Mathias Lessort Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Expansion, EuroLeague, G League Trades, Hawes

September 18th, 2024 at 1:21pm CST by Luke Adams

What would it look like if the NBA awarded expansion teams to a pair of new cities? In an entertaining story for ESPN.com, Bobby Marks broke down the rules governing expansion drafts, then submitted lists of protected players for each team to Tim Bontemps and Kevin Pelton, who conducted a mock expansion draft on behalf of the two hypothetical new franchises.

As Marks details, the rules for expansion drafts aren’t specifically laid out in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, but in the past, each existing NBA team has been permitted to protect up to eight players in the spring, including pending restricted free agents and/or players holding options. In those instances, expansion teams weren’t allowed to select more than one player from any of the NBA’s existing clubs.

Marks also lays out how expansion teams would be incorporated into the annual rookie draft (they’re typically not given the opportunity to land the No. 1 overall pick during their first couple seasons) and how the salary cap would work for them (their cap would be two-thirds of the league-wide cap in year one, 80% in year two, and the full cap in year three).

While expansion is likely still at least two or three years away, ESPN’s exercise is an informative one that helps illustrate with practical examples how new teams would fill out their rosters.

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

Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com (subscription required) takes a look at 10 notable players in the EuroLeague who are on expiring contracts and will reach free agency in 2025. Mathias Lessort, Kevin Punter, and Chima Moneke are among the headliners on Urbonas’ list who figure to be monitored by NBA teams in 2024/25.
The Westchester Knicks – New York’s G League affiliate – completed a pair of trades on Tuesday. Westchester sent Dmytro Skapintsev‘s returning rights to the Maine Celtics in exchange for the rights to Brandon Slater and Joe Wieskamp; in a separate deal, the Knicks’ NBAGL team acquired Brandon Williams‘ returning rights and a 2025 G League international draft pick from the Osceola Magic in exchange for the rights to Charlie Brown Jr. (Twitter links). The NBA’s Celtics signed Skapintsev to an Exhibit 10 contract on Tuesday.
Cyro Asseo de Choch of HoopsHype spoke to former NBA big man Spencer Hawes about the ups and downs of his playing career, which saw him appear in 684 regular season games for six teams from 2007-17. A 7’1″ center who made 35.0% of his career-three pointers, Hawes was asked if he felt like he arrived in the league a few years too early. “I kind of joke about my buddies. I missed the max (contract) by a couple of years,” Hawes said. “Well, I think the game just wasn’t in such a good place and my game as well. I came in kind of as a more traditional old-school post-up player and I realized that pretty quickly that wasn’t working. So, I kind of had to figure out a different way to try and get on the floor and help the team win.”

International Notes: Yurtseven, Lessort, Sochan, Beverley, Cousins

August 27th, 2024 at 12:54pm CST by Luke Adams

Sani Becirovic, the technical director Panathinaikos, confirmed this week that the Greek club has interest in free agent big man Omer Yurtseven, who has spent the past three seasons in the NBA. Panathinaikos’ interest in Yurtseven was reported earlier this month.

“The truth has been written,” Becirovic said, per Alessandro Maggi of Sportando. “We have nothing to hide: he is one of the players we are interested in. There have been contacts, we have studied the case to see if he is a realistic option or not. But there is still some work to be done to reach an agreement.”

If Panathinaikos is able to finalize a deal with Yurtseven, the veteran center would join a frontcourt that also includes Mathias Lessort, whose play at the Olympics helped generate some NBA buzz. However, Becirovic said that he wasn’t worried about Lessort – whose NBA rights are controlled by the Knicks – making the move stateside this offseason.

“Obviously, we want him to stay as long as possible and we will do everything we can to keep him,” Becirovic said. “No, I wasn’t nervous about him leaving because he didn’t have a contract with the NBA. So I was pretty calm about it. There were also rumors that there was a lot of interest in him. The interest was there, but we never got into serious negotiations to make something happen, like with (Guerschon) Yabusele (leaving Real Madrid for the Sixers) for example.”

Here are a few more items of interest from around the international basketball world:

Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan, who played for the Polish national team during the 2024 Olympic qualifiers, has committed to representing the country next summer at EuroBasket, as Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops relays. As one of the four countries co-hosting EuroBasket 2025, Poland has automatically qualified for the tournament.
Patrick Beverley, who is playing for Hapoel Tel Aviv in Israel in 2024/25, has lofty goals for his new club, as he stated in a video recently posted to his Twitter account. “I don’t want to win, I want complete domination,” Beverley said. “… I don’t even want games to be close. I just want us to stomp the s–t out of everybody.” The veteran guard is aiming to help lead Hapoel Tel Aviv to a EuroCup title next season in order to earn the team a promotion to the EuroLeague.
Four-time NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins has joined Wuxi WenLv, a Chinese team on the FIBA 3×3 World Tour, according to an announcement from FIBA (Twitter link). Cousins, who has been out of the NBA since 2022, has played for professional teams in Puerto Rico, Taiwan, and the Philippines since then.

Olympic Notes: Murray, Yabusele, Giddey, Barrett, More

August 14th, 2024 at 8:44pm CST by Arthur Hill

There are concerns about Jamal Murray following a lackluster Olympic performance with Team Canada, writes John Hollinger of The Athletic. After dealing with injuries during the latter part of the season, the Nuggets guard was limited to 36.6% true shooting and a 4.7 PER in four Olympic games.

While Hollinger admits that’s a small sample size, he notes that Murray wasn’t any better in Canada’s exhibition contests and didn’t look like the same player he was during Denver’s 2023 title run. Hollinger observes that Murray played without “zip” while having a hard time getting separation from his defender and finishing at the rim. If there’s a physical issue affecting Murray, it could be a significant story heading into training camp and the start of the season, Hollinger adds.

A report in late June stated that the Nuggets and Murray were nearing agreement on a four-year, $208MM extension. Hollinger wonders if the team might be reconsidering that offer in light of Murray’s recent downturn.

Hollinger shares a few more thoughts on the Olympics:

Guerschon Yabusele helped his NBA prospects tremendously with his Olympic performance, but Hollinger is skeptical that he’ll join the league this season. A league source confirms to Hollinger that Yabusele has a $2.5MM buyout in his contract with Real Madrid. Any NBA team that signs him would have to pay that amount, which would count against the cap above the $850K maximum international buyout, along with Yabusele’s salary. Hollinger sees a better chance for Yabusele to return to the NBA next summer when he’ll be a free agent.
Australia used Josh Giddey as its primary ball-handler, a role he’ll assume with the Bulls this season. Hollinger points out that although Giddey could have used better outside shooting around him, he was effective running the offense. He made 11 three-pointers in four games, easing some of the concerns about him in Oklahoma City, while taking on a 30% usage rate.
Hollinger believes Raptors swingman RJ Barrett could be headed for a breakout season. Playing for Canada, Barrett ranked fourth in the Olympics in scoring at 19.8 PPG with 58/44/84 shooting splits. Hollinger adds that Barrett was impressive after being traded to Toronto last season and should have a high-usage role on a rebuilding team.
Khem Birch may have sparked NBA interest after being Canada’s top center in France, per Hollinger. Birch will be 32 by the time training camps open, but Hollinger suggests he could fill a role as a third center.
Mathias Lessort, who helped France reach the gold medal game, could be a “last-resort option” for the Knicks next summer if they still haven’t found a reliable backup center, Hollinger states. The 29-year-old big man is under contract with Panathinaikos in Greece this season.
Isaac Bonga is a free agent after wrapping up a strong Olympics with Germany. Hollinger notes that Bonga is only 24 and could return to the NBA and a three-and-D specialist, even if it doesn’t happen right away.

International Notes: NBA Candidates, Besson, Bender, Cannady

August 12th, 2024 at 4:11pm CST by Rory Maher

Forward Guerschon Yabusele, who recently expressed a desire to return to the NBA, tops Mark Deeks of HoopsHype’s list of 10 players from the 2024 Olympics who deserve a look from NBA teams. Two of Yabusele’s teammates on the French national team — Mathias Lessort (No. 2) and Isaia Cordinier (No. 8) — also made the cut.

Here are a few more international notes:

Bucks draft-and-stash prospect Hugo Besson, the No. 58 pick of the 2022 draft, will play for Turkey’s Manisa Buyuksehir Belediye Spor during the 2024/25 season, per Fersu Yahyabeyoglu of Eurobasket.com (hat tip to Keith Smith of Spotrac). The French guard played in Serbia and Italy last season.
Former No. 4 overall pick Dragan Bender is rumored to be joining GeVi Napoli in Italy, writes Dario Skerletic of Sportando. Bender suffered major ACL injuries in May 2021 and December 2022 and evidently is still recovering. “Bender is part of the team philosophy we are building,” Napoli athletic director Alessandro Dalla Salda told La Repubblica. “But to get back on top he needs time, so we may sign a player while waiting for his return.” The 26-year-old last played in the NBA in 2019/20.
Guard Devin Cannady, who played 13 games with the Magic over two different seasons, has signed with Panionios B.C., the Greek club announced in a press release. It’s the first international stop for the former Princeton star, who played for the NBA G League’s Birmingham Squadron (the Pelicans’ affiliate) in ’23/24.

New York Notes: Brunson, Lessort, Schröder, Nets

August 9th, 2024 at 11:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking on Thursday to reporters, including Stefan Bondy of The New York Post, Knicks guard Jalen Brunson explained why he was willing to accept a four-year, $156.5MM contract extension this summer. The deal was the biggest one Brunson was able to sign at this point, but he could have landed a significantly more lucrative payday if he had waited another year.

“Priority A, I secured I think a decent amount of money to support myself and my family, my extended family in the current time. I didn’t have to wait a year,” Brunson said. “Like I said, a lot can happen in a year. Everyone in this room has seen a lot happen in a year when players wait out. So that’s one thing. No. 2 — I would love to be here, I want to be here the rest of my career. And winning trumps everything I do individually. Like I said, when you win as a team, individuals can grow from that. That’s at the front of my mind at all times — what can I do to win?”

While Brunson will have a chance down the road to make up much of the money he “lost” by signing an early extension, his deal will provide the Knicks with added cap flexibility for the next few seasons. The veteran point guard told reporters that he has studied team-first champions from other sports, such as Tom Brady and Derek Jeter, and that he took those examples into account when making his decision.

“First, Tom Brady and Derek Jeter are in a class of their own. I’m not saying I’m a part of that class,” Brunson said. “Second, those dudes are the epitome of winning. They did whatever it took to win. That was on the forefront of their minds. I just knew if I did this, it would give us a lot of flexibility and put us in position to win.

“And I know that a lot of people don’t agree with it. A lot of people are saying it’s not the smart thing from a personal standpoint. But I just know — I’m comfortable here. This is home for me. I don’t worry about what anybody else says, what they think. That’s their opinion. They can have it.”

Here’s more on the NBA’s two New York teams:

The Knicks, who acquired Mathias Lessort‘s draft rights back in 2020, inquired earlier this offseason about the 28-year-old’s interest in coming stateside, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv. However, the two sides weren’t able to find common ground, says Begley. Vincent Collet, the head coach of the French national team, recently expressed surprise that Lessort isn’t in the NBA.
In a conversation with Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Nets point guard Dennis Schröder talked about growing up in Germany, playing in the Olympics, and his desire to remain in Brooklyn for the final year of his current contract — and potentially well beyond that. “I want to be in Brooklyn long-term. Hopefully that works out,” Schröder said. “I want to be a veteran who shows the young people the way and how we should play and how we play as a team. I understand that the NBA is always more individual, but I want to make one team like we had in Atlanta where it was about just winning and really not (caring) who scores. And I want to bring that back to the NBA, to the Brooklyn Nets.”
While plenty can change between now and July 2025, the Nets are currently the only team projected to have significant cap room next summer, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Even before accounting for possible in-season trades and/or extensions, cap projections can vary significantly depending on which cap holds and options are assumed to be on the books, but Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link) also projects Brooklyn to have the most cap space of any team in 2025.

Olympic Notes: Jokic, Lessort, SGA, Australia

August 7th, 2024 at 11:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

League rules require Nikola Jokic to speak to the media after NBA games, but in the Olympics he’s making all his statements on the court, writes Kyle Hightower of The Denver Post. Even after leading Serbia to the largest comeback in Olympic history on Tuesday, Jokic didn’t have anything to say to reporters.

“He’s great. But he doesn’t like to talk to media — you know that,” teammate Bogdan Bogdanovic said. “In the NBA, if he doesn’t talk to media, he’ll get fined. But here, there are no fines. Here, it’s voluntary. He says, ‘I don’t need to.’ No offense to you guys.”

That means the public won’t know what Jokic is thinking as he prepares for Thursday’s semifinal rematch with Team USA. During their meeting in pool play last week, the teams were even during the 30-plus minutes that Jokic was in the game, but the Americans outscored Serbia 29-3 while he was resting.

“He stays focused for all minutes on the court,” Vasilije Micic said. “If he can do that, we all can do that.”

There’s more from Paris:

French coach Vincent Collet was touting Mathias Lessort‘s NBA prospects after he had 13 points and five rebounds in Tuesday’s win over Canada, per Donatas Urbonas of Basket News. Lessort was selected by Philadelphia with the 50th pick in the 2017 draft, but he has never played in the NBA. The Panathinaikos center has become a star in Europe and was named to the All EuroLeague team last season. “Mathias was probably the best player in the EuroLeague this year. They won the championship with Panathinaikos, and he was not far from winning the MVP. So for me, it’s not a surprise,” Collet said. “What is a surprise? I don’t understand why he is not playing in the NBA. I don’t know why no team in the NBA takes this guy.”
Canadian players were disappointed by their slow start in the quarterfinals loss, states Josh Lewenberg of TSN. Canada was viewed as a gold medal contender after beating three tough opponents in pool play, but France raced to an early 19-point lead. “They were better than us, played harder than us, and we saw it from the jump,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We obviously tried to make our run in the second half. It wasn’t enough, but that’s what happens when you let teams get off to a good start. They came out the aggressors, they punched us in the mouth.”
With Australia also suffering an early exit, Olgun Uluc of ESPN tries to forecast the Boomers’ roster for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. The core of Uluc’s squad is made of players from this year’s team, with Pacers second-round pick Johnny Furphy as a potential addition.

International Notes: Bahamas, Poland, Green, Lessort

August 20th, 2023 at 3:23pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Veteran Pacers swingman Buddy Hield submitted a team-most 17 points, while Suns guard Eric Gordon and center Deandre Ayton both made meaningful contributions during Bahamas’ 78-62 blowout win over Uruguay during the 2024 Olympics pre-qualifiers Saturday, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.

Bahamas will now square off against home team Argentina in the final of this year’s Olympic pre-qualifying tournament Sunday night, with the winner earning a spot in next summer’s Olympic qualifying tournament. This is an entirely separate event from the FIBA World Cup, which tips off next week.

Here are more international hoops notes:

In winning one of this month’s Olympic pre-qualifying tournaments, Poland has now clinched a spot in the 2024 Olympic qualifying tournament, according to Eurohoops. Poland vanquished Bosnia and Herzegovina, 76-72, in the final. Napoli Basket small forward Michal Sokolowski paced Poland with 16 points and seven boards.
While playing their fourth FIBA World Cup exhibition game in Tokyo, Team Australia beat Team France 78-74. Boomers (and Mavericks) wing Josh Green departed the warm-up bout with a mild ankle injury, but the ailment appears fairly minor, per Olgun Uluc of ESPN (Twitter link).
After sitting out most of France’s training camp with an ankle issue, national team center Mathias Lessort has been given the green light to suit up for next week’s World Cup, reports Eurohoops. The Knicks own Lessort’s draft rights, though it remains unclear whether he will ever come stateside.

World Cup Notes: Team USA, Portis, K. Antetokounmpo, Poirier

August 13th, 2023 at 10:33am CST by Arthur Hill

Team USA enjoyed its second straight rout in exhibition play ahead of the FIBA World Cup, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. The Americans pulled away in the second half Saturday for a 30-point win over a Slovenian team without Luka Doncic, who sat out the game with a minor knee issue.

Combined with Monday’s victory over Puerto Rico, the U.S. has outscored its opponents by 73 points in two games. The competition will get tougher in today’s matchup with Spain, but head coach Steve Kerr is happy to see his players buy into a team concept so quickly.

“We put together the team with the idea of having a lot of good passers and play-makers,” Kerr said. “And with this team, we’ve seen through the first two exhibition games, everybody can pass. And so we really want to push the tempo and attack closeouts because once we put it on the floor, we know these guys will distribute it and move it all over again.

“And you know, I thought we almost overdid it tonight. I thought at times we had over threes and we drove and kicked it down, which as a coach, you never want to criticize your players for that because you’re always trying to get them involved.”

There’s more on the World Cup:

Bobby Portis is disappointed that he won’t get to match up with Bucks teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo when Team USA faces Greece in an exhibition contest next week and again in pool play, Vardon adds. Antetokounmpo announced Friday that he will miss the World Cup as he continues to recover from minor knee surgery. “Obviously I’m sad, he’s sad, that he can’t play in the World Cup, but maybe that’s good for the Bucks,” Portis said.
Greece will also be without Kostas Antetokounmpo, who was declared out with an injury on Sunday, according to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. A former NBA player with the Mavericks and Lakers, Antetokounmpo represented Greece in last year’s EuroBasket and the Olympic qualifying tournament in 2021.
Former Celtics and Sixers center Vincent Poirier has joined the French team because of uncertainty surrounding Knicks draft-and-stash player Mathias Lessort, who is sidelined with an ankle issue, per Eurohoops. France is also adding Isaïa Cordinier in the wake of Frank Ntilikina‘s hamstring injury.

International Notes: Doncic, Embiid, Gobert, Lessort

July 30th, 2023 at 11:58am CST by Arthur Hill

Mavericks star Luka Doncic was introduced Saturday as the new captain of the Slovenian national team for the FIBA World Cup competition, writes Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. He takes over for Edo Muric, who will miss the tournament with a torn ACL.

“I am honored to be the captain. The coach and the rest of the players made the decision,” Doncic said. “It is a pleasure to play for the national team. I have not played since April 10, so I can’t wait for the games.”

At 24, Doncic is already a veteran of international competitions. He was among the stars at the last Summer Olympics and competed twice in EuroBasket, helping Slovenia capture the gold medal in 2017. His team failed to defend its title at last year’s tournament, getting upset by Poland in the quarterfinals.

“As in every tournament, the goal is to win the championship,” Doncic said. “Last year’s failure in the EuroBasket did not make (me) too angry, but instead motivated me. You must look ahead. We don’t care what happened last year. I feel better this year. It is apparent. Much praise to the fitness coach pushing me.”

There’s more international news to pass along:

After saying earlier this week that he’s hoping to have Sixers center Joel Embiid for the 2024 Olympics, Team USA managing director Grant Hill expanded on those comments Saturday on Marc Stein’s podcast (hat tip to HoopsHype). Hill expressed guarded optimism about landing Embiid, who also has citizenship with France and Cameroon, stating that talks will continue as he puts the team together. “Joel Embiid is an incredible talent and he has options,” Hill said. “And I guess that’s a good thing. I’ll just say this: I’ve had some discussions with him, and he knows our desire to have him a part of our program. So we’ll see sort of where that goes. But we’ll certainly, as we get through this World Cup and start to sort of plan for next summer, we’ll continue with those conversations, and hopefully by then, I’ll have some numbers and percentages to give you in terms of where the possibility stands.”
Rudy Gobert had doubts about participating in the World Cup after the season ended, but now he believes France has a good shot at a gold medal, according to Eurohoops. Gobert said he continued to work hard after the Timberwolves were ousted in the first round of the playoffs. “The break after the end of the season wasn’t one,” Gobert said. “I trained a lot in June and July, I feel good and that’s also why I’m here.”
France may be without draft-and-stash player Mathias Lessort, whose NBA rights are owned by the Knicks, Eurohoops reports. Lessort has an ankle issue that will force him to miss an exhibition game with Tunisia next week.

And-Ones: Trade Market, Front Offices, Coaches, EuroLeague, More

May 16th, 2023 at 7:09pm CST by Rory Maher

Tonight’s NBA draft lottery is highly anticipated due to the hype surrounding projected No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama. However, some league executives are more focused on the trade implications for the team that lands the top selection, noting that quality centers could be dealt to free up playing time and address other parts of the roster.

“I’m as interested in what comes after the lottery as the lottery itself,” one general manager told Sean Deveney of Heavy.com. “This could be a tidal wave after it gets decided.”

For example, if the Pistons land the top pick — which they have a 14% chance to do — an Eastern Conference executive speculated that Detroit could get an impressive return for Jalen Duren, who was recently named to the All-Rookie Second Team. However, it’s worth noting that the Pistons have shown no desire to move Duren to this point after trading for him during last June’s draft.

“They probably could get a top-10 pick for him this year,” the executive said. “He has a lot of Robert Williams qualities, and he is like Williams because it might take a little time to polish. You can’t really play him and Wemby together, so he’d have to go. It would be crazy to see the market on him, he is still mostly upside.”

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

Twenty-six clubs have been eliminated from title contention, but that doesn’t mean anyone is taking time off. In an interesting article for The Athletic, former league executives Seth Partnow and John Hollinger discuss the busiest time of the year for NBA front offices — the stretch that starts with the draft combine, which is currently ongoing, and runs through the first couple weeks of free agency.
Three of the past four championship-winning coaches are no longer with their former teams. The recent spate of dismissals — including Nick Nurse, Mike Budenholzer, Monty Williams and Doc Rivers — has left a negative imprint on some of the longest-tenured coaches, as Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press writes. “It’s disturbing,” said Erik Spoelstra, who has been the Heat’s head coach since 2008. “Doc’s a Hall of Famer. … There’s only so many teams that can advance. It’s just a really hard thing to do. Yeah, it’s been a tough couple weeks, hearing the news of just some really surprising firings.”
The All-EuroLeague First and Second Teams were recently announced (Twitter links), and several former NBA players made the cut. The First Team features Walter Tavares, Mathias Lessort, Lorenzo Brown, Sasha Vezenkov and Dzanan Musa, while Darius Thompson, Kevin Punter, Nikola Mirotic, Wade Baldwin and Mike James comprise the Second Team. A recent rumor indicated that Vezenkov, whose NBA rights are controlled by the Kings, is seriously mulling the possibility of coming stateside and making his debut next season.
Leonard Solms at ESPN.com profiles Samkelo Cele, who is hoping to become the second South African-born player to reach the NBA (the first was Steve Nash). Cele is currently competing in the Basketball Africa League.