International Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Brown, 3-Point Contest, Glass Floor, Bjelica

February 5th, 2024 at 10:52pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The All-Star dunk contest has lost its star power in recent years. That could change this month. The Celtics’ Jaylen Brown is strongly considering accepting an invitation to participate, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (Twitter link). Charania said Brown has been “mulling over the possibility for several weeks.”

We have more from around the basketball world:

A star-laden cast is lining up for the All-Star weekend’s 3-point contest. Tyrese Haliburton, Damian Lillard, Malik Beasley, Jalen Brunson and Lauri Markkanen have agreed to participate, Charania tweets. The same goes for Tyrese Maxey, Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT tweets. Donovan Mitchell has also added his name to the list, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.
The entire All-Star Saturday night lineup will be played on a full video LED court that will be installed at Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. The skills competition, 3-point contest, slam dunk competition and shooting matchup between Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu will take place on the glass floor on Feb. 17. The All-Star Game on Feb. 18 will remain on a wooden court.
Former NBA player Nemanja Bjelica was allegedly threatened to be stabbed with scissors, Eurohoops.net relays. Nikola Petkovic, a former soccer player, confronted Bjelica in a children’s playroom in Belgrade, according to multiple Serbian outlets, and threatened Bjelica and his famly. Petkovic was arrested and detained for 48 hours. Bjelica, a member of the Warriors’ 2022 championship team, hasn’t played this season.

Khem Birch Signs With Spanish Team

February 5th, 2024 at 11:58am CST by Arthur Hill

Khem Birch has returned to Europe after six NBA seasons, signing with Basquet Girona in Spain, according to Cesare Milanti of Eurohoops. The team officially announced the deal in a press release.

The 31-year-old center has been searching for his next opportunity since being waived by the Spurs in October prior to the start of the regular season. He reportedly talked with Reyer Venezia in December, but wasn’t able to reach a deal with the Italian team.

Birch played six years in the NBA with the Magic and Raptors. He appeared in 20 games for Toronto last season, all as a backup, averaging 2.2 points and 1.3 rebounds in 8.1 minutes per night. He was sent to San Antonio last February as part of the Jakob Poeltl trade, but never saw any action with the Spurs due in part to a right knee issue.

After going undrafted out of UNLV in 2014, Birch played one season in the G League, then spent time with teams in Turkey and Greece. He signed with Orlando in 2017 and joined the Raptors after being waived in 2021.

Basquet Girona was founded by Marc Gasol and competes in Liga ACB.

Will Barton Signing With CSKA Moscow

January 29th, 2024 at 10:58am CST by Arthur Hill

Former NBA guard Will Barton will sign with CSKA Moscow for the rest of the season, according to Eurohoops.

The 33-year-old has been a free agent since finishing last season in Toronto. He averaged 6.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 56 total games with the Wizards and Raptors. Barton auditioned for the Warriors and Pelicans in September, but didn’t land a job with either team.

Barton will become the most prominent player to sign in Russia since the beginning of the war with Ukraine in February of 2022, the Eurohoops report notes. He will be limited to VTB League competition because Russian teams are currently sanctioned from the EuroLeague.

“First of all, I’m grateful for the opportunity to play for this team,” Barton wrote on the CSKA Moscow website. “I’ve only heard good things about the club and the fans. I’m very glad to have the chance to meet my teammates, coaches, fans, organization and wonderful people from Moscow. I am willing to invest the time and effort to compete and win at a high level. I can’t wait to come and start working.”

The 40th pick in the 2012 draft, Barton played for four teams in 11 NBA seasons, spending most of his time in Denver. He averaged 11.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 679 games.

And-Ones: All-Star Questions, Lillard, Partizan, Wright

January 27th, 2024 at 8:21am CST by Tristan Tucker

After Thursday’s announcement of the 2024 All-Star Game starters, there are several questions to be answered regarding the omissions and potential reserves. A panel of ESPN writers break down the starters and offer their takes on who should have been nominated to start, debating whether standouts like Kawhi Leonard, Jalen Brunson or Donovan Mitchell were wrongfully overlooked for starting spots.

Brunson is a popular pick for biggest snub in the All-Star Game after averaging 26.5 points and 6.4 assists per game for the surging Knicks. Some writers were surprised by Bucks guard Damian Lillard‘s inclusion as the Eastern Conference’s second guard next to Tyrese Haliburton.

ESPN’s writers seem to believe the Western Conference — so far loaded with the likes of Nikola Jokic and LeBron James — will win the All-Star Game. Outside of that, the writers preview what reserves are battling for All-Star nods this year. As mentioned in the article, Stephen Curry, Anthony Edwards, Devin Booker, Tyrese Maxey, Scottie Barnes, Paolo Banchero, Bam Adebayo, Derrick White and Jalen Williams are among the All-Star caliber players worthy of a nod.

We have more from around the basketball world:

Lillard is set to defend his three-point contest title during 2024 All-Star Weekend, according to Bleacher Report and TNT’s Chris Haynes (Twitter link). Lillard hit 26 of a potential 40 three-pointers last year to claim the crown in Utah.
Partizan Mozzart Bet is considering a tribute preseason match against the Warriors in honor of the late Dejan Milojevic, according to Eurohoops.net. The well-regarded coach left an impact on both Partizan and the Warriors, and now the Serbian club is considering pathways to honor his legacy. “That would be phenomenal for both clubs and Serbia. We will send them an invitation, and we are prepared to cover the expenses for the Golden State Warriors’ arrival and stay in our city. The event would be scheduled during the preseason. Dejan was beloved in that NBA team, and needless to say, he left an indelible mark on our club,” Partizan president Ostoja Mijailovic said.
Greek club Olympiacos signed former NBA center Moses Wright to a contract for the rest of the season, according to Eurohoops.net. The deal includes a team option for next season. Wright, 25, averaged 1.3 points across four NBA appearances with the Clippers and Mavericks in the 2021/22 season. He saw more action overseas, averaging 26.4 points and 8.4 rebounds in five games in Turkey this year.

And-Ones: Yabusele, All-Stars, Shannon, Awards

January 20th, 2024 at 2:44pm CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA first-round pick Guerschon Yabusele, currently a member of Real Madrid, likely won’t be looking to return stateside anytime in the near future, he said in an interview with French outlet L’Equipe.

“I would like to return to the NBA, but I play for the best team in Europe and win championships,” Yabusele said (hat tip to Eurohoops). “Why would I leave that to sit on a bench? I will join the French National Team after the end of the season this summer, so I am waiting for the Olympics, not the NBA.”

The 16th overall pick in the 2016 draft, Yabusele joined the Celtics in 2017 and spent two seasons in Boston, appearing in 74 total games and seeing limited action. He averaged 2.3 points and 1.4 rebounds in 6.6 minutes per contest.

The 6’8″ forward, who is now 28, has had more success since returning to Europe in 2020. Yabusele won a French League (LNB Pro A) title with ASVEL in 2021, a Spanish League (Liga ACB) title with Real Madrid in 2022, and a EuroLeague championship in 2023 while playing a key role for his teams.

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

Zach Harper of The Athletic previews what this year’s All-Star rosters might look like and considers which players could be left on the outside looking in. The Western Conference backcourt will be especially competitive, according to Harper, who suggests that star guards like Devin Booker and De’Aaron Fox aren’t locks to be All-Stars.
A federal judge reinstated Illinois wing Terrence Shannon Jr. on Friday, ending his suspension and ruling that the university had violated his civil rights by depriving him of “protected property interests” without due process, according to John O’Connor of The Associated Press. Shannon, who had been considered a probable first-round pick in the 2024 draft, was suspended indefinitely by Illinois after being accused of rape last month.
Dan Devine of The Ringer picks his award winners for the first half of the 2023/24 season, including narrowly choosing Sixers star Joel Embiid over Nuggets star Nikola Jokic as the MVP so far.
John Hollinger of The Athletic poses a few questions for the Pacers and Raptors in the wake of their Pascal Siakam blockbuster, including what Siakam’s next contract will look like and whether Toronto will look to tank in the second half in an effort to hang onto its top-six protected first-round pick for 2024.

Javonte Smart Signs With Serbian Team

January 14th, 2024 at 8:57am CST by Arthur Hill

Three weeks after being waived by the Sixers, Javonte Smart has signed with KK Crvena Zvezda in Serbia, writes Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. The team announced that Smart’s contract will run through the end of the season and carries an option for 2024/25.

Smart, who held a two-way contract with Philadelphia, made just one brief NBA appearance before being released when the team signed Kenneth Lofton Jr. He spent most of the season with the Delaware Blue Coats in the G League, averaging 21.0 points, 5.8 assists and 3.9 rebounds in 16 Showcase Cup games.

The 24-year-old point guard began his NBA career on a two-way contract with Milwaukee after going undrafted out of LSU in 2021. He appeared in 13 games for the Bucks before being waived, then got into four more games with Miami on another two-way deal during the 2021/22 season.

Smart will provide depth for a KK Crvena Zvezda team that has experienced a series of injuries, Askounis adds. Among the recent losses are 2024 lottery prospect Nikola Topic and former NBA player Milos Teodosic. The Serbian squad is 9-12 in EuroLeague play, but leads the ABA League at 13-2.

And-Ones: U.S. Olympic Team, Paris, Sarr, Topic, Mock Draft

January 11th, 2024 at 9:59am CST by Arthur Hill

USA Basketball is expected to begin the process of selecting the 2024 Olympic team before the end of January, sources tell Joe Vardon of The Athletic. The organization will begin contacting 35 to 40 names on a list of players, most of whom have either Olympic or World Cup experience, according to Vardon. His sources say the list, which includes a few names from the 2023 World Cup team, will be made public within the next few weeks.

Managing director Grant Hill and coach Steve Kerr have indicated that the “player pools” system may be eliminated, which means invitations will be sent out privately rather than asking established stars to attend tryouts. Vardon notes that last year’s World Cup team was formed this way, but with heavy interest around the NBA in being part of Team USA, there might be benefits to keeping the pool system in place.

With the Nets and Cavaliers in Paris for today’s international game, players are receiving questions about possibly returning to the city for the Olympics this summer, Vardon adds.

“Just waiting to see — if (the invite) comes, it comes,” said Mikal Bridges, who played a prominent role on the 2023 World Cup team. “I don’t think I bear my head on it too much, because I’m so locked in on trying to figure out everything here (with the Nets).”

There’s more news from around the basketball world:

Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today looks at the emergence of Paris as a basketball city due to the upcoming Olympics, the impact that Victor Wembanyama is having on the NBA and the status of several French players in this year’s draft. In addition, the NBA announced a partnership on Wednesday with the French Basketball League and the LBN that includes a development program for elite prospects.
Projected top-five picks Alexandre Sarr and Nikola Topic are currently sidelined with injuries, but that shouldn’t affect their draft stock, according to Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo of ESPN. With no clear consensus at the top of this year’s draft, the authors admit that playing as many games as possible would be beneficial, but they point out that Sarr and Topic already have established resumes in place. They add that there was concern that Sarr’s hip injury might mark the end of his NBL career in Australia, but he seems determined to finish the season. “We are winning and my goal is to make the playoffs and get the furthest I can,” Sarr said recently. “I’m having fun out there and competing for something. It’s the first time in my life where I’m part of a league where I’m really trying to win something at the end.”
Sarr holds onto the No. 1 spot in the latest mock draft from Givony and Woo (Insider subscription required). Rounding out the top five are French wing Zaccharie Risacher, Colorado small forward Cody Williams, Baylor guard Ja’Kobe Walter and Topic.

Rodney McGruder Signs With Olimpia Milano

January 10th, 2024 at 11:31am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran NBA wing Rodney McGruder has reached a rest-of-season deal with Olimpia Milano, the Italian team confirmed today in a press release.

A former Kansas State standout, McGruder made his NBA debut in 2016 for Miami and has since appeared in 317 total regular season games with the Heat, Clippers, and Pistons, including 32 last season in Detroit.

Known as a versatile defender and a solid presence in the locker room, McGruder has career averages of 5.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 19.4 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .420/.360/.672. The 32-year-old was in training camp with the Warriors this past fall, but didn’t earn a spot on Golden State’s regular season roster and was waived in October.

McGruder will join an Olimpia Milano squad that has been on the lookout for reliable backcourt depth for much of the season and was linked to Shaquille Harrison in November before those talks stalled.

Milan has gone just 9-11 in EuroLeague play and sits in 12th place out of 18 teams. The club has had more success in Italy’s Lega Basket Seria A (LBA), where its 9-6 record is good for a tie for fourth out of 16 teams.

And-Ones: Dumars, Nwaba, Vildoza, 2024 Draft

January 9th, 2024 at 1:38pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Last week, the Nets became the first team to get fined for resting healthy players since the NBA introduced its new player participation policy in September. Joe Dumars, the league’s executive vice president and head of basketball operations, told ESPN’s Tim Bontemps that the rules will continue to be enforced when teams try to sit multiple players who are not legitimately injured.

“We are serious about this,” Dumars said. “We talked to people, we talked to everyone, all parties we talked to before the season started. And to not follow through with this would not be right of us. It would not be the thing to do, to not follow through. So yeah, we are very serious about this. We communicated, we overly communicated with everyone about this, and we made very clear that if your guys can play or we feel that your guys can play, they should be on the court. And it’s gone over extremely well this year.”

We have more from around the international basketball world:

The London Lions have officially signed former NBA guard David Nwaba, Sportando relays. The Lions’ interest in Nwaba was reported by BasketNews last week. Nwaba’s last NBA stint was with Houston in 2021/22. The six-year veteran appeared in 237 regular season games during his NBA career, averaging 6.8 points and 3.7 rebounds in 19.3 minutes per game.
Luca Vildoza, who played seven games with Milwaukee in 2021/22, suffered a ruptured lateral meniscus in his left knee while playing for Greece’s Panathinaikos, according to Sportando’s Allesandro Maggi. The Argentinean guard will undergo surgery on Tuesday, according to the Greek club.
In his latest mock draft, Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman has the Pistons taking French big man Alexandre Sarr with the top pick. Wasserman compares Sarr, who’s playing in Australia with the Perth Wildcats, with Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr. Point guard Nikola Topic, who recently suffered a knee injury while facing EuroLeague competition, goes at the No. 2 spot to the Spurs in Wasserman’s mock, while another European, French wing Zaccharie Risacher, comes off the board at No. 3 to the Wizards.
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo (Insider link) have put out another roundup of notes on 2024 draft prospects, exploring what’s gone wrong for UCLA’s top three NBA prospects (Aday Mara, Adem Bona, and Berke Buyuktuncel) and whether recent injuries to Sarr and Topic will hurt their stock, among other topics.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

International Notes: Dragic, Knight, Roberson, Topic

January 5th, 2024 at 4:02pm CST by Luke Adams

At a press conference on Thursday, veteran guard Goran Dragic, who recently announced his retirement, said that he received offers from several EuroLeague teams but didn’t want to play in Europe and leave his children in the United States, per SportKlub (hat tip to BasketNews.com).

Dragic named Olimpia Milano, Real Madrid, Panathinaikos, and Barcelona as some of the teams that had interest in him. However, he had been hoping to work out a deal to remain in the NBA and confirmed he had some discussions with the Heat. After Miami passed on him and no other opportunities arose, the 37-year-old decided to call it a career, noting on Thursday that his left knee isn’t 100% healthy.

Dragic confirmed that he’ll be hosting a farewell event in Ljubljana, Slovenia on August 23 and 24, with NBA stars like Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Jimmy Butler expected to attend — Doncic is a fellow Slovenian, while Antetokounmpo and Butler are former NBA teammates. Dragic added that he hasn’t decided what his next career move will be now that he’s finished as a player.

“I want to stay in basketball,” he said. “I don’t see myself as a coach. You are away from home for too long. Maybe in some other role.”

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

Longtime NBA guard Brandon Knight has signed with AEK Athens for the rest of the 2023/24 season, the Greek team announced in a press release. Knight, who appeared in 451 regular season NBA games from 2011-22, last played in the league with Dallas during the 2021/22 season. The 32-year-old holds career averages of 14.0 points and 3.9 assists per contest for six teams.
Veteran forward Andre Roberson will be competing in this month’s Dubai International Basketball Championship, announcing this week that he’ll be part of the team from the Philippines at the event (Twitter video link). Known as a defensive specialist, Roberson appeared in over 300 regular season NBA games from 2013-21. It appears he’ll be on the same roster in Dubai as Dwight Howard, who has also reportedly committed to play for the Filipino squad.
Serbian point guard Nikola Topic, who had been rising up 2024 draft boards of late as he debuted for Crvena Zvezda, suffered a knee injury in his second EuroLeague game and is expected to be out for about six weeks, a source tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link). Topic is at No. 5 overall in ESPN’s latest prospect rankings for ’24.