Hoops Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript: 3/25/2026
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included the Lakers' plans for Austin Reaves, Draymond Green's future with the Warriors, the Sixers' playoff prospects with a healthy roster, Ja Morant's trade market and more!
Nets Sign Malachi Smith To Second 10-Day Deal
11:00 am: The Nets have officially signed Smith to a second 10-day contract, the team confirmed in a press release.
8:32 am: The Nets have agreed to re-sign guard Malachi Smith to a second 10-day contract following the expiration of his initial 10-day deal on Monday night, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Smith, who had been playing for Brooklyn’s G League affiliate in Long Island, appeared in six games during his first 10 days with the NBA team, averaging 6.2 points, 2.7 assists, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.0 steal in 19.5 minutes per contest. The 26-year-old made 15-of-30 shots from the floor (50%), including 5-of-10 three-pointers.
A G League veteran who has also spent time with the Rip City Remix, Wisconsin Herd and Memphis Hustle since going undrafted out of Gonzaga in 2023, Smith hadn’t appeared in an NBA regular season game until he suited up for the Nets on March 14 in Philadelphia.
The Nets haven’t made a roster move since Smith’s first 10-day contract expired on Monday night, so he’ll simply slot back into the open spot on the 15-man roster that he previously occupied. If Brooklyn wants to hang onto him beyond this second 10-day deal, it will require a rest-of-season or multiyear commitment, since a player can’t sign three 10-days with the same team.
Assuming Smith’s 10-day deal is officially finalized on Wednesday, it will cover the Nets’ next five games, running through next Friday (April 3). He’ll earn another $73,153 over the course of those 10 days, bringing his total NBA earnings for the season to $188,956 — that figure includes his two 10-day contracts ($73,153 apiece) and the $42,650 partial guarantee he received when he signed a camp contract with Brooklyn last fall.
NBA To Formally Explore Adding Expansion Teams In Seattle, Vegas
As expected, the NBA’s Board of Governors has voted in favor of formally exploring adding expansion franchises in Seattle and Las Vegas, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
Charania first reported last week that the Board of Governors would be conducting a vote during their March 24-25 meetings on whether to explore potential bids and applicants for teams in those two specific cities. The plan required the approval of at least 23 of the NBA’s 30 team governors and the expectation was that the vote would have no trouble passing.
As Charania notes (via Twitter), momentum has been building toward the NBA expanding to 32 teams, with multiple high-ranking officials around the league referring to it as a matter for “when, not if.”
While some team owners have been wary in the past of reducing their portion of league revenue, expansion fees for new franchises are expected to be in the range of $7-10 billion, per Charania, which would result in massive one-time payments for each current NBA ownership group.
The next step, Charania explains, is for the NBA to spend the next several months vetting the Seattle and Vegas markets and potential bidders in order to determine whether to move forward on expansion at this time or in a few years. If the league opts to move forward with expansion sooner rather than later, the two new teams would likely begin playing in 2028/29, with necessary steps like conference/division realignment and an expansion draft taking place ahead of that season.
Confirming Charania’s reporting, the NBA put out a statement (via Twitter) announcing that the league has hired investment bank PJT Partners as a strategic adviser to “evaluate prospective markets, ownership groups, arena infrastructure, and the broader economic implications of expansion.”
“Today’s vote reflects our Board’s interest in exploring potential expansion to Las Vegas and Seattle — two markets with a long history of support for NBA basketball,” commissioner Adam Silver said. “We look forward to taking this next step and engaging with interested parties.”
Seattle has been viewed as a possible expansion market ever since the SuperSonics were moved to Oklahoma City and rebranded as the Thunder in 2008. Seattle was part of the NBA for more than four decades and has a large group of loyal fans who still identify with the team.
The city already has a facility in place in Climate Pledge Arena, which was formerly known as Key Arena and serves as home to the NHL’s Kraken. It recently underwent a $1.15 billion renovation and can hold 18,300 fans for basketball. If an expansion team is approved for Seattle, the expectation is that it would reclaim the SuperSonics nickname, branding, and franchise history.
Las Vegas has never had an NBA franchise, but it has formed a strong partnership with the league by hosting Summer League games every July, as well as the semifinals and finals of the NBA Cup. T-Mobile Arena is the home of the NHL’s Golden Knights and hosts basketball games as well, with a capacity of 18,000 people.
While other cities – including Mexico City, Vancouver, Montreal, and Louisville, among others – have been occasionally cited as possible candidates for NBA expansion, Seattle and Vegas have long been considered the frontrunners in a scenario in which the league moves to a 32-team format.
The NBA last expanded in 2004, when Charlotte reentered the league as the Bobcats.
Roster Move Required For Celtics
The Celtics will need to make an addition to their 15-man roster on Wednesday following the expiration of Charles Bassey‘s 10-day contract overnight.
With Bassey no longer under contract, the Celtics are carrying just 13 players on standard deals. Teams aren’t permitted to have fewer than 14 players on standard contracts for more than 28 days during the season, and Boston has already reached that 28-day limit for 2025/26. The team had just 12 players on its 15-man roster from February 5-18 and again from March 1-14.
The Celtics have plotted out their post-trade-deadline roster moves carefully in order to ensure they keep their team salary below the luxury tax line. They currently have enough breathing room below that tax threshold to sign a 14th man to a rest-of-season, minimum-salary contract and then to add a 15th man (likely two-way player Ron Harper Jr.) on a minimum deal at the end of the regular season.
However, that doesn’t necessarily mean the Celtics will complete a rest-of-season signing today. Doing another 10-day deal would give them the flexibility to reassess their roster needs on April 4 and make a decision on a rest-of-season commitment at that time.
Boston’s roster move today could be as simple as bringing back Bassey on a second 10-day contract, though the big man – signed to provide frontcourt depth with Nikola Vucevic sidelined – didn’t see much action during his first 10 days with the club. He logged a total of four minutes of garbage time in games against Golden State last Wednesday and vs. Minnesota on Sunday.
Heat Notes: Adebayo, Losing Streak, Playoffs, Free Agency
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra believes that Monday’s game against the Spurs featured the top two candidates for Defensive Player of the Year in Bam Adebayo and Victor Wembanyama, Anthony Chiang writes for the Miami Herald.
“If we can really defend the way we’ve been defending the last month, then I think it’s a two-man race for the Defensive Player of the Year,” Spoelstra said prior to the game. “I think it’s just whatever flavor you like. They’ve won at an extremely high level, San Antonio. And their defense has been consistently a notch above ours. But we’re starting to catch them in that.“
Sportsbooks have Adebayo closer to fifth than second, Chiang notes, with Chet Holmgren (Thunder), Rudy Gobert (Wolves), and Scottie Barnes (Raptors) ahead of him.
Spoelstra also believes that Adebayo is deserving of an All-NBA spot this season.
We have more out of Miami:
- On the heels of a seven-game winning streak, the Heat matched their longest losing streak of the season when they fell to the Spurs on Monday for their fifth loss in a row. They have a 16-26 record this season against teams that entered Monday with a winning record, Chiang writes. “When the going gets tough, we let go of the rope,” guard Norman Powell said. “I think that’s what happens when we have losses like this. We get hit, get some adversity, miss some shots, and then just everybody starts worrying about what happened on offense and teams take advantage of it and keep punishing us. But yeah, when we get hit, we continue to fold.” While the Heat have hung their hat on defense this year, Chiang points out that this marks the first time in franchise history that the team has given up at least 120 points in five straight games. Adebayo and Spoelstra were seen having an animated exchange after the Heat coach subbed out his star big in the second quarter. “I don’t want to be in the play-in. So some of that is, yeah, he’s got to protect me from myself,” Adebayo said after. “But also I don’t want to be in the f—–g play-in. So every game, I’m going to try to go out there and do the best I can to carry this team and force our way out of that.”
- As counterintuitive as it might run to the Heat’s DNA, it could be beneficial for them to miss the playoffs this season, Barry Jackson writes for the Herald. Jackson notes that Miami’s refusal to tank has impacted their ability to bring in another star-level player, while even vaunted teams like the Spurs have endured years of pain to form their talented cores.
- The Heat are entering year seven of being unable to reel in a “whale” of a talent, according to Jackson. By that, he’s referring to their ability to sign or trade for a star player, though Powell did make the All-Star game this season with Miami. Jackson goes through some of the top stars the Heat were in the running for in recent years – including Donovan Mitchell, Damian Lillard, and Kevin Durant – and considers how falling short in each of those pursuits looks in hindsight.
Grizzlies’ Morant, Clarke, Edey Ruled Out For Rest Of Season
The Grizzlies released medical updates for Ja Morant, Brandon Clarke, and Zach Edey today (via Twitter), announcing that all three players have officially been ruled out for the remainder of the 2025/26 season.
Morant has been dealing with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his left elbow and hasn’t played since January 21. In early March, the team announced he would be reevaluated in two weeks. According to today’s update, it was recommended that the point guard receive a platelet-rich plasma injection to aid the healing process. He is expected to make a full recovery before next season.
Clarke, who missed the start of the season while recovering from a procedure on his right knee, has only played two games in 2025/26 and is currently working his way back from a right calf strain. Following recent imaging, the Grizzlies determined that he requires more time before he can resume “high-intensity court work.”
Edey hasn’t played since the first week of December and there was already an expectation that he’d miss the rest of the season after undergoing ankle surgery. While he continues to recovery from that surgery, he also underwent a procedure to alleviate lingering discomfort in his left elbow, the Grizzlies announced.
Like Morant, Clarke and Edey are both expected to make full recoveries for the 2026/27 season, per the team.
Morant, a trade candidate at last month’s deadline who will likely be back on the block this offseason, will have two years and $87MM left on his maximum-salary contract. Clarke will be on an expiring $12.5MM contract in ’26/27, while Edey is entering the third year of his rookie scale deal and will earn $6.33MM.
Draft Notes: Peterson, Dybantsa, Mullins, Graves
With March Madness in full swing, NBA teams are starting to round out their evaluations of how prospects play in high-leverage situations. There have been plenty of talking points regarding the 2026 draft class, with few players commanding as much attention as Kansas’ Darryn Peterson.
Peterson came into this season as the presumed top player in the draft, but an inconsistent year and questions around his health and approach makes what was thought to be an iron-clad grip on a top-three pick a bit more of an open question, writes Kevin O’Connor for Yahoo Sports.
In addition to getting little offensive help from his teammates, especially from the perimeter, the 6’5″ shooting guard was limited by the hamstring injury that plagued him throughout the season, says O’Connor.
“I was hurt for the majority of the year,” Peterson said. “I went through some really bad stuff. I wasn’t really myself for real until like the end of the year.”
Besides his lethal shooting ability, Peterson brings a good defensive play-making skillset and is adept at drawing fouls, O’Connor adds.
The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie echoes O’Connor’s concerns about Peterson, writing that the Jayhawks guard could end up anywhere from one to five on his board. However, he adds that he has questions about the way the 19-year-old was used by Kansas coach Bill Self, which was mostly in an off-ball capacity.
We have more notes from the top of the 2026 draft:
- BYU forward AJ Dybantsa appears to have the most solid claim to the No. 1 spot at this time, writes ESPN’s Jeremy Woo. While the talented forward has faced some questions about his ball-handling and defense, his aggression and decision-making as a passer improved greatly throughout the season, Woo notes, as he established himself as a well-rounded 6’9″ scorer with major upside.
- UConn’s Braylon Mullins is looking more like someone who could be a top returner to school this season, according to Woo. The sweet-shooting guard’s season got off to a delayed start as he dealt with an ankle injury, and Woo says he never quite displayed the offensive consistency NBA teams might have been looking for. Vecenie adds that scouts are wondering if Mullins is more a good shooter than an elite shooter. He still has a chance to solidify his 2026 draft stock, but with NIL money and the allure of weaker competition around him in the 2027 draft class, returning to school could end up being a beneficial move long-term, Woo says.
- Allen Graves, from Santa Clara, was not expected to be a significant player in the 2026 draft, but he has impressed with his defense and passing, according to Woo. Graves may still be best served by spending another year in college and working on his jumper, but the 6’9″ forward has fans in the NBA and a strong pre-draft process could put him in position to be drafted this season, Woo notes.
Injury Notes: Embiid, Williams, Dosunmu, McBride
Joel Embiid has been listed as questionable for the Sixers‘ game on Wednesday against the Bulls, Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports writes (Twitter link). Embiid, who has been dealing with an oblique strain, hasn’t played since February 26, when he scored 26 points and added 11 rebounds and four assists in a win over the Heat.
While the 7’2″ center’s stats have dipped in the years since he was a perennial MVP candidate, he has had a stronger season than many expected, averaging 26.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game while leading the team to a 21-12 record when he’s available.
Embiid’s upgraded designation coincides with Paul George becoming eligible to return after sitting out the final game of his 25-game suspension. Barring a setback, Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link) expects Embiid to suit up vs. Chicago.
We have more injury notes from around the league:
- On Monday, Jalen Williams returned from a lengthy absence from the Thunder due to a hamstring injury, scoring 18 points and adding six assists. After the game, Williams said that not only was his leg feeling better, but the wrist on which he underwent offseason surgery is finally back to 100 percent, Tim Bontemps writes for ESPN. “It was just like one of those things that like when you have surgery and you rush into games, it’s like, I wouldn’t say rush, but I’m going into games with … I don’t know what my hands are going to look like,” Williams said. “So now I’ve had the time to actually sit down and work on it and do what I normally do throughout that process, now I’m in a really good spot with it.” Williams’ return will only make the Thunder more dangerous as they attempt to repeat as champions, according to Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic, who notes that several role players benefited from having step up in Williams’ absence. “You guys got to watch [Ajay Mitchell] blossom even more. [Jaylin Williams] and [Cason Wallace], they’ve had to be in spots that they didn’t think they were going to be in to start the season,” Williams said. “We’re better for it now.”
- Ayo Dosunmu has been added to the Timberwolves‘ injury report for Wednesday’s game against the Rockets, per the team’s Twitter account. He’s now listed as questionable with right calf soreness, an injury that Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic describes as “concerning” (Twitter link), likely due to how cautious teams have been this season with calf injuries and how they can impact players’ Achilles.
- Miles McBride hasn’t played for the Knicks since late January as he works his way back from a core injury that required surgery in early February, but he was back on the court going through his typical pregame routine on Tuesday night, per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter link). Edwards says it’s been a long time since McBride went through his customary warm-up, and speculates that his return could be “very, very soon.” Stefan Bondy of the New York Post posted a video of McBride warming up, saying that it looked like he was moving well (Twitter video link).
Knicks Notes: Playoffs, Bridges, Clarkson, Kolek
The Knicks enter Tuesday’s game against the Pelicans on a six-game winning streak as they continue their push for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. However, five of those six victories came against some of the worst teams in the league, and the sixth was against the slumping Warriors. If New York is to claim the runner-up spot in the conference, they need to be ready for things to get more difficult, Stefan Bondy writes for the New York Post.
With the Thunder, Rockets, and resurgent Hornets on the horizon, Bondy says this stretch of games could impact whether or not the team has home-court advantage in a second-round Game 7.
As has been the case in past seasons, one key factor in determining the Knicks’ playoff ceiling is whether the bench can provide relief for the starters when it matters. While coach Mike Brown uses his bench more than former coach Tom Thibodeau did, the Knicks still ranked just 27th in total bench minutes heading into Sunday’s win against the Wizards, James L. Edwards III notes for The Athletic.
Edwards notes that the load management plan Mitchell Robinson has been on seems to have helped him stay healthy this season, while top reserve Miles McBride will have to hit the ground running once he returns from injury to get his rhythm back in time to be impactful in the postseason.
One benefit of the team’s improved depth is the different amount of mixing and matching Brown can do depending on what a particular series calls for, Edwards writes, though he predicts that the eventual playoff rotation will end up looking almost identical to last season’s.
We have more Knicks notes:
- Mikal Bridges‘ offensive struggles in recent games have drawn plenty of scrutiny and even prompted questions about his spot in the starting lineup, but teammate Josh Hart believes that Bridges is in a difficult situation given his role in the offense, according to Bondy. “Last year, he didn’t have many plays called for him. This year, he probably has even less plays called for him,” Hart said. “So obviously there’s a mental hurdle he needs to get through and that’s something where some of us can help him. I think he gets some of that unfair flak just because he’s doing what’s asked of him. And if we were to sit there and say, go shoot 15 shots a game, he would be efficient and he could do it. But that’s not what’s been asked of him.” Brown gave Bridges his own vote of confidence, saying, “He works at it very hard. And he cares at a high level. Usually when you have that combination from a veteran guy that’s produced the way he’s produced in the NBA, it tends to lead to good results, eventually.”
- Jordan Clarkson‘s inconsistent role with the Knicks could have led to a destructive situation, Bondy writes in a separate piece, especially as the 33-year-old began turning to social media to respond to critics in February. Instead, the veteran guard kept his head down and worked. That professionalism and positive attitude paid off, as guards like Bridges and Landry Shamet started struggling offensively. Over the last two weeks, Clarkson has been the Knicks’ most reliable shooting guard, Bondy writes. Beginning when he scored 27 points against his former team in Utah on March 11, he has averaged 12.7 points on .545/.438/1.000 shooting splits in 22 minutes per game. He was even named the Knicks’ defensive player of the game twice in that stretch. “When he’s doing that he’s playing with that fire and that passion he has, there’s not many players in the NBA coming off the bench you feel better about,” said teammate Karl-Anthony Towns.
- Second-year guard Tyler Kolek had a basketball day for the ages on Sunday, scoring 42 points on 9-of-14 from three for the Westchester Knicks before being recalled to the parent team and scoring 11 points on 3-of-3 from deep in the fourth quarter of the win over the Wizards. “We have a lot of guys on this team that are very high character, very good work ethic and he’s one of them,” Jalen Brunson said, per Jared Schwartz of the Post. “That’s just who he is.“
Pacers Notes: Jones, Zubac, Siakam, Draft Odds
As a result of his DNP-CD on Monday, Pacers rookie guard Kam Jones will fall short of appearing in 41 games this season, tweets Tony East of Circle City Spin. That’s notable because Jones’ salary for 2026/27 would have become fully guaranteed if he had reached the 41-game mark.
Jones’ salary for next season is just $2.15MM and it will still be 50% guaranteed for now, so the cost to retain him would be very modest. The remaining 50% of the 24-year-old’s salary will lock in if he remains under contract through June 30.
Still, the Pacers could have a crowded roster situation this offseason, especially if they’re able to hang onto their top-four protected first-round pick. Of their 15 players currently on standard contracts, 13 are under contract for next season, including 10 on fully guaranteed salaries, while a 14th has a team option on his deal. Depending on the decisions the team makes with certain back-of-the-roster players, it’s possible Jones’ spot could be in jeopardy.
We have more on the Pacers:
- Head coach Rick Carlisle provided more information over the weekend on the fractured rib that ended Ivica Zubac‘s season early, according to East. Carlisle told reporters that Zubac suffered the injury during the first quarter of last Wednesday’s loss to Portland. The veteran center had difficulty sleeping that night and underwent an MRI the next day that revealed the fracture. “If you’ve ever had rib stuff, it’s kind of the worst because breathing bothers it. Coughing bothers it. Sneezing is impossible, and laughing, you just can’t do it,” Carlisle said. “He’s going to be uncomfortable for a while, but he will make a full recovery. But it’s a tough break for us because we were looking forward to seeing as much of that core group together as possible and now it’s not going to happen.”
- Buoyed by Pascal Siakam, who had 37 points and a game-clinching block in his second game back from a knee sprain, the Pacers snapped their franchise-record 16-game losing streak on Monday by knocking off the Magic, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. As disappointing as the 2025/26 season has been in Indiana, Siakam hasn’t been the problem — he’s averaging 24.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game while shooting 48.4% from the floor. “Siakam was spectacular,” Carlisle said of his star forward after Monday’s victory. “Thirty-three minutes, 37 points. The guy’s a great, great player.”
- Despite Monday’s win, the Pacers are in no imminent danger of hurting their lottery odds, Dopirak observes in a separate story. At 16-56, Indiana has a three-game cushion on the league’s fourth-worst team, 19-53 Sacramento. Since the top-four-pick odds for the worst three teams are identical (52.1%) and the Pacers won’t keep their first-rounder if it lands between Nos. 5-9, they only need to worry about remaining in that three-team group rather than staying at the very top of the draft lottery order.