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Hoops Rumors Live Chat: 6/22/2021
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Luke Adams
10:31
Hey all, we'll get underway in 90 minutes! Get your questions in now and I'll get to as many as I can betwee 12-1pm CT.
Nate
12:00
You know, I get the point of the lottery. But isn’t it a little funny that the fate of the Rockets franchise for the next 5-10 years arguably might rest on how a couple of ping pong balls bounce tonight? Will you tell me everything is gonna be ok? Haha
Luke Adams
12:01
I'd blame the CP3/Westbrook for that more than the lottery itself. If not for that trade, the Rockets' worst-case scenario would be getting the No. 5 pick and adding a really nice player!
Chuck
12:01
Is Lowry to Philly now almost guaranteed? What would you want in a sign and trade if you were the Raptors?
Luke Adams
12:02
I wouldn't pencil it in quite yet. Lowry is the sort of player the Sixers definitely could use, and the idea of the veteran returning to his hometown to try to win a title is appealing. But the Raptors will try to re-sign him and I expect the Heat to make a push as well.
12:04
As for a possible sign-and-trade return, that would depend on where Lowry goes -- the Raptors wouldn't have much leverage to ask for anything from a team like Miami that could create cap room. Even with an over-the-cap team like the Sixers, getting back one good young player or draft pick is probably a best-case scenario.
Dylan
12:04
How refreshing is it to see these four teams and players this far in the playoffs?
Luke Adams
12:05
I like it a lot -- it's too bad that injuries and COVID protocols played such a major role in getting us to this spot, but it's still great to have some new blood in the final four.
Guest
12:06
Do you see the OKC Thunder finding a creative way to acquire Ben Simmons? Seems like a very good situation to better his game-mentality.
Luke Adams
12:08
Simmons isn't enough of a distressed asset that you'd need to attach draft picks to move him, so I doubt the Thunder would be interested. (Jokes aside, I'm still not sure it's a fit, unless OKC had a clear-cut plan for how to use Simmons in a way that would get the most out of him without hindering SGA's development.)
Wheelhouse
12:09
Randle and Barrett 2/3 on a good team? What’s your feeling as to those two ?
Luke Adams
12:10
I need to see Randle do it for another year before I'm all-in on him. He's a good player but I'm skeptical the three-point shooting is for real. I'm bullish on Barrett though -- I don't think it's outlandish to think that he could be the No. 2 guy on a contender within a few years.
TWolves fan
12:10
Do I want to keep my own Pick tonight or give it to the Warriors and then tank next year for Homegrown talent Chet Holmgren??
Luke Adams
12:11
You definitely want to keep it, draft another young cornerstone, and then aim to compete for the playoffs next year to ensure that unprotected pick that goes to the Warriors next year is just a mid first-rounder.
12:12
I'm not sure Rosas would survive another bottom-five season.
deathbydeathwest
12:12
Does Tobias Harris have positive trade value? If so, I lean toward getting the value back on Harris and Embiid to rebuild around Simmons as a forward, rather than sell low on Simmons now.
Luke Adams
12:15
I don't think Harris' trade value is necessarily negative, but I'm not sure you'd get a ton back for him. The cap number is just too big for most teams to accommodate, and with three years still left on it, there's still some risk that the contract goes bad before it expires.
James Wiseman
12:15
Can I develop into DeAndre Ayton in 2 years?  He was pretty raw as a Rookie too, but now is a virtual All Star.
Luke Adams
12:17
Ayton looked a little more polished as a rookie than Wiseman did so that projection might be a tad optimistic. I do think Wiseman will be much better in 2-3 years than the version we saw in 2020/21 though. It was a weird situation for him entering the league after basically having no college season, no Summer League, no offseason with the team, etc.
Rocky
12:17
What is your stance/opinion on Killian Hayes?  I realize he was injured for a good portion of the season, but I just didn't see "it" out of him...
Luke Adams
12:19
Too early to draw any definitive conclusions, but I wasn't blown away by him either. He'll get every opportunity to continue developing, but if the Pistons get the first overall pick and are in position to draft Cade Cunningham, Hayes' presence certainly won't stop them.
Evan Dobley
12:19
Is Domantas Sabonis someone the Pacers would consider moving? The Pacers, being stuck in the middle, could be able to bring a lot of assets back for him
Luke Adams
12:20
I'd personally be more inclined to move him than Myles Turner, but it sounds like the Pacers are leaning the other way. It feels like we're reaching a tipping point with those two and one of them has to be moved this summer -- but I thought that last offseason too.
Chris
12:20
Who do you think will get the number 1 pick?
Luke Adams
12:21
I might as well be throwing a dart at a dartboard here, but let's say.... Orlando.
Common Anomaly
12:21
In your opinion, why has Masai Ujiri not yet made a decision about his future? What possibly could he waiting for (tonight’s draft lottery)? The Raptors’ season ended over a month ago on May 16th.
Luke Adams
12:23
Just because no deal has been reported yet doesn't mean he hasn't made a decision. It's possible he's committed to staying and the two sides are just haggling over specifics. I wouldn't interpret the delay as a sign he's leaving.
12:24
That said, it's possible he wants to see all the opportunities that might be out there before he finalizes a decision. I have to imagine Mark Cuban would call him about the Mavs' job.
TheKayz
12:24
So, I was pretty surprised about the timing of this BOS/OKC deal. Was this just a leak and we're waiting for the season to end for it to become official or can eliminated teams start dealing? I think it would be the former.....
Luke Adams
12:25
Teams can make trades once their seasons are over, so two non-playoff teams could technically have made a trade a month ago.
12:26
Usually deals aren't made until a week or two before the draft since teams like to take their time to consider all their options and there's no real rush to do anything before the offseason starts for everyone. But there's also nothing stopping an early deal like that one.
... the Clown!!
12:27
Any chance Pels move Zion? Would be pretty devastating to franchise after AD forced his way out.
Luke Adams
12:27
It's really hard to imagine anything happening with Zion for the next few years.
12:28
Technically he could become an unrestricted free agent as early as 2024 if he turns down an extension and accepts his qualifying offer as a restricted free agent in 2023. But no player who has been offered a maximum-salary rookie scale extension has ever done that.
HTB
12:29
The Sixers talk about fixing Simmons but we’ve been hearing that for years. Is his trade value too depressed to trade him now?
Luke Adams
12:31
I expect Morey will be very averse to the idea of trading Simmons this summer if he can only get 50 cents on the dollar. You have to think he hasn't forgotten selling relatively low on Chris Paul a couple years ago and that he wouldn't want to do the same thing with a player like Simmons (who, for all his faults, remains an all-world passer and defender).
Jackson celtic fan
12:31
Hi thoughts on the Kemba/Horford Trade
Luke Adams
12:32
Made perfect sense for both teams. I'm curious to see if the Thunder will try to flip Kemba right away this offseason or if they'll try to rebuild his value a little and maybe make him available at the 2022 deadline. I certainly wouldn't expect him to finish out that contract in OKC.
Zach
12:32
Is there something wrong with Bobby Portis why hasn't he been playing
Luke Adams
12:33
No health issues with Portis as far as I know. The Bucks just seriously pared down their rotation for those last few must-win games vs. Brooklyn. Portis should get a little playing time against the Hawks.
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