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Hoops Rumors Live Chat: 4/13/2021
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Luke Adams
9:35
Today's hour-long live chat will get underway at noon CT (1:00pm ET), give or take a few minutes.
Get those questions in now and I'll get to as many as I can this afternoon!
Mikedickinson
12:00
The Celtics are so damn frustrating. Too early to blow it up? Beal and Tatum are friends. Does trading Brown for Beal make the Celtics better?
Luke Adams
12:03
I think it's probably too early for "blow it up" talk in Boston. Tatum is 23 and Brown is 24. They can very much still be cornerstones of the next great Celtics team.
Having said that, if the price tag for Beal is Brown-plus, I'd definitely be curious about how much "plus" would have to be included and whether Beal would be open to a long-term deal in Boston, since he's the better player.
Brian
12:04
If Portland gets bounced early in the playoffs, would it be time to seriously consider trading CJ McCollum?
Luke Adams
12:06
To be honest, I think they should have seriously considered it before now. So yeah, I'd explore it if I were them. I just don't know if you'd be able to get the kind of high-quality wing you'd want in exchange for CJ, whose contract (three years, $100MM after this season) isn't especially team-friendly.
Black Ace57
12:06
The Nets have been getting a lot of hype in the media as the favorite to win the title. Do you buy the argument being a top 10 or top 15 defense doesn’t matter anymore or will that be the Achilles Heel for the team?
Luke Adams
12:08
That wouldn't stop me from picking the Nets to come out of the East and possibly win the title -- the health of Durant, Harden, and Kyrie is the bigger wild card.
12:09
It's hard to look at a historical stat like that defensive ranking one and count on it applying to today's game, given how offense-heavy things are now.
Ian
12:09
Wow Jamal Murray. Any buyout pgs available. Paying Monte Morris looks smarter now.
Luke Adams
12:10
Even if you're not a Nuggets fan, Murray's ACL tear is a really tough turn of events -- Denver looked like a legit threat to come out of the West, and it's just hard to see how that happens now. I also like to see teams rewarded rather than "punished" for going all-in at the trade deadline like the Nuggets did for Gordon and McGee.
12:11
In terms of potential guard additions, it seems likely that they'll add one of Austin Rivers, Gerald Green, or Troy Daniels, since those are the names that have been reported so far. There are a bunch of other options available though, as our FA list shows: https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2018/08/2020-nba-free-agents.html
Dill
12:12
What’s OKC timeline? Do they have other young players besides SGA to build around?
Luke Adams
12:15
I'm not sure they have any other future All-Stars on their roster (like SGA should be), but there's plenty of intriguing young guys to be excited about. Luguentz Dort should be one of the NBA's best defenders for a while, and if he can bump up his three-point percentage a little, he'd be really valuable.
Aleksej Pokusevski just turned 19 earlier this season and has shown flashes of real potential. Theo Maledon is 19 and Darius Bazley is 20, and they've had their moments too.
12:16
OKC also had a decent chance to add one or two more lottery picks to that core this year. Given everyone's ages, I don't expect we'll see them start to contend during the next year or two -- the rebuild could take a while yet. But it might not be long before they turn into one of the NBA's most exciting, fun-to-watch young teams.
Deathbydeathwest
12:16
Does ARod taking over the TWolves mean anything for KAT? What's KAT's market these days?
Luke Adams
12:18
It's hard to get a sense of what sort of owners the new guys will be until we see them start making decisions. And if there's a two-year transition period before they assume majority control, we might not get a real sense of that for a while yet. So I don't think there will be much immediate impact on Towns.
12:19
I will say that usually when a new owner takes over, the incumbent star is a key reason why they've invested in the team and they won't be eager to trade that guy to launch a rebuild. I'd expect Towns to stay in Minnesota for a while unless he wants out.
Guest
12:19
Luke Walton gonna keep his job through the rest of the season?
Bells
12:20
Is Harkless as a rotation player a sign Walton’s had enough with ‘development?’
Luke Adams
12:20
Grouping these questions together since I think the answers are somewhat related. Whether it's coming from Ranadive and Kings ownership or whether it's an effort for Walton to keep his job (or both!), it's clear Sacramento is pushing for a playoff spot this season.
12:22
If they keep slumping and fall out of contention for even the playoff tournament, I think Walton's days in Sacramento are probably numbered. He might be gone by now if not for the pandemic affecting the team's finances (and ownership not wanting to pay two coaches' salaries).
Bill
12:22
On a scale of 1 to 10, what chance would you give my Jazz to make it out of the West?
Luke Adams
12:25
Are we assuming 5 out of 10 represents a 50% chance? If so, I don't think I'd give them much higher than a 2 or 3. But that's better than nothing! With Murray out and AD/LeBron still on the mend, I think there's a legit path to the Jazz making the Finals. I just think the Lakers, Clippers, and one or two other teams have a potential path too. It should be a fun postseason.
Irv
12:25
Do you have any updates on the free agency of Darius Miller?
Luke Adams
12:26
Haven't heard anything yet, but he cleared waivers, so he could sign anytime. I'd be surprised if he doesn't find an NBA home before the playoffs start -- even though he didn't play much in OKC, he was still hitting his threes at a rate well above average.
Gary
12:27
hi Do you see the t-wolves falling outside the top 3 for draft lottery.
Luke Adams
12:27
I'd put the odds of that at about 59.9%.
Brian
12:27
Assuming the Wizards come to their senses this offseason, where might they trade Bradley Beal? I can see Atlanta, New Orleans (including Ingram), and Golden State (depending on the Minny pick) as possible candidates.
Luke Adams
12:30
Those would all make sense. I could see the Heat, Celtics, Knicks, Nuggets, Raptors, and a couple others being in play too. If Beal is available, his destination might come down to whether certain young players (Michael Porter, Jaylen Brown, etc.) are made available, or whether the Wizards prefer a return heavy on draft picks like the Holiday and Harden deals.
Luka Doncic
12:30
How does the Murray injury impact Jokic’s long term outlook with the Nuggets?
Luke Adams
12:33
Not sure it changes much, as long as Murray can get back to 100% in 2022. But I suppose it's worth keeping an eye on -- Jokic only has two years left on his contract after this season, which is the same situation Harden and some other recently-traded stars have been in when the trade chatter started.
Guest
12:33
Will the knicks keep on to Nerlens, Alec, and the other one year guys, for the foreseeable future this offseason, or will they let go of them, for more starting power
Luke Adams
12:36
I'd imagine they'd love to bring some of those guys - especially Noel and Burks - back, but they likely won't be the team's number one priority when free agency opens. If the Knicks are able to land an impact player or two, I imagine they'd be happy trying to identify some new underrated FAs with their remaining space and letting Noel and Burks get raises elsewhere.
Brian
12:36
Could Jalen Brunson be a solution for Chicago via trade? Chicago could use his playmaking and toughness.
Luke Adams
12:38
He'd be a nice fit on the Bulls for sure, but it sounds like it'd be a real challenge to pry him away from the Mavericks. They value him highly: https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2021/04/mavericks-notes-redick-cauley-stei...
Balldontlie
12:38
Jokic as the last standing is the mvp. What percentage of games should mvp’s play?
Luke Adams
12:39
I'd have a hard time giving a guy my (non-existent) MVP vote if he's played fewer than 65-70 games in an 82-game season. That's in the ballpark of 80-85% of the schedule.
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