Hoops Rumors Live Chat: 5/4/2026
powered byJotCast
This chat is available to members only. Please log in to participate.
Luke Adams
3:00
Happy Monday, all!
3:01
Thanks for the early questions. I'll get to as many as I can during the next hour.
Edwill
3:01
Which teams first round playoff exit is the most disappointing. Nuggets  , Celtics ,Rockets. Do you expect these teams to make some changes to there rosters this offseason.
Luke Adams
3:03
Nuggets was the most disappointing one for me. I get that missing Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson hurt, but you can't be losing to a Wolves team missing Anthony Edwards and multiple other role players. Great job by the Wolves but I was pretty unimpressed by what I saw from the Nuggets. Think big changes could be coming there.

I'd be a little less concerned if I were the Celtics (who were missing Tatum and playing a team that was always dangerous when healthy) or Rockets (missing KD, VanVleet, and Adams), but they probably need to do some level of soul-searching this summer too. Especially Houston.
Wolves Fan 4 Life
3:04
When do people who vote for regular season awards like MVP and All NBA teams make their picks? I'm curious if they make them at the end of the regular season or if they make them right before they're announced so that those who play poorly or well in the post-season could have an effect on their votes (even though it shouldn't).
Luke Adams
3:06
Typically voting is completed right after the end of the regular season. This year it was a few days late because of the appeals from Cade, Luka, and Ant to be included on the ballot despite not reaching the 65-game criteria. Ballots were sent out on the Thursday of play-in week and were due by late Friday afternoon, so voters saw the Tues/Wed play-in games before voting.

Obviously, those play-in games aren't supposed to impact voting, but I wonder how much a difference they made in the MIP and ROY races, with Jaquez and Knueppel not exactly looking their best on a national stage.
Seamhead
3:06
What do you think of the rumors that the Nuggets may listen on Jamal Murray? After his best regular season as a pro, probably all-NBA, what sort of market would he have?
Luke Adams
3:10
This is probably the right time to move him if you want to maximize his value, but I still think there are some red flags teams would be wary of. The contract is huge ($161MM+ over three years). He hasn't been all that great in the playoffs since the title year. And he's so-so on defense.

If the Nuggets are going to move him, they'd probably need to find a deal like the KAT for Randle/DiVincenzo one from a couple years ago. You're not going to get a draft-pick haul for him, nor would you want one anyway if you're trying to contend, but I can envision scenarios in which turning Murray into two quality players with more manageable contracts makes them a better team (or at least just as good) and makes their cap situation a little easier to manage going forward.
Keith
3:11
Are you surprised that Orlando already fired their head coach?
AnthonyEdwardsHypeMachine
3:11
Moseley get the raw end of the deal? With Wagner out they didn't have the size to match up with Cade and the regular season record was a function of too many injuries.
Luke Adams
3:15
There's a case to be made for Mosley. I think it's entirely reasonable to view Wagner as the Magic's MVP, and in that context, winning 45 games despite the fact that he missed so much of the season and then taking the 60-win Pistons to seven games isn't really underachieving.

But there were quite a few lows during the Magic season, most notably on the last Sunday of the year when all they needed to do to get the 7 seed was to beat the Celtics' G League team, and they couldn't. The vibes just never seemed great in Orlando, so getting a new voice in that locker room makes sense to me.
Trog
3:16
Your reaction to the Ujiri hiring? Does this make the Mavericks more/less inclined to focus on a rebuild?
Dstars
3:16
Any thoughts on the Mavs hiring of Ujiri as prez of basketball operations?
Luke Adams
3:19
Was surprised by that one. Thought Ujiri might end up with one of the expansion teams in a year or two. But getting to build a roster around one of the best young players in the NBA is a good spot for him.

Ujiri will bottom out/rebuild when he has to (see the Raptors' Covid year in Tampa, which put them in position to draft Scottie Barnes), but for the most part he wants to compete rather than spend years waiting to accumulate lottery talent, and I think he'll be looking to turn the Mavs into a contender sooner rather than later.

I like the move for the Mavs. Ujiri took some criticism near the end of his Toronto tenure for some of the moves he made there, but he acquired some of the young guys who looked so good in that first round vs. the Cavs (Shead, Walter, etc.) and I suspect he won't have to overpay for contracts as much in no-income-tax Texas as he did in Canada.
theBigLip
3:20
Pistons survive! Crazy Series! So are they a compromised team or did they finally wake up and going to roll through the rest of the East now?
Luke Adams
3:22
I really have no idea what to make of the Pistons/Cavs series. Neither team inspired much confidence with its first-round performance, but maybe they'll play looser and better now that they've avoided suffering an embarrassing first-round exit. If they're both playing at their peak, that could be an awesome series.

In general though, I'd be feeling pretty good if I were the Knicks right now after seeing how those other three Eastern series went.
Josh
3:23
Do you think the Detroit Pistons should move on from Duren during this offseason while he has peak value coming off in All-Star season and try and get someone like Giannis or Lauri
Luke Adams
3:24
Duren will be a restricted free agent. Doesn't mean he can't be signed-and-traded, but I wouldn't expect some massive return for him if his new team has to give him a long-term, maximum-salary contract. I'd be surprised if he doesn't stick with the Pistons, but we'll see how the rest of his playoff run goes.
Kim
3:24
Good afternoon. Hawks fan here. I’m on the fence with Hawks keeping coach Quinn. I’m frustrated that he took Risacher out of the lineup completely. The way they played that last game against New York was very difficult to watch. Like they had given up. Is this coaching? Do you see another coach doing better with this roster?? Also, Kuminga and McCullum need only return as long as they are not overpaid-from the Hawks point of view. Otherwise I’d be okay with declining Kuminga’s option and letting McCullum walk. What are your thoughts on this? Thanks!!!!
Luke Adams
3:27
Had to laugh when the Hawks turned in that Game 6 stinker on the heels of the report about their enthusiasm about a Snyder extension. Very much a "You sure about that?" moment.

I think Snyder did enough with the new-look roster after the Trae trade to earn another year, but the problem for teams with head coaches is that "lame duck" seasons are basically nonexistent, so with one year left on his deal, you have to either extend or fire him. If I were going to extend him, I'd probably want something short term (two guaranteed years tops). I'm not entirely sold he's the answer there.
Kings biggest needs
3:28
Where do you start with this roster? Can they get out from under a couple of big contracts and become more athletic?
Luke Adams
3:32
Normally I'd advocate for a tear-down and re-start, but that might not be the best way to go under the proposed lottery reform. They're in a tough spot. I think with some better health luck, they're a mid-lottery team, which isn't the worst thing to be based on the new odds, so I don't hate the idea of running it back with a lot of the same guys and seeing if those vets can rebuild their trade value to some extent.

Sabonis should be healthier. Monk should be better. LaVine's contract is nearly over. They shouldn't do anything desperate, since they'll be out from under a lot of those contracts in a year or two anyway.
Knicks
3:32
Is Brown still on the hot seat?  NBA Finals or bust?
Luke Adams
3:33
Yeah, I think he needs to get past this round at the very least. The Sixers aren't your average 7 seed, but I still don't think Dolan would be too happy about this Knicks team losing to a 7 seed.
DJ Clutch
3:33
I don't even know how to ask this...but why is everyone just pretending like GetOffMyD*ckerson didn't happen in Houston?  It never gets better with KD it always devolves.  It feels like Tillman is throwing away everything to save money next year all things considered.  Am I crazy for thinking a tanking team has more of a chance in 2027 than running it back in Houston?
Luke Adams
3:36
The Twitter burner story was one of the weirdest of the year. Speaking as someone who wrote about it a little, it was very difficult to cover because there was no actual evidence or confirmation that it belonged to KD. But you also didn't exactly have a bunch of Rockets coming out and saying it wasn't him -- even his own denial was pretty tepid.

I think the Rockets' moves this summer will give us a better sense of what really went on there. Wouldn't entirely shock me if he gets traded and then a bunch more details come out about that story and what really happened in the locker room.
Joe
3:36
Do you see Dusty May coaching in the NBA or Michigan next year?
Luke Adams
3:39
As the Lakers' pursuit of Dan Hurley a couple year ago showed, it's pretty hard to pry those guys away from a job where they're basically treated like kings in their little fiefdoms. I think May will draw plenty of NBA interest, but I bet he's back with Michigan. Hard to walk away from a defending champion.
Just Curious
3:40
Three of the recently eliminated playoff teams, Phoenix, Denver and Orlando, have duelling priorities for next season. They need to rework their rosters to be more competitive, but also need to manage salaries to reduce luxury tax and apron issues. My question is whether it is more likely for those teams to address those issues now, or wait until mid-season. It seems to me that teams will delay the cost cutting part of it as long as possible. For example would Denver keep  Cam Johnson on the roster for now, knowing they can't afford him, and then look to dump him at the trade deadline? Or is it better for them to deal with all that now? I'm just trying to get a sense of how much we can expect to happen this summer.
Luke Adams
3:42
I think it'll vary from team to team. Operating over the second apron, which the Nuggets would be doing if they re-sign Peyton Watson without shedding salary, severely constricts your roster-building tools, so I think Denver would prefer to make their cost-cutting moves sooner rather than later if they can.

On the other hand, if you're just hanging out a little over the tax line and don't have any real apron issues, it's a lot easier to put off financial decisions until the trade deadline and then duck below the threshold at that point.
byron
3:42
if you are the Charlotte hornets with 2 first rd picks good cap space for the summer what's your blueprint of getting better and getting to the six of the eastern conference
Luke Adams
3:46
Haven't been able to shake the idea of a Bam Adebayo trade, which seems like a perfect fit in a lot of ways, but I doubt Miami goes for it.

The Hornets' cap situation is still really good, putting them in position to capitalize on a team looking to cut costs this summer. Like, if the Cavs are open to trading Jarrett Allen, that'd be something I'd be interested in if I were the Hornets.

If nothing big materializes by the draft, I also don't mind the idea of them packaging their two first-rounders (and maybe even more assets on top of that) to move up and get someone they really like. After adding four rookies last year, they're in a better spot to focus on one specific add this year.
theBigLip
3:47
Boston, Orlando, Toronto, Atlanta - out of the first round losers, who has the most offseason work to do to go deep into the playoffs next year?
Luke Adams
3:49
I'm not all that worried about Boston. If Tatum is back to 100%, they're still really good even without major changes. Atlanta is also trending in the right direction, though the lottery outcome will be big for them -- feel a lot better about their future if they end up with a top-four pick.

I'd probably be most concerned about Orlando, since they have to find a new head coach and their roster is getting really expensive.

Toronto has some cap issues too but there are a lot more promising up-and-comers to complement the expensive vets on that roster, starting with Murray-Boyles. And I like Scottie Barnes more than anyone on the Magic.
Ishbia
3:50
Where do I go from here trade Green or hope his value goes up? Run it back resign my own guys or make a trade for a shake up?
Luke Adams
3:54
If you can find a nice deal involving Green that makes the overall roster better, go for it, since I still don't love his fit with Booker. But I wouldn't force the issue -- Green's value is low after an injury-plagued down year, and it's not like you're stuck with that contract for years if you keep him around. That shorter-than-usual rookie scale extension means he only has two years left (the second being a player option).
3:55
I'd try to re-sign Gillespie and Goodwin if I were the Suns, as long as the prices aren't too high. I'm really not sure about Mark Williams. His health worries me and I'm not sure how high his upside as a player is anyway. I'm OK giving him a qualifying offer, but I'd negotiate pretty aggressively and wouldn't be that upset if he signs the QO.
AnthonyEdwardsHypeMachine
3:56
Ant man in! Gimme the Wolves chances against the Spurs in the series. And it can't be 50/50. 😂
Luke Adams
3:57
I've underestimated the Spurs all season, so I'm loath to do it again. With a healthy Wembanyama, they're clear favorites (70/30? 75/25?). But the Wolves seem to peak every year in the playoffs, and the Spurs showed some cracks in the non-Wemby minutes in the first round. If Edwards is OK, it could be a pretty fun series.
Keith
3:58
With Boston getting upset, do you see them making a big trade (possibly Giannis?) to shake up the team. Think they would be more likely to give up Brown or Tatum in that kind of move? I would choose to keep Tatum.
Load More Messages
Connecting…