International Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Sasha Vujacic Hopeful For NBA Return

August 7th, 2018 at 7:31pm CST by clarkcrum

According to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando, veteran guard Sasha Vujacic is hoping for a return to the NBA for the 2018/19 season.

Vujacic spent the 2017/18 season with Fiat Torino of the Lega Basket Serie A in Italy, helping the team win its first even Italian Cup by scoring the deciding layup in the final seconds.

“I don’t know where I will be playing next season,” Vujacic said. “But honestly, I am first waiting for the NBA. But I also know that my agent is talking to some European teams, Torino included.”

A 10-year NBA veteran, the 34-year-old last played in the NBA during the 2016/17 season, appearing in 42 games for the Knicks and averaging 3.0 points and 1.2 assists in 9.7 minutes per game.

A two-time NBA champion with the Lakers, Vujacic holds career averages of 5.3 PPG, 1.9 RPG, and 1.3 APG in 15.3 minutes per contest with a relatively humdrum shooting line of .390/.367/.858.

Brian Bowen To Play In Australia

August 7th, 2018 at 5:06pm CST by clarkcrum

Former McDonald’s All-American and Louisville recruit Brian Bowen has signed a professional contract with the Sydney Kings of the National Basketball League, reports Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

Bowen, a five-star recruit in the class of 2017, is the first player signed to the NBL’s Next Stars program, launched in March to provide alternative pathways for NBA prospects who are uninterested in or unable to play college basketball.

“I am honored to be the first player under the NBL’s Next Stars program and feel it will be the perfect next step as I continue the path toward fulfilling my dream of playing in the NBA,” Bowen said. “In joining the Sydney Kings, I couldn’t ask for a better opportunity to start my professional career and look forward to learning from all the team’s veteran pros, like Andrew Bogut, Jerome Randle and Brad Newley. I can’t wait to get out to Sydney and join the team.”

Widely known as one of the central figures identified in the FBI’s investigation into corruption in college basketball, Bowen, 19, hopes to put all of that behind him and focus on making it to the NBA like Thunder swingman Terrance Ferguson did before him.

Ferguson, a top-100 recruit in the class of 2016, played with the Adelaide 36ers during the 2016/17 NBL season before becoming a first-round draft pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. Bowen, who will make his debut in the NBL this season, will now become automatically eligible for the 2019 NBA Draft after signing a professional contract with the Kings.

Raptors Sign Jordan Loyd To Two-Way Contract

August 7th, 2018 at 1:22pm CST by Arthur Hill

AUGUST 7: The Raptors have officially signed Loyd to a two-way deal, the team announced today in a press release.

AUGUST 2: Jordan Loyd paid for his buyout with Darussafaka in the EuroLeague and is expected to sign a two-way contract with the Raptors, tweets Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.

An agreement with Loyd has been rumored for a couple of weeks, but the deadline for Toronto to help buy him out of his Turkish deal passed in mid-July, leaving Loyd to work out the arrangement on his own.

The 25-year-old guard played for the Raptors’ entry in the Las Vegas Summer League, averaging 8.3 PPG, 2.8 RPG and 2.8 APG in 17.3 minutes per contest, including a team-leading 17-point performance in the opener. He was used mainly at point guard in summer league play.

Loyd went undrafted out of Indianapolis in 2016 and spent a year with Fort Wayne in the G League before signing with Hapoel Eilat in Israel last season.

Once Loyd signs, the Raptors will still have a two-way slot open after moving Lorenzo Brown to the 15-man roster and withdrawing a qualifying offer for Malcolm Miller.

International Notes: Sullinger, Douglas, Sims, Ndour

August 6th, 2018 at 10:21am CST by Arthur Hill

Earlier today, we told you that Isaiah Whitehead finalized his deal with Lokomotiv Kuban in Russia and Larry Drew‘s Korean contract was pulled over an NBA games restriction. Here are a few more international tidbits, all courtesy of Sportando:

Jared Sullinger, a former Celtics first-round pick who played five NBA seasons, has re-signed with the Shenzen Leopards of the Chinese Basketball Association. Sullinger spent four seasons with Boston and part of another with Toronto. In February of 2017, the Raptors traded him to the Suns, who waived him the next day. He signed with Shenzen last September.
Toney Douglas, who played for seven teams in eight NBA seasons, has signed with Sakarya Buyuksehir in Turkey. He spent last season with another Turkish team, Anadolu Efes. Douglas’ last NBA experience came in 2016/17 when he played 24 games for the Grizzlies.
Former Sixers center Henry Sims will sign with Italian club Virtus Roma after playing last year for Vanoli Cremona in Italy. Sims’ best NBA season came in 2014/15 when he averaged 8.0 PPG and 4.9 RPG in 73 games for Philadelphia. He also played for the [New Orleans] Hornets, Cavaliers and Nets in a four-year career.
Maurice Ndour, who spent part of the 2016/17 season with the Knicks, re-signed with Unics Kazan in Russia. He appeared in 32 games for New York, starting four, and averaged 3.1 points per night.

Korean Deal Falls Through For Larry Drew II

August 6th, 2018 at 9:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Larry Drew II had planned to sign with LG Sakers in South Korea, but the deal was pulled after the team discovered he played 10 NBA games last season, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.

Korean Basketball League teams are prohibited from signing players who have appeared in 10 or more games in the NBA over the past three years. Drew hit that mark exactly last season in short stints with the Sixers and Pelicans. Carchia describes Drew’s Korean deal as “lucrative” in a tweet, but doesn’t provide details.

After going undrafted in 2013, Drew has bounced back and forth between the G League and international competition with a couple of brief stops in the NBA. He played 12 games for the Sixers in 2014/15, then signed a 10-day contract with Philadelphia in January. He appeared in three games and didn’t receive a second 10-day deal.

Drew spent time with the Pelicans on a pair of 10-day contracts in March. He got into seven games, putting him at the Korean limit, and averaged 2.1 points in about eight minutes per night.

The 28-year-old guard, who has previously played overseas in Monaco and Lithuania, remains a free agent and will try to land a contract elsewhere.

Isaiah Whitehead Signs With Russian Team

August 6th, 2018 at 8:08am CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 6: Whitehead’s deal is now official, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.

AUGUST 3: Former Nets point guard Isaiah Whitehead will spend the 2018/19 season in Russia, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype (Twitter link), who hears from sources that Whitehead has signed a one-year, $1.1MM contract with Lokomotiv Kuban.

As Kennedy details, Whitehead – released by the Nuggets last month – hopes to have a strong season as a lead guard for the Russian club and show he’s fully healthy in 2018/19 before attempting to return to the NBA a year from now.

Whitehead, 23, was selected by the Nets with the 42nd overall pick in the 2016 draft and spent two seasons with the team, appearing in 89 overall games. The former Seton Hall standout was a regular part of Brooklyn’s rotation in his rookie season, but saw his playing time cut back in 2017/18 as he spent more time with the Long Island Nets in the G League. Whitehead averaged 22.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG, and 3.5 APG in 30 games for the Nets’ NBAGL affiliate.

The Brooklyn native was included in the trade last month that saw Kenneth Faried, Darrell Arthur, and a pair of draft picks head from the Nuggets to the Nets. Whitehead was sent to Denver as part of that swap, but only because his non-guaranteed contract allowed the Nuggets to avoid taking on any salary — Denver waived him a few days later, making him an unrestricted free agent.

As our 2018 free agent tracker shows, Whitehead is far from the first NBA free agent to take his talents overseas this summer. Al Jefferson, Shane Larkin, Marreese Speights, and Joffrey Lauvergne are among the others moving to international leagues.

Trevor Booker Nearing Deal With Chinese Team?

August 5th, 2018 at 5:50pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent forward Trevor Booker is getting close to reaching an agreement with the Shanxi Brave Dragons of the Chinese Basketball Association, league sources tell Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Booker, 30, began the 2017/18 campaign with the Nets but was traded to Philadelphia in the deal that send Jahlil Okafor and Nik Stauskas to Brooklyn. When the Sixers signed Ersan Ilyasova later in the season, Booker became expendable and was released. After clearing waivers, he signed with Indiana and finished the season with the Pacers. For the year, he averaged 6.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 1.2 APG in 68 total games (17.0 MPG).

The Jazz, Pelicans, Timberwolves, Rockets, Knicks, and Spurs were linked to Booker early in free agency, and the Cavaliers were also said to have interest in the veteran forward later in July. However, five weeks into the 2018 free agent period, no NBA deal has materialized for the former first-round pick out of Clemson.

If Booker finalizes a deal with the Shanxi Brave Dragons, he’ll be the latest name on a growing list of NBA veterans who have played for the club. Brandon Jennings, Luis Scola, Stephon Marbury, and Samuel Dalembert are among the players who have spent time with Shanxi.

Booker would also become the third noteworthy – and longtime – NBA big man to make the move to the Chinese Basketball Association this offseason. Al Jefferson and Marreese Speights have reportedly agreed to deals with CBA clubs this summer too.

Milton Doyle Signs With Spanish Team

August 4th, 2018 at 9:29pm CST by Arthur Hill

Milton Doyle, a two-way player with the Nets last season, has signed with Club Baloncesto Murcia in Spain, tweets NBA writer Ben Stinar.

A 24-year-old guard, Doyle was in training camp with Brooklyn last year but was waived before the start of the season. He agreed to a two-way deal in mid-December and remained with the team for the rest of the year.

Doyle got into 10 NBA games, averaging 3.4 PPG in 12.5 minutes per night. He spent most of the season with Brooklyn’s G League affiliate in Long Island, where he put up a 20.5/6.2/4.5 line in 45 games.

International Moves: Bass, Webb III, Clavell

August 4th, 2018 at 11:58am CST by Dana Gauruder

Veteran NBA power forward Brandon Bass has re-signed with Liaoning in the Chinese Basketball Association, according to a Sportando report. Bass averaged 21 PPG and 9.5 RPG last season after going overseas. Bass, 33, played 12 seasons in the NBA with stops in New Orleans, Dallas, Orlando, Boston and both Los Angeles teams. In his most recent NBA season, Bass appeared in 52 games with the Clippers in 2016/17, averaging 5.6 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 11.1 MPG. In 758 career games, Bass averaged 8.7 PPG and 4.5 RPG.

We have more news from overseas:

Forward James Webb III is expected to sign with Italy’s Pallacanestro Cantù, according to another Sportando post. Webb played 10 games with the Nets last season after signing a two-way contract in January. The 6’9” Webb, 24, averaged 1.6 PPG and 2.4 RPG in 12.0 MPG with the Nets.
Former Mavericks shooting guard Gian Clavell has joined Argentina’s Estudiantes de La Plata, according to an ACB.com post. Clavell, 24, appeared in seven games with Dallas on a two-way contract last season, averaging 2.9 PPG in 9.1 MPG. Clavell played in Turkey after the Mavericks released him in mid-November.
Former Nets guard Isaiah Whitehead will play in Russia next season. Get the details here.

Joe Young Expected To Play In China

August 3rd, 2018 at 8:51am CST by Luke Adams

Former Pacers guard Joe Young is expected to make the move overseas to China for the 2018/19 season, per Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Carchia reports that Young has agreed to terms with Chinese team Nanjing Monkey King.

Young, who spent three seasons in Indiana, appeared in 127 total games for the club, but never played major minutes, averaging only 8.5 MPG. In 2017/18, he recorded 3.9 PPG and 1.2 RPG in 10.5 MPG, with a .430/.379/.759 shooting line.

The Pacers declined Young’s team option for the 2018/19 season back in June, making him an unrestricted free agent. That was the last we’d heard on Young until now — if any NBA teams had interest in him over the last month, that interest wasn’t reported, so it makes sense that he’d explore international opportunities.

Assuming he makes his deal with Nanjing official, Young will become the latest in a string of NBA players to spend time with the club. Hassan Whiteside is the most noteworthy former member of the squad, which has also featured J.J. Hickson, Jared Cunningham, DeJuan Blair, and Von Wafer in recent years.