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Montrezl Harrell, Adelaide 36ers Agree To Rest-Of-Season Deal

October 16th, 2024 at 3:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA Sixth Man of the Year Montrezl Harrell has agreed to sign with the Adelaide 36ers of Australia’s National Basketball League for the rest of the 2024/25 season, agent Darrell Comer tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Harrell initially joined the 36ers as a short-term replacement for injured forward Jarell Martin, but has performed well enough to prompt the team to try to work out a deal to keep him around after Martin returns. Olgun Uluc of ESPN first reported that the two sides were in talks about a longer-term contract, noting that Adelaide will have to deactivate a local player in order to have both Martin and Harrell active.

Harrell, 30, has 515 regular season NBA appearances under his belt, with career averages of 12.1 points and 5.0 rebounds in 20.5 minutes per contest. He earned Sixth Man of the Year votes for four straight years from 2019-22 with the Clippers, Lakers, Wizards, and Hornets, winning the award as a Clipper in 2020 when he averaged 18.6 PPG and 7.1 RPG in 63 games.

The 6’7″ forward/center spent the 2022/23 season with the Sixers and re-signed with Philadelphia during the 2023 offseason, but suffered a torn ACL and medial meniscus tear shortly after finalizing that contract. That injury, which required surgery, cost him the entire ’23/24 campaign and prompted the 76ers to waive him last October.

Harrell has looked fully recovered during his first few games in Australia though. He has averaged a double-double in his first six games for the 36ers, scoring 15.7 points and grabbing a team-high 10.3 rebounds per contest.

The NBL regular season ends around the time of the NBA trade deadline in February, with the playoffs wrapping up in March. That means – as Scotto tweets – that if Harrell impresses in Adelaide, he’d be a free agent to watch in the late winter or early spring for NBA clubs seeking frontcourt help.

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And-Ones: Neto, Rookie Scale Extensions, 15th Men, More

October 16th, 2024 at 2:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran point guard Raul Neto has signed with Pinheiros Basquete in his home country of Brazil, the team announced in a press release.

Neto, the 47th overall pick in the 2013 draft, made his NBA debut in 2015 and spent eight seasons in the league, appearing in 435 regular season games with four teams. He signed with the Turkish club Fenerbahce during the 2023 offseason, then ruptured the patellar tendon in his right knee while representing Brazil during last year’s World Cup and missed the entire 2023/24 season.

Neto said in a statement that he’s in the “final stages” of his recovery from that knee injury.

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

  • The contracts signed within the past year by Immanuel Quickley (five years, $162.5MM) and Jaden McDaniels (five years, $131MM) are the ones coming up most often in rookie scale extension negotiations this fall, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on his Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link). “Those are two contracts that are being referred to a lot and are looked at as sort of the break-even line for some of these agents,” Windhorst said. “Like, ‘I can’t have my guy get less than Quickly got’ or ‘I can’t have my guy get less than, you know, Devin Vassell,” (who) got a similar contract (five years, $135MM) to McDaniels as well. Those seem to be the ranges that we’re talking about.”
  • Keith Smith of Spotrac takes an interesting, in-depth look at the trend of teams becoming less inclined to fill their 15th roster spot – especially early in the season – and considers the factors that have pushed clubs in that direction.
  • The NBA is expected to update its policy on cell phone and social media use by players and coaches between the start and end of games, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link), who explains what the revised rules will look like and why they’re a priority for the league.
  • Fred Katz of The Athletic runs through some notable preseason developments from around the NBA that have caught his eye, including Isaiah Stewart‘s usage at center for the Pistons, the Timberwolves deploying Donte DiVincenzo as a ball-handler, and Julian Strawther‘s strong preseason for the Nuggets.
  • Diamond Sports Group is asking a judge to approve an agreement that will allow FanDuel to become the new naming sponsor of the Bally Sports networks for the 2024/25 season, reports Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic (Twitter links). The deal, which could become a longer-term arrangement if Diamond Sports exits bankruptcy, would give FanDuel a 5% stake in the company, Vorkunnov adds.
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Skylar Mays Waived By Timberwolves, Close To Signing With Fenerbahce

October 15th, 2024 at 4:43pm CST by Luke Adams

4:43pm: Mays has been waived by Minnesota, the team’s PR department announced (via Twitter). That paves the way for him to sign with Fenerbahce.

8:35am: Timberwolves guard Skylar Mays is close to reaching a deal to join the Turkish club Fenerbahce, according to reports from Eurohoops and Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews. Arale Weisberg of Walla Sport (Twitter link) first reported that Fenerbahce was in talks with Mays.

Fenerbahce is on the lookout for backcourt help after veteran guard Scottie Wilbekin sustained a torn ACL that is expected to sideline him for the entire 2024/25 season.

Although Mays is technically under contract with the Timberwolves for now, he’s on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deal, so the expectation is that he’ll be waived before the regular season tips off. The Iowa Wolves – Minnesota’s G League affiliate – acquired Mays’ returning rights last month, signaling that they hoped to have him on the roster this fall, but the 27-year-old will almost certainly earn more with Fenerbahce than he would in the NBAGL.

The 50th overall pick in the 2020 draft, Mays has appeared in 105 games across four seasons for the Hawks, Trail Blazers, and Lakers. The 6’3″ guard, who played his college ball at LSU, split his time between Portland and L.A. last season, appearing in 38 total NBA games and averaging 4.1 points, 2.2 assists, and 1.1 rebounds in 11.4 minutes per contest. He owns a career shooting line of .445/.345/.859.

Mays was rumored to be considering a move overseas earlier in the offseason — an August report indicated that he was drawing some interest from Olimpia Milano in Italy.

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And-Ones: Harrell, Parity, Projections, Season Previews

October 14th, 2024 at 1:10pm CST by Luke Adams

After reaching a deal in September with the Adelaide 36ers to join the team as a short-term replacement for injured forward Jarell Martin, veteran big man Montrezl Harrell is now in advanced talks with the Australian club to sign a rest-of-season contract that would allow him to stick around after Martin returns, reports Olgun Uluc of ESPN.

According to Uluc, the 36ers and Harrell’s agent have been talking for the past few weeks about a possible full-season deal, and the expectation is that the two sides will get something done. If they do, the 36ers will have to deactivate a local player in order to keep Harrell active.

The NBA’s former Sixth Man of the Year is off to a strong start in Adelaide, averaging a double-double (15.7 points, 10.3 rebounds) during his first five games in Australia’s National Basketball League. While Harrell is interested in returning to the NBA, there’s a sense that’s more likely to happen in February or March after the NBL season ends, Uluc explains.

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

  • When the Celtics won the NBA title in the spring, they became the sixth different team in the last six years to claim a championship. That’s just the second time in league history that has happened, according to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic, who takes a closer look at the current era of NBA parity, exploring why it happened and what it means going forward.
  • John Hollinger of The Athletic previews the season for the seven teams he projects to finish at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, from the Wizards at No. 15 to the Hawks at No. 9. Using his BORD$ formula, Hollinger forecasts just 14 wins for Washington, seven fewer than any other team in the conference. He also has the Pistons moving up to 11th place, with the Raptors claiming the second play-in spot at No. 10.
  • Zach Kram of The Ringer previews the coming season by sharing one defining statistic for all 30 teams, such as 23.4 for the Thunder (the average age of their roster) and 31.2 for the Nuggets (their three-point attempts per game last season, last in the NBA).
  • Tim Bontemps of ESPN identifies 10 individuals who will help define the 2024/25 season, ranging from players like Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns to front office executives such as Calvin Booth of the Nuggets and Mike Dunleavy Jr. of the Warriors. Bontemps’ list also includes a top prospect (Cooper Flagg), an analyst (Charles Barkley), and a head coach (J.J. Redick), among others.
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Duane Washington Rejoins KK Partizan

October 14th, 2024 at 10:16am CST by Luke Adams

As expected, free agent guard Duane Washington has returned to KK Partizan, the Serbian team he signed with over the offseason, according to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. Askounis reports that Washington has completed the paperwork necessary to be re-added to Partizan’s roster.

After finishing last season with the Knicks, Washington agreed to sign with Partizan in July; the Belgrade-based club later confirmed the deal in August. However, the Knicks – who still held Washington’s Early Bird rights – required him as a sign-and-trade asset for salary-matching purposes in their trade for Karl-Anthony Towns.

Partizan Belgrade received a buyout in exchange for allowing Washington out of his contract, while the 24-year-old secured a $2.16MM guaranteed salary from the Hornets for his involvement in the Towns trade. He spent a week with Charlotte, then was waived last Wednesday, clearing the way for him to rejoin Partizan.

Washington has suited up a pair of Partizan’s domestic matchups so far this season, but wasn’t available to play in either of the team’s first two EuroLeague contests. While Partizan has a 4-0 record in ABA League play, the club has lost its first two EuroLeague games, so Washington’s return will be a welcome one. Partizan will face Bayern Munich and Maccabi Tel Aviv in EuroLeague play this week.

Washington has appeared in a total of 79 NBA contests for the Pacers and Suns (he didn’t see any game action for the Knicks), averaging 9.1 points, 1.9 assists, and 1.5 rebounds in 17.2 minutes per night while shooting .391/.371/.729.

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International Notes: Osman, Lee, Loyd, S. Johnson

October 13th, 2024 at 9:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Cedi Osman, who returned to Europe this summer after seven NBA seasons, said in an interview with Giorgos Adamopoulos of Eurohoops that he’s not convinced his NBA career is finished. The 29-year-old forward signed a one-year contract with Panathinaikos, and he wants to have a strong season with the Greek team before considering his basketball future.

“I do not think it is over for me, but you never know what happens,” Osman said. “I am fully committed to Panathinaikos right now and I really want to win EuroLeague with this team. We have a great team, a very talented team that I believe can go for the back-to-back and I want to win all the cups that we can. I want to achieve everything here. So, that is why I am happy to be here and I am excited and hopefully it is going to be a great year for us.”

There were rumors during the summer that Osman was close to joining Real Madrid, but he dismissed those talks as “nothing serious.” He also discussed the adjustment of getting used to the EuroLeague style of play again and the experience of playing alongside LeBron James in Cleveland and Victor Wembanyama in San Antonio.

“He is great. He is unbelievable,” Osman said of Wembanyama. “In one or two years, he will probably be the face of the NBA. That is what I think. He is a talented kid that we have never seen before.”

There’s more international news to pass along:

  • Saben Lee has a new two-year contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv after reaching a buyout agreement with Turkey’s Manisa Basket, the Israeli team announced on its website. Lee, who appeared in 24 games with the Suns last season, made a splash by scoring 36 and 43 points in his first two games with Manisa. “I’m excited to join such a historic club and looking forward to this season,” Lee said. “I hope we can win many games and bring pride to the fans. I’m grateful for the opportunity and want to thank the management, coaching staff, and everyone who had a hand in me getting to wear Maccabi’s uniform. Let’s go Maccabi, I can’t wait to get to work.”
  • Jordan Loyd, who left Maccabi Tel Aviv due to concerns about the war in Israel, has signed a two-year deal with AS Monaco, according to Eurohoops. The 31-year-old point guard has played for numerous teams since leaving the NBA, but he has a fondness for Monaco, where he was named MVP of the LNB Finals in 2023.
  • Former NBA forward Stanley Johnson, who now plays for Anadolu Efes, wasn’t injured when two shots were fired through the window of his apartment in Istanbul, BasketNews reports. Police are searching for the suspects.
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And-Ones: Preseason, Abu Dhabi, China, Nakase

October 11th, 2024 at 11:19pm CST by Rory Maher

Unlike the regular season schedule, which is entirely controlled by the NBA, teams around the league dictate their own schedules for preseason, as Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic details.

“It is a fascinating, not well-known part of the NBA ecosystem,” said Warriors chief revenue officer John Beaven. “We’re pretty pleased that control has remained with us. We lean into it. I think there’s some teams that probably do it to check the box.”

One exception is when international teams — like the New Zealand Breakers — come to North America to participate in preseason. NBA teams actually pay those clubs, and the league gets involved to figure out broadcasting rights.

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

  • Speaking of the preseason, the NBA canceled Friday’s contest in Orlando between the Magic and Pelicans due to Hurricane Milton, the Magic announced (via Twitter). The game will not be rescheduled.
  • The Celtics and Nuggets were eager to travel to Abu Dhabi for the NBA’s third consecutive preseason in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, writes Tania Ganguli of The New York Times. The league says it’s focused on growing the sport globally, but it has drawn criticism from human rights groups for partnering with the UAE, China and Rwanda.
  • Commissioner Adam Silver believes the NBA will return to China in the future, according to Vorkunov. The league hasn’t played a game in the country since then-Rockets GM Daryl Morey sent out a tweet in support of freedom for Hong Kong in 2019. “I think we will bring back games to China at some point,” Silver said Thursday at a sports management conference at Columbia University. “We had a well-known incident there pre-pandemic with a tweet and China’s government took us off the air for a period of time. We accepted that. We stood by our values.”
  • Former Clippers assistant Natalie Nakase has been named head coach of the WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries, the team announced in a press release. Nakase has spent the past three season as the top assistant for the Las Vegas Aces. “Being named the head coach of the Golden State Valkyries is a lifelong dream come true,” said Nakase. “I am thankful to Joe Lacob, Ohemaa Nyanin and the Golden State front office for entrusting me with this responsibility. We are committed to building a winning culture of grit, hard work, and competitiveness. We will strive to improve, compete, and ultimately bring home a championship for our fans and this organization.”
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Troy Brown Jr. Signs With Turkish Club

October 11th, 2024 at 8:15am CST by Tristan Tucker

Former NBA wing Troy Brown Jr. is heading overseas for the first time in his career, landing with Turkish club Manisa Basket, according to an announcement from the team (Twitter link).

Brown evolved into an effective role player after being selected with the No. 15 overall pick in the 2018 draft by the Wizards. He spent six seasons in the league with five different teams, including Washington, the Bulls, the Lakers, the Timberwolves and, most recently, the Pistons.

Brown holds career averages of 6.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game on a .423/.351/.783 shooting line. The 25-year-old had his most productive season in 2019/20, averaging 10.4 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 2.6 APG and making 22 starts.

Brown had a resurgent year in ’22/23 after signing with the Lakers, as he averaged 7.1 PPG and 4.1 RPG while making 45 starts on a team that wound up in the Western Conference Finals. However, last offseason, he signed with the Wolves and didn’t become a rotation staple. He was then traded to the Pistons at the February deadline and wasn’t retained after the season.

The Oregon product is now taking his talents to Manisa, a club that just lost Javon Freeman-Liberty to the NBA and may not have Saben Lee for long.

Manisa is competing in the Basketball Champions League for the first time this season after posting a 16-14 domestic record last year.

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NBA Free Agents Who Signed With International Teams

October 9th, 2024 at 3:48pm CST by Luke Adams

With dozens of new players entering the NBA every season as part of that year’s rookie class, there aren’t enough roster spots to go around for all of the veterans who become free agents in a given offseason.

Some of those vets left on the outside looking in will retire. But many of the NBA’s job-seeking free agents wind up accepting opportunities in other parts of the world, signing with a team that competes in one of the many professional basketball leagues in Europe, Asia, Australia, or South America.

Listed below are the players who finished last season on an NBA roster and have since signed contracts overseas with non-NBA (and non-G-League) clubs.

Since this list is focused exclusively on players who finished the 2023/24 season under contract with an NBA team, there are some notable names who made the move overseas in recent months but aren’t included. For instance, Furkan Korkmaz spent six-and-a-half seasons in the league before being waived by the Pacers in February. He didn’t find work in the NBA for the remainder of the ’23/24 campaign, then opted to join AS Monaco this offseason.

Here are the 2024 NBA free agents who signed with international clubs this offseason, listed alongside the NBA team with whom they finished last season:

Australia

Belgium

China

France

Greece

Israel

Italy

Japan

Montenegro

Russia

Serbia

Spain

Turkey

United Arab Emirates

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International Notes: Freeman-Liberty, Lee, Hernandez, Mason

October 7th, 2024 at 9:33am CST by Luke Adams

Former Raptors guard Javon Freeman-Liberty, who signed with Manisa Basket this offseason, is leaving the Turkish club, according to Ismail Senol of beIN Sports (Twitter link). Interestingly, Senol says that Freeman-Liberty is headed to the NBA.

It’s unclear which NBA team Freeman-Liberty is joining or what sort of contract he’ll sign. Presumably, he would’ve had the opportunity to accept non-guaranteed camp invitations before signing in Turkey, so perhaps he received an offer to fill a team’s two-way spot. It’s also possible the 6’4″ guard didn’t warm to his first overseas opportunity and decided he’d prefer to return to the G League. We should find out soon.

Freeman-Liberty was on a two-way contract with the Raptors for most of the 2023/24 campaign before being promoted to the standard roster on March 1. The 24-year-old appeared in 22 games at the NBA level with Toronto, averaging 7.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 18.3 minutes per night. He put up much bigger numbers with the Raptors 905 in the NBAGL, including 24.0 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 4.2 APG, and a shooting line of .470/.360/.825 in 26 Showcase Cup and regular season outings.

Here are more updates from around the international basketball world:

  • Saben Lee, Freeman-Liberty’s teammate with Manisa Basket, is also reportedly leaving the club. Sources tell Aris Barkas of Eurohoops that the former NBA guard has agreed to sign with the Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv, who will pay a $150K buyout to Manisa. The 38th overall pick in the 2020 draft, Lee had spent the past four seasons playing for the Pistons, Sixers, and Suns. The 6’2″ guard finished last season on a two-way contract with Phoenix and appeared in 24 NBA games for the Suns.
  • Former Raptors big man Dewan Hernandez, a 2019 second-round pick, has signed with Promitheas Patras, the Greek team announced in a press release. Hernandez, who played his college ball for the Miami Hurricanes, appeared in just six NBA games for the Raptors and has bounced around non-NBA league since then, spending time in the G League, Israel, Puerto Rico, South Korea, and China.
  • Former NBA guard Frank Mason, who played 103 games for Sacramento, Milwaukee, and Orlando from 2017-21, has joined the Fujian Sturgeons in the Chinese Basketball Association, Dario Skerletic of Sportando relays. It’ll be Mason’s second season playing overseas — the 2020 G League MVP spent the 2023/24 campaign with SLUC Nancy Basket in France.
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