Hoops Rumors Live Chat: 8/31/2026
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Luke Adams
3:01
Thanks for all the early questions today, guys!
3:02
Before we get going here, a housekeeping note: My schedule is changing a little, so starting next week, the plan is for this chat to take place on Wednesdays at 1:00 pm Central time (2 Eastern) rather than on Mondays.
OK, let's dive in here.
Dominic
3:02
The Kings have been doing multiple tryouts for veteran guards, is there any movement on signing one?
Luke Adams
3:04
Haven't heard anything to suggest there is. For what it's worth, last year they signed Russell Westbrook on Oct. 16 and Precious Achiuwa on Nov. 4, so they're definitely comfortable having someone play regular minutes even if they weren't with the team for training camp and the preseason.

Still, I doubt they'll wait that long this year. A September signing or two seems likely to me.
AnthonyEdwardsHypeMachine
3:04
Simple question. With Kuminga in the fold are the Wolves ahead of the Thunder or Spurs in your view in the Western Conference?
Luke Adams
3:05
No. But their upside makes them as intriguing to me as any non-Spurs/Thunder team in the West.
Seamhead
3:05
So it sounds like the deadline for waive-and-stretch has passed and the Nuggets are still over the 2nd apron with 14 players. Safe to assume they'll start the season there and hope unlikely bonuses will drop them below by season end?
Luke Adams
3:07
I should probably double-check the exact CBA wording to confirm, but I'm 99% sure that the unlikely bonuses continue to count toward the aprons whether or not they're earned this season. So to duck below the second apron threshold, the Nuggets would need to make a trade.

Safe to assume we'll hear rumors about Zeke Nnaji again this winter. I could also see Julian Strawther emerging as a trade candidate. Moving Strawther at the February deadline without taking salary back and then replacing him with a minimum-salary free agent would be enough to duck out of the second apron.
Marky
3:08
Any landing spots for John Konchar? Was surprised Minnesota cut him instead of Williams.
Luke Adams
3:12
Their salaries were nearly identical, so yeah, the Wolves could've basically waived either one. I was a little surprised they chose Williams too. I don't think Konchar's anything special, but he has at least been a decent rotation player in the past. The Wolves must believe they can get more out of Williams than he's shown so far.

I think waiving Konchar would also make more sense if they're able to sign someone like Bruce Brown to fill the 15th roster spot.

As for landing spots for Konchar, Miami has been rumored as a possibility. There aren't a lot of teams around the NBA that have roster spots to spare, so his options might be limited. Maybe Washington or Sacramento? Possibly Toronto?
BLinn
3:13
I feel like at least one of the Lakers, Heat, Nuggets, and Warriors is going to be especially and surprisingly stinky. You agree? If so, they're each kinda stuck, right?
Luke Adams
3:15
I'm always wary when a team makes a ton of changes, since it often takes some time for new teammates to mesh. So I'm in wait-and-see mode with the Lakers and Heat. I still like the Nuggets' talent in general, but I don't think they're as deep as last year, so they really need their top guys to stay healthy. The Warriors' expectations are probably a level below the expectations for those other teams.

As for whether they'd be stuck... the Lakers, Heat, and Nuggets definitely wouldn't be in great spots, since they've traded so many draft picks. But the Warriors could actually pivot pretty easily if needed. They barely have any money on their books for next season and still have almost all of their future first-rounders.
Random NBA Fan
3:16
Now that Kuminga's deal is finally done, is the offseason basically over? Sure, Cam Whitmore will go somewhere, but there are no rumblings about a team still looking to address some major hole before the preseason is there?
Luke Adams
3:17
I'm still very curious to see what happens with Jalen Duren and the Pistons. And of course we're waiting on the Kawhi Leonard resolution.

Other than that though, there aren't a ton of major storylines to resolve. Mostly just some minor roster and cap crunches to sort out.
MaxDeal
3:17
Do the Nets have anyone on their roster who could be an All-Star or All-NBA selection in the next three years?
Luke Adams
3:19
"Could" gives me quite a bit of leeway here. Mikel Brown and Egor Demin could get there. Julius Randle has been an All-Star before and could be again. Even Michael Porter Jr. probably should've been an All-Star last year and will only be 31 in three years.

But I definitely wouldn't bet on any current Net becoming a perennial All-Star within the next three years.
Scrappy
3:20
What West team takes a big step forward and what team takes a big step back this coming season?
Luke Adams
3:23
I wouldn't be shocked if the Jazz double their win total or come very close to it after going 22-60 last season. If I had to pick a second team to take a step forward (since Utah is probably the obvious answer), I'd probably take the Pelicans. I don't love how they've been managed but there's enough talent on that roster that they should be better than 26-56.

As for which team will take a step back, I'd be pretty shocked if the Lakers won 53 games again. I could also see the Suns regressing after exceeding expectations last year. And I doubt the Clippers will be above .500 again.
Black Ace57
3:23
The east looks tough this year. How would you rank the Magic, Hawks, Pacers, Wizards, and Hornets and what do you think would happen in Orlando if they miss the top 10?
Luke Adams
3:28
If we're talking about how they'd stack up against one another, I'd probably go Magic, Hawks, Pacers, Hornets, Wizards.

I'm weirdly optimistic about Orlando this year. It feels like they're finally due some good injury luck, and I think Sean Sweeney will be able to get the most out of that roster. I like the Pacers, but even in the years when they were making the Eastern/NBA Finals, they were only a 47-50 win team, not exactly dominant (by comparison, Orlando won 45 last year in a "disappointing" year). And with Haliburton coming off the Achilles, I'm not really sure what to expect from them.

As for what happens in Orlando if the team underachieves again, I think after changing the head coach this year, they'd have to move on to overhauling either the front office, the roster, or both. There'd probably be a lot of "one of Banchero and Wagner needs to go" chatter in that scenario.
BBall br
3:28
Do you foresee a lower win total for the number 1 seed than we've seen in quite some time? There are going to be zero teams racing to the absolute bottom. That could have a sizeable impact on standings.
Luke Adams
3:30
Yeah, I think this will have a bigger impact than people think. I don't think the new draft lottery rules will eliminate tanking entirely (if the seventh- or eighth-worst team knows it's not going to make the play-in or finish in the bottom three, it's not going to be going all-out for wins in the final few weeks), but there shouldn't be nearly as many easy wins for teams during the second half of the season.

The Thunder and Spurs are so good that maybe one or both of them will still be able to get to 60 wins, but I bet we'll see a lot of teams in the range of 33-47 wins this season.
raz1374
3:30
Pacers fan here....the team has one open slot on the roster but not enough for the vet minimum under the 1st Apron Cap. Do you see them promoting one of their 2 way guys, Brown or Slawson, once the prorated vet minimum fits under the apron around first week of November? For a team that likes to run and go deep into their bench, seems like either would be logical candidates compared to what is still available in the FA market. Also, how does the 90 game rule work for 2-way players if the team goes up to 15 main roster spots once the season begins?
Luke Adams
3:32
I doubt they'll be in any rush to fill that 15th spot right away once they can. Brown and Slawson can be active while on their two-ways, and the active-game limit for those guys shouldn't be an issue for at least 2-3 months. It's in the Pacers' best interest to maintain as much cap flexibility leading up to the trade deadline in case they make a trade where they take on a bit of extra money.
3:35
As for the 90-game rule, basically:

  1. If you have fewer than 15 players on standard contracts, each two-way player you have active for a game counts toward that 90-game "under-15" rule.
  2. Once you have 15 players on standard contracts, your count towards the 90-game rule is essentially paused.

So say the Pacers used up 50 two-way games with 14 players on standard contracts, then signed a 15th man to a non-guaranteed contract for a month.

During that month, any two-way games would count toward each two-way player's individual 50-game limit but NOT toward the team's 90-game "under-15" limit. They'd pick up where they left off (ie. at 50) if they waive the non-guaranteed player a month later and drop back to 14 players on standard contracts.
Blazers fan
3:35
Do we make the playoffs this season?
Luke Adams
3:37
I'm not entirely sold on the makeup of your roster, but I still think you have a good chance. Last year's top six teams in the West should all still be pretty strong, but I'm less bullish on the bottom nine. I could see the Blazers battling with Utah, Golden State, Phoenix, and maybe one other team for those last couple spots.
Your dingaling
3:38
Memphis still needs to hack down their roster. Do you think there are any realistic landing spots for guys like D'Lo, Kris Murray, or AJ Johnson, or should we expect to see them waive four or five guys and take the accumulated cap hit?
Luke Adams
3:40
I don't think you're getting anything of value for them in a trade unless you take on an unwanted multiyear contract (like, if you were willing to take back Zeke Nnaji for Taj Gibson or Kris Murray, you'd absolutely be warranted in asking the Nuggets for all their available second-rounders).
Harmon Ripkowski
3:41
Why is Kuminga being referred to as a PF when he's almost always been on the wing, but McDaniels has played some 4 but being seen as the 3, or is this just semantics and McDaniels will cover whatever they need him to anyways? I feel like they're gonna have rebounding issues after Gobert
Luke Adams
3:44
McDaniels can probably handle the four fine in limited minutes, but he's a bit slight to be playing there full-time. While I'm skeptical the gap is actually this big, his listed weight (185) is 40 pounds below Kuminga's (225). But both guys can handle the three or four in certain lineup combinations.

Rebounding could be an issue, though Kuminga was actually pretty good in that department last year. I believe his rebounds per 36 minutes were higher than Trey Lyles' career rate, and Lyles is a pretty stereotypical/traditional power forward.
Guest
3:44
Good afternoon. Hawks fan here. Who will get cut from the 17 players? I’m surprised they didn’t waive Guye Saturday he was non guaranteed. I say Guye and Devin Carter. You?  Thanks!!!
Luke Adams
3:47
I think you're right about Devin Carter. I'm not quite as sure about Gueye. I think we'll need to see where he's at in his recovery from foot surgery when camp starts.

The issue with Gueye is that if you don't expect him to contribute much this season, then yeah, it makes sense to waive him. But as long as he's not healthy enough to play, the Hawks will have to continue paying him even though his contract is ostensibly non-guaranteed.

Still, almost everyone else on the roster is either too important to waive or is owed guaranteed money beyond 2026/27. So it's probably Gueye and Carter. But it also feels like the Hawks could be a team that still has a preseason trade in them.
Wannabe Cap Expert
3:47
I know the waive and stretch allows you to stretch the amount owed for twice the years plus one more.   Is it possible, to stretch for fewer years?    For example, if Cleveland only needed half the room that waiving and stretching Whitmore provided, could they do it for two years instead of?   I realize they may want the additional cap relief, but are they required to use the full number of years?
Luke Adams
3:48
Yeah, that's non-negotiable and automatic. One year left? Spread over three. Two years left? Spread over five. And so on.
Rich
3:49
What are the odds that Kawhai Leonard trade to Toronto may still be voided?
Luke Adams
3:50
It's not impossible but I'd be really surprised. Both teams are very motivated to make the deal and it sounds like Kawhi's contract probably won't be voided. So unless the NBA finds a way to suspend him for half the season or something, I expect both teams to move forward once they have more clarity.
Keith
3:50
Do you agree with Kuminga's decision to take less money with Minnesota than he could have gotten from the Lakers for instance? Definitely betting on himself for a big year.
Luke Adams
3:52
It was interesting that "He turned down more money from the Lakers!" was immediately leaked to Shams at the time of the agreement. You've gotta figure that's coming to the agent in an effort to save face to some extent.

But it doesn't seem like that's an offer Kuminga could have simply accepted. The Lakers had to make a sign-and-trade in order to make it work, and it didn't sound like the Hawks were interested in anything they were offering. I'd view that as more of a conditional offer rather than a concrete one, so I could see why Kuminga wouldn't want to wait on it, especially since the Minnesota opportunity is a good one for him.
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