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Hoops Rumors Live Chat: 1/25/2024
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Luke Adams
3:00
Lots of questions in the queue already. Looks like you guys adjusted well to the departure from the usual time for today's chat.
Let's jump in...
BREWCREW
3:01
Whats the Bucks next moves?
Luke Adams
3:02
It sounds like they're determined to make a trade or two to upgrade their defense, but their options are really limited since they lack draft assets and basically all of their viable salary-matching pieces are already key rotation players.
3:04
We passed along some Bucks rumors from Jake Fischer yesterday and the only two targets who seemed truly attainable to me were P.J. Tucker and maybe Matisse Thybulle. But Thybulle has veto rights and may not want to play for Doc Rivers again, and Tucker's value has cratered to the point that he's only really appealing as a buyout signing.
Malcolm Brogdon
3:04
Best guess where I am after the deadline?
Luke Adams
3:06
The Lakers and Knicks both make sense, but I suspect you're a Plan B or C in both cases. The Jazz would be a fun fit if they actually want to try to make the playoffs this year. Same with the Magic.
I'll say the Knicks, though I suspect they'd prefer Bruce Brown if they can get him for a reasonable price.
Mike
3:06
Grimes + Fournier and 2 first rd picks for Murry who says no?
Luke Adams
3:07
Depends on which first-round picks they are. If it's a couple of the protected first-rounders from other teams, I like it better for New York, even though I don't love the Murray/Brunson fit. Would be a nice return for the Hawks if they could get a couple unprotected or lightly protected Knicks picks, but I doubt New York would give up that much for Murray.
Pick value at deadline
3:08
Will we see second rounders thrown around like candy like last year (eg 5 seconds for guys like expiring Josh Richardson, injured gp2, saddiq bey, expiring jae crowder / 3 seconds for Thomas bryant who then barely played) or will the need for cheap depth under new cba + lower-than-usual value of 2024 firsts make teams less cavalier with seconds?
Luke Adams
3:10
I doubt teams will hang onto second-rounders any more tightly this season. If anything, the fact that they're being "thrown around like candy" will convince those teams that it won't be that hard to reacquire some down the road if necessary. Malcolm Brogdon, Alec Burks, Tyus Jones, Delon Wright, and Kelly Olynyk are some of the players I could imagine being traded for a bunch of second-rounders.
3:11
Wouldn't even rule it out for Bruce Brown, though I think if the Raptors can't get a first-rounder for him, they'd target a promising young prospect over a bunch of seconds.
Matt
3:11
Any chance Lavine to Pistons rumor makes sense? Bulls wont get Ivey, Cade, Ausar or Duren but could they get draft capital and say Sasser instead with Bogs?
Luke Adams
3:12
I don't really love it for the Pistons. Not sure that's the right way to use a huge chunk of your cap room if you're looking to take a step forward.
Dubs fan
3:13
The Warriors roster looked good on paper to start the season, but there hasn't been good chemistry. Does making a splashy move really help an already awkward locker room? Or is there wisdom in doing a fringe move to add depth and see if more time to gel helps?
Luke Adams
3:14
We'll see how they look in the next week or two with Draymond back, but between their first-half struggles, a bunch of vets having down years, and the death of a beloved assistant coach, this might not be the Warriors' season. I'd be surprised if they do anything too splashy. I'm actually curious to see if they might try to do with Wiggins what they did with Poole last summer, moving him for short-term money in what's essentially a long-term salary dump.
Justin
3:14
What's next for my hornets?  Will they be able to trade Hayward and Lowry?  Hopefully we take some bad contracts to get picks but my faith in mitch is minimal at best.
Luke Adams
3:17
It's hard for me to envision a Hayward or Lowry deal that nets the Hornets a real asset. Their cap hits are just too high, and they're probably not valuable enough to warrant a team attaching a really solid piece to get off a bad contract.
3:18
One idea I was kicking around when I was looking at Warriors possibilities was something like Wiggins + Gary Payton II for Hayward, which would allow the Warriors to move off some long-term money. But as bad as Wiggins has been this season and as injury-prone as GPII has been, it's just hard for me to imagine them selling that low (and even if they did, would the Hornets or another team be willing to roll the dice on Wiggins and the 3/$85MM left on his contract?)
Daryl Morey
3:18
Am I and/or should I pursue a Brogdon trade?
Luke Adams
3:19
The Sixers are another team that makes some sense for Brogdon -- they have the expiring contracts to make it work. Would depend on what the Blazers are willing to accept in terms of draft assets.
Fournier for...
3:19
Who would you try to get with Fournier's contract if you were in the Knicks FO? Murray comes to mind, but I'm not sure about the fir with Brunson.
Luke Adams
3:20
Some sort of Fournier/Grimes for Bruce Brown framework makes a lot of sense to me if Grimes has really fallen out of favor in New York. Would be a way to make use of Fournier's money, retain all the first-rounders, and get a player we know Thibs would like.
3:21
With his $23MM team option for next season, Brown is also a guy who could be retained and used as a salary-matching piece in an offseason trade for a star.
FastEddie577
3:21
Warriors should consider trading Klay and Green. Team is old and needs an update. Only Curry should be untouchable.
Luke Adams
3:22
I think Curry is essentially the only untouchable guy on the roster, but given what Klay and Draymond mean to the franchise and what they could realistically get back for them in down years, I'm skeptical there's any deal out there that would really make sense for them.
Xavier Tillman
3:22
Could I be moved by the February 8th?
Luke Adams
3:23
If you're not part of Memphis' future plans, sure, why not try to get a second-round pick or two for you on your way out. There are a few teams that could use a backup center.
Ethan
3:23
Is there any noise around the other Hawks players Hunter, Clint Capela , Bogi ?
Luke Adams
3:25
Hunter and Capela are very available and have been for a while. I get the sense the price would be significantly higher for Bogdanovic, but there have been multiple reports suggesting that Trae and Jalen Johnson are the only players the Hawks don't want to talk about trading.
Lakers/Hawks
3:25
Saw a post earlier today that "L.A. has discussed a deal with the Hawks involving D’Angelo Russell, rookie Jalen Hood-Schifino and the team’s next available first-round pick in 2029" for Dejounte Murray.

That sounds like an awful trade for the Hawks. Seems like if they got some better defensive players around Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, they would be better. Do you think this could work or should they trade him for pennies on the dollar?
Luke Adams
3:27
It seems like the Hawks are ready to admit defeat and move on from the Trae/Dejounte backcourt, so I'd be a little surprised if he's still on the roster after the deadline. I agree that the Lakers' offer is underwhelming, though for what it's worth, another report indicated a pick swap was also involved in those talks. If you get, say, an unprotected 2028 swap and an unprotected 2029 pick from the Lakers, those could be valuable assets -- who knows what their roster will look like by then. Maybe that pick ends up in the top five or top 10!
Legal issues
3:28
After reaching a plea deal, can Kevin Porter Jr. hope to make it back to the league? Or is he done for good?
Luke Adams
3:29
If this were his first off-court incident, I'd expect Porter to end up on a roster next season. But his tenure with Cleveland ended due to questions about his character and locker-room fit. He also didn't really show in Houston that he's a winning player, despite the solid stats. I think it's more likely than not that he's back in the NBA at some point, but it's definitely not a lock.
CBA
3:29
You think in the next 10 years or so there will begin to be stricter rules around trading picks? With the prices of superstars becoming "give me everything you have" it feels like there will have to be some kind of breaking point so a handful of teams don't control every pick.
Luke Adams
3:30
As someone who has to keep track of these traded picks, I wouldn't mind if the NBA instituted some rule about how many times the swap rights to a single pick can be traded. There are so many second-round picks especially that I've had to go back and track from trade to trade over the years to understand the language for which team will get which pick.
3:32
But to answer your question beyond my personal gripe... I feel like the Stepien Rule is already pretty strict. Maybe the NBA tweaks that rule a little at some point to crack down on the ability to trade swaps in the years between trading picks, but if it were a priority, it probably would've been addressed in the 2023 CBA.
Lakers/Hawks follow-up
3:32
The Lakers are never truly going to bottom out. I mean, it's THE destination in the NBA. They're always going to have stars wanting to come to them.
Luke Adams
3:33
I don't think that's a lock. We're less than a decade removed from them having four straight 55+ loss seasons.
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