Alessandro Gentile

Alessandro Gentile Re-Signs Overseas

Alessandro Gentile has re-signed with his Italian team for three years, Olimpia Milano’s team website announced (transcription via Luca Consolati of Sportando). Gentile’s rights are owned by the Rockets, who acquired the No. 53 pick in this year’s draft to snatch him. The salary, and potential NBA buyout clause, for his deal have not been reported at this time.

There have been no rumblings on Houston’s immediate plans for the small forward, but presumably a draft-and-stash was always their course of action. At the time of the draft, the 21-year-old scoring wing was ranked as the 68th best prospect by Jonathan Givony of Draft Express and the 57th best by Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider-only).

At the time of the draft, the Rockets were still preparing to chase premier free agents that they would later fail to sign. First-round pick Clint Capela was at odds with the team for insisting he stay overseas for a year, but since has come close to signing in Houston, and Houston also plans to sign their 42nd pick, Nick Johnson.

Wolves Trade No. 53 Pick To Rockets

FRIDAY, 1:26am: The trade is official, the Rockets announced (on Twitter).

THURSDAY, 11:05pm: The Wolves have agreed to send the No. 53 pick to the Rockets in exchange for cash, reports Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press (Twitter link). Italian shooting guard Alessandro Gentile is the selection, reports Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (on Twitter).

And-Ones: Watson, Love, Seattle, Isiah, Draft

Earl Watson would like to coach the Jazz next season, and he’s picked up the endorsement of restricted free agent Gordon Hayward, as both Watson and Hayward tell Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. Watson, who played with the Blazers this year, hasn’t ruled out playing again next season, but if he becomes Jazz coach, he’ll target Hubie Brown as an assistant, he says. Here’s more from around the league with an altered title picture now that Serge Ibaka is expected to miss the rest of the playoffs.

  • Kevin Love will have some say in who coaches him next season on the Wolves, owner Glen Taylor confirmed to Charley Walters of the Star Tribune. President of basketball operations Flip Saunders has spoken with eight candidates, but he hasn’t endorsed any of them to Taylor, Walters adds.
  • Taylor also said the Wolves lost “a couple million” dollars this year, Walters notes in the same piece.
  • Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who partnered with Chris Hansen on an ill-fated bid to buy the Kings and move them to Seattle, is open to purchasing any NBA team, but wouldn’t necessarily bring them to the Emerald City, as he tells Shira Ovide of The Wall Street Journal. He says he wouldn’t move the Clippers out of Los Angeles if he bought them.
  • Isiah Thomas and the Pistons are in preliminary talks about a deal for him to purchase a minority share of the team, reports Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News.
  • Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey and Cavs GM David Griffin have said they’re open to trading their respective first-round picks for players who can help immediately, according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio.
  • Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson has political aspirations that would make him reticent to accept the post of executive director of the players union, but the job increasingly appears to be his if he wants it, tweets Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times.
  • Hawks and Cavs officials will meet with draft prospect Alessandro Gentile of the Italian league, Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia reports. The swingman is No. 66 in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings and 100th with Chad Ford of ESPN.com.