2025 June | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Cook, Sirvydis, 2022 Redraft, Gasol

June 2nd, 2025 at 9:54pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Former NBA forward Tyler Cook is signing with a Japanese team, Donatas Urbonas of Basketnews.com reports. He’ll be joining the Ibaraki Robots.

He averaged 15.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists on 63.6% shooting in the Turkish league with Merkezefendi this past season. Cook played 65 games in the NBA, most recently with Chicago in 2021/22.

Here’s more from the international basketball world:

Another former NBA forward, Deividas Sirvydis, is re-signing with Lithuania’s Zalgiris Kaunas on a contract that runs through the 2027/28 season, according to a team press release. In his debut EuroLeague season, Sirvydis averaged 8.4 points and 2.6 rebounds, shooting 51.5% from two-point range and 38.8% from three-point range. Sirvydis, a 2019 second-round pick, played 23 games with Detroit.
If they had to do it all over again, Paolo Banchero would still be the No. 1 pick of the 2022 draft. Hoopshype’s Frank Urbina conducted a 2022 re-draft and there was one big move up the draft ladder — Jalen Williams would be the No. 2 pick instead of the No. 12 selection, while Dyson Daniels would also move into the top five.
In a Eurohoops.net post, former NBA All-Star Pau Gasol wouldn’t go as far as saying the current group of European stars are better than his era’s top imports. Rather, he looks at it as each generation grows the legacy of European players before them.

Jazz Owner: Austin Ainge Will Run “Show”

June 2nd, 2025 at 8:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jazz owner Ryan Smith declared during a Monday press conference that his new president of basketball operations, Austin Ainge, will have final say on personnel decisions.

“This is Austin’s show,” Smith said, per Sarah Todd of the Deseret News.

After spending 17 years with the Celtics, Ainge was chosen to head the Utah front office. His father, Danny Ainge, has been the franchise’s CEO and alternate governor since 2021.

The younger Ainge served as the Celtics’ director of player personnel and scouting until 2019 and had been their assistant GM for the past six years. Smith wanted to clear up any confusion regarding his team’s front office hierarchy.

“I’m sure there’s probably a lot of questions around organizational structure and design, and I’ve learned in business and also in the NBA, that every organization is set up a little different,” Smith said. “For us, Austin will be running the program. He’s got final recommendation to myself on any decisions that need to be made. I think it’s the job of both Justin (Zanik), Danny and myself to kind of plug into him. So hopefully that alleviates quite a few questions as to who has the final decision on roster and management and personnel.”

As for Zanik, the team’s GM, Smith claimed his role hasn’t changed.

“If you think about the skill set that Austin has, and JZ’s skill set, they actually work really well,” Smith said, per Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link).

The hiring of the younger Ainge came together very quickly. Smith spoke with Ainge and told him that he wanted him to be president of basketball operations, according to Todd. Ainge called Smith back the next day and said that if he was going to hire him he wanted it to happen right away, noting that big offseason decisions were upcoming regarding the franchise’s rebuild.

“The biggest challenge for me was I had to call Danny, who was not in town, and say, ‘I hired your son,’” Smith said. “Danny and I built a lot of trust over the last 15 years, and I didn’t know at that point whether I completely lost all trust or he was going to say that it was the right move. Well, here we are, and so I couldn’t be more excited.”

Utah owns two first-rounders (fifth and 21st) and two second-rounders in this year’s draft, plus numerous extra first-rounders in future drafts acquired in trades.

“We have a ton of optionality, a lot of future picks, a lot of things we can do,” Austin Ainge said. “It’s going to take a lot of work, but I can’t wait to get started.”

2025 NBA Offseason Preview: Chicago Bulls

June 2nd, 2025 at 7:41pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls have had just one winning season since 2016, and even that season - 2021/22 - was really all about an outstanding first half. The team opened the year by winning 27 of its first 38 games with Lonzo Ball leading the charge as a two-way dynamo at the point, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic providing the scoring, and Alex Caruso wreaking havoc on the defensive end.

Management in Chicago spent two-and-a-half years dreaming on that version of the Bulls, which never looked quite the same without Ball on the court. The former No. 2 overall pick spent those same two-and-a-half years trying to work his way back from knee problems that ended his '21/22 season early and threatened to halt his playing career for good.

Ball ultimately made his return to the court in the fall of 2024, but the Bulls had thrown in the towel on the previous iteration of their roster a few months earlier, having traded away key veterans like DeRozan and Caruso while acquiring a new point guard of the future in Josh Giddey.

The Bulls continued to tear down the 2021-24 version of their roster prior to February's trade deadline by sending LaVine to Sacramento in a three-team blockbuster, signaling that they finally appeared ready to launch a full-fledged rebuild. The club reacquired complete control of its 2025 first-round pick in the LaVine deal and took back Tre Jones, Kevin Huerter, and Zach Collins, three veterans who had been having disappointing years with their previous teams and looked poised to lead a second-half tank job.

That's not how the final couple months of the season played out, though. The Bulls improbably went 15-5 to close out the year, earning a spot in the play-in tournament for a third straight spring. It was a cause for grumbling among many fans in Chicago, who had watched their team win 40 games in 2022/23 and 39 in '23/24 while ostensibly trying to contend. Those fans were excited about the possibility of leaning into the rebuild and securing a high draft pick in '24/25. Instead, the end result - a 39-43 record, a quick play-in exit, and a draft pick outside the top 10 - felt like more of the same.

But it wasn't quite the same. There were several promising developments during that unexpected hot streak late in the season.

Coby White looked like one of the NBA's best scorers, averaging 26.0 points per game on .505/.383/.902 shooting in March and April. Giddey showed why the Bulls were willing to give up Caruso for him, nearly averaging a triple-double (21.2 PPG, 10.7 RPG, 9.3 APG) while making 45.7% of his three-pointers after the All-Star break. Lottery pick Matas Buzelis earned a spot on the All-Rookie Second Team by putting up 13.3 PPG and 4.4 RPG on .491/.367/.806 shooting from February 1 onward.

Although the Bulls spent another year stuck in the middle, the fact that the front office has been willing to make major roster changes in the past year - and seems primed to continue making more - is a positive development for a team that was going nowhere fast at this time last spring. There's still a lot of work to be done, but the organization now appears focused on building a roster capable of contending in the future, rather than stubbornly sticking with one not equipped to contend in the present.

The Bulls' Offseason Plan

The No. 1 item on Chicago's offseason to-do list is figuring out what a new contract for Giddey looks like. The two sides reportedly engaged in rookie scale extension talks last fall, with the former Thunder guard said to be looking for a deal salary in the range of $30MM per year. Jalen Johnson and Jalen Suggs were seeking similar commitments at the same time and received five-year, $150MM extensions, but the Bulls weren't willing to put that offer on the table for Giddey, opting to postpone negotiations until this summer.

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Knicks Notes: Brunson, Adjustments, Bridges, Offseason Priorities, Contracts

June 2nd, 2025 at 7:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Knicks fell two wins shy of the Finals. Their top player has no doubts they can make up that deficit next season. Jalen Brunson believes the core group will do whatever it takes to get over the hump, Zach Braziller of the New York Post writes.

“The most confident. Overconfident. Seriously,” Brunson said of the team’s future. “There’s not an ounce of any type of doubt that I’m not confident with this group. We have a lot of guys who are on this team, and I feel like you guys always ask, ‘what do you work on whenever you come back?’ and stuff like that,. And from what I’ve seen, no one’s really out there posting themselves about the things that they do. We have a lot of guys that just genuinely want to work hard to be better, and I like that, and I appreciate my teammates and everything they do and everything they believe in.”

Brunson was appreciative of the character his teammates showed.

“I think the way this team progressed this year, for me it was fun,” he said. “There were a lot of people saying we couldn’t do a lot of things. A lot of negativity around what we were trying to accomplish and the way we put blinders on and went to work, that’s something I was proud of with this team. I’m proud of how we stayed the course.”

Here’s more on the Knicks:

What steps should they take to achieve that Finals goal? Chris Herring of ESPN makes three suggestions — going with Mitchell Robinson as a starter on a regular basis with Josh Hart coming off the bench; improving the second unit and going with a deeper bench rotation; and finding ways to better utilize the partnership between Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Given the draft pick haul they received, the Nets are thus far the clear winners in last summer’s Mikal Bridges blockbuster trade, Brian Lewis of the New York Post opines. The early payoff will begin this month when the Nets utilize some of those draft picks but there’s plenty more to come. Meanwhile, Bridges flopped in the Eastern Conference Finals trying to guard Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton, according to Lewis, who says the Knicks could still make the deal a win-win if they reach the Finals next year with Bridges — or in the future, if he signs an extension.
Speaking of Bridges, potential extension talks between the two parties this summer are at or near the top of the team’s priority list, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. Bridges could get more money if he waits until free agency next summer but he also looms as a tradable asset if he has an expiring contract. Extending Tom Thibodeau and deciding whether to sign any of their four unrestricted free agents are also on the offseason agenda, Bondy writes.
In a related story, Braziller breaks down the contract status of each player heading into the offseason. New York’s top seven rotation players are under contract through at least next season.

Eastern Notes: Scariolo, Heat, Celtics, Ainge, Fontecchio

June 2nd, 2025 at 5:26pm CST by Dana Gauruder

According to a Eurohoops.net report, the Heat have expressed interest in adding Sergio Scariolo to their coaching staff. Scariolo is currently the head coach of Spain’s national team and served as an assistant coach with the Raptors for three seasons from 2018-21. However, the Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang hears from a source close to the organization that Scariolo is not a candidate for a Heat coaching position.

We have more from the Eastern Conference:

The Heat might have to take a step back to move forward, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith writes in his offseason preview. Their cap sheet for next season is messy but they could reach the summer of 2026 with ample cap space, perhaps $30-40MM or even more, unless they make a major trade for a star player this summer. If they don’t make that sort of deal, it might be another down year for the franchise but the Heat will own their own first-round pick without restrictions in next year’s draft along with having salary flexibility.
The departure of Celtics assistant GM Austin Ainge transpired quickly in recent days, and the hiring of a replacement for him is not imminent, Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe reports. Ainge has joined the Jazz‘s front office as their president of basketball operations. “Ownership is awesome and it’s just kind of the next progression of my career,” Ainge said. “Kind of done a lot in Boston and we’ve had a lot of success over the years, and the chance to run my own team is a big part of it. And the Jazz have a lot of potential, man. It’s a lot of work, but a lot of potential.”
Pistons forward Simone Fontecchio didn’t shoot as well from beyond the arc as he had the previous season but he maintained a rotation spot due to other factors, Pistons.com’s Keith Langlois writes. Fontecchio drew praise from coach J.B. Bickerstaff due to his defensive tenacity, versatility, energy, selflessness and basketball IQ. If Fontecchio can regain his three-point form, he’ll be a very valuable rotation piece heading into his walk year, Langlois adds — he has $8.3MM remaining on his contract.

Lakers, Heat Announce Home Portions Of Preseason Schedules

June 2nd, 2025 at 3:58pm CST by Rory Maher

The Lakers put out a press release on Monday announcing the home portion of their 2025/26 preseason schedule, tweets Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

The Lakers’ preseason slate will begin on October 3 vs. Phoenix at Acrisure Arena in the Greater Palm Springs area. On Oct. 12, the Lakers will be on their typical home floor — Crypto.com Arena — against Golden State, followed by a home contest in Las Vegas vs. Dallas on Oct. 15. Marc Stein previously reported (via Twitter) that the Lakers were expected to host the Mavs in Las Vegas.

The home portion of Los Angeles’ preseason schedule will conclude on Oct. 17 in L.A., when the team hosts Sacramento.

The Heat also announced (via Twitter) the dates of their three home preseason games in ’25/26. Miami will host Milwaukee on Oct. 6, San Antonio on Oct. 8, and Memphis on Oct. 17.

Hoops Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat: 6/3/2025

June 2nd, 2025 at 3:19pm CST by Arthur Hill

Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill will hold a live chat Tuesday at 11 am Central time (noon Eastern) exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Use the link below to ask a question in advance, participate in the live event and read the transcript afterward.

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Wolves’ Tim Connelly On Minnesota: ‘It Feels Like Home’

June 2nd, 2025 at 2:44pm CST by Rory Maher

Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly reportedly has an opt-out clause in his contract this offseason, but it sounds like he intends to stay in Minnesota.

“It feels like home. … I think you guys are stuck with me,” Connelly told media members today, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The news doesn’t come as a surprise. Multiple reporters — including Brian Windhorst, Marc Stein and Jake Fischer, Michael Scotto, and Krawczynski — have indicated that signing Connelly to a new contract was a priority and the team was optimistic an agreement would be reached. Connelly is said to have a good working relationship with new majority owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez, who are expected to be approved by the league’s Board of Governors later this month.

Connelly was rumored to be a top target of the Hawks in their search for a new head of basketball operations and was also linked to the Nuggets’ vacancy. Connelly ran Denver’s front office from 2013-22, putting its championship core together, though he technically missed out on that title by leaving a year early.

The 49-year-old has pulled off some blockbuster trades since he was hired by the Timberwolves in 2022, acquiring Rudy Gobert from Utah later that year and sending Karl-Anthony Towns to New York last October in exchange for Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, Keita Bates-Diop (who was later waived) and a first-round pick.

The Wolves have made the playoffs each of the past three seasons with Connelly as the head of basketball operations, including — most recently — back-to-back trips to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history.

Here are a few more highlights from Connelly’s press conference:

Randle, Naz Reid and Nickeil Alexander-Walker could all be free agents this summer — Randle and Reid hold players options for 2025/26, while Alexander-Walker is unrestricted. Connelly says the team is “cautiously optimistic” it will be able to bring back all three rotation players, as Krawczynski relays (via Twitter). “We’re very appreciative of what the market might look like,” Connelly said. “We’re pretty cautiously optimistic we’re in a good place with all of the guys. Most importantly, they want to be here.”
Connelly praised head coach Chris Finch for the “great” job he has done over the past couple years, tweets Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. “It’s not easy what we’ve tasked him with the last couple of years (multiple major trades),” Connelly said. “… It’s a testament to his intelligence, his ability to be creative and to coach any group we put in front of him.”
Connelly was also complimentary of Finch’s coaching staff for its adaptability and player development skills, according to Krawczynski (Twitter link). “Someone is going to smartly hire (assistant) Micah Nori as a head coach soon.”
Connelly thinks Anthony Edwards will have a “challenging” offseason in front of him as the Wolves attempt to take the next step, but he’s confident in the star guard’s two-way ability (Twitter video link via Scotto) “The sky is the limit,” Connelly said of Edwards. “We think he’s going to be one of the best players of all time, and we think he’s on that track.”

International Rumors: Dozier, Oturu, Bryant, Guduric, Moore

June 2nd, 2025 at 1:35pm CST by Rory Maher

Veteran guard PJ Dozier, who has spent parts of seven seasons in the NBA, is in advanced talks with Israel’s Hapoel Tel Aviv, reports Aris Barkas of Eurohoops (story via Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops).

Dozier, 28, spent the first few months of 2024/25 with the Timberwolves prior to being released in late December. He only appeared in nine games with Minnesota for a total of 35 minutes. Dozier subsequently signed with Anadolu Efes and is currently competing in the Turkish League playoffs.

As Askounis writes, Anadolu Efes would like to keep Dozier and plans to make him an offer. The 6’5″ wing played for Serbia’s Partizan Belgrade in ’23/24. Both Efes and Partizan are members of the EuroLeague, while Hapoel is set to join as an expansion team in ’25/26, sources tell Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.

Known for his defense, Dozier has played a total of 130 regular season games in the NBA with Oklahoma City, Boston, Denver, Sacramento and Minnesota. The South Carolina native holds career averages of 5.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 15.4 minutes per contest.

Here are a few more notes from overseas:

Former Clippers and Raptors big man Daniel Oturu is finalizing a multiyear contract with Hapoel Tel Aviv, per Moshe Barda and Reef Gross of Israeli media outlet ONE (Twitter link; hat tip to Askounis of Eurohoops). The 33rd overall pick of the 2020 draft, Oturu has spent the past two years with Anadolu Efes.
A third member of Efes, guard Elijah Bryant, has also been linked to Hapoel Tel Aviv, as reported by Barda and Gross of ONE (via Twitter). Gross hears it’s a three-year deal worth in excess of €7.5MM, though the contract has yet to be finalized. Bryant, 30, won a title with Milwaukee in ’20/21 after signing at the very end of the regular season. He has been one of Efes’ best players over the past four years.
Olimpia Milano has extended a lucrative offer to Marko Guduric, per Meridian Sport. The Serbian guard, who played 44 games with Memphis in ’19/20, is under contract with Turkey’s Fenerbahce through 2026, but has an opt-out clause to negotiate with other teams, according to Antonis Stroggylakis of Eurohoops, who reports that Panthinaikos and Crvena Zvezda are interested in Guduric as well. Guduric, 30, recently helped Fenerbahce win the EuroLeague title, Strogglakis notes, recording 19 points (on 8-of-10 shooting) and six rebounds in the final against Monaco.
Former San Jose State guard Omari Moore, who spent a few months with the Bucks on a two-way deal during the 2023 offseason, is signing a one-year contract with the South East Melbourne Phoenix of Australia’s National Basketball League, sources tell Olgun Uluc of ESPN. Moore spent this past season with Darüşşafaka of Turkey’s BSL.

Mavericks, Dante Exum Have Mutual Interest In New Deal

June 2nd, 2025 at 12:04pm CST by Luke Adams

Despite rumors that he’s being targeted by the Turkish team Fenerbahce, veteran guard Dante Exum is believed to prefer to remain in the NBA for the 2025/26 season, reports Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link).

According to Stein, Exum and the Mavericks have mutual interest in trying to work out a new deal after he spent the past two years in Dallas.

The No. 5 overall pick in the 2014 draft, Exum spent the first seven years of his professional career in the NBA, playing for Utah and Cleveland, but struggled to establish himself as a reliable rotation player, largely due to his lack of offensive production. He played in Europe for two seasons from 2021-23, developing a reliable three-point shot during his time with Barcelona and Partizan Belgrade, then returned stateside during the 2023 offseason.

Injuries, which hampered Exum’s development earlier in his career, have continued to be an issue during his second NBA stint, limiting him to 75 total appearances across the past two seasons. But he has been a very effective role player for the Mavs when healthy, averaging 8.0 points, 2.8 assists, and 2.4 rebounds in 19.5 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .516/.472/.768.

As Stein points out, Dallas will be seeking backcourt help for next season with Kyrie Irving‘s recovery from ACL surgery expected to extend well into the fall. That should help create a path for Exum’s return. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent.

However, the team might have to make a trade or two to ensure there’s room on the roster for Exum. Dallas has 10 players on guaranteed contracts for 2024/25, plus Irving and Dwight Powell holding player options, Brandon Williams with a team-friendly club option, and Cooper Flagg expected to join the roster as the No. 1 pick in the draft. That’s 14 players, and the Mavs are expected to look outside the organization for point guard help as well.

The Mavs will hold Early Bird rights on Exum, who earned $3.15MM this past season.

Month: June 2025

The Bulls' Offseason Plan

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