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International Notes: Kleber, Schofield, Faried, Beverley, Motley

November 29th, 2024 at 9:46am CST by Rory Maher

Speaking to Dirk Sing of German outlet Augsburger Allgemeine, Mavericks forward/center Maxi Kleber says he has no intention of returning to Germany’s national team going forward.

Kleber, who previously represented his home country in international competitions, including the 2014 EuroBasket and the 2019 World Cup, opted not to play in the 2022 EuroBasket tournament after a deep playoff run with Dallas. Kleber was criticized for that decision by team captain Dennis Schröder, causing the big man to withdraw from consideration for the 2023 World Cup. Schröder later apologized.

Kleber also didn’t participate in the 2024 Olympics in Paris, but he says he watched the tournament and still supports the team from afar, even if he will no longer be playing for Deutschland in an official capacity.

“The situation was what it was. That’s why I had to come to terms with it,” Kleber said (hat tip to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net). “I watched the games as a fan, of course, because it is always positive for German basketball when the national team is successful.

“It’s ultimately about basketball continuing to grow in Germany. And the Olympic Games that everyone can watch on television is a great platform. I know a lot of guys on the team very well or are my friends, it was also great to watch them. … The national team is definitely over for me. So, there will be no return.”

Here are a few more international basketball notes:

  • Admiral Schofield, who spent four seasons in the NBA before signing with ASVEL Basket over the offseason, has parted ways with the French club in what the team called a mutual agreement, per Askounis of Eurohoops. The 27-year-old forward, who was a second-round pick out of Tennessee in 2019, recently fell out of ASVEL’s rotation, Askounis notes.
  • Former NBA forward Kenneth Faried has signed with Italy’s Pallacanestro Reggiana, the team announced in a press release. An eight-year veteran who spent seven seasons in Denver, Faried last played in the NBA with Houston during the 2018/19 season. The 35-year-old made previous international stops in China and Russia before returning to North America to play in the G League, having spent the past two seasons with the Mexico City Capitanes.
  • Longtime NBA veteran Patrick Beverley signed with Hapoel Tel Aviv over the summer, but he says he’s “50-50” on whether he’ll stay with the Israeli club due to family pressures, as BasketNews.com relays.
  • Former Mavs and Clippers big man Johnathan Motley decided to leave Hapoel Tel Aviv earlier this month due to concerns over his safety. He wound up signing a G League deal while still under contract with Hapoel, but didn’t receive a letter of clearance from FIBA. In a strange twist to an unusual situation, Motley has returned to Hapoel on a two-year contract, the team announced (link via BasketNews).
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And-Ones: Inside The NBA, Snell, Motley, Bledsoe, Draft

November 19th, 2024 at 12:55pm CST by Luke Adams

As expected, the NBA and Warner Bros. Discovery officially announced on Monday that they’ve settled their months-long legal battle, with Disney and WBD essentially making a trade of programming rights. TNT’s popular “Inside the NBA” studio show will air on ESPN/ABC beginning in 2025, while TNT will get the rights to broadcast 13 Big 12 football games and 15 Big 12 basketball games per season.

Andrew Marchand of The Athletic explores the role that ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro, who reached out directly to Luis Silberwasser of TNT Sports, played in the deal.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Traina of SI.com notes that one roadblock remains before “Inside the NBA” makes the move to Disney — Shaquille O’Neal‘s contract expires on July 1, 2025 and will need to be renewed. According to Traina, O’Neal wants to remain with the long-running program, but has been frustrated by announcements celebrating that the show will go on unchanged while his own future is still up in the air.

A source tells Marchand that O’Neal is ultimately expected to remain with “Inside the NBA,” though Traina notes that the former NBA MVP could explore other options with NBC or Amazon before ultimately deciding whether or not to stay put.

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

  • Veteran swingman Tony Snell has replaced Keita Bates-Diop on the Team USA roster for the upcoming FIBA AmeriCup qualifying games, tweets Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. The U.S. squad will play two games in Washington, D.C. during this month’s qualifier window, hosting Puerto Rico on November 22 and the Bahamas on November 25.
  • After recently leaving Hapoel Tel Aviv in Israel due to concerns about his safety, former Mavericks and Clippers big man Johnathan Motley is signing a G League contract, according Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report (Twitter link), who says Motley has drawn some NBA interest from teams in need of frontcourt depth. Aris Barkas of Eurohoops has more on Motley, whose decision to leave Hapoel Tel Aviv was a unilateral one that could result in the team initiating legal proceedings.
  • Former NBA guard Eric Bledsoe is returning to the Shanghai Sharks, the Chinese team with whom he has spent the past two seasons, according to Dario Skerletic of Sportando. Bledsoe, who will turn 35 next month, has appeared in 756 regular season NBA games but has been out of the league since he was waived by Portland in July 2022.
  • Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report has updated his 2025 NBA mock draft now that NCAA teams have a few games under their belts. The most notable update near the top of Wasserman’s board is at No. 4, with BYU’s Egor Demin moving into that spot on the heels of his strong start. The 6’9″ guard is averaging 17.0 points, 7.5 assists, and 2.3 steals per game in his first four outings, with a shooting line of .634/.550/.500.
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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.
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And-Ones: Options, Free Agents, Motley, Blakeney

June 19th, 2022 at 10:09pm CST by JD Shaw

As with every offseason, several NBA veterans have player options in their contracts that must be exercised or declined before free agency. Others have team options in their deals, which means their clubs must decide whether to keep them on their current contracts for next season or let them enter free agency.

This year is no different. Players such as James Harden, Kyrie Irving and Bradley Beal all have player options, and Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype made predictions about what might happen with each talent. Gozlan also predicted the outcome of every team option, which will impact players such as Ivica Zubac, Luguentz Dort and Hamidou Diallo.

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

  • John Hollinger of The Athletic ranks the top free agent shooting guards using his BORD$ formula. While we’ve already relayed his top free agent point guards list, Hollinger also ranked the top small forwards, power forwards and centers for the upcoming free agency period.
  • Johnathan Motley and Russian club Lokomotiv Kuban have officially parted ways, according to Sportando. Motley is expected to join Fenerbahce in Turkey. The 6’8 big man holds three years of NBA experience with the Mavericks and Clippers from 2017-20.
  • Former Bulls guard Antonio Blakeney is receiving interest from Alba Berlin in Germany, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando reports (via Twitter). Blakeney appeared in 76 games with Chicago between 2017-19. Carchia reports Alba Berlin is also expressing interest in Ariel Hukporti, a 20-year-old center who recently played in the NBL.
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Suns Release Johnathan Motley

December 19th, 2020 at 10:34pm CST by Luke Adams

The Suns have waived training camp invitee Johnathan Motley, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Motley had a non-guaranteed contract, so Phoenix won’t owe him his minimum salary.

Motley, 25, signed a camp deal with the Suns after playing on two-way contracts for the last three seasons, first with Dallas and then with the Clippers. Over the course of those three NBA seasons, he has averaged 4.9 PPG and 2.4 RPG in 46 appearances (8.1 MPG).

Motley has made a greater impact at the G League level, where he has been named to the All-NBAGL Second Team for three consecutive years. In 2019/20, he averaged 24.0 PPG, 7.9 RPG, and 2.8 APG on .518/.356/.753 shooting in 26 games (33.0 MPG) for the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario.

The veteran forward appeared in all four of Phoenix’s preseason games and performed well, with 24 points and 19 rebounds and 47 total minutes. However, he also racked up 10 personal fouls and six turnovers in those minutes.

The Suns’ roster now appears ready to go for the regular season, though the team could still make tweaks before Tuesday. Phoenix is carrying 12 players with fully guaranteed salaries, two with partial or non-guarantees (Damian Jones and Cameron Payne), and one on a two-way contract (Ty-Shon Alexander).

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Suns Sign Johnathan Motley To Camp Deal

November 30th, 2020 at 8:27am CST by Luke Adams

The Suns have signed free agent big man Johnathan Motley to a one-year contract, per RealGM’s log of official NBA transactions. It’ll be a non-guaranteed camp contract, tweets Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports.

Motley, 25, has been on two-way contracts for the last three seasons, first with Dallas and then with the Clippers. Over the course of those three NBA seasons, he has averaged 4.9 PPG and 2.4 RPG in 46 appearances (8.1 MPG).

Motley has made a greater impact at the G League level, where he has been named to the All-NBAGL Second Team for three consecutive years. In 2019/20, he averaged 24.0 PPG, 7.9 RPG, and 2.8 APG on .518/.356/.753 shooting in 26 games (33.0 MPG) for the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario.

The Suns still project to have three open roster spots after the signing of Motley, so they could extend more camp invites if they so choose.

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NBA Announces Official Rosters For Summer Restart

July 20th, 2020 at 5:08pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has announced the official summer rosters for each of the 22 teams involved in the resumption of the 2019/20 season. A total of 350 players make up the 22 squads, with only eight clubs carrying the maximum allowable 17 players. The Trail Blazers have the smallest summer roster, with just 13 players.

Injured players who didn’t make the trip to Orlando – such as Nets stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant – don’t show up on the official rosters list, but injured players who traveled with their teams – including Mavericks big man Dwight Powell and Pacers swingman Jeremy Lamb – are included, even if they won’t play this summer.

Besides players who are injured, voluntarily opted out, or were ruled out after contracting COVID-19, there are a few more notable omissions on the list, which we’ll round up here:

  • Houston Rockets: William Howard
    • A two-way player, Howard recently reached a two-year deal with ASVEL Basket in France, so it makes sense that he won’t be playing for the Rockets this summer.
  • Los Angeles Clippers: Johnathan Motley, Mfiondu Kabengele
    • As previously reported, Motley and Kabengele didn’t travel to Orlando with the Clippers and won’t be playing this summer.
  • Milwaukee Bucks: Cameron Reynolds
    • The Bucks only brought one of their two-way players (Frank Mason III), as Reynolds doesn’t show up on their official roster. The reason for his absence is unclear.
  • New Orleans Pelicans: Josh Gray
  • Philadelphia 76ers: Ryan Broekhoff
    • Broekhoff was signed as a substitute player to fill the Sixers’ open two-way slot, but later announced that he hadn’t traveled to Orlando because his wife, who is “high risk,” tested positive for COVID-19. Based on his omission from Philadelphia’s roster, it appears that Broekhoff won’t be joining the club after all.
  • Phoenix Suns: Tariq Owens
    • The Suns left one of their two-way slots open and apparently didn’t bring their lone two-way player to Orlando. The reason for Owens’ absence is unclear.
  • Portland Trail Blazers: Moses Brown
    • Despite only having 13 players available in Orlando, the Trail Blazers won’t have Brown – their second two-way player – with them. The reason for his absence is unclear.
  • Washington Wizards: Gary Payton II

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L.A. Notes: Kawhi, Clippers, Lakers, KCP, Waiters

July 14th, 2020 at 10:46am CST by Luke Adams

After appearing in 51 of the Clippers‘ 64 games before the NBA went on hiatus in March, star forward Kawhi Leonard said this week that he feels good and is ready to go, as Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times writes.

Clippers head coach Doc Rivers suggested there would be “no limits” on the former Finals MVP, who hasn’t played in back-to-back sets over the last couple seasons due to leg issues. However, Rivers acknowledged that the Clips’ priority will be to keep Leonard in top shape, which may mean not pushing him too hard during the eight seeding games.

“Kawhi is healthy for the most part,” Rivers said. “That still doesn’t mean that we don’t want to maintain him and get him through the first eight games and get ready for the playoffs. We want to be smart about this. Not just for Kawhi, it’s with everybody.”

Here’s more on the Clippers and their L.A. rivals:

  • The Clippers will have 15 players available in Orlando when the season resumes, according to Greif, who notes in a separate Times story that the club didn’t bring rookie forward Mfiondu Kabengele or two-way center Johnathan Motley. Teams were permitted to bring up to 17 players to the NBA’s campus, but the Clips elected to “load up on medical personnel” to fill out their traveling party, writes Greif.
  • Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is the leading candidate to replace Avery Bradley in the Lakers‘ starting lineup, head coach Frank Vogel said on Monday, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link). Bradley, who opted out of the rest of the season, started 44 games this year, typically alongside Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Danny Green, and JaVale McGee.
  • With Bradley not playing this summer and Rajon Rondo sidelined due to a broken thumb, Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register wonders if Dion Waiters could assume some ball-handling duties off the bench for the Lakers. “Losing Rondo put more of a need on Dion’s skillset, so I look forward to seeing what he can do more as we get into games,” Vogel said.
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NBA G League Announces 2019/20 All-NBAGL Teams

June 26th, 2020 at 12:45pm CST by Luke Adams

After being named the G League’s Most Valuable Player on Thursday, Wisconsin Herd guard Frank Mason III – who is on a two-way contract with the Bucks – headlines the All-NBA G League First Team, as the league announced today in a press release.

Mason was joined on the All-NBAGL first team by teammate Jaylen Adams, as well as Salt Lake City Stars forward Jarrell Brantley, South Bay Lakers big man Devontae Cacok, and Memphis Hustle forward Jarrod Uthoff. Mason, Brantley, and Cacok are currently on two-way contracts with NBA teams.

That’s a common theme for this year’s All-NBAGL teams. The majority of the 15 players named to the three squads are either currently on two-way contracts or have had NBA experience in the past.

The complete list of the 2019/20 All-NBA G League teams, along with the All-Rookie and All-Defensive squads, is below. Players currently on two-way contracts are noted with a caret (^).

All-NBAGL First Team:

  • Jaylen Adams (Wisconsin Herd)
  • Jarrell Brantley (Salt Lake City Stars) ^
  • Devontae Cacok (South Bay Lakers) ^
  • Frank Mason III (Wisconsin Herd) ^
  • Jarrod Uthoff (Memphis Hustle)

All-NBAGL Second Team:

All-NBAGL Third Team:

NBAGL All-Rookie Team:

  • Jarrell Brantley (Salt Lake City Stars) ^
  • Devontae Cacok (South Bay Lakers) ^
  • Donta Hall (Grand Rapids Drive)
  • Marial Shayok (Delaware Blue Coats) ^
  • Tremont Waters (Maine Red Claws) ^

NBAGL All-Defensive Team:

Of the 20 players who earned a spot on one of the G League’s All-NBAGL or All-Defensive teams this year, only four – Adams, Jones, Koumadje, and Hollins – haven’t been on some form of standard, two-way, or 10-day NBA contract since the ’19/20 season began.

Adams and Jones have previous NBA experience, while Koumadje and Hollins have yet to make their regular-season NBA debuts.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Johnathan Motley Signs Two-Way Deal With Clippers

July 24th, 2019 at 8:46pm CST by clarkcrum

After declining to issue him a qualifying offer last month, the Clippers have decided to bring back big man Johnathan Motley on another two-way contract, reports Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

Motley spent the entirety of last season on a two-way contract with the Clippers after being acquired in an offseason trade from Dallas, but spent most of his time with the team’s G League affiliate, the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, where he was named All-NBAGL Second Team.

In 22 games with the Clippers, Motley averaged a respectable 4.6 PPG and 2.3 RPG while playing 7.1 minutes per contest. As a rookie, he actually started the last four games of the season for the Mavs, averaging 16.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game in those four starts.

The 24-year-old Baylor product will join rookie Amir Coffey as the Clippers’ two-way players for the 2019/20 season, meaning last season’s G League Rookie of the Year Angel Delgado appears to be the odd man out barring a promotion to a standard contract on the 15-man roster.

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