Hoops Rumors Live Chat: 7/9/26
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ARTHUR HILL
11:00
Welcome to this week's chat. We'll start with a question on Jaylen Brown and the Sixers.
NBAfan
11:00
When looking at the Sixers trade for Jaylen Brown, do you see them as the second best time in the East behind the Knicks? If not, who is the second best team in the East?
ARTHUR HILL
11:09
Philadelphia now has as much top-line talent as any team in the East. Adding Brown's offensive abilities to Embiid, Maxey and Edgecombe gives the Sixers a wealth of offensive weapons, and the Wade and Simons additions will help as well. Mike Gansey has done an incredible job in reshaping the roster around his stars. However, the uncertainty surrounding Embiid is a lingering problem that Gansey can't solve. The Sixers can't count on him for more than half a season, and there's no longer a reliable veteran backup after losing Andre Drummond. A relatively healthy season from Embiid would put the Sixers in the race for the top spot in the East, but that's never a sure thing. Several teams will contend the No. 2 spot, but keep an eye on the Pacers, who figure to make a quick turnaround with Tyrese Haliburton back.
Mardy
11:09
The Clippers seem to be very busy this offseason attempting to complete various moves in the background. The Clippers appear to be withholding finalizing the Kawhi Leonard trade to Toronto in order to complete some other moves. Rumor wise, the Clippers have been linked to trying to acquire Peyton Watson from Denver via a sign and trade, potentially moving newly acquired all-star forward Brandon Ingram to a third team like Sacramento for Domantas Sabonis, or to the Detroit Pistons for more assets, all the while retaining their own free agent in Bennedict Mathurin. Can you see the Clippers pulling all this off?
ARTHUR HILL
11:17
I expect the Clippers to focus on Watson, who would be a tremendous addition to their new young core. As much as the Nuggets like Watson, they may be willing to accept a sign and trade rather than moving into the second apron by re-signing him and Spencer Jones. The Ingram piece of the puzzle may be harder to pull off. He'll probably start the season in L.A., although the team will continue to explore its options, probably until the deadline. I expect Mathurin to ultimately be re-signed. He was productive after the trade, and there aren't many competitors left that can offer him big money.
JD
11:17
Should Brad Stevens' explanation of the Brown trade make Celtics fans feel any better?
ARTHUR HILL
11:24
Stevens talked about "optionality" during his press conference on Monday, but he really just replaced one big salary with another while accepting a step down in talent. The only advantage is that Paul George's deal is one year shorter than Brown's, and the Celtics seem to be looking at his expiring contract as a valuable trade chip next summer. He'll need to have a healthy and productive season first, which isn't a given. Underlying tensions between Brown and Jayson Tatum over the No. 1 role in the offense probably made the deal necessary, but Stevens didn't handle it well after he failed to land Giannis. The Celtics may still be a top-four team next season, but it feels like the Brown trade gave them a poor return for a major asset.
Just Curious
11:25
Now that we've seen a bunch of players just traded, what are the rules for when they can be traded again?
ARTHUR HILL
11:32
Players who've just been acquired via trade can be moved to another team at any time, but NBA rules prevent their salaries from being aggregated for 60 days. For deals that were finalized when the moratorium lifted on Monday, that will be September 6. For instance, in the unlikely event that the Heat feel buyer's remorse over Giannis Antetokounmpo and decide they'd rather have Jaylen Brown, Miami and Philadelphia could agree to swap the two stars today. But if they want to include other players in the deal, it would have to wait until September.
Guest
11:33
Which players are you most looking forward to seeing in summer league?
ARTHUR HILL
11:38
The top four picks will all be entertaining, and I especially want to see Caleb Wilson in action. The Bulls forward should provide a few highlight plays during Summer League and may be the most exciting rookie in this year's class. Among players who will affect their team's fortunes next season, I'm eager to see what Keaton Wagler can do. He had a tremendous season at Illinois, but he wasn't highly recruited out of high school and this will be the first chance to see how he fares against NBA-level competition. The Clippers need him to be productive as a rookie to climb out of play-in territory, and it will be a huge warning sign if he looks physically overmatched in Las Vegas.
theBigLip
11:39
Seems like Pistons got rid of Stewart, Sasser and Levert without a big return. Shouldn’t they have got Murphy or Herro without all those salaries? And does the Duren delay in signing impact other moves?
ARTHUR HILL
11:47
Trajan Langdon has done a great rebuilding job to turn the Pistons into a contender again, but he's had an underwhelming summer. The additions they've made barely move the needle at all, and he hasn't succeeded in what should have been his main objective, which is to find more scoring and rebounding to pair with Cade Cunningham. Meeting the Pelicans' price for Murphy may be the best way to save the offseason, even though it will mean parting with a lot of future draft assets. For your second question, I don't think Duren is affecting their other moves. He doesn't have a serious suitor to drive up his price, and it seems like the Pistons have a pretty good idea of how much they're going to wind up paying him.
Ethan
11:47
Thought on Ja Morant's outlook in Portland? Can he revive his career and get back to all-star form?
ARTHUR HILL
11:56
Morant leaving Memphis was the best move for him and the team, but that doesn't mean he'll go back to being a star with the Trail Blazers. Beyond the concerns over injuries and his off-court behavior, there were signs that his game was already in decline. He's always been a below-average three-point shooter, but he fell to 23.5% last season, which makes him much easier to guard. He also doesn't attack the basket as much as he did when he was younger. There's a logjam in Portland's backcourt, with a lot of guards he'll have to compete with for playing time. His chances of becoming an all-star again seem remote, and I think a more likely outcome is that the Blazers will be trying to move his contract by next summer.
Chris D
11:56
The whole LeBron situation seems odd to a degree. Presumably he knows what team under what circumstance he wants to sign with. If it was a team with its present roster then he would just sign there. So it seems that he wants a team to make another move - like trading for Anthony Davis. All the drawn out process then is just about trying to force a team to trade for him. Of the teams most discussed as possible destinations for LeBron,  Mia, Philly, Minn, Warriors, and Cleveland -- all but Mia have relatively easy paths to trade for Davis. Not saying the Wizards would do it or the other team would either BUT Davis for Embid or Jimmy Butler or Gobert+Divincenzo or Jarrett Allen+Strus+Schroeder are simple enough structure wise. What do you think the chances are that one of these trades will happen to clinch a LeBron signing?
ARTHUR HILL
12:07
The Wizards have been pretty definitive about their desire to keep Davis, which presumably means they intend to give him an extension this summer. Their plans could change if they can't agree to terms, but right now he seems to be off the market. LeBron would undoubtedly love to team up with his fellow Klutch client again, and it's certainly possible that he could have Rich Paul tell all his suitors that their chances would improve if they were to trade for Davis. However, while LeBron wants to be surrounded by the best possible roster, that may not be the reason he's taking so long to make a decision. He also enjoys being the center of NBA attention and having so many teams holding up their other plans to see where he'll go. This might be the last time he's ever in this position, so he's in no hurry to wrap it up.
Nikola Jokic
12:07
I’m concerned that the Nuggets haven’t gotten better, and our personnel moves the past two years and tight purse strings will prevent us from ever being a champion again as I get
I’m secretly researching my FA options in summer ‘27.  Who can easily max me, and what’s the most attractive option?
ARTHUR HILL
12:15
The Nuggets will be in the title chase for as long as Jokic is there, but it's a legitimate concern that they haven't improved since winning the 2023 title. Last year's extension for Christian Braun left them in a tough financial position, and there doesn't seem to be a way to avoid the second apron if they want to re-sign Peyton Watson and Spencer Jones without sacrificing any veteran talent. Jokic recently said that he wants to be a "Nugget forever" and that he plans to sign an extension next summer. If he's secretly looking into free agency, the Bulls and Nets are currently in the best position to make a mega-offer. However, if word leaks that Jokic is considering leaving Denver, teams throughout the league will start trying to dump salary to get into that race.
Thanks for all the great questions. We'll talk again next week.
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