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Hoops Rumors Live Chat: 3/04/2025
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ARTHUR HILL
11:01
Welcome to this week's chat. We'll start with a question about Kyrie Irving.
Guest
11:01
What do the Mavs and Kyrie do this summer with his contract situation after his acl tear? Does he still get a new long term deal like Klay did with the Warriors a few years ago in a similar spot?
ARTHUR HILL
11:11
It's a very difficult decision for Dallas to make. Irving will turn 33 later this month and may be 34 by the time he's able to resume playing. It's risky to make a major investment in someone that age coming off a major injury who relies heavily on his quickness to create open shots. However, we know from his Brooklyn experience how important contract extensions are to Kyrie. If he doesn't feel like the Mavericks are being loyal to him, even taking the injury into account, he's likely to speak up about it and potentially ruin what has been a great relationship with the front office since he came to Dallas. The safest move for the Mavericks would be to let Irving pick up his nearly $43MM player option for next season, see how quickly he's able to heal and then work out a new contract in 2026. More likely, they'll feel compelled to give Kyrie an extension this summer and wind up with a very risky contract for the rest of the decade.
JD
11:11
The Sixers should be tanking hard after shutting down Embiid, right? The odds of them keeping their protected 1st rounder increase substantially for each spot they can move up in the lottery order
ARTHUR HILL
11:18
Now that Embiid's fate has been decided, there's no more reason for the Sixers to be chasing the 10th seed. They no longer have even a semi-realistic chance of making a playoff run, and every victory imperils their chance of holding onto their first-round pick. The selection they owe to Oklahoma City is top-six protected, and right now they're tied with Brooklyn for the sixth-worst record in the league. That means if any team jumps them in the lottery, they won't have a first-rounder to show for this season of misery. Several teams have incentive to tank for the rest of the regular season, but no one should be tanking harder than Philadelphia.
Moses Brown
11:19
I looked pretty good in my last couple games with Dallas. There are a few teams that might need some help at center, like the Knicks and Lakers. Where will I end up signing?
ARTHUR HILL
11:28
Brown has been a journeyman throughout his NBA career, but he has always put up good numbers when he's gotten a chance to play. He almost certainly would have been signed for the rest of the season in Dallas if not for the team's hard cap restrictions. The Knicks might consider him, although Mitchell Robinson's return lessens the need for another center. The Lakers are likely to convert two-way players Trey Jemison and Jordan Goodwin to the main roster, so they won't have a spot for Brown. A team like the Cavaliers, Bucks or even the Warriors might be interested in Brown to provide roster depth heading into the playoffs.
Guest
11:28
Does anyone actually want the final play-in spot in the East? How embarrassed is the NBA going to be to air that 9 vs. 10 game?
ARTHUR HILL
11:36
The Bulls are 13 games under .500 and they've been particularly bad over the past month or so, but they have a comfortable lead over the Sixers and Nets, two teams that would be better served by increasing their lottery odds rather than making the play-in tournament. Chicago will almost certainly be the worst team to reach the play-in since it was created. There are really only six good teams in the East, so the entire play-in tourney will be somewhat embarrassing. Right now, the Bulls would face the Hawks, who haven't been the same since Jalen Johnson was lost for the season. The upper bracket would pit the Heat, who are regrouping after being forced to trade Jimmy Butler, and the Magic, who haven't been at full strength virtually all year due to injuries to their three best players. It's an ugly group for the play-in games, and the two teams that advance will likely get swept by the Cavaliers and Celtics.
Trae Young
11:36
Is this my last season in Atlanta?
ARTHUR HILL
11:48
Michael Scotto mentioned Young yesterday as someone who's being monitored by rival teams ahead of the offseason. The Hawks have tried to build a contender around him since he came into the league in 2018, but with limited success. Young only has one more guaranteed year left on his contract and he's eligible for an extension this summer, so it seems like a decision will be made on his long-term future one way or the other. I think Atlanta still sees him as part of the core and believes it can build around him, Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels and Zaccharie Risacher. Given the few good teams in the East right now, that's probably a safe bet as Johnson returns from injury and Risacher develops his game. I see an extension for Young this summer being more likely than a trade.
Guest
11:48
Can the Mavs still hold onto the final play-in spot in the West with all their injuries or do you expect a team like Phoenix or Portland to catch them?
ARTHUR HILL
11:56
Losing Kyrie Irving is devastating to their playoff hopes. Even if Anthony Davis is able to return soon, they won't have much playmaking or perimeter scoring to put around him. The Mavericks' luck has been brutal since the Luka Doncic trade, and they're likely to go into the offseason with a very angry fan base. Still, Dallas is up three-and-a-half games over Phoenix and four games over Portland in the race for the 10th spot, which is a lot to make up. The Suns have an imposing string of games coming up, and they're facing the league's toughest schedule over the rest of the season. The Trail Blazers are a more interesting challenger, but they're a very young team that doesn't have many players with postseason experience. The Spurs are probably out of the race, but they might be the favorites to catch Dallas if Victor Wembanyama were still playing.
Hornets
11:56
Will Lamelo Ball be part of the next contending team in Charlotte or should the Hornets be looking to trade him and build around Brandon Miller/this year's lottery pick?
ARTHUR HILL
12:07
The Hornets need an extreme makeover, and I would start by fielding offers for Ball this summer. His gaudy stats and All-Star votes help conceal the fact that he's a terribly inefficient player who's unlikely to ever lead Charlotte into the playoffs. He's in his fifth NBA season, so his shot selection should be improving, but his percentages from the field and three-point range are the lowest of his career. The Hornets are probably the league's worst team right now, and there's no sign that they're headed in the right direction. Ball would benefit from a move to a more structured offense that could take advantage of his unique skills and reign in his questionable shots. He has proven he can't be the answer in Charlotte. It's time to move on.
Thanks for the great questions this week. We'll talk again next Tuesday.
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