Hoops Rumors Live Chat: 10/8/26
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ARTHUR HILL
11:01
Welcome to this week's chat. We'll start with a question on a potential Knicks-Pistons deal.
Thigmus
11:01
Does a Duren for Towns trade make sense at some point?
ARTHUR HILL
11:10
If Duren is unhappy in Detroit and Towns can't get a satisfactory offer from the Knicks, there's a case to be made for swapping the two centers. Duren would provide New York with high-level rebounding and rim protection at an average annual value of $40MM over the next five years, which is far less than the team would have to pay Towns in his next contract. The Knicks can surround Duren with plenty of offense and still remain a title contender. Cade Cunningham is the Pistons' only major contract right now, so they're in a better position to pay big money for Towns than the Knicks are. KAT gives them a reliable scorer to team with Cunningham and makes Detroit's offense much more potent than it is now. It's a trade that's not currently on the radar, but there are benefits for both teams if New York won't give Towns what he wants.
JD
11:10
Do the 76ers need to do something sooner rather than later to add more size at center or can they afford to wait and see?
ARTHUR HILL
11:16
As long as Joel Embiid stays relatively healthy, the Sixers can afford to experiment with their current roster. Adem Bona is still around, and coach Nick Nurse talked about using Dominick Barlow, Jabari Walker, Dean Wade and even LeBron James as small-ball fives. With a long season ahead, there will be ample time to find out if some combination of those players can handle the center minutes. I'd be afraid to go into the playoffs with that group, though, so Philadelphia will need to find an experienced backup big man at some point. There should be plenty of affordable options on the market by the trade deadline.
Cale
11:17
Should Dylan Harper be starting on opening night for the Spurs?
ARTHUR HILL
11:25
Harper is almost unanimously viewed as a future star, and he likely would have been a strong contender in the Rookie of the Year race if he had gone to another team. He's overqualified for the backup role that the Spurs are using him in now, and it's eventually going to become an issue if he's not moved into the starting lineup. De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle are both starter-level players as well, so the easiest solution is to start three guards and let them figure it out. That trio wasn't really effective in the minutes they played together last season, but San Antonio has enough talent to surround them until they become better. The Spurs were extremely lucky to land Harper in last year's draft, but that good fortune also meant that Fox's days as the starting point guard are numbered. There's no urgency to trade him just yet, but it's time to start easing Harper into the position that's eventually going to belong to him.
theBigLip
11:26
Who is the first player you expect to be traded this season?
ARTHUR HILL
11:35
A lot depends on how their teams perform early on, which affects the urgency to make a move, but there are a few names to watch when the unofficial trade season begins on December 15. Anthony Davis still doesn't have an extension, and the Wizards aren't in a hurry to give him one after spending big on Trae Young. If the team doesn't improve significantly, there's no reason to hang onto Davis. I think the Suns would be happy to unload Jalen Green, who was injured for most of last season and doesn't really fit their new style of play. Domantas Sabonis is available for any team that needs a center, and the Clippers may want to part with Brandon Ingram if this season goes badly. I think we'll see an active trade deadline, but to answer your question, I'd pick Davis as the most likely major talent to be moved early.
Quinten Post
11:35
With Porzingis out indefinitely, should the Warriors have matched Memphis' offer sheet for me?
ARTHUR HILL
11:46
Porzingis' availability has been a problem even before his latest health issues, so the Warriors took a major chance by giving him $20MM per year and counting on him to be their starting center. It's especially risky when the primary backup is 40-year-old Al Horford, who was seriously considering retirement this summer. Golden State seems likely to enter the regular season short-handed at center, which is why investing in Post would have been a smart move. He started 35 of the 67 games he played last season and was effective in his two years with Golden State, providing an outside shooting touch that fit well in the team's floor-spacing approach. He's only getting $9MM this season, so the Warriors should have matched the offer and worked that salary into their budget if Porzingis and Horford were their only other options at center.
Damian Lillard
11:46
Assuming I stay healthy, how much do I raise the Blazers' ceiling?
ARTHUR HILL
11:55
Lillard looked really good in his preseason debut Wednesday night, scoring 15 points in 19 minutes while shooting 5-of-11 from the field and hitting three shots from beyond the arc. He's 36 and coming off a major injury, but it feels like he's going to play an important role for the Blazers, rather than being a nostalgia signing. It's easy to forget than he was an All-Star during both his years in Milwaukee, and we began hearing midway through last season that his shooting touch was as good as ever. Even if he's not a dominant scorer like he was for most of his time in Portland, Lillard will upgrade the offense and should make Deni Avdija even better. I think Lillard feels like he has something to prove to the league after missing an entire season and he'll be rejuvenated by the return to Portland.
Guest
11:55
If you had to build a team around someone from the 2026 draft, who would you choose?
ARTHUR HILL
12:06
The top four picks are all exceptional talents who will likely become stars in the league. It's hard to pass on AJ Dybanta's scoring, Darryn Peterson's collection of offensive skills and Caleb Wilson's explosiveness, but it feels like Cameron Boozer has the best combination of talent and basketball IQ to build a contender around. He can get points from the inside and outside, he's already an accomplished rebounder and his understanding of the game is exceptionally high for a 19-year-old. We saw glimpses of how good he can be during Summer League, and I expect that to carry over into the regular season. The Grizzlies may not be ready to win right away, but they have a good collection of young talent on hand and Boozer looks ready to be their centerpiece as they move back toward playoff contention.
Thanks for all the great questions. We'll talk again next week.
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