International Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Jaylin Galloway Returning To Sydney Kings

August 21st, 2024 at 7:57am CST by Luke Adams

After being waived by Milwaukee three weeks ago, former Bucks two-way player Jaylin Galloway will return to the Sydney Kings, his former team in Australia, reports Olgun Uluc of ESPN.

As Uluc previously noted, Galloway was on a three-year deal with Sydney before he left Australia’s National Basketball League to sign a two-way contract with the Bucks in March. That gave the NBL’s Kings the right of first refusal if he wanted to return to the league.

According to Uluc, Galloway and Sydney renegotiated that existing contract, agreeing to a new three-year deal.

A 6’6″ swingman, Galloway didn’t play at the NBA level in 2023/24 after signing with Milwaukee, but saw action in seven games down the stretch for the Wisconsin Herd in the G League, averaging 4.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.3 blocks in 20.4 minutes per contest. The 21-year-old Australian averaged 10.3 PPG and 3.4 RPG for Sydney earlier in the ’23/24 campaign.

Galloway is rejoining a Sydney team that features multiple former NBAers, including guard Jaylen Adams and forwards Xavier Cooks and Cameron Oliver. Uluc projects the Kings’ full depth chart in a post on Twitter.

The Bucks, who cut Galloway in order to make room for Anzejs Pasecniks, have filled their three two-way slots, with Pasecniks joining Ryan Rollins and Stanley Umude.

International Notes: Iwundu, Harrell, Mays

August 20th, 2024 at 1:24pm CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA swingman Wes Iwundu has signed with Promitheas Patras B.C. for the 2024/25 season, the Greek club announced in a press release.

The 33rd overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft, Iwundu has appeared in 226 total regular season games for Orlando, Dallas, New Orleans, and Atlanta, but hasn’t been in the league in either of the past two seasons since being waived by Sacramento in October 22. He played in the G League in 2022/23 and made the move to Europe for the ’23/24 campaign, spending the year in Germany.

Here are a few more items from around the international basketball world:

Hapoel Tel Aviv, the Israeli team that reportedly made a contract offer to Bruno Caboclo, continues to explore the free agent market for possible frontcourt upgrades. A report from Sport5 (hat tip to Sportando) identifies Montrezl Harrell as one of the big men receiving interest from Hapoel Tel Aviv.
Veteran guard Skylar Mays, who appeared in 38 games for the Trail Blazers and Lakers last season, is reportedly drawing interest from Italian team Olimpia Milano, as BasketNews.com relays. Alberto Marzagalia of EuroDevotion indicated that the two sides were engaged in negotiations, while Sportando reported that Mays continues to exhaust his NBA options before committing to moving overseas. A second-rounder in 2020, Mays has made 105 NBA appearances for Atlanta, Portland, and the Lakers.
In case you missed it, Aleksej Pokusevski (Partizan), Udoka Azubuike (Buducnost), and Usman Garuba (Real Madrid) are among the former NBA first-rounders who have joined teams in Europe in recent days.

Usman Garuba Officially Signs With Real Madrid

August 20th, 2024 at 7:33am CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA first-round pick Usman Garuba has joined Real Madrid on a three-year contract, the Spanish team announced today in a press release.

The move had long been expected. Reporting back in May indicated that Garuba was expected to sign with Real Madrid this offseason, but he responded by saying he had yet to make a decision. In mid-July, Spanish reporter Carlos Sanchez Blas (Twitter links) said that the free agent forward/center had a long-term deal in place with Madrid, and that time Garuba didn’t deny it, so we’ve just been awaiting formal confirmation from the team.

The 23rd overall pick in the 2021 draft, Garuba was born and raised in Madrid and was under contract with his hometown team from 2017-21, so this represents a reunion for the two sides. He played in the NBA for three seasons from 2021-24, appearing in 99 games across two seasons in Houston before being traded to Atlanta and then to Oklahoma City during the 2023 offseason.

After he was waived by the Thunder, Garuba caught on with the Warriors, spending most of the 2023/24 season on a two-way contract before being promoted to Golden State’s standard roster ahead of the team’s regular season finale. He played in just six regular season contests for the Warriors.

Garuba’s overall contributions across 105 NBA outings (three starts) have been modest. He averaged 2.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 11.7 minutes per night, making 46.7% of his shots from the floor (including 36.3% of his three-pointers). The big man also played a limited role for Spain in this year’s Olympics, averaging 13.4 MPG off the bench for the national team.

The 22-year-old figures to see more significant action in Madrid, where he’ll team up with fellow newcomer Serge Ibaka in the club’s new-look frontcourt that will reportedly no longer feature Guerschon Yabusele.

Real Madrid is coming off a season in which they went 28-6 in Spanish League (ACB) play and 27-7 against EuroLeague competition. Madrid won the ACB title and nearly achieved the feat in the EuroLeague as well, but fell to Panathinaikos in the championship game.

Udoka Azubuike Signs With Montenegrin Team

August 19th, 2024 at 5:30pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Free agent center Udoka Azubuike has signed on with Montenegrin club KK Buducnost Voli, the team has announced in a press statement.

The 6’10” big man was initially drafted by the Jazz in 2020, following an All-American career at Kansas. Utah selected him with the No. 27 overall pick.

Azubuike never made a consistent, long-term impact in either of his two NBA stops, in part due to health issues. He has yet to play more than 36 games in a single season. Across 84 contests (10 starts) in four years, he has averaged a scant 3.0 points and 2.8 rebounds in just 8.6 minutes per night.

Following three years split between the Jazz and their NBAGL affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, Azubuike inked a two-way deal with a starry Suns club for 2023/24. Last year, he appeared in just 16 games for Phoenix, averaging 7.1 minutes per contest.

Clearly, the NBA market for his services has proven somewhat finite this summer. Given that he’s still all of 24, an impressive international showing could help bolster his value stateside once again, and he might eventually be able to earn his next opportunity here that way.

Partizan Belgrade Confirms Additions Of Pokusevski, Other Former NBAers

August 19th, 2024 at 2:41pm CST by Luke Adams

The Serbian club KK Partizan, which is based in Belgrade and competes in the EuroLeague, held an event on Monday to formally introduce its roster for the 2024/25 season, according to Eurohoops.

Partizan’s squad features several players with NBA experience, including guards Frank Ntilikina and Gabriel Lundberg, whose deals were previously announced.

On Monday, the team also confirmed several signings which had been reported earlier in the summer but hadn’t yet been officially confirmed, such as Aleksej Pokusevski, Sterling Brown, Isaac Bonga, Duane Washington, and Brandon Davies.

Pokusevksi is perhaps the most notable name in the group. The 22-year-old forward was the 17th overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft and spent most of the past four seasons with the Thunder before being waived in February. He finished the season in Charlotte, averaging 7.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 19.2 minutes per game across 18 outings down the stretch for the Hornets.

Brown has 268 NBA regular season appearances under his belt, while Bonga has 143, Washington has 79, and Davies has 78. However, none of the four played in the league in 2023/24.

As Eurohoops notes, former NBA guard Carlik Jones will also play for KK Partizan this season, but wasn’t at Monday’s event — his flight was delayed, according to a report from Mozzart Sport, which indicates that Jones will be at the team’s first practice of the season this week.

Former NBA first-rounder Bruno Caboclo is also under contract with Partizan, but wasn’t in attendance on Monday and isn’t a lock to return to the club. He has reportedly received an offer from Hapoel Tel Aviv, a team in Israel.

International Notes: Yurtseven, Petrusev, T. Williams, 2028 Olympics

August 19th, 2024 at 9:31am CST by Arthur Hill

Omer Yurtseven has an agreement in principle to sign with Panathinaikos in Greece, according to Eurohoops, relaying a report from Greek news outlet SDNA. Panathinaikos has reportedly made an official offer for the 26-year-old center, and coach Ergin Ataman has given the club president a “green light” for the signing.

Sources tell Eurohoops that even though Yurtseven has reached an agreement with the team, he has requested a few more days to explore his NBA options before finalizing it. He has spent the past three years in the NBA, playing for Utah last season after two years in Miami. He had a $2.66MM non-guaranteed salary for 2024/25, but the Jazz opted to waive him in July.

Yurtseven started his career in Europe with Fenerbahce before heading to the U.S. to play collegiately with North Carolina State and Georgetown.

There’s more international news to pass along:

Filip Petrusev, who played three combined games with Philadelphia and Sacramento last season, may be returning to Crvena Zvezda, writes Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. Petrusev remains under contract with Olympiacos after signing with the Greek team in November, but the 24-year-old big man is reportedly discussing a return to Belgrade. “We have not reached an agreement, yet. We were in talks,” team president Nebojsa Covic told Serbian television network Prva. “He expressed his desire. We worked on it and are working on it, especially with (Sasha) Vezenkov back.” Olympiacos doesn’t appear willing to part with Petrusev, issuing a statement in response that reads, “Mr. Covic should occupy himself with the players of his team instead of those of Olympiacos.” Petrusev played for Serbia in the Olympics.
Trevion Williams is part of the roster announced by ALBA Berlin for the upcoming season, per Eurohoops. The 23-year-old big man, who played four years at Purdue, was selected by the Suns’ new G League affiliate in the June expansion draft.
Danny Chau of The Ringer looks ahead to the 2028 Olympics, including some international prospects who are likely to make their debuts.

Caboclo Receives Two-Year Offer From Israeli Club

August 18th, 2024 at 5:41pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Veteran forward Bruno Caboclo has received a two-year offer from Hapoel Tel Aviv, Eurohoops.net relays.

According to Sport 5, the offer on the table but he needs to decide quickly. He’s been given a Tuesday deadline, since the Israeli team has already begun training camp and wants to finalize its roster.

The former NBA first-rounder told the media during the Olympics that he expected to return to Serbia’s KK Partizan for another season even he had been at odds with the team’s management. He was also reportedly on the lookout for an NBA opportunity and Cavaliers scouts had an eye on him during the Olympics.

Caboclo, who has been out of the NBA since 2020/21, spent some time in Las Vegas this summer searching for an NBA offer.

Caboclo had a couple of big games in the Olympics for Brazil. He racked up 33 points and 17 rebounds in a win over Japan, then scored 30 points against Team USA in the quarterfinals.

A 6’9″ forward, Caboclo never developed into a reliable role player in the NBA, but has excelled in Europe, earning All-EuroCup Second Team honors and winning a German League (Basketball Bundesliga) championship with Ratiopharm Ulm in 2023.

International Notes: Washington, Fernandez, A. Antetokounmpo, Eddie

August 17th, 2024 at 8:51pm CST by Arthur Hill

In an interview with Telesport, Duane Washington talks about preparing for his first overseas experience, relays Basketball News. Washington signed a two-year contract with Serbia’s Partizan Belgrade in July after spending all of last season in the G League.

“The energy is incredible. I’ve felt it since day one, and I can’t wait to hit my first shot and make my first assist in front of those fans,” Washington said. “I believe the fans will see how dedicated I am and how much I want to win. I’m ready to give 100% to help this team succeed.”

Washington joined the Pacers on a two-way deal in 2021 after going undrafted out of Ohio State. He was given a standard contract at the end of the season, but was waived that summer. He moved on to the Suns on a two-way contract before being waived in the middle of the 2022/23 season. He then signed three two-way contracts with the Knicks, but never appeared in a game with them.

He’s looking forward to the next chapter of his career and getting to know his new teammates, including Gabriel Lundberg, who played in Phoenix shortly before Washington arrived.

“I’m very excited. I can score, but having players like Lundberg who can take some pressure off me is a huge advantage,” Washington said. “We just missed each other in Phoenix, but now we’re together, and I believe we’ll be a dangerous duo for opponents.”

There’s more international news to pass along:

Rudy Fernandez, whose retirement was reported after Spain was eliminated from the Olympics, made an official announcement Friday on Twitter, writes Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. The 39-year-old posted an emotional message to his fans along with a video showing highlights from his career. “I RETIRE with the feeling of having been a player committed to every team or club I have been on,” Fernandez wrote. “I never dreamed of flying so far, or so high, and directly competing against whoever was in front of me. I will miss being on the court, but now it is time for me to build a new path and be with my family more than ever. Of course, I will continue to enjoy this wonderful sport, always. Thank you all for flying by my side.”
Alex Antetokounmpo has joined KK Podgorica Bemax in Montenegro, according to Eurohoops. The youngest of the Antetokounmpo brothers has never played in the NBA, although he signed training camp contracts in each of the past three years with Toronto and Milwaukee. His new team is moving into the first division of the ABA League this season.
Former NBA player Jarell Eddie signed a one-year contract with Greek club Peristeri, Eurohoops states in another report. The 32-year-old forward, who played in Romania last season, has been through numerous overseas stops since leaving the NBA after the 2017/18 season.

Stars To Participate In Farewell Game For Goran Dragic

August 17th, 2024 at 7:42pm CST by Arthur Hill

A farewell game will take place August 24 to honor Goran Dragic, who announced his retirement at the end of December, according to BasketNews.

Titled “The Night of the Dragon,” the game will be played at Stozice Arena in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Two teams will be drafted during a charity gala dinner the night before. The game is sponsored by the Goran Dragic Foundation, and tickets sold out within 20 minutes.

Among the current and former players scheduled to participate are Steve Nash, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Dirk Nowitzki, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Luis Scola, Dejan Bodiroga, Predrag Danilovic, Nikola Vucevic and Rasho Nesterovic. Chris Bosh, Dragic’s former teammate in Miami, will attend the event but won’t play.

BasketNews reports that Jimmy Butler was originally set to appear, but had to cancel due to a commitment in China.

Dragic, 38, appeared in 946 games with seven teams during his 15 NBA seasons. He was named Most Improved Player during the 2013/14 season and was selected to the All-Star Game in 2017/18.

He’s also a Slovenian basketball legend, leading the nation to its first EuroBasket title in 2017 while earning Most Valuable Player honors for the tournament.

Hawks, Clippers Interested In Aleksa Avramovic

August 17th, 2024 at 5:17pm CST by Arthur Hill

Aleksa Avramovic, one of the stars of the Serbian Olympic team, has received interest from the Hawks and Clippers, according to BasketNews, relaying a report from Ozon Press, a Serbian newspaper.

Avramovic, who was named Best Defensive Player in the Paris Games, has an out clause in his contract with CSKA Moscow that permits him to sign with an NBA team. However, the clause will expire Tuesday, so time is limited to get a deal completed.

Avramovic has a buyout fee in his CSKA contract that an NBA team could contribute up to $850K to help cover. Neither Atlanta nor L.A. has made a formal offer so far, according to Mozzart Sport.

Avramovic is currently preparing to travel to Moscow for the start of training camp on August 26, BasketNews adds. He’s expected to continue his career in Russia if he doesn’t sign with an NBA team.

The 29-year-old point guard averaged 10.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.7 steals in six games as Serbia captured the bronze medal in Paris. He averaged 3.4 steals per 40 minutes in the tournament and had four against Germany in the third-place game.

The Hawks and Clippers currently have 15 players on standard contracts, so either team would have to part with guaranteed money before the start of the season to add Avramovic to the roster.