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Hoops Rumors Live Chat: 1/31/2025
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Luke Adams
1:00
Lots of early questions to get to, but we're going 90 minutes instead of 60 today, so keep 'em coming and I'll get to as many as I can in the next hour and a half.
GN
1:00
How much is Detroit's cap space worth in draft picks?  Say it's 14 million...
Luke Adams
1:02
I saw the report about them wanting a first-round pick to rent that space. I think that's probably ambitious unless they're also sending out something of value in the deal (e.g. a rotation player). They could turn that space into a bunch of second-rounders, but I highly doubt anyone at this point in the season is giving up a first-rounder just to dump salary.
Cody Zeller
1:02
Cody Zeller is just cap filler at this point. The contract the Hawks gave him was totally worth the price to get Daniels and the 1sts from NO though. Think he will be cut after the trade deadline if the Hawks don't make a deal including him?
Luke Adams
1:03
Definitely, yes. No reason to keep him around after the deadline -- the Hawks could use that roster spot on 10-day signings or a younger prospect they could sign to a multiyear deal.
Worried kings fan
1:03
I know theres lots of buzz with De'Aaron fox but any news on John Collins to kings or cam Johnson or any other wing or bigs what's your thoughts gonna happened?
Luke Adams
1:06
Until they know exactly what's happening with Fox, it's tricky for the Kings to make moves on other fronts. But I wouldn't necessarily rule them out for players like that. If the goal in a Fox trade is to get back win-now pieces and continue pushing for the playoffs, there's no reason they couldn't remain in the hunt for that type of guy.

I could even see the argument for acquiring one of them if they plan to hang onto Fox for now -- maybe that acquisition helps them make a second-half surge and convinces Fox to stick around.
Trade Proposal
1:07
Suns Acquired: Bogdanovic, Hawks Acquired: 2027 1st round pick and Nurkic + Brogdon, Wizards Acquired: Capela, and wizards trades Valanciunas for 2 or 3 2nd round picks. Good Deal?
Luke Adams
1:09
Think the Wizards would probably need some sort of incentive to swap out Brogdon for Capela, even if it's just a future second-round swap or something. But otherwise the structure seems viable enough.
Mark
1:09
With the Jimmy butler news fading, do you think the bucks could go after Zach LaVine instead?
Luke Adams
1:11
Maybe. Though I'm skeptical how much a deal like that would actually help the Bucks. LaVine isn't a black hole on defense, but pairing him with Dame would make me a little concerned about that backcourt D. It would also likely mean giving up Middleton, Portis, and Connaughton (+ assets to dump Connaughton), which hurts their depth and adds more long-term salary to their books. I just don't really like it for them from a roster-building standpoint, but maybe Jon Horst thinks differently.
Silver
1:12
Why is Adam Silver trying to ruin the NBA?     An in-season tournament and 10 minute quarters (shorter games) are stupid ideas     Of course the players love him!
Luke Adams
1:15
I actually get the logic behind the 10-minute quarter idea. It's one of those things where if we'd always had 10-minute quarters, the idea of changing to 12 minutes would seem even more ridiculous. But it messes with the record books in a way that even big MLB changes like the pitch clock doesn't, so it's a hard sell. For what it's worth, it doesn't seem like it's something the NBA is seriously considering at this point.
Memphis
1:15
Best Trade Idea is Grizzlies trades smart, konchar, clarke, 2025 1st pick for kyle kuzma and holmes? Washington move smart to a 3rd team?
Luke Adams
1:16
I'm not a big Kuzma fan and I think Clarke is actually pretty underrated, so I don't love that for Memphis. Could see them shopping a package along those lines, but I expect they'll be targeting more of a two-way player.
hornetsiwouldntsayfan
1:17
Hi Luke - Thanks always for the chat. Wondering three quick questions about the Hornets, if you can: Is Mark Williams more hurt than they're saying or does he play Saturday? Related: are the Hornets just tanking now? Finally, who do you realistically think gets moved off of that squad? Thanks.
Luke Adams
1:20
Haven't heard anything to suggest there's any real concern about Williams. The answer to that question might be related to the second -- yes, they're tanking, so we'll probably see a number of starters and other rotation players held out here and there with minor injuries the rest of the way.

As for who they trade at the deadline, I'm not expecting a complete roster overhaul, but I view Cody Martin as a logical trade candidate. Also curious to see if they'd flip Okogie, given how well he's played since he got there, or if they like having him in the locker room.
Golden State Worrier
1:20
Can Warriors swing a trade for Levine without including Wiggins?  Would Bulls take back expirings, Buddy/Anderson & pick or two(protected)?
Luke Adams
1:23
Schröder, GP2, Looney, Hield, and Anderson theoretically works. But that decimates the Warriors' depth and means they'd be paying $160MM for their top four players (Curry, Draymond, LaVine, Wiggins) next season, which probably doesn't make sense for a team that's not guaranteed to be a contender. So, I guess my roundabout answer is that even though they probably CAN, I doubt they actually WILL.
Guest
1:24
Can you explain how the G-League injury hardship exception works? Why do certain teams have 11 players? If a team doesn’t have their two-ways, can they get the exception?
Luke Adams
1:26
I don't know the G League rules anywhere near as well as I know the NBA ones, so I can't really speak to this beyond passing along what the G League operations manual says about hardship exceptions. Hopefully this helps.
1:27
Falling way behind on questions here, so I'm going to run through a bunch, quick-hit style, for the next few minutes.
Sam Presti
1:27
Do I do anything before the deadline or is Chet coming back my mid-season acquisition?
Luke Adams
1:27
I think Chet's your midseason acquisition. You still haven't seen him and Hartenstein play together!
jazz58
1:27
Do you think the Jazz trade Sexton, Clarkson, and Collins or only one or two of them?
Luke Adams
1:29
I'd be surprised if all three are on the move, if only because it'll probably be hard to find takers for three contracts of that size. Collins to the Kings would've been a great fit before the Fox news broke, but if they don't want him anymore, it could be hard to find a deal that makes sense for him.
GN
1:29
If Lakers don't want to give up 1sts what about this trade:  Pat Williams (bad contract/change of scenery guy), Ayo (balances Pat's bad contract and Jalen Smith for Rui, Gabe, JHS and Cam?  This trade saves Bulls around 100M over next few years...and Lakers get younger
Luke Adams
1:30
Don't think the Lakers want anything to do with that Williams contract.
AngeloWizards
1:30
Best trade for jonas valanciunas is...Denver: Jonas, Washington: 2031 1st round pick + Zeke and Saric + one more player. What do you think?
Luke Adams
1:31
It's interesting -- I like the idea of using that first-rounder to get off a couple bad contracts and acquire a rotation player in return. Just not sure a backup center is that player.
Bob
1:31
What’s the likelihood of Pat Riley pulling a rabbit out of a hat and ending up with Fox in a Butler deal?
Luke Adams
1:32
If we assume the Kings don't want Butler (as has been reported), that means the Heat and the team getting Butler would have to send the Kings pieces they like. It's hard to picture what that would look like -- not impossible, but would take some real creativity.
Capela
1:33
Think any team would give more than 2 2nds for Clint Capela and his expiring contract?
Luke Adams
1:33
Not unless they're getting off a bad contract in the process.
Viva Mexico
1:34
You think we get a NBA team in Mexico after Seattle and Vegas and also when is the commissioner gonna announce the expansion this year or anytime soon?
Luke Adams
1:34
Mexico City definitely isn't happening before Seattle and Vegas, and given how long it's taken to get to those two, I'm guessing we'll be well into the 2030s before Mexico becomes a real possibility.
1:35
I saw Brian Windhorst speculate this week that the expansion may still be on the back-burner while the NBA figures out its Europe project. Feels like we're still at least a year or two away from any announcements.
Ingram
1:36
Read that with the loss of Jalen Johnson, the Hawks are thinking about taking a run at Ingram. Think they would try to resign him after the season?
Luke Adams
1:37
Even if the Hawks move Hunter, I assume they view Johnson, Risacher, and Okongwu as their frontcourt of the future. Not sure how Ingram fits in there.
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