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Hoops Rumors Live Chat: 5/8/2025
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Luke Adams
1:01
Welcome, all. And thanks as always for the early questions! Let's jump right in...
George Mikan's Ghost
1:01
How worried should the Timberwolves be after the debacle that was Game 1 on Tuesday?
Luke Adams
1:02
I suspect that'll likely be the worst we see Minnesota play this series, though they did have some consistency issues over the course of the season. Still, with Stephen Curry unlikely to be back until Game 5 at the absolute earliest, they're in good position to regain control of this series.
CFlagg
1:02
If the basketball gods are kind, is there any other team that I'm hoping I get drafted to other than any of the Texas teams because all 3 would  work for me
Luke Adams
1:04
I'm with you on Houston/San Antonio -- Dallas would theoretically be good, though I think there'd be a lot of talent on Flagg there to fill the Luka-shaped void in fans' hearts.

There are other teams in the lottery with some intriguing talent on their rosters -- New Orleans, Philadelphia, Toronto, Portland. Some of those are better basketball fits than others, but I could see any of them becoming playoff teams as soon as next season with Flagg in the mix.
BIG E ‘n LA
1:04
As of now, from the pool of 16 that qualified for the first-round playoffs, which one or two teams do you envision making drastic changes - trades, signings, etc. - to its roster this offseason? Love your content, Luke. Keep it up.
Luke Adams
1:07
The Bucks are the first team that comes to mind in the East. Even if Giannis reaffirms that he wants to stay, they have a lot of free agents and clearly need to make some changes after three straight first-round exits.

The Grizzlies are one possibility in the West, though we'll see how aggressive they want to be. The Lakers are another -- they didn't really have time to reshape their roster around Luka at the trade deadline, but they do now. I wouldn't consider anyone else besides LeBron and Reaves fully safe to still be on the roster by the fall. (Though I guess as long as LeBron's there, you can probably add Bronny to that list.)
KJ
1:07
So which of the O-2 teams has the best chance to still win the series?  I would say Boston but I don't know if they're going to get 2 straight especially at MSG.
Luke Adams
1:09
I'm more confident in Boston than Cleveland. The Celtics were in control of both of the first two games of that series and only really fell apart because they were missing a ton of shots they'd usually make. It's possible that keeps happening, but I wouldn't feel overly confident about having to win that way if I were the Knicks.

The Cavs are still dangerous if they get healthier. I could see both of those series going 6 or 7 games.
Guest
1:09
Do players for the Mexico City Capitanes get more than the annual G-League contract? Since they don’t have to pay two-ways or exhibit 10s?
Luke Adams
1:11
I can't be 100% sure about this unless I were to get confirmation from the league, but my tentative answer is "not that I know of." Have never seen that reported anywhere about the Capitanes specifically -- and in the past, unaffiliated teams didn't pay their players any more than affiliated teams.
HeatBaby!!!
1:12
Do you think Ja could be a gettable target for Miami?  I mean, I personally don't wanna give up Bam or Herro.  What trade targets do you see Miami going after that they could possibly get without giving up Bam or Herro?
Luke Adams
1:15
The Grizzlies have insisted they don't want to trade Morant. That might be the right stance for now, since I think his value has taken a hit over the last couple years -- it may not be as low as it was when he was getting repeatedly suspended for the gun stuff, but he's really battled injuries for the last couple years and hasn't taken positive steps forward with his shooting efficiency.

Point being, while Morant would theoretically be "gettable" for Miami based on the market price right now, I doubt the Grizzlies are willing to sell low and settle for that market price.

Zion could be an interesting target for the Heat. I feel like the Pelicans might be a little more willing to discuss him than the Grizzlies would be with Morant.
J Harden
1:16
Am I going to be kind of forced to stay with the clippers or potentially is there anywhere else I can go?
Luke Adams
1:19
"Forced" may be the wrong word, since I haven't gotten the impression you don't want to be in Los Angeles. But yeah, I think the market forces in play make a return to the Clippers the likeliest outcome for you unless someone does something really unexpected this summer. I'd expect you to get another shorter-term deal (either 1+1 or two guaranteed years) with a slight raise to stay in L.A.
Bob
1:20
Who do you see being aggressive in free agency? and I guess few teams with cap space probably limits the answer to that question…
follow up to the free agent question… care to speculate on which teams are likely to be aggressive on the better free agents available: Giddey, Jerome, Portis, Naz Reid (assuming he waives his player option)?
Luke Adams
1:24
Even with teams outside of Brooklyn lacking cap room, there will probably be a few that get relatively aggressive in free agency. Last year, for example, the Kings (DeMar DeRozan), Mavs (Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall), and Warriors (Buddy Hield, De'Anthony Melton, Kyle Anderson) were all able to spend well beyond the mid-level despite being over-the-cap using sign-and-trades.

I'm still making my way through each team's cap situation to get a better idea of which clubs will have the flexibility to do that sort of thing, but off the top of my head, some non-Nets team that may be well-positioned (and motivated) to spend include the Hawks, Pistons, and Spurs.
1:26
As for the follow-up question, I see Giddey returning to the Bulls. I kinda like the Spurs for a Portis/Reid type. Jerome is tricky -- I get the sense he'd like to be back with the Cavs, but their cap situation would be getting untenable if he gets a market-value contract. Pistons or Kings might be interesting fits for him.
KJ
1:26
So if you're the Boston coach in order to get back in this series do you tell your players hey if anyone takes more than four threes a game they're sitting the rest of the series?
Luke Adams
1:29
It's a pretty fascinating dilemma because the three-pointers are a huge reason why the Celtics have been so good for the last couple years. Taking and making more than anyone else has been a winning formula for them.

Obviously, when you're still taking a ton and you stop making enough, it's a problem, but it's not as if they've been forcing the issue and taking bad shots -- they're just missing a lot of open ones. So do you tell them to stop taking those or do you stick with what got you here and hope that more of those shots start falling?

Gonna be really interesting to see how that series plays out. I definitely don't envy Joe Mazzulla.
A Rod
1:30
So with Steph sideline for probably the next four games or so this really should be a free pass to the WCF.  If that doesn't happen what should I do? Do I run it back with the same crowd next year? Make a blockbuster trade but still keep Ant-Man?
Luke Adams
1:35
I've long assumed the Wolves will try to do something on the trade market with Randle this summer and prepare to have Reid take on a larger role at PF. I'm feeling less certain about that after seeing how important Randle was in that first-round series. It might be hard to get a return for him that doesn't make the team worse, and the financial situation shouldn't be as bad next season with Gobert taking a pay cut.

I think if they lose to the Warriors, any roster changes would hinge on exactly how they lose, but I wouldn't rule out Minnesota as a Durant suitor.
arcman
1:35
Who on the warriors will step up and give the warriors more scoring to take the place of Curry's 30 points a night?
Luke Adams
1:38
Hield looks ready to fire away. Butler will probably have to score a little more and is capable of doing so. Of course it would really help if they were getting Kuminga's A game, but I don't see how they can count on him at this point. A big game or two from him would be a real bonus.
Unclemike1526
1:38
Luke, I've seen the Mock Drafts and they have Malauch and Queen being gone before the Bulls pick. I personally don't like Malauch he's slow and doesn't move well. I know he's 19 but still. The Bulls need big people and to trade Coby White. What do you think they could get for White and Vuj and who should the Bulls get if they stick at 12? Thanks
Luke Adams
1:43
Collin Murray-Boyles or Noa Essengue could be an interesting fit there. The guard position is deeper around that range, but I'm not sure the Bulls need to keep adding to their backcourt unless they trade a couple guys this summer.

The Bulls would be doing well to get back matching salary and a first-round pick for White, and matching salary and a few second-rounders for Vucevic. It's hard to extract much value for guys on expiring contracts, especially if they aren't easily extendable prior to free agency (White falls into this group).
Michael Malone
1:43
Obviously OKC laid the smackdown of all smackdowns last night, but did the Nuggets finally running out of gas after a 7 game series and a hard fought game 1 play a part in that? What do you expect from game 3?
Luke Adams
1:45
Never underestimate the heart of a champion. I didn't think the Nuggets would make it this far and I didn't see them stealing Game 1 against OKC -- you're right that it seems like they're running on fumes.

Still, I bet they have at least one more win in them this series. But the Thunder are a really good team and I'd be surprised if they don't ultimately win the series and end Denver's season.
Nate
1:46
Have any thoughts on what realistic changes you see the rockets making? A lot of talk about the struggles of JG…but I feel like it’d behoove us to get KD (or someone like him) at this point to help take the pressure off him to be the guy like he has been
Luke Adams
1:48
The problem with that idea is that, in all likelihood, in order to get a guy like KD, you're probably using Jalen Green as the primary salary-matching piece. The other options are Sengun (not happening) or Fred VanVleet, which is possible but seems less likely since he still plays an important role as the organizer on offense and one of the few volume three-point shooters.

I suppose in theory you might be able to get there using Dillon Brooks and some smaller salaries, but I really think if they make a move for a star, it'll be because they've lost faith in Green to become that guy, in which case it makes sense to include him in the package.
desmond bane
1:49
am i the most likely of the grizz's big 3 to get dealt this offseason?
Luke Adams
1:51
I definitely don't see Jaren Jackson Jr. going anywhere. And as I mentioned earlier, the time doesn't seem right for the Grizzlies to move Morant. So maybe, by default?

It's an interesting idea, one I hadn't really seriously entertained yet. Your contract would make some teams shy away, but you'd be a great fit on a lot of playoff teams and the Grizzlies could probably extract real value for you while still building around Ja and JJJ.
KJ
1:51
If giannis demands to be traded and without depleting the team is going to where should he go?  Surprisingly I would request Brooklyn because claxton Johnson and a bunch of pics might be enough and in The intern giannis will go to a Brooklyn team with still enough pics to get a roster and with the cap room he can more or less get whatever CoStar he wants
Luke Adams
1:54
Brooklyn is such a blank slate at this point, which has its pros and cons. Theoretically, yes, those draft picks would put the Nets in good position to get Giannis a co-star, but if he's requesting a trade out of Milwaukee because he's worried about not being able to contend for a title during his remaining prime years, I feel like he'd want to have that co-star (or multiple co-stars) already lined up.

The Rockets feel to me like the best fit for Giannis in terms of what he could add to that team on the court and which teams would have the assets to get him.
Bob
1:54
follow up.. do you think the Nets exert their financial leverage to try and move the team on to the next level of the process, maybe similar to what the Pistons did (adding a couple of vet FAs) or the Rockets before that?  Tanking another whole season would seem counterproductive to the positive momentum that Jordi created this year, and with 5 of the first 35 picks this yr, they will have an infusion of talent. Portis or Jerome would be nice fits. What do you say?
Luke Adams
1:56
The Pistons and Rockets already had their young core in place by the time they started adding veterans. The Nets don't have that yet, so I think they may be inclined to tank for another year to make sure they have at least a couple young building blocks to get them started. There's a reason they made it a priority to regain control of their 2026 first-round pick in addition to the 2025 selection.
Unclemike1526
1:56
Just tossing this out there but Bulls have a 17 million dollar trade exception for LaVine so wouldn't have to take back salary. Thanks
Luke Adams
1:57
That TPE would let them acquire salary without sending any out, but if they were trading a player like White or Vucevic, they'd still need to take salary back unless their trade partner had a TPE that fit one of those guys.
Goyo
1:57
Any news on if Portland can trade any of they're expensive players for some more youth or draft picks? Simon's, Grant or Ayton?
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