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And-Ones: Vezenkov, Metu, Bad Contracts, Front Offices, More

May 8th, 2025 at 9:50am CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA forward Sasha Vezenkov, who spent the 2023/24 season with the Kings, is enjoying a hugely successful return to Europe this season. Vezenkov finished as the runner-up in EuroLeague MVP voting after averaging 20.2 points per game for Olympiacos and has now been named the EuroLeague Playoffs MVP for his performance in the Greek team’s quarterfinal series vs. Real Madrid, according to a press release.

It’s the first time the EuroLeague has named a Playoffs MVP — the award doesn’t encompass the league’s Final Four, which will be played later this month. Vezenkov, who gave up a fully guaranteed $6.7MM salary with the Raptors last summer in order to head back overseas, will be looking to lead Olympiacos to a win over AS Monaco on May 23 in the semifinals and – ultimately – to a EuroLeague championship.

In other European basketball news, Barcelona is parting ways with former NBA big man Chimezie Metu, who tore his Achilles in March, per a Mundo Deportivo report (hat tip to Sportando).

After appearing in 260 regular season games for four NBA teams from 2018-24, Metu played a key role for Barça this season prior to the injury, averaging 11.0 points and 4.8 rebounds in 20.0 minutes per game across 24 EuroLeague outings.

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

  • Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report identifies five star players he believes have negative trade value due to their massive contracts, including a pair of Sixers (Joel Embiid and Paul George) and Nuggets guard Jamal Murray. Interestingly, Pincus gives Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen an honorable mention, noting that one Eastern Conference executive referred to Markkanen’s deal (four years, $196MM) as the worst in the league. That’s “probably hyperbolic,” Pincus writes, though he notes that several teams view the contract as a major overpay.
  • In an article open to non-subscribers, Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) hands out his front office awards – the “Yossis” – for the 2024/25 NBA season. Gozlan recognizes the Thunder for their overall salary cap management, the Knicks for their creative cap machinations in the Karl-Anthony Towns trade, and the Hawks for most improving their long-term outlook over the past year, while also handing out a few other awards.
  • Even before home teams opened the second round by losing their first six games, the impact of home-court advantage in the NBA playoffs was on the decline, writes Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. According to Vorkunov, home teams won at least 60 percent of their games in 56 of the NBA’s first 78 postseasons, but that hasn’t happened since 2018 — and home teams have lost 10 of 15 Game Sevens since 2021. So far this spring, teams have a home record of just 26-24 in the playoffs.
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Fenerbahce’s Hayes-Davis, Biberovic Drawing NBA Interest

May 5th, 2025 at 12:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Forward Nigel Hayes-Davis and swingman Tarik Biberovic, who both play for Fenerbahce in Turkey, are receiving interest from NBA clubs, the team’s general manager Derya Yannier said during an interview with TRT Sports Star (Twitter video link; hat tip to Alessandro Maggi of Sportando).

“There is very serious interest from the NBA for Nigel Hayes-Davis and Tarik Biberovic,” Yannier said. “I hope they continue with us, but if they say, ‘I want to try in the NBA,’ we won’t stand in their way.”

Hayes-Davis, 30, had a brief NBA stint during the 2017/18 season, when he suited up for the Lakers, Raptors, and Kings. The former Wisconsin standout has been playing overseas since then in Turkey, Lithuania, and Spain and has been a member of Fenerbahce since 2022. He has averaged a team-best 16.8 points and 5.2 rebounds in 31.1 minutes per game across 37 EuroLeague appearances this season, with a .461/.412/.897 shooting line.

Hayes-Davis was also said to be drawing NBA interest last offseason and was a member of the Select Team that scrimmaged against the U.S. Olympic roster prior to the Paris games. He ultimately signed a new contract with Fenerbahce. While that deal was said to be for three years, it sounds like it includes an NBA opt-out clause.

As for Biberovic, the 6’7″ wing was selected 56th overall in the 2023 NBA draft by the Grizzlies, who still control his NBA rights. So if he wants to make the move stateside, he would have to negotiate exclusively with Memphis, barring a trade.

The 24-year-old has been one of Fenerbahce’s most reliable shooters in recent years. In 2024/25, he averaged 10.5 PPG and 3.1 RPG in 35 EuroLeague outings (22.7 MPG), with a 43.8% mark on 5.0 three-point attempts per contest. Biberovic is on a long-term deal with the Turkish club, but the contracts includes NBA outs after each season.

Fenerbahce has qualified for the EuroLeague Final Four and leads Turkey’s domestic league with a 25-2 regular season record, so the team will be vying for a pair of titles this spring.

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Magic Notes: Offseason Plan, Banchero, F. Wagner, Bitadze

May 3rd, 2025 at 9:34am CST by Rory Maher

After finishing with a losing record for four straight seasons, the Magic went 47-35 and made the playoffs a year ago, eventually losing a tight seven-game series against Cleveland.

Entering 2024/25, Orlando added veteran wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency, but long-term injuries to key players — including Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Moritz Wagner and Jalen Suggs — played a significant role in the team’s middling 41-41 record. The Magic advanced as the No. 7 seed via the play-in tournament, but once again lost in the first round, this time in five games to the defending champion Celtics.

As Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel writes, the Magic finished with the second-best defensive rating in the NBA during the regular season, but had the fourth-worst offense, including the worst three-point percentage. President of basketball operations Jeff Weltman says Orlando is ready to transition to a “win-now” phase entering ’25/26.

“What we need is proven shot-making, proven offensive play, someone that’s going to come in and help augment our weakness,” Weltman said. “Clearly, we need to get better offensively. Clearly, we need to shoot the ball better. Those are the goals and that’s the lens we need to look at as we enter the offseason. 

“I don’t think anything’s off the table. Veteran help, proven offensive help is what we’re going to be looking for.”

Most of the Magic’s roster is under contract for next season, Beede observes, and the team won’t have the cap room necessary to be a major player in what’s viewed as a relatively weak free-agent class. That means the front office will have to make trades to add the types of players it’s looking for, which Weltman acknowledged.

“Most of our roster upgrades are going to have to come more through swapping than just adding,” Weltman said. “The reason we’ve been a good team the last couple of years — and I do believe we are a good team — is because we’ve got an elite defensive backbone.

“And as we look to improve our offense, we have to be very cognizant of not unraveling the DNA of our team. That’s what we have to balance this summer.”

Here’s more on the Magic:

  • In addition to his end-of-season media session, Weltman also discussed the Magic’s season, the inactive trade deadline, and the team’s offseason plan on Mike Bianchi’s “Open Mike” radio show.
  • Following the first-round elimination, Banchero reflected on how his season played out, according to Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. “Kind of how I evaluated the team’s season, it was a little disappointing for me and my season,” Banchero said. “Just going down with the injury and then coming back and having to work my way into shape and battle through those times. But I was happy with how I was able to kind of respond and finish strong. I didn’t let some of those early tough times discourage me. I kept going and, like the team, I wanted to finish strong, and do whatever I could to help us get to the postseason. We were able to do that.”
  • Banchero, a former No. 1 overall pick and All-Star, will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer. He made it clear he’s ready to sign a long-term deal with Orlando, Beede adds in the same story. “I love it here,” Banchero said about Orlando. “… It’s a place that I love spending time, my family loves spending time here, and I couldn’t be more happy to be a part of the Orlando Magic. I look forward to spending a lot more years here.”
  • While Franz Wagner isn’t sure whether or not he’ll suit up for Germany at this summer’s EuroBasket, center Goga Bitadze says he’s definitely going to represent his home country of Georgia at the tournament, per Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. “I take that very seriously,” Bitadze said. “I’m going to prepare for that and got to stay in shape all summer. Hopefully, we win a lot of games with the national team.”
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Gordon Herbert To Coach Canadian National Team

May 1st, 2025 at 10:00am CST by Luke Adams

Gordon Herbert will be the new head coach of the Canadian men’s basketball national team, Canada Basketball confirmed on Thursday in a press release. The news was first reported by Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca.

Herbert has more than three decades of coaching experience, including two previous stints as an assistant for Canada Basketball from 2001-02 and 2018-21.

Although he briefly served as a Raptors assistant in 2008/09 and a consultant for the Nets in 2019/20, the Canadian-born Herbert has spent most of his career overseas. He’s currently the head coach of Bayern Munich and is coming off a three-year run as the head coach of the German national team, which won the 2023 FIBA World Cup and finished fourth at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

Herbert also previously coached professional teams in Finland, France, Greece, Austria, and Russia.

Before transitioning to coaching, Herbert played professionally for more than a decade in non-NBA leagues, primarily in Finland, and was a member of the Canadian national team at the 1984 Olympics.

“We are proud to announce Gordie as the next head coach of our Senior Men’s National Team,” Team Canada general manager Rowan Barrett said in a statement. “His championship pedigree, command of the FIBA game, and understanding of what it takes to compete for medals on the world stage make him the ideal leader for this next chapter of Canada Basketball.

“It’s great to welcome Gordie back to our program. He knows what it means to represent Canada and brings the experience, leadership, and vision to guide this group through the next chapter of our journey.”

Barrett will officially take the reins in the summer of 2026 and will be tasked with getting Canada on the podium at the 2027 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics.

Expectations for the Canadian national team are on the rise after the program earned a third-place finish at the 2023 World Cup and sent a roster made up entirely of NBA players to Paris in 2024. That team, led by Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, missed out on a medal after falling to France in the quarterfinals.

Barrett is replacing Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez, who formally stepped down from the role in February to focus on his job in Brooklyn and to spend more time with his family.

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Heat Notes: Butler, Herro, Adebayo, Love, Jovic, Larsson

April 30th, 2025 at 7:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

Head coach Erik Spoelstra admitted Wednesday that the months-long drama involving Jimmy Butler brought “turbulent waters” to the Heat, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Butler was a distraction during the first half of the season, becoming unhappy when the team was unwilling to give him a contract extension and team president Pat Riley challenged him to be available for more regular season games. Butler publicly feuded with management and was suspended three times before being sent to Golden State shortly before the trade deadline.

Speaking at today’s exit interviews, Tyler Herro said the Butler situation was a distraction in the locker room.

“I think it was just the overall wondering when is it going to end,” Herro said. “That was kind of the main thing of when can we just focus on basketball? That’s what this profession is, it’s basketball. That’s what we’re here to do and that’s what we all get paid to do is play basketball. At the end of the day, that’s what we wanted to worry about.”

The Heat’s season didn’t get better after Butler was gone, as they posted a 12-21 record following the trade and suffered through a 10-game losing streak in March. They were able to win eight of their last 12 regular season games and made history by becoming the first 10th seed to advance through the play-in tournament, but the season crashed to an end with a first-round sweep by Cleveland and 37- and 53-point losses in their two home playoff games.

“When I say it’s a memorable season, the memories will be like the last four weeks,” Spoelstra said. “The rest of the season was a grind. But we finally started to turn the corner even during the losing streak and you felt momentum, you felt progress, you felt like everybody was coming together and it led to two play-in games. … All the other adversities, it made me better. I’ve never been in a situation like that, to try to keep a locker room together and to try to handle it during those weeks. But then also to fully change course stylistically in how to play and what to emphasize at the All-Star break. That was an invigorating challenge.”

There’s more from Miami:

  • Bam Adebayo talked about the need for changes after Game 4, but he declined to get into specifics while speaking with reporters today, Chiang and Barry Jackson add in a separate story. “That’s more of a Pat Riley question,” Adebayo said. “I hope you can ask that question to him and he doesn’t blow you off. He knows how much I want to win. We want to be in the best way possible to do that. After he talks to you, he will probably talk to me and we will figure out what happens.”
  • Kevin Love confirms that he intends to continue playing next season, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link). The 36-year-old big man, who has one year left on his contract at $4.15MM, missed 22 games this year while caring for his ailing father, former NBA player Stan Love, who passed away over the weekend.
  • Nikola Jovic will represent Serbia and Pelle Larsson will play for Sweden at this summer’s EuroBasket (Twitter links from Reynolds).
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And-Ones: Wade, Parker, Amazon, Shaq, EuroBasket

April 30th, 2025 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Dwyane Wade and Candace Parker are expected to join Amazon Prime Video’s NBA coverage for the 2025/26 season, reports Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports. As Glasspiegel explains, deals for Wade and Parker aren’t finalized yet, but appear likely to get done.

Wade, who did color commentary for NBC’s Olympic coverage in Paris last year, would be a hybrid game and studio analyst for Amazon, according to Glasspiegel. Parker, meanwhile, would be part of Amazon’s studio show for both NBA and WNBA broadcasts after having long worked for TNT.

With the company set to become a broadcasting partner for the NBA beginning in ’25/26, Amazon is in the process of filling out its roster of on-air talent. Reporting earlier this week indicated that Steve Nash and Stan Van Gundy will join the streamer as analysts.

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

  • Former NBA star and current TNT analyst Shaquille O’Neal will become the men’s basketball general manager for Sacramento State, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, who says it will be an unpaid, voluntary role. O’Neal’s son – Shaqir O’Neal – is transferring from Florida A&M to Sacramento State for his senior year and will play for the Hornets under new head coach Mike Bibby.
  • FIBA has revealed the schedule for the EuroBasket 2025 tournament, formally announcing in a press release that the event will tip off on August 27 with a six-game slate. The group stage will wrap up on September 4, with the elimination phase taking place from Sept. 6-14. The full schedule for EuroBasket 2025, which should feature many NBA players, can be viewed here.
  • In the wake of Chris Finch‘s claim that the physicality in the NBA playoffs has “gone too far” and disrupted the flow of games, a panel of writers from The Athletic debate that subject, with Eric Koreen, Fred Katz, Kelly Iko, and Law Murray discussing whether any particular moment or series has crossed the line and whether the increased physicality this spring has been good or bad for the league.
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NBA Mulling International Format For All-Star Game

April 28th, 2025 at 9:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The NBA is mulling an “international competition” for the annual All-Star Game, The Athletic’s Joe Vardon reports.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver and president of league operations Byron Spruell said discussions were being held with new broadcast partner NBC regarding an original format for the All-Star Game. Next season’s game will be held at the Clippers’ Intuit Dome on Feb. 15, 2026. The Intuit Dome will also be the home base for the basketball events in the 2028 Summer Olympics.

The league has been inspired by the NHL, which held a wildly successful four-team international tournament in place of its All-Star Game. The NBA is considering a U.S. vs. the rest of the world matchup.

“Looking to do something new and different yet again, but excited about the possibility,” Spruell said.

The NBA has been groping for ways to regain interest in the All-Star Game, which in recent years has essentially turned into a defensively-absent dunk contest. If the NBA goes in this direction, it will be the third format in three years.

This February, the NBA experimented with a four-team tournament with three squads of All-Stars and a fourth of “rising stars.” However, the tournament was a flop, lacking suspense and drawing poor TV ratings.

Approximately 25 percent of current NBA players were born outside of the U.S., including many of its top stars.

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And-Ones: Awards, Fredette, Silver, Early Entrants

April 28th, 2025 at 2:47pm CST by Luke Adams

After announcing Stephen Curry as this season’s Teammate of the Year on Monday afternoon, the NBA will unveil three more award winners later this week, according to the league (Twitter link).

The 2024/25 Rookie of the Year is scheduled to be announced on Tuesday at 7:00 pm Eastern time, with Most Improved Player to follow on Wednesday, 24 hours later. The league’s Sportsmanship Award winner will be revealed on Thursday at 12:00 pm ET.

Spurs guard Stephon Castle, Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher, and Grizzlies wing Jaylen Wells are the finalists for Rookie of the Year honors, while Pistons guard Cade Cunningham, Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, and Clippers center Ivica Zubac remain in the running for Most Improved.

The Sportsmanship Award isn’t one of the major ones voted on by media members — it’s voted on by players after league executives select six finalists, who were announced earlier this month. Those finalists are Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen, Lakers forward Dorian Finney-Smith, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Celtics guard Jrue Holiday, Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, and Magic forward Franz Wagner.

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

  • Less than a week after announcing his retirement as a player, former NBA lottery pick Jimmer Fredette has a new job. USA Basketball stated in a press release on Monday that Fredette has been named the first-ever managing director for Team USA’s 3×3 men’s national team. Fredette will be responsible for compiling USA Basketball’s coaching staff and roster for 3×3 international competitions, essentially taking on the same role that Grant Hill performs for the 5×5 men’s national team.
  • Appearing on ESPN’s Numbers on the Board podcast (YouTube link), NBA commissioner Adam Silver spoke about a number of topics, including whether shortening the regular season from 82 games is a viable possibility for player health reasons. While Silver said that “nothing is off the table,” his response suggested the idea of reducing the 82-game schedule is likely a long shot (YouTube clip).
  • We can probably expect a full, official list from the NBA in the coming days, but in the meantime, news of early entrants who declared for the 2025 draft ahead of Saturday’s deadline continues to trickle out. Here are a few more of the players who are testing the draft waters this spring:
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Sterling Brown Signs Two-Year Deal With KK Partizan

April 26th, 2025 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA wing Sterling Brown has signed a two-year contract extension with KK Partizan, according to Eurohoops. The new deal was first revealed by team president Ostoja Mijailović and was later confirmed by the club via social media (Twitter link).

Brown, 30, was the 46th overall pick in the 2017 draft out of SMU and spent the next six years in the NBA, appearing in 268 regular season games for the Bucks, Rockets, Mavericks, and Lakers. The 6’5″ swingman averaged 5.3 points and 3.3 rebounds in 16.6 minutes per night, with a .419/.363/.796 shooting line.

Brown has been out of the NBA since playing on a 10-day contract with the Lakers in January 2023, having spent the past two seasons in the EuroLeague, first with Alba Berlin in Germany and then with Partizan in Serbia.

Brown is coming off a very productive season for the Belgrade-based team. He averaged 12.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 25.8 minutes per game with a .523/.469/.929 shooting line across 34 EuroLeague outings, and put up 11.0 PPG, 2.2 RPG, and 2.2 APG on .527/.505/.886 shooting in 26 ABA (Adriatic League) contests (21.7 MPG).

Partizan finished the EuroLeague season with a 16-18 record and missed the playoffs, but remains alive in the domestic Serbian league (KLS) and the ABA.

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Projected First-Rounder Joan Beringer Entering Draft

April 25th, 2025 at 12:52pm CST by Rory Maher

French big man Joan Beringer is entering the 2025 NBA draft, he tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN. The 18-year-old is ranked No. 17 on ESPN’s latest big board, making him a projected first-round pick.

“It’s been my dream to play in the NBA,” Beringer said. “It’s a good moment to go. I want to say thank you to my teammates. They made everything a lot easier for me.”

Beringer has spent the 2024/25 campaign with Slovenian club Cedevita Olimpija, which competes in the Adriatic League and EuroCup. He has averaged 4.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 17 EuroCup appearances (17.5 minutes per game).

As Givony details, Beringer is an intriguing prospect for multiple reasons. He’s the third-youngest player in the draft class, as he won’t turn 19 until November. He also wasn’t on NBA radars entering the season, as Beringer says he had never touched a basketball until the summer of 2021.

“I first started playing basketball in the street with my friends,” Beringer said. “Just for fun. I played football before, and there was a basketball court nearby the field. My feet got too big, so I couldn’t find soccer cleats anymore. I was 6-8 then. I’m 6-11 without shoes now. I joined a small club, Saint-Joseph Strasbourg, two weeks later. My work and willingness to go after things are the reason I was able to be where I am now.”

With a 7’5″ wingspan, impressive timing, and exceptional mobility, Beringer is viewed as having considerable defensive upside, according to Givony, who notes that the teenage center led the ABA in block percentage.

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