Joe Ingles Signs Two-Year Contract With Melbourne United
Longtime NBA forward Joe Ingles has officially signed a two-year contract with Melbourne United, the team announced in a press release.
It’s a homecoming for the Australian veteran, who was born in Adelaide and played high school ball in Canberra. The 38-year-old was a member of the now-defunct South Dragons in Melbourne from 2006-09 before going undrafted in ’09. Ingles spent the next several years competing in Spain and Israel, then eventually made the move to the NBA in 2014.
The 6’8″ forward has been stateside for the past 12 seasons, but after playing big minutes in Utah earlier in his career, he has essentially just been a locker room leader for the last couple years in Minnesota. Since joining the Timberwolves in the summer of 2024, Ingles only made 46 regular season appearances and played 267 total minutes (5.8 per game), primarily in garbage time.
ESPN’s Olgun Uluc reported at the start of April that Ingles was interested in continuing his career with another Melbourne-based team, with the South East Melbourne Phoenix being the other National Basketball League club located in the city. Uluc reported at the end of last month that Ingles would be signing with the United.
“Coming home to Melbourne feels incredibly special,” Ingles said in a statement. “To return to where my professional career began almost 20 years ago is something I don’t take for granted. So much has happened since then, but Melbourne has always felt like home.
“… From a basketball perspective, this opportunity really excited me. I still love competing, I still love the game, and I believe I can genuinely help this group win.”
Ingles has represented Australia for many years on the international stage, playing in four FIBA World Cups and five Olympics. He helped the Boomers win their first ever Olympic medal (bronze) at the 2020 games in Tokyo.
In 750 regular season games (23.5 minutes per contest) with the Jazz, Bucks, Magic and Wolves, Ingles averaged 7.7 points, 3.5 assists and 3.0 rebounds while shooting 40.9% from three-point range. He was a solid defender and play-maker in his prime on top of being an excellent three-point shooter.
Dubai Basketball Expresses Interest In Guerschon Yabusele
Dubai Basketball is “very interested” in signing Guerschon Yabusele if he decides to resume playing overseas, according to Oscar Herreros (Twitter link; hat tip to Sportando).
The French forward is expected to have plenty of EuroLeague interest this summer after spending the past two seasons in the NBA. He declined his 2026/27 player option in February to help facilitate a trade from the Knicks to the Bulls. He said last month that he’s hoping to extend his NBA career, but he might have better options in Europe.
Yabusele spent two unproductive years in Boston after being selected with the 16th pick in the 2016 draft, but he blossomed into a star in Europe and had his best seasons with Real Madrid. He caught the attention of NBA scouts and executives with an outstanding showing for France in the 2024 Olympics and chose Philadelphia out of several NBA offers.
Yabusele showed promise during his return to the league with the Sixers in 2024/25 and signed a multiyear deal with the Knicks last summer. However, he couldn’t duplicate that performance in New York and wound up out of the rotation, averaging just 8.9 minutes in 41 games. He got a bit of a revival with a trade to Chicago at the deadline and finished the season strong, starting 19 of the 26 games he played for the Bulls and averaging 10.0 points and 5.7 rebounds in 24.7 minutes per night while shooting 38.3% from three-point range.
At age 30, Yabusele faces an uncertain NBA future, especially with the changes in Chicago’s front office. Although he plans to explore his NBA opportunities, a return to Europe may wind up being more profitable.
Dubai made its EuroLeague debut last season with a roster that featured several ex-NBA players, and the franchise continues to be aggressive in its pursuit of high-level talent. Former NBA big man Mamadi Diakite is also rumored to be considering a deal with Dubai.
Omer Yurtseven Nearing Agreement With Real Madrid
Omer Yurtseven is in “advanced talks” to join Real Madrid for the rest of the season, sources tell Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews. Yurtseven won’t be eligible for EuroLeague competition, but he’ll strengthen the team’s frontcourt going into the Spanish League playoffs.
The 27-year-old big man has four years of NBA experience, including nine games this season with the Warriors after signing a pair of 10-day contracts in March. Yurtseven filled a backup role for Golden State, averaging 3.8 points and 3.3 rebounds in 11.6 minutes per night.
Yurtseven had spent most of the past two years overseas playing for Panathinaikos, but he parted ways with the Greek team in February. He signed a G League deal and spent time with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers before getting the opportunity with the Warriors.
Yurtseven began his NBA career with Miami in 2021 and appeared in 65 games over two seasons. He also played 48 games for Utah during the 2023/24 season.
Urbonas states that Real Madrid needs reinforcements after losing former NBA centers Edy Tavares and Alex Len to injuries. Ex-NBA player Usman Garuba is currently the only big man in the lineup.
Former First-Rounder Sam Dekker Transitioning To Coaching
Former NBA first-round pick Sam Dekker has been named an assistant men’s basketball coach at the University of South Carolina, the school announced in a press release. The 32-year-old will work under head coach Lamont Harris, who was an assistant at Wisconsin during Dekker’s time with the Badgers.
While Dekker will be involved in all aspects of coaching for the Gamecocks, his focus will be on-court player development.
“I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of Gamecock basketball,” said Dekker. “I’m so grateful to Coach Paris for trusting me with this role, and I take it very seriously. The decision to transition from player to coach is not one I took lightly, but joining Coach Paris and this program was a dream opportunity.
“I am thrilled to return to the college game and compete at such a high level in the SEC. My 11 years as a pro have provided so many experiences with amazing players, coaches and styles. Some of my best memories as a player were competing in two Final Fours with Coach Paris, and I look forward to doing that with him again. My goal is to win in March and give our players the best opportunity for success on and off the court.”
The 18th overall pick in the 2015 draft, Dekker spent his entire rookie scale contract (four years) in the NBA but didn’t find a ton of success. He was traded multiple times in those four seasons and spent a couple years in Russia and Turkey before catching on with the Raptors in the 2021 offseason.
The 6’9″ forward only spent a few months with Toronto, having been waived at the start of the 2021/22 campaign after making one brief appearance with the team. He has spent the past five seasons playing professionally in Turkey, England and — most recently — Spain.
Dekker was a productive international player as recently as 2024/25, but his numbers fell off considerably last season the Spanish club Joventut. The former Badgers star averaged 5.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 15.4 minutes per game across 201 NBA appearances.
And-Ones: Fertitta, WNBA, Cotton, Refs, Diakite
The WNBA’s and NBA’s Board of Governors have approved the sale of the Connecticut Sun to Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta, according to Doug Feinberg of The Associated Press.
While the Sun will finish the current season in Connecticut, the plan for 2027 is for the franchise to relocate to Houston, where the team is expected to be rebranded as the Comets. The original iteration of the Houston Comets competed in the WNBA from 1997-2008 before folding.
According to Alexa Philippou of ESPN (Twitter link), the Comets won’t have a standalone practice facility in Houston. The plan is for the team to practice at Toyota Center, which is in the process of undergoing a $180MM renovation project in order to update its infrastructure. The Comets will share the building with the Rockets.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- American-born guard Bryce Cotton, a six-time MVP in Australia’s National Basketball League, will suit up for the Australian national team during July’s World Cup qualifiers after becoming a citizen last September, reports ESPN’s Olgun Uluc. In a separate story for ESPN, Uluc examines how Cotton’s eligibility will impact the Boomers going forward, noting that the team can’t have more than one naturalized player on its roster in the World Cup or Olympics. That means either Cotton or Matisse Thybulle would be an odd man out.
- The National Basketball Players Association announced the findings of its annual referee player survey on Wednesday, dividing the league’s officials into three tiers based on player feedback. The 26 referees in the first tier are considered “elite and top performers,” while the 27 in the second tier are viewed as “solid performers.” The 20 in the third tier fall under the heading “needs improvement.”
- On the heels of a strong EuroLeague season with Baskonia in Spain, former NBA big man Mamadi Diakite is believed be nearing a deal with Dubai Basketball, according to a report from BasketNews.com. Diakite, 29, appeared in a total of 55 NBA regular season games for Milwaukee, Oklahoma City, Cleveland, San Antonio, and New York from 2021-24.
- The NBA announced tentative schedules for the conference finals on Wednesday, as Adam Zagoria of NJ.com relays (via Twitter). The Eastern Conference finals will begin on either Sunday or Tuesday, depending on whether the Cavaliers and Pistons require a Game 7, while the Western finals will tip off on either Monday or Wednesday, pending the results of Friday’s Game 6 between the Spurs and Timberwolves. The Knicks and Thunder await the winners of those conference semifinals.
And-Ones: Karaban, Draft Combine, FA Rankings, Magnay, Dowtin
UConn senior forward Alex Karaban is among the players who have made a strong impression at the NBA’s draft combine this week, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Woo and Jeff Borzello.
Karaban entered the combine ranked as the No. 32 prospect on ESPN’s board. He was the best shooter during Monday’s drills and improved his standing vertical leap by 5.5 inches since his appearance at the 2024 combine.
Baylor guard Cameron Carr, Michigan forward Morez Johnson and Houston center Chris Cenac have also stood out at the combine, per Woo and Borzello. On the flip side, poor shooting by Arizona forward Koa Peat could lead him to consider withdrawing his name despite being ranked as a first-rounder entering this week.
Here’s more from around the international basketball world:
- LeBron James, Jalen Duren and Austin Reaves head the list of free agents – and potential free agents – compiled by the Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus. Overall, Pincus ranks 66 possible free agents as well as throwing in some honorable mentions.
- The Tasmania JackJumpers have signed Will Magnay to a two-year deal, according to a team press release. The second year is a team option, ESPN’s Olgun Uluc tweets. Magnay is a four-time club Defensive Player of the Year, and has the club’s all-time highest rebounds at 532, and all-time highest blocks at 150. Magnay appeared in one game with New Orleans during the 2020/21 season.
- Maccabi Tel Aviv and former NBA guard Jeff Dowtin have parted ways, the Israeli club tweets. Dowtin, 29, has played 87 games in the NBA, including 41 with Philadelphia during the 2024/25 season.
Draft Notes: Dybantsa, Lewis, G League Combine, Mock
Many mock drafts seem to suggest BYU forward AJ Dybantsa has become the frontrunner to be selected No. 1 overall in the 2026 NBA draft. The 19-year-old says the market size of the team that picks him isn’t important, according to Jason Jones of The Athletic.
Dybantsa noted that he’s from Brockton, Massachusetts, a city with a population of 106,000, and played his college ball in Provo, Utah, which has approximately 115,000 residents.
“When it came down to BYU, I just wanted to create my own paths, and I thought that BYU was just the right choice from a coaching standpoint, from just helping me be a better person, better player,” Dybantsa said. “It wasn’t really about the market size. Everything’s that’s coming, when it comes to marketing, comes if I do me on the court.”
Here are a few more notes on the 2026 draft:
- International prospect Malique Lewis didn’t receive medical clearance to participate in the G League combine due to a preexisting heart condition, agent Omar Samham told Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (Twitter links). Lewis, a 6’8″ forward from Trinidad and Tobago, has spent the last two seasons with South East Melbourne Phoenix in Australasia’s National Basketball League. According to Givony, the 21-year-old’s condition has been known for years — he has previously gained clearance to play in Spain, the G League (with the Mexico City Capitanes) and the NBL. Lewis, who participated in the 2024 and 2025 G League combines, is optimistic he’ll be cleared for future events, Givony adds.
- USC forward Jacob Cofie, Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn, and Israeli guard Noam Yaacov were among the standouts of Game 1 of the G League combine scrimmages, according to Givony and his DraftExpress colleague Jon Chepkevich (Twitter links).
- Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports has updated his 2026 mock draft, which sees Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer, Caleb Wilson, Darryn Peterson and Darius Acuff go in the top five, in that order. O’Connor seems a little higher than consensus on certain prospects (Dailyn Swain at No. 12, Allen Graves at No. 16) while being lower on others (Hannes Steinbach at No. 22, Jayden Quaintance at No. 29).
Nigerian National Team Hires David Fizdale As New Coach
Former NBA coach David Fizdale, who is currently an analyst for NBA TV, is the new head coach of Nigeria’s men’s national team, he tells Marc J. Spears of ESPN Andscape.
The 51-year-old will be looking to lead the Nigerians to the 2028 Olympic games in Fizdale’s hometown of Los Angeles.
“It will be fun and exciting calling timeouts and drawing plays up again as a head coach,” Fizdale told ESPN Andscape in a phone interview. “It will be good to get back in that mindset of preparation and motivation. That is going to be fun and exciting as well. But the biggest fact is the nostalgia and what is driving me to get to L.A. What is driving me the most is helping Nigeria not only qualify and medal, but to do that in front of my family. That would be the most special thing.”
Fizdale spent several years as an assistant in Miami prior to landing his first head coaching job with Memphis. He also had a stint as head coach of New York. Overall, Fizdale compiled a 71-134 (.346 win percentage) regular season record across parts of four seasons with the Grizzlies and Knicks from 2016-19. His most recent coaching job came as the top assistant in Phoenix from 2023-25.
According to Fizdale, current Knicks head coach Mike Brown — who previously led Nigeria’s national team — helped convince him to take the job. Nigeria will play in the African qualifiers for the 2027 FIBA World Cup in early July, Spears notes.
If the Nigerian national team is able to qualify for the 2027 World Cup or 2028 Olympics, the roster could be loaded with NBA talent. A source tells Spears that Desmond Bane, OG Anunoby, Onyeka Okongwu, Gabe Vincent, Mark Williams, Zeke Nnaji, Precious Achiuwa, Josh Okogie, Adem Bona and Isaac Okoro are among the candidates to potentially suit up for those events.
Latest On NBA Europe
There continues to be ongoing dialogue between the NBA and EuroLeague about the NBA’s proposed European league, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. However, the two sides are still working through the details of what a potential partnership might look like.
According to Vardon, new EuroLeague CEO Chus Bueno — a former NBA executive — will meet this week in Barcelona with George Aivazoglou, the NBA’s day-to-day leader of the project. Aivazoglou’s title with the NBA is managing director of Europe and the Middle East.
As Vardon details, the NBA has sought the money, fan bases, infrastructure and “local gravity” of European football (soccer) giants for NBA Europe, but those teams don’t view the situation as being on even footing in negotiations.
“The clubs are still of the mind that the NBA needs them much more than the clubs need the NBA,” one source familiar with the talks told The Athletic. “Half these clubs don’t really need a basketball team. If you really challenge them, I think they would love to have one in many ways but it’s not a necessity.”
Still, Vardon points out that some of those clubs could be incentivized to “play ball” if they hope to eventually own NBA teams in the future. Sovereign or public wealth funds are currently limited to minority ownership stakes in NBA clubs, Vardon notes, but it’s possible that could change down the line, especially if the board of governors and league office support the idea.
Vardon describes the current situation as “tense,” since both sides are trying to find a middle ground in several areas. While the NBA would like all of the current EuroLeague teams to be involved in NBA Europe, the NBA is also insisting license holders pay a sliding-scale fee based on market size on top of seeking infrastructure improvements, Vardon reports.
“Why should one pay less or more than the other — there should be some coherence around the valuations,” a representative for a potential NBA Europe team said.
Some of the European soccer giants have also floated the idea paying of NBA teams to essentially rent their star players for a period of time, like the transfer system. The NBA viewed that concept as a nonstarter, however.
“This is not something (the NBA is) currently entertaining or considering,” a source familiar with the negotiations told Vardon.
Regardless of how the talks play out, Vardon still hears Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund will likely own one of NBA Europe’s licensed teams, with London as the market.
And-Ones: Cuban, CEBL, Tanking, 2026 Draft
Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban has made an investment in a Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) team. The Brampton Honey Badgers announced on Thursday that Cuban has joined the club’s ownership group. Former Mavs executive Al Whitley currently serves as the Honey Badgers’ CEO.
“I am thrilled that Mark has decided to formally join me on this journey after having already helped along the way, including introducing me to our current CEO Al Whitley,” team owner Leonard Asper said in a statement. “No one brings more basketball knowledge and winning culture than Mark, and all of us at the Honey Badgers are honored to have him join this organization.”
The CEBL, which began play in 2019, features 10 teams across six Canadian provinces. There has been no shortage of players with NBA experience competing in the league in recent years. During the 2025 season, four of the CEBL’s top five scorers – Javonte Smart, Mitch Creek, Donovan Williams, and Terquavion Smith – were players who have appeared in NBA games.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Only about 28% of the players polled by The Athletic don’t view tanking as a problem for the NBA, according to Joe Vardon, Sam Amick, and Josh Robbins, with the other 72% viewing it as either a “big” or “little” issue. “I’m salty on this one, I think the league needs to do something about it,” one player said. The Athletic’s reporters also relayed players’ thoughts on whether the NBA’s integrity is in any real danger (75% said no) and what changes they would make if they were running the league. Reducing the amount of regular season games and eliminating back-to-backs were among the top responses to that last question, along with tweaking rules to favor defense and expanding the league beyond 30 teams.
- Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report has updated his 2026 mock draft ahead of the upcoming lottery, with no major surprises among the first few picks. Notably, Arizona’s Brayden Burries has moved into Wasserman’s top 10 along with the usual suspects after UConn’s Braylon Mullins opted not to go pro.
- Jeremy Woo of ESPN previews this Sunday’s draft lottery by breaking down each team’s odds for the No. 1 pick and a top-four selection, from the Wizards to the Hornets, and outlining the prospects who would best fit each of those clubs.