International Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: McCormack, Luxury Tax, OKC Blue, Harrison

August 2nd, 2022 at 10:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

David McCormack has signed with Besiktas in Turkey, according to a team press release. McCormack was reportedly signing an Exhibit 10 contract with the Timberwolves but apparently chose to begin his pro career in Europe.

The undrafted big man out of Kansas was a prominent member of the Jayhawks’ national championship team. He spent all four of his college seasons at Kansas, starting 96 of 132 total games. In 2021/22, he averaged 10.6 PPG and 7.0 RPG in 40 contests (21.9 MPG).

We have more from around the basketball world:

A total of 10 teams are currently projected to collectively spend $650MM in luxury tax payments next season, according to Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype. That would an NBA record for tax penalties. The Warriors, Nets, Clippers, Bucks, Lakers, Sixers, Celtics, Suns, Nuggets and Mavericks all project as taxpayer teams for the time being.
The G League’s Oklahoma City Blue will continue to play the Thunder’s Paycom Center next season, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman reports. The Blue also played there last season, having been the only G League team to host their games in an NBA arena. They often had to play late morning or early afternoon games with the Thunder playing there on the same night.
Former NBA swingman Andrew Harrison has signed with Yukatel Merkezefendi Belediyesi in Turkey, as JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors relays (Twitter link). Harrison has suited up with the Grizzlies, Cavaliers and Pelicans during his NBA career. In his last NBA season, he played a combined 16 games with Cleveland and New Orleans in 2018/19.

And-Ones: T. Scott, 2023 Draft, ’23 Cap, Freedom

August 1st, 2022 at 2:54pm CST by Luke Adams

NBA and G League veteran Tre Scott is headed overseas for the 2022/23 season, having signed with Fos Provence Basket, the French team announced in a press release.

Scott, who went undrafted out of Cincinnati in 2020, has spent most of his first two professional seasons in the NBAGL, playing for the Salt Lake City Stars, the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, and the Cleveland Charge.

The 6’8″ forward earned a call-up to the NBA last December during the league’s COVID-19 outbreak, signing a 10-day hardship deal with the Cavaliers. He appeared in two games for the Cavs during his brief NBA stint, scoring six points and grabbing a couple rebounds in 11 total minutes of action.

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

Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report shares his first 2023 mock draft, headed by French big man Victor Wembanyama and G League Ignite guard Scoot Henderson. Overtime Elite wing Amen Thompson, Duke swingman Dariq Whitehead, and Villanova forward Cam Whitmore round out Wasserman’s initial top five.
Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype takes a look at the teams currently projected to have the most cap room in 2023, including the Spurs, Rockets, Pistons, and Magic.
In an interview with Israeli outlet Walla, free agent center Enes Freedom said he hasn’t received any offers from NBA teams this offseason (hat tip to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops). Freedom attributed that lack of NBA interest to the comments he has made denouncing China, though it’s worth noting that his minutes were already on the decline due to his subpar outside shooting and defense.

And-Ones: Russell, Sotto, Douglas

July 31st, 2022 at 5:45pm CST by JD Shaw

With legendary center Bill Russell passing away at the age of 88 today, figures across the sports world have paid their respects through statements and social media posts. Among those is Tamika Tremaglio, director of the National Basketball Players Association.

“Bill Russell embodies what it means to be a champion in every sense of the word. His on-court accomplishments, including the unfathomable 11 championships and five MVP awards — all achieved with distinct grace and swagger — are entrenched in our NBA culture as the standard to which all inspire,” Tremaglio said as part of a larger statement, as relayed on social media.

Russell’s passing has also drawn statements from other notable figures, including Magic Johnson (Twitter link) Celtics star Jayson Tatum (Twitter link) and Barack Obama (Twitter link).

Here are some other odds and ends from around the basketball world:

In addition to players and figures around the sports world, many teams released statements about Russell’s passing. Those teams include the Celtics, Kings, Warriors and Suns. Russell impacted generations during his life — both on the court and off.
Kai Sotto will remain in the NBL with the Adelaide 36ers next season, as relayed by Sportando. The 20-year-old averaged 7.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game last season.
Former NBA guard Toney Douglas has agreed to a deal with Benfica in Portugal, according to Martim Figueiredo (hat tip to Sportando). Douglas last played in Greece. He’s played 394 NBA games during his career, making stops with New York, Houston, Sacramento, Golden State, Miami, New Orleans and Memphis.

International Notes: Goodwin, Black, Vonleh, Bey

July 31st, 2022 at 2:26pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Free agent shooting guard Archie Goodwin has opted to re-sign with Ukranian club Budivelnyk for the team’s 2022/23 season, writes Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net.

The 27-year-old wing initially left Budivelnyk following the Russian invasion of Ukraine this spring. The 6’5″ wing was selected with the No. 29 pick out of Kentucky in 2013. His draft rights were traded to the Suns, for whom he played during his first three NBA seasons. He then split the 2016/17 NBA season, his most recent year in the league, between the Pelicans and Nets.

Across 165 career NBA games, Goodwin holds averages of 6.3 PPG, 2.0 RPG, and 1.2 APG, while shooting 42.9% from the floor and 70% from the free-throw line. From 2017-19, Goodwin spent most of his time with a variety of NBA G League teams, in the hopes of returning to the big show. Since then, beyond Budivelnyk, he has logged time with clubs in Turkey, Germany, France, and Israel.

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

Free agent veteran NBA center Tarik Black has inked a one-year contract with Greek club Olympiacos, writes Ennio Terrasi Borghesan of Sportando. After going undrafted out of Kansas in 2014, Black appeared in 220 NBA games from 2014-18, all with the Rockets and Lakers. Since then, the 30-year-old has bounced from Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv, with whom he was named an Israeli League All-Star and won a league title in 2019, to teams in Russia and Turkey. The 6’9″ big man spent the 2021/22 season with the Grand Rapids Gold, the Nuggets’ NBAGL team, averaging 11.5 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 2.1 APG and 1.3 BPG across 15 contests.
The Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association are targeting former 2014 NBA lottery pick Noah Vonleh, per Borghesan of Sportando. Vonleh last played with another CBA club, the Shanghai Sharks, during the 2021/22 season. The 26-year-old averaged 14.3 PPG and 9.1 RPG with Shanghai. The Hornets selected the 6’10” power forward with the ninth pick out of Indiana in 2014. In addition to Charlotte, Vonleh suited up for the Trail Blazers, Bulls, Knicks, Timberwolves, and Nets across 339 NBA contests. He holds career league averages of 4.9 PPG and 5.1 RPG in 16.8 MPG.
Free agent swingman Tyler Bey is signing with Israeli League team Ironi Ness Ziona, reports Alessandro Maggi of Sportando. After being selected with the No. 36 pick out of Colorado in 2020, Bey saw his draft rights dealt to the Mavericks. The 24-year-old spent just 18 games, averaging 3.9 MPG, with the Mavs in 2020/21. Across 12 games with the Rockets’ NBAGL affiliate during the 2021/22 season, the 6’7″ wing averaged 10.3 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 1.3 SPG and 0.9 BPG across 22.2 MPG.

Carsen Edwards Signs With Fenerbahce

July 31st, 2022 at 9:10am CST by Arthur Hill

Former Celtics and Pistons point guard Carsen Edwards will play for Fenerbahce next season, according to Eurohoops. The Turkish powerhouse announced this morning that Edwards has signed a one-year contract.

Edwards, 24, finished last season in Detroit, but became a free agent in June when the team declined his option for 2022/23. He spent most of the past season with the Salt Lake City Stars in the G League before signing with the Pistons in early April and averaging 5.8 points, 1.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in four games.

Edwards was the 33rd selection in the 2019 draft and played his first two seasons with the Celtics, appearing in 68 total games. He was traded last September to the Grizzlies, who waived him eight days later.

International Notes: Irving, Adams, Bey, Dominican National Team

July 30th, 2022 at 6:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

Nets guard Kyrie Irving is already thinking about his career beyond the NBA. In response to a fan’s tweet about “gassing up” for the regular season, Irving speculated about his future several years down the road, saying he eventually expects to play overseas.

“I don’t ever have to Gas myself up,” Irving wrote (Twitter link). “I am going on my 12th year in the best league in the world and I am only getting better. When I am 38 years old and have time to reflect on my career truly, I will do so, but until then, I am enjoying every moment.”

“And no I won’t be done playing basketball at 38 years old lol,” he added (Twitter link). “I’ll be in leagues all over the world playing and teaching the youth all that was taught to me.”

Irving just turned 30 in March, so the future he’s talking about is several years away. He’s under contract to Brooklyn for one more season after picking up his $36.9MM option last month.

Here are some more notes related to international basketball:

Jaylen Adams, the Most Valuable Player in Australia’s NBL last season, has signed with KK Crvena Zvezda in Serbia, according to Hoops Rumors’ JD Shaw (Twitter link). Adams, who appeared in seven games with the Bucks during the 2020/21 season, attended a mini-camp with the Lakers last month.
Former NBA small forward Tyler Bey is receiving interest from Ironi Ness Ziona in Israel, tweets Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Bey held a two-way contract with the Rockets in training camp last year, but he was waived before the start of the season and wound up playing for Houston’s G League affiliate. A former star at Colorado, Bey played 18 games with the Mavericks in 2020/21.
Al Horford, Karl-Anthony Towns and Chris Duarte are the most prominent names on the Dominican Republic’s preliminary 25-man World Cup roster, according to Cancha Latina. The team has qualifying games next month against Panama and Venezuela. Horford has been a member of the national team since 2008, and Towns has represented the country since 2012.

Wayne Selden Jr. Signs In Italy

July 30th, 2022 at 3:47pm CST by JD Shaw

Former NBA guard Wayne Selden Jr. has signed in Italy with Tezenis Verona, the team announced on social media (Twitter link). Selden will head back overseas after recently playing in Turkey and Israel.

Selden, 6’4″, joined the Knicks for training camp last fall and stuck around to start the regular season. New York waived him in January, creating roster space for a trade featuring Denzel Valentine to be finalized.

Selden has played 127 NBA games since going undrafted in 2016. In addition to the Knicks, he holds experience with the Pelicans, Grizzlies and Bulls, averaging 7.2 points in 18.8 minutes per game for his career.

Prior to declaring for the draft, Selden played three seasons at Kansas under head coach Bill Self. At 27 years old, he could still make a return to the NBA down the road, but it would likely depend on how well he performs overseas.

Tyler Johnson Signs With Brisbane Bullets

July 30th, 2022 at 1:49pm CST by JD Shaw

Free agent guard Tyler Johnson has agreed to a one-year deal with the Brisbane Bullets of the National Basketball League, the team announced in a press release. This will be Johnson’s first professional stint overseas.

Johnson holds 354 games of NBA experience during his career, making stops with the Heat, Suns, Knicks, Sixers and Spurs. The 30-year-old signed 10-day hardship contracts with Philadelphia and San Antonio last season.

Johnson’s best years have come in Miami, where he began his NBA career and remained in 2016 after the Heat matched a four-year, $50MM offer sheet from Brooklyn. He went on to average 13.7 points and 3.2 assists per game the following season, shooting 43% from the floor and 37% from deep.

Johnson went unselected in the 2014 NBA Draft after playing four seasons at Fresno State. He worked out for at least one NBA team this summer before committing to play in the NBL. In addition to Johnson, the Bullets also recently agreed to a deal with center Aron Baynes.

And-Ones: Howard, Edwards, Wembanyama, Tax Payments

July 29th, 2022 at 8:59pm CST by Rory Maher

Free agent center Dwight Howard wants to continue his NBA career, but apparently is interested in joining the WWE if he’s unable to find a team, as Kurt Helin of NBC Sports relays (hat tip to Arash Markazi of ESPN Radio).

An eight-time All-NBA member and three-time Defensive Player of the Year, back injuries have unfortunately slowed Howard in comparison to his supremely athletic peak. Still, he has been a productive backup center the past three years for the Lakers and Sixers, winning a ring with Los Angeles in 2020.

In 60 games (16.2 MPG) with the Lakers in 2021/22, the 36-year-old averaged 6.2 PPG and 5.9 RPG. He’s one of several veteran free agents still looking for a team this summer.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

Turkish team Fenerbahce is reportedly targeting Carsen Edwards, per Basket News. Bugra Uzar of Eurohoops reports that Edwards and the EuroLeague side are in “advanced talks.” The No. 33 pick of the 2019 draft, Edwards spent his first couple of seasons with the Celtics, appearing in 68 total games while averaging 3.6 PPG and 1.1 RPG in 9.8 MPG. He was traded to Memphis last September, subsequently waived, and spent the majority of last season in the G League, averaging 26.7 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 4.2 APG and 1.6 SPG in 31 regular season games for the Salt Lake City Stars, Utah’s affiliate. The 5’11” guard signed a contract with the Pistons at the end of last season, appearing in four games with averages of 5.8 PPG and 3.5 APG in 19.8 MPG. However, his team option for ’22/23 was declined at the end of June, making him an unrestricted free agent.
French phenom Victor Wembanyama will miss the upcoming EuroBasket tournament after sustaining a muscle injury, according to a report from Eurohoops. The 7’3″ Wembanyama is the projected No. 1 pick of the 2023 draft and considered by some talent evaluators to be the best prospect the NBA has seen in a couple decades. The group phase of EuroBasket tips off on September 1.
One NBA team owner tells Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com that he thinks teams receiving payments from taxpayers at the end of the season should be required to reinvest that money into rosters rather than pocketing it. The seven taxpaying teams in ’21/22, led by the Warriors, paid a combined $481,021,386, shattering the old record of $173.3MM back in ’02/03. The 23 non-taxpaying teams received half of that total, so each team received a $10,456,987 payment. The league received the remaining $240,510,693 to help fund its revenue sharing program.

Moses Wright Reportedly Joining Team In China

July 29th, 2022 at 10:32am CST by Luke Adams

After finishing the 2021/22 season with the Mavericks, free agent forward Moses Wright is reportedly heading overseas, having agreed to a deal with the Zhejiang Golden Bulls of the Chinese Basketball Association, according to a report from Sina Sports.

Wright, who spent training camp and the preseason with the Clippers last fall after going undrafted out of Georgia Tech, signed a 10-day hardship deal with the Clips in December, then joined the Mavericks on a two-way contract in February. He logged just 14 total minutes in four NBA appearances for the two clubs, but had an impressive showing in the G League, earning a spot on the All-NBAGL First Team.

In 29 total appearances for the Clippers’ and Mavs’ G League affiliates, Wright put up 19.6 PPG, 9.2 RPG, and 1.4 BPG on .562/.395/.657 shooting in 32.0 minutes per contest. The 23-year-old also played well for Dallas’ Summer League team in Las Vegas earlier this month, racking up 15.5 PPG and 6.8 RPG in just 19.0 MPG in four appearances.

While there was a sense that Wright might be a candidate to get another two-way contract with the Mavs, the team didn’t issue him a qualifying offer last month, so he was an unrestricted free agent. Assuming Wright officially completes his deal with Zhejiang, Dallas will have to look elsewhere to fill its open two-way slot.