Hoops Rumors Live Chat: 4/30/26
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ARTHUR HILL
11:00
Welcome to this week's chat. We'll start with a question on Anthony Davis and the Wizards.
Chris D
11:00
Anthony David has been actively commenting on his desire to contend for championships NOW and for the wizards to detail for him how they intend to accelerate their process forward. At age 33, he has a $58 m deal this year and a player option for $63 m next year. The fan base is all in uproar about how he wants to be or needs to be traded. My sense is that this is really all just trying to pressure the Wiz into adding a couple of years onto his deal and that AD would be 100% bought in if they did so. What's your take?
ARTHUR HILL
11:09
Everything that Davis says should be viewed through the lens of wanting an extension. At age 33, he's hoping to land the last big contract of his career. He'll become eligible for a four-year extension this summer, but his age and injury history make him a huge risk, particularly in the apron era. Injuries have always been an issue for Davis, and he seems to be getting more fragile as he gets older. He only played 20 games this season and just 29 total since the Luka trade. The Mavs unloaded Davis so they wouldn't have to face the extension decision, and now the Wizards are going to have to make a large financial commitment to keep him happy. I don't doubt that contending for a title is still important to Davis, but his next contract is his first priority.
JD
11:09
What sort of changes would you expect this off season for the 76ers if they don't upset the Celtics?
ARTHUR HILL
11:18
Paul George has looked good since returning from his suspension, but I think the Sixers would like to get out from that financial commitment moving forward. He's owed $54.1MM and $56.6MM over the next two seasons, and he's only been available for 78 combined games since coming to Philadelphia. Moving on from George would make it easier to re-sign Quentin Grimes and keep the core of the roster together. Daryl Morey could be in some trouble with a first-round exit. It was his decision to sign George and give a huge extension to Joel Embiid, and the Sixers haven't enjoyed much playoff success since he arrived.
Rebound
11:18
Do you believe the Wolves can still win the Denver series despite the injuries to Edwards and DiVicenzo?
ARTHUR HILL
11:25
It feels like it's going to have to happen tonight in front of the home crowd. Edwards and DiVincenzo are already out, and Ayo Dosunmu and Bones Hyland are listed as questionable, so the backcourt could be really thin. The Wolves were in control of the series and may have wrapped it up already if not for the injuries. Rudy Gobert has done a masterful job in shutting down Nikola Jokic, and Jaden McDaniels has harassed Denver's perimeter players all series. It would be unfortunate for Minnesota to see the series to slip away because of injuries, but the Nuggets might survive if the Wolves can't beat them tonight.
Guest
11:25
Did voters make the right rookie of the year choice by taking Flagg over Knueppel?
ARTHUR HILL
11:30
Both players had strong seasons that are worthy of Rookie of the Year honors, so the voters couldn't have gone wrong with either choice. Knueppel turned in a historic shooting season for a rookie, and he helped the Hornets reach the play-in tournament so there's an argument that what he did was more valuable. But Flagg was brilliant all season long and looks capable of being the top player on a contending team. I probably would have voted for Knueppel, but it's hard to criticize the slim majority that picked Flagg.
Mardy
11:30
Which team would you like to see trade for Kawhi Leonard the most?
ARTHUR HILL
11:38
The Heat need a major deal to get out of their play-in rut and bring some excitement back to South Beach. Assuming they don't have the assets to make the best offer for Giannis Antetokounmpo, Leonard will likely become their best option. He'll turn 35 this summer, but he's still an elite player on both ends of the court and a good fit for Heat Culture. ESPN proposed a deal this week sending Tyler Herro and Andrew Wiggins to L.A. along with unprotected first-rounders in 2030 and 2032 in exchange for Leonard and Kris Dunn. It makes sense for both teams and gives Miami a chance to become a legitimate title contender again centered around Leonard and Bam Adebayo.
Koby Altman
11:38
Who am I most likely to trade if my Cavs can't get out of the 1st round?
ARTHUR HILL
11:48
Major changes will almost certainly be coming to Cleveland with another early exit. The first decision will be what to do with James Harden, who holds a $42.3MM player option for next season and is going to want a new long-term deal. We've seen what Harden can do when he's unhappy with his contract, so the Cavs will need to get that taken care of quickly. Harden will turn 37 this summer and is kind of an odd fit alongside Donovan Mitchell, so it might be best to shop him around the league. It's also possible that another playoff failure would drive Mitchell out of Cleveland. He'll have a $53.8MM player option next summer that he can use as leverage to force a trade. Mitchell has been loyal since being acquired from Utah and has signed one extension already, but he may decide he needs to go elsewhere to compete for a championship before he gets too old.
Just Curious
11:49
During the Pistons Magic game Monday, there was a half court shot at the end of a quarter. The ball hit the top of the backboard, bounced up in the air, came down and hit the floor, then bounced up and hit off the rim. If the ball had gone in, would it have counted as a made basket? What if there was still time on the clock when the ball went in?
ARTHUR HILL
11:56
The NBA rulebook indicates that it would have counted. A shot that hits the floor and bounces in is considered a good basket. The ball is still in play if it hits the top of the backboard, as long as it doesn't touch any of the support braces, and the amount of time left on the clock doesn't matter, only that the shot was released before the buzzer sounded. It's an odd circumstance that probably hasn't happened many times in league history, but it would have resulted in three points.
Scott S.
11:56
Should the Rockets regret the Kevin Durant trade?
ARTHUR HILL
12:09
The Durant deal made sense because the cost was relatively low. Jalen Green was inconsistent during his four years with the team, and his price became high once his extension kicked in. Parting with him, Dillon Brooks and a first-rounder seemed reasonable to add an elite shot-maker to a team that badly needed scoring. Durant was the Rockets' best player during the season, but age concerns have cropped up in the playoffs as he has missed all but one game due to a pair of injuries. I don't think Houston's front office regrets the deal, but it's interesting to consider the alternate timeline of what might have happened if they had kept the young core together. They could have added another talent like Cedric Coward in the draft and kept their salary structure more manageable instead of committing $90MM to Durant over the next two years. The young players have looked good without Durant in the past three games, and the future could be even brighter if they still had Green and another lottery pick.
Thanks for all the great questions. We'll talk again next week.
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