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Hoops Rumors Live Chat: 4/17/2025
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Luke Adams
1:01
Hey guys. With the postseason underway, my plan is to move our weekly Thursday chats up by one hour to 2 pm CT (3 pm ET) every week. So this should be our usual start time for the playoffs/offseason.
Excuse me, 2 pm CT was the old time. 1 pm CT is the new time.
With that housekeeping out of the way, let's dive into the questions!
Guest
1:01
Can an RFA offer sheet have only one guaranteed year?
Luke Adams
1:02
Yeah, an offer sheet has to be for at least two years, but not all of those years have to be guaranteed. The most recent example of this I can remember was Utah's offer sheet for Paul Reed in 2023, which was for three years but only featured one guaranteed season.
TrustTheProcess
1:03
Do the Heat have the right package of players and draft picks to acquire Kevin Durant?
Luke Adams
1:05
We should have a better idea of their best assets after Friday when we know whether or not they're giving up this year's pick. But either way, there are definitely teams better positioned to make stronger offers. That doesn't mean the Heat can't acquire Durant, but I would question whether the cost would be worth it for them. With Durant/Bam/Herro and not much else, I don't think they're beating the Celtics or Cavs in the East.
Pacers
1:05
We cant wait to face the C’s in the ecf again
Luke Adams
1:06
Honestly, it's not out of the question. The Bucks are beatable, and the Cavs are far less scary than your typical 64-win team. I probably wouldn't bet on the Pacers to win two playoff series, but I wouldn't be shocked at all if they beat Milwaukee and then give the Cavs a run for their money.
Lake Show
1:07
If one of Luka or LeBron gets injured in the playoffs, who can the Lakers survive longer without?
Luke Adams
1:10
Interesting question. My instinct is to say they could survive longer without Luka, if only because LeBron has established a level of chemistry with the rest of the team that Luka hasn't had time to match.

On the other hand, the on/off numbers suggest the opposite. The Lakers had a +8.4 net rating when Luka was on the court this season and (amazingly) just -1.3 when LeBron was playing. That seems a little fluky to me, but still makes me lean toward them preferring to lose James than Doncic.
arcman
1:10
Unless Kuminga has a good playoff run for the Warriors I don't see him back next year on GSW. Which team do you see doing a S/T with warriors to get Kuminga?
Luke Adams
1:14
Very curious to see what happens with Kuminga in the postseason. It could go a long way toward determining what his next contract looks like.

Given their huge amount of projected cap room, the Nets are obviously the team best positioned to make Kuminga a strong offer, and I kinda like the idea of him getting a featured role on a team like Brooklyn. They also wouldn't have to do a sign-and-trade to get him.

I'd have to think more about other potential suitors, but in general I envision Kuminga as a good fit on a rebuilding team that could give him a prominent offensive role. Maybe Washington.
Give me Thousand Oaks or give me death
1:14
Luke, if you could only choose one team, outside of the three 60-win teams, you think has about as close to a realistic probability of claiming the trophy as those 60+ winners, who do you got? And why?
Luke Adams
1:17
I kinda like the Nuggets or Clippers as a dark horse in the West, but realistically, if I had to choose one team, it should probably come out of the Rockets/Warriors/Lakers/Timberwolves group, since one of those four is making at least the conference finals.

I don't fully trust any of those teams, but the Lakers' and Warriors' stars have the most playoff/championship experience of the two, so I'd probably lean toward one of them. I guess I'll reluctantly take the Lakers.
Walleye Wade
1:17
Timberwolves Arcman.    Randle heading to GSW
Luke Adams
1:18
Here's another idea for Kuminga's S&T destination. Minnesota would have to cut salary by quite a bit to do that though, since apron teams can't acquire players via sign-and-trade.
David
1:18
Has Jeff Van Gundy already secured a head coaching gig next season if he wants it, or will the Clips have to first prove themselves defensively in the playoffs?
Luke Adams
1:22
Haven't really heard much chatter to this point about JVG emerging as a candidate for any of the teams with head coaching openings.

He's definitely done great work with the Clippers, but I wonder how many teams will be looking for someone entering his mid-60s -- most of the hires last year (Jordi Fernandez, JJ Redick, Charles Lee, etc.) trended a lot younger, and one of the old guys from that group (Mike Budenholzer) has already been fired.

Given the struggles that Budenholzer had connecting with players in Phoenix, I wonder if teams may shy away from someone like JVG, who has excelled this year in a role that's more about X's and O's and less about personality management.
Jackie Moon
1:23
I know it sounds crazy, but is Giannis underrated at this point of his career? He's doing things that have never been done before and he gets little national attention and has no chance at MVP, due to Jocic and SGA.
Luke Adams
1:26
Yeah, I don't think that's too controversial a take. If you look at Giannis' numbers this year compared to his two MVP seasons, you could easily make the case that 2024/25 was the best of the bunch. And like you say, he has zero chance of winning an MVP award (he might not even get any second-place votes).

The Bucks' early playoff exits in the last couple years have definitely dinged his reputation a little, but those weren't his fault (in fact, they may not have happened if he'd been healthy).
Tim
1:26
With the risk of injury for Zion can we please know for sure Detroit will not waste any assets trying to trade for this guy?
Luke Adams
1:29
Trajan Langdon saw Zion first-hand for several years in New Orleans and witnessed the impact that his frequent injuries had on the team's ability to contend. I'm skeptical that he'd roll the dice on Williamson unless the price is too good to pass up or he has a legitimate reason to believe the Pistons would be able to keep Zion healthier than the Pelicans have.
Kuminga for Wiggins?
1:30
Would the League allow the Waariors to do a Sign-and-Trade of Kuminga to the Heat to get Wiggins back ?   Miami might want to gamble on Kuminga’s upside as a Number 1 scoring option.
Luke Adams
1:32
I'd need to double-check the rules to be 100% sure, but I'm pretty confident the Warriors would be permitted to reacquire Wiggins (I believe the relevant rule would prevent them from reacquiring him during the same season, but that wouldn't be an issue by July). The bigger question is why Golden State would want to do so -- Butler has been filling the Wiggins role better than Wiggins did.
Bulls Fan
1:33
When will the Bulls finally go after a superstar and go for it instead of always being no better than play in contender?
Luke Adams
1:36
I'm not sure whether they deserve it based on how management has run the team in recent years, but the Bulls could really use some lottery luck and Cooper Flagg -- the last few years of spinning their wheels would be forgotten in an instant.

Realistically, they'll be picking closer to the back of the lottery and won't be in position to draft a potential franchise player, in which case I'm not sure when or how they'll get a chance to acquire one.

Usually a rebuilding team is bad enough for at least a year or two to get a top-five pick, or gets enough future first-rounders back when it trades its best players that it has the ammo to flip those draft assets and acquire a star on the trade market. The Bulls didn't get enough for guys like LaVine, DeRozan, and Caruso to stockpile assets and seem unlikely to have a really high draft pick anytime soon, given the decent amount of talent on the roster. It's a tough spot.
Kim
1:36
Hi there. If the Hawks lose tonight, what changes do you envision  for next season? I say Trae Young finally asks to be traded and possibly Quinn is let go. Thanks.
Great Barrier Thief
1:36
What's the next step for the Hawks?  Development of young core?  Should they move on from Trae?
Luke Adams
1:40
I don't really have a good feel for what the Hawks' next moves are. I'm definitely not sold on the idea of giving Trae Young another maximum-salary contract, but I do think his play-making played a crucial role in the development of some of Atlanta's young players this season (most notably Risacher) and they'd miss that if they trade him.

I think I'd probably gauge the market for Young this offseason in the hopes of ultimately building around Johnson, Risacher, Daniels, Okongwu, and whatever you can get back for Young. But I'm also just not sure they'd get a huge return for an undersized guard who doesn't play great defense (and whose shooting numbers haven't been great in recent years).

I thought Snyder did a fine job this year and wouldn't necessarily be looking to make a change there.

Also, the Hawks' next play-in game isn't until tomorrow, so no chance of their offseason starting for at least 24+ extra hours.
Guest
1:41
Wanted to ask this earlier in the season, but forgot, does the G-League have a trade deadline like the NBA?
Luke Adams
1:45
I believe so, though it's odd that it's essentially impossible to find any info online about it. I have an old copy of a G League operations manual for the 2022/23 season, which refers to that season's trade deadline as being Feb. 24. This year, it looks like trades were still being completed into early March.
Nate Rambis
1:45
What would the actual package be for Durant to the Rockets this summer?
Luke Adams
1:48
I think it would likely start with Jalen Green and either Jabari Smith or Reed Sheppard, then they could haggle over draft compensation from there (if their outgoing package includes a pair of former top-three picks, Houston likely wouldn't be willing to include much). That's just speculation though.
Scott Perry
1:48
Should I rip this down to the studs?
Free Sabonis
1:48
Kings need to rebuild.  How about sending Sabonis to his native Portland for Ayton and the Blazers’ lottery pick?
Luke Adams
1:51
I really dislike the way the Kings have been built and definitely wouldn't oppose a total reset there, though I think you could make a case for building around Sabonis and tearing it down around him rather than making him the first outgoing trade chip in a rebuild.

Having DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Malik Monk on your roster as three of your six or so most important players just doesn't make sense to me. Too little defense and not enough offensive variation.

As for that specific Sabonis proposal, the Kings would probably need more than that, unless the Blazers' pick moves into the top four.
Squints
1:51
Bucks fan here, but with tempered expectations. Is it Boston then everyone else to come out of the East?
Luke Adams
1:53
Yeah if I were ranking Eastern contenders, I'd probably put...

Boston in tier 1
Cleveland in tier 2
New York/Indiana/Milwaukee in tier 3
Detroit in tier 4 (I don't think there's a significant gap in talent between them and the tier-3 teams, but their lack of playoff experience makes me slightly less confident in them)
Friday's play-in winner in tier 5
New York Old Habits
1:53
What player has the most to gain by a championship or at least a deep run. Who needs the most vindication?
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