International Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Harry Giles Joining Shanxi Loongs

November 12th, 2024 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent big man Harry Giles has signed with the Shanxi Loongs of the Chinese Basketball Association, as Dario Skerletic of Sportando relays. The team posted a photo on the Chinese social media site Weibo of Giles wearing Shanxi gear.

Giles, 26, has appeared in a total of 165 regular season games since being drafted with the 20th overall pick in 2017, including 23 contests last season for the Nets and Lakers. He was a five-star recruit out of high school and was viewed as a probable lottery pick before his career was derailed by knee injuries, which forced him to miss his entire rookie campaign and parts of subsequent seasons.

Giles holds career averages of 5.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 11.7 minutes per game for four NBA teams, including the Kings and Trail Blazers.

The former Duke standout was with the Hornets in training camp this fall, but didn’t earn a spot on the team’s regular season roster, having been cut at the end of the preseason.

Giles is joining a Shanxi team that is off to an 8-2 start in CBA play this season. The club’s two leading scorers are also ex-NBA players — Brandon Goodwin, formerly of the Nuggets, Hawks, and Cavaliers, is averaging 24.1 points per game for the Loongs, while former Thunder, Pistons, and Wizards swingman Hamidou Diallo has put up 18.9 PPG.

And-Ones: NBA Academies, Free Agents, M. James, More

November 8th, 2024 at 5:14pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA intends to close its Global Academy in Australia and its Latin America Academy in Mexico at the end of their respective seasons, reports Jonathan Givony of ESPN. As Givony explains, the league’s intent is to reallocate more resources to “larger, non-traditional basketball countries” that don’t have strong existing infrastructure.

The league will focus on markets that are “deemed most essential for globalizing the NBA,” according to Givony, who points to China, India, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Korea, and Japan as examples. The plan is to open a new Global Academy hub in a more central country relative to those markets, with Asia or the Middle East viewed as the most probable locations, Givony continues.

“Our goal is to grow the game globally, increase the level of play around the world, and help those who need it most,” the NBA’s head of international basketball operations Troy Justice told ESPN. “We want players from 80 countries to be represented on NBA rosters, not 43, like we have now. There’s so much talent out there. We just need to help support their growth.”

As Givony points out, recent lottery picks like Josh Giddey (Australia), Dyson Daniels (Australia), Bennedict Mathurin (Latin America) developed their skills at the two NBA Academies that are shuttering.

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

Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report lists five veteran free agents that he believes could help virtually any NBA team right now. Pincus’ list includes Markelle Fultz, Justin Holiday, Robert Covington, and Bismack Biyombo, along with Lonnie Walker, who technically isn’t a free agent but has an NBA opt-out clause in his deal with Zalgiris Kaunas.
A longtime star in Europe, veteran guard Mike James has only made 49 career NBA appearances with the Suns, Pelicans, and Nets. The AS Monaco standout and reigning EuroLeague MVP said during a recent appearance on SKWEEK’s Best In Class podcast (hat tip to BasketNews.com) that he thinks NBA teams view him as “a risk” due to his success overseas. “Every time I talk with them – not me personally but my representatives – they kind of feel like, ‘Yeah, but if it doesn’t go well for you, you just get mad and leave and go back to Europe,'” James said. “Everybody just kind of thinks that if I’m not playing as much as I want, I’m going. Everybody kind of considers me like I’ve outgrown the role that they want to put me in, but they need to put me in that role for me to get a bigger role. So, it’s like a give-and-take at some point.”
In an Insider-only story for ESPN.com, Jeremy Woo takes a look at some of the early-season standouts among first- and second-year NBA players, highlighting the breakout potential being shown by Raptors guard Gradey Dick and Wizards forward Bilal Coulibaly and identifying Grizzlies second-rounder Jaylen Wells as one of the most impressive 2024 draftees so far.

International Notes: Walker, Bitim, Roberson, Beverley

November 8th, 2024 at 1:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

After opting for the EuroLeague over an opportunity with the Celtics’ G League affiliate, Lonnie Walker went scoreless in his first game with Zalgiris Kaunas, writes Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. Walker missed all eight of his shots and committed two turnovers in 13 minutes, but he wasn’t discouraged about his debut.

“I could not put a basketball in the ocean, but this is my first game,” he said. “… I played one bad game, but we continue to have a hell of a season. I am not excited nor upset about how I played.”

This is Walker’s first EuroLeague experience and he noticed a few differences from the NBA, including more physicality and the absence of a defensive three-second rule, but said it’s mostly the same style of play. His contract includes an NBA buyout clause until February 18, and the Nuggets reportedly already have some interest, but for now Walker is focused on adapting to his new surroundings.

“This is a new environment, but I work my tail off day in and day out, and I trust and believe in my work,” he said. “I want to come back, shoot a lot more shots, and be ready for the next game, both mentally and physically.”

There’s more international news to pass along:

Fenerbahce has finalized a deal to loan former Bulls forward Onuralp Bitim to Bayern Munich for the rest of the season, per Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews. After spending one year in the NBA, Bitim signed a contract this week with the Istanbul club that runs through the 2027/28 season. Fenerbahce views him as a long-term asset, Urbonas adds, but currently has a crowded roster. In Munich, Bitim will play for German national team head coach Gordon Herbert on a squad hit by early-season injuries. The agreement includes a clause allowing Fenerbahce to reclaim Bitim if Bayern fails to reach the playoffs.
Former NBA swingman Andre Roberson is in advanced talks to join ASVEL Villeurbanne in the French League following a brief stint with Cholet, Urbonas adds in a separate story.
On his latest podcast (Twitter video link), Patrick Beverley said he has “some decisions to make” about his future with Hapoel Tel Aviv. Beverley revealed that former NBA big man Johnathan Motley recently left the team because he no longer feels safe in Israel and wants to join a EuroLeague team in Serbia. Beverley added that it’s not in his nature to back out on a commitment, but he has received interest from EuroLeague clubs including Real Madrid as well as some NBA teams that he hasn’t been authorized to mention.

Onuralp Bitim Returning To Europe

November 5th, 2024 at 9:47am CST by Luke Adams

After spending the 2023/24 season in the NBA, Turkish forward Onuralp Bitim will head back overseas for the ’24/25 campaign, reports Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com.

According to Urbonas, Bitim is on track to sign a long-term contract with the Istanbul-based club Fenerbahce. However, Fenerbahce has a crowded rotation on the wing, so the team is expected to loan the 25-year-old to Bayern Munich in Germany for the rest of this season.

Having played professionally in Turkey for several years, Bitim made the move stateside in 2023 and opened the NBA season on a two-way contract with the Bulls. He was promoted to Chicago’s standard roster in February and began to see some action at the NBA level around that time.

Bitim, who made his NBA debut on Feb. 22, ultimately appeared in 23 total games for Chicago, averaging 3.5 points and 1.4 rebounds in 11.7 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .381/.273/.800. His season ended due to a detached retina, which required multiple surgeries and an uncomfortable recovery process.

Bitim remained under contract with the Bulls until last month, when he was among the club’s preseason cuts.

While Bitim’s NBA numbers were underwhelming, he was a solid contributor at the G League level in 22 games for the Windy City Bulls, putting up 14.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists on .415/.363/.909 shooting in 30.1 minutes per contest. In 2022/23, he made the All-EuroCup Second Team for Bursaspor in Turkey after averaging 18.1 PPG and 3.2 APG in 18 EuroCup outings.

International Notes: French Rookies, Yao, Mannion, Larkin, More

November 1st, 2024 at 3:02pm CST by Rory Maher

French teenagers Zaccharie Risacher (Hawks), Alex Sarr (Wizards) and Tidjane Salaün (Hornets), who were selected first, second and sixth overall in June’s draft, have gotten off to slow starts to begin their NBA careers, per John Hollinger of The Athletic. Risacher (.354/.238/.583 shooting line) and Sarr (.297/.238/.833) are struggling with offensive efficiency, while Salaün isn’t yet a regular member of Charlotte’s rotation.

As Hollinger writes, that outcome was always expected, as all three players were viewed as relatively raw prospects, drafted more for what they could be than what they are now. While Risacher and Sarr have shown promising flashes on defense, they’ve also struggled with the size and strength of the NBA, something Risacher’s teammate Bogdan Bogdanovic is familiar with, having played in Serbia and Turkey before signing his first NBA contract.

“Athleticism in the NBA is very different,” Bogdanovic said. “There is not a league on the planet where you can see this type of length, athleticism and talent on the floor. Just adjusting to the speed of the games and the pace.”

Hollinger asked Risacher about his early adjustment to the league in training camp, and the 19-year-old was modest in his reply.

“Back in France I was super athletic, and now I’m just a regular dude,” Risacher said.

Time will tell whether or not the three rookies will become impact players in the NBA, but for now, their teams will have to be patient as they develop, Hollinger notes.

Here are a few more international notes:

Hall-of-Famer Yao Ming has resigned from his role as president of the Chinese Basketball Association, as Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops relays. Yao, who played NBA nine seasons with the Rockets, was president of the CBA for the past seven years.
Former NBA guard Nico Mannion is signing a three-year contract with Italy’s Olimpia Milano, reports Alessandro Maggi of Sportando. Mannion’s current club, Pallacanestro, will receive a buyout of €300,000. Mannion’s NBA rights are controlled by Golden State, the team that selected him No. 48 overall in 2020. The 23-year-old spent the 2020/21 season on a two-way deal with the Warriors and would be a restricted free agent upon his return to the NBA as long as Golden State keeps issuing him two-way qualifying offers.
Former first-round pick Shane Larkin will return to the Turkish national team for the 2025 EuroBasket tournament, according to Eurohoops. Head coach Ergin Ataman recently announced the news in a podcast appearance, adding that another nationalized citizen, Scottie Wilbekin, will be on the roster as well. It’s unclear if Wilbekin will actually be ready to play by next summer, as he suffered a torn ACL this fall.
NBA veterans Bruno Caboclo and Patrick Beverley are currently playing in Israel with Hapoel Tel Aviv, but they’re both drawing interest from EuroLeague clubs, according to Maggi. Caboclo has reportedly received a contract offer from Real Madrid, which has multiple players sidelined by injuries. The Spanish powerhouse may be eyeing Beverley as well, though it’s unclear if he’s open to leaving his current team.

Kenneth Lofton Jr. Joins Shanghai Sharks

October 31st, 2024 at 4:35pm CST by Luke Adams

After being waived by the Bulls earlier this month, forward Kenneth Lofton Jr. has officially joined the Shanghai Sharks in the Chinese Basketball Association.

Lofton suited up for the Sharks for the first time on Thursday, per Asia-Basket.com, compiling 18 points and 10 rebounds across 19 minutes in his CBA debut.

Lofton, 22, went undrafted out of Louisiana Tech in 2022. He spent his rookie season with the Grizzlies and remained in Memphis for the start of the 2023/24 season before being waived last December when the team needed to open up a roster spot at the conclusion of Ja Morant‘s suspension. Lofton also played for the Sixers and Jazz last season and was in camp with Chicago this fall.

Although Lofton didn’t see much action at the NBA level in ’23/24, he finished the year strong in Utah, averaging 13.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.8 assists in 22.8 minutes per game across four April outings for the Jazz.

He also had a big year in the G League, earning All-NBAGL First Team honors after putting up 25.1 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 4.4 APG, and 1.6 BPG in 19 regular season games (30.1 MPG) for the Delaware Blue Coats and the Salt Lake City Stars.

Lofton isn’t the only former NBA player on his new team. Former first-round pick D.J. Wilson and ex-Celtics guard Tremont Waters are also playing in Shanghai. According to GTV Hoops (Instagram link), veteran point guard Devonte’ Graham has agreed to join the Sharks too, though Graham has yet to suit up for the club.

Lonnie Walker To Play In EuroLeague

October 30th, 2024 at 5:20pm CST by Arthur Hill

Free agent guard Lonnie Walker will sign with Zalgiris Kaunas in the EuroLeague, agent George S. Langberg of GSL Sports Group tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Walker signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Celtics in late August in hopes of winning a roster spot in training camp. He reportedly impressed team officials, but Boston is operating under second apron restrictions, so it would have cost roughly $8.8MM in luxury tax penalties to keep Walker, on top of his $2.1MM salary. He was waived shortly before the start of the season.

There was speculation that Walker would join the team’s G League affiliate in Maine and try to work his way back to the NBA. The Exhibit 10 deal would make him eligible for a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he had spent at least 60 days with the team. However, Walker wasn’t included on Maine’s training camp roster, which was announced over the weekend.

Walker reportedly drew interest from Real Madrid, but he opted to play for another EuroLeague club in Lithuania.

His new contract includes an NBA buyout clause until February 18, Charania adds. The Zalgiris Kaunas roster features former NBA players Ignas Brazdeikis and Alen Smailagic.

Walker, 25, played last season with Brooklyn, where he averaged 9.7 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 58 games. He also spent four years with the Spurs and one with the Lakers.

And-Ones: Chiozza, McRae, 2025 Mock, Fouls

October 28th, 2024 at 4:00pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Former NBA point guard Chris Chiozza signed with Manisa Basket, according to a release from the team (Twitter link). Chiozza joins the Turkish club after spending last season with Baskonia and the 2022/23 season with the G League’s Long Island Nets.

Chiozza, 28, went undrafted in 2018 out of Florida. He signed a 10-day deal with the Rockets in 2019, catching on for the rest of the season. He was then waived and spent consecutive years on two-way contracts with Washington, Brooklyn and Golden State. His biggest role came in Brooklyn in 2019/20, averaging 6.4 points and 3.1 assists in 15.4 minutes per game across 18 appearances (two starts).

In all, Chiozza holds career averages of 3.3 PPG and 2.4 APG in 91 career games. He last appeared in an NBA game in ’21/22 with Golden State.

We have more from around the basketball world:

Former NBAer Jordan McRae signed with Italian club Givova Scafati, according to Sportando. A second-round pick in 2014, McRae holds 123 games of NBA experience. He played for Cleveland, Phoenix, Denver, Detroit and Washington over the course of his career and was part of the Cavaliers’ 2016 title team that overcame a 3-1 series deficit. McRae found his biggest success at the NBA level from 2018-20, averaging 9.5 points and 2.0 assists in 56 games (four starts) with the Wizards.
To little surprise, in his most recent 2025 NBA mock draft, Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman has the Nets selecting Duke’s Cooper Flagg at No. 1 overall. Rutgers’ Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey round out the top three, while VJ Edgecombe comes in at No. 4. UNC’s Drake Powell (No. 6), Illinois’ Kasparas Jakucionis (No. 8), Texas’ Tre Johnson (No. 9) and BYU’s Egor Demin (No. 14) are a few of Wasserman’s other notable lottery picks.
Fouls and free throws have defined the opening portion of the regular season, The Athletic’s John Hollinger writes. The 99 combined free throws attempted by the Sixers and Raptors on Friday were the most combined by two teams in a game since 2017, and the free throw rate is up by over 20% across the league. Hollinger explores the phenomenon with points of view from several coaches. “There’s been an emphasis historically, over the last several years, on freedom of movement. That concept having specific application in pick-and-roll is something that’s significant,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. ”Coaches adjust, players adjust to how things are being called, and if that’s something we have to adjust to, we will.“

And-Ones: Franchise Valuations, Breakout Candidates, Bitim, More

October 26th, 2024 at 9:21am CST by Luke Adams

Forbes has released its NBA franchise valuations for 2024, and according to Justin Teitelbaum and Brett Knight, the Warriors are the league’s most valuable team for a third straight season, with an estimated valuation of a whopping $8.8 billion. The Knicks ($7.5 billion), Lakers ($7.1 billion), Celtics ($6 billion), and Clippers ($5.5 billion) round out Forbes’ top five.

As Teitelbaum and Knight detail, franchise valuations are up 15% as a whole from last year’s estimates, with an average of $4.4 billion for the league’s 30 teams. Forbes projects that none of those 30 clubs would sell for less than $3 billion if it were put on the market today, with the No. 30 Grizzlies coming in at a valuation of exactly $3 billion.

According to Forbes, new and renovated arenas – which have led to an increase in local revenue via premium seating and sponsorship revenue – have helped spur growth across the league. Teitelbaum and Knight suggest that the Warriors’ total revenue during the 2023/24 season reached $800MM.

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

John Hollinger of The Athletic published an 11-player list of prime breakout candidates on Friday, naming Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, Raptors forward RJ Barrett, Hornets guard Tre Mann, and Rockets jack-of-all-trades Amen Thompson as a few of the players he believes are poised for big seasons.
Relaying reporting out of Turkey, Dario Skerletic of Sportando writes that forward Onuralp Bitim is believed to be drawing interest from Anadolu Efes in the EuroLeague after being waived by the Bulls last week. Bitim made his basketball debut with Anadolu Efes earlier in his career and also spent time with multiple other clubs in his native country of Turkey before signing a two-way contract with Chicago in the summer of 2023. He averaged 3.5 PPG and 1.4 RPG in 23 NBA games (11.7 MPG) last season.
Grizzlies center Zach Edey sits atop the rookie power rankings published by Jeremy Woo of ESPN (Insider link). Woo’s list, which ranks players based on their potential to make an immediate impact in 2024/25, also has Rockets guard Reed Sheppard, Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher, Spurs guard Stephon Castle, and Wizards big man Alex Sarr in the top five.
Ben Golliver of The Washington Post takes a look at the new court designs for this season’s NBA in-season tournament and explains why last season’s issue with slippery surfaces shouldn’t be a problem this time around.

And-Ones: International Players, Salaries, Petrusev, 2025 RFAs

October 23rd, 2024 at 9:11pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The NBA’s 30 opening night rosters boast 125 internationally-born players, which ties a league record, per an NBA press release. Those 125 players hail from 43 different nations, which also ties a league record. Canada leads the way among those 43 nations for the 11th straight year, with 21 NBA players. France, Australia, Germany and Serbia round out the top-five most-represented international countries in the NBA, with 14, 13, eight and six players, respectively.

The Thunder and Pelicans have seven international players apiece, the most such tally this year.

The three most recent league Most Valuable Players are all international stars: three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, 2023 winner Joel Embiid, and two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. Last year’s runner-up to Jokic for MVP honors was Canadian point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Slovenian-born guard Luka Doncic is a five-time All-NBA First Teamer, while three-time All-Star center Domantas Sabonis is Lithuanian.

There’s more from around the basketball world:

With the NBA’s 2024/25 season tipping off this week, Keith Smith of Spotrac takes a look at where all 30 NBA clubs stand relative to this year’s salary cap and luxury tax aprons, ranging from the Suns ($31.5MM over the second apron) to the Pistons ($10.2MM under the cap).
While it didn’t happen when originally reported in September, NBA center/forward Filip Petrusev is now returning to Serbian club KK Crvena Zvezda, on a loan out from current club Olympiacos BC, Crvena Zvezda has announced (Twitter link). In a statement, agent Misko Raznatovic thanked Olympiacos and its owners for their flexibility with Petrusev, who sought a more significant role (via Twitter). The 6’11” big man was selected with the No. 50 pick in 2021. He didn’t play in the NBA until 2023/24, which he split between Philadelphia and the Kings before being waived and returning to Europe.
Not every talented young player entering the final year of a rookie scale contract agreed to an extension with his team by the October 21 deadline. Accordingly, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report previews the 2025 restricted free agent class, with Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga topping Pincus’ list of the best RFAs hitting the market next summer.