International Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Brazdeikis, Hall, Harden, Johnson, Lofton Jr.

July 18th, 2022 at 7:58pm CST by Dana Gauruder

After finishing the 2021/22 season in Orlando, Ignas Brazdeikis remains on the free agent market and he’s drawing interest from two EuroLeague teams, according to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com.

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz and Zalgiris Kaunas are the teams pursuing Brazdeikis, though he’d prefer to stay in the NBA. Both Zalgiris and Baskonia are desperately looking for a perimeter player, according to Urbonas. Baskonia is trying to replace Simone Fontecchio, who is signing a two-year deal with the Jazz. Brazdeikis appeared in 42 games with the Magic last season.

We have more from the basketball world:

Former NBA forward Donta Hall has signed a three-year extension with AS Monaco, the team announced in a press release. Hall’s last NBA action came during the 2020/21 campaign, when he played 13 games with Orlando.
James Harden is a bargain? If he takes a pay cut and signs a two-year contract worth approximately $68MM with the Sixers, he’d rank as the best free agent value this offseason, Keith Smith writes in a Spotrac article. Keldon Johnson‘s four-year, $80MM extension with the Spurs and Kevon Looney‘s three-year, $25.5MM deal with the Warriors are also among the summer’s most team-friendly deals, in Smith’s estimation.
There were some eye-popping performances and some clunkers in the final Summer League games played over the weekend. Ethan Fuller of Basketball News takes a look at the “Studs,” including Kenneth Lofton Jr.’s 27-point, 12-rebound performance for the Grizzlies, and “Duds” from those contests.

And-Ones: CBA Negotiations, Williams, Paige, First-Round Picks

July 17th, 2022 at 9:58pm CST by JD Shaw

With new Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations likely around the corner, the NBA is unquestionably in a good situation, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe writes. NBA owners and the NBPA could opt out of their current labor contract in December. The league made $10 billion in revenue last season, which is more than what was expected.

“The numbers did surprise me to a certain degree because they exceeded our projections,” commissioner Adam Silver said. “So to the extent our projections represent where we think our business was going, surpassing $10 billion in revenue clearly is a record for this league.

“I think it’s quite remarkable from where we came only two-and-a-half years ago when the future of this industry was in question, in part because of the pandemic and also people questioning whether people would want to continue to assemble in arenas and stadiums the way they are.”

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

Former NBA player C.J. Williams has penned a deal in Israel with Ironi Ness Ziona, the team announced on social media (Twitter link). Williams most recently played in Turkey. He appeared in 53 games with the Clippers and Timberwolves from 2017-19.
Free agent guard Marcus Paige has signed in Spain with Obradoiro, the team announced (via Twitter). Paige holds NBA experience with the Hornets and played in France last year, averaging 9.9 points and 3.4 assists per game.
Zach Lowe of ESPN.com (Insider-only link) examines why potential Kevin Durant and Donovan Mitchell trades could expand an unprecedented trend in the NBA. Teams appear more willing than they have been in years to include unprotected first-round picks in trade packages for impact players — deals involving Durant and Mitchell will likely involve several first-rounders, just as the Jazz-Timberwolves trade involving Rudy Gobert did.

And-Ones: In-Season Tournament, Lillard, Beal, Williams, Ferrell

July 16th, 2022 at 11:53am CST by Dana Gauruder

Earlier this week, the NBA’s Board of Governors decided to make the play-in tournament a regularly scheduled event. At the same meeting, the Board also discussed the possibility of an in-season tournament, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

According to Charania, the format would have all 30 teams competing, with eight teams advancing to a single-elimination round to determine the winner. The NBA’s “Final Four” would be held at a neutral site. However, the in-season tournament won’t happen until at least the 2023/24 season.

We have more from around the basketball world:

It’s inevitable the extensions given by the Trail Blazers to Damian Lillard and by the Wizards to Bradley Beal will come back to haunt those franchises, John Hollinger of The Athletic opines. Lillard is projected to make a cap-killing $63MM in 2026/27 when he’s 36, Hollinger notes. The Wizards gave Beal a five-year deal that pays him $70MM more than he could have gotten elsewhere and they added a no-trade clause, both of which could doom the franchise to mediocrity.
Former NBA forward Derrick Williams has agreed to a one-year deal with Panathinaikos Athens, according to Sportando. Williams played for Maccabi Tel Aviv last season. The No. 2 overall pick of the 2011 draft hasn’t played an NBA game since the 2017/18 season.
Former NBA guard Yogi Ferrell is re-signing with Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana, according to Sportando. He averaged 12.6 PPG in ABA Liga games, 15.3 PPG in EuroCup and 13.8 PPG in domestic league contests for the Slovenian team last season. Ferrell played for the Clippers in the 2020/21 regular season and playoffs before going overseas.
From stars sitting out regular-season games to high draft picks getting shut down in the Summer League, the league has a major problem with its recognizable players simply not playing enough, argues Joe Vardon of The Athletic.

Markus Howard To Sign With Baskonia

July 16th, 2022 at 8:15am CST by Dana Gauruder

Free agent guard Markus Howard has agreed to a two-year contract with Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, according to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.

The news that the two sides were close to an agreement was first reported by Home of Glory.

Howard played last season with the Nuggets on a two-way contract. He became an unrestricted free agent when he was not extended a qualifying offer.

The undrafted guard out of Marquette suffered a sprained knee early last season, then appeared in 31 regular-season games after he returned. He averaged 4.1 PPG in 5.7 MPG.

During his rookie season in 2020/21, Howard has averaged 4.3 PPG in 37 games with Denver. He also saw action in nine postseason contests.

And-Ones: Muhammad, Musa, James, Grant

July 14th, 2022 at 5:49pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

29-year-old former 2013 NBA lottery pick Shabazz Muhammad is hoping to return to the NBA after spending the past four seasons abroad, writes Dana O’Neil of The Athletic. Muhammad indicates that he has worked out for the Kings and has received interest from the Mavericks.

Muhammad was selected with the No. 14 pick out of UCLA in 2013 and spent the majority of his NBA tenure with the Timberwolves. After Minnesota waived him in the spring of 2018, he latched on with the Bucks. Since then, he has suited up for a pair of CBA clubs, the Shanxi Brave Dragons and the Shenzhen Aviators. During the 2021/22 season, Muhammad played briefly with the Nuggets’ NBAGL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold. He next joined the San Miguel Beermen of the Phillippine Basketball Association.

“It was a big adjustment,’’ Muhammad said of his time abroad. “The language barrier — I needed a translator to talk to my teammates — the food. I got down on myself.’’

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

Former Nets small forward Dzanan Musa has inked a deal with top EuroLeague power Real Madrid, according to Alessandro Maggi of Sportando. The 6’9″ wing, still just 23, was selected with the No. 29 pick by Brooklyn in 2018. From 2018-20, he appeared in a total of 49 games for the Nets, averaging 4.8 PPG, 2.1 RPG and 1.1 APG while shooting 37.6% from the floor. Musa spent the 2021/22 season with another Spanish team, Club Baloncesto Breogán, for whom he averaged 20.1 PPG, 5.1 RPG and 3.1 APG.
Another recent Net, point guard Mike James, has opted to re-sign with AS Monaco on a two-year deal, according to Eurohoops. James, 31, was named to the All-EuroLeague First Team during his 2021/22 season with AS Monaco, averaging 16.4 PPG, 5.7 APG and 3.4 RPG. The 6’1″ James last suited up in 13 games for the Nets during the 2020/21 season, averaging 7.7 PPG, 4.2 APG and 2.5 RPG across 18.2 MPG.
Former NBA reserve guard Jerian Grant has signed with the Turkish club Turk Telekom, per Eurohoops. Grant, now 29, was selected with the No. 19 pick out of Notre Dame in 2015, and logged time with the Knicks, Bulls, and Magic, before landing with the Wizards for his last NBA season, 2019/20. The 6’4″ vet holds career NBA averages of 6.1 PPG, 2.9 APG, 1.9 RPG and 0.7 SPG across 279 games. Grant spent the 2021/22 season with Italian EuroLeague club Olimpia Milano. During his games played within the Italian League, he averaged 7.4 PPG 2.7 APG and 1.9 RPG.

And-Ones: Koufos, Nunnally, Embiid, ABA

July 13th, 2022 at 10:37pm CST by Rory Maher

Veteran center Kosta Koufos, who played 11 years in the NBA from 2008-2019, is finalizing a contract to join the London Lions of the British Basketball League, sources tell Marc Stein (Twitter link).

Across 686 career games, including 229 starts, Koufos averaged 5.7 points and 5 rebounds in 16.4 minutes per night while playing solid defense. He played for Utah, Minnesota, Denver, Memphis and Sacramento during his time in the league.

The 33-year-old made a couple of international stops with CSKA Moscow in 2019/20 and Olympiacos in ’20/21, per Basketball-Reference. Both teams compete in the EuroLeague. Last season he was a veteran mentor for the G League Ignite.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

Former NBA forward James Nunnally has signed with Serbian club Partizan Belgrade, according to Ennio Terrasi Borghesan of Sportando. The 31-year-old played parts of three seasons in the league for five teams, most recently with the Pelicans in ’20/21. He only played in 37 career games with modest averages of 8.5 MPG and 2.6 PPG, but he has had a lengthy and productive career overseas, with career averages of 12.1 PPG and 3.1 RPG on an impressive shooting line of .471/.437/.896. He played in Israel last season for Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Joel Embiid has reportedly been granted French citizenship, clearing the way for him to join France’s national team in international competition, writes Antigoni Zachari of Eurohoops.net. The original report came from French outlet BeBasket.fr. The French team’s frontcourt could feature a staggering amount of size and talent in future competitions if Embiid participates, with the center potentially joining three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert and Victor Wembanyama, the projected first overall pick of the 2023 draft.
After reporting in February of last year that the NBA was in discussions with the Dropping Dimes Foundation about potentially assisting more than 100 remaining American Basketball Association players, many of whom are struggling financially and are in dire need of pensions, Dana Hunsinger Benbow of The Indianapolis Star writes that the NBA’s Board of Governors voted yesterday to pay the ABA players $24.5MM. According to Hunsinger Benbow, approximately 115 players are eligible for the payout, which the league is calling “recognition payments” instead of pensions. In order to be eligible, the players must have played at least three years in the ABA or at least three combined years in the ABA and NBA while never receiving a pension from the NBA. The players will receive $3,828 annually for each year they played in the league, for a minimum of $11,484 per year, Hunsinger Benbow reports. The funding for the payments will be split 50-50 between the NBA and the Players Association.

International Notes: Exum, Leaf, Motiejunas, Edwards

July 11th, 2022 at 8:15am CST by Luke Adams

It doesn’t appear an NBA return is in the cards this offseason for former No. 5 overall pick Dante Exum. According to a report from Dorde Matic of MozzartSport.com (hat tip to Eurohoops.net), Exum is on track to sign a contract with KK Partizan, a EuroLeague team based in Belgrade, Serbia.

Exum, 26, battled injuries during his NBA career and was limited to just 245 regular season appearances across seven years (2014-21) in Utah and Cleveland. He spent last season in Barcelona after being cut by the Rockets last fall.

Exum indicated in March that he was open to an NBA return but also wouldn’t mind continuing his career in Europe. It appears that’s the plan for the time being.

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

Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (Twitter link) hears that former UCLA standout T.J. Leaf will join the Beijing Ducks for the 2022/23 campaign after finishing last season with the Guangzhou Loong Lions. A previous report indicated that Leaf, the No. 18 overall pick in 2017, was on track to join Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel, but a deal between the two sides was never officially completed. The veteran forward appeared in 146 games for Indiana and Portland from 2017-21.
Former NBA forward Donatas Motiejunas, a first-round pick in 2011, is finalizing a new two-year contract with AS Monaco after spending the 2021/22 season with the club, reports Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com. The 31-year-old appeared in a total of 251 NBA games for Houston, New Orleans, and San Antonio from 2012-19.
Vince Edwards, a 2018 second-round pick who spent the ’21/22 season with the Iowa Wolves in the G League, has signed with BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque, the French team announced in a press release. The 26-year-old forward appeared in just two games at the NBA level, but he has played in the NBAGL extensively since going pro four years ago. This will be his first stint in Europe.

And-Ones: Diop, Baynes, Onuaku, Free Agency, Macon, Dragic

July 9th, 2022 at 2:02pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Cavaliers draft-and-stash pick Khalifa Diop has extended his contract with Gran Canaria through 2025, according to Eurohoops.net. The Senegalese center’s previous deal with the club was set to expire in 2024. Diop. 20, was selected with the 39th overall pick with the goal of stashing him at least for next season. Presumably, Diop will have NBA opt-outs in his European contract for when Cleveland is ready to bring him aboard.

We have more news from around the basketball world:

Free agent center Aron Baynes worked out for NBA teams in Las Vegas on Friday and received generally positive reviews, Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com reports. Baynes is seeking an NBA comeback after suffering a serious spinal cord injury during the Tokyo Olympics. One scout told Bulpett that Baynes showed good stamina and a consistent 3-point stroke. Another executive said that Baynes could be a good fit for the Celtics.
Israeli League MVP Chinanu Onuaku will work out for NBA teams on Wednesday at the Las Vegas Summer League, Aris Barkas of Eurohoops.net reports. The Raptors, Clippers, Celtics, Cavaliers, Mavericks and Lakers are among the teams expected to be in attendance. Additionally, Greece’s Panathinaikos is expected to soon present an official offer for a two-year contract. The 6’11” big man played six games with the Rockets from 2016-18.
Donte DiVincenzo‘s two-year contract with the Warriors and Bruce Brown‘s two-year deal with the Nuggets are the best value signings during free agency thus far, in the view of executives who spoke to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com.
Former NBA guard Daryl Macon has signed with Unics, according to Alessandro Maggi of Sportando. Macon averaged 13.1 PPG and 3.6 APG last season in EuroLeague with Panathinaikos. Macon played four games with the Heat during the 2019/20 season.
Former NBA guard Zoran Dragic has re-signed with Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana for another season, according to Sportando. Dragic averaged 10.7 PPG and 5.5 RPG last season in EuroCup action.

Pistons Second-Rounder Procida Signs With Alba Berlin

July 8th, 2022 at 8:14am CST by Luke Adams

Italian swingman Gabriele Procida has officially signed a three-year contract with Alba Berlin, the German team announced in a press release.

Procida, who turned 20 last month, was the 36th overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft. He was selected by Portland on behalf of the Pistons, who acquired him from the Blazers as part of the Jerami Grant trade. That deal became official this week.

Procida spent the 2021/22 season with Fortitudo Bologna in Italy, averaging 7.0 PPG and 3.0 RPG on .522/.383/.784 shooting in 18.5 minutes per contest. He ranked outside the top 50 on ESPN’s big board leading up to the draft, but made a strong impression on teams at the combine and in pre-draft workouts.

Reports on the night of the draft indicated that the Pistons planned to make Procida a draft-and-stash prospect and have him continue developing overseas, so today’s news that he has signed with a new team in Europe doesn’t come as a surprise. The only question will be how long Procida remains overseas — it’s unclear if there are NBA outs in his new deal with Alba Berlin.

And-Ones: Schuler, Musa, Canaan, FA Bargains

July 7th, 2022 at 3:56pm CST by Rory Maher

Former Trail Blazers head coach Mike Schuler has passed away at age 81, the team announced in a press release. Schuler compiled a 127-84 record over parts of three seasons with the Blazers from 1986-1989, winning NBA Coach of the Year in 1987/88, when Portland went 53-29 in the regular season.

A native of Portsmouth, Ohio, who graduated from Ohio University in 1962, Schuler was a college coach for 16 years before transitioning to the pros. His NBA coaching career spanned 24 years and included stops with the Nets, Bucks, Warriors, Clippers (head coach from ’90-92), Kings and Timberwolves.

Our condolences go out to Schuler’s friends and family.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

Former Nets wing Dzanan Musa, who was named the Most Valuable Player of Liga ACB, Spain’s top basketball league, back in May, is close to signing with Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid, according to a report from Eurohoops.net. The 29th pick of the 2018 draft, Musa appeared in 49 games over two seasons with Brooklyn from 2018-20. He’s excelled since returning to Europe, playing for teams in Turkey and Spain over the last two years. Musa averaged 20.1 PPG, 5.1 RPG, and 3.1 APG on .494/.381/.787 shooting in 29 Liga ACB games (32.0 MPG) for CB Breogan this past season.
Isaiah Canaan, who holds six seasons of NBA experience with the Rockets, Sixers, Bulls, Suns, Timberwolves and Bucks from 2013-19, is signing with Greek team Olympiacos, sources tell Stavros Barbarousis of Eurohoops.net. Canaan spent two seasons with Russian team UNICS Kazan, but left the club when it was suspended from EuroLeague action following the invasion of Ukraine. He finished out last season with Turkish club Galatasaray. Across 235 NBA games (20.4 MPG), Canaan has career averages of 8.1 PPG, 1.9 RPG and 1.9 APG on .371/.351/.836 shooting.
Jared Dubin of FiveThirtyEight.com explores which teams have leveled up in free agency thus far, and which clubs have found bargains. Adding Danilo Gallinari and trading for Malcolm Brogdon means the Celtics have leveled up, according to Dubin, who also points to the Nuggets, Clippers and Sixers as teams that improved. The Bucks, Raptors, Blazers, Warriors, Kings and Lakers are teams that have found bargains, Dubin writes.