International Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: McDonald’s Game, ASG, M. Jackson, S. Kidd

February 19th, 2021 at 12:56pm CST by Luke Adams

The McDonald’s All American Game for top high school basketball prospects has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic for a second straight year, as Shane Laflin of ESPN writes. McDonald’s will still announce its 48-player roster for 2021 (24 boys and 24 girls) later this month and will virtually honor the class, Laflin notes.

The event has served over the years as a showcase for future impact NBA players. The league’s five most recent No. 1 picks – Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz, Deandre Ayton, Zion Williamson, and Anthony Edwards – are among the many future NBAers who have been named to the rosters for the McDonald’s All American Game since 2015 alone.

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Defending the NBA’s decision to hold an All-Star Game this season, commissioner Adam Silver said on ESPN’s The Jump that the league also faced criticism for resuming play last summer in the bubble and for beginning its new season in December amid the coronavirus pandemic. “It seems like no decisions during this pandemic come without uncertainty and come without risk,” Silver said, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “This is yet another one of them, and yet it’s my job to balance all those interests and ultimately it feels like the right thing to do to go forward.”
Former Warriors head coach Mark Jackson remains interested in coaching in the NBA, but said during an appearance on The Boardroom: Out of Office Podcast that he believes the “narrative” surrounding his time in Golden State has contributed to limiting his opportunities. Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News has the story, including some quotes from Jackson.
Former Colorado State forward Stanton Kidd, who appeared in four games for the Jazz during the 2019/20 season, has signed with Hapoel Jerusalem through the end of this season, the Israeli team announced in a press release. Kidd, waived by Utah in November 2019, had been playing for OGM Ormanspor in Turkey before making the move to Israel.

Ryan Broekhoff Signs With Australian Team

February 15th, 2021 at 9:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Former Mavericks wing Ryan Broekhoff has returned to his home country to resume his career. Broekhoff has signed with the South East Melbourne Phoenix, Hoops Rumors’ JD Shaw tweets.

Broekhoff spent most of the last two seasons with the Mavericks, averaging 4.0 PPG in 10.7 MPG over 59 career games. He was waived last February when Dallas signed Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

The 30-year-old signed with the Sixers prior to the summer restart but bowed out after his wife contracted the coronavirus. He participated in Philadelphia’s training camp prior to this season but was released in mid-December.

Broekhoff spent the first few years of his career with Besiktas in Turkey and Lokomotiv Kuban in Russia.

And-Ones: G League, Lin, All-Star Game, Sloan, ABA

February 10th, 2021 at 11:33am CST by Luke Adams

A trio of G League Ignite prospects – Jonathan Kuminga, Jalen Green, and Daishen Nix – headline Jeremy Woo’s SI.com list of players to watch during the 2020/21 NBAGL season, which tipped off this morning. Kuminga and Green are widely considered top-five prospects for the 2021 draft, and Kuminga and Nix got off to hot starts in their professional debut today.

Kevin Porter, Aleksej Pokusevski, Jontay Porter, and Malachi Flynn are among the G League players on assignment from NBA teams who will be worth keeping an eye on during the next few weeks, according to Woo.

Woo’s list also features Jeremy Lin, an NBA veteran who decided to play in the NBAGL this season rather than accepting more lucrative offers to spend another year in China, as he tells Shams Charania of Stadium (video link). Lin’s Santa Cruz Warriors are in action against the Ignite in today’s opener.

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Sam Amick of The Athletic explains why the NBA is holding an All-Star Game this year despite the objections of many of its biggest stars. As Amick details, league officials feel that the modified event can be pulled off safely and believe that fans want to see the game played. Scrapping this year’s All-Star Game may also have required the league to go back to the negotiating table with Turner/TNT to figure out how to make up for the loss of one of the network’s marquee NBA events.
Veteran guard Donald Sloan, who appeared in 218 regular season NBA games from 2011-16, has been granted his release by the Adelaide 36ers of the Australian Basketball League, the club announced. The 36ers indicated that Sloan asked to be waived to pursue other opportunities internationally.
The NBA is in talks 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 need of pensions, a league spokesperson tells Dana Hunsinger Benbow of The Indianapolis Star.

And-Ones: All-Star Game, Super Bowl, Trade Restrictions, Jerebko

February 6th, 2021 at 2:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

LeBron James publicly spoke out this week against holding an All-Star Game this year. Several other stars have joined that chorus, according to Eric Woodyard of ESPN.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden and Kawhi Leonard also made their feelings public on Friday after the league and Players Association agreed to hold an All-Star Game in Atlanta on March 7.

“I’ve got zero energy, zero excitement,” Antetokounmpo said. “At the end of the day, if they tell us we’re going to show up, we’ve got to do our job. … Inside, deep down, I don’t want to do it. I want to get some break.”

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The league is discouraging players and personnel from holding Super Bowl parties, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. They are not permitted to gather outside of their home for Super Bowl Sunday. At home, individuals are expected to watch the game only with household members. Team members that are on the road may host up to four family members or close friends in a hotel with advance testing.
Trade restrictions on most free agents that signed contracts this offseason have been lifted, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. A total of 90 players that signed offseason deals are trade-eligible, while 29 others are still restricted in some fashion, Marks adds. However, there haven’t been any trades on the date that those restrictions were lifted in prior seasons, dating back to 2012, Marks adds.
Former NBA big man Jonas Jerebko had his contract with BC Khimki Moscow terminated last month and he told Swedish news organization Aftonbladet that his time there was an unpleasant experience, Sportando relays. The dispute began when Jerebko asked permission to visit his family in December. “The day before departure my agent writes me. He told me I could stay at home. Coach said I might not come back. It was not such a difficult decision to stay at home when he said so. Since then, there have been some non-payments and stuff like that.”

And-Ones: Garza, Robinson, USA Basketball, G League

February 4th, 2021 at 9:55am CST by Dana Gauruder

Luka Garza projects as a second-unit center who can beat up reserve bigs with his offensive skills, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz (Insider link). While Garza is the most dominant scorer in college basketball this season, his defensive limitations will prove problematic at the next level. A best-case scenario would be for Garza to develop into an Enes Kanter-type player. ESPN currently ranks Garza as the 46th-best prospect in this year’s draft.

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Former No. 5 pick Thomas Robinson has parted ways with Bahcesehir in Turkey, he told JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors (Twitter link). It’s a matter of seeking another opportunity, with the 29-year-old looking to return to playing as soon as possible. He played 313 NBA games with six teams in 2012-17.
USA Basketball is planning to create a “bubble” in Las Vegas for Team USA, Australia and Spain where they can train and play exhibition games against one another prior to the Tokyo Olympics, Brian Windhorst of ESPN reports. Team USA is tentatively planning to open training camp the week of July 4 while the NBA playoffs are ongoing.
USA Basketball has petitioned the U.S. Olympic Committee, the IOC and FIBA — which runs the Olympic basketball tournament — to change the rules for when rosters for the Games must be submitted, Windhorst adds in the same report. Normally, the rosters must be set several weeks in advance but the NBA playoffs may not end until three days prior to Team USA’s first Olympic game.
Greensboro Swarm head coach Jay Hernandez provides details in a HoopsHype post on how his team is preparing for the G League season in Orlando while under quarantine.

And-Ones: Australia, Evans, Masks, Free Agency

February 2nd, 2021 at 9:58pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Ben Simmons heads the list of players named by Basketball Australia to the country’s preliminary Olympic squad, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets. Among some of the other NBA notables on the 24-player list are Aron Baynes, Joe Ingles, Dante Exum, Matisse Thybulle, Patty Mills, Josh Green, Thon Maker and Matthew Dellavedova. The squad will have to be pared to 12 players for the Olympic tournament in Tokyo this summer.

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The Erie BayHawks waived guard Jacob Evans to make room for forward Jordan Bell, JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors tweets. Bell was released from his 10-day contract with the Wizards over the weekend. Evans played for the Warriors and Timberwolves the past two seasons.
The NBA will soon require players to wear KN95 or KF94 masks on the bench and all other areas where masks are necessary, Tim Bontemps of ESPN writes. The new rule will go into effect over the next week. Starting with games on Friday, the NBA will more strictly enforce current rules regarding the use of face masks, Bontemps adds.
The Athletic trio of James Edwards III (Pistons), Mike Vorkunov (Knicks) and Chris Kirschner (Hawks) take a closer look at their teams’ free agent moves during the offseason, how well those players have worked out so far, and what those franchises could have done differently.

And-Ones: Milutinov, Macon, G League, Dunk Contest

February 1st, 2021 at 9:54pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Serbian center and former Spurs first-round pick Nikola Milutinov has suffered a major shoulder injury playing for CSKA Moscow and will undergo surgery, Ennio Terrasi Borghesan of Sportando relays. Milutinov, who suffered the injury last week against Bayern Munich, signed a three-year contract with the EuroLeague powerhouse last June. Milutinov was selected by the Spurs with the 26th overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft. However, he has yet to sign an NBA contract. He played five seasons with Olympiacos in Greece.

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The G League will have 14 additional players on the Orlando campus as fill-ins in case of injuries, callups or other issues, Jonathan Givony of ESPN tweets. Rawle Alkins, Isaiah Briscoe and Malik Pope are among the players on the list.
Former NBA guard Daryl Macon has parted ways with Galatasaray Istanbul, the team tweets. He’s joining AEK Athens, Lithuanian journalist Donatas Urbonas tweets. Macon began the 2019/20 season on a two-way deal with Miami and was waived last January. He also played for Dallas.
Reports surfaced last week that the All-Star Game, which originally was scheduled to be held in Indianapolis this season, could be held after all in Atlanta. Now, the NBA and the players’ union are discussing the addition of both a dunk and three-point contest there on the weekend of March 6-7, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets.

Cheick Diallo To Sign With Russian Team

February 1st, 2021 at 7:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Former Pelicans and Suns big man Cheick Diallo is signing with Avtodor Saratov in Russia’s top league, Will Guillory of The Athletic tweets.

Diallo is still hopeful of signing with an NBA team by the end of the season, Guillory adds.

Diallo became an unrestricted free agent in November when Phoenix declined the $1.824MM option on his contract for this season.

After spending his first three seasons with the Pelicans, Diallo agreed to a two-year veteran’s minimum deal with the Suns in 2019. He was drafted with the No. 33 pick in 2016.

The 24-year-old Diallo averaged 4.7 PPG and 2.8 RPG in 10.2 MPG in 47 games last season. He’s appeared in 180 NBA games, averaging 5.3 PPG and 4.2 RPG in 12.0 MPG.

And-Ones: Evans, Spellman, Buyouts, Lauvergne, Mathias

January 28th, 2021 at 10:09pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Pelicans’ NBAGL affiliate, the Erie BayHawks, has acquired guard Jacob Evans and forward Omari Spellman to replace Jordan Bell, who was recently called up to the Wizards on a 10-day deal, and Rawle Alkins, whom the BayHawks waived, per Michael Somrak of GLeague.com.

Evans and Spellman will join the BayHawks for the G League’s 2021 season in an Orlando “bubble” campus environment. Evans has logged parts of the last two seasons with the Warriors and Timberwolves. Spellman has played for the Warriors and the Hawks across his two years of NBA action.

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Zach Harper of The Athletic takes an early gander at buyout possibilities around the NBA, two months before most buyouts transpire. Harper expects contenders like the Nets, Lakers, Clippers, Sixers and Bucks to be aggressive in seeking to build out their contending rosters. Harper anticipates the list of available names to potentially include veterans like Cavaliers center Andre Drummond, Pistons point guard Derrick Rose, Hornets center Cody Zeller, Cavs center JaVale McGee, and Bulls forward Otto Porter.
Former NBA big man Joffrey Lauvergne has inked a two-year extension with Lithuanian EuroLeague club Žalgiris, the team announced on its site. The deal, which includes a guaranteed season and an option, will keep him under contract through the 2022/23 season. Lauvergne is averaging 11.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 1.5 APG with Žalgiris. The 6″11″ center/power forward enjoyed NBA stints with the Nuggets, Thunder, Bulls and Spurs, averaging 5.6 PPG (on 47.9% shooting from the floor), 3.8 RPG, and 0.9 APG across 208 total NBA contests.
Ex-Sixers shooting guard Dakota Mathias is set to join the Team USA roster for the AmeriCup qualifying tournament for two games in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on February 19 and 20, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. Fellow NBA alumni Isaiah Thomas and Joe Johnson will also represent USA Basketball. By benefit of a 4-0 record across prior qualifying contests, Team USA has technically already qualified for the 2022 AmeriCup tournament.

Isaiah Thomas To Play For Team USA In AmeriCup Qualifiers

January 27th, 2021 at 8:57am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran guard Isaiah Thomas has committed to playing for Team USA in the upcoming AmeriCup qualifying tournament in San Juan, Puerto Rico, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Team USA has technically already qualified for the 2022 AmeriCup tournament with a strong showing in previous qualifiers in 2020, but will still take part in next month’s event. The U.S. squad – coached by Joe Prunty, a longtime NBA assistant for the Suns, Bucks, Nets, and others – will face The Bahamas on February 19 and Mexico on 20.

Since undergoing a procedure last year to address a nagging hip issue, Thomas has talked repeatedly about wanting to return to the NBA, and said earlier this month that he has had discussions with multiple teams. He last played for the Wizards to start the 2019/20 season, but was traded to the Clippers at last February’s deadline and was subsequently waived.

Thomas, who will turn 32 in February, was still productive on offense in D.C. last season, averaging 12.2 PPG and 3.7 APG with a .413 3PT% in 40 games (23.1 MPG). However, the Wizards had a 120.2 defensive rating during his minutes, and he ranked 500th out of 503 players in defensive real plus-minus prior to the NBA’s hiatus.

As Wojnarowski notes (via Twitter), playing in a couple games for Team USA next month should present Thomas with a good opportunity to show that he’s healthy and effective.