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And-Ones: Randle, Ingram, EuroLeague, Non-Guaranteed Deals

January 7th, 2025 at 8:30pm CST by Luke Adams

Timberwolves forward Julius Randle and Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram each have All-Star berths under their belts, and Ingram is coming off a five-year, maximum-salary contract. Under the NBA’s old new Collective Bargaining Agreement, Randle and Ingram might have already secured lucrative new extensions. In the current CBA landscape, their uncertain futures reflect teams’ wariness to commit big money to second- or third-tier stars, according to William Guillory and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.

Guillory and Krawczynski take a closer look at potential next steps for the two standout forwards, pointing out that both players continue to perform well but also laying out reasons why their days with their current teams may be numbered. Ingram will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, while Randle holds a player option for 2025/26.

Guillory believes Ingram is more likely than not to be somewhere besides New Orleans next season. Krawczynski suggests Minnesota may look to trade Randle or let him walk as a free agent in the summer unless everything comes together for the Wolves during the second half of this season in a way that it hasn’t in the first half.

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

  • The EuroLeague and IMG, the league’s primary business partner, have reached an agreement to extend their relationship through the 2035/36 season. What does that mean for the NBA’s efforts to introduce a new professional league in Europe? Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic digs into the subject, writing that the EuroLeague’s 13 permanent members – including clubs like Real Madrid, Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, Anadolu Efes – now seem less likely to leave for an NBA-run European league, though the new contract does include opt-out clauses for teams.
  • Noting that it was a relatively quiet January 7 in terms of roster cuts, Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron explores whether teams have become more inclined in recent years to hang onto players on non-guaranteed contracts through the annual league-wide salary guarantee deadline.
  • In an ESPN roundtable, Tim Bontemps, Bobby Marks, Kevin Pelton, Michael Wright, and Jamal Collier discuss several topics related to the upcoming trade deadline, including which team most needs to make a splash, which team in each conference will improve the most at the deadline, and whether the Lakers will make another in-season deal.
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And-Ones: 2025, Balance, Expansion, Neto, MVP

January 2nd, 2025 at 7:13pm CST by Rory Maher

In an Insider-only story for ESPN.com, Tim Bontemps lists seven storylines people around the NBA will be monitoring in 2025. Due to their combination of young players, draft assets and a coach (Ime Udoka) that players want to play for, the Rockets are widely viewed as the team to watch the next time a star becomes available on the trade market.

“The whole landscape of the league,” an Eastern Conference scout said, “could change based off what they do.”

Although no one actually expects anything to change, since it would require certain teams to vote against their best interests, league sources tell Bontemps that the imbalance of power between the two conferences may see more calls for playoff seedings to be ranked 1-to-16 instead of the traditional format of 1-to-8 in each conference.

League insiders are also keeping a close eye on the Celtics‘ impending sale — specifically how much the team sells for — as a potential bellwether for expansion, according to Bontemps. The cities of Seattle and Las Vegas continue to be mentioned in league circles as possible expansion spots.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

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And-Ones: Bryce James, Draft Assets, Randle, Bailey, Boban

January 1st, 2025 at 10:35pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Bryce James, the youngest son of Lakers star LeBron James, has officially committed to play his college ball at Arizona for 2025/26, per Tobias Bass and Brendan Marks of The Athletic.

The 17-year-old senior guard is considered a three-star recruit, and is currently ranked as the No. 257 player among his graduating high school class. The 6’5″ wing was also fielding offers from Ohio State and Duquesne.

In his scouting report, Marks notes that James is less physically strong and athletic than his older brother Bronny James was at the point in their respective prep careers. The 20-year-old Bronny is currently a rookie with Los Angeles following a one-and-done season with USC. Marks believes that Bryce will need significant developmental time in head coach Tommy Lloyd‘s system.

There’s more from around the basketball world:

  • In a fresh ranking of each NBA team’s draft assets, Bobby Marks of ESPN calls the Thunder’s cadre of picks the best across the league. Oklahoma City boasts 13 first-round pick across the next seven seasons, including all seven of its own future picks. Marks ranks the Nuggets’ future draft equity as the worst pick portfolio in the league. Denver has just four incoming first-round selections available over the next seven years, and none available to trade due to protections.
  • A pair of former NBA players were involved in a recent three-team G League trade. According to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link), the Kings‘ NBAGL affiliate, the Stockton Kings, traded for guard Chasson Randle from the Iowa Wolves, the Timberwolves‘ affiliate. Stockton shipped out forward Drew Timme to the Nets‘ G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets. Long Island, meanwhile, sent former NBA wing Amari Bailey to Iowa.
  • Boban Marjanovic‘s agent, Misko Raznatovic, has confirmed (Twitter link) a prior report that his client is signing with the Zhejiang Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association. The 7’4″ big man, who last played for the Rockets in 2023/24, logged nine pro seasons in the NBA. In 331 career regular season games (25 starts), Marjanovic averaged 5.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per night. He kicked off his 2024/25 run with Turkish club Fenerbahce, but was released earlier this month.
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International Notes: Marjanovic, Korkmaz, Samanic, Batum

December 30th, 2024 at 12:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Longtime NBA center Boban Marjanovic, who began the 2024/25 season with Fenerbahce in Turkey, is taking his talents to China after being released by his EuroLeague club, according to a report from Meridian Sport (hat tip to Eurohoops). That report states that Marjanovic is joining the Zhejiang Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association.

Marjanovic, who averaged just 8.7 minutes per game over the course of 331 regular season NBA appearances across nine seasons, also played a limited role with Fenerbahce, logging 10.0 MPG in six EuroLeague outings and 12.3 MPG in seven Turkish League contests. Fenerbahce decided against exercising its rest-of-season option on the 7’4″ center, making him a free agent.

Marjanovic has no shortage of international basketball experience, having played in Serbia, Russia, and Lithuania before making the move to the NBA in 2015. However, this will be the first time that he has played for a team in China.

Here are a few more items of interest from around the international basketball world:

  • Turkish wing Furkan Korkmaz, who spent seven NBA seasons in Philadelphia, has returned to his native country, signing with Bahcesehir, according to an announcement from the club (Twitter link). Korkmaz began this season with AS Monaco, but recent reporting indicated that he planned to transfer ahead of the EuroLeague’s deadline. In addition to competing domestically in Turkey, Bahcesehir currently has a 10-2 record in EuroCup play.
  • Former NBA forward/center Luka Samanic has officially signed with Baskonia, as expected, the Spanish team announced today in a press release. It has been an eventful few months for Samanic, who initially signed with Fenerbahce after finishing the 2023/24 season with the Jazz, but didn’t play for the Turkish team, instead returning to his home country of Croatia and playing with KK Cibona this fall. Now he’s back in the EuroLeague.
  • Speaking to Grant Asfeth of RG.org about his decision to retire from the French national team, veteran Clippers forward Nicolas Batum explained that he felt the program was in good hands with all the young talent coming up behind him, led by rising star Victor Wembanyama. “I could retire peacefully from the national team. I don’t have to play every summer because there’s a new generation coming up,” Batum said. “Good guys are coming in the next draft. I feel like I’ve done my job for the country. I tried to inspire the young guys. They tell me they watched me when they were younger, and I like that. My son is eight, and he’s a fan of this generation now. It’s great for the country.”
  • Aris Barkas of Eurohoops explores what the NBA’s rumored foray into European basketball might look like, reporting that Paris Basketball is among the clubs the NBA is targeting for its new league, while EuroLeague powerhouse Real Madrid has also been in contact with the NBA.
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Multiple Playoff Hopefuls Eyeing Lonnie Walker

December 29th, 2024 at 6:24pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Veteran guard Lonnie Walker IV is drawing NBA interest, with the Sixers, Timberwolves, Heat, Nuggets and Celtics all viewed as potential suitors, reports Marc Stein (Twitter link).

Walker played on Boston’s training camp roster in the fall on an Exhibit 10 deal, but was cut ahead of the 2024/25 regular season.

The 6’4″ wing isn’t quite a free agent. He is currently playing for Lithuanian EuroLeague club Zalgiris Kaunas, having passed on an opportunity to suit up for Boston’s NBAGL squad, the Maine Celtics. Other EuroLeague squads, including Real Madrid and Maccabi Tel Aviv, were also reportedly interested in adding Walker, but he ultimately sided with Zalgiris.

However, Walker has a $450K buyout option in his current deal with Zalgiris, should any NBA squad be interested in bringing him back to the league prior to February 18.

Beyond the loaded Celtics, all the aforementioned squads could use a scoring spark off the bench, which Walker would provide in abundance.

The Miami product has spent six seasons in the league, playing for the Spurs, Lakers and – most recently – the Nets. Across 58 healthy games for Brooklyn off the bench last year, Walker posted averages of 9.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.6 steals per night, with a shooting line of .423/.384/.763.

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And-Ones: Dybantsa, Hartenstein, Samanic, Ratings, Threes

December 27th, 2024 at 1:48pm CST by Rory Maher

Utah Prep wing AJ Dybantsa is a candidate to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft. When he received his first basketball paycheck — $1,000 for winning Massachusetts Player of the Year as a freshman — he didn’t keep it, instead donating it to a local Boys & Girls Club, as Jared Weiss details in a feature story for The Athletic.

“Don’t take anything for granted,” Dybantsa told The Athletic recently. “People are less fortunate and don’t have what we have. If I continue this route, I’m going to get a lot more money than that. So, I might as well just donate (that check) back to the community.”

Dybantsa reportedly secured a massive name, image and likeness (NIL) windfall when he committed to BYU. According to Weiss, the 17-year-old has kept his focus on basketball despite becoming a very famous — and wealthy — athlete.

“People just gonna talk, but I (didn’t) even know how much I’m getting. They just tell my dad all of that,” Dybantsa said of his father Ace, who negotiated the deal. “I’m trying to make it to the NBA, so wherever they can get me the fastest there with the best development, there’s a whole lot of pillars that come with it. Money’s going to come if I do the work, so I’m not worried about the money in a year.”

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

  • Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein has become a minority owner of Ratiopharm Ulm, the German basketball club announced in a press release. “I got involved because I was searching for a German team that I could be a part of — one that, if I were younger and trying to make the next level, would get me there,” Hartenstein said. “I feel like they do a great job of developing young talent and helping them advance in their careers. The team is well-run, and even though they focus on helping players take the next step, they remain competitive. That mix was really exciting for me. And growing up, I always loved the fans they had.” Hartenstein grew up in Germany, where both he and his father Florian played professionally.
  • Former NBA forward Luka Samanic is in advanced talks to join Spanish club Baskonia, which competes in the EuroLeague, reports Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com. Samanic, who played for Utah last season, has been playing for Cibona in his native Croatia. Cibona is not a member of the EuroLeague.
  • Ahead of the NBA Cup championship game, commissioner Adam Silver discussed the NBA’s declining TV ratings and the increase in three-point field goals, which some fans and observes believe has hurt the league’s appeal. John Hollinger of The Athletic thinks the discourse about ratings and threes “ring hollow.” Marc Stein conveys a similar sentiment in a Substack post, downplaying any concerns about ratings.
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International Notes: Gabriel, Korkmaz, Marjanovic, T. Williams

December 23rd, 2024 at 9:06am CST by Arthur Hill

Former NBA big man Wenyen Gabriel is headed to Panathinaikos after the team agreed to pay a $350K buyout fee to Maccabi Tel Aviv, according to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews. In his first EuroLeague season, Gabriel is averaging 5.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.1 blocks per game with the Israeli team while shooting 54% from the floor. He could make his debut in Greece as early as Friday.

Coach Ergin Ataman confirmed on Sunday that Panathinaikos was looking for roster help after losing Mathias Lessort, a member of the French Olympic team, to a fractured fibula that will sideline him for at least four months.

“We have three to four candidates,” Ataman said. “Gabriel is one of them, but he’s a Maccabi player, and we don’t know if Maccabi will let him go. Our GM [Sani Becirovic] is working, and I hope [Monday] we’ll have an answer from one of our candidates. At this point, we need a player urgently.”

Gabriel played for seven teams during his five years in the NBA and appeared in five games with Memphis last season. He was also part of the South Sudan team during the Olympics.

There’s more international news to pass along:

  • Furkan Korkmaz, who signed with AS Monaco this summer after seven NBA seasons, plans to transfer before the EuroLeague’s Wednesday deadline, Urbonas states in a separate story. Sources tell Urbonas that Korkmaz is considering options both in and outside of the EuroLeague. His production has been limited by a leg injury that forced him to miss the first month of the season. In an interview with Urbonas last month, Korkmaz indicated that he had interest in playing in his native Turkey.
  • Long-time NBA center Boban Marjanovic is looking for a new team after being released by Fenerbahce, Urbonas adds in another piece. The one-year contract Marjanovic signed this summer included a termination option that had to be exercised by January. The team recently elected to retain former NBA big man Khem Birch, who had the same clause in his deal. Marjanovic is exploring his options, which may include leaving the EuroLeague, Urbonas adds.
  • Trevion Williams has signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv after leaving ALBA Berlin, according to EuroHoops. The former Purdue star spent time in the G League and was among the players selected by the Suns’ new affiliate in the June expansion draft.
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And-Ones: Team Canada, DSJ, 2025 Draft, Kendrick

December 21st, 2024 at 9:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

Canadian players are still dealing with the disappointment of not winning a medal at this year’s Summer Olympics, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. Featuring a roster loaded with NBA talent, Team Canada had a chance to reach a milestone for the nation’s basketball program. Instead, they left Paris empty-handed with the realization that the next opportunity is four long years away.

“It’s different once it’s over and you realize that you’re not going to be in that position, not have a chance for four more years,” RJ Barrett said. “Like, that’s a rough part about it, especially when we felt like we had a team that had a great mix. I think we had young guys, but not rookies, you know, and we had guys in their prime or close to their prime, and we had some vets that are still at a good stage in their career. We had the experience, and we had the talent, we got we had the coach. We felt like that was our time, but I think experience, and those type of tournaments is huge.”

The Canadians looked like a legitimate threat to capture the gold after going undefeated in pool play against Greece, Australia and Spain, who were all viewed as medal contenders. But their hopes ended quickly with an 82-73 loss to France in the quarterfinal round. Grange notes that Canada was able to control Victor Wembanyama, holding him to seven points on 2-of-10 shooting with Dillon Brooks guarding him for much of the game, but Guerschon Yabusele and Mathias Lessort led the hosts to victory by combining for 35 points.

“Every year, I get a chance to win an NBA championship,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said, “(but it’s only) every four years I get a chance to try to win the Olympics, you know?”

There’s more from around the basketball world:

  • When Dennis Smith Jr. entered the G League player pool, he was expecting to be claimed by the Spurs‘ affiliate, Marc Stein and Jake Fischer write in a Substack column (subscription required). Instead, he wound up with the Bucks‘ affiliate, making his future in the G League less certain, sources tell The Stein Line. Real Madrid reportedly has interest if Smith wants to play in the EuroLeague.
  • Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey are making an impact at Rutgers, but the NBA executives and draft experts who talked to Adam Zagoria of NJ.com believe Duke’s Cooper Flagg remains very likely to be the top pick in 2025.
  • Frank Kendrick, who was part of a championship team with the Warriors during his only NBA season, died this week at age 74, the team announced (via Twitter). Kendrick also won an NIT title at Purdue and was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002.
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And-Ones: MVP Race, Redick, Birch, Obst

December 20th, 2024 at 11:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Nikola Jokic has a commanding lead in ESPN’s first straw poll of the season on the MVP race, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. The Nuggets center captured 57 first-place votes among the 100 ballots, giving him 827 total points.

Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander came in second with 24 first-place votes and 678 points, followed by Bucks big man Giannis Antetokounmpo, who topped 19 ballots and has 643 points. Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (267 points) and Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (123) round out the top five.

A win by Jokic would give him four MVP trophies in five years and would put him in very select company, Bontemps notes. Only LeBron James and Bill Russell have collected the award four times in five seasons, while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain are the other players to be named MVP at least four times.

Bontemps adds that Antetokoumpo had a significant surge in the poll after his dominant performance in the NBA Cup final. Twenty-nine voters changed their ballots after Tuesday’s game, giving him more than twice as many first-place votes and moving him much closer to Gilgeous-Alexander.

There’s more from around the basketball world:

  • J.J. Redick, who was a rising media star before being hired to coach the Lakers, weighed in on the NBA’s declining television ratings after Thursday’s game, according to Sam Amick and Jovan Buha of The Athletic. Redick doesn’t believe the league is being presented well by its national TV outlets. “We don’t have anybody that’s willing to step up to the fact that this is an awesome game and we should talk about it and celebrate it in a positive way,” he said. “That doesn’t mean we don’t critique it. We should critique it, but we should celebrate it. Nobody’s doing that, and the people that are have a small niche following on Twitter. And frankly, I would argue as well, that everyone in our ecosystem pays too much attention to what is said on Twitter. And part of this whole ratings discussion is because people on Twitter are talking about it.”
  • Khem Birch will remain with Fenerbahce for the rest of the season, relays Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews. In September, Birch signed a one-year contract with an exit clause that would have allowed the Turkish team to terminate the deal in January. Urbonas states that other EuroLeague teams had interest if the 32-year-old center had become a free agent again.
  • German sharpshooter Andreas Obst spoke about a potential three-point shootout with Stephen Curry and his interest in an NBA future in a BasketNews Film Session Episode. Obst says he heard that NBA executives were talking about him after he starred in the 2023 World Cup, but he never got a formal offer. “At some point, yeah, I could see myself in the NBA,” he said. “I can fill a role as a shooter. I know how to use my gravity to space the floor, spot up, and play off the ball. That’s something I think any NBA team could use.”
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And-Ones: Hall Of Fame, Brown, Maledon, Lessort, G League

December 19th, 2024 at 4:58pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame officially announced its list of eligible candidates for the Class of 2025, including several-first-time nominees (Twitter link). Ten-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony and eight-time All-NBA team member Dwight Howard are among the notable names.

WNBA greats Sue Bird, Sylvia Fowles, Chamique Holdsclaw and Maya Moore are first-time nominees, as are legendary coaches Lisa Bluder, Billy Donovan, Mark Few and Doc Rivers. NBA stars Marc Gasol and Amar’e Stoudemire round out the list of new candidates, while Heat owner Micky Arison is nominated as a contributor. According to a report from The Associated Press, the 2008 U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team was among the repeat nominees.

Along with announcing the list, the Hall has adjusted its waiting period for candidates from three seasons out of the game to two.

“To better recognize the distinguished careers of potential first-ballot nominees in a more timely manner, the board has appropriately shortened the waiting period,” Hall of Fame chairman Jerry Colangelo said. “We are excited about this change and believe that honoring individuals while their contributions are still fresh in people’s minds is both meaningful and impactful.”

This is the first step in the process of enshrinement. Finalists are selected on Feb. 14 in San Francisco during NBA All-Star weekend and the full class will be revealed on April 5 in San Antonio at the NCAA Tournament. There are a total of 189 candidates in various categories, according to the Hall.

We have more from around the basketball world:

  • ESPN announced that 91-year-old Hubie Brown will call the final game of his broadcasting career on Feb. 9. That game, between the Bucks and the Sixers, will be jointly called by Brown and Mike Breen. Brown, a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, worked for the Knicks, Grizzlies and Hawks.
  • Former NBA guard Theo Maledon is reportedly being targeted by Real Madrid, according to a report from Sportando. Maledon is currently playing with French club ASVEL and is fourth in the EuroLeague in points per game (18.8). According to the report, Real Madrid offered a buyout to current guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes with an eye toward giving Maledon a multi-year deal. Maldeon most recently played with the Suns in 2023/24 and also had stints with the Thunder and Hornets after being selected with the 34th overall pick in 2020.
  • Mathias Lessort, whose draft rights are held by the Knicks, suffered a fibula fracture and will be out for the next four months, according to a report from Eurohoops.net. Lessort has been an impressive defensive force for Greek club Panathinaikos. There’s been some speculation that Lessort, the 50th overall pick in 2017, could make the move stateside at some point — he’s in the final year of his current contract.
  • The G League Union elected a new executive committee as the league is in the negotiation process of creating its first-ever CBA for players, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps tweets. Robert Baker of the Osceola Magic will serve as president, Yauhen Massalski of the San Diego Clippers will be secretary-treasurer, and College Park’s David Singleton and Salt Lake City’s Josh Pierre-Louis were elected as vice presidents, according to Bontemps (Twitter link).
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