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Raptors Respond To Lawsuit; Knicks Allege Former Employee Was ‘Mole’

August 21st, 2023 at 7:17pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Raptors and the team’s parent company, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, expressed surprise that the Knicks filed a lawsuit against them regarding alleged proprietary violations and issued a denial that the company was involved, Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports tweets via a Raptors press release.

The Knicks filed the lawsuit on Monday alleging that former employee Ikechukwu Azotam “illegally took thousands of proprietary files with him to his new position” with the Raptors. Azotam, who was hired away by Toronto this offseason, allegedly shared the proprietary information with “several members” of the team, including head coach Darko Rajakovic and player development coach Noah Lewis.

“MLSE and the Toronto Raptors received a letter from MSG on Thursday of last week bringing this complaint to our attention,” Toronto’s response reads. “MLSE responded promptly, making clear our intention to conduct an internal investigation and to fully cooperate. MLSE has not been advised that a lawsuit was being filed or has been filed following its correspondence with MSG. The company strongly denies any involvement in the matters alleged. MLSE and the Toronto Raptors will reserve further comment until this matter has been resolved to the satisfaction of both parties.”

The Knicks allege that not only did Rajakovic know what was occurring but that he “recruited and used” Azotam to help him build out the operations for his coaching staff, according to The Athletic’s Fred Katz, Mike Vornukov and Eric Koreen.

The lawsuit alleges that the information Azotam forwarded to the Raptors included scouting reports, play frequency reports, a prep book, and a link to third-party licensed software. It also alleges that “Defendant Rajaković and the other Raptor Defendants recruited and used Azotam to serve as a mole within the Knicks organization to convey information that would assist the Raptors Defendants in trying to manage their team.”

The Athletic trio received a written statement from an MSG Sports spokesperson which stated that “we were left no choice but to take this action.”

International Notes: Evans, Montero, Babkov, History

August 21st, 2023 at 4:28pm CST by Rory Maher

Former NBA guard Tyreke Evans is mulling a move to Europe in order to continue his professional career, according to Tomer Givati of Israel Hayom (Twitter link).

Evans, 33, was dismissed and disqualified from the NBA in May 2019 for violating the league’s anti-drug program. He was reinstated in February 2022 and subsequently tried out for several teams — and briefly played for the Bucks’ G League affiliate — but has been unable to find another NBA opportunity.

The fourth overall pick of the 2009 draft, Evans was named the NBA’s Rookie of the Year in 2009/10 after averaging 20.1 points, 5.8 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 72 games with the Kings. Unfortunately, he was never quite able to match that debut, but he still played 594 regular season games over 10 seasons with Sacramento, New Orleans, Memphis and Indiana.

We’ll have to wait and see whether Evans catches on with a European team for the 2023/24 season.

Here are a few more international notes:

Guard Jean Montero, who hails from the Dominican Republic and is representing his country in the upcoming World Cup, is reportedly nearing a deal with Turkey’s Anadolu Efes, reports David Rodriguez of Spanish outlet La Provincia (hat tip to Eurohoops). Montero was one of the top undrafted players in 2022, and part of the reason his Exhibit 10 contract with the Knicks never materialized is because he had a significant buyout clause with Spain’s Gran Carania. According to Rodriguez, Efes is willing to pay Montero’s buyout – worth 500K Euros – in order to sign the 20-year-old.
Sergei Babkov, who won two World Cup silver medals with Russia in the 1990s and had a lengthy international career, has passed away at age 56, as Eurohoops relays.
In an interesting story for HoopsHype, Jake Uitti details how the NBA became such a popular game around the globe, with top international players dominating the league in recent years and the percentage of international players continuing to grow over time.

Knicks File Lawsuit Against Raptors, Former NYK Employee

August 21st, 2023 at 3:08pm CST by Rory Maher

The Knicks filed a lawsuit on Monday alleging that former employee Ikechukwu Azotam “illegally took thousands of proprietary files with him to his new position” with the Raptors, which he then shared with his new club, reports Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter thread).

Azotam, who was hired away by Toronto this offseason, allegedly shared the proprietary information with “several members” of the team, including head coach Darko Rajakovic and player development coach Noah Lewis, Begley adds.

The lawsuit alleges Azotam signed a confidentiality agreement with the Knicks which required him “to maintain the secrecy of all confidential or proprietary Knicks information.” A source tells Begley the Knicks contacted both the Raptors and the NBA prior to filing the lawsuit in the Southern District of New York.

According to Begley, the lawsuit also alleges that the Raptors “directed Azotam to misuse his access to the Knicks’ subscription to Synergy Sports to create and then transfer to the Raptors Defendants over 3,000 files consisting of film information and data.”

A Madision Square Garden Sports spokesperson released a statement to Begley regarding the lawsuit (Twitter thread).

“The New York Knicks have sued the Toronto Raptors and several members of their organization, including a former Knicks employee, after the former employee illegally took thousands of proprietary files with him to his new position with the Toronto Raptors. These files include confidential information such as play frequency reports, a prep book for the 2022-23 season, video scouting files and materials and more.

“Given the clear violation of our employment agreement, criminal and civil law, we were left no choice but to take this action.”

[UPDATE: Raptors Respond To Lawsuit]

In addition to Azotam, Rajakovic, and Lewis, 10 other Raptors employees are also accused of wrongdoing, tweets Steve Popper of Newsday. Those employees are currently unknown — they’re listed as John Does “1” through “10.”

Thunder Sign Olivier Sarr To Two-Way Deal

August 21st, 2023 at 2:11pm CST by Rory Maher

The Thunder have brought back Olivier Sarr, announcing in a press release that they have re-signed the free agent big man to another two-way contract.

While Oklahoma City has an open two-way slot, the team was unable to fill it until now because it was at the offseason limit of 21 players under contract. The Thunder created a roster opening this morning when they released Usman Garuba, which allowed them to sign Sarr.

Sarr went undrafted in 2021 after four college seasons — he spent his first three campaigns at Wake Forest before finishing up at Kentucky. He signed a training camp deal with the Thunder in October 2021 and was promptly waived, spending part of 2021/22 with their G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue.

During the COVID-19 outbreak that winter, the French center signed a pair of 10-day hardship deals with the Thunder, then inked a two-way contract in February 2022. He played well at the NBA level as a rookie, averaging 7.0 PPG and 4.2 RPG in 22 games (19.1 MPG), but the Thunder opted to cut him just before the season ended in April.

Sarr caught on with the Trail Blazers prior to ’22/23, initially signing an Exhibit 10 contract which was converted into a two-way deal after he impressed during preseason. However, he sustained a torn ligament in his wrist last fall, which caused Portland to release him in mid-November.

The 24-year-old signed a G League deal with the Blue after recovering from the injury, averaging 12.8 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 1.9 APG and 2.4 BPG in 12 regular season games. His play in the NBAGL earned Sarr a promotion in February to a two-way deal. He finished last season with the Thunder, averaging 4.0 PPG and 3.4 RPG in nine games (12.7 MPG).

Sarr was eligible for restricted free agency this summer, but the Thunder didn’t give him a qualifying offer, making him unrestricted. Either way, he’s back with OKC on a two-way contract.

Grant Riller To Play In China

August 21st, 2023 at 1:17pm CST by Rory Maher

Free agent guard Grant Riller has agreed to a contract with the Beijing Royal Fighters of the Chinese Basketball Association, sources tell Ennio Terrasi Borghesan of Sportando. The deal includes an NBA opt-out clause, Borghesan adds.

Riller, 26, was the 56th overall pick of the 2020 draft by the Hornets. He spent his rookie season on a two-way deal with Charlotte, appearing in seven NBA games for a total of 27 minutes. The Hornets chose not to give him a qualifying after 2020/21, making him an unrestricted free agent.

In ’21/22, Riller caught on with the Sixers on a two-way deal, but unfortunately his stint was plagued by injuries — he sustained a torn meniscus in October 2021 and then sustained a shoulder injury the following month that required surgery. Due to the lengthy recovery timeline, the Sixers waived Riller in December 2021.

Riller worked out for multiple teams last summer after recovering from the injury, ultimately signing a short-lived training camp deal with Dallas in the fall (he was waived the same day). He spent the ’22/23 season playing for the Texas Legends, the Mavs’ NBA G League affiliate, averaging 21.3 points, 3.8 assists and 2.8 rebounds on .520/.324/.808 shooting in 26 regular season games (27.7 minutes per contest).

The Royal Fighters, who are coached by former NBA All-Star Stephon Marbury, finished last season with a 16-26 record, 15th out of 20 CBA teams.

Torrey Craig To Bring “More Edge” To Bulls

August 21st, 2023 at 11:59am CST by Arthur Hill

The Bulls landed Torrey Craig in free agency this summer, but it wasn’t their first attempt to sign the defensive-minded forward. In an appearance on the Bulls Talk podcast, Craig tells K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago that he had previous discussions with executive vice president Arturas Karnisovas.

“Actually, the last couple free agencies, me and AK have been talking. And we just couldn’t get it done,” Craig said. “We kind of knew what kind of pieces he wanted and what (free agent addition Jevon Carter and I) could bring and what kind of team we had the potential to be, especially with the guys who are already here. We want to be one of those tough, hard-nosed, defensive-minded, competitive teams all year round.”

Johnson notes that Karnisovas worked for the Nuggets when Craig got his first NBA opportunity in 2017. After playing three seasons in Australia, Craig joined Denver’s Summer League team. He was able to earn a two-way contract and then signed a standard deal the following offseason.

Craig went on to establish himself as a valuable NBA player, starting 60 games last season with the Suns. Entering free agency for the third time in four years, he was finally able to agree to terms with Chicago, signing a two-year, $5.4MM deal that includes a player option for the second season.

“That’s all I needed to get my foot in the door,” Craig said of his Summer League experience with the Nuggets. “Ever since, I’ve just been making a name for myself and trying to impact winning on every team I’ve been on. And I’ve been fortunate to be able to do that.”

Craig sees parallels between his Phoenix team and the Bulls, who have a pair of elite scorers in Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. He has made a career out of guarding that type of player and said he can offer tips to both LaVine and DeRozan about what defenders are trying to make them do.

Craig plans to fill the same role in Chicago that he did with the Suns, focusing on defense, rebounding and making life easier for the stars. He also hopes to bring a more aggressive attitude to the team.

“I was telling Coach (Billy Donovan) one day, just watching the games and seeing how much talent they had and some of the games they would lose and seeing how I could contribute and bring a little bit more toughness, a little bit more edge, a little bit more competitiveness to some of those games to be more consistent,” Craig said. “That definitely played a factor in my decision to come here.”

Usman Garuba Waived By Thunder

August 21st, 2023 at 10:37am CST by Arthur Hill

The Thunder have placed Usman Garuba on waivers, the team announced (via Twitter).

The 21-year-old power forward/center played his first two seasons with the Rockets after being selected with the 23rd pick in the 2021 draft. Injuries limited him to 24 games as a rookie, but he appeared in 75 contests last season, averaging 3.0 points and 4.1 rebounds in 12.9 minutes per night.

Garuba was sent to the Hawks in a five-team trade that became official when the moratorium was lifted in early July. Atlanta shipped him to OKC in a separate deal four days later.

Garuba started his career with Real Madrid and was named EuroLeague Rising Star in 2021. He gained a reputation as a strong defender and rebounder in Europe before declaring for the NBA draft.

He will now go through the waiver process, where teams will have two days to submit claims. Any team that claims him would be on the hook for his $2.6MM salary for the upcoming season, so it’s more likely that he’ll wind up signing a minimum contract somewhere. He would be eligible for a standard contract with any team except Atlanta and a two-way deal with any team except the Hawks or Thunder.

Garuba’s 2023/24 salary will remain on the Thunder’s cap if he’s not claimed, but the team won’t have to pay the $4.4MM option he had for 2024/25.

Oklahoma City is now down to 18 players on standard contracts and must get rid of at least three more by opening night. The Thunder have two openings on their offseason roster with reported camp deals looming for Caleb McConnell and Adam Flagler.

Nets Notes: Whitehead, Claxton, Wilson, Schedule

August 21st, 2023 at 9:22am CST by Arthur Hill

Dariq Whitehead‘s appearance at the Nets’ Plaza Party on Sunday provided another reason for optimism that he’ll be ready when training camp opens, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. The first-round pick out of Duke underwent a second surgery on his right foot this summer, but Lewis states that he was able to walk without a limp or a boot. While Whitehead didn’t provide any specifics about the operation or his projected return, he indicated that he’s making progress.

“Rehab is going great. Foot feeling good. Definitely not trying to give it a definite timetable right now, just trying to take it day by day,” Whitehead said. “But everything’s feeling good, and just looking forward to approaching the season, getting back to 100 percent.”

Whitehead was the second-ranked high school player in the nation and was hoping to be a top-five pick in the draft. But issues with his foot disrupted his college career and caused him to slip to No. 22. The surgery prevented Whitehead from playing in Summer League, so he’s eager to get started with preparations for his rookie season.

“When you’re injured, you always have that urge to want to get out there and be out there on the court with the guys,” Whitehead said. “But that’s something coach Jacque (Vaughn) has preached to me since the first day I stepped in the door, about it’s a marathon not a (sprint) race. So just knowing that I’ve got to be patient and take my time with it, and hearing that come from him, makes it a little more assuring that, all right, just take my time, get back to where I need to be, and everything will work out the way it’s supposed to.”

There’s more from Brooklyn:

The Nets need Nic Claxton to expand his game this season, even though it could raise his asking price when he becomes a free agent next summer, Lewis adds in another Post story. Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype told Lewis that Claxton is already in position to land a contract similar to Jakob Poeltl, who got $78MM over four years from the Raptors.
Second-round pick Jalen Wilson tells Ian Begley of SNY.tv that spending four years in college made him more ready for the NBA than he would have been if he had left early. “I know I’m a rookie but being 22, about to be 23 years old, I feel like I’m mature enough to be able to share my experiences and understand that when you have a culture, you have a foundation that you can do anything (from),” Wilson said. “Me being able to present that and being able to execute it on and off the floor, I feel like that’s an advantage I have.”
With the Big Three era over, the Nets only have 11 nationally televised games this season, with six of those on NBA TV, Lewis observes in an overview of the schedule. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, who both asked to be traded in February, will return to the Barclays Center in the same week, with the Suns visiting on January 31 and the Mavericks following on February 6.

World Cup Notes: Edwards, Haliburton, Spoelstra, Africa

August 21st, 2023 at 8:03am CST by Arthur Hill

Anthony Edwards has emerged as the breakout star for Team USA, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. The Timberwolves guard had a 34-point performance Sunday as the Americans rallied past Germany to post a 5-0 record in exhibition play heading into the FIBA World Cup. Edwards displayed his full offensive arsenal, including four three-pointers and an emphatic slam early in the game, and took over with 12 points in the fourth quarter.

“He’s unquestionably ‘the guy,’” coach Steve Kerr said. “I mean … he knows it, but now the team knows it and I think the fans see it. But we see it in practice every day. He genuinely believes he’s the best player in the gym every single night. And he’s such a dynamic young player, but I think he’s taking a leap.”

The 22-year-old already appeared on the path toward stardom, making his first All-Star appearance last season while averaging 24.6 points per game. He led the U.S. in scoring at 19.2 PPG in exhibition play and appears to have established himself as the team’s No. 1 option as the tournament starts this weekend.

“If you think about USA basketball over the years, a lot of young players have taken a leap in these World Cup (and) Olympic competitions and it feels to me like Anthony is taking that leap,” Kerr said.

There’s more from the World Cup:

The Germans provided the first major scare for Team USA, holding a 16-point lead in the third quarter before wilting down the stretch, Vardon adds. The U.S. staged a late 18-0 run to pull the game out, but the players understand they will likely face similar challenges in the future. “We talk about it all the time — that fear factor (for other teams) is gone,” Tyrese Haliburton said. “There’s certain battles that you have to control to win basketball games, especially at this level. We know we gotta control the glass, we gotta run teams off the 3-point line, can’t send ’em to the free-throw line. That’s what really affects USA basketball, losing games. We didn’t do a good job of those things, but we figured out a way to win.”
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, who’s serving as an assistant on Kerr’s staff, calls the Team USA roster “the future of the NBA” in an interview with ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (video link). He also discusses the challenge of trying to mold a team in a few weeks to compete with opponents that have played together for years.
Five African teams are viewing the World Cup as a chance to show the rest of the world how much progress they’ve made, Leonard Solms writes for ESPN. Nigeria, the traditional power on the continent, won’t be in the tournament, but Côte d’Ivoire, Angola, South Sudan, Egypt and Cape Verde all qualified. The African team with the best World Cup finish will qualify for next year’s Olympics.

Ed Davis To Sign With Chinese Team

August 20th, 2023 at 8:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Former NBA big man Ed Davis is signing with a Chinese team. He has reached an agreement with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers, according to Sportando.

Noted for his rebounding ability, Davis had a lengthy NBA career. The 13th pick in the 2010 draft, Davis appeared in 722 regular-season games, including 106 starts. He averaged 5.9 points and 6.4 rebounds in 19.1 minutes per game with stops in Toronto, Memphis, the Los Angeles Lakers, Portland, Brooklyn, Utah, Minnesota and Cleveland. He also made a combined 33 postseason appearances with three different clubs.

Most recently, he appeared in 31 regular season contests with the Cavaliers during the 2021/22 season. He was unable to receive an NBA contract last season despite his desire to remain in the league.

Davis had a stint in Puerto Ric0 with the Guaynabo Mets last season, averaging more than 13 points and 16 rebounds per contest.