By Hoops Wire,Sam Amico

Copyright yardbarker

RJ Barrett heard the trade chatter this summer, and he even seems to understand it.

With two years and $57 million left on his deal, Barrett would’ve been a logical piece in any Raptors blockbuster for another star.

There was also talk about potential skill overlap with Brandon Ingram, but Barrett wasn’t bothered by the rumors, telling Josh Lewenberg of TSN that it’s simply part of the business.

“Obviously, this is the place I want to be,” Barrett said. “I would love to finish my career here. This is my home. But I think that, with it, is understanding the business aspect of it. If you look at contract situations and all that, it makes sense to put my name in there, right?

“So, I don’t take that personally… All I can do is play my game and try to help the team win, because at the end of the day, what negates all that is if the team is winning.”

Rockets coach Ime Udoka confirmed that Dorian Finney-Smith will “probably not” be ready for opening night as he continues to recover from June ankle surgery, via Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle.

Finney-Smith hasn’t been cleared for contact but has been taking part in shooting and treatment work during practice.

Udoka also said the team is managing the workloads of Steven Adams and Tari Eason, both coming off surgeries. Houston doesn’t play its first back-to-back until early December, and it remains to be seen whether either will be cleared for both legs.

With Finney-Smith sidelined, Udoka hinted that Eason could push for a starting role.

He also noted the team may experiment with jumbo lineups, per William Guillory of The Athletic, saying he’s intrigued by a potential unit of Kevin Durant, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Sengun, and Adams — “probably one of the biggest in the history of the league.”

The Spurs were among the NBA’s worst rebounding teams and struggled defensively without Victor Wembanyama on the floor last season. That’s why they brought in Luke Kornet and Kelly Olynyk to stabilize the frontcourt, per Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News.

“We wanted to be able to have that roster versatility to play a bunch of different ways and also protect the paint when Vic’s not on the floor,” GM Brian Wright said. “I think those guys allow us to do that.”