Mexican guard/forward Karim Lopez, who is ESPN’s top-ranked international prospect in the 2026 draft class and a potential lottery pick, has signed with the New Zealand Breakers as part of the NBL’s Next Stars program, he told Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
According to Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link), Lopez signed a two-year deal with the Breakers. The 17-year-old is known for his two-way versatility, basketball instincts and competitiveness, Givony adds.
Here are a few more international notes:
- Former NBA guard Matt Mooney has also signed a contract with the Breakers, the team announced in a press release. Mooney played four games with Cleveland and one with New York in two different NBA seasons. The 28-year-old, who is known for his shooting ability, spent the 2023/24 campaign in Italy with Trento after playing in Turkey and Spain the previous two seasons.
- Dwayne Bacon, who played four NBA seasons with Charlotte and Orlando from 2017-21, has signed with Russian club Zenit St. Petersburg, according to a team press release (hat tip to Alessandro Maggi of Sportando). The veteran guard/forward has spent the past few seasons playing in Monaco, Greece and China.
- Free agent guard Theo Maledon is nearing a contract agreement with ASVEL in his native France, reports Gabriel Pantel-Jouve of BeBasket (Twitter link). The 34th pick of the 2020 draft, Maledon has appeared in 177 NBA games over the past four seasons with Oklahoma City, Charlotte and Phoenix. He has been a free agent since he was released by the Suns in March, later suiting up for Orlando’s Summer League squad. The 23-year-old started his professional career with ASVEL in 2017.
As a Breakers fan, I’m very excited by these signings. Lopez has sky high potential.
Why would anyone sign with a Russian team right now? Do you really want to be paid in rubles? Odd choice.