Saben Lee Rumors | Hoops Rumors

International Notes: Lee, Songaila, D-Lo, Walker

November 23rd, 2024 at 11:25am CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA guard Saben Lee continues to bounce back and forth between European teams, with Manisa Basket officially confirming today that Lee has rejoined the Turkish club (Twitter link).

Lee, who appeared in 134 regular season games for the Pistons, Sixers, and Suns from 2020-24, signed with Manisa Basket this past offseason, but left last month to join Maccabi Tel Aviv. As Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com explains, Lee signed with the Israeli club under the condition that he would live and practice in Belgrade, Serbia, where Maccabi has been playing its EuroLeague games.

According to Urbonas, Lee felt pressured to move to Israel, where the team continues to play its domestic league contests, but wasn’t comfortable doing so due to the war in the region. Maccabi, meanwhile, was concerned that the guard’s absence from practices was negatively impacting the team’s rhythm. It led to the two sides parting ways and Lee returning to a Manisa club he was already familiar with.

We have a few more notes from around the international basketball world:

Lee isn’t the only Manisa Basket newcomer. According to Urbonas at BasketNews.com, former NBA forward/center Darius Songaila is expected to join Manisa’s coaching staff. Songaila, who played in the NBA and Europe from 2002-15, was a Spurs staffer from 2018-24, spending four of those seasons as an assistant coach on Gregg Popovich‘s staff.
Could D’Angelo Russell represent Lithuania in international basketball competition? After a report from Rokas Pakenas of 15min.lt suggested that Russell had informed the Lithuanian Basketball Federation of his interest, the Lakers guard posted an Instagram comment that said “Let’s make it happen.” As Nikola Miloradovic of Eurohoops notes, Russell’s wife is of Lithuanian descent, so there’s a possible path for the 28-year-old to become a naturalized citizen.
Veteran guard Lonnie Walker is beginning to hit his stride overseas, racking up 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting for Zalgiris Kaunas on Friday in a win over reigning EuroLeague champions Panathinaikos. After the game, Walker – whose contract includes an NBA out until February – praised one of his opponents, according to Edvinas Jablonskis of BasketNews.com. “Kendrick Nunn has been an extreme inspiration and motivation for me,” Walker said of the Panathinaikos star and his former Lakers teammate. “I love that guy to death. I’ve been with him since the Lakers, I’ve known him way before the Lakers. Somehow, the world continues to give us a full circle moment for a reason. He’s my guy, my brother, and I continue to watch what he does and imitate how he’s doing it in the EuroLeague. I want to follow that route as well.”

International Notes: Osman, Lee, Loyd, S. Johnson

October 13th, 2024 at 9:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Cedi Osman, who returned to Europe this summer after seven NBA seasons, said in an interview with Giorgos Adamopoulos of Eurohoops that he’s not convinced his NBA career is finished. The 29-year-old forward signed a one-year contract with Panathinaikos, and he wants to have a strong season with the Greek team before considering his basketball future.

“I do not think it is over for me, but you never know what happens,” Osman said. “I am fully committed to Panathinaikos right now and I really want to win EuroLeague with this team. We have a great team, a very talented team that I believe can go for the back-to-back and I want to win all the cups that we can. I want to achieve everything here. So, that is why I am happy to be here and I am excited and hopefully it is going to be a great year for us.”

There were rumors during the summer that Osman was close to joining Real Madrid, but he dismissed those talks as “nothing serious.” He also discussed the adjustment of getting used to the EuroLeague style of play again and the experience of playing alongside LeBron James in Cleveland and Victor Wembanyama in San Antonio.

“He is great. He is unbelievable,” Osman said of Wembanyama. “In one or two years, he will probably be the face of the NBA. That is what I think. He is a talented kid that we have never seen before.”

There’s more international news to pass along:

Saben Lee has a new two-year contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv after reaching a buyout agreement with Turkey’s Manisa Basket, the Israeli team announced on its website. Lee, who appeared in 24 games with the Suns last season, made a splash by scoring 36 and 43 points in his first two games with Manisa. “I’m excited to join such a historic club and looking forward to this season,” Lee said. “I hope we can win many games and bring pride to the fans. I’m grateful for the opportunity and want to thank the management, coaching staff, and everyone who had a hand in me getting to wear Maccabi’s uniform. Let’s go Maccabi, I can’t wait to get to work.”
Jordan Loyd, who left Maccabi Tel Aviv due to concerns about the war in Israel, has signed a two-year deal with AS Monaco, according to Eurohoops. The 31-year-old point guard has played for numerous teams since leaving the NBA, but he has a fondness for Monaco, where he was named MVP of the LNB Finals in 2023.
Former NBA forward Stanley Johnson, who now plays for Anadolu Efes, wasn’t injured when two shots were fired through the window of his apartment in Istanbul, BasketNews reports. Police are searching for the suspects.

International Notes: Freeman-Liberty, Lee, Hernandez, Mason

October 7th, 2024 at 9:33am CST by Luke Adams

Former Raptors guard Javon Freeman-Liberty, who signed with Manisa Basket this offseason, is leaving the Turkish club, according to Ismail Senol of beIN Sports (Twitter link). Interestingly, Senol says that Freeman-Liberty is headed to the NBA.

It’s unclear which NBA team Freeman-Liberty is joining or what sort of contract he’ll sign. Presumably, he would’ve had the opportunity to accept non-guaranteed camp invitations before signing in Turkey, so perhaps he received an offer to fill a team’s two-way spot. It’s also possible the 6’4″ guard didn’t warm to his first overseas opportunity and decided he’d prefer to return to the G League. We should find out soon.

Freeman-Liberty was on a two-way contract with the Raptors for most of the 2023/24 campaign before being promoted to the standard roster on March 1. The 24-year-old appeared in 22 games at the NBA level with Toronto, averaging 7.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 18.3 minutes per night. He put up much bigger numbers with the Raptors 905 in the NBAGL, including 24.0 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 4.2 APG, and a shooting line of .470/.360/.825 in 26 Showcase Cup and regular season outings.

Here are more updates from around the international basketball world:

Saben Lee, Freeman-Liberty’s teammate with Manisa Basket, is also reportedly leaving the club. Sources tell Aris Barkas of Eurohoops that the former NBA guard has agreed to sign with the Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv, who will pay a $150K buyout to Manisa. The 38th overall pick in the 2020 draft, Lee had spent the past four seasons playing for the Pistons, Sixers, and Suns. The 6’2″ guard finished last season on a two-way contract with Phoenix and appeared in 24 NBA games for the Suns.
Former Raptors big man Dewan Hernandez, a 2019 second-round pick, has signed with Promitheas Patras, the Greek team announced in a press release. Hernandez, who played his college ball for the Miami Hurricanes, appeared in just six NBA games for the Raptors and has bounced around non-NBA league since then, spending time in the G League, Israel, Puerto Rico, South Korea, and China.
Former NBA guard Frank Mason, who played 103 games for Sacramento, Milwaukee, and Orlando from 2017-21, has joined the Fujian Sturgeons in the Chinese Basketball Association, Dario Skerletic of Sportando relays. It’ll be Mason’s second season playing overseas — the 2020 G League MVP spent the 2023/24 campaign with SLUC Nancy Basket in France.

International Notes: Bertans, Lee, Bogdanovic, Jokic

October 6th, 2024 at 9:01am CST by Arthur Hill

After changing teams frequently in the NBA, Davis Bertans was looking for stability when he decided to move overseas. In an interview with Mozzart Sport (translation via BasketNews), Bertans said part of the attraction of joining the new Dubai Basketball Club is long-term security.

“I also got a contract for three years, which was very important for my family, so that I don’t have to move every year,” he said.

Bertans was traded from Washington to Dallas at the 2022 deadline, then was moved to Oklahoma City in a 2023 draft-night deal. He got sent to Charlotte at this year’s deadline and was waived by the Hornets in July.

There were rumors this summer that Bertans might return to his former Partizan team in Belgrade, but he said that never came close to happening.

“I didn’t get an offer to go to Partizan,” Bertans said. “Maybe there was a chance to go for one season, but it wasn’t for me. I wanted to spend a longer time in the same city. I was traded four times in two years in the NBA, it’s very difficult for the family.”

There’s more international news to pass along:

There’s a growing market for Saben Lee, who signed with Turkey’s Manisa Basket in August, according to Aris Barkas of Eurohoops. Sources tell Barkas that Fenerbahce is nearing a deal with the former NBA point guard after losing Scottie Wilbekin with a torn ACL. Maccabi is also interested in adding Lee, Barkas adds in a separate story, but he may be hesitant to play in Israel due to the fear of a war. Lee recently had a stellar debut in the Basketball Champions League with 36 points and six assists.
Former NBA center Pero Antic hopes to convince Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic to join Belgrade’s Crvena Zvezda once his NBA career is done, according to BasketNews. “We corresponded two days ago,” said Antic, who’s now president of the Basketball Federation of North Macedonia. “We’re in constant contact, we joke, we’ve been roommates. I’ll bring him to Crvena Zvezda sometime. He said that he would finish his career in Partizan, but I think that he will do it in Crvena Zvezda.”
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said over the weekend that Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic have all requested exhibition games in their native countries. However, Jokic told reporters that he never asked for a game in Serbia, BasketNews relays. “I don’t have approval to talk about it, I didn’t demand it,” Jokic said in Abu Dhabi, where the Nuggets are playing their second preseason contest today.

Saben Lee Signs With Turkish Team

August 31st, 2024 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent guard Saben Lee has officially signed with Turkish team Manisa Basket (Instagram link). The move had long been anticipated, with Tolis Kotzias of SDNA.gr (Twitter link) reporting in early August that Lee was close to finalizing a deal with the club.

The 38th overall pick in the 2020 draft, Lee has spent the past four seasons playing for the Pistons, Sixers, and Suns. The 6’2″ guard finished the most recent season on a two-way contract with Phoenix and appeared in 24 NBA games for the Suns.

Across his four seasons in the NBA, Lee appeared in 134 total regular season games, averaging 5.2 points, 2.8 assists, and 1.9 rebounds in 14.5 minutes per contest. An unreliable jump shot hindered his ability to earn regular rotation minutes, as he posted a career shooting line of just .421/.271/.734.

Lee’s four years of NBA service meant he was no longer eligible for a two-way deal in 2024/25, which may have been a factor in his inability to find a roster spot stateside.

Lee is joining a Manisa club that will be competing in the Basketball Champions League – in addition to Turkey’s Basketball Super League – for the first time next season. Manisa Basket posted a 16-14 mark in domestic play last season, finishing sixth out of 16 Turkish teams. The club was eliminated in the first round of the postseason by Besiktas.

International Rumor Round-Up: Jones, Pokusevski, S. Lee, More

August 14th, 2024 at 2:30pm CST by Luke Adams

While we don’t cover international basketball comprehensively at Hoops Rumors, items involving current or former NBA players – or future NBA prospects – are always of interest to us, so we’ve been keeping an eye on the European, Asian, and Australian rumor mills this offseason as we monitor where NBA free agents are landing.

Generally, we wait until a team officially announces a signing to write up a story on it, since some international outlets are more reliable than others, and specific details in a non-English report can sometimes be lost in translation.

However, we wanted to pass along some updates today on possible deals involving some NBA veterans that have yet to be formally announced. Let’s dive in…

Damian Jones

A veteran NBA center with nearly 300 total games and a couple championships under his belt, Jones spent last season with the Cavaliers. The 29-year-old played sparingly in Cleveland, averaging 2.7 points and 1.6 rebounds in 6.9 minutes per contest across 39 appearances off the bench.

After rumors surfaced about a month into the NBA’s free agent period that Turkish club Fenerbahce may be interested in Jones, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando reported that the big man was actually signing with the Zhejiang Golden Bulls in the Chinese Basketball Association.

This story was a tricky one, since Carchia deleted his tweet reporting the deal after Sportando published a story about it. Zhejiang also doesn’t appear to maintain an up-to-date website or social media presence outside of China, so we couldn’t just wait for a formal announcement.

We reached out to Jones’ representatives at CAA Sports and to Carchia to seek clarity on his situation, and while the center’s agency didn’t respond, Carchia told Hoops Rumors that his reporting hasn’t changed despite the deleted tweet. As such, we’re assuming for now that Jones is headed to China for the 2024/25 season.

Aleksej Pokusevski

Pokusevski, a lanky Serbian forward, is a former first-round pick who showed flashes of real promise during his rookie contract. However, injuries derailed his development and he slid down the Thunder’s depth chart in the past year or two as Oklahoma City continued to add more young talent. He signed with the Hornets in February after being waived by OKC, but was later cut by Charlotte too in July, making him an unrestricted free agent.

A report from Christos Tsaltas of Sportal.gr (Twitter link) in mid-July indicated that Pokusevski was close to reaching a deal to join KK Partizan, a Serbian team based in Belgrade. The international outlet Sport Klub followed up earlier this week by reporting that the two sides had reached an agreement (hat tip to Eurohoops), while TeleSport suggested that the 22-year-old is signing a three-year deal (hat tip to Sportando).

Based on the sheer number of separate outlets reporting this deal, we trust that the info is accurate, but with Partizan set to fully reveal its 2024/25 roster on August 19 (Twitter link), we’ll likely wait until they make it official next Monday to write up a full story on it.

Saben Lee

Lee, 25, finished each of the past two seasons on a two-way contract with the Suns, appearing in 24 games for Phoenix last season. However, the 6’2″ guard now has four years of NBA service, making him ineligible for another two-way, which may have been a factor in his inability to find an NBA deal he liked this offseason.

Tolis Kotzias of SDNA.gr (Twitter link) reported in early August that Lee was close to signing with Manisa Buyuksehir Belediyespor, a Turkish team.

It still seems as if that’s the plan for Lee — there have been no reports since then suggesting otherwise. But Manisa hasn’t mentioned Lee at all on its website, Twitter, or Instagram, so our assumption for now is that the deal isn’t yet official.

Usman Garuba

A former first-round pick who spent a couple seasons in Houston, Garuba spent most of the 2023/24 season on a two-way deal with Golden State. He only appeared in six games for the Warriors, but was converted to a standard contract at the end of the season because the team had an open roster spot to fill. It was just a rest-of-season deal, so he became an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

Reporting all the way back in May stated that Garuba was expected to sign with Real Madrid in Spain this offseason, but he responded by saying he had yet to make a decision. In mid-July, Spanish reporter Carlos Sanchez Blas (Twitter links) said that Garuba had a long-term deal in place with Madrid, and this time the big man didn’t deny it.

However, even as they’ve announced other roster moves – including the signing of Serge Ibaka – Real Madrid hasn’t confirmed the signing of Garuba on its website or social media. This is another one we expect to happen sooner or later, but we’ve been waiting on formal word from the club.

Rudy Gay

A 17-year NBA veteran, Gay hasn’t been in the league since being waived by the Warriors last October and will turn 38 years old this Saturday. Still, the 6’8″ forward doesn’t appear prepared to call it a career.

Just a few days into the NBA’s July free agent period, Kotzias of SDNA (Twitter link) reported that Gay was on track to sign with the Greek team Peristeri BC, barring an unexpected development. But subsequent reporting from Spanish outlet Piratas Del Basket (hat tip to TrendBasket) indicated that Gay was actually in advanced talks with Leyma Basquet Coruna in Spain.

It doesn’t appear Gay finalized an agreement with either team, since Orazio Cauchi of BasketNews tweeted in early August that the veteran was also drawing interest from Italian club Pistoia Basket.

Our working assumption is that Gay doesn’t have a deal in place with any team in Europe yet, though it certainly sounds like that could change before the 2024/25 season tips off.

Pacific Notes: Thomas, Okogie, Paul, Powell

March 20th, 2024 at 11:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Isaiah Thomas isn’t content just to be back in the NBA, writes Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports. The 35-year-old guard, who signed his 10-day deal with the Suns earlier today, hopes the opportunity will revive his career.

“I want to play a few more years in the league, so hopefully this is a setup for that,” Thomas said. “Whatever the opportunity is, I’m ready to make an impact each and every day. Whether I play or not, it’s bigger than putting the ball in the basket for me. Like, I’m able to lead — lead by example, lead by my experiences and just help in any way possible.”

Coach Frank Vogel said Thomas is a “guy that everyone loves,” but nothing has been promised beyond the initial 10-day deal. Phoenix has an opening on its 15-man roster, and Vogel indicated that the organization wants to see what Thomas can contribute before making a commitment. He added that Thomas fills a need because Saben Lee is running out of games on his two-way contract.

“He’s a very well-liked, respected guy in this league, in this NBA player fraternity, but we’re gonna see where his game is at,” Vogel said of Thomas. “Again, I don’t know how much he’ll play for us. He’s really here from a depth standpoint because Saben Lee only has four games left.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Before tonight’s game, Vogel told reporters that Suns shooting guard Josh Okogie is close to returning from his lower abdominal strain (video link from Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic). Okogie hasn’t played since March 2.
Chris Paul talked to Scott Ostler of The San Francisco Chronicle about the role he played in driving Jonathan Kuminga and other young Warriors players to develop their talents. “It’s hard (on the young players), because I’ve got a very strong personality, man, and … it is like a coach, and you should be worried if I ain’t saying nothing to you,” Paul said. “Seriously, I’m just constantly trying to teach and play and compete at the same time.”
Clippers swingman Norman Powell is a strong candidate for Sixth Man of the Year honors, notes Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. Among players who are primarily reserves, Powell ranks third in scoring, second in field goal percentage and three-point shooting percentage and fourth in minutes per game. “I think it would be amazing. It would be a lot for me,” he said. “It would be recognition for the importance for the team and being able to step up and help the team win and just a testament to all my hard work throughout the years. I feel like I’ve always been an underdog, having to earn my stripes and my spot. Even when I do really well one season, the next season it’s not automatically given. I’ve got to work to get it and prove myself.” Powell is dealing with a left leg contusion and it’s uncertain if he’ll play during the team’s two-game road trip, tweets Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.

Western Notes: J. Green, Doncic, Warriors, Suns, Jazz

March 17th, 2024 at 2:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Josh Green‘s sprained right ankle is expected to sideline him for at least a couple weeks or so, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd told reporters, including Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link), on Sunday.

Green had been a key part of Dallas’ rotation in recent weeks, averaging 10.2 points per game on .522/.438/.826 shooting in his past 24 games leading up to Thursday’s contest in Oklahoma City, which he exited after just four minutes when he injured his ankle.

The Mavericks did share some more positive injury news on Sunday, announcing that Luka Doncic will be available vs. Denver this afternoon after missing Thursday’s game due to a hamstring ailment (Twitter link via MacMahon).

Let’s round up a few more items from around the Western Conference:

Moses Moody, Kevon Looney, and Dario Saric were all DNP-CDs on Saturday for the Warriors, while Gary Payton II played just seven minutes as head coach Steve Kerr tightened his rotation, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Payton figures to be “peppered into the mix” going forward, Slater says, but Moody is being pushed out of the rotation and Looney and Saric are on the outside looking in. “It is tough,” Stephen Curry said. “Loon, Moses, Dario, probably in that order — especially Loon and Moses — there’s probably going to be times where they’re going to be needed. They’ll be ready. That’s the challenge they face. But this time of year, building an identity of how we want to play, that (tightened rotation is) huge.”
Kevin Durant said he’s “excited” for Isaiah Thomas to join the Suns and head coach Frank Vogel called the veteran guard a “hell of a player,” per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Vogel noted that adding Thomas will help Phoenix preserve the four active games remaining on Saben Lee‘s two-way contract.
Jazz head coach Will Hardy was upset by how his team played on Saturday vs. Minnesota, telling reporters after the game that there were far too many instances of players attempting to force the issue themselves when teammates were open. “Stats don’t mean s–t. I don’t care about your individual stats,” Hardy said, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. “I don’t care how many points you score. I don’t care what you post on Instagram. It doesn’t matter. It’s a team sport, play to win. And we have to nip this in the bud now because — I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again — there will not be free minutes in this program. So you’re either gonna start learning and you’re going to start playing the right way and you’re gonna start participating with your teammates, or you’re not gonna play.”

Suns Sign Ish Wainright To Two-Way Contract

March 4th, 2024 at 6:40pm CST by Rory Maher

6:40pm: The Suns have officially signed Wainright, according to a release from the team (Twitter link via PHNX Sports’ Gerald Bourguet). As we outlined in a separate story, Theo Maledon was waived to open up a two-way slot for Wainright.

3:37pm: The Suns are signing free agent forward Ish Wainright to a two-way contract, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).

Wainright, 29, played 105 regular season games and 13 playoff contests with Phoenix from 2021-23. However, his non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract was released before the 2023/24 season began due to a roster crunch, and he was claimed off the waiver wire by the Trail Blazers.

Before he was claimed by Portland, a report stated that Phoenix had interest in bringing back Wainright, and several months later, that will come to fruition.

In part due to injuries, Wainright only appeared in seven games for the Blazers. They cut him in January before his contract became fully guaranteed, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Known more for his defense than his offense, Wainright has averaged 3.4 PPG and 1.8 RPG while shooting 33.1% from deep in 112 career regular season games over the past three seasons (11.8 MPG).

As Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports observes (Twitter link), the Suns currently have three players — the maximum allowed — on two-way contracts, but a report last week indicated Saben Lee was a strong candidate to be converted to a standard deal. If Lee is promoted to Phoenix’s open standard roster spot, the team wouldn’t need to release anyone to add Wainright, as he would just fill Lee’s vacated spot.

Suns Waive Theo Maledon

March 4th, 2024 at 5:23pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Suns have waived two-way guard Theo Maledon, according to the league’s official transaction log. HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto first reported the move (Twitter link).

Phoenix was reported to be signing Ish Wainright to a two-way contract earlier Monday, but all three of the team’s two-way contracts were filled. There was some speculation that Saben Lee might be earning a promotion to the 15-man roster, and while that could still happen down the line, the Suns are creating a roster space for Wainright in the short term by waiving Maledon.

The Suns originally claimed Maledon on waivers after he was cut by the Hornets in December. The 34th overall pick of the 2020 draft, he began his career with the Thunder, where he made 56 starts across two seasons. After departing Oklahoma City, he spent part of the next two years with Charlotte on a two-way deal before landing in Phoenix.

Maledon only made four appearances during his time in Phoenix, totaling five points in 13 minutes. In 177 career games (64 starts), the 22-year-old guard holds career averages of 7.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists. He had his most productive season when he averaged 10.1 points and 3.5 assists in his age-19 rookie year in Oklahoma City in ’20/21.