International Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Draft Notes: Zizic, Ellis, English

June 4th, 2016 at 9:50pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Ante Zizic will go straight to the NBA upon being drafted as opposed to becoming a draft-and-stash prospect and playing overseas, international journalist David Pick reports (Twitter link). The 6’11” center is the 21st best prospect according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com and Jonathan Givony of Draft Express.

Here’s more on the upcoming draft:

Perry Ellis (Kansas) has worked out for the Bucks, Suns and Spurs in addition to participating in a Chicago pro day, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders passes along (Twitter links). Ellis will also work out for the Hawks, Kennedy adds.
A.J. English (Iona) will work out for the Bulls, Magic and Raptors this week, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv reports (Twitter link).
DeAndre’ Bembry (St. Joe’s) worked out for the Warriors and the Clippers today, Zagoria tweets.

Atlantic Notes: Ainge, Colangelo, Draft

May 13th, 2016 at 2:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Celtics would at least debate the idea of trading the pick Brooklyn owes them even if it winds up No. 1 after the lottery, president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said in an appearance on ESPN2 Thursday, notes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. Still, Ainge knows he can’t over-reach and burn the team’s assets, as Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald relays. “I understand that,” Ainge said. “Look, we just want to spend our capital wisely. That’s all I’m saying. And we’ll try to do that. But sometimes you have to wait and you can’t do it when you want to do it. But we wanted to do it last [offseason]. We wanted to do it at the trade deadline. And now this summer, we want to do it. And I feel like the summer’s a better time than [the] trade deadline to do it, so I’m optimistic and I’m hopeful.”

See more from the Atlantic Division:

Sixers president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo expressed a willingness to consider trading a top-five pick if the team ends up with two, as Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com observes following his conversation with the new team exec. Philadelphia, which has a 26.9% chance of landing the No. 1 pick, also gets the Lakers pick if it falls out of the top three. “I think you should always be a little proactive, just in determining what your best course of action is,” Colangelo said. “You don’t want to leave anything on the table. If there was an opportunity to do something and you didn’t know that or realize it because you didn’t make a phone call, then that’s your fault. But I think we’ll explore everything in every regard, and that’s the good news about having the kind of flexibility and the number of assets that we have.”
Maryland small forward Jake Layman and Louisville center Chinanu Onuaku will work out for the Celtics, notes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com (Twitter link).
The Sixers interviewed Syracuse’s Malachi Richardson and Kentucky’s Tyler Ulis, and Ulis plans to work out for Philadelphia, too, as Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com relays (Twitter links). Oregon State’s Gary Payton II is also on the Sixers interview list, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Regardless of whether a reported four-year, $4.5MM offer is in the works, the Knicks want draft-and-stash prospect Guillermo Hernangomez on their roster next season, reports international journalist David Pick (Twitter link). Agent Andy Miller dismissed the report of the offer, though New York can’t formally present a contract to Hernangomez until July.

NBA Declares Thon Maker Eligible For Draft

April 14th, 2016 at 1:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

The NBA has ruled international prep star Thon Maker eligible for this year’s draft, reports Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Maker will hire an agent, thus forgoing his college eligibility, and formally enter the draft, Ford adds.

The 19-year-old Maker attends Orangeville District Secondary School in Ontario, Canada, but he graduated from high school last June. The NBA rule for American players stipulates they must turn 19 the year they enter the draft and be one year removed from the graduation of their high school class to meet the minimum standards for draft eligibility. Maker could also make a case that he qualifies as an international player and is thus exempt from rules regarding his high school graduation, as Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress pointed out. It’s unclear what basis the NBA used to clear him from the draft, but he’ll be a part of it nonetheless.

Originally from Sudan, Maker previously played at two high schools in Louisiana and one in Virginia. He’s impressed along the way, but his stock has been falling of late, as Givony and The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski noted. Maker is No. 41 in Givony’s prospect rankings, while Ford lists him 20th, a wide split that demonstrates the difficulty NBA types are having as they try to assess his value. So, workouts with NBA teams, which begin later this month, and the combine in May figure to be key.

Western Notes: Williams, Kings, Green, Barea

April 10th, 2016 at 8:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Combo guard Elliot Williams, who played five games for the Grizzlies in January, has an offer to continue playing for Panathinaikos in Greece, as Lefteris Moutis of Eurohoops.net details. The Greek team, which signed him in February to a three-month contract, is offering a two-year contract at $2MM per season, but the deal is being held up over negotiations on an out clause for the NBA, Moutis writes. The Greek team wants a commitment from Williams that he will stay there for both years of the contract, as Moutis explains. Williams averaged 1.6 points and 0.8 assists per game while with Memphis on a 10-day deal.

There’s more from the Western Conference:

The Kings‘ offseason shakeup turned them into playoff contenders early on, but it let them down as the season progressed, writes James Ham of CSNBayArea. The Kings will still finish with their best record since the 2007/08 season, but at 32-48 they were tied for seventh in Hoops Rumors’ reverse standings entering Sunday. “I think you can go in there and get a bunch of players,” said small forward Rudy Gay. “But I think at the end of the day you have to mesh personalities, you have to mesh talent, you have to do all of that. It’s not just getting a bunch of people on a team — it’s not that easy.”
Clippers combo forward Jeff Green earned a $100K bonus today when L.A. defeated Dallas for its 52nd win of the season, tweets Bobby Marks of The Vertical. He will receive another bonus of $250K if the team wins its final two games. Both bonuses were stipulated in the contract Green originally signed with the Celtics and will count against the luxury tax for the Clippers.
Mavericks point guard J.J. Barea credited coach Rick Carlisle with making him a better player in Dallas than he was in Minnesota during an interview with ESPN Radio 103.3 KESN-FM (hat tip to The Dallas Morning News). Barea, the reigning Western Conference Player of the Week, signed a four-year, $16MM deal with the Mavs last summer. “There’s nobody who uses me better than [Carlisle],” Barea said. “He knows when to put me in and when to not put me in. I have a great relationship with Dirk [Nowitzki] out there so that always helps me.”

Sonny Weems, Quincy Miller To Play In Israel

April 7th, 2016 at 1:19pm CST by Chuck Myron

THURSDAY, 1:19pm: Miller’s deal is a two-year, $2.1MM arrangement that includes an escape clause that would allow him to return to the NBA, a source tells Pick (Twitter link).

WEDNESDAY, 1:51pm: Recent Suns and Sixers swingman Sonny Weems is putting the finishing touches on a two-year guaranteed deal with Maccabi Tel Aviv of Israel, reports international journalist David Pick (Twitter link). Philadelphia released Weems late last month a few weeks after claiming him off waivers from Phoenix, which signed him this past summer to a two-year deal worth about $5.755MM. The second year on his NBA contract was non-guaranteed.

The Israeli team, poised to lose Dragan Bender to the NBA draft, has also reached agreement with three-year NBA veteran Quincy Miller, Sportando’s Orazio Cauchi reports. The club had been a heavy favorite to land Miller, as Pick reported earlier this week (Twitter link). The Nets waived Miller in October, but he quickly latched on with Serbian team Red Star Belgrade.

Weems, 29, is headed back overseas after what appears to have been a brief return to the NBA. He started 29 games for the Raptors in 2010/11 but spent the next four seasons playing for Zalgiris in Lithuania and later CSKA Moscow. He put up 2.5 points in 11.7 minutes per game for the Suns this season, failing to secure a more significant role even amid a rash of injuries. The Sixers reportedly intended to take a hard look at him even though they acquired him chiefly to eclipse the minimum team salary, but his playing time in Philadelphia was almost identical to what it was in Phoenix as he averaged 2.4 points in 11.1 minutes.

Miller is only 23 and less than four years removed from having been the No. 38 pick in the 2012 draft, but he’s made it into only 69 NBA games, 10 of which came last season, when he split time between the Kings and Pistons. Detroit traded him to Brooklyn last summer for Steve Blake.

Lakers Rumors: Russell, Young, Scott, Bryant

March 31st, 2016 at 6:14pm CST by Arthur Hill

The video controversy involving D’Angelo Russell and Nick Young was an inevitable result of their flawed personalities, contends Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report. Ding says Russell’s immaturity and Young’s desire for a celebrity lifestyle combined to create the incident, which reportedly has led to deep rifts in the locker room. The columnist adds that many in the Lakers’ front office are angry at Russell for bringing this distraction to the team and are worried that it may turn off potential free agent targets. However, the Lakers recognize Russell’s unique talents and aren’t likely to deal him away over a misguided prank.

There’s more Lakers news from Los Angeles:

The Russell-Young story is making waves throughout the league, writes David Mayo of MLive. Pistons power forward Marcus Morris said he probably won’t speak to Russell again, adding, “That’s something you don’t want to see in the NBA.” Detroit teammate Stanley Johnson, a longtime friend of Russell’s, says being a rookie doesn’t excuse what he did, and coach/executive Stan Van Gundy agreed with Lakers’ coach Byron Scott that the incident shouldn’t have become public knowledge. “This should be one of those situations where whatever is said in there stays in there,” Van Gundy said, referring to the locker room.
Kobe Bryant received an offer last summer to play for Barcelona, according to the Spanish website mundodeportivo.com (hat tip to Kurt Helin of NBCSports.com). The offer called for Bryant to appear only in Euroleague games, which feature the most successful teams from each participating nation. Because Bryant is making $25MM this year in his final season with the Lakers, it’s likely that the Barcelona offer was for next season. Bryant reportedly turned it down, saying he wasn’t physically able to handle the competition.
Scott hasn’t provided the smooth transition into the post-Kobe era that the franchise was counting on, but Jabari Davis of Basketball Insiders believes the team has a young core that will eventually turn the Lakers into winners again. Despite his off-court faux pas, Russell has shown himself to be an exceptional talent, and Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle and Larry Nance Jr. also provide hope for the future, either as part of the resurgence or as trade pieces to bring in veteran talent.

Suns Want To Sign Bogdan Bogdanovic This Summer

March 28th, 2016 at 2:13pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Suns are serious about signing draft-and-stash prospect Bogdan Bogdanovic for next season, reports international journalist David Pick (Twitter link). This summer will be the last that NBA’s rookie scale would apply to the shooting guard whom the Suns picked 27th overall in 2014. Delaying a signing until the summer of 2017 or later would give the sides more latitude to work out mutually acceptable terms, but it could be more costly for Phoenix, so it’s no surprise to see the team intent on making a deal happen this year.

The 23-year-old native of Serbia has averaged 10.7 points in 27.3 minutes per game for Turkey’s Fenerbahce Ulker in Euroleague action this season, with 14.8 points in 26.3 minutes per contest in domestic league play. Most encouragingly, he’s hit 45.2% of his 3-point attempts for Fenerbahce overall.

Phoenix already has the sharpshooting Devin Booker in its backcourt along with Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight, but the Suns are just 20-53, in part because of injuries, and they could use an injection of talent in just about any form. The Suns are poised to enter the draft lottery in the third position, as our reverse standings show, giving them a 15.6% shot at the No. 1 pick.

A rookie scale contract for Bogdanovic would pay $1,196,040 next season if the Suns signed him for the standard 120% of scale. However, the buyout in his pact with Fenerbahce is reportedly 1 million euros, the equivalent of about $1.12MM. Phoenix can pay only $650K without the buyout affecting his NBA contract, so the sides will have to get creative. The Suns can structure their deal with Bogdanovic so he gets only $797,360, equal to 80% of scale, and add as much as that same amount on top of the $650K they’re otherwise permitted to pay toward the buyout.

Bogdanovic is not to be confused with Bojan Bogdanovic of the Nets, a 26-year-old from Herzegovina who’s in his second NBA season.

And-Ones: Skiles, White, D-League, Butler

March 26th, 2016 at 11:37am CST by Eddie Scarito

Despite the Magic being out of the playoff hunt, which gives the team an opportunity to evaluate its younger players for the future, coach Scott Skiles noted that playing time will still need to be earned through hard work and performance, Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel relays. “It’s imperative that we get away from just playing guys regardless of what they do. That’s a terrible mistake, in my opinion. I don’t think that’s how guys develop properly,” Skiles said.

“You also have to verbalize it to guys — and it has been a whole bunch of times — we want guys to earn their minutes and understand how you perform is important,” Skiles continued. “If you’re a young player and you have a bad game or something, you certainly don’t want them sulking or getting too down about it. But on the other hand, you want them to have some sense of urgency that, ‘I have to perform. This is big-time pro sports,’ and it’s not just, ‘That’s OK because I’m here to develop and by Year four I’ll magically be [a great player].’ That’s not the way it works.”

Here’s more from around the league:

Suns affiliate player Terrico White has a signed contract to play for Israel’s Nes-Ziona at the end of the D-League season, according to international journalist David Pick (Twitter link), bringing clarity to some conflicting reports about his status. White, the 36th pick in the 2010 draft, was on Phoenix’s NBA roster for the preseason this past fall.
Bulls swingman Jimmy Butler said that he doesn’t think he’ll need to undergo surgery this offseason on his injured left knee, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune relays (via Twitter). Butler also noted that he hasn’t been informed by any doctors that the malady would require going under the knife to repair, Johnson adds.
The Thunder recalled Josh Huestis from their D-League affiliate, the team announced via press release.
The Celtics have recalled Coty Clarke and James Young from their D-League affiliate in Maine, the team announced. This concludes Clarke’s second assignment to the Red Claws and Young’s 11th.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

And-Ones: Jennings, Pistons, Draft, Suns

March 24th, 2016 at 12:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said he’ll “keep an eye” on Brandon Jennings this summer in the hopes that the soon-to-be free agent finds the right situation, as MLive’s Aaron McMann relays. Van Gundy said in January that he could envision re-signing the point guard, despite the presence of entrenched starter Reggie Jackson, before Detroit traded Jennings to the Magic last month. It’s unclear whether Van Gundy is thinking about a reunion with Jennings, but it’s nonetheless apparent that the Pistons boss has affection for him, lauding his commitment and positive locker room influence. “The one thing, and some people probably think you’re full of crap,” Van Gundy said. “We said to him all along — he and his agent [Jeff Schwartz] — that if we traded him, we would try very hard to get him into a good situation. He had played for [Magic coach] Scott [Skiles] before, and the Magic really wanted him. It sounded to us like he was going to get an opportunity there. That was important to us because I’ve got great respect for Brandon and for what he did for us last year.”

See more from around the NBA:

University of Iowa shooting guard Peter Jok is entering this year’s NBA draft but won’t immediately hire an agent, thus allowing him to retain his college eligibility, the school confirmed via press release, according to Jon Rothstein of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). Marty Tirrell of KBGG-AM radio first reported the news (Twitter link). The junior has only long shot pro hopes, as he isn’t among the many prospects in either Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings or Chad Ford’s ESPN.com listings. Early entrants have until May 25th to withdraw from the draft and retain their college eligibility.
Givony, writing for The Vertical, examines the impact of the rules changes that allow underclassmen to enter the draft, gauge their stock and retain their college eligibility if they pull out, noting that existing NBA rules let players withdraw from the draft only twice. Prospects become automatically eligible for the draft the year following their second withdrawal, Givony points out, so that means freshmen take a slight risk if they enter with the intention of pulling out, since they’d become automatically draft-eligible after their junior seasons if they entered and withdrew again as sophomores.
Suns affiliate player Terrico White has backed out of an agreement with Israel’s Maccabi Rishon and will play for Israeli rival Nes-Ziona instead, reports international journalist David Pick (Twitter link). White, the 36th overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft, has spent the season with Phoenix’s D-League team since a training camp stint on the NBA roster.

Nate Robinson Signs With Israeli Team

March 17th, 2016 at 8:00am CST by Chuck Myron

THURSDAY, 8:00am: The signing is official, Pick tweets.

MONDAY, 1:51pm: Nate Robinson has agreed to a deal with Israel’s Hapoel Tel Aviv, reports international journalist David Pick (Twitter link). The three-time dunk champion who began the season with the Pelicans had been trying to make a run at the National Football League, but it appears he’s put that effort on the shelf for now. The 31-year-old has remained unsigned since the Pelicans waived him shortly after opening night, failing to hook up with China’s Xinjiang Flying Tigers after reportedly working out for them in January.

The diminutive guard has had a tough time finding NBA work since he did a buyout deal with the Celtics in the middle of last season, after Boston acquired him in a trade with the Nuggets. The Clippers signed him to a pair of 10-day contracts last March, but he suffered a bone bruise in his left knee that prompted the Clippers to turn to Lester Hudson instead.

Robinson was on the opposite end of injury luck this fall, when the banged-up Pelicans signed him to a non-guaranteed contract during the preseason, and when the team made him its opening-night starter at point guard, it appeared Robinson had a place in the NBA for at least a while longer. Instead, New Orleans jumped on Toney Douglas, who’d shaken free from the Pacers, and cut Robinson after only two regular season games.

This would be the first overseas excursion for Robinson, who’s played in parts of 11 NBA seasons, including this one. He’s not far removed from decent production, having averaged 10.4 points in just 19.7 minutes per game for the 2013/14 Nuggets, so a strong closing stretch in Israel is liable to help him back to the game’s highest level.

Do you think we’ll see Nate Robinson in the NBA again? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.