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Hoops Rumors Live Chat: 8/26/25
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ARTHUR HILL
11:01
Welcome to this week's chat. We'll start with a Hornets question.
Scott S.
11:01
I was high on the Hornets last year and was clearly wrong about them, but is it crazy to think they can be a play-in team this year with Brandon Miller back and a strong rookie class?
ARTHUR HILL
11:11
Brandon Miller looked like a legitimate scorer during his first season, averaging 17.3 PPG and finishing third in the Rookie of the Year race. He was even better last season, but he only played 27 games before tearing a ligament in his right wrist. He's expected to be fully healthy for camp, and his scoring punch makes the Hornets a much different team. The rookies looked good at Summer League as Charlotte won the title in Las Vegas, and there may be hope that the Hornets can challenge for a top 10 spot in the weakened East. Keeping LaMelo Ball healthy will always be a concern, and there are questions about their center rotation, but Charlotte has the talent to start moving up the ladder and it may begin this season.
Mat Ishbia
11:11
I'm saying the right things this summer, but is my new team building strategy going to be any more effective than my previous strategy?
ARTHUR HILL
11:24
Ishbia was determined to make an immediate impact after buying the Suns, and his first move was to approve a Kevin Durant trade, no matter how high the cost. He later dealt for Bradley Beal in the belief that high-priced talent was the path to success. Second-apron restrictions and the absence of draft picks quickly caught up to the Suns, so Ishbia changed his approach this summer. Now he wants a gritty, hard-working team that plays tough defense and fights for loose balls. While he's reworked his roster and hired a coach who fits that style, Phoenix is now low on proven scorers outside of Devin Booker and may have trouble producing enough offense to stay competitive. Ishbia doesn't seem like he'll be content with any strategy that isn't working right away, so there may be another change of course next offseason.
Guest
11:24
Any chance of the KNicks trading some salary to be able to offer more than the minimum for Malik Beasley?
ARTHUR HILL
11:36
Beasley would be a sensational shooter to add to the collection of talent in New York, but creating cap room is almost impossible given the Knicks' financial situation. They've already used the taxpayer mid-level exception, so they would have to trade a significant amount of salary to get under the first apron and clear out enough room to give Beasley the remainder of the non-taxpayer MLE. It's not realistic, given that the Knicks believe they can contend with their current roster. Several contenders have expressed interest in Beasley, but they're also limited in what they can offer. The Knicks' only hope is that Beasley sees them as his best chance to win a title, regardless of their financial limitations.
Wizards
11:36
Which players do you expect to be long term keepers for the Wizards? They have a ton of young players on the roster but I'm not sure how many will still be there a couple years from now
ARTHUR HILL
11:48
The high lottery picks will almost certainly be part of the future. Bilal Coulibaly, Alex Sarr and Tre Johnson are the team's current foundation, and they should have good odds to land one of the top prospects in next year's draft. Beyond that, the Wizards will use the next season or two to determine who should stay. Bub Carrington, AJ Johnson and Kyshawn George have all shown potential, and they'll continue to see heavy minutes. Among their offseason moves, I think Cam Whitmore has the chance to be an impact player if he gets a regular rotation role, which is something he never had in Houston. He's an athletic wing who can shoot from the outside and drive to the basket, and Washington fans are going to love his highlight dunks. Even though the Wizards are far from contention, they have a good collection of young talent in place. They just need some luck in next year's lottery to add an elite star.
JD
11:48
Which head coach will be the first to be fired? Will it happen by Thanksgiving? Christmas? Later?
ARTHUR HILL
12:00
Willie Green in New Orleans has the best chance of being gone by Thanksgiving. The Pelicans took a huge gamble by sending next year's unprotected first-round pick to Atlanta in the Derik Queen trade, and the pressure on Green to win is going to be intense. There's a new front office in place, and they won't hesitate to replace Green if the season doesn't start well. Nick Nurse may have a longer leash in Philadelphia, but it's not hard to envision a coaching change if it looks like there's going to be a repeat of last year's disaster. Joel Embiid's injury issues and Paul George's decline may not be Nurse's fault, but the Sixers may decide they want someone else to manage the chaos.
12:01
Thanks for the great questions. We'll talk again next week.
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