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Hoops Rumors Live Chat: 8/7/2025
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Luke Adams
2:00
Thanks for the early questions, guys! We're into the dog days of the NBA summer, but looks like we should still have plenty to discuss today.
Arcman
2:01
I have not hweard any new talk about Ben Simmons. Is any team thinking about signing him or will he retire?
Luke Adams
2:03
He'll be on an NBA roster sooner or later. Not sure if there's anything specific holding up his situation or if he's just still weighing his options.

The Kings were mentioned as one of the teams in play for him and still seem to have some roster issues up in the air (any shot at Kuminga? Will Monk or Carter be traded? Would they rather sign Westbrook than Simmons?), so maybe some resolution in Sacramento would clear the way for Simmons to sign somewhere.
Jay
2:03
Are you surprised to see no team has signed Kai Jones? Doesn’t he still have 1 season of two-way eligibility left?
Luke Adams
2:08
I just double-checked the exact wording of the two-way eligibility rule to confirm this: Jones has technically been in the NBA for four seasons, which makes him ineligible for a two-way, even though he didn't play in any games in 2023/24.

A player who misses one of his first four seasons with an injury doesn't have that year count toward his two-way eligibility, but '23/24 counts for Jones because one of the criteria is as follows: The player "was on a Team’s roster at all times from the first day of the Regular Season through the end of the last day of the Regular Season."

Jones doesn't meet that part of the criteria for 2023/24.
Alturas: most underrated CA town
2:08
Hey, do you have insider knowledge as to when the NBA schedule will be released?
Luke Adams
2:10
No insider knowledge, but I can tell you that recent history suggests it should happen soon. The full announcement last year came on August 15, with Christmas Day games reported about a week before that and the full NBA Cup schedule announced on Aug. 13.

This season is technically starting a day earlier (Oct. 21) than last year (Oct. 22), so I'd be surprised if we don't get any schedule updates within the next week or so.
Black Ace57
2:10
With the news the NBA isn’t looking at expansion do you think relocation talk will pick up, and if so, what teams?
Luke Adams
2:13
I don't think Adam Silver has forgotten the ugly way the Seattle situation played out and the resentment it caused in the Pacific Northwest, and I expect him to do all he can to avoid relocating any teams during his tenure. It would be more of a last resort.

I get the sense that expansion is just on the back-burner for now because the league is all in on "NBA Europe." I still think the most likely outcome is expanding from 30 to 32 teams at some point in the next few years, with Seattle and Vegas the clearest candidates for teams.
David
2:14
Why does it matter so much if the Lakers this season are called "Luka's team" or "LeBron's team?" Do people expect LeBron to just fade into the background and put up significantly fewer numbers?
Luke Adams
2:16
It probably doesn't matter that much, but LeBron is pretty unique in the sense that until this year, he'd spent the last 20+ years as the unequivocal player his team was built around. Now he has to get used to not being that guy for the first time ever. Understandable that there would be a little bumpiness in that transition, but I'd be a bit surprised if there's any tangible negative impact on the court for the Lakers.
xdrta
2:17
Hi Luke, this seems like there must be an obvious answer that I'm not seeing but it puzzles me. It's well known that acquiring an S&T player is a 1st Apron restriction (hard cap.) Yet looking at the Transaction Restrictions Table in the CBA, the only S&T reference is item J:
Team acquires a player using a Traded Player Exception .... which Traded Player Exception is in respect of a Player Contract signed and traded--------------Second Apron Level.
What am I missing?
Luke Adams
2:20
The third item in the Transaction Restrictions Table, which calls for a first-apron hard cap, is
"Team acquires a player pursuant to a Contract entered into in accordance with Section 8(e)(1) below."

You have to scroll down another 70+ pages to get to Section 8(e)(1), but that section describes a sign-and-trade.
Unclemike1526
2:20
So everything has been written on the RFA's, When exactly do you expect the results of the process to really end? I know the deadline is something like 10/1 right? Or do I have that wrong. Seems like everything else the NBA does it's completely drawn out and makes zero sense. Right? Thanks as always.
Luke Adams
2:23
October 1 is the deadline for a player to accept a qualifying offer. It's possible one or two of these situations may drag on that long, but usually RFA standoffs get done in August or at least by mid-September.

I'll predict that at least two of Kuminga, Giddey, Grimes, or Thomas get done at some point before the end of August, and I'd be somewhat surprised if any of those four still remains unsigned by Sept. 29 (media day).
Jay
2:23
Why haven’t the Mavs made a trade to make Dante Exum’s contract official? Is it really that difficult to trade Olivier Maxence Prosper or even waive Brandon Williams and bring him back on a two-way contract?
Luke Adams
2:25
Waiving Williams might mean losing him -- there are probably other teams willing to give him more than a two-way contract based on how he performed last season.

Trading Prospect could probably get done today if the Mavs are willing to attach a second-round pick to him. Would imagine they're exhausting their options in the hopes of giving up a little value as possible, knowing that they don't really have to have Exum signed until training camp starts.
Qbert
2:25
Which notable free agents do you see getting squeezed out of an NBA contract and having to play overseas or retire? (ex: Cameron Payne, Russell Westbrook, Seth Curry, Precious Achiuwa , Bol Bol, Jae Crowder, PJ Tucker?)
Luke Adams
2:28
Definitely expect Westbrook to be in the league next season. Probably Payne and Curry too. Achiuwa deserves to be on an NBA roster but could probably get a pretty lucrative deal from a European team (Panathinaikos reportedly had some interest before they reached a deal with Richaun Holmes). Wouldn't shock me if Bol and Crowder aren't in the league next season. Tucker has probably played his last meaningful NBA minute, but could stick around another year or two as a Udonis Haslem locker-room-leader type.
Edwill
2:29
Who you think the thunder will open the season against on ring and banner night. I will love to see them play the rockets there first game. Lots a storylines in that match up. Kd makes his rockets debut against one of his former teams who will get there rings before the game. Also Houston is one of the biggest threats to the thunder in the west.
Luke Adams
2:30
Houston would be a good choice. Could also see a Nuggets matchup, given how competitive their playoff series was in the spring. Or a more generic marquee team without any extra connection to OKC, like the Lakers.
Guest
2:31
If a team maxes out on their four affiliate player spots for the G-League and the one of those four players at the end of NBA training camp decides not to join their affiliate, could the team sign another affiliate player? Like when Lonnie Walker IV didn’t join Maine after training camp last year, could Boston have signed someone last minute to affiliate spot?
Luke Adams
2:36
As I've mentioned before, many of these G League rules aren't publicly available, so I'm not 100% sure what would happen in this scenario. But I can tell you that NBA teams are required to submit their list of four affiliate players in advance of the G League draft and a rule stating that if "an NBA G League team did not sign four Affiliate Players prior to the season, such team may designate a maximum of one player per season as an in-season affiliate player."

Based on that wording, I'd assume there's some wiggle room to add a fourth affiliate player after submitting the initial list if one of the four didn't end up signing.
Bill
2:36
strange question since it is weeks past the draft, but, I am wondering when a team has a draft prospect in for a workout, who pays his travel, etc expenses?  him? or the team?
Luke Adams
2:38
I think it probably depends somewhat on the caliber of player (the Mavs aren't letting Cooper Flagg pay for everything himself when he visits), but my understanding is that agents are responsible for covering a lot of those costs.
This article is several years old now, but it's written by a veteran agent and is a good look at the pre-draft process: https://www.forbes.com/sites/leighsteinberg/2018/06/21/behind-the-scen...
Tao~of~Hoop
2:38
The Bucks have done an impressive job keeping / acquiring new talent and making cap room (including one roster spot) despite a gloomy previous outlook.  They could still use 3andD size on the perimeter.  What free agent can help them, perhaps Amir Coffey?    Or  who can be a good trade match for Kuzma (who plays better at the 4) with sweetener?  If the Raptors really are done with Barrett despite the Homegrown narrative, Kuz and nonguaranteed Jackson Jr. swap works under the cap… although he’s an inconsistent shooter and defender and has played mostly at the 2 - he’s very talented.  Cam Johnson would have been perfect but that boat has sailed…
Luke Adams
2:44
The Bucks have a full 15-man roster and can't offer a free agent more than $3.6MMish, so I don't expect them to do much more in free agency. The Kuzma trade question is an interesting one, and Barrett is an intriguing target. You actually wouldn't even need to attach Jackson -- a Kuzma/Barrett one-for-one works, and might hold some appeal for Toronto, since it would get them under the tax line.

That said, you're right about Barrett's shooting and defense, and I'm not sure he's a significant upgrade on Kuzma.

Agreed on Cam Johnson. The 2020-24 version of Jerami Grant would also have been a nice fit, but he's coming off a down year and the contract is worrisome. DeRozan intrigues me a little, even though he's not really an outside shooter. I'd have to take more of a deep dive to come up with a more complete list.
TrustTheProcess
2:45
If the Hawks don’t sign Trae Young to an extension, do you think a team will sign him to a max deal next offseason?
Luke Adams
2:49
Probably, yes. It's rare for a free agent of his caliber to make it to the open market, and I think there'd be at least one team willing to jump at the opportunity to land that sort of player for nothing but a max contract (consider that the Spurs just gave up a pretty decent trade package for a somewhat similar player in De'Aaron Fox before then giving him that max deal).

Which team would give him that max contract is a fair question, since a lot of the teams that project to have significant cap room next summer already have their point guard position sorted, or at least have spent resources addressing that spot already.
Jax
2:50
Do you know if the hornets are in any negotiations with Free Agents or if they are done making moves?
Luke Adams
2:51
Haven't heard anything about the Hornets lately, but I imagine they still have some moves up their sleeves. They currently have 18 players on standard contracts, so at the very least they need to find a way to get down to 15. That may just be a matter of making three cuts, but they have the flexibility to make trades and additional signings if they want to. If they truly aim to be competitive this season, they should probably find a way to add one more center.
GrizzMan
2:52
Who fills the Grizz last 2way spot?
Luke Adams
2:53
Jahmai Mashack still looks like the best bet to me, but if they have other plans for him, there could be a camp competition for that spot among E10 signings. They also have multiple guys coming off offseason surgeries, so they may target a short-term two-way option for early-season depth, then make in-season changes.
Ted Knox
2:54
Do  you have a guess on why the G-League rules are not publically available?
Luke Adams
2:56
The NBA and NBPA negotiate a Collective Bargaining Agreement and then make it publicly available on both their websites. There's technically a union representing G League players, but as far as I know, there's still no CBA that applies specifically to the G League. If one is negotiated at some point, I assume it'd be made publicly available.

It feels in many ways like the G League is still slowly morphing into its final form -- it wasn't until the last couple years that all 30 NBA teams even had an affiliate.
Jon Horst
2:56
Everyone has got on the us over the Lillard/Turner move but I have not seen anyone throw out alternatives. Short of trading Giannis, was there another way to make this roster competitive? Or are people just blindly going with the narrative?
Luke Adams
2:58
Critics of the Lillard/Turner transactions would argue that simply adding Turner didn't make the Bucks good enough to warrant taking on that long-term dead money for Lillard.

I think you're right that there was no clear alternative path to making the 2025/26 Bucks better (though the team does still have a tradable first-round pick in its pocket). The counter-argument might have been that taking a "gap year" and addressing the Lillard contract a year from now, when it's an expiring deal, would've been the more prudent path, but I think in that scenario the odds of a Giannis trade request probably go significantly higher. You don't want to throw away a year of his prime.
Knicks Fan
2:58
how do you answer some of these tough questions and provide sources in 2 minutes?
Luke Adams
2:59
Knowing where to look ahead of time helps. But there are also many questions submitted that I have to skip because it would be impossible for me to do the research necessary to give a good answer within 3-5 minutes.
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