International Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Jaylen Nowell Joining Chinese Team

June 10th, 2025 at 10:41am CST by Luke Adams

Jaylen Nowell is heading to China, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando, who reports that the free agent guard has signed with the Shanxi Loongs. Nowell republished a social media post announcing the news on his Instagram account.

A second-round pick in the 2019 draft, Nowell spent his first four NBA seasons in Minnesota, where he played a regular rotation role and averaged 9.1 points in 17.0 minutes per game on .447/.322/.798 shooting across 184 outings.

However, Nowell wasn’t retained by the Timberwolves during the 2023 offseason and has bounced around the NBA and the G League since then, spending time with the Grizzlies, Pistons, and Pelicans, as well as the Stockton Kings and Capital City Go-Go. He has put up big numbers at the NBAGL level, including averaging 24.7 PPG with a .527/.479/.900 shooting line this past season for the Go-Go, but has seen action in just 21 total NBA games since departing Minnesota.

Nowell, who will turn 26 next month, was on an NBA roster as recently as February, when he signed a 10-day contract with the Wizards, but he didn’t play at all during that brief stint with the club.

Shanxi featured multiple former NBA players this past season, with Brandon Goodwin and Hamidou Diallo leading the club in scoring while Harry Giles also played a modest role. The Loongs ranked second among 20 Chinese Basketball Association teams in the regular season standings with a 34-12 record, but fell in the playoff semifinals to the Beijing Ducks.

Eastern Notes: Yabusele, Sixers Arena, Hawks, Mazzulla

June 9th, 2025 at 9:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Guerschon Yabusele is “excited” to see how his free agency plays out and plans to remain in the NBA, he told Cyro Asseo de Choch of Hoops Hype. The Sixers big man was one of the few bright spots for the franchise this season after playing in Europe from 2020-24. He posted averages of 11.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 27.1 minutes per game while appearing in 70 contests.

He’ll be an unrestricted free agent after playing for the veteran’s minimum.

“We will see those options also with the upcoming summer when we’re going to know a little bit what’s going on,” he said. “I know the Sixers are going to look change some pieces in the roster, so you have to wait also to see what’s gonna happen but the draft’s gonna set everything pretty much for every team to know where they’re going with the trades and stuff like that.

“I guess we’ll see soon, but I’m pretty excited. It’s going to be my first time really enjoying free agency, especially in the NBA. I’m pretty excited just to hear the offers, to see what’s going on, to see the movement. This summer is going to have a lot of movement on every team, so to be able to be part of that is just amazing.”

We have more from the Eastern Conference:

The Sixers and Comcast Spectacor have selected an architecture firm to design their new arena, according to Jake Blumgart of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Populous, a global arena design firm, will craft the plans for the new South Philadelphia structure. It’s scheduled to open in 2031, replacing the Wells Fargo Center.
Asa Newell (Georgia), Clifford Omoruyi (Alabama), Will Richard (Florida) and Jase Richardson (Michigan State) were among the players who worked out for the Hawks on Monday, Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. Richardson and Newell are considered first-round talents. They are currently ranked No. 20 and 21, respectively, on ESPN’s Best Available list. The Hawks hold the No. 13 and 22 picks in the first round.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has been spotted in Turkey on an apparent scouting mission, Chema de Lucas tweets. Mazzulla could be there to take a look at Euroleague star Nigel Hayes-Davis, who plays for Fenerbahçe and has drawn interest from Boston in the past. Hayes-Davis had a brief stay in the NBA in 2017/18, playing nine games for three teams.

International Notes: James, Vezenkov, Olympiacos, Fournier

June 9th, 2025 at 10:07am CST by Arthur Hill

One of the EuroLeague’s top players could be on the move this summer, according to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews. Urbonas reports that Mike James, the league MVP last season, is exploring his options after AS Monaco suspended him prior to the start of the French League playoffs.

Sources tell Urbonas that James strongly disagrees with the reasons for the suspension, and the EuroLeague Players Association has gotten involved. Urbonas adds that French media outlet L’Equipe has reported that James was linked to an incident at a restaurant that resulted in police being called. Urbonas’ sources say James contends he didn’t do anything wrong and he believes the team imposed the disciplinary action without proper evidence.

James’ contract with AS Monaco runs through 2027, but sources tell Urbonas that he might have legal options to terminate it. Urbonas hears that James will meet team officials later today to try to resolve the situation.

Urbonas notes that James would become an extremely sought-after free agent if he’s able to break his current deal. He averaged 15.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game this season while leading Monaco to the EuroLeague title game first the first time in club history.

There’s more international news to pass along:

Former NBA forward Sasha Vezenkov of Olympiacos was named MVP of the Greek Finals even though he had to leave the last game with an injured right ankle late in the first half, according to Eurohoops. Vezenkov, who played for Sacramento last season, averaged 15.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game during the series. “It’s a sprain,” he told Greek public television outlet ERT after the game. “But I don’t care about the injury right now. I am very happy for my team.”
Five players with NBA ties could be leaving Olympiacos, per Konstantinos Melayess of Sport 24 in Greece. He states that Moses Wright and Nigel Williams-Goss are headed to Zalgiris Kaunas, while Nikola Milutinov is expected to sign with Olimpia Milano. Naz Mitrou-Long and Luca Vildoza are also expected to wind up elsewhere, although their destinations are still uncertain.
Former NBA guard Evan Fournier, now with Olympiacos, set off a controversy by making an obscene gesture toward the Panathinaikos crowd during Game 3 of the series, according to BasketNews. “Congratulations for what happened on the court. They deserved it, they played better in the last two games,” Panathinaikos head coach Ergin Ataman said after the series concluded. “Off the court, I won’t speak — with respect to all players, except for one.”

International Notes: Rubio, Abrines, Flynn, Anderson

June 8th, 2025 at 10:53pm CST by Eli Cohen

Ricky Rubio has clarified that his somewhat enigmatic social media post last week was not a retirement message, writes Cesare Milanti of Eurohoops.net.

“This isn’t a farewell. It’s simply a thank you. It comes from my year of reflection, and I wanted to do something that’s rarely done: to thank those who have been or are important to you. But it has no other message,” Rubio said.

However, just because the posts weren’t specifically intended as a farewell, that doesn’t mean he’s officially coming back.

“Everything is open. I might play again – why not? – or I might not, and that wouldn’t be a bad idea either,” Rubio said. “It’s something I’d like to consider in the near future. For now, I just wanted to say thank you and also see how it affects me as a person, and if it gives me energy to move in one direction or another.”

Rubio ended his NBA career in January 2024 and returned to his home country of Spain, where he finished the season with Barcelona. He didn’t play for Barcelona this season after taking a hiatus for mental health reasons.

We have more from around the world of European hoops:

Former Thunder wing Alex Abrines is seriously considering retirement, reports Eurohoops (via Twitter). The 31-year-old current captain of Barcelona played 17.6 minutes per game this season in EuroLeague play while averaging 4.6 points per contest.
Malachi Flynn is in advanced talks with the Turkish team Bahcesehir, reports Sport24 via Sportando. The former first-round pick, who had a 50-point game for the Pistons last season, could be closing in on a deal approaching $1MM after making just four appearances for Charlotte this season.
Dubai BC is gearing up to make a serious offer for Justin Anderson, reports Chema de Lucas (via Twitter). Anderson, who played 242 NBA games from 2015 to 2022, has spent the past two seasons in the Liga ACB. He averaged 6.9 points in 19 minutes per night during Barcelona’s EuroLeague play this season. As Dubai seeks to improve its roster, Anderson looks to be one of the club’s top targets.

Trail Blazers Adding Splitter, St. Andrews To Coaching Staff

June 7th, 2025 at 6:37pm CST by Arthur Hill

Tiago Splitter and Patrick St. Andrews are joining the Trail Blazers‘ coaching staff as assistants to Chauncey Billups, multiple sources tell Danny Marang of 1080 The Fan in Portland (Twitter link). Splitter’s return to the NBA was first reported by international basketball writer Chema de Lucas (Twitter link).

After retiring as a player, Splitter began his coaching career in 2019, spending four seasons as an assistant with Brooklyn and one with Houston before being named head coach of Paris Basketball last summer. He also serves as an assistant with the Brazilian national team.

St. Andrews is a former assistant in Memphis who lost his job when Taylor Jenkins was fired in late March. St. Andrews became an assistant with Atlanta in 2017, then spent five years in Milwaukee before joining the Grizzlies. He was one of just two assistants who were retained when Jenkins’ coaching staff was revamped last summer.

Splitter and St. Andrews will reportedly be joining Kings G League coach Quinton Crawford, who was rumored last week to be an upcoming addition to Billups’ staff.

And-Ones: Silver, Gasol, Burke, Nunn

June 6th, 2025 at 10:00pm CST by Eli Cohen

Commissioner Adam Silver says the NBA’s efforts to launch a new league in Europe with the help of the FIBA governing organization are ongoing, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.

Given the massive amount of logistics required by leagues on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean to make this dream a reality, Silver warns that nothing is imminent, but that doesn’t mean progress isn’t happening.

“We’re at least a couple years away from launching,” Silver says. “It would be an enormous undertaking. And while we want to move forward at a deliberate pace, we also want to make sure that we’re consulting with all the appropriate stakeholders, meaning the existing league, its teams, European players, media companies, marketing partners.”

The goal is for the new league to feature 16 teams, and Silver said that the NBA has been in touch with the EuroLeague and specific teams within it for partnerships. Silver says there’s a desire for some amount of collaboration with the existing league, and that the 2028 Olympics will be a good measuring stick for progress.

“That might be a good launching pad for an announcement around a new competition,” he teased. But, in the end, patience is going to be the most important thing. “There’s a lot of work to be done.”

We have more from around the world of hoops:

As someone with a wealth of experience in both the NBA and EuroLeague, Pau Gasol is intrigued by the idea of the NBA expanding into Europe, writes the Eurohoops team. Like Silver, he understands it’ll be a lengthy process, but expressed cautious excitement about what such a collaboration could offer. “I see an initiative to improve the European basketball model, and it’s an opportunity for our sport to grow. We’ll see how it shapes up and how it progresses,” Gasol said, per Dídac Piferrer of MARCA. However, he cautions that European basketball needs to become more stable before such a venture can be successful. “The European basketball model must evolve and improve. Economically, it’s not sustainable, and the vast majority of teams are losing money,” he added.
With Doris Burke‘s place in ESPN’s announcer rotation unclear beyond the NBA Finals, Pacers’ head coach Rick Carlisle has voiced his support for the longtime broadcaster, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Carlisle praised Burke for the role she has played in laying down a foundation for future female broadcasters, and was disappointed that the rumors of her uncertain future cast a shadow over Game 1 of the NBA Finals. “I don’t know what’s going to happen with all that stuff, but I just want to say thank you to Doris for the example that she has put forth for young women like my daughter and all these people who are changing the game,” Carlisle said. “She has changed the game, and that’s the reason that she was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame a couple years ago.”
Former Laker and Heat guard Kendrick Nunn has received the EuroLeague Players Association’s Players’ Choice Awards MVP for his play with Panathinaikos in Greece, per Eurohoops.net. Nunn averaged 21.2 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 42.6% from three on 7.2 attempts per game as the team went 22-12 in EuroLeague competition and reached the Final Four of EuroLeague playoff competition. The veteran guard also won the EuroLeague’s official MVP award in April.

Barnes, Stewart, Vassell Candidates For Jamaican National Team

June 5th, 2025 at 3:11pm CST by Rory Maher

Raptors forward Scottie Barnes, Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart and Spurs guard/forward Devin Vassell are in discussions to join Jamaica’s men’s basketball team, reports Daniel Blake of The Jamaica Observer (Twitter link).

Clippers wing Norman Powell has already committed to represent Jamaica during the pre-qualifiers for the 2027 FIBA World Cup this summer, as has Timberwolves forward Josh Minott, according to Blake (Twitter link).

Rockets wing Amen Thompson and Pistons wing Ausar Thompson may also represent Jamaica in FIBA competitions and possibly the Summer Olympics. Blake hears the Thompson twins began the process of applying for Jamaican passports last week — their father is from Jamaica.

Blake previously mentioned Suns center Nick Richards, who was born in Kingston, Jamaica, as another candidate to join the national team.

If Jamaica is able to secure the commitments of all the aforementioned NBA players, the country would become a formidable opponent in international competitions. Former Rookie of the Year and All-Star Barnes is the most accomplished of the group, and all but Minott have established themselves as at least solid rotation players in the NBA.

And-Ones: European Prospects, Extension Candidates, Dynasties

June 3rd, 2025 at 1:06pm CST by Luke Adams

As we outlined last month when we passed along the list of prospects invited to the NBA’s draft combine, a player who is invited to the combine and declines to attend without an excused absence becomes ineligible to be drafted.

Many of the prospects who were granted excused absences from the combine in Chicago were international players whose teams were still playing. According to Erik Slater of ClutchPoints (Twitter link), the NBA is holding pre-draft activities (measurements, drills, etc.) this week in Treviso, Italy for those players whose commitments overseas prevented them from traveling to Chicago.

That group, Slater says, includes Noa Essengue (who is playing in Germany), Joan Beringer (Slovenia), Nolan Traore (France), Ben Saraf (Germany), Hugo Gonzalez (Spain), Bogoljub Markovic (Serbia), and Noah Penda (France).

It’s unclear whether all of those players will be able to attend the event in Treviso, since some of their seasons still aren’t over. Essengue and Safar, for example, both play for Ratiopharm Ulm, which is currently competing in the semifinals of the Basketball Bundesliga playoffs in Germany. Game 2 of that series will be played on Wednesday.

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

While the free agent class of 2025 isn’t particularly star-studded, there will be no shortage of veteran extension candidates to monitor this offseason, as Bobby Marks details for ESPN. Marks takes an in-depth look at which players seem likely to sign new deals in the coming months, including Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox, and Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr., and which players are longer shots for new contracts. That latter group includes players who would benefit financially from waiting, like Lakers guard Austin Reaves, and some who are unlikely to get an offer from their current team, such as Pelicans forward Zion Williamson.
Is it bad for business that the NBA’s age of dynasties appears to be over? Tania Ganguli of The New York Times considers that topic in an in-depth story open to non-subscribers.
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report proposes a complex three-team deal involving the Celtics, Mavericks, and Nets that would save Boston a projected $230MM+, fortify Dallas’ backcourt, and send a pair of draft assets to Brooklyn along with mostly expiring contracts.

And-Ones: Cook, Sirvydis, 2022 Redraft, Gasol

June 2nd, 2025 at 9:54pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Former NBA forward Tyler Cook is signing with a Japanese team, Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com reports. He’ll be joining the Ibaraki Robots.

Cook averaged 15.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists on 63.6% shooting in the Turkish league with Merkezefendi this past season. He played 65 games in the NBA, most recently with Chicago in 2021/22.

Here’s more from the international basketball world:

Another former NBA forward, Deividas Sirvydis, is re-signing with Lithuania’s Zalgiris Kaunas on a contract that runs through the 2027/28 season, according to a team press release. In his debut EuroLeague season, Sirvydis averaged 8.4 points and 2.6 rebounds per game, shooting 51.5% from two-point range and 38.8% from three-point range. Sirvydis, a 2019 second-round pick, made 23 appearances with Detroit.
If they had to do it all over again, Paolo Banchero would still be the No. 1 pick of the 2022 draft. HoopsHype’s Frank Urbina conducted a 2022 re-draft and there was one big move up the draft ladder — Urbina suggests Jalen Williams would be the No. 2 pick instead of the No. 12 selection, while Dyson Daniels would also move into the top five.
Speaking to Eurohoops, former NBA All-Star Pau Gasol wouldn’t go as far as saying the current group of European stars are better than his era’s top imports. Rather, he looks at it as each generation grows the legacy of European players before them.

International Rumors: Dozier, Oturu, Bryant, Guduric, Moore

June 2nd, 2025 at 1:35pm CST by Rory Maher

Veteran guard PJ Dozier, who has spent parts of seven seasons in the NBA, is in advanced talks with Israel’s Hapoel Tel Aviv, reports Aris Barkas of Eurohoops (story via Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops).

Dozier, 28, spent the first few months of 2024/25 with the Timberwolves prior to being released in late December. He only appeared in nine games with Minnesota for a total of 35 minutes. Dozier subsequently signed with Anadolu Efes and is currently competing in the Turkish League playoffs.

As Askounis writes, Anadolu Efes would like to keep Dozier and plans to make him an offer. The 6’5″ wing played for Serbia’s Partizan Belgrade in ’23/24. Both Efes and Partizan are members of the EuroLeague, while Hapoel is set to join as an expansion team in ’25/26, sources tell Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.

Known for his defense, Dozier has played a total of 130 regular season games in the NBA with Oklahoma City, Boston, Denver, Sacramento and Minnesota. The South Carolina native holds career averages of 5.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 15.4 minutes per contest.

Here are a few more notes from overseas:

Former Clippers and Raptors big man Daniel Oturu is finalizing a multiyear contract with Hapoel Tel Aviv, per Moshe Barda and Reef Gross of Israeli media outlet ONE (Twitter link; hat tip to Askounis of Eurohoops). The 33rd overall pick of the 2020 draft, Oturu has spent the past two years with Anadolu Efes.
A third member of Efes, guard Elijah Bryant, has also been linked to Hapoel Tel Aviv, as reported by Barda and Gross of ONE (via Twitter). Gross hears it’s a three-year deal worth in excess of €7.5MM, though the contract has yet to be finalized. Bryant, 30, won a title with Milwaukee in ’20/21 after signing at the very end of the regular season. He has been one of Efes’ best players over the past four years.
Olimpia Milano has extended a lucrative offer to Marko Guduric, per Meridian Sport. The Serbian guard, who played 44 games with Memphis in ’19/20, is under contract with Turkey’s Fenerbahce through 2026, but has an opt-out clause to negotiate with other teams, according to Antonis Stroggylakis of Eurohoops, who reports that Panthinaikos and Crvena Zvezda are interested in Guduric as well. Guduric, 30, recently helped Fenerbahce win the EuroLeague title, Strogglakis notes, recording 19 points (on 8-of-10 shooting) and six rebounds in the final against Monaco.
Former San Jose State guard Omari Moore, who spent a few months with the Bucks on a two-way deal during the 2023 offseason, is signing a one-year contract with the South East Melbourne Phoenix of Australia’s National Basketball League, sources tell Olgun Uluc of ESPN. Moore spent this past season with Darüşşafaka of Turkey’s BSL.