Mobile Menu
HEADLINES

2024 Olympics

Southwest Notes: Grant, Doncic, Pelicans Draft, Williams

June 23rd, 2024 at 6:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Mavericks are among the teams who are monitoring the availability of Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant, Ian Begley of SNY TV reports. Grant is entering the second season of a five-year, $160MM contract, so the Mavericks would have to figure out a way to match salaries and add draft compensation and/or young players to entice Portland to move the veteran forward. He averaged 21.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game this past season and made over 40% of his three-point attempts for the second straight year.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

  • Luka Doncic‘s status for the Olympic qualifying tournament next month will hinge on a medical evaluation from his national team’s medical staff, Sports Illustrated’s Grant Afseth relays. Slovenian medical experts will examine the Mavericks’ superstar’s right knee, which he injured during the first round of the playoffs. Doncic also played through a left ankle injury and thoracic contusion during the postseason. Slovenia’s tournament opener in Greece will be held July 2 against Croatia.
  • The Pelicans hold the No. 21 pick in the draft and the New Orleans Times-Picayune’s Christian Clark provides a closer look at three prospects they might select at that spot — USC guard Isaiah Collier, Purdue center Zach Edey and Baylor center Yves Missi.
  • The Spurs have the No. 4 selection in the draft and a dark-horse candidate could be Colorado forward Cody Williams. The San Antonio Express-News’ Jeff McDonald explores the pros and cons of drafting Williams at that spot.
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

And-Ones: Italy, Melli, Biggest Need, NBA, France, Paul

June 23rd, 2024 at 10:05am CST by Rory Maher

The Italian national team has trimmed its roster down to 13 players ahead of next month’s Olympic qualifying tournament in Puerto Rico, writes Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. Italy will have to cut one more player to finalize its 12-man roster.

Veteran forward Danilo Gallinari, who spent last season with Wizards, Pistons and Bucks, is the only current NBA player on Italy’s roster. The 35-year-old’s contract with Milwaukee expires at the end of June, making him an unrestricted free agent. The current 13-man roster also features former NBA players Nico Mannion and Nicolo Melli. Pistons forward Simone Fontecchio, another Italian player, will not be participating with the national team after undergoing toe surgery last month.

In order to advance to the Olympics in late July, Italy will have to win the six-team tournament, which also features Bahrain, Puerto Rico, Ivory Coast, Lithuania and Mexico.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

  • Melli, who played two seasons with New Orleans and Detroit from 2019-21, has spent most of his career with Olimpia Milano in Italy. However, the team decided to part ways with its captain, leaving his future unclear, as Eurohoops relays. “Two or three days ago, I received a 45-second phone call in which (coach) Ettore (Messina) told me the club decided to part ways with me. I repeat: it’s a legitimate choice, but I wasn’t told if the reason behind it was a technical matter or something else,” Melli said.
  • Zulfi Sheikh of Sportsnet.ca lists the biggest need for each of the NBA’s 30 teams ahead of free agency. According to Sheikh, the last-place Pistons need a wing who can space the floor, while the title-winning Celtics could use an eventual replacement for Al Horford. The 38-year-old, who is under contract through 2024/25, recently suggested he doesn’t plan to retire this summer.
  • The NBA and the LNB (France’s top basketball league) are working to finalize a development program to improve the domestic options of talented young players in France, per Théo Quintard of Le Monde (hat tip to Askounis of Eurohoops). “This program will allow a certain number of players to be supported and highlighted in order to magnify an already excellent French team,” Fabrice Jouhaud, the general director of the LNB, told Le Monde. According to Quintard, the NBA could pay the salaries of certain draft prospects to help the LNB remain competitive with other organizations, such as Australia’s NBL and the NCAA. “The clubs will also benefit from logistical and financial assistance to encourage them to trust young people,” Jouhaud said.
  • Rich Paul of Klutch Sports spoke to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer about his strategy of trying to steer draft-eligible clients to preferred destinations. Paul was candid last week about which teams he believes are interested in Bronny James.
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

International Notes: Giannis, Team Canada, Hezonja, Clarkson, Vildoza, Ataman, Team China

June 20th, 2024 at 9:11am CST by Dana Gauruder

Giannis Antetokounmpo is looking forward to participating in Greece’s training camp, though he’s still dealing with the injury that short-circuited the Bucks’ playoff run. Milwaukee’s superstar will look to help Greece advance out of the FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament in Piraeus early next month.

“I have not practiced yet, but I feel better. I cannot wait to join the training camp,” he told Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net and other reporters.

Antetokounmpo suffered a calf strain late in the NBA regular season. The announcement that he would play for Greece was made at the beginning of this month.

We have more international basketball news:

  • Canada’s preliminary Olympic roster is loaded with NBA players and there will be tough decisions ahead to pare it to 12 players, Josh Lewenberg of TSN notes. Kings forward Trey Lyles, former NBA bigs Khem Birch and Mfiondu Kabengele and two-time National Player of the Year Zach Edey are some of the players who, on paper, will be fighting for the last two spots on the roster, writes Lewenberg.
  • Former NBA forward Mario Hezonja announced on social media that he’s re-signing with Real Madrid, Sportando relays. “Real Madrid believed in me when many didn’t, cared for me and my family since the first day I arrived and made us feel at home. My only intention was to stay so I am happy to communicate to you that I will continue my journey at MY HOME, MY REAL MADRID for a long time!” he wrote. There had been speculation he might look at NBA opportunities.
  • Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson was not on the Philippines’ 12-man roster for the FIBA Olympic qualifier. Coach Tim Cone opted for continuity, according to executive director Erika Dy. Cone decided to go with the same group that participated in an Asia Cup qualifier over the winter. “Premise of coach Tim, we have the same roster every time. The shorter training periods will accumulate, and the players will build chemistry,” Dy said, per BasketNews.
  • Virtus Bologna is reportedly interested in former NBA guard Luca Vildoza, who is leaving Greece’s Panathinaikos, according to another Sportando report. Vildoza had a seven-game stint with the Bucks in 2021/22.
  • After leading Panathinaikos to a Euroleague title, Ergin Ataman is eager to get a shot at coaching in the NBA. But he told the Spanish outlet AS that he only wants to make the jump if he’s offered a head coaching job. “Before it was my dream, now it’s not, but if you want a star coach from Europe, here I am. Why would I be afraid of training NBA stars?” he said, per Eurohoops.net.
  • The Chinese national team will participate in the California Classic in Sacramento next month, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee reports. They’ll be grouped against Summer League teams from the Kings, Hornets, and Spurs. Squads from the Warriors, Lakers and Heat will play against each other in San Francisco.
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Gilgeous-Alexander, Murray Headline Canada’s Preliminary Olympic Roster

June 19th, 2024 at 2:42pm CST by Luke Adams

Canada Basketball has formally announced its preliminary roster for the upcoming 2024 Olympics in Paris. The 20-man group will have to be trimmed to 12 players for Paris.

Here are the 20 players vying for spots on Team Canada’s Olympic roster, which will be coached by new Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez:

All 12 players who helped Canada clinch an Olympic berth and claim a bronze medal at the 2023 World Cup are included in the preliminary roster, along with several notable newcomers, including Murray, Wiggins, Lyles, and Nembhard.

Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe and Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin, whose seasons ended earlier due to injuries, will also attend training camp with Team Canada, but won’t be in the mix for roster spots this summer, according to today’s announcement.

Even without Sharpe or Mathurin in the mix, the Canadians can put together a formidable NBA-heavy squad that should be in contention for a medal in Paris. Gilgeous-Alexander, Barrett, Brooks, Dort, Powell, Olynyk, and Alexander-Walker were the top seven players on last year’s squad and look like relatively safe bets to represent Canada again. If Murray, Wiggins, Lyles, and Nembhard were to join them, that would leave just one open spot for the remaining nine invitees.

One notable omission from the 20-man preliminary roster is veteran guard Cory Joseph, who spoke to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca earlier this week to express his disappointment about being left off the list. Joseph was unable to compete for a spot on the World Cup team last year due to a back injury, but was among the 14 players who made a commitment in 2022 to be part of Canada’s “summer core” for the current Olympic cycle.

“I took the honor of playing for your country very seriously and did it many times over the years,” Joseph told Grange. “This is not me complaining, I’m not a complainer. But there were times when I put FIBA basketball and playing for my country over my NBA situation at the time, whether I was in a contract year and I had no contract at the time and I went to go play for my country, whether I had little bumps and tweaks, I was there. Whether guys came or not, I always thought we still had a chance. For me it’s a little disheartening to be like, ‘Wow, I wasn’t even given an opportunity to compete for whatever position?’

“… I had planned to go to camp, and when you’re talking about the (last three or four spots) on the roster, there’s a pool of talented guys you could put on the roster, (but) I don’t see, in that situation, where I wouldn’t at least be invited to camp to be one of those guys (to compete for a spot), so that’s where my disappointment is with the organization. … I don’t want to take away from the fact that Canada Basketball is in a great place. This is not that. I love all those guys. I want them to do well. Quote that. I just think I should have been invited to camp at the very least, 100 per cent.”

Team Canada will hold its training camp in Toronto from June 28 to July 7 before heading to Las Vegas for an exhibition game vs. Team USA on July 10. The Canadians will also play exhibition matches with France on July 19 and the winner of the Puerto Rico Olympic qualifying tournament on July 21.

Canada will be in Group A at the Olympics, along with Australia. The group will be filled out by the winners of the qualifying tournaments in Spain and Greece.

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Southeast Notes: Mills, Spoelstra, Gueye, Bufkin, Windler, Wagners

June 18th, 2024 at 10:09pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Patty Mills only appeared in 32 games with the Hawks and Heat this season but the 35-year-old guard isn’t ready to retire. Mills will head into free agency looking for a new deal, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

“I take really good care of myself and my body and the plan is to continue to play until the wheels fall off is how I see it,” he said. Mills, who added he’d prefer to stay with the Heat, will play for Australia in the Paris Olympics.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

  • The Heat‘s early postseason exit has allowed coach Erik Spoelstra to spend more time evaluating draft prospects, though he’s offering opinions rather than getting too involved in the process. “I figured I had three days to get up to speed on the draft last year,” he told Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “The eight weeks leading up to [this year’s draft], I think I’ll just be probably overconfused by overanalysis. I’ll stay out of the way. Now that I have more time, I’m probably dangerous. I’ll stay out of the way of our scouting department. They do an exceptional job — Adam Simon and his staff — preparing for that draft.”
  • Mouhamed Gueye, Kobe Bufkin and Dylan Windler are expected to play on the Hawks’ Summer League squad next month, Brad Rowland of the LockedOnHawks podcast tweets. General manager Landry Fields made that revelation during his press conference on Monday. Gueye and Bufkin were on Atlanta’s 15-man roster to finish the season, while Windler was a two-way player.
  • Germany won the FIBA World Cup last summer, defeating Team USA along the way. The Magic‘s Franz Wagner and Moritz Wagner will now try to lead their home country to a gold medal at the Olympics. “It’s a dream come true for me as a player,” Franz told Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. The Magic hold an $8MM option on Moritz’s contract for next season, so he could wind up as a free agent next month.
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

International Notes: Valanciunas, Layman, Simonovic, Garza

June 16th, 2024 at 3:52pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Unrestricted free agent Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas, the captain of his native Lithuanian national team, is slated to skip his club’s Olympic qualifiers to preserve his body, reports Eurohoops. Valanciunas can’t sign a new contract prior to July 6, and the Olympic qualifying tournament will take place from July 2-7.

If Lithuania wins the six-team tournament in Puerto Rico, it sounds like Valanciunas would like to suit up for the squad at this year’s Paris competition.

“Unfortunately, this situation happened for the first time in my life – not being able to be a national team player,” Valanciunas said. “I’m definitely with the team, my spirit, my advice… I will practice, I will prepare, I believe that I will prepare for Paris, the Olympics. I will help in any way I can. I hope Lithuania understands me and we’ll do what we’ll do in Paris.”

There’s more from around the basketball stratosphere:

  • Journeyman NBA forward Jake Layman is signing a deal to return to Japanese club Seahorses Mikawa, the team announced (via Twitter). As Dario Skerletic of Sportando notes, Layman made his debut with Seahorses Mikawa last season, averaging 15.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals a night. The 30-year-old spent six NBA seasons with the Trail Blazers and Timberwolves, plus the Bulls’ NBAGL affiliate, the Windy City Bulls. He hasn’t been on an NBA roster since being waived by Boston in October 2022.
  • Former NBA center/power forward Marko Simonovic has inked an agreement with Turkish team Bahcesehir, reports Ennio Terrasi Borghesan of Sportando. The seven-foot Simonovic, now 24, was the No. 44 pick in the 2020 draft by the Bulls while still playing for Mega Basket. He suited up for Chicago from 2021-23 before ultimately resuming his basketball career abroad. Across 16 NBA games in his two seasons, Simonovic averaged just 1.4 points on 27.3% shooting for Chicago.
  • Reserve Timberwolves center Luka Garza, a restricted free agent this summer, is open to possibly playing in Europe, according to Cesare Milanti of Eurohoops. “I would love [to play] for anyone in the EuroLeague,” Garza said. “When you see crowds like Partizan, Fenerbahce, and all these different teams with such environments.” Last year with Minnesota, the 6’10” big man averaged 4.0 points and 1.2 rebounds in 4.9 minutes a night as a little-used bench player.
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Nikola Jokic Included On Serbia’s Preliminary Olympic Roster

June 10th, 2024 at 3:52pm CST by Luke Adams

The Serbian national team has officially unveiled its preliminary roster for the 2024 Olympics, and that group is headlined by a noteworthy name. Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is one of the 16 players on Serbia’s preliminary roster, which will be cut down to 12 players for this summer’s games in Paris.

Jokic was noncommittal when asked last month at the end of Denver’s season whether he intended to play for Serbia in the Olympics. Svetislav Pesic, the head coach of the national team, recently stated that the Nuggets star remained undecided. Jokic’s inclusion on the 16-man preliminary roster doesn’t guarantee he’ll be in Paris, but it’s a signal that he’s planning to participate.

Even without Jokic, the Serbians claimed a silver medal at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, falling to Germany in the final but qualifying for the Olympics based on that deep World Cup run. Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic and Heat forward Nikola Jovic were among the key players on that team.

Bogdanovic and Jovic are also on the preliminary Olympic roster, and are joined by three more NBA players in Jokic, Hornets guard Vasilije Micic, and Hornets forward Aleksej Pokusevski. Filip Petrusev and Marko Guduric previously played in the NBA, while Nikola Milutinov, Ognjen Jaramaz, and Vanja Marinkovic were selected in past drafts but have never signed NBA contracts.

Serbia will be in Group C along with the United States at the Olympics and can secure a spot in the quarterfinals with a top-two finish in round-robin play. South Sudan and the winner of an Olympic qualifying tournament in Puerto Rico (Lithuania is the top-rated club in that six-team tournament) will be the other competition in Group C. Assuming Jokic plays, he could end up facing fellow Nuggets star Jamal Murray – who will suit up for Canada – at some point in the single-elimination portion of the event.

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Pacific Notes: Hurley, Suns, Vezenkov, Kerr

June 8th, 2024 at 10:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

UConn submitted a new contract offer to try to keep Dan Hurley as its head coach, but a source close to the athletic department tells Adam Zagoria of NJ.com that the school can’t afford to get into a bidding war with the Lakers. Hurley traveled to Los Angeles on Friday to meet with team officials and is expected to consider his options throughout the weekend before reaching a decision. One of those options will be an offer from the university that would reportedly make him the third-highest-paid coach in the NCAA.

“We want to pay him certainly what he’s worth, but there’s a limit to how far we can actually go just because of the political pressures and all of that,” the source told Zagoria. “Even though everybody wants him to stay, and everybody’s behind it, I just think there’s a cap that exists.”

Zagoria points to a USA Today database that lists Bill Self with a $9.6MM annual salary at Kansas, while John Calipari will earn $8MM in the first year of his new contract at Arkansas. Hurley signed a six-year deal worth $32MM after winning his first national title last year, and he earned a $2MM bonus this season on top of his $5MM base salary.

“Obviously, they want to pay him,” Zagoria’s source added. “I just think at some point it’s not going to be Kentucky, it’s not going to be the place where you can just get some stupid number. I think there are just some realities at the school that make that tougher.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

  • The Suns will attempt to fill three needs this summer despite being bound by second apron restrictions, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 said on the Burns and Gambo podcast (hat tip to RealGM). After letting Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant run the offense this season, Phoenix hopes to find a point guard who can play at least 20 minutes per game, according to Gambadoro. The team is also in the market for a young wing player who can provide more athleticism, along with an upgrade on Drew Eubanks at backup center.
  • Conflicting information about Kings forward Sasha Vezenkov makes it hard to tell which parts of the story are legitimate, James Ham states in his latest edition of Kings Beat (subscription required). As we relayed earlier today, a Eurohoops report stated that Vezenkov has asked for a change of scenery and is considering a return to Europe. However, Ham notes that Matteo Andreani of Basketinside claims the Kings told Vezenkov that he’s not in their plans for next season and they’ll try to trade him. Either scenario could lead to a breakup this summer, and Ham states that team officials have been silent about Vezenkov’s future.
  • Warriors coach Steve Kerr understands the pressure on Team USA to capture an Olympic gold medal this summer, calling it a “win or fail” situation, per Ron Kroichick of The San Francisco Chronicle. Part of Kerr’s early preparation has been watching past losses to see what went wrong, including a 113-111 defeat against Germany in last year’s FIBA World Cup semifinals. “One of the things we look at is, why has USA Basketball lost games in the past?” Kerr said. “There are some common themes, and the big one really is defense. The games we’ve lost, we just failed to stop the other team. This Germany game is one of them — they carved us up. So we’re going to have to be really good defensively this summer.”
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

International Notes: Theis, Birch, M. James, M. Scott

June 8th, 2024 at 2:29pm CST by Luke Adams

Clippers center Daniel Theis, who will be an unrestricted free agent, would draw significant interest from EuroLeague teams if he’s unable to find an NBA offer he likes this offseason, according to a report from TeleSport (Twitter link; hat tip to Sportando).

Sources tell TeleSport that Barcelona, Fenerbahce, and Panathinaikos would be among the teams with interest in the German big man if he becomes open to the idea of returning to Europe. Theis has played in the NBA since 2017, but began his professional career in Germany from 2010-17.

After opening the 2023/24 season in Indiana, Theis agreed to a buyout with the Pacers and caught on with the Clippers, who needed a backup center after Mason Plumlee suffered a knee injury. Theis averaged 6.3 points and 4.1 rebounds in 17.1 minutes per game across 59 appearances with Los Angeles.

Here are a few more notes from around the international basketball world:

  • Former NBA big man Khem Birch, who is healthy again and finished this past season playing for Girona in Spain, has accepted an invitation to take part in training camp with the Canadian national team this summer, tweets Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. It’s unclear whether or not there will be a spot available for Birch on Canada’s 12-man Olympic roster. He didn’t play for the team at least year’s World Cup, with Kelly Olynyk and Dwight Powell serving as Canada’s primary centers. Probable first-round pick Zach Edey will also be in that mix.
  • According to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com, sources have disputed the claim that EuroLeague MVP Mike James is on the verge of signing a new contract to remain with AS Monaco. Despite lengthy extension talks between the two sides, no deal is in place and James may explore his options on the open market, sources tell Urbonas. The veteran guard last played in the NBA in 2021 for Brooklyn.
  • Former NBA forward Mike Scott has parted ways with French team ASVEL and will continue his career with Gigantes de Carolina in Puerto Rico, tweets Urbonas. The 35-year-old forward appeared in 555 regular season NBA games from 2012-21, last playing for Philadelphia.
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

And-Ones: Poland, Sochan, M. James, J. Porter, More

June 7th, 2024 at 5:09pm CST by Luke Adams

The Polish national team has formally announced a 17-man preliminary roster for next month’s Olympic qualifying tournament in Valencia, Spain (hat tip to Eurohoops). Poland will be grouped with Finland and the Bahamas in that tournament and will vie with Angola, Lebanon, and Spain for the right to compete in the 12-team men’s basketball tournament at the Olympics in Paris.

Poland’s roster doesn’t feature much NBA talent, but there is one player currently active in the league: Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan was named to the 17-man squad, which will be trimmed to 12 players for the qualifying tournament Sochan previously won a gold medal with Poland at an under-16 championship in 2019 and also represented the country at the EuroBasket 2022 qualifiers.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • On the heels of being named this season’s EuroLeague MVP, former NBA guard Mike James appears to be on the verge of signing a contract extension with AS Monaco. As Johnny Askounis relays for Eurohoops, a report from Gabriel Pantel-Jouve of BeBasket indicates that James and Monaco are set to complete a three-year deal that will increase the guard’s annual salary to three million Euros per season.
  • A total of four men have now been charged by federal prosecutors in the sports betting scandal related to Jontay Porter‘s lifetime ban from the NBA, reports Jennifer Peltz of The Associated Press. The defendants are being accused of profiting from prop bets based on the knowledge that Porter would exit a pair of games early. The complaint also alleges that Porter – who isn’t identified by name but fits the description of the player described – was supposed to receive a portion of the winnings.
  • In an Insider-only story for ESPN.com, Bobby Marks of ESPN identifies five teams who may not receive as much attention this summer as high-profile franchise like the Lakers and Sixers, but who could have eventful and important offseason ahead of them. Marks’ picks? The Bulls, Trail Blazers, Jazz, Pelicans, and Spurs.
  • With the Lakers reportedly in pursuit of UConn head coach Dan Hurley, Alex Andrejev of The Athletic considers the history of accomplished college coaches making the leap to the NBA and evaluates how several of the most notable names – including Billy Donovan, Larry Brown, and Rick Pitino – fared at the professional level.
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0
Load More Posts