The 24-player boys squad is headlined by a number of prospects who are expected to be lottery selections in the 2022 NBA draft, including Chet Holmgren, Paolo Banchero, and Jabari Smith, whom ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz had as the top three picks in their first ’22 mock draft in December.

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

• Auburn point guard Sharife Cooper, the No. 9 ranked prospect on ESPN’s big board for the 2021 NBA draft, may have played his last game for the Tigers, writes Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com. Cooper is in a walking boot after suffering an ankle injury, and ESPN’s Jimmy Dykes said during Tuesday’s Auburn/Florida broadcast that he’d be surprised if Cooper returns this season. “We will see how the week progresses. We never rush guys back,” Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. “He is working to try and get back, but we just don’t know.”
• NBA teams picking in the top half of the 2021 lottery will have to determine whether Gonzaga guard Jalen Suggs – who is the third-leading scorer for the Bulldogs this season – is capable of becoming a primary option at the next level or if he projects to be a star role player, writes Jonathan Tjarks of The Ringer. Suggs is the No. 4 prospect on ESPN’s 2021 big board.
• Johnathan Williams, who recently parted ways with Turkish team Galatasaray, didn’t take long to find a new home, having signed with Niners Chemnitz in Germany for the rest of the season, according to the club. Williams, a 6’9″ forward/center, spent time with the Lakers in 2018/19 and the Wizards in ’19/20, averaging 5.2 PPG and 4.2 RPG in 39 total NBA games.
• Former first-round pick Jared Sullinger, who hasn’t played professionally since 2019 and hasn’t been in the NBA since 2017, has reportedly agreed to a deal with Anyang KGC in South Korea, as Emiliano Carchia of Sportando relays. Sullinger spoke last month about his goal of making it back to the NBA.

Young, who has spent the past 14 seasons in the NBA, expects the deal to be finalized soon. The 32-year-old was originally contacted by Kevin Martin, his former teammate and current majority owner of the Bullets, about the possibility.

“I look at that league as primed for growth with young talent,” Young said of the NBL. “More than just a value add through capital, with my expertise and knowledge around the game and relationships I have in the business world, I thought that was a really good move for me.

“I see that as a league where guys can go if they don’t want to go to college and want to come out of high school and be able to grow their games a little.”

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

• Former Celtics and Raptors center Jared Sullinger is eyeing an NBA comeback, Ben Stinar of Forbes writes. Sullinger, 28, last played in the NBA with Toronto during the 2016/17 season. “I’m definitely trying to get back to the NBA,” he said. “I feel like I’ve still got a lot of basketball left, I can help a team, I feel like me being not the biggest guy but still strong enough to guard a five and be able to stretch the floor, I’m in better shape.”
• Bobby Marks of ESPN.com (Insider link) explores six underrated transactions that have had a major impact this season. Among them is Gordon Hayward, who signed a four-year deal to join the Hornets in free agency and is currently averaging 23.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.
• The NBA will soon have nine teams hosting a reduced amount of fans in their buildings, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets. Both Miami and Atlanta plan to allow fans into their arenas this week, with Indiana, Memphis, Cleveland, Houston, New Orleans, Orlando and Utah already choosing to do so.

“Playing against Kemba’s going to be fun,” Tatum said. “Hopefully we get matched up once or twice so I can take him to the post. I’m going to go right at him, so that should be fun.”

“I’m going to hit him with his own move,” Walker responded. “I already got it down pat. I’m going to hit him with a step-back to the right or left, which he usually does. I’m going to get him. He’s been talking some trash, I seen. Said he’s going at me.”

There’s more Celtics news to pass along:

• Tatum failed to defend his title in Saturday’s Skills Competition, being eliminated in the first round by the Pacers‘ Domantas Sabonis, notes Marc D’Amico of NBA.com. Tatum blamed the defeat on a lack of practice time. “I didn’t get no practice in before. I shoulda practiced,” he said. “They let you practice like 30 minutes before they open the doors or something. I got busy taking pictures and other stuff.”
• Kevin Garnett expressed thanks on Saturday for the Celtics’ decision to retire his number and took a swipe at the Timberwolves, who still haven’t made that decision, relays Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. “Listen, I have some great years in Minny, but when comes to management, it’s not even close,” Garnett said. “Minny, they run their team one way. Boston has a culture of basketball. They run it a whole other way and I respect that.”
• Evan Turner believes his former Celtics teammate, Jared Sullinger, is capable of returning to the NBA, Bulpett adds in a separate story. Sullinger, 27, is in his third year of playing in China. “He’s supposed to be entering his prime. I mean, it’s crazy when you play with him and he’s not in the league,” Turner said. “But, I mean, the league it’s not easy, but sometimes it’s little stuff. It’s right fit. It’s timing. You know, you went from signing with Toronto, broke his foot, was rehabbing and they trade him off to an organization that was kind of like rebuilding (Phoenix, which waived him a day later), just trying to get rid of stuff, and that’s how he ended up lost in the shuffle. So unfortunately that’s what happens every now and then.”

With one more qualifying window scheduled for February after next week’s set of games, Team USA is in prime position to secure a spot in the 2019 World Cup. Team USA currently has a 7-1 record in qualifying contests, which puts the club in a tie with Argentina for first place in Group E. Puerto Rico and Uruguay are tied for third at 5-3. The top three teams in the group will earn spots in the World Cup, and the fourth-place team will have a chance to qualify as well.

Let’s round up a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world…

• With some help from ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, longtime NBA forward Richard Jefferson published a piece on ESPN.com this week, sharing some of his memories from his NBA career and discussing his move into broadcasting.
• After becoming a free agent this week, veteran guard Brandon Jennings may take the G League route as he tries to work his way back into the NBA, tweets Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports. However, Smith notes that nothing’s official yet.
• Smith also checks in a pair of former NBA forward playing in China, reporting (via Twitter) that Brandon Bass is hoping to return to the NBA later in 2018/19, once the Chinese Basketball Association season ends. Jared Sullinger is also putting up huge numbers in China and is in good shape, according to Smith, who tweets that the former Celtic may be ready for another shot in the NBA.
• Former Trail Blazers guard Tim Quarterman signed this week with Israeli team Ironi Nahariya, per his agency Prostep Sports (Twitter link). Quarterman was waived by the Rockets this past April.

• Jared Sullinger, a former Celtics first-round pick who played five NBA seasons, has re-signed with the Shenzen Leopards of the Chinese Basketball Association. Sullinger spent four seasons with Boston and part of another with Toronto. In February of 2017, the Raptors traded him to the Suns, who waived him the next day. He signed with Shenzen last September.
• Toney Douglas, who played for seven teams in eight NBA seasons, has signed with Sakarya Buyuksehir in Turkey. He spent last season with another Turkish team, Anadolu Efes. Douglas’ last NBA experience came in 2016/17 when he played 24 games for the Grizzlies.
• Former Sixers center Henry Sims will sign with Italian club Virtus Roma after playing last year for Vanoli Cremona in Italy. Sims’ best NBA season came in 2014/15 when he averaged 8.0 PPG and 4.9 RPG in 73 games for Philadelphia. He also played for the [New Orleans] Hornets, Cavaliers and Nets in a four-year career.
• Maurice Ndour, who spent part of the 2016/17 season with the Knicks, re-signed with Unics Kazan in Russia. He appeared in 32 games for New York, starting four, and averaged 3.1 points per night.

As Net Income of NetsDaily relays, Mozgov expressed that frustration in a print interview with Russian newspaper Izvestia and in a conversation on Russia’s Radio Mayak. According to Mozgov, he’s not sure why he lost his spot in the starting lineup and fell out of the rotation early in the 2017/18 season. The 31-year-old started the first 13 games of the year for the Nets, but appeared in just 18 contests (8.7 MPG) the rest of the way.

While Mozgov didn’t express a desire to leave Brooklyn, he did say he hopes to receive more playing time going forward, either for the Nets or another team. Given where the Nets are in their rebuilding process, that probably isn’t likely — the club prefers to give its younger players those minutes up front, and would be unable to flip Mozgov to another team in a trade without attaching assets.

Here’s more on the Nets:

• Jared Sullinger and Melo Trimble were among the participants at a veteran mini-camp hosted by the Nets this week, tweets Ben Stinar of Hoops Habit. Sullinger was linked to the Nets last summer, while Trimble was in camp with the Timberwolves in the fall.
• In addition to working out some NBA free agents, the Nets are also taking a look at international players, according to a NetsDaily story. Nicolas Brussino, who spent time in the NBA over the last two seasons with the Mavericks and Hawks, is the most notable name on the list.
• Will Weaver, an assistant on Kenny Atkinson‘s staff for the last two years, appears poised to become the head coach of the Long Island Nets, Brooklyn’s G League affiliate, reports Ian Begley of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Weaver and the NBAGL squad are nearing an agreement on a contract, per Begley. Former Long Island coach Ronald Nored joined James Borrego‘s staff in Charlotte last month.

As Pick details, Sullinger’s new agreement with the Leopards includes bonuses that could increase the value of his deal to $1.4MM. The Chinese season ends before the NBA season does, so depending on how deep a playoff run his team makes, Sullinger could get clearance to return to the NBA in the spring.

As is the case with many players who make the leap from the NBA to the Chinese Basketball Association, Sullinger has been putting up huge numbers so far this season. In nine games for Shenzhen, the 25-year-old has averaged 34.0 PPG and a league-high 15.6 RPG. Sullinger, a former first-round pick who spent five NBA seasons with the Celtics and Raptors, has helped lead the Leopards to a 5-4 record so far.

Meanwhile, the Heat also officially announced its contract extension with Josh Richardson today. According to reports, Richardson’s new deal will lock him up through the 2020/21 season, with a player option for 2021/22. Miami also added undrafted rookie Erik McCree to its roster for training camp.

Here’s more from out of South Beach:

• Justise Winslow has been “off the board with his commitment this summer,” a source tells Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald, suggesting the third-year forward is working hard to develop his jump shot and his all-around game. As Jackson notes, the Heat are expected to exercise Winslow’s 2018/19 team option in the coming weeks. Winslow will compete with Richardson and Rodney McGruder for the starting job at small forward, Jackson adds.
• According to Jackson, Heat president Pat Riley was “intrigued” by Jared Sullinger, who visited the team earlier this summer. However, Sullinger wasn’t in shape at the time, and Miami didn’t make him an offer. The big man has since signed with a team in China.
• Jackson also notes that the Heat still have one of their two-way slots open, suggesting that camp invitee Matt Williams is a candidate for that spot since his contract can be converted into a two-way deal.
• In an Ask Ira feature, Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel wonders if all the incentive bonuses on new contracts for players like Dion Waiters and Kelly Olynyk may put head coach Erik Spoelstra in a difficult spot this season.
• If you haven’t weighed in already, be sure to vote on the Heat’s win total for 2017/18. Polling will close on Tuesday morning.

It will be the first time playing overseas for the 25-year-old power forward, who was picked 21st in the 2012 draft. Sullinger spent four productive years with the Celtics, averaging 11.1 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, although there were lingering concerns about his conditioning.

He signed with the Raptors last summer, but underwent foot surgery just before the start of the season and was barely able to contribute. Sullinger managed just 11 games in Toronto and was shipped to Phoenix at the February trade deadline. He was immediately waived by the Suns.

The Nets’ interest was rumored for a couple of months after the team scouted him in The Basketball Tournament in July. Sullinger adopted a vegan diet and dropped weight in hopes of an NBA comeback. His agent, David Falk, confirmed in August that Sullinger was “exploring the opportunity” of signing in Brooklyn, but the Nets are close to an agreement with free agent big man Tyler Zeller, leaving China as the best remaining option for Sullinger.

Sullinger, a first-round pick in 2012, was a solid rebounder and scorer for the Celtics during his first four NBA seasons, averaging 11.1 PPG and 7.7 RPG over the course of his time in Boston. However, after he signed with the Raptors for the 2016/17 campaign, his season was derailed by injuries — the big man appeared in just 11 games for Toronto and was ineffective in limited minutes.

If Sullinger is healthy and his weigh isn’t an issue, he’d be an intriguing addition to the Nets’ frontcourt. The five-year veteran is still just 25 years old, and Brooklyn could use some help up front after trading away Brook Lopez, Andrew Nicholson, and Justin Hamilton in various deals this summer. The club acquired Timofey Mozgov and drafted Jarrett Allen, but adding some depth behind Trevor Booker at power forward would make sense.

Currently, the Nets have 18 players under contract, but two of those players are on two-way contracts and three others have non-guaranteed deals. That leaves two potential spots available on the club’s 15-man roster — Spencer Dinwiddie is a good bet to grab one of those spots, but the other remains open for someone like Sullinger.

GM Sean Marks has been assessing the team since the flurry of deals and indicated that he may be done with major moves. “We’re continuously going to be trying to have our finger on the pulse of the league and see what happens,’’ he said. “I think we’ll take a little bit of a deep breath and just see what shakes out here. But I don’t know. Who knows what’s going to happen throughout the year? I think if you’d asked us a month ago, we couldn’t have predicted all the things that may have happened, not just here but around the league. It’s something that we’ve just got to stay fluid and be ready to react.”

The Nets could use more size in the frontcourt, where newly acquired Timofey Mozgov and rookie Jarrett Allen are the only players taller than 6’8″. They still have interest in former Celtic and Raptor Jared Sullinger, who earned all-tournament honors at The Basketball Tournament this week.

There’s more tonight out of Brooklyn:

• The Nets are no longer in contention to sign Alan Anderson, Lewis adds in the same story. Anderson’s agent, Chris Luchey, confirms that he talked to Brooklyn’s front office shortly after free agency began, but after all the Nets’ moves, they are no longer a possible destination. Lewis adds that the Knicks are also out of the running.
• Crabbe will provide shooting help, but the team is counting on him to do much more, Lewis relays in a separate story. Crabbe was the NBA’s second best 3-point shooter last year, connecting at a .444 rate beyond the arc, while the Nets ranked fifth from the bottom in that category. “We sat with Allen [and said]: ‘Look, we think we can help your game. We think we can take it to another level. Let’s not just be a shooter,’” Marks said. “And he’s excited about that. He’s got a chip on his shoulder, and he wants to take his game to another level, all-around facets. It’s not just shooting. It’s defense. It’s everything.”
• Brooklyn needs to find another frontcourt player who can shoot the 3-ball, writes Anthony Puccio of NetsDaily. The Nets have about $5.1MM in cap space they could use to find a shooter who fits coach Kenny Atkinson’s system better than the players they have now.

After struggling with is weight in recent seasons, admittedly topping out at 320 pounds, Sullinger now weighs in around 285 pounds. The Nets had interest in the 6’9″ Sullinger as he would provided Brooklyn with frontcourt depth; outside of recently acquired Timofey Mozgov and rookie Jarrett Allen, the team lacks in that department.

In five NBA campaigns, the Ohio State product averaged 10.8 PPG and 7.5 RPG for the Celtics and Raptors. As recently as 2015/16, Sullinger averaged a near double-double as he posted totals of 10.3 PPG and 8.3 RPG in 81 games for Boston.

There is no further information on which team in Chinese team Sullinger will suit up for, but we will pass along that information once it’s available.

Sullinger said he was aware of the Brooklyn’s presence, but wasn’t putting much stock into it. “I didn’t pay attention to it,” said Sullinger (via Net Income of SB Nation). “But I am unemployed at the moment. So just trying to get a job.”

Evan Turner, who played alongside the big man at Ohio State, was also in attendance Sullinger’s game. Turner believes the 25-year-old free agent deserves another chance in the NBA. “The numbers say enough,” said Turner of Sullinger’s game over the weekend. “21 points, 50 percent from the field, 50 percent from the three, all five free throws, nine rebounds, four assists, one turnover for a big man.”

Sullinger signed a one-year, $6MM deal with Toronto last offseason before injuring his foot during the preseason. He was only able to suit up in 11 games for the Raptors and the franchise dealt him to the Suns at the trade deadline. Phoenix subsequently waived him.

Weight has been an issue for Sullinger during his career, but he’s reportedly eating vegan, which has helped him manage this area. The power forward recently told Rob Oller of The Columbus Dispatch that he has this issue under control.

Rob Oller of The Columbus Dispatch interviewed Sullinger about the power forward’s struggles, progress, and aspirations. Sully says he weighed as much as 320 pounds when he was with the Celtics. “I lost a year of basketball directly because of what I have done — my weight and my eating habits,” he said. Sullinger explained that his unwillingness to lose weight led Boston to release him in 2016 and the Raptors to trade him to Phoenix in late February. The Suns released him the next day.

Sullinger has now been a vegan for three weeks and is down to a svelte 285 pounds. The grand prize of The Basketball Tournament for many is $2MM, but for Sullinger, the true treasure could be an NBA or overseas contract.

In five NBA seasons, the Ohio State product has averaged 10.8 PPG and 7.5 RPG. In two consecutive seasons for the Celtics, Sully averaged a career-high 13.3 points per contest.

As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel observes (via Twitter), the Heat may soon have a roster spot opening up, if they can finalize the removal of Chris Bosh‘s contract from their books. Although that spot isn’t necessarily ticketed for Sullinger, Winderman reports that the Heat have “kicked the tires” on the veteran big man.

Sullinger, who turned 25 on Saturday, averaged at least 10.3 PPG and 7.6 RPG in each of his previous three seasons with Boston before signing a one-year pact with the Raptors last summer. However, his season was derailed by foot surgery, which prevented him from making his debut with Toronto until well until the new year. For the season, Sullinger has played sparingly in just 11 games, averaging 3.4 PPG and 2.5 RPG.

While a healthy Sullinger could potentially be an asset to a team in need of rebounding help and interior scoring down the stretch, he didn’t look to be at 100% during his time with the Raptors. Any team with interest in adding him as a free agent in the coming days or weeks will likely want to take a close look at his health and conditioning before making any commitments.