International Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Adreian Payne Returning To Greece

January 13th, 2019 at 8:57am CST by Arthur Hill

Adreian Payne is headed back to Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos, according to Sportando. The team announced the news this morning, welcoming back the former NBA big man who played 12 games for them last season.

The ex-Michigan State star was a two-way player with the Magic a year ago before being waived in January. He got into just five games for Orlando, averaging 4.2 PPG in 8.6 minutes per night.

Payne played for three teams in four years after the Hawks took him with the 15th pick in the 2014 draft. After a half season in Atlanta, he was traded to Minnesota, where he remained until the end of 2016/17.

And-Ones: BIG3, Stretch Provision, Hawes

January 10th, 2019 at 3:34pm CST by Luke Adams

Changes are coming to Ice Cube‘s BIG3 basketball league for the 2019 season, as the BIG3 announced today (via Twitter) that it will expand from eight teams to 12. According to Ice Cube (via Twitter), the first of those four new franchises – the Triplets – will be coached by longtime WNBA star Lisa Leslie.

In other BIG3 news, the league is lowering its age minimum from 30 years to 27 and will allow current NBA or international pros to participate. The BIG3 will also play games twice a week in 2019, appearing in a total of 18 cities.

In 2018, a team featuring longtime NBA players Corey Maggette, Glen Davis, Cuttino Mobley, and Quentin Richardson – and coached by Hall-of-Famer Nancy Lieberman – won the BIG3 title.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

In an interesting piece for SI.com, Jake Fischer takes a closer look at the pros and cons of the NBA’s stretch provision from the perspective of players impacted by it.
Within that same story, Fischer notes that veteran NBA center Spencer Hawes continues to seek another shot in the league. “I don’t want to go out getting cut,” said Hawes, who was waived by the Bucks in September 2017. “I know it’s a rare thing to kind of go out on your terms. But I still have a lot in the tank. I don’t want to look back and say I was done at 29 and just kind of gave up on it.”
Teams that still have mid-level and bi-annual exceptions available will see those exceptions prorate daily by 1/177th starting today, ESPN’s Bobby Marks points out (via Twitter). For instance, the $8.641MM mid-level exception will decline in value by about $49K per day for the rest of the season. Proration won’t impact trade exceptions or disabled player exceptions.
After some confusion on Wednesday, Adam Johnson of 2 Ways & 10 Days confirms (via Twitter) that Orlando’s G League affiliate has waived rookie Justin Jackson following his season-ending injury. The Lakeland Magic have added Anthony Brown to replace Jackson, notes Johnson.

Demetrius Jackson Joining Beijing Ducks

January 10th, 2019 at 2:18pm CST by Luke Adams

After being waived on Sunday by the Sixers, Demetrius Jackson has reached a deal to join China’s Beijing Ducks, according to multiple reports.

After Shams Charania of The Athletic first indicated that Jackson would head to China, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando wrote that Beijing was his likely destination. His agency, Priority Sports, confirmed as much today, relaying a report from Tom Noie of NDInsider.com.

Jackson, 24, appeared in just six games for the Sixers this season while on a two-way contract with the team, averaging 3.7 PPG in 6.5 MPG.

Despite his limited NBA production, the 6’1″ guard played well in eight G League games, recording 19.4 PPG, 7.4 APG, and 4.6 RPG. Now, he’ll get a chance to play a starring role in China, joining another former NBA guard – Aaron Jackson – in Beijing.

The Chinese season ends before the NBA’s, so Jackson could be back in the league before the end of 2018/19 if an opportunity arises down the stretch.

Sean Kilpatrick To Play In Greece

January 9th, 2019 at 9:24am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran NBA shooting guard Sean Kilpatrick has lined up a new deal, with Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos announcing in a press release that it has reached an agreement with Kilpatrick on a rest-of-season contract (hat tip to Sportando).

Kilpatrick, who turned 29 on Sunday, has appeared in 157 total NBA games and had an eventful 2017/18 campaign. After starting the season with the Nets, he was waived by Brooklyn and signed a two-way contract with the Bucks. Milwaukee converted his two-way deal to a standard NBA contract last January, then waived him in March. Kilpatrick subsequently inked a pair of 10-day contracts with the Clippers before finishing the season with the Bulls.

In 52 total games with four clubs last season, Kilpatrick averaged 6.3 PPG and 1.7 RPG in 12.3 minutes per contest. He was at his best in Chicago, posting 15.4 PPG on .439/.396/.813 shooting in nine games with the Bulls, but it wasn’t enough to earn him a roster spot for 2018/19 — the team waived him in July.

Panathinaikos is just 7-9 in EuroLeague play so far this season, but has gone undefeated (11-0) so far in Greek Basketball League contests. Kilpatrick will be joining a squad that features a handful of former NBA players, including 2016 lottery pick Georgios Papagiannis, who signed with the team during the 2018 offseason.

Jordan Crawford To Play In Israel

January 8th, 2019 at 11:38am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran NBA guard Jordan Crawford has lined up yet another deal with an international team, with Alessandro Maggi of Sportando relaying that Israeli club Ironi Nahariya has announced the signing of Crawford.

It’s the third contract agreement that Crawford has reached with an international team since mid-November. After failing to secure an NBA job in the offseason, the 30-year-old seemingly secured a deal with German team Alba Berlin in November. However, he reportedly didn’t pass his physical with the club, which voided his agreement.

Last week, an apparent deal with China’s Shanxi Brave Dragons ultimately wasn’t finalized, with the team opting to stick with its current import players after a tryout period. It appears for now that the third time is a charm for Crawford, who is set to begin playing for Ironi Nahariya in Israel.

A first-round draft pick in 2010, Crawford has appeared in 281 career regular season NBA games, averaging 12.2 PPG on .411/.317/.826 shooting. Most recently, he finished the 2017/18 campaign with the Pelicans, playing in five regular season games and a couple more playoff contests for the club.

Isaiah Whitehead Leaves Russian Team

January 7th, 2019 at 3:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

Former Nets guard Isaiah Whitehead is a free agent again after parting ways with his team in Russia, according to Orazio Cauchi of Sportando. Whitehead, who joined Lokomotiv Kuban in August, averaged 11.6 points and 3.3 assists during his time with the club.

The 42nd pick in the 2016 draft, Whitehead played two seasons in Brooklyn. He had a promising rookie year, posting a 7.4/2.5/2.6 line in 73 games, but fell out of the rotation last season and spent most of his time in the G League.

Whitehead was sent to Denver in a July 13 deal that brought Kenneth Faried, Darrell Arthur and a pair of draft picks to Brooklyn, but the Nuggets only wanted Whitehead for his non-guaranteed contract. He was waived four days later.

NBA teams were permitted to start handing out 10-day contracts over the weekend, so it’s possible that will be Whitehead’s route back to the league.

International Notes: Kilpatrick, M. Williams, China, Pitino

January 6th, 2019 at 9:08am CST by Arthur Hill

Sean Kilpatrick received an offer to play for Panathinaikos is Greece, but turned it down as he waits for another NBA opportunity, according to Nicola Lupo of Sportando. The news was first reported by George Zakkas of SDNA.

Saturday marked the first day that NBA teams could offer 10-day contracts, and Kilpatrick, who has gone that route with four organizations, is hoping it will be his way back into the league. He played for four teams last season, starting the year with the Nets before being waived in December. He signed a two-way deal with the Bucks later that month and was converted to a regular NBA contract before being waived in March. He signed a pair of 10-day deals with the Clippers, then finished the season with the Bulls before they waived him over the summer.

The 29-year-old averaged 6.3 points per game last season, including 15.4 PPG in nine games with Chicago.

There’s more international news to pass along:

Matt Williams, who started last season as a two-way player with the Heat, has reached an agreement with GS Kymis in Greece, Lupo notes in a separate story. Williams began this season with KTP Basket in Finland. He got into just three games with Miami before being waived in December of 2017.
The Lakers and Nets will play a pair of preseason games in China, according to an ESPN report. The contests are set for October 10 in Shanghai and October 12 in Shenzhen. It will be the third appearance in China for LeBron James and possibly the fourth for Lance Stephenson, who will set a record if he remains on the roster.
In the wake of Steve Alford’s firing at UCLA, a group of boosters is targeting Panathinaikos coach Rick Pitino, writes Adam Zagoria for Forbes. Pitino made his debut with the Greek team late last month and is under contract for the rest of the season, so the move couldn’t take effect until the 2019/20 season. A source tells Zagoria that Pitino is “very interested” in taking over the Bruins. Approval from the UC Board of Regents is seen as the main obstacle in light of Pitino’s dismissal from Louisville amid his alleged role in an NCAA scandal. Murray Bartow is serving as interim coach at UCLA.

And-Ones: Trade Deadline, Goodwin, Watson, Williams

January 4th, 2019 at 8:16pm CST by Dana Gauruder

There probably won’t be significant activity prior to the trade deadline, according to Keith Smith of RealGM (Twitter links). The biggest trades this season may have already occurred, one source told Smith, because teams are intent on preserving salary-cap space for 2019. Still, some expiring contracts could be moved and there’s always a possibility that a team “might get desperate” and do something bold, the same source suggested.

A front-office member from another team believes many of the trades coming before the deadline could be motivated by trying to stay below the luxury-tax line, even if it results in a talent downgrade. However, that executive also believes that there should be more sellers in a month than there are now. “Some of us will get real about our chances and start moving guys,” the source said to Smith.

We have more from around the basketball world:

Guard Archie Goodwin has returned to the United States to join the G League’s Maine Red Claws, the team announced in a press release. Goodwin most recently played in the NBA during the 2016/17 season, when he appeared in a combined 15 games with New Orleans and Brooklyn. The shooting guard played his first three seasons with Phoenix. The Red Claws acquired his returning player rights in a trade prior to the season. Goodwin lost his roster spot with China’s Zhejiang Golden Bulls to former Spurs guard Brandon Paul in late December.
Lakers guard and former UCLA star Lonzo Ball has endorsed former Suns coach Earl Watson to be the Bruins’ next coach, Tania Ganguli and Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times report. UCLA recently fired Steve Alford and replaced him on an interim basis with assistant Murry Bartow. “I know Earl personally,” Ball said. “I think he has coaching experience in the league. Obviously, he went there, he’s alumni, so I think he’s a good fit.”
Veteran big man Alan Williams is in advanced talks with China’s Xinjiang Flying Tigers, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Williams was waived by the Nets this week to allow him to pursue the overseas opportunity. He was on a two-way deal after getting released by the Suns during the offseason. Williams was playing well in the G League but did not make an appearance with Brooklyn.
Forward Okaro White, who was waived by the Wizards last month, has signed with the G League’s Long Island Nets, according to NetsDaily.com. Long Island acquired his G League rights last year. The Nets are not using their available two-way slot on White, according to the report. White made three appearances with Washington this season.

No Deal For Shanxi, Jordan Crawford

January 3rd, 2019 at 11:21am CST by Luke Adams

JANUARY 3: After a brief tryout period, Shanxi has opted to keep its current import players rather than signing Crawford, a source tells Sportando. As a result, Crawford remains a free agent and is still in China for the time being, ready to sign with another team if he receives an offer, according to Carchia.

DECEMBER 31: Veteran NBA guard Jordan Crawford appears set to resume his playing career overseas. According to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando, Crawford has reached a deal with China’s Shanxi Brave Dragons.

Crawford, a first-round draft pick in 2010, has appeared in 281 career regular season games, averaging 12.2 PPG on .411/.317/.826 shooting. Most recently, he finished the 2017/18 season with the Pelicans, playing in five regular season games and a couple more playoff contests for the club.

After failing to secure an NBA job in the offseason, Crawford seemingly lined up a deal with German team Alba Berlin in November. However, he reportedly didn’t pass his physical with the club, which voided his agreement. Now, he’s set to head back to China, where he previously played for Xinjiang in 2014 and Tianjin in 2015-16.

Because the Chinese Basketball Association’s season ends before the NBA’s, there’s a chance that Crawford will once again catch on with an NBA club down the stretch in 2018/19 if he performs well in China for Shanxi.

Alan Williams Waived By Nets, Will Play In China

January 2nd, 2019 at 12:13pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nets have requested waivers on veteran big man Alan Williams, the team announced today in a press release. Williams, a two-way player with Brooklyn, has a deal lined up with a team in China, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

Williams, who will turn 26 later this month, spent parts of three seasons with the Suns after making his NBA debut in March of 2016. The former UC Santa Barbara standout had a promising 2016/17 season in Phoenix, averaging 7.4 PPG and 6.2 RPG in just 15.1 minutes per contest (47 games).

That showing earned Williams a three-year, $17MM+ contract, but a knee injury sidelined him for most of last season, limiting him to five games. Because the final two years of his deal weren’t guaranteed, the Suns released him in the offseason and he caught on with the Nets.

Williams had bounced back nicely in the G League in 2018/19, averaging 21.0 PPG and a league-high 14.7 RPG in 17 games (26.9 MPG) for the Long Island Nets. However, he didn’t appear in a game for Brooklyn, which has a crowded frontcourt, and the team has opted to move on from him, allowing him to pursue an opportunity overseas.

The Nets now have one two-way contract slot open, with Theo Pinson occupying the other slot. Teams have until January 15 to sign two-way deals, so Brooklyn figures to fill its newly-created opening within the next couple weeks.