Patrick Beverley Signs With PAOK BC
Free agent guard Patrick Beverley has finalized a rest-of-season contract agreement with PAOK BC, the Greek team officially announced in a press release. Reporting over the weekend indicated that Beverley and PAOK had reached a deal that was pending a physical.
Beverley, 37, spent 12 seasons in the NBA from 2012-24, appearing in 666 regular season games for seven teams during that time. Known for his defensive tenacity, Beverley posted career averages of 8.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 26.6 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .413/.371/.760.
Beverley’s NBA career ended on a sour note. During the 2024 playoffs, he repeatedly threw a basketball at Pacers fans in Indiana during the waning moments of the Bucks’ season, at one point hitting an unsuspecting female fan in the side of the head. The incident resulted in a police investigation and a four-game suspension, which Beverley would have had to serve at the start of the 2024/25 season if he had signed another NBA contract.
Instead, the veteran guard opened last season with Hapoel Tel Aviv before parting ways with the Israeli club in February following a team-imposed suspension.
Beverley was arrested in Texas last month on assault charges following a domestic incident. According to a report, Beverley – who was charged with assault of a family/household member – was accused of punching his 15-year-old sister in the eye and choking her for up to 30 seconds. He was released after posting a $40K bond and disputed the allegations.
Scotto’s Latest: Markkanen, Hornets, Murphy, Walker, Kuminga, More
Utah will send its 2026 first-round pick to Oklahoma City if it lands outside the top eight, and if the season ended today, the 10-15 Jazz would have the NBA’s 10th-worst record, making their first-rounder likely to change hands. Given that context, executives around the league are wondering if Utah’s front office will be active on the trade market in the hopes of weakening the roster in the short term and ensuring the club keeps that pick, writes Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
However, according to Scotto, the Jazz continue to signal that they want to build around forward Lauri Markkanen, despite trade interest in the star forward. In the past, rival execs have viewed the Pistons, Spurs, and Grizzlies as potential suitors for Markkanen if he’s made available, Scotto notes.
As for Utah’s plans beyond this season, the team hopes to use its 2026 cap room to improve its roster, either via free agency or the trade market, Scotto writes. Retaining Walker Kessler still appears to be a priority too — the Jazz turned down a trade offer for Kessler from the Lakers similar to the one L.A. made for Mark Williams, sources tell HoopsHype. The Jazz could carry a cap hold of about $14.6MM for Kessler next summer before going over the cap to re-sign him at a starting salary higher than that.
Here’s more from Scotto:
- The Hornets are hoping to get an extended look at their roster with LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, and Miles Bridges all healthy and available. Still, Scotto hears that Miller’s inconsistent availability has executives around the NBA wondering if the former No. 2 overall pick might not be as untouchable in trade discussions as he once was.
- The Warriors and Trail Blazers are among the teams who are high on Pelicans wing Trey Murphy III, but rival executives believe Golden State would prioritize making a run at Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo before giving up significant assets to land Murphy, Scotto writes. There’s also still plenty of skepticism that New Orleans would part with Murphy at all, with some execs speculating that it might take a package similar to what Memphis got for Desmond Bane.
- Following up on his previous report stating that the Pacers are among the teams with interest in Keon Ellis, Scotto notes that Indiana forward Jarace Walker came up in trade discussions with the Kings. However, Scotto cautions that it’s unclear which team brought up Walker’s name in those talks that he describes as “exploratory.”
- Checking in on Jonathan Kuminga, Scotto says the Kings continue to monitor the Warriors forward, but confirms that the Suns‘ interest level has decreased and that the Nets were never all that interested. The Pelicans have also been linked to Kuminga in the past, but it’s unclear whether they have interest now, Scotto adds.
- Partizan Belgrade, the Serbian team recently linked to Malik Beasley, has also expressed interest in free agent point guard Cameron Payne, sources tell HoopsHype. As for Beasley, he has also drawn interest from Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in the EuroLeague, as well as the Chinese Basketball Association teams Liaoning, Guangdong, and Shanxi, per Scotto.
Jackson Rowe Signs With Ironi Ness Ziona
Former Warriors forward Jackson Rowe has signed with Ironi Ness Ziona, the Israeli team announced today in a press release. Rowe became a free agent after being waived by Golden State earlier this month.
Rowe, who will turn 29 in January, played his college ball at Cal State Fullerton from 2016-20, then bounced around Europe and North America during his first few professional seasons. He played in France, Sweden, Canada, and Germany before catching on with the Santa Cruz Warriors – Golden State’s G League affiliate – during the 2023/24 season.
Rowe established himself as a rotation player for Santa Cruz and played well enough to earn a promotion to a two-way contract with Golden State in January 2025. The Canadian signed a two-year deal, so after appearing in six NBA games for the Warriors last season, he opened the 2025/26 season with the team too. He didn’t play at all for Golden State this fall, however, and was cut a couple weeks ago to open up a two-way slot for LJ Cryer.
Rowe had a strong season with Santa Cruz in ’24/25, appearing in 36 total games and averaging 16.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 33.0 minutes per contest while shooting 51.5% from the floor, including 39.1% on three-pointers. In five G League games this season, he averaged 13.4 PPG, 8.4 RPG, and 2.6 APG with a .441/.238/.714 shooting line.
Ironi Ness Ziona, which competes in Israel’s top domestic league, is off to a slow start this season at 3-6, so Rowe will look to help the team turn things around. He’ll join a handful of other former NBAers on the roster — Damion Lee, Udoka Azubuike, and Isaiah Whitehead also play for the club.
And-Ones: Undervalued Players, Calf Strains, Beverley, Morris
John Hollinger of The Athletic lists seven “undervalued” players from around the NBA who are making an outsized impact relative to their contracts. The seven players are specifically “hard-playing, unheralded guys with a little bit of extra edge to them,” as Hollinger puts it.
Raptors backup point guard Jamal Shead is the first player listed, which isn’t surprising. As Hollinger writes, Shead made an immediate impact as a rookie due to his strong defense, but his offensive improvements in year two have made him a key part of Toronto’s rotation.
While the 23-year-old’s shooting is still a “work in progress,” he is processing the game at a higher level in 2025/26.
“Just going left and making reads,” Shead said of his offseason improvement. “It’s not always about scoring, it’s about if they’re trying to push me left or right in the ball screen, can I still make the read out of that? I’m understanding the pace of the game and how to really create for my teammates. … Impacting defense is what I’m going to do regardless, but I’m impacting offense this year a lot more too.”
Suns guard Jordan Goodwin, Nuggets forward Peyton Watson, and Hornets center Moussa Diabate are among the other players highlighted by Hollinger.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- In an interesting and in-depth story for Yahoo Sports, Tom Haberstroh takes a look at the increase in players missing time with calf strains this season. While there are two very famous examples (Kevin Durant and Tyrese Haliburton) of players with calf injuries later tearing their Achilles tendon, those cases have been the exception and not the rule. “The interesting thing is, historically, a calf strain is thought of as this completely separate injury from an Achilles tear,” said Dr. Scott Ellis of the Hospital of Special Surgery (HSS) in New York. “When you have somebody with an Achilles rupture, nine times out of 10 — actually, even more, 99% of the time — they don’t have anything that you could pick up structurally in an imaging exam on their Achilles.”
- Longtime NBA guard Patrick Beverley, who spent last season in Israel, has reached a contract agreement with the Greek club PAOK, reports Nikola Miloradovic of Eurohoops.net. According to Miloradovic, Beverley is expected to arrive in Thessaloniki — where the team is based — on Saturday evening to finalize the deal, which is pending a physical. Beverley, whose last NBA stint was with Milwaukee in 2023/24, was arrested last month in Texas and charged with assault of a family/household member. TMZ reported that Beverley was accused of punching his sister in the eye and choking her for between 20 and 30 seconds.
- Veteran NBA guard Monte Morris, who spent time with the Pacers earlier this season, officially signed with the Greek EuroLeague team Olympiacos last week. Eurohoops.net passes along some highlights from Morris’ introductory press conference.
Former Rockets Two-Way Player Kevon Harris Headed To China
The Xinjiang Flying Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association and guard Kevon Harris, who was on a two-way deal with the Rockets earlier this month, have agreed to a contract, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets.
Harris was waived by Houston on Dec. 2 to make room for Tyler Smith. He didn’t play at all for Houston this season but was averaging 19.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game in eight appearances for the G League’s Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
Harris, 28, appeared in a total of 36 games with the Magic from 2022-24. He averaged 4.0 and 2.0 rebounds in 12.9 minutes per contest.
Harris has excelled at the G League level in recent years, earning MVP honors at the NBAGL’s Next Up Game at All-Star weekend in February. Last season, he averaged 19.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.4 steals in 31.1 minutes per game across 44 Tip-Off Tournament and regular season outings for the College Park Skyhawks, Atlanta’s affiliate. He signed a two-way deal with Houston in July.
And-Ones: Marjanovic, NBA Cup, Under-25s, FAs, Collins
Former NBA center Boban Marjanovic has signed with KK Ilirija, the Slovenian team announced in a press release.
Marjanovic, 37, made his NBA debut with San Antonio in 2015 and spent nine seasons in the league, appearing in 331 total regular season games for the Spurs, Pistons, Clippers, Sixers, Mavericks, and Rockets. After playing for Houston in 2023/24, he split last season between Fenerbahce in Turkey and the Zhejiang Lions in China.
Marjanovic’s new team competes in Slovenia’s domestic league and the ABA League, but isn’t part of the EuroLeague.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- How do players and coaches around the league feel about the NBA Cup? Most of the ones who spoke to The Athletic’s staff about the tournament offered positive feedback, with Bucks head coach Doc Rivers referring to it as “a benefit” for the league, while Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch called it a “perfect shot in the arm” for the first half of the season. “I think everybody’s taking it pretty serious, with what the stakes are, what the rewards are,” said Stephon Castle, whose Spurs advanced to the semifinals. “And again, being able to play in big-time games, it just amplifies the regular season a little bit.”
- Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama took the No. 1 spot in ESPN’s list of the top 25 players under 25 years old, just ahead of Minnesota guard Anthony Edwards and Detroit guard Cade Cunningham. San Antonio, which also has Castle and Dylan Harper in the top 25, is one of four teams with three players on the list, along with the Rockets, Pistons, and Magic.
- Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report ranks the top 20 free agents currently on the market, with Malik Beasley, Ben Simmons, and Tristen Newton leading the way. Newton has only played 16 total minutes in eight NBA appearances, but he’s averaging 26.3 points and 8.1 assists per game in the G League this fall.
- Former NBA center Jason Collins, whose family announced in September that he was being treated for a brain tumor, has revealed that he has Stage 4 glioblastoma, a deadly form of brain cancer. Collins, who told his story via Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, said the average prognosis for his condition is just 11 to 14 months.
Monte Morris Signs With Olympiacos
December 10: Morris has officially signed with Olympiacos, the team announced in a press release.
December 9: The Greek team Olympiacos is in advanced talks with veteran NBA guard Monte Morris, according to Michalis Stefanou of Eurohoops.net.
There’s optimism from the EuroLeague club that an agreement can be reached with Morris sooner rather than later on a one-year contract. The point guard became a free agent when the Pacers waived him on Nov. 21 after he appeared in six games, averaging just 10.8 minutes per contest.
Indiana had signed Morris two weeks earlier. The Pacers originally planned to sign him to compete for a roster spot in training camp, but the deal fell through when he sustained a calf injury in late September.
The 30-year-old played 45 games (12.7 MPG) for Phoenix in 2024/25, averaging 5.2 PPG, 1.6 APG and 1.5 RPG on .426/.360/.826 shooting. He has also played for the Nuggets, Pistons and Timberwolves.
Frank Ntilikina, Saben Lee and Evan Fournier are among the former NBA players on the Olympiacos roster.
And-Ones: Reddish, Two-Ways, Rozier, East, All-In Trades
Veteran NBA forward Cam Reddish, who signed with BC Šiauliai in September, has officially left the team and returned to the U.S. for personal reasons, the Lithuanian club announced in a press release.
The 10th overall pick in the 2019 draft, Reddish spent six years in the NBA, playing for the Hawks, Knicks, Trail Blazers, and Lakers. He failed to develop into a reliable offensive threat during that time, averaging 8.5 points per game on .398/.322/.821 shooting in 254 total outings (116 starts).
In nine appearances in the Lithuanian Basketball League this season, Reddish averaged 14.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per contest.
We have more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- As Keith Smith of Spotrac tweets, there are a dozen players on two-way contracts around the NBA who are already approaching the halfway point of their active-game limit of 50 games. While promotions to standard rosters may not happen quite yet, teams will be looking for a way to accommodate their two-way standouts later in the season. Bobby Marks of ESPN points out (via Twitter) that 22 of the 26 conversions from two-ways to standard deals last season occurred after February 1.
- Jim Trusty, the attorney for Terry Rozier, said an arbitration hearing with the NBA has been scheduled for December 17 to determine whether the Heat guard will continue not to be paid, per Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. The federal judge overseeing Rozier’s case said that Dec. 17 hearing and other NBA proceedings won’t affect the schedule for the case.
- Vincent Goodwill of ESPN takes a look at five key players (beyond the most obvious names) who could play significant roles in determining which team comes out of the Eastern Conference this season.
- There may be one or more teams prepared to go “all-in” for Giannis Antetokounmpo if the Bucks superstar requests a trade, but Howard Beck of The Ringer makes the case that the history of all-in deals doesn’t point toward it being a fruitful approach for most buyers.
Malik Beasley, Agent Push Back On Partizan Rumors
Addressing a report that suggested Malik Beasley was in advanced talks on a deal with the EuroLeague club Partizan Belgrade, agent Brian Jungreis confirmed to Colin Salao of Front Office Sports that there have been conversations with the Serbian team. However, Beasley’s agent said it’s not accurate to say an agreement is close.
“These are exaggerated reports,” Jungreis said. “We had conversations and some framework, but nowhere close to anything closing or happening for the moment.”
Beasley has been in a holding pattern while federal investigators and the NBA look into a possible connection to illegal betting activity. He has reportedly drawn interest from teams in Europe and China while waiting to be cleared by the NBA.
It sounds like his agent has been looking into some of those overseas options, but Jungreis made it clear to Salao that Beasley wouldn’t accept any offer that didn’t give him an exit clause to pursue an NBA opportunity.
“The report of no NBA out (on a deal with KK Partizan) is 100% inaccurate,” Jungreis said. “We’d never not have that in the case he were to play anywhere else than the NBA.”
As Salao notes, Beasley said last month that he could play overseas “right now” if he wanted to, but would rather stay patient in the hopes of getting back to the NBA. Whether his stance changes as he remains in “investigative purgatory” remains to be seen. But appearing on a Twitch stream on Monday, Beasley denied the rumors linking him to Partizan in stronger terms than his agent did.
“I’m not going to Serbia,” Beasley said (TikTok link). “Make sure all you motherf—ers know that. I’m not coming.”
If Beasley were to be cleared by federal and NBA investigators, he’d immediately become the most popular target on the NBA free agent market. The 29-year-old 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).
The Sixth Man of the Year runner-up was reportedly discussing a three-year, $42MM contract with the Pistons before news broke that he was linked to the federal investigation into illegal gambling.
Malik Beasley Reportedly In Advanced Talks With Partizan Belgrade
Free agent swingman Malik Beasley is in advanced talks on a rest-of-season contract with Partizan Belgrade, reports Dusan Markovic of Nova.rs (hat tip to Sportando).
According to Markovic, the deal for Beasley would be worth around $2MM and would not contain an NBA opt-out clause.
Beasley appeared in all 82 regular season games for the Pistons in 2024/25 and was expected to cash in over the summer after averaging 16.3 points while shooting a career-best 41.3% from three-point range and finishing runner-up for the Sixth Man of the Year award.
However, word broke in June, just ahead of Beasley’s NBA free agency, that he was being investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York for possible illegal betting activity. The 29-year-old was reportedly in discussions with the Pistons at the time about a potential three-year, $42MM deal, but that fell apart as a result of the federal investigation.
Beasley wasn’t named in October’s indictments that resulted in the arrests of Heat guard Terry Rozier and Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups due to separate but related gambling cases. But Beasley reportedly hasn’t been cleared by federal investigators or by the NBA, which is conducting its own probe into the matter, so he remains in limbo for now.
Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews reported last month that teams in Europe and China were exhibiting “strong” interest in Beasley, but he remains unsigned for now. Detroit and Cleveland are among the NBA teams monitoring Beasley’s situation.
Partizan Belgrade, also known as KK Partizan, competes in both the ABA League and the EuroLeague. The Serbian team features several former NBA players, including Shake Milton and Jabari Parker, but has gotten off to a slow start in the EuroLeague, currently holding a 5-9 record.