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Hoops Rumors' Live Chat: 2/1/2019
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had it
2:04
The league has to address great, high priced players being bought out or waived and joining an already elite team for the minimum. Right?
Luke Adams
2:06
Not sure I'd agree that there are any "great" players in that situation, but I know what you mean. There's no obvious solution, but if there are players this season who influence the second half + playoffs like Belinelli/Ilyasova did for the Sixers last year, the league should take a closer look at the buyout system.
Stephan
2:06
How should Nuggets handle the return of Isaiah Thomas? He is a more established name for sure but would it be risky to tweak with a rotation that works and taking minutes away from Monte Morris, who has been superb this year?
Luke Adams
2:07
Yeah, I'm very curious to see how Thomas fits in there. I don't think he'll ever be the player he was 2-3 years ago, but if he's willing to accept a really limited role (maybe coming off the bench as a scoring spark for a couple 5-7 minute stretches per game), it could work.
Leo
2:08
Can the NYK trade Matthews and Jordan before the deadline? If so, what could they bring in return?
Luke Adams
2:09
It'll be tricky, given their cap figures. If I were them, I'd give the Kings a call. Matthews, in particular, would be a nice fit in Sacramento, and the Kings have expirings and cap room. I woudn't expect more than a second-round pick, but that'd be better than nothing.
Marc
2:09
If you are Danny Ainge and you are forced to include Tatum in a package for AD, you will agree to that or is too much withou a 100% committenent of resign?
Luke Adams
2:11
I'd do it. Tatum will likely never become the sort of star AD already is. He'd give you a chance to win a title next year and you could work on convincing him to re-sign.
Warrior
2:11
Why would KD want to leave the best team in the NBA?
Luke Adams
2:12
No guarantee he wants that. But if he did, I'd guess it's because he'd want the challenge of competing for a title on his team that's definitely his own (rather than Steph Curry's).
Jim
2:12
Hey guys, the Raptors recent relative woes seems to me coincide with Jonas Valanciunas' absence. I think his contribution to the team is vastly underappreciated. Do you think his return is enough to right the Raps offense or do they still need to go out and get a shooter?
Luke Adams
2:13
I agree with you about JV and I think it will help the Raptors to get him back. Still, I'd expect them to keep an eye out for one more shooter, if only on the buyout market. The three-point woes are becoming an issue.
John
2:13
Are the Sixers a Nikola Mirotic away from being the favorites in the East?
Luke Adams
2:14
He'd be a great fit but I'm still not ready to call the Sixers the team to beat. I keep having flashbacks to the way Simmons was exposed in the playoffs last spring.
Vijay
2:14
How about this: Jazz trade Rubio, Favors and 1st rd pick. Grizzlies trade Conley and JaMychal Green. Salaries match and both teams get what they want.
Luke Adams
2:15
Not bad. I wouldn't be surprised at all if they end up making a deal structured similar to this one, though the Grizzlies might ask for another pick.
Adrienne Y
2:16
I am a huge Suns fan and have been for quite awhile. What moves do you think we should make at the deadline, if any? Offseason?
Luke Adams
2:18
They already cashed in their primary trade asset (Ariza), so I'm not sure they'll be too active this week. Obviously, finding a point guard by any means necessary will be the top priority this offseason. After not getting that done in 2018, I don't think management will let it happen again this year.
MSG
2:19
Who do you legitimately think the Knicks can attract and sign this summer with all that freed up cap space?  Lakers / Clippers / Nets will all have sufficient cap space and seem more close to contention than they are and it seems like the top tier players are concerned more about winning than an extra couple million $ than they used to be.
Luke Adams
2:20
The Knicks are the team in the best position to accommodate two star free agents AND add another franchise building block with a top pick. Throw in the allure of New York itself - and MSG, of course - and I could see why that would appeal to a star. Of course, they'll have a history of dysfunction working against them, so there are definitely no guarantees.
Andy Melius
2:20
As a wolves fan, I'm not a interested in a 12-15 lottery pick this year. Can we move it for an asset or to unload Dieng?
Luke Adams
2:21
It's possible in theory, but I don't get the sense that's something the Wolves are looking at right now.
Doug
2:21
If Knicks get #1 overall pick, that pick + knox + DS jr enough to get AD?
Luke Adams
2:23
I'm not sure how much extra value Knox and DSJ add to the package, as they haven't shown yet that they're slam-dunk prospects. So my instinct is to say it's not enough, but I suppose it depends how much the Pelicans like Zion.
Kyle
2:23
So we all know the Celtics have a plethora of assets that would be intriguing to the Pelicans for Davis (ie Tatum, Brown, multiple picks) - Are the Pelicans more likely to demand Tatum + Brown both be included with less emphasis on picks or demand Tatum + multiple picks and let the Celtics keep Brown?
Luke Adams
2:25
I'd guess they'd prefer Brown to 2-3 mid first-rounders, especially in this year's draft, which isn't considered particularly deep. The one pick they may target is the Grizzlies one if it doesn't convey this year. The protections get smaller on that one every year and it seems like Memphis will probably be in the lottery for the next couple years.
John
2:25
Fultz, Chandler, Sixers 2019 1st and Miami 2021 1st for Conley. Who says no?
Luke Adams
2:26
Well, the NBA would, since that's not enough salary going to Memphis. Even including Patton's expiring contract isn't quite enough, so building a deal without further decimating the Sixers' depth (and making the Grizzlies waive a bunch of players) might be tough. It's not a bad structure in theory though.
Demps
2:27
Would I be better to trade Jrue Holiday, Julius Randle, Nikola Mirotic, E'Twaun Moore, Elfrid Payton and Darius Miller for draft picks, tank the rest of the way this year and deal Davis next summer to the highest bidder?
Luke Adams
2:28
I'd probably want to keep Holiday, who is still in his 20s and is under contract for several years. I wouldn't be opposed to seeing what I could get for the others though, especially the ones you're not overly interested in re-signing.
John
2:29
Do you think a player like AD essentially pushing himself to LA or BOS is good or bad for the game?
Luke Adams
2:30
I'll have to wait to see how the saga plays out. The last couple times we saw a guy try to "push himself to L.A." (PG13, Kawhi), he ended up far, far away from L.A. That could happen again this time -- AD and his camp only have so much leverage until he hits free agency.
2:31
That's it for today, guys. Thanks for all the questions! I'm going to try to do one more of these before next week's deadline if we can carve out some time. Stay tuned, and enjoy the weekend.
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