoid the play-in. Would you be shocked if Denver finished 6th or 7th in another loaded Western Conference.
Luke Adams
1:11
I expect them to be better than that if they stay healthy, but there are enough good teams in the West that it wouldn't be shocking. With the exception of OKC, you could tell me that any potential contender in the West ends up 6th or 7th and I'd buy it. Two games separated the 3rd and 8th seeds last season, so there's not much margin for error.
ChicagoTimberSpurs
1:12
Which player are you most surprised at not having signed with a team yet?
Luke Adams
1:13
I dunno if he's just not ready to sign yet or if he still thinks he can get more than the minimum, but I thought Ben Simmons would be on a roster by this point. Seemed like he'd be a worthwhile roll of the dice for a few teams at the vet minimum.
Booker
1:14
With how bad the suns organization has been, I wonder if Booker would be willing to give up on becoming a one-franchise player for a shot at a title. Seeing how well he played alongside curry in the Olympics I would love to see him in a Warriors uniform. Do you see any path to that happening in the middle of this season?
Luke Adams
1:17
Hard to envision it happening that quickly. He just signed an extension this summer, and I actually think he might enjoy being "the guy" in Phoenix again, even if the team isn't that great right now -- I don't expect them to be much worse than last season's 36-46 record, and the vibes might be better.

It's definitely a situation to keep an eye on over the next couple years, but he's got four guaranteed years and a player option left. Just feels too soon for that situation to come to a head.
SirkoSobaka
1:17
Will Mathurin be Kuminga 2.0?
Luke Adams
1:19
Lot of similarities for sure -- both gifted scorers who are being asked to fit into a specific role and system for the good of a veteran team.

Of course, with Haliburton out for the season, the Pacers might be OK with Mathurin being more "himself" this season. On the other hand, I think they're in a weaker position to lock him up long term than the Warriors were with Kuminga, since that ownership group doesn't want to be in the tax. I'm curious to see what happens there.
Kim
1:19
Good afternoon. I’m seeing that Dyson Daniels, Hawks guard is wanting $150 mill but the Hawks are supposedly offering less than $120 million for 5 years. I really like him, do you think they will agree somewhere in the middle? And if not, he will be traded or become a restricted free agent? The Hawks had a pattern of giving away money now they are doing the opposite. Your opinion on what could happen here? Thanks!
Luke Adams
1:22
Hard to get a read on the Hawks' new front office yet. They seem reluctant to hand out extensions to anyone before the season -- sounds like Young and Porzingis will have to wait as well.

If I were them, I'd definitely be willing to meet Daniels in the middle. Five years and $135MM seems fair for an elite defender whose offensive game is coming along pretty well. The Wolves gave Jaden McDaniels something like $131MM over five seasons a couple years ago, and I'm not sure he's better than Daniels. A $135MM deal that starts a couple seasons later would be worth a smaller percentage of the cap going forward than that McDaniels extension.
Having said that, I wouldn't blame Daniels' camp if they hold out for $150MM+. If he has another season like last year, I think he could get that next summer.
Edwill
1:23
Do you think teams are now being very careful on who they give an extension too. Are the apron and tax penalties is also why they don’t want to overpay some players
Luke Adams
1:25
I'm still not entirely sold on the extent to which the new apron rules have curbed spending. Historically, even without those apron rules, there weren't a ton of teams from year to year who were willing to spend way into tax territory.

I will say that it certainly feels like there are more smart front offices around the league now than ever before. There aren't a ton of really terrible contracts on the books anymore, and a lot of the worst ones only look bad because of injuries, not because a front office overspent on the wrong player.
Kevin in Houston
1:26
is there a team that decides to tank this year that no one expects? We know some teams won’t - like NOP and Phoenix because they don’t control their pick, but who will tank that no one expects? I think Memphis in the West and Miami in the East are my top picks to unexpectedly tank
Luke Adams
1:30
Memphis is a good guess, especially if the injury bug hits them as badly as it did a couple years ago -- they're already off to a pretty ominous start in that department.

Boston and Indiana come to mind, though Joe Mazzulla is probably too competitive to get on board, and the Pacers seem philosophically opposed to tanking.

I feel like this always just comes down to health. Like, the Pelicans and Sixers didn't plan to tank last year, but their stars played so little that it ended up making sense.
Tao~of~Hoop
1:30
Hi Luke!  What did you think of the Bucks roster moves to keep Coffey and Jackson?  Do you think Livingston and Smith  can be viable players though they haven't shown much?  Anyone pop for you in their preseason?  Cole Anthony has impressed me.
Luke Adams
1:33
I liked what the Bucks did, with the exception of re-signing Livingston to a guaranteed contract in the first place. That was a surprise at the time and seems even more unnecessary in retrospect. Not overly bullish on him or Smith becoming a rotation player going forward, whereas Coffey has shown he can be one and Jackson has been decent in limited minutes.

I don't hate the Bucks' roster at all but they really need to get more out of Kyle Kuzma than they did during the second half last season. If Kuzma bounces back and they can cobble together a starting PG caliber player out of the Anthony/Porter/Rollins group, they should be pretty competitive.
1:34
Shams just reported that Christian Braun and the Nuggets have agreed to a five-year, $125MM deal, so there's our first rookie scale extension of the day!
DJ Clutch
1:34
Which team will LEAST resemble the current version of itself after the trade deadline and a chunk of season?
No logic is off the table - injuries, trades, improvement, regression, Kardashian Konflict.
Luke Adams
1:35
The Kings are the first team that comes to mind. I'm really not high on the roster they've put together and was surprised the new GM didn't make more changes during his first summer on the job -- if they don't play well in the first half, I think those changes are coming sooner rather than later.
Saboner
1:35
Has Domantas already played his last game with the Kings?
Luke Adams
1:36
I'm not willing to go THAT far, and I think it's more likely than not that he finishes the season in Sacramento. But I won't be surprised at all if we get our first real round of Sabonis trade rumors this winter.
Tis the season
1:36
How long do you see Porter Jr., Thomas, and Claxton staying on the roster over time? Also what kind of potential do you see in their five rookies (I’ve seen many different opinions on how good they can actually be)?
Luke Adams
1:41
Would expect Thomas to be elsewhere by the start of next season, maybe earlier. I don't think they'll be that attached to MPJ, but his contract will make him hard to move, so he could end up playing it out in Brooklyn.

Claxton is the hardest one to get a read on. His deal is reasonable and it runs for another three years, but will the Nets even be ready to contend by then? Could definitely see him emerging as a trade candidate at this season's deadline.

I'm not sure there's a future All-Star among those five rookies, but I'm fascinated to see how the experiment goes. Will be interesting to see who emerges and who might get lost in the shuffle this year. Wolf is intriguing to me and feels like the one with the best chance to return strong value based on his draft position.
MBeasy
1:41
Will Malik Beasley play this season? Any prediction where?
Luke Adams
1:43
All depends on the timing of the FBI investigation and concurrent NBA probe. If he's cleared, I don't expect it will take him long to sign -- Detroit and Cleveland look to me like the most likely landing spots for him.
SirkoSobaka
1:43
KD signed for 2y/$90m instead of 2y/$119m. Do you think the amount was more or less agreed before the trade, or they worked out the money after he got there? Do you see it as a big win and a power move by Houston's FO? Fox didn't take a discount on his extension with San Antonio.
Luke Adams
1:46
I imagine he knew at the time of the trade that they weren't going to do the max, but they probably didn't work out the specifics until quite a bit later. No reason to put it off until now if they knew the numbers months ago.

The main difference between Houston and San Antonio was that the Spurs had a pretty clean cap sheet going forward, whereas the Rockets could say "We've already locked up Sengun and we need to maintain the flexibility to pay Thompson and Eason too." So there was a specific reason why it made sense for Durant to accept a discount.
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