International Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Jerian Grant Expected To Play In China

August 5th, 2019 at 11:08am CST by Luke Adams

Another NBA free agent appears set to head overseas for the 2019/20 season, as Emiliano Carchia of Sportando reports (via Twitter) that Jerian Grant is signing with a team in the Chinese Basketball Assocation. According to Carchia, Grant’s new club will likely be the Qingdao Eagles.

Grant, a first-round pick in the 2015 draft, has spent time with the Knicks, Bulls, and Magic over the course of four NBA seasons. In 2018/19, the 26-year-old averaged 4.2 PPG and 2.6 APG on .418/.364/.650 shooting in 60 games (15.7 MPG) for Orlando.

While Grant was the Magic’s backup point guard for much of last season, he lost that role in the second half, first to Isaiah Briscoe and then to Michael Carter-Williams. He was eligible for a qualifying offer, but Orlando passed, making him an unrestricted free agent.

With Grant expected to be officially off the market soon, there are few viable free agent options left for NBA teams in need of point guard depth. Jeremy Lin and Shaun Livingston headline the remaining FAs, with Isaiah Canaan, Devin Harris, Chasson Randle, and Raymond Felton among the other names still on the board.

Sam Dekker Signs With Russian Team

August 5th, 2019 at 9:03am CST by Dana Gauruder

AUGUST 5: Lokomotiv Kuban has officially confirmed its deal with Dekker (Twitter link).

AUGUST 3: Forward Sam Dekker is close to an agreement with Russia’s Lokomotiv Kuban, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando tweets.

Like several other NBA veterans, Dekker didn’t attract much interest in the free agent market this summer and was forced to explore overseas options.

Dekker became an unrestricted free agent when the Wizards declined to extend a $3.91MM qualifying offer. Dekker wound up in Washington via a three-team December deal that also involved the Bucks and Cavaliers.

The 18th overall pick in the 2015 draft has struggled to find his footing in the NBA after a stellar college career at Wisconsin. He’s averaged 5.5 PPG and 3.0 RPG in 15.5 MPG while playing 200 NBA games for Houston, the Los Angeles Clippers and Cleveland as well as the Wizards.

He made just 28.8% of his 3-point attempts during his four NBA seasons and knocked down only 28.6% in 38 games off the bench for Washington. Dekker averaged 6.1 PPG and 3.0 RPG in 16.3 MPG after the trade.

Wayne Selden Close To Signing With Shandong

August 5th, 2019 at 8:28am CST by Luke Adams

Free agent NBA shooting guard Wayne Selden is close to signing a deal with Shandong of the Chinese Basketball Association, reports Jeff Goodman of Stadium (Twitter link). According to Goodman, Selden’s one-year CBA contract would be worth nearly $3.5MM.

Selden, who will turn 25 next month, has appeared in 124 total games for the Pelicans, Grizzlies, and Bulls over the last three seasons. In 2018/19, he began the season in Memphis but was dealt to Chicago in a trade involving Justin Holiday.

In 43 games (22.9 MPG) for the Bulls, Selden averaged 8.0 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and 1.7 APG with a shooting line of .407/.315/.714. The former Kansas Jayhawk was eligible for restricted free agency, but Chicago opted not to make him a qualifying offer, so he has been an unrestricted free agent since June 30.

Assuming Selden finalizes his deal with Shandong, it would be the second lucrative CBA contract for an NBA swingman already this month. Last Thursday, we learned that Lance Stephenson would be signing a one-year, $4MM pact with Liaoning.

Isaiah Hicks To Play In Russia

August 4th, 2019 at 2:25pm CST by clarkcrum

One of the Knicks‘ two-way players from last season is headed overseas to continue his playing career, with VTB United League club Avtodor Saratov announcing (via Instagram) that they have signed Isaiah Hicks for the 2019/20 season (h/t to Emiliano Carchia or Sportando).

Hicks, who went undrafted out of North Carolina after helping the Tar Heels win a national championship in 2017, spent both the 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons as a two-way player for the Knicks. In 64 G League contests with the Westchester Knicks, Hicks averaged 16.0 PPG, 7.7 RPG, and 2.0 APG in 29.7 MPG.

The 25-year-old power forward also saw some game action with the Knicks during his tenure in New York, appearing in 21 NBA games and posting averages of 4.4 PPG and 2.3 RPG in 13.0 minutes per contest.

The Knicks opted not to tender Hicks a two-way qualifying offer earlier this summer, thereby making him an unrestricted free agent. Guard Kadeem Allen remains the Knicks’ only current two-way player, but it was reported back in June that rookie Kris Wilkes will earn the second slot for the 2019/20 season.

Clippers Notes: Rivers, Leonard, Patterson, Robinson

August 4th, 2019 at 12:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

Doc Rivers will be in the spotlight with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George both joining the Clippers, but his training for dealing with superstars dates back to his early days as a coach in Orlando, writes Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. Rivers had just completed his first year as a head coach in the summer of 2000 when the Magic signed both Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady, forming what was expected to be a super-team of that era.

“(Clippers president of basketball operations) Lawrence Frank did more research than any human being is possible to do,” Rivers said. “And I thought (former Magic general manager) John Gabriel did the same thing. That’s why we were successful in Orlando getting Tracy and Grant, and that’s why we’ve been successful today.”

In both cases, the free agent jackpot was preceded by a decision to trade a franchise player — Anfernee Hardaway in Orlando and Blake Griffin in L.A. Rivers insisted that both franchises remain competitive rather than tanking after the deals, believing that was the best way to lure free agents. George confirmed the value of that decision.

“You could just see their connection on the court,” he said of last year’s team. “Everybody pulling for one another, everybody elevated their games to be part of that camaraderie. That’s what made it such an attractive spot.”

There’s more Clippers news to pass along:

In the same story, Rivers offers an inside look at the negotiations with Leonard, saying the focus never strayed from how the team could compete for a title. “All the other stuff that people think matters in the recruitment, I don’t think Kawhi wanted to talk about that, and so I didn’t,” Rivers said. “I talked about winning, and basketball. Kawhi is a serious man and I think you felt that with him. I think he felt the seriousness of me and how serious I am about winning and how serious he is about winning and he felt good about that match.”
In his buyout with the Thunder, Patrick Patterson gave back $3.5MM of the $5.7MM he was owed, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. He will earn another $2.3MM with the Clippers this season.
Jerome Robinson didn’t see much playing time as a rookie, but he’s counting on a greater role in his second season, relays Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe.
Mathias Lessort, whose rights were acquired from the Sixers in the Jimmy Butler trade, will play for German Bundesliga champion FC Bayern Munich this season, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. A 2017 draftee, Lessort spent last season in Spain.

Justin Hamilton Re-Signs With Beijing Ducks

August 3rd, 2019 at 11:51am CST by marksuleymanov

Former NBA big man Justin Hamilton has re-signed with the Beijing Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association, according to Sportando.

Hamilton, 29, will suit up for a third consecutive season in China after spending parts of three seasons in the NBA. The seven-fo0ter was a second-round pick in 2012 and went on to play for the Hornets, Heat, Timberwolves and Nets. Hamilton’s most recent – and most substantial – NBA experience came in 2016/17 when he appeared in 64 games for Brooklyn.

Last season, Hamilton posted impressive numbers for the Ducks, averaging 23.3 PPG and 9.7 RPG in 45 games. The year before, he posted 24.8 PPG and 10.9 RPG for Beijing.

Lorenzo Brown Signs With Serbian Team

August 3rd, 2019 at 9:14am CST by marksuleymanov

Free agent point guard Lorenzo Brown has signed a deal with the Serbian club KK Crvena Zvezda of the ABA League for the 2019/20 season, the team announced (via Sportando).

Brown, 28, has seen action in five of the past six NBA seasons. The North Carolina State product has suited up for the Sixers, Timberwolves, Suns and Raptors. Last season, Brown played for the eventual NBA champion Raptors, averaging 2.1 PPG off the bench in 26 games.

The Raptors waived Brown in early January. The former second-round pick latched on with the Guangzhou Long-Lions in China for the remainder of the season, averaging 25.3 PPG, 5.4 RPG and 4.9 APG.

Jonas Jerebko Close To Deal With Khimki

August 2nd, 2019 at 9:57am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran NBA forward Jonas Jerebko appears likely to head overseas for the coming season, according to Lithuanian journalist Donatas Urbonas, who reports (via Twitter) that Jerebko is close to a deal with Russian club Khimki.

Jerebko, 32, has been in the NBA for the last decade, spending time with the Pistons, Celtics, Jazz, and Warriors since being selected in the second round of the 2009 draft. In Golden State last season, he averaged 6.3 PPG and 3.9 RPG on .459/.367/.800 shooting in 73 games (16.7 MPG).

Despite those solid numbers, Jerebko didn’t see much time in the Warriors’ postseason rotation, logging just 26 total minutes in four Finals appearances. It seems as if his his NBA market hasn’t been particularly robust this offseason either, though he has yet to formally reach an agreement with Khimki, so it’s possible an NBA opportunity will surface at the 11th hour.

Assuming Jerebko does finalize a deal with Khimki, he’ll be the third player to join the team after playing in the NBA in 2018/19. Timofey Mozgov and Dairis Bertans have also signed with the EuroLeague club.

Nuggets Sign 2017 Second-Rounder Vlatko Cancar

August 1st, 2019 at 5:55pm CST by marksuleymanov

AUGUST 1: The Nuggets have officially signed Cancar to a contract, per NBA.com’s transactions log. Terms of the deal aren’t yet known, but Denver has its mid-level exception available, so it could exceed two years.

JULY 13: The Nuggets are expected to sign Slovenian prospect Vlatko Cancar, a source tells Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (Twitter link). Cancar was Denver’s second-round pick (49th overall) in the 2017 draft.

Cancar, 22, was selected as a draft-and-stash player and expected to remain in Europe for a couple of seasons before joining the Nuggets. The 6-foot-8 forward has appeared in three Summer League games for Denver, averaging 9.7 PPG and 4.0 RPG.

The forward suited up for San Pablo Burgos in Spain last season.

Free Agent Notes: Carter, Georges-Hunt, McAdoo

August 1st, 2019 at 4:14pm CST by Luke Adams

Vince Carter, who indicated in June that he wants to play one more season before retiring in 2020, hasn’t changed that plan at all, despite having not found a new NBA home one month into free agency. Speaking today to reporters on a conference call, the veteran forward said that he continues to wait for the right opportunity, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter links).

“Nothing has changed as far as that goal and that dream of mine,” said Carter, who would become the first NBA player to have a 22-year career if he plays one more season. “It’s a patient thing. I get it. I’m older, teams are going younger. You just have to be patient, and hopefully in the coming days we’ll hopefully have something figured out.”

More and more veteran free agents have headed overseas within the last week or two as roster spots around the NBA dry up. However, most teams still aren’t carrying 15 players on guaranteed contracts, so there should still be some viable landing spots for Carter.

As we wait to see where the 42-year-old lands, here are more updates on some NBA free agents:

Swingman Marcus Georges-Hunt, who appeared in 42 games for the Timberwolves during the 2017/18 season, is recovered from the torn meniscus that kept him out of action for much of 2018/19, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. According to Krawczynski, Georges-Hunt has lined up workouts with a number of NBA teams for later this month.
Former UNC standout James Michael McAdoo, who won a pair of titles with Golden State and spent some time with the Sixers, is headed back to Europe for 2019/20. Turkish club Besiktas announced today (via Twitter) that it has signed McAdoo, who played in Italy last season.
To catch up on any free agent signings you may have missed, be sure to check out our 2019 NBA Free Agent Tracker. Our tracker features every free agent who has signed (or agreed to sign) a standard contract with an NBA team this offseason. It also includes updates on players who finished the 2018/19 season on an NBA roster and have since decided to retire or play in another professional league.