International Notes: 2027 World Cup, Lithuania, Croatia, Loyd, Joerger
Three NBA players have been named to Lithuania’s 15-man roster for the upcoming FIBA 2027 World Cup qualifiers, writes Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. At a press conference Friday morning, Bulls forward Matas Buzelis, Nuggets center Jonas Valanciunas and Heat guard Kasparas Jakucionis were announced as part of the team, which will play two games next month.
Domantas Sabonis, who’s normally a regular in international competitions, won’t represent Lithuania in this event. The Kings center is still recovering after undergoing season-ending knee surgery in February.
Currently 2-2 in Group D, Lithuania will host Great Britain on July 2 and travel to Italy on July 5. The team needs a top-three finish in its group to advance into the secondary qualifying round.
There’s more international news to pass along:
- Some familiar names are on Croatia’s World Cup qualifying roster, which was also revealed on Friday, Askounis states in a separate story. Pacers center Ivica Zubac will headline the team, along with Pelicans forward Karlo Matkovic and former NBA players Mario Hezonja and Dario Saric. The Croatians, who have already clinched a spot in the secondary stage, will travel to Cyprus on July 3 and host Israel on July 6.
- Former NBA player Jordan Loyd is nearing an extension that will keep him with Anadolu Efes, Askounis adds in another piece. The 32-year-old guard signed with the Turkish power last summer, and sources tell Askounis that both sides are on the verge of committing to a new agreement.
- Ex-NBA coach Dave Joerger is in talks to become the head coach of Paris Basketball, sources tell Olgun Uluc of ESPN (Twitter link). Joerger spent three seasons with the Grizzlies and three more with the Kings, compiling a 245-247 career record. He was being considered by Melbourne United in the NBL, according to Uluc, but now appears more likely to wind up in Paris.
International Notes: Lyles, Nunn, Canada, EuroCup, NBA Europe
Relaying a report from the Spanish outlet Marca, Dimitris Minaretzis of Eurohoops says forward Trey Lyles appears increasingly likely to leave Real Madrid this offseason on the heels of a big year with the Spanish club.
While Madrid remains interested in re-signing Lyles, they’re facing significant competition from other clubs in Europe who may be in position to make more lucrative offers. Panathinaikos, Fenerbahce, Dubai BC, and Hapoel Tel Aviv are said to be among the teams with an eye on Lyles, who spent 10 years in the NBA with Utah, Denver, San Antonio, Detroit, and Sacramento from 2015-25.
As we noted when we checked in last month on Lyles’ market, a return to the NBA remains possible for the Canadian, who is still just 30 years old. However, if no favorable opportunities arise stateside for the veteran forward, it looks like he’ll have no shortage of potential destinations to choose from in Europe.
Here are a few more items of interest from around the international basketball world:
- Former NBA guard Kendrick Nunn is expected to become a naturalized player for Qatar ahead of the 2027 World Cup, per a Sport24 report (hat tip to Alessandro Maggi of Sportando). Since last playing in the NBA in 2023, Nunn has emerged as a star in Europe, winning a EuroLeague title with Panathinaikos in 2024 and earning EuroLeague MVP honors in 2025.
- The Canadian national team won a gold medal at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup for the first time, defeating Team USA in Sunday’s final by a score of 67-65. Point guard Javion Tyndale, who had 18 points and eight assists in the gold medal game, was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament, per FIBA.
- The EuroCup – which is Europe’s second-tier continental league behind the EuroLeague – will expand from 20 teams to 32 teams for the 2026/27 season, per a press release. According to the announcement, the participating teams and those awarded long-term licenses will be confirmed soon.
- Former star big man Pau Gasol explained on Tuesday, per Mundo Deportivo, why he believes NBA Europe will become a reality and why he views the NBA’s model as a necessary to grow the sport of basketball in Europe. Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops shares a few of the key quotes from Gasol.
Central Notes: Buzelis, Niang, Gunn, McCaffery
Bulls forward Matas Buzelis will make his debut with the Lithuanian national team this summer, according to BasketNews.
Lithuania has a pair of qualifying games for the 2027 FIBA World Cup in early July. The team will face Great Britain on July 2 and Italy on July 5.
While the 21-year-old said he’d like to play for Lithuania during the second qualifying window in August, his availability for those contests is up in the air.
“For now, I’m still not sure whether I will play in the second window,” Buzelis said, per BasketNews. “I like to finish what I start, but the Bulls will make the decision. We’ll see, but as I said, I like to finish what I start.”
Here’s more from around the Central Division:
- Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson was in Venice, Italy this week to watch draft-and-stash prospect Saliou Niang compete in the semifinals of the Lega Basket Serie A playoffs, writes Iacopo De Santis of PianetaBasket.com. Cleveland selected Niang with the 58th overall pick in the 2025 draft. The 22-year-old forward has spent the 2025/26 season with Virtus Bologna, which is currently facing a 2-1 deficit in its playoff series vs. Reyer Venizia. Niang averaged 7.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 0.9 steals in 21.7 minutes per game across 38 EuroLeague appearances this season.
- Indianapolis native CJ Gunn, who completed his senior season with DePaul in March, spoke to Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files about working out for the Pacers on Wednesday and beginning his professional career. The 6’6″ wing spent a few weeks this spring playing for the Calgary Surge in the Canadian Elite Basketball League before taking part in the pre-draft process. Gunn told Agness he’s been leaning on veteran NBA guard Gary Harris, another local product, for advice. “Our families are real close-knit so he’s like my cousin,” said Gunn. “I go over to his house every weekend to work with him. After we get done working out and be able to sit down, have conversations about him or what coaches are looking for this whole process, his mindset when he was in it. And just him being a vet and being able to be in that moment and to pick his mind and to be a sponge. He’s definitely given me a lot of a lot of advice.”
- Connor McCaffery is rejoining the Pacers organization as a player development assistant with the Noblesville Boom, the team’s G League affiliate, Agness reports. A former Iowa Hawkeye, McCaffery spent the 2023/24 campaign in what he described as an “entry-level” job with the Pacers. He has spent the past two seasons in a coaching role at Butler, Agness notes.
Heat Notes: Larsson, Mitchell, Fontecchio, Giannis, Lottery
Following an uneven rookie campaign with the Heat, Swedish wing Pelle Larsson took significant strides forward in year two, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
“I’m happy with how I performed and played this year, compared to last year,” Larsson said after Miami was eliminated in the play-in tournament. “I definitely stepped up in my development. I think just getting more minutes, being on the court more and getting more familiarity with everyone around here. I got trusted more with our new offense, and that was great. I think it resulted in a lot of good things for me.”
The Heat hold a $2.3MM team option on Larsson for next season that they seem very likely to exercise because he’d still be eligible for restricted free agency in 2027 if they pick it up. He’ll be extension-eligible in July assuming that option is exercised, according to Chiang, who considers the pros and cons of Miami offering Larsson a new deal — assuming he’s still on the roster.
Here’s more on the Heat:
- In another story for The Miami Herald, Chiang evaluates Davion Mitchell‘s 2025/26 season, writing that the 27-year-old point guard was a steady floor general for the Heat as he enters the final year of his contract. Mitchell, who will make $12.4MM in 2026/27, is valued highly by the coaching staff and front office, Chiang notes. “He’s been one of our most important guys that’s kind of been under the radar,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said. “There’s been a lot of big factors to us winning versus losing. But in the games that he missed, it definitely changed the look of how we play. I just think he’s an elite on-ball defender. And he’s fully embracing everything in our system. So it’s giving him an opportunity to be seen in this league as a competitor. And that’s not even talking about his offense. He’s in many ways the engine of when we run, and we’re at our best and in our pace. Oftentimes it’s him, the one that’s igniting it and pitching the ball ahead.”
- Italian forward Simone Fontecchio recently reiterated his desire to remain with the Heat, according to Eurohoops, citing a report from Sky Sport Italia. “I hope to find a place for next season,” said Fontecchio, who will be an unrestricted free agent next month. “I would love to stay in Miami because I felt very comfortable there and my family enjoyed it too. It would be important for me to continue what I built over the last year.” The 30-year-old also confirmed he’ll play for the Italian national team during the August qualifying window for the 2027 World Cup.
- While “Plan A” for the Heat’s offseason would be to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, if they’re unable to do so, “Plan B” would consist of chasing another star talent, Chiang states in a mailbag. If neither of those scenarios come to pass, “Plan C” would be to preserve cap room for summer of 2027, when Antetokounmpo could be a free agent, Chiang adds.
- Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel considers how the “3-2-1” lottery reform changes, which will take effect next year, could impact the Heat’s ability to pursue Antetokounmpo this summer.
And-Ones: Wemby’s Impact, FAs, World Cup Qualifiers, Okobo
Rival teams are watching what Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs are doing in this postseason with interest and trepidation, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic. As Amick details, front offices around the NBA – recognizing that Wembanyama will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come – are thinking hard about ways to combat him.
“Teams will definitely have to start figuring out, ‘How do we get through this guy?'” an Eastern Conference executive said. “So you look at it, and it’s like, ‘What do we need? How do we build our team to get better to compete against (Wembanyama and the Spurs)?’ Trust me, it’s on everybody’s mind. Teams will try to find ways that they can build a roster out to beat the Spurs, just like they are to beat OKC.”
That executive pointed to Utah’s mid-season acquisition of Jaren Jackson Jr. as a move that may have been made with Wembanyama in mind, since the Jazz now have three athletic frontcourt players – Jackson, Walker Kessler, and Lauri Markkanen – to throw at the Spurs star. That same exec also suggested that a prospect like 7’3″ Michigan center Aday Mara could see his draft stock rise as teams seek players capable of slowing down Wembanyama.
Wembanyama’s impact could even have a ripple effect on Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s trade value this offseason, as one Western Conference executive told Amick: “Giannis is a matchup solution for Wemby, so I could definitely see teams factoring that in when they’re discussing trading for him.”
Still, there’s no obvious answer for stopping this sort of unique player who looks capable of becoming one of the league’s all-time greats.
“He’s a problem from inside the half court, and there’s just no one like that,” an exec said to Amick with a laugh. “At least Shaq was human in the sense that you needed three centers to bang with him. You’ve got 18 fouls (to work with). Maybe one was skilled, and the other two could hold him up while the other guys get rest. But there’s no archetype like (Wembanyama) — no player ever. It’s a problem, and it’s going to be a problem for 15 years.”
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- ESPN’s Bobby Marks takes a closer look at 20 of this summer’s top free agents, breaking down what sort of contract he’d offer each player. Marks’ hypothetical offers include five years and $180MM for Pistons center Jalen Duren, four years and $155MM for Lakers guard Austin Reaves, three years and $130MM for Wizards guard Trae Young, and two years and $40MM for Warriors forward Draymond Green.
- Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, Wizards big man Alex Sarr, and Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher are among the players included on France’s preliminary roster for this July’s FIBA World Cup qualifying games (Twitter link). Meanwhile, Serbian head coach Dusan Alimpijevic told Mozzart Sport that Nuggets star Nikola Jokic is expected to suit up for the Serbian national team during both World Cup qualifying windows this offseason, as Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops relays.
- Former NBA guard Elie Okobo has been named the Most Valuable Player of France’s top basketball league (LNB Elite), Askounis writes for Eurohoops. Okobo, who appeared in 108 regular season games for Phoenix from 2018-20, averaged 16.7 points, 4.5 assists, and 2.3 rebounds per game with an outstanding .621/.506/.883 shooting line in 24 domestic league games for AS Monaco in 2025/26.
- Kevin Sweeney of SI.com explores how new eligibility requirement guidance distributed by the NCAA could impact international players looking to play college basketball going forward.
And-Ones: Social Justice Award, Wemby, Leg Injuries, McGrady
Heat big man Bam Adebayo, Spurs forward Harrison Barnes, Celtics wing Jaylen Brown, Pistons forward Tobias Harris, and Cavaliers big man Larry Nance Jr. are the five finalists for the 2026 Social Justice Champion award, the NBA announced in a press release.
“The annual award honors a current NBA player for pursuing social justice and will receive the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar trophy for advancing Abdul-Jabbar’s life mission to engage, empower and drive equality for individuals and groups who have been historically disadvantaged,” the release states.
“The NBA Social Justice Champion will be announced during the Conference Finals of the 2026 NBA Playoffs and receive a $100,000 donation from the NBA for a non-profit organization of his choosing.”
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Spurs star Victor Wembanyama is unlikely to suit up for the French national team for a pair of 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifying games in early July, according to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops, but the former No. 1 overall pick is expected to be available during the second qualifying window in late August. San Antonio’s deep playoff run — the Spurs are set to face Oklahoma City in the Western Conference finals — is the reason why Wembanyama probably won’t play for Team France in July.
- Kirk Goldsberry of The Ringer takes a data-focused look at the NBA’s significant rise in soft-tissue leg injuries and considers what measures the league could take to mitigate them.
- Hall-of-Famer Tracy McGrady relaunched his Ones Basketball League at Oak Ridge High School in Orlando on Friday, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. “I thought it was a great atmosphere,” McGrady said of the rowdy crowd. “Orlando showed a lot of support. I thought the guys played extremely well, played hard. … All in all, I think it was a great showing. And hopefully the crowd that was here got an opportunity to see some good basketball and understand what we’re trying to build.” Beede passes along more details about the one-on-one league, which will conclude on July 1 with a prize of $100,000.
Nigerian National Team Hires David Fizdale As New Coach
Former NBA coach David Fizdale, who is currently an analyst for NBA TV, is the new head coach of Nigeria’s men’s national team, he tells Marc J. Spears of ESPN Andscape.
The 51-year-old will be looking to lead the Nigerians to the 2028 Olympic games in Fizdale’s hometown of Los Angeles.
“It will be fun and exciting calling timeouts and drawing plays up again as a head coach,” Fizdale told ESPN Andscape in a phone interview. “It will be good to get back in that mindset of preparation and motivation. That is going to be fun and exciting as well. But the biggest fact is the nostalgia and what is driving me to get to L.A. What is driving me the most is helping Nigeria not only qualify and medal, but to do that in front of my family. That would be the most special thing.”
Fizdale spent several years as an assistant in Miami prior to landing his first head coaching job with Memphis. He also had a stint as head coach of New York. Overall, Fizdale compiled a 71-134 (.346 win percentage) regular season record across parts of four seasons with the Grizzlies and Knicks from 2016-19. His most recent coaching job came as the top assistant in Phoenix from 2023-25.
According to Fizdale, current Knicks head coach Mike Brown — who previously led Nigeria’s national team — helped convince him to take the job. Nigeria will play in the African qualifiers for the 2027 FIBA World Cup in early July, Spears notes.
If the Nigerian national team is able to qualify for the 2027 World Cup or 2028 Olympics, the roster could be loaded with NBA talent. A source tells Spears that Desmond Bane, OG Anunoby, Onyeka Okongwu, Gabe Vincent, Mark Williams, Zeke Nnaji, Precious Achiuwa, Josh Okogie, Adem Bona and Isaac Okoro are among the candidates to potentially suit up for those events.
And-Ones: Raynaud, C. Jones, Bazley, Montero
Kings center Maxime Raynaud is expected to join Team France this summer ahead of the 2027 World Cup qualifiers, according to Maxime Aubin of L’Equipe (Twitter link). The 2025 second-round pick could be an All-Rookie selection, having averaged 12.3 points and 7.5 rebounds through 73 games, including 55 starts (26.4 minutes per contest).
“I’ve seen (French national team GM) Boris (Diaw) several times during the season,” Raynaud told Aubin (hat tip to Eurohoops). “The roster hasn’t been announced yet, so I don’t know anything for sure, but it seems like they are considering me for the FIBA windows. I would be very happy to take part. Representing the French national team is a unique opportunity.”
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Former NBA guard Carlik Jones has signed an extension with Partizan Belgrade, the Serbian team announced (Twitter video link). Jones’ new contract runs through 2027/28, per Mozzart Sport. According to BasketNews, the 28-year-old missed the first few months of 2025/26 due to a fractured foot, but he has excelled since he returned to the court, averaging 15.6 PPG, 4.5 APG and 2.9 RPG in 14 EuroLeague games.
- Ex-NBA big man Darius Bazley has been waived by the Ningbo Rockets a little over a month after signing with the Chinese club, relays Bryan Kalbrosky of For The Win (subscriber link). The 25-year-old forward/center was upset about an inbound play that occurred in Wednesday’s game against the Shanghai Sharks (YouTube link). Bazley’s pass, which was supposed to go to teammate Zavier Simpson, was stolen by an opponent, who quickly converted a three-pointer. Bazley argued with Simpson about the play and then intentional threw the subsequent inbound pass to the referee, who was standing out of bounds. Bazley was pulled from the game and was reportedly spotted pushing a teammate, who was attempting to calm him down. The former first-round pick was released after the game.
- Valencia Basket guard Jean Montero has reportedly received contract offers worth $4MM+ from multiple college programs, according to Shot Vetakis and outlets in the Dominican Republic (hat tip to Dario Skerlectic of Sportando). Montero was one of the top undrafted players in 2022. He was expected to join the Knicks on an Exhibit 10 contract that summer, but the deal reportedly fell through because he had a significant buyout clause at the time with Spain’s Gran Carania.
And-Ones: Fournier, Mamukelashvili, Queta, NCAA Tourney
Veteran wing NBA Evan Fournier, who currently plays for Olympiacos in Greece after spending 12 seasons in the NBA from 2012-24, said in an interview with L’Equipe that he expects to retire as a player at the end of his current contract, which expires in 2028 (hat tip to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops).
Fournier, 33, also indicated that he’d be interested in representing France again at the 2027 World Cup and/or 2028 Olympics if the national team wants him on its roster.
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Raptors forward/center Sandro Mamukelashvili remains focused on competing in the NBA for the foreseeable future, but he told Ric Bucher of Full Court Passport (YouTube link) that he likes the idea of eventually finishing his career and spending his retirement years in Europe. Specifically, Mamukelashvili is intrigued by the possibility of competing in the NBA’s European league. “The talent will be there, and I think it’s going to compete with college and even the NBA,” the Georgian big man said of NBA Europe, per Eurohoops. “I’m looking forward to seeing how it develops, and hopefully, down the line, I will have my chance to play over there.”
- Celtics center Neemias Queta, Heat forward Pelle Larsson, and Cavaliers swingman Jaylon Tyson are among the role players highlighted by John Hollinger of The Athletic within a story on the unheralded contributors enjoying breakout seasons.
- Mamukelashvili and Queta are two of several minimum-salary players who should be in line for significant raises on their next contracts, according to Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link). Gozlan, who also examines players like Suns guards Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin, suggests Mamukelashvili could earn a starting salary of $8-10MM on his next deal and speculates that Queta’s floor will be the non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($15MM+).
- Sam Vecenie of The Athletic identifies nine players he’s excited to watch in the NCAA Tournament, including top-five prospects like Duke’s Cameron Boozer and BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, as well as a few projected to be drafted later in the first round, such as UConn’s Braylon Mullins, Houston’s Chris Cenac Jr. and Alabama’s Amari Allen.
And-Ones: Beasley, FIBA, 2026 Draft, More
A federal judge in New York has found former NBA sharpshooter Malik Beasley liable for $1MM in damages (plus interest) to be paid to Hazan Sports Management, the agency that previously represented him, according to David Purdum of ESPN.
The agency filed a lawsuit earlier this year seeking $2.25MM in damages and legal fees for breach of contract. Hazan Sports alleged in that suit that Beasley left the agency in February 2025 without paying back a $650K marketing advance.
Judge Jeannette A. Vargas wrote in her ruling that “no objections have been filed and no request for an extension of time to object has been made” by Beasley. According to Purdum, the suit doesn’t list an attorney for Beasley.
Beasley finished second in Sixth Man of the Year voting in 2024/25 and appeared poised to land a lucrative multiyear deal in free agency. However, his contract negotiations ended when word broke that federal investigators and the NBA were investigating him due to possible connection to illegal betting activity. The veteran wing signed last month with Cangrejeros de Santurce, a Puerto Rican team owned by Bad Bunny, as he awaits clarity on his NBA future.
We have more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- FIBA has reached an agreement on a broadcasting deal with TNT Sports that will give the network the rights to several international basketball competitions, including the 2026 women’s World Cup in Germany and the 2027 men’s World Cup in Qatar, according to a press release.
- In his latest preview of the 2026 NBA draft, Jeremy Woo of ESPN.com explores one big question facing each of the top nine prospects on his board, including how real Kingston Flemings‘ shooting improvements are and whether Tennessee’s Nate Ament can make a leap as a shot creator.
- ESPN’s Tim Bontemps shares his “all-contract team” for the 2025/26 season, building the best possible 15-man roster without exceeding the salary cap and without selecting any players on maximum-salary, minimum-salary, or rookie scale contracts. Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, and Hawks forward Jalen Johnson are among Bontemps’ headliners.
- One month removed from this year’s trade deadline, Dan Devine of Yahoo Sports checks in on the early returns of some of February’s biggest deals, noting that Cavaliers guard James Harden, Thunder guard Jared McCain, Hawks forward Jonathan Kuminga, and Timberwolves guard Ayo Dosunmu are some of the players off to strong starts with their new teams.