International Notes: World All-Star Team, Doncic, Bueno, Johnson
Kevin Durant threw some playful shade at the international representatives for this year’s All-Star game, Michael C. Wright writes for ESPN.
When asked about how hard his older squad that featured LeBron James, Stephen Curry (who will miss the game with a knee injury), and Kawhi Leonard will play on Sunday, Durant said the question was being posed to the wrong group.
“You should ask the Europeans and the World team if they’re going to compete,” Durant said. “… These two dudes out there, Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic, they don’t care about the game at all. These dudes be laying on the floor. They’re shooting from half court. But you’ve got to worry about the old heads playing hard? I can read between the lines, bro. It’s just an overall topic that everybody’s been talking about.”
Wright notes that at least one international player says he’s planning on giving it his all.
“I’ve seen the All-Star Game, and obviously it hasn’t been competitive,” said Spurs star Victor Wembanyama. “And I’ve always thought myself that if I was in there, I’m never stepping onto the court to lose or not caring. Just like at home, I’m never stepping into a board game not caring, thinking I’m going to lose. … I’m going to be out there, I might as well win.”
Durant was unmoved by Wembanyama’s comments.
“He said that last year too,” Durant said. “They said it was the worst All-Star Game that people watched. So we’re going to see. Who knows what’s going to happen? This format might change the game, but who knows? We’ll see.”
We have more from around the world of international basketball:
- The NBA’s deputy commissioner, Mark Tatum, recently confirmed Doncic’s interest in being a part of the NBA Europe project in Italy, Aris Barkas writes for Eurohoops. “We have talked a lot about the concept, and he really, really thinks that it’s time for the NBA to do something in Europe,” Tatum said of Doncic. The Lakers’ star recently entered into a preliminary agreement to buy the Italian team Vanoli Basket Cremona, with the intention of moving the club to Rome and having it be a part of NBA Europe.
- The NBA has wanted to find a way to work more closely with the EuroLeague, Barkas writes, and with former NBA Europe executive Chus Bueno becoming the EuroLeague CEO, that goal could quickly become a reality. Tatum said that Bueno can be a “bridge” between the two leagues. “We always said from the very beginning that we wanted to work together with the EuroLeague to align everyone in the ecosystem, and that was always our objective,” Tatum said. “And that will continue to be our objective, and I think that having Chus there, somebody we know well and who knows European basketball well, perhaps he can be a bridge between us, FIBA, and the EuroLeague clubs.” Barkas writes that the NBA is hoping for answers from potential investors by the end of March and is still eying 2027 as a potential start date for the new league.
- Alize Johnson is joining the Shenzhen Leopards in China on a “lucrative deal,” Marc Stein reports (via Twitter). Johnson, a five-year NBA veteran, appeared in a career-high 18 games with the Nets in 2020/21 and averaged 5.2 points and 5.0 rebounds in 10.5 minutes per game. He started this season with the Iowa Wolves in the G League and averaged 20.6 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 5.8 assists while shooting 41.3% on 3.9 three-point attempts per game.
Malik Beasley Signing With Puerto Rican Team
Free agent sharpshooter Malik Beasley, whose NBA future remains in limbo, is joining the Cangrejeros de Santurce in Puerto Rico, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The club has announced its deal with Beasley on social media (Instagram link).
As Charania notes, the team is owned by Bad Bunny, the Grammy-winning Puerto Rican recording artist who headlined the Super Bowl halftime show last Sunday. The Cangrejeros de Santurce compete in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). The league’s 2026 season will tip off next month.
A nine-year NBA veteran, Beasley had arguably the best year of his career in 2024/25, averaging 16.3 points per game and finishing second in the NBA in total three-pointers (319). He appeared in all 82 games and finished as the Sixth Man of the Year runner-up for a Pistons team that improved its record by 30 wins and snapped a five-year playoff drought.
However, Beasley has been in a holding pattern since the 2025 offseason while federal investigators and the NBA look into a possible connection to illegal betting activity. Unlike Terry Rozier and Jontay Porter, who were investigated as part of the same general probe, Beasley hasn’t been arrested by law enforcement or disciplined by the NBA in any way, but he remains in limbo while he waits for those investigations to wrap up.
The 29-year-old was said to be closing in on a three-year, $42MM contract with the Pistons last summer before news broke that he was linked to the federal investigation into illegal gambling.
Beasley has reportedly drawn interest from teams in Europe and China while waiting to be cleared by the NBA, but Charania suggests (via Twitter) that the guard/forward remain closer to home and use his stint in Puerto Rico as a showcase ahead of 2026 free agency while he awaits closure on the NBA’s investigation.
Nigel Hayes-Davis Signing With Panathinaikos
After spending half the season in the NBA, Nigel Hayes-Davis has returned to Europe, agreeing to sign with Panathinaikos, writes Johnny Askouinis of Eurohoops. Owner Dimitris Giannakopoulos confirmed the deal on social media and stated that Hayes-Davis’ new contract will run through 2028.
The Greek team won the bidding war for Hayes-Davis after reportedly having its offer turned down early in the process. Hapoel Tel Aviv and Fenerbahce in Istanbul were the other top contenders.
The deal has a total value of $10MM, club sources tell Askounis, which will make Hayes-Davis the third highest-paid player in Europe. He trails only Hapoel’s Vasilije Micic and new teammate Kendrick Nunn, two other former NBA players.
Hayes-Davis, a 31-year-old small forward, was a star in Europe for seven years, earning Final Four MVP honors last spring while helping Fenerbahce capture the EuroLeague championship. He saw brief action with the Lakers, Raptors and Kings early in his career after going undrafted out of Wisconsin, but only appeared in nine total games before deciding to head overseas in 2018.
Hayes-Davis returned to the NBA in July, signing a one-year, minimum-salary contract with Phoenix, but he only averaged 7.2 minutes per night in 27 games. He became a free agent after being traded to Milwaukee at last week’s deadline and waived a day later.
Doncic-Backed Group To Buy Italian Team With Eye On NBA Europe
An investor group that features Lakers star Luka Doncic and is headed by former Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson has a preliminary agreement in place to buy the Italian basketball team Vanoli Basket Cremona, Joe Vardon, Sam Amick, and Mike Vorkunov confirm in a report for The Athletic.
While the club currently plays in Cremona, which is in northern Italy, the long-term plan is to move it to Rome and to have it become one of the license holders in the NBA’s new European league, according to The Athletic.
As Vardon, Amick, and Vorkunov explain, any team that joins NBA Europe must also play in a domestic league, and Vanoli Basket is a license holder in Italy’s top league, Liga Basket Seria A. There’s currently no top-division team based in Rome, but the NBA has its eye on the city as one of the permanent homes for NBA Europe.
Besides Rome, commissioner Adam Silver also views Milan (Italy), London and Manchester (UK), Paris and Lyon (France), Madrid and Barcelona (Spain), Berlin and Munich (Germany), Athens (Greece), and Istanbul (Turkey) as potential homes for the 12 licensed teams in NBA Europe. The goal is to launch the league in the fall of 2027.
It’s unclear what percentage of Vanoli Basket Doncic would hold once the sale is finalized. While the NBA’s most recent Collective Bargaining Agreement set limits for the stake that an NBA player can hold in a WNBA franchise, no such limits are currently in place for teams in NBA Europe, which remains a work in progress.
According to The Athletic, Doncic won’t be the only current NBA player who is an investor in a team likely to join the European league. Rockets star Kevin Durant holds a minority stake in the soccer club Paris Saint-German, which is expected to create a basketball team for NBA Europe. Former NBA guard Tony Parker, meanwhile, owns ASVEL Basket, which is based near Lyon and will likely become part of the NBA’s European venture.
While investing guidelines for NBA players may still need to be established, NBA Europe team owners won’t be permitted to hold a share of an NBA franchise greater than 5%, per Vardon, Amick, and Vorkunov. The reasoning is that NBA team owners will already be stakeholders in the European league, so if they were to control NBA Europe teams as well, there would be potential conflicts of interest and concerns related to “double-dipping.”
La Gazzetta Dello Sport, an Italian news outlet, reported that former Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki was also part of Nelson’s group alongside Doncic, but a spokesperson for Nowitzki told NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link) that’s inaccurate.
And-Ones: Hayes-Davis, Mills, Cap Room, Lacob, Seattle
After being traded from Phoenix to Milwaukee on Thursday and then being waived by the Bucks, veteran forward Nigel Hayes-Davis is on track to reach free agency later today, assuming he goes unclaimed.
A return overseas is a possibility for Hayes-Davis, who was the EuroLeague Final Four MVP for Fenerbahce in 2025. However, if he does head back to Europe, his goal is to become the league’s highest-paid player, according to Aris Barkas of Eurohoops. That honor currently belongs to Vasilije Micic, who is making $5.6MM, followed by Kendrick Nunn at $5.3MM (EuroLeague salary figures are post-tax).
Fenerbahce, Panathinaikos and Hapoel Tel Aviv have been in touch with Hayes-Davis’ camp, per Barkas, but Panathinaikos owner Dimitris Giannakopoulos announced on Instagram that the forward passed on the Greek team’s offer, as Eurohoops relays.
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Veteran guard Patty Mills hasn’t played in the NBA at all this season, but he’s not ready to retire as a player quite yet. Sources tell Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com that Mills, who spent last season with the Jazz and Clippers, is exploring potential options in the EuroLeague.
- Following this week’s trade deadline activity, Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link) and Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Twitter link) provide an early look at the cap space landscape for the summer of 2026. They both view the Lakers, Bulls, and Nets – in some order – as the teams likely to have the most room, though the numbers remain in flux due to draft picks, cap holds, and option decisions.
- Warriors owner Joe Lacob has interest in buying the San Diego Padres and is considering making a bid when initial offers are due later this month, per Dennis Lin and Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. We have more details at MLB Trade Rumors about the Padres’ ownership situation and the bidders Lacob could be going up against.
- Washington governor Bob Ferguson had an introductory Zoom meeting with NBA commissioner Adam Silver on Thursday to discuss the possibility of bringing back the SuperSonic to Seattle, according to Jack Bilyeu of KIRO 7 News. The governor’s office said it was a “good conversation” and that Ferguson offered to “be helpful” as the NBA explores the possibility of expansion, with Seattle believed to be high on its list.
And-Ones: Ott, Lee, No. 1 Pick, Graham, Dort
The Suns’ Jordan Ott and Hornets’ Charles Lee have been named the Western and Eastern Conference Coaches of the Month, respectively, for games played in January, according to the league (Twitter links). Phoenix went 11-5 last month, while Charlotte posted an 11-6 record.
David Adelman (Nuggets), Chris Finch (Timberwolves) and Tyronn Lue (Clippers) were the other Western Conference nominees. Kenny Atkinson (Cavaliers), J.B. Bickerstaff (Pistons) and Joe Mazzulla (Celtics) were also nominated from the Eastern Conference.
Here’s more from around the international basketball world:
- Kansas shooting guard Darryn Peterson and BYU forward AJ Dybantsa loom as the projected top two picks in the upcoming NBA draft, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. ESPN polled 20 NBA scouts and a dozen chose Peterson as the top pick, while Dybantsa garnered the other eight votes. With BYU visiting Kansas this past Saturday, those two stars put on a display to solidify their resumes. Dybantsa had 17 points and Peterson scored 18 in the Jayhawks’ victory. At least 17 NBA teams had reps at the contest. However, Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman claims there’s another legitimate candidate for the top pick (Twitter link). He says multiple front office executives and scouts have Duke’s Cameron Boozer atop their draft boards.
- Former NBA guard Devonte’ Graham and Crvena Zvevda have severed ties. After several consecutive games without playing, Graham agreed to a termination of his contract, according to Eurohoops.net. Graham only played seven EuroLeague games, averaging 3.0 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 11.2 minutes per contest. Graham, who signed with the Serbian club in August, appeared in 336 regular season NBA games, making 171 starts and posting career averages of 11.1 PPG, 2.3 RPG and 4.3 APG.
- Thunder defensive ace Luguentz Dort has hired Klutch Sports as his representative, the agency tweets. Oklahoma City holds an $18.2MM club option on his contract for next season.
And-Ones: Lottery, Combine, Dunk Contest, Hayes, More
The NBA has officially set the dates for this year’s most significant pre-draft events, including the combine and lottery.
According to the league (Twitter link), the G League combine will take place from May 8-10, with the full-fledged combine to follow from May 10-17. Typically, the NBA invites approximately 75 top prospects to the combine, with a group of several dozen less-heralded draft-eligible players taking part in the G League combine. A handful of standouts from the G League event then receive invitations to stick around for the rest of the week.
As for the draft lottery, it will take place on Sunday, May 10, giving lottery teams the opportunity to learn exactly where their picks will land before they evaluate and interview prospects at the combine.
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Lakers center Jaxson Hayes and Spurs rookie Carter Bryant have accepted invitations to take part in this year’s NBA dunk contest, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). Both players are first-time participants.
- It’s poised to be an eventful few weeks for Hayes, who is also in the final stages of securing Slovenian citizenship, reports Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com. According to Urbonas, Hayes is putting the finishing touches on the paperwork required for a Slovenian passport and would be eligible to play for the national team this summer in World Cup qualifiers if there are no snags. Hayes spoke back in October about his goal of gaining Slovenian citizenship to team up with Lakers teammate Luka Doncic in international play.
- Danny Leroux of The Athletic looks ahead to the 2026 offseason, previewing the spending power for each NBA team, including the ones projected to have cap room. While trades made in the next six days could impact Leroux’s estimates, the Bulls (up to $68MM) and Wizards (up to $50MM) currently project to have the most space, while four teams – the Cavaliers, Thunder, Magic, and Knicks – are on track to operate in second-apron territory.
- The sixth season of the Basketball Africa League will tip off in South Africa on March 27. Marc J. Spears of Andscape has the details on the schedule and the format for the coming season, which will wrap up in late May with an eight-team playoff and a championship game.
And-Ones: Bediako, Barcelona, Tax Teams, Worst Contracts
Former G Leaguer Charles Bediako is expected to play for Alabama against Tennessee tonight, ESPN’s Jeff Borzello reports.
Bediako was granted a temporary restraining order earlier this week, allowing him to participate in activities and games for Alabama while he awaits a hearing on a preliminary injunction regarding his eligibility.
“We are planning to play him,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said. “He’s eligible to play. We’re going to follow the court orders.”
It turns out that the judge who issued the order is an Alabama booster, according to Alex Schiffer of Front Office Sports. Tuscaloosa County Circuit Judge Jim Roberts and his wife Mary Turner Roberts are listed as active athletic donors on The Crimson Tide Foundation’s website, with lifetime contributions between $100K and $249K.
The National Association of Basketball Coaches held a conference call regarding the matter on Friday. Afterward, Dan Gavitt, the NCAA Senior VP of Basketball, released a statement voicing their concerns about college eligibility, Borzello tweets.
“If these rules surrounding the NCAA pre- and post-draft rules cannot be enforced, it would create an unstable environment” for the student-athletes, schools and the NBA, Gavitt said, in part.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- Barcelona plans to pass on the NBA’s proposed league in Europe. FC Barcelona’s Board of Directors issued a statement declaring its allegiance to the EuroLeague: “The Board of Directors has agreed to ratify the extension of the first men’s basketball team’s participation license in the EuroLeague for the next 10 seasons (until the 2035-36 season), a competition of which it is a co-founding member. The Board of Directors reaffirms its desire to always participate in the best existing competitions.”
- In his latest Substack article, cap expert Yossi Gozlan takes a deep dive into the teams over the luxury tax and discusses why some teams just over the line have waited to make moves to get below the threshold. Gozlan also takes a look at how the Sixers are navigating the eligibility clocks for two-way players Jabari Walker, Dominick Barlow and MarJon Beauchamp.
- The Sixers‘ star duo of Joel Embiid and Paul George hold the top two spots in the “Worst Value Contracts” in the NBA, according to Spotrac contributor Keith Smith. Jakob Poeltl, Patrick Williams and Dejounte Murray round out the top five among Smith’s top 20 in that category.
Cory Joseph Signs With Olympiacos
Veteran point guard Cory Joseph has joined Olympiacos, the Greek team announced today in a press release.
Joseph, who spent 14 seasons in the NBA from 2011-25, signed with another EuroLeague club, AS Monaco, in December. However, Monaco was assessed a transfer ban due to outstanding financial issues and has been unable to resolve that situation, so Joseph never actually played for the team.
Now, the 34-year-old is set to suit up for an Olympiacos squad that currently leads Monaco by a half-game in the EuroLeague standings. At 15-8, Olympiacos ranks fourth of 20 teams in the EuroLeague. The club has also gone undefeated (14-0) in the Greek Basketball League so far this season.
The 29th overall pick in the 2011 draft, Joseph was a backup point guard for most of his NBA career, spending time in San Antonio, Toronto, Indiana, Sacramento, Detroit, Golden State, and Orlando. He has appeared in 866 career regular season games (191 starts), averaging 6.7 points, 2.9 assists, and 2.4 rebounds in 21.1 minutes per night, with a shooting line of .440/.350/.786.
Joseph won a championship with the Spurs in 2014 and had the best individual stint of his career from 2016-19 as a rotation regular for the Raptors and Pacers. He appeared in at least 80 games and averaged at least 25 minutes per contest in each of those four seasons for Toronto and Indiana.
In 50 games last season with the Magic, Joseph averaged 3.5 PPG, 1.5 RPG and 1.4 APG in 12.2 MPG while shooting 36.4% from three-point range. As a result of backcourt injuries, the Canadian unexpectedly started all five games for Orlando during the team’s first-round playoff loss to Boston.
And-Ones: Maxey, Milton, Joseph, Motiejunas
Tyrese Maxey, who is having a fantastic season for the Sixers, was just named an All-Star starter for the first time (it’s his second overall appearance). Speaking to reporters on Monday, the 25-year-old guard said he’d be thrilled to represent Team USA in the future if he’s given the chance.
“I would love to play for Team USA…If that’s something that I have the opportunity to do, then I’ll definitely be there for it,” Maxey said (Twitter video link via PHLY Sixers).
Maxey is posting career-best numbers in several statistics in 2025/26, including points (30.3), assists (6.7), rebounds (4.4), steals (1.9) and blocks (1.0) per game. He also leads the NBA in playing time, with 39.3 minutes per contest.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Former NBA guard Shake Milton has a broken bone in his left hand and has traveled to the United States to undergo surgery, according to Pedrac Saric of Serbian outlet Meridian Sport (hat tip to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). Milton, who plays for Partizan Belgrade, is expected to miss around three months. The 29-year-old is having a disappointing year for the Serbian club in his first stint in Europe, Carchia notes.
- Veteran point guard Cory Joseph signed with AS Monaco at the beginning of December after 14 years in the NBA. However, as Alex Molina of Eurohoops writes, Joseph has yet to play for Monaco, which was assessed a transfer ban because of outstanding financial issues. Aris Thessaloniki is interested in acquiring the 34-year-old, but the Greek team has not yet made an offer Joseph finds appealing, per Molina.
- While EuroLeague CEO Paulius Motiejunas isn’t happy about the NBA’s proposed European league, he also insists he’s not worried about it. “We’ve only heard the plan or the fireworks of how amazing it will be, how much potential there is,” Motiejunas told Ken Maguire of The Associated Press. “But having a theory is one — and making it work is two. We’ve been here for 26 years. We know how Europe functions.” Motiejunas also expressed confidence that Real Madrid, Fenerbahce and ASVEL — the three shareholder teams that have yet to renew their licenses — will remain with the EuroLeague. “The NBA has been announcing and announcing things for a year but still it’s nothing that you can grasp on,” Motiejunas said. “As businessmen, these are team owners, they also begin to see it’s a little bit of a broken record of ‘we will announce later,’ … The ’27 start is already around the corner.”