International Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Yves Pons Signs With French Team ASVEL

July 26th, 2022 at 9:38am CST by Luke Adams

After spending his rookie year with the Grizzlies, free agent forward Yves Pons is headed to Europe for the 2022/23 season. Pons has signed a two-year deal with ASVEL Villeurbanne, the French team announced today in a press release (hat tip to Eurohoops).

Pons was born in Haiti and grew up in France, so while this will be his first professional season spent overseas, it won’t be an entirely new experience for him. He played in France’s amateur third-tier division before moving to the U.S., where he played his college ball at Tennessee.

Undrafted in 2021, Pons caught on quickly with the Grizzlies as a free agent and signed a two-way contract with the team last offseason. The 23-year-old only played 71 total minutes in 12 games at the NBA level, but saw a little more action at the G League level, starting 14 of the 15 contests he played for the Memphis Hustle.

Pons averaged 10.1 PPG and 6.2 RPG for the Grizzlies’ NBAGL affiliate, making 47.6% of his shots from the floor, including 33.3% of his threes. When his two-way deal with Memphis expired at season’s end, the club didn’t issue him a qualifying offer, so he became an unrestricted free agent.

Pons’ new team, which competes in France’s top league and the EuroLeague, is owned by former NBA star Tony Parker. ASVEL also recently signed former NBA guard Nando De Colo.

Freddie Gillespie Signs Two-Year Deal With Bayern Munich

July 25th, 2022 at 1:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent big man Freddie Gillespie is headed overseas for the coming season, having signed a two-year contract with Bayern Munich in Germany, according to a press release.

Gillespie said in a statement that he’s looking forward to making the move to Munich and intends to bring rebounding, defense, rim protection, and strong screen-setting to the German team, which competes in the EuroLeague.

After going undrafted out of Baylor in 2020, Gillespie has spent the last two seasons bouncing back and forth between the NBA and the G League. He has appeared in 29 total games at the NBA level for Toronto and Orlando, averaging 4.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 1.0 BPG in 17.6 minutes per contest.

Gillespie has also played in 37 G League regular season games for the Memphis Hustle – the Grizzlies’ NBAGL affiliate – across the last two years, putting up 9.7 PPG, 7.8 RPG, and 1.6 BPG in 23.6 MPG.

Assuming Gillespie plays out his new contract with Bayern Munich, he’ll return to the free agent market in 2024.

And-Ones: Paschall, Baynes, Summer League, Gasol

July 24th, 2022 at 3:07pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Though Greek club Panathinaikos attempted to sign free agent reserve forward Eric Paschall this summer, the team was ultimately unable to successfully recruit him overseas, per BasketNews.

Utah opted not to tender a qualifying offer to Paschall in June, allowing the 25-year-old to become an unrestricted free agent. After spending his first two seasons with the Warriors, Paschall was traded to the Jazz in the 2021 offseason.

During his first season in Utah, the 6’6″ vet out of Villanova averaged 5.8 PPG and 1.8 RPG across 12.7 MPG for the playoff-bound Jazz as a bench option, playing 12.8 MPG in 58 contests.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

Former NBA champion center Aron Baynes, who has been working his way back from a spinal cord injury suffered while playing for Team Australia in the 2021 Summer Olympics, has received interest from the Brisbane Bullets of Australia’s NBL, per Ennio Terrasi Borghesan of Sportando. The 35-year-old big man last played for the Raptors during the 2020/21 NBA season. In 53 games with Toronto, including 31 starts, he averaged 6.1 PPG and 5.2 RPG. Earlier this month, Baynes put on a workout to showcase himself for interested teams in Las Vegas.
After a Summer League that saw No. 1 pick Paolo Banchero play just two games before being shut down by the Magic and Hawks swingman AJ Griffin, considered one of the best shooters in the 2022 draft, not play at all due to a mild foot injury, Nekias Duncan of Basketball News wonders just how much NBA teams value Summer League as an opportunity to assess young prospects. Duncan notes that the teams’ limited practice time and rosters comprising young prospects plus fringe-NBA-caliber hopefuls make for inconsistent on-court products. “I think we consult with our coaching staff, our front office and our training staff and try to figure out what the best decision is for each guy,” Cavaliers Summer League head coach Mike Gerrity told Duncan about how Cleveland doles out playing time to its various prospects.
As has previously been reported, former All-NBA center Marc Gasol plans to return to Spanish ACB club Basquet Girona as a player for the 2022/23 season. Thanks to its performance last season with Gasol, the team was promoted from its prior league, LEB Oro, to the upper-tier Liga ACB. As a result of this promotion, however, Gasol is now confronted with some bureaucratic red tape. Per ACB league rules, players are not allowed to both play for and work in the front office of their teams, according to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net. Askounis speculates that the team may decide to temporarily relieve the 37-year-old of his front office duties so that he may suit up for the season. Last year, Gasol averaged 14.5 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.1 SPG, and 0.7 BPG for Basquet Girona. The 6’11” big man, a former three-time All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year while with the Grizzlies, last played in the NBA during a disappointing 2020/21 season with the Lakers.

Ignas Brazdeikis Signs With Lithuanian Team

July 24th, 2022 at 11:58am CST by Arthur Hill

Ignas Brazdeikis, who played for the Magic last season, has signed with Zalgiris Kaunas in Lithuania, according to Eurohoops. He received a one-year contract with an option for a second season, the team stated in an announcement confirming the move.

Brazdeikis was born in Lithuania, but his family moved to Canada while he was young. The 23-year-old small forward regained his Lithuanian citizenship last year and played for the national team in June.

“We have been following Ignas for a few years now and wanted to see him in a Zalgiris jersey,” said team CEO Paulius Motiejunas. “Ignas is from Kaunas, he has regained his Lithuanian citizenship and now we will see him wearing the Zalgiris jersey. Coach (Kazys) Maksvytis has already worked with him, so there are no doubts about his abilities anymore.”

Brazdeikis was on a two-way contract with Orlando, playing 42 games and averaging 5.0 points and 1.7 rebounds in 12.8 minutes per night. He began his NBA career with the Knicks, who acquired him in a draft night trade in 2019, and he appeared in one game for the Sixers as well.

Tremont Waters Signs With French Team

July 23rd, 2022 at 5:10pm CST by Arthur Hill

Tremont Waters, who played briefly for both the Raptors and Wizards last season, has signed with a one-year deal with Metropolitans 92, the French team announced in a press release.

The 24-year-old point guard will spend a full season overseas for the first time in his career. He was with the Grizzlies’ squad in the Las Vegas Summer League, but appeared in just one game.

Waters played most of last season in the G League, but was able to land a pair of 10-day contracts during the height of the NBA’s COVID-19 outbreak. He signed a 10-day deal with Toronto on December 22 and another with Washington on January 1, getting into three total games.

A second-round pick by the Celtics in 2019, Waters spent his first two seasons in Boston on two-way contracts. He signed with the Bucks last September, but was waived before the start of the season.

With Metropolitans 92, Waters will team up with Victor Wembanyama, who is projected to be the top pick in the 2023 draft.

And-Ones: Paschall, J. Young, Egan, History Of Star Trades

July 22nd, 2022 at 7:03pm CST by Rory Maher

Eric Paschall, who spent last season with the Jazz but wasn’t extended a qualifying offer, thus making him an unrestricted free agent, is reportedly drawing interest from Greek club Panathinaikos, according to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. In reference to a tweet claiming he was “going to Europe,” Paschall said that was “false news” (Twitter link).

Of course, a team being interested in a free agent is different than a player being open to going overseas. The 6’6″ forward had a productive rookie season in 2019/20 with the Warriors as they dealt with major injuries to their stars and finished with just a 15-50 record, but has seen his role reduced significantly the past two years.

In 58 games (12.7 MPG) with Utah last season, Paschall averaged 5.8 PPG and 1.8 RPG on .485/.370/.767 shooting. Tony Jones of The Athletic reported last month that the 25-year-old was expected to draw interest on the open market — apparently that includes EuroLeague teams as well.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

Former first-round pick James Young has re-signed with Hapoel Tel Aviv, the Israeli team announced (on Twitter) today (hat tip to Sportando). Young appeared in a total of 95 NBA games with the Celtics and Sixers from 2014-18, but only averaged 8.5 MPG. Last season with the Israeli side he averaged 17.2 PPG, 6.2 RPG and 1.1 SPG on .451/.318/.750 shooting in 21 games (28.2 MPG).
Johnny Egan, a former head coach and player for the Rockets, has passed away, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Egan was 83 years old. He played 11 NBA seasons from 1961-1972, averaging 7.8 PPG and 3.0 APG. He then made an immediate transition to coaching, guiding the Rockets for parts of four seasons from 1972-76. “He was a down-to-Earth guy,” said former Rockets player Major Jones, who became a longtime friend of Egan. “He cared a lot about former players and was always willing to help former players. If something needed to be done, he’d be there. He always cared a lot about people. He was just a fantastic person.” Our condolences go out to Egan’s friends and family.
Tim Bontemps, Kevin Pelton and Matt Williams of ESPN examine some of the biggest star trades in recent NBA history. According to ESPN’s trio, the Pelicans received more trade equity than any other team over the past two decades when they moved Anthony Davis to the Lakers in 2019. I’m sure the Lakers would be happy to make that trade again, however, as they won the title in Davis’ first year in Los Angeles.

Kyle Guy Signs With Joventut Badalona

July 22nd, 2022 at 7:24am CST by Luke Adams

Free agent guard Kyle Guy has finalized a one-year deal with Spanish team Joventut Badalona, the club announced in a press release. An earlier report indicated that the two sides were closing in on an agreement.

The No. 55 overall pick in the 2019 draft, Guy spent his first three professional seasons in the NBA and the G League, appearing in a total of 53 NBA regular season games for the Kings and Heat while also spending time with the Stockton Kings, Cleveland Charge, and Sioux Falls Skyforce.

The former Virginia standout caught on with Miami last season during the NBA’s COVID-19 outbreak, signing a pair of 10-day hardship deals and then a two-way contract. He appeared in 19 games for the Heat, averaging 3.9 PPG and 0.9 RPG on .400/.350/.667 shooting in 9.8 MPG before being waived.

Guy’s new team, Joventut Badalona, plays in Spain’s top league (Liga ACB) and also competes in the EuroCup. Guy is the second noteworthy NBA veteran to sign with the club this offseason — 2016 first-round pick Henry Ellenson joined Joventut earlier in July.

And-Ones: Guy, Johnson-Odom, 2025 Cap, Summer League Takeaways

July 21st, 2022 at 2:50pm CST by Rory Maher

Free agent guard Kyle Guy, the 55th pick of the 2019 draft, is closing in on a deal with Spanish club Joventut, tweets Spanish basketball reporter Gerard Solé (hat tip to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops).

Guy spent his first two NBA seasons with the Kings on a two-way contract, appearing in 34 total games with modest averages of 2.7 PPG and 1.1 RPG in 7.2 MPG. He signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Cavaliers prior to last season, was waived, and then spent time with the team’s G League affiliate, the Canton Charge.

Last December, during the league’s COVID-19 outbreak, Guy caught on with the Heat, signing a couple of 10-day hardship deals and then a two-way contract. He appeared in 19 games for Miami, averaging 3.9 PPG and 0.9 RPG in 9.8 MPG. He was waived in March and rejoined the Charge for the remainder of 2021/22.

Guy participated in a free agent workout with the Lakers a few weeks ago, but evidently nothing came of it. If he finalizes the deal with Joventut, he’ll be playing in the top league in Spain, Liga ACB.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

Guard Darius Johnson-Odom, who appeared in seven NBA games with the Lakers and Sixers from 2012-14, has signed with Romanian club Rapid Bucharest, the team announced on Facebook (hat tip to Dario Skerletic of Sportando). The well-traveled veteran has made international stops in Russia, China, Turkey, Greece, Italy and most recently in France with Le Mans of the LNB Pro A league last season.
Agents like Mark Bartelstein are anticipating a big salary cap increase in 2025, when the NBA’s new media rights deal will kick in. The new deal should be much more lucrative than 2016, when the cap increased by 34%. “I think there’s going to be a huge jump,” Bartelstein told Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. “The NBA is as hot as can be and everybody wants a piece of it. People can’t get enough of it.” Vorkunov wonders if cap smoothing might be considered by the Players Association this time around after it was rejected in 2015. Smoothing, as the name implies, would artificially lower the salary cap and phase in the increase over several years in order to prevent a big single-year spike.
With the caveat that it’s Summer League and thus should be taken with a grain of salt, John Hollinger of The Athletic provides his takeaways from Las Vegas. According to Hollinger, all of the top six picks of last month’s draft looked outstanding, a few first-rounders struggled (Johnny Davis, Jake LaRavia and Peyton Watson), while a couple late second-rounders stood out for good reasons (Jabari Walker and JD Davison).

Gabriel Lundberg Joins Virtus Bologna

July 21st, 2022 at 7:01am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 21: Virtus Bologna has formally announced its deal with Lundberg.

JULY 20: Free agent shooting guard Gabriel Lundberg, who finished the 2021/22 season with the Suns, is set to join Italian team Virtus Bologna, reports Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (Twitter link). According to Carchia, Lundberg’s new deal will be the most lucrative ever for a Danish player.

Lundberg, who has played professionally in international leagues since 2014, left CSKA Moscow earlier this year following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and signed a two-way contract with the Suns in March. He appeared in four NBA games for Phoenix, averaging 3.3 PPG and 2.8 APG in 11.0 minutes per contest.

The Suns didn’t issue a qualifying offer to Lundberg last month, so he became an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Phoenix reportedly offered him a Summer League roster spot, but the 27-year-old said he didn’t want to accept that offer without getting any further guarantees, and instead opted to return to Denmark.

Home of Glory, which first reported that Virtus Bologna was pushing to sign Lundberg, stated that the veteran guard also received interest from several other European teams, including Fenerbahce in Turkey (Twitter link).

J.J. Barea Announces Retirement

July 20th, 2022 at 4:20pm CST by Luke Adams

Following the elimination of his Puerto Rican team – Cangrejeros de Santurce – from the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN) playoffs this week, veteran guard J.J. Barea said in a Spanish-language interview that he intends to retire as a basketball player, according to Jorge Figueroa Loza of El Nuevo Día (hat tip to Eurohoops).

“I’m ready,” Barea said, according to a translation provided to Hoops Rumors. “Last year was tough mentally, and I wasn’t ready. This year I am, and I’m at peace with retiring.”

Barea last appeared in the NBA when he played 29 games in 2019/20 for the Mavericks. He subsequently spent a few months with Estudiantes in Spain at the start of 2021, then joined Cangrejeros de Santurce in his native Puerto Rico last May, re-signing with the team in February 2022.

Barea, who previously played for Cangrejeros de Santurce in 2006, expressed satisfaction that he got to finish his career with the Puerto Rican squad, even though the club was eliminated in the postseason quarterfinals in back-to-back years and a left leg injury prevented the 38-year-old from playing in the last game of the season.

From 2006-20, Barea appeared in a total of 831 regular season NBA games and 50 more playoff contests for Dallas and Minnesota, averaging 8.9 PPG, 3.9 APG, and 2.1 RPG on .424/.352/.794 shooting in 19.6 MPG. He was a key member of the Mavericks team that won a title in 2011, appearing in all 21 playoff games during the championship run.

Now that he has retired as a player, Barea said he plans to “take a break from basketball” to mentally recharge. However, he seems likely to end up sooner or later in a coaching role for one of his former teams.

He told El Nuevo Día that he’d liked to remain involved with Cangrejeros de Santurce, and also spoke last summer after working with Dallas’ Summer League team about his interest in a position with the Mavs.