International Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Dragan Bender Aims For NBA Return

November 20th, 2022 at 9:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Dragan Bender, the No. 4 pick of the 2016 draft, still dreams of an NBA return, Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net relays.

In an interview with Israel’s One, Bender stated that his ultimate goal is to make it back to the U.S.

“Undoubtedly, I want to return to the NBA down the road,’” he said.

Bender last played in the NBA during the 2019/20 season, appearing in a combined 16 games with Milwaukee and Golden State. He spent his first three seasons with Phoenix, where he never lived up to his draft status. Over 187 games, Bender averaged 5.4 points and 3.9 rebounds in 20.1 minutes per game.

Bender played the 2020/21 season with Maccabi Tel Aviv but suffered an ACL injury in May 2021, which forced him to sit out all of last season.

“I believe you just know something has happened in these situations.” he said. “After the diagnosis, you definitely feel terrible, but it is what it is. I had a great season up to that point. I was playing and then I was out for a year and a half. This is basketball and you must be ready for these kinds of setbacks.”

Bender signed with Monbus Obradoiro over the summer and has excelled during his first seven games in Spain’s Liga Endesa, averaging 20.6 points and 6.7 rebounds while shooting 58.1% overall and 46.9% on 3-point attempts.

Bender wouldn’t mind playing for Maccabi again before pursuing another NBA opportunity.

“Of course, I would love to return to Maccabi. It is a special club,” he said. “For me, it is more about how the situation unfolds, more about which teams will be aiming to qualify for the playoffs and be championship contenders. Those are the teams I want to be part of.”

Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot Signs With Olimpia Milano

November 19th, 2022 at 6:50am CST by Luke Adams

NOVEMBER 19: Olimpia Milano has officially announced its agreement with Luwawu-Cabarrot, confirming the deal in a press release.

“I’m very happy to return to Europe to be part of this organization in Milan,” Luwawu-Cabarrot said in a statement. “I’m extremely excited to have the opportunity to help the team try to reach the goals they for the season. Which is to win as much as possible. Can’t wait to meet all the fans and start.”

NOVEMBER 18: Free agent wing Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot is expected to sign with Italian team Olimpia Milano, reports Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.

A first-round pick in the 2016 draft, Luwawu-Cabarrot has spent six seasons in the NBA, playing for the Sixers, Thunder, Bulls, Nets, and Hawks since entering the league. In 2021/22, the 27-year-old appeared in 52 games for Atlanta, averaging 4.4 PPG and 1.6 RPG on .398/.361/.854 shooting in 13.2 minutes per contest. For his career, he has averaged of 5.9 PPG and 2.0 RPG in 328 regular season games.

Luwawu-Cabarrot became an unrestricted free agent in July when his contract with the Hawks expired and signed a training camp deal with the Suns in September. However, he didn’t earn a spot on Phoenix’s regular season roster and was waived last month at the end of the preseason, returning to the free agent market.

Prior to entering the NBA, Luwawu-Cabarrot spent multiple seasons with the Antibes Sharks in his home country of France, then played for Mega Basket in Serbia for a year, so if he finalizes a deal with Olimpia Milano, this won’t be his first stint in Europe.

Milano has a 5-1 record this season in the Lega Basket A, Italy’s top basketball league, but is off to a slower start in EuroLeague play, having gone 3-4 so far.

And-Ones: Trade Market, Spain, Coaches, Overtime Elite

November 18th, 2022 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Even though we’re only a month into the 2022/23 NBA season, some front offices are “beginning to get itchy trading fingers,” writes Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com, citing league sources. While the in-season trade market often doesn’t heat up until December 15, when most offseason signees become trade-eligible, some clubs may already be looking to make changes, according to executives who spoke to Bulpett.

“Everyone comes into the year having talked themselves into their roster,” one general manager said. “But then we start playing the games and soon enough reality sets in. Some teams shouldn’t read too much into it, because it takes time for guys to get on the same page if you’ve made some changes. But even though it’s crazy, some guys look at the standings and think, ‘Oh, s–t, I better do something.’ … And some of them are going to be under pressure to do something. It’s going to be really interesting to see what happens after December 15.”

Bulpett’s story features some speculation from executives about what struggling or inconsistent teams like the Lakers and Nets might do on the trade market, as well as a suggestion from one exec that clubs’ financial situations will be worth monitoring as the trade deadline nears.

“There could be some interesting players out there as we get deeper into the season, because I think teams are going to be looking to dump salary once it’s clear they’re not in the playoff mix — or maybe in the mix but with no chance to do anything if they get there,” the executive said. “Teams are going to start looking at that luxury tax bill and their record, and the two just aren’t going to mesh.

“Where it could get interesting is if some guys get the idea they need to make a splash to keep their jobs. But I think you’re going to see some owners step in and look at the bottom line. What’s funny is that they may end up saving their GMs from themselves — you know, keep them from doing something stupid.”

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

Spain has leapfrogged the United States as the No. 1 national team in FIBA’s men’s basketball rankings, according to a press release. The U.S. had held the top spot in FIBA’s rankings since 2010 and has won the last four Olympic gold medals, but finished seventh in the 2019 World Cup (which Spain won) and third in this year’s AmeriCup.
Zach Harper of The Athletic divides the NBA’s 30 coaches into “hot seat” tiers, starting with the ones who definitely aren’t going anywhere – such as Gregg Popovich and Erik Spoelstra – and working his way down to the coaches who might want to keep their LinkedIn profiles up to date — Tom Thibodeau of the Knicks and Doc Rivers of the Sixers are in that final tier.
A panel of NBA.com writers weighs in on the biggest surprises of the NBA season to date. Besides obvious choices like the Warriors‘ struggles and the Jazz‘s unexpected early success, the panel singled out the Pacers for their solid start and noted that offensive production has been off the charts in the early going.
Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic checks in on where Overtime Elite stands heading into its second year, highlighting some of the tweaks the league has made. Among those tweaks? Offering recruits a choice of a scholarship or a salary, allowing them to leave the door open to eventually playing college ball by retaining their amateur status, if they so choose. “The scholarship option (for high-school aged recruits) has been big for us, if not bigger than NIL,” OTE general manager Damien Wilkins said. “Because now we can go out and recruit without restrictions. There’s no real downside.”

Miye Oni Signs With London Lions

November 16th, 2022 at 2:08pm CST by Luke Adams

Former Jazz swingman Miye Oni is resuming his career overseas, having signed with the London Lions, the British team announced today in a press release.

Marc Stein first reported (via Twitter) that Oni and the Lions had an agreement in place, noting that the 25-year-old wing will become the third NBA veteran on London’s roster. Forward Sam Dekker and center Kosta Koufos also currently play for the Lions.

A former Yale standout who was drafted 58th overall in 2019, Oni appeared in 80 games for the Jazz across three seasons from 2019-22, but never developed into a consistent, reliable rotation player. He averaged just 1.8 PPG and 1.4 RPG in 8.4 minutes per contest in those three years.

Oni was traded this past January from the Jazz to the Thunder, who subsequently waived him. He signed a 10-day hardship contract with New Orleans in February, but didn’t appear in a game for the Pelicans and has been a free agent since then.

Oni’s new team competes in the British Basketball League and the EuroCup. The Lions currently have a 7-2 record in BBL play, putting them atop the league. They’re off to a slower start in EuroCup play, having lost three of their first four games.

Jake Layman’s Deal In Spain Falls Through Due To Herniated Disk

November 15th, 2022 at 8:43am CST by Luke Adams

After lining up a one-year deal last week with Spanish club Basquet Manresa, Jake Layman will be returning stateside due to an injury, the team announced in a press release.

According to Manresa, Layman’s physical exam revealed that he has a herniated disk in his back. As a result, the veteran forward has opted to head back to the U.S. to undergo a procedure to address the injury, and the two sides have agreed to terminate his one-year contract.

A Massachusetts native, Layman was in camp with the Celtics this fall competing for a spot on the regular season roster, but was beaten out by Noah Vonleh and Justin Jackson. Boston cut him at the end of the preseason and he had been on track to play overseas for the first time in his professional career.

A second-round pick in 2016, Layman has appeared in 243 regular season games across six NBA seasons in Portland and Minnesota. In total, the former Maryland forward has averaged 4.8 PPG and 1.7 RPG on .460/.300/.719 shooting in 12.8 minutes per contest over the course of his NBA career.

It’s unclear how long it will take Layman to recover following his procedure, but he’ll remain a free agent, so he could be worth keeping an eye on later in the 2022/23 season if he gets back to full health.

Stein’s Latest: Simmons, Mavs, Lakers, Freedom, I. Thomas

November 14th, 2022 at 4:22pm CST by Rory Maher

“Contrary to recent reports,” the Mavericks have no interest in trading for Nets swingman Ben Simmons, league sources tell Marc Stein in his latest post at Substack.

A couple of weeks ago, Ian Begley of SNY.tv reported that the Nets had “cursory” trade talks with a Western Conference team, then later said those discussions were about a veteran shooter, and Simmons’ name came up. Begley cautioned that those talks may not have advanced beyond the exploratory stage, but Brooklyn was rumored to be “aggressive” in its pursuit of shooting.

On the heels of Begley’s reports, a Western Conference executive told Heavy.com’s Sean Deveney last week that the Mavericks might be worth watching.

“Dallas is a team to watch, Simmons would be an interesting fit next to Luka (Doncic) if the Nets were willing to take back (Tim) Hardaway and (Davis) Bertans. I am not sure how much higher the Mavs could go in terms of an offer but that would definitely be interesting for Luka.”

Stein says the Mavericks may have been mentioned “to try to create some sort of market for Simmons,” who has yet to regain his old form after missing all of last season. Simmons missed his fifth game of 2022/23 Sunday with knee soreness, though he seems confident it won’t be a long-term injury.

Here’s more from Stein:

The Lakers have taken a look at some free agents, but Stein gets the sense that they’ll wait until Dennis Schröder and Thomas Bryant return before making any roster changes. Both players have yet to make their season debuts after each had thumb surgery last month, but they’re expected to play on Friday. The Lakers are hopeful Schröder can provide an offensive boost, Stein adds.
After Dwight Howard signed a seven-figure deal to join the Taoyuan Leopards, other Taiwanese clubs are looking at veteran NBA free agents, according to Stein, who writes that Enes Freedom and Isaiah Thomas are among the targets.
Carmelo Anthony is another veteran being pursued by a Taiwanese team, but “it’s widely presumed” that the 38-year-old “is holding out for another NBA opportunity,” says Stein. Anthony averaged 13.3 points and 4.2 rebounds on .441/.375/.830 shooting in 69 games (26.0 minutes) for the Lakers last season.

And-Ones: Team Canada, USA Basketball, Blockbuster Trades, Weber

November 13th, 2022 at 9:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Canadian national team has clinched a spot in next summer’s FIBA World Cup, Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports tweets. Team Canada improved to 9-0 in qualifying rounds with a victory over Venezuela this week, taking a big step toward qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

We have more from around the basketball world:

Even with a victory over Colombia on Monday, USA Basketball cannot yet clinch a spot in the World Cup, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press tweets. At least five, and possibly six, of the seven World Cup spots for teams from the Americas region will be decided during February’s qualifying games, Reynolds adds. Team USA lost to Brazil 94-79 in a qualifying game on Friday, which prevented it from clinching a World Cup berth, according to an AP report. The U.S. does, however, still lead Group F with a 7-2 record, and will face Uruguay and Brazil in February.
Generally, blockbuster trades involving star players haven’t worked out for both parties, according to Louis Zatzman of FiveThirtyEight. Selling teams often haven’t improved beyond where they were with that star talent, while acquiring teams haven’t always found greater postseason success after bringing in that big-time player.
Former NBA player Briante Weber has been cut by the Israeli team Bnei Hertzliya, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando tweets. Weber appeared in a total of 45 NBA games for a handful of teams, most recently during the 2017/18 season. He’s also played in Canada, Europe and Puerto Rico.

Taiwanese Team Pursuing Carmelo Anthony

November 13th, 2022 at 6:39pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Could Carmelo Anthony follow Dwight Howard‘s footsteps and resume his playing career in Taiwan? The Tainan TSG GhostHawks are hoping to sign Anthony to a contract, RealGM relays via Focus Taiwan.

GhostHawks head coach Liu Meng-chu said the team’s ownership has given the go-ahead to make an offer to Anthony, who hit the free agent market this summer.

Howard signed with the Taoyuan Leopards on Monday.

Anthony, 38, appeared in 69 games with the Lakers last season, averaging 13.3 PPG and 4.2 RPG while coming off the bench in all but three of those games. The 10-time All Star played two seasons with Portland prior to joining Los Angeles.

While there has been plenty of speculation regarding Anthony’s free agency, there have been no known firm offers.

The six-team T1 League will soon start its second pro season.

Wayne Selden Joining Turkish Team

November 13th, 2022 at 3:05pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Former NBA shooting guard Wayne Selden has agreed to a deal with Turkish club Manisa Büyükşehir Belediyespor, reports Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.

Selden has had a busy international year. He initially inked a contract to join Italian club Tezenis Verona in July, before departing the club after just two games. As Carchia notes, Selden averaged 20 PPG in those two contests.

The club vowed it would look at potential legal recourse after Selden left, but Selden’s agent Charles Misuraca countered by saying Verona never compensated him for his services.

Selden, a 6’5″ swingman out of Kansas, suited up for parts of four seasons in the NBA, where the 28-year-old played for the Pelicans, Grizzlies, Bulls and most recently the Knicks. Across 127 career games, he holds a scoring average of 7.2 PPG on .415/.344/.718 shooting. Selden also averaged 2.0 RPG and 1.5 APG over the course of his NBA career.

Prior to his busy 2022, Selden also played internationally for clubs in Israel and Turkey.

And-Ones: Clemons, Kilpatrick, NBA Owners, Super-Teams

November 10th, 2022 at 11:32am CST by Luke Adams

A pair of former NBA guards will continue their playing careers in China, according to Dario Skerletic of Sportando. Sportando reports that ex-Rockets guard Chris Clemons is leaving the G League to sign with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association, while journeyman wing Sean Kilpatrick has agreed to a deal with the Fujian Sturgeons.

Clemons appeared in 33 games for Houston in 2019/20, but bad health luck prevented him from suiting up in the NBA in subsequent seasons. He tore his Achilles prior to the 2020/21 season and was subsequently waived by the Rockets, then entered the health and safety protocols shortly after signing a 10-day deal with Atlanta last December.

Kilpatrick, meanwhile, has been out of the NBA for a few years, but appeared in a total of 157 games for six teams from 2014-18. Since then, he has bounced around a series of international leagues, playing in Greece, Montenegro, Turkey, Spain, and Israel.

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

In an episode of his Hoop Collective podcast this week, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst speculated that we may see a handful of NBA owners consider selling their teams, with valuations up and franchises in other sports selling for record-setting numbers. “There might be some folks sitting on the sideline sort of wondering ‘Should I sell?’ and they’re going to see these numbers,” Windhorst said (hat tip to RealGM).
With teams like the Clippers, the Nets, and especially the Lakers struggling to live up to expectations, Justin Verrier of The Ringer wonders if the NBA’s super-team era has run its course and explores what the struggles of those big-market clubs means for roster building going forward.
Bill Shea of The Athletic takes a closer look at NBA Launchpad, a “type of tech business pitch program and an incubator” which focuses on developing technology to improve the basketball experience for both players and fans. As Shea outlines, last season’s winning applicants included a German ankle-brace maker and a British virtual-reality training service, among others.