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Northwest Notes: Wallace, Thunder, Niang, Wolves

August 20th, 2025 at 8:51pm CST by Arthur Hill

With a roster virtually identical to last season’s championship team, the Thunder are counting on improvement to come from internal development of young players. One of those players is 21-year-old guard Cason Wallace, who may develop into a more efficient scoring threat in his third season, writes Rylan Stiles of Sports Illustrated.

Wallace’s elite defense helped him remain an important part of the rotation, but his shooting took a step backward. After connecting at 49.1% from the field and 41.9% from three-point range as a rookie, those numbers dropped to 47.4% and 35.6% in his second season. The three-point impact was most obvious from the corners, where he declined by about 10 percent.

Stiles points out that Wallace found other ways to get buckets, ranking in the 81st percentile as a cutter at 1.463 points per possession and adding 1.222 points per possession as the pick-and-roll man in guard-to-guard screening sets. Stiles believes Wallace is too talented for his shooting percentages to remain low and expects him to bounce back this season.

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

  • In a separate story, Stiles lists the five Thunder lineups he’s most looking forward to watching. While Oklahoma City can go heavy on offense or defense, Stiles believes the five-man group of Wallace, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren will be its best overall option. Stiles also expects big things from Nikola Topic, who sat out last season after ACL surgery, and believes he’ll thrive as a point guard if he’s surrounded by shooters.
  • A trade with Boston brought Georges Niang back to the Jazz after a four-year absence, so Trent Wood of The Deseret News examined how much Niang has changed during that time. Wood notes that Niang put up the best scoring numbers of his career after Atlanta acquired him from Cleveland at last season’s trade deadline and reunited him with former Utah coach Quin Snyder. In 28 games with the Hawks, Niang averaged 12.1 PPG while shooting 44.1% from the field and 41.3% from beyond the arc. Wood expects Niang to provide a consistent three-point threat for the Jazz while serving as a mentor to young wings Taylor Hendricks, Cody Williams and Ace Bailey.
  • Now that Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez have full ownership of the Timberwolves and WNBA’s Lynx, they’re focusing their changes on the business side of the organizations, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link).
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EuroBasket Notes: Bogdanovic, Bona, Bertans, Avdija

August 20th, 2025 at 7:41pm CST by Arthur Hill

Serbia is among the favorites as EuroBasket gets ready to open next week, and captain Bogdan Bogdanovic recognizes the expectations for his star-filled team, according to Eurohoops. Serbia hasn’t won the event in 24 years, and it has been placed in a challenging Group A along with Turkey, Czechia, Portugal, Estonia and host Latvia.

“We are aware of it, but our focus should be on the upcoming tournament,” Bogdanovic said of the long drought. “Do we feel it? Yes. But that’s part of the game. You have to embrace it and push through.”

Bogdanovic has the advantage of playing alongside one of game’s elite talents in Nikola Jokic, and he said Jokic has a “front vision” that allows him to remain a few steps ahead of the action. He also discussed some of the tournament’s other stars, including Greece’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and Slovenia’s Luka Doncic.

“Giannis is pure athleticism,” Bogdanovic said. “You can’t make mistakes against him because he punishes them all the time. His defense is incredible, and running in transition makes him unstoppable. (Doncic) can kill anyone in a tournament. He can go for 50, 60 points … that’s what makes him special.”

There’s more from EuroBasket:

  • Sources tell BasketNews that Turkish big man Adem Bona is expected to be fine after limping off the court in Wednesday’s win over Lithuania (Twitter video link). Bona, who’s coming off a promising rookie season with the Sixers, played just seven minutes before the injury.
  • Former NBA forward Davis Bertans credits coach Luca Banchi with helping to make Latvia a legitimate contender on the international stage, per Giorgos Kyriakidis of BasketNews. EuroBasket will be Banchi’s final tournament with the national team. “Few coaches have left such a visible imprint in such a short span,” Bertans said. “Under his leadership, Latvia not only shed its underdog label but also carved out a new identity — one built on collective confidence, tactical sharpness, and the belief that no opponent was beyond reach.”
  • Deni Avdija leads Israel’s final 12-man roster for EuroBasket, according to BasketNews. He’s the only player with NBA experience for the Israelis, who went 3-2 in exhibition play and will be in Group D along with Belgium, France, Iceland, Slovenia and host Poland.
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Kristaps Porzingis Discusses Possibility Of Eventual Return To Europe

August 20th, 2025 at 6:27pm CST by Arthur Hill

After Wednesday’s Latvia-Greece matchup in the opener of the Acropolis tournament, Kristaps Porzingis‘ post-game press conference included a question about a possible return to Europe to finish out his career, writes Giorgos Kyriakidis of BasketNews. The Hawks‘ big man, who began playing professionally with Sevilla in 2012, seems open to the idea.

“Sure, sure, why not?” Porzingis responded. “I mean, I haven’t really given it too much thought, but just seeing some of the clubs here in Greece, you know, the atmosphere here for the games and stuff would be a really, really unbelievable atmosphere to play in.”

Pressed about the idea of signing in Greece, he said, “Possibly, possibly, but I would have to look at everything and … and who knows, who knows. I love the fans here and I love the rivalry they have here, so who knows.”

Porziginis didn’t have a great showing in Wednesday’s tune-up for EuroBasket, as he was limited to seven points and four rebounds in a little more than 19 minutes. Greek star Giannis Antetokounmpo dominated the matchup with 25 points and 10 rebounds in 21 minutes in a 104-86 victory.

“It was tough. It was a tough game for us,” Porzingis admitted. “Giannis had an unbelievable first half. We could have done a better job with him, to be fair, but today was just a tough day for us, and we look forward to bouncing back tomorrow (against Italy).”

It’s significant that Porzingis is back on the court after a dealing with a mysterious illness – later described as post-viral syndrome – that plagued him from February through the second round of the playoffs. He stated in a July interview that he took time to rest after Boston was eliminated and he was back to feeling “fantastic.”

Any talk of playing in Europe is probably a few years away, as Porzingis is only 30 and remains a very effective NBA player when healthy. He’s expected to have a huge role with Atlanta this season before entering free agency next summer.

Kyriakidis notes that because of Porzingis’ long injury history, this marks the first time he’s been able to take part in a major international competition since leading Latvia to a fifth-place finish in EuroBasket 2017. He talked today about the similarities between FIBA tournaments and the NBA playoffs.

“Playoffs is pretty similar because every game is life or death, and even now in the preparation you can feel the intensity. It’s going to ramp up even more once we actually start the tournament,” Porzingis said. “So I think these kind of games are fun, not just for the players but for the fans, for the atmosphere, and there’s gonna be no better place to play these kind of games than at home in Latvia. So we look forward to it.”

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Dru Smith ‘On A Great Trajectory’ In Return From Achilles Tear

August 20th, 2025 at 5:15pm CST by Arthur Hill

After landing a new contract with the Heat over the weekend, the next challenge for Dru Smith is to be ready to participate without restrictions when training camp opens September 30, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.

Smith is recovering from an Achilles tear that ended his season prematurely in December. He tells Chiang that he has already been involved in some contact work and hopes to be cleared soon for five-on-five scrimmages.

“Honestly, it’s all been going really well,” Smith said. “I feel like I’ve been on a great trajectory as far as the rehab stuff goes. I’ve started to do some contact stuff now. I haven’t jumped fully back into five on five. I would say probably here in the next few weeks or so. I think it’s all just basically going to be how I respond to the more and more live sessions that I get in. I think the goal, obviously, is to be ready by camp. And I think that as of right now, with no setback, that’s kind of what we’re looking at.”

Smith had established himself as an important part of Miami’s rotation before the injury and appeared to be on the verge of being promoted from a two-way deal to a standard contract. The 27-year-old guard averaged 6.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.5 steals in 14 games last season, and coach Erik Spoelstra was regularly using him as part of his closing lineup.

The Heat kept Smith on the roster following the injury, even though it wouldn’t have affected the team’s salary cap to replace him with a healthy player. He became a restricted free agent when Miami extended a qualifying offer in late June and continued to work out with the team throughout the summer. A roster opening emerged last Friday when Haywood Highsmith was traded to Brooklyn.

“It was obviously a little stressful and things like that,” Smith said. “I think any time, whenever you have nothing signed and nothing set in stone, I think it’s just a little worrisome. But overall I think we love this organization and we’re just excited to be able to be back and be a part of this.”

Smith’s relationship with the Heat dates back to 2021, when he signed a training camp contract. He got his first two-way deal the following year and has spent at least part of every season with the team despite injury setbacks and other obstacles. Miami has waived Smith four times, but keeps bringing him back.

“I’m extremely appreciative of an organization that believes in me the way that they have up to this point,” he said. “But also I think, obviously, this hasn’t been easy. There have been a lot of days where I’ve questioned whether this is what I’m supposed to be doing. I have amazing people around me.”

After playing 38 combined games in his first three seasons — 10 of them with Brooklyn — Smith is hoping to remain healthy enough to finally prove himself as a full-time NBA player. Offseason moves have left Miami with a crowded backcourt, but Smith is eager to seize the opportunity after recovering from two serious injuries (he tore his ACL in November 2023).

“Honestly, the biggest challenge from this rehab specifically was just the mental part of it,” he said. “Just really having to lean in on my faith and things like that and just understand for whatever reason, this is where my story was supposed to go. So just continuing to attack with a positive attitude. I think that was probably the toughest part because there are definitely days in there where it just seems like I’ve been rehabbing for two years at this point.”

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NBA 2025 Offseason Check-In: Oklahoma City Thunder

August 20th, 2025 at 3:48pm CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is checking in on the 2025 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, recapping the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll take a look at each team’s offseason moves and consider what might still be coming before the regular season begins. Today, we’re focusing on the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Free agent signings

  • Ajay Mitchell: Three years, $8,700,000. Second year partially guaranteed ($1.5MM). Third-year team option. Re-signed using Non-Bird rights.
  • Malevy Leons: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.

Trades

  • Acquired the Spurs’ 2027 first-round pick (top-16 protected) from the Kings in exchange for the draft rights to Nique Clifford (No. 24 pick).
  • Acquired Colby Jones from the Wizards in exchange for Dillon Jones and the Rockets’ 2029 second-round pick.
    • Note: Jones was subsequently waived by the Thunder.

Draft picks

Two-way signings

  • Brooks Barnhizer
    • One year, $85,300 partial guarantee (will increase to $318,218 at start of regular season).

Departed/unsigned free agents

Other roster moves

  • Signed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to a four-year, maximum-salary veteran contract extension that begins in 2027/28. Projected value of $285,405,792 (super-max). Includes fourth-year player option.
  • Signed Jalen Williams to a five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale contract extension that begins in 2026/27. Projected value of $239,934,400. Projected value can increase to $249,531,776 if Williams makes the All-NBA third team; $259,129,152 if Williams makes the All-NBA second team; or $287,921,280 if Williams makes the All-NBA first team or is named MVP or Defensive Player of the Year.
  • Signed Chet Holmgren to a five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale contract extension that begins in 2026/27. Projected value of $239,934,400.
  • Signed Jaylin Williams to a three-year, $24MM veteran contract extension that begins in 2025/26. Includes third-year team option.

Salary cap situation

  • Operating over the cap ($154.6MM) and below the luxury tax line ($187.9MM).
  • Carrying approximately $186.9MM in salary.
  • No hard cap.
  • Full mid-level exception ($14,104,000) available.
  • Full bi-annual exception ($5,134,000) available.
  • One traded player exception ($501,669) available.

The offseason so far

A year ago, the Celtics were able to retain 13 of the 15 players from their title-winning roster. Given the rate at which modern-day NBA rosters turn over, I assumed that was an achievement that wouldn’t be repeated by another NBA champion for at least a few years.

But the Thunder aren’t just going to match that feat — they’re about to one-up the Celtics. After winning a championship this spring, Oklahoma City is set to bring back 14 members of last season’s 15-man roster. 2024 first-round pick Dillon Jones, who was traded to Washington in July in order to ensure OKC remained under the luxury tax line, is the only player who won’t be back, and he wasn’t even part of the Thunder’s rotation for the majority of the 2024/25 season.

In addition to boding well for their odds of repeating as champions, the Thunder’s continuity is an indication of what sort of offseason it was in Oklahoma City. The club’s only roster additions came in the draft, when the front office used the 15th overall pick to draft Thomas Sorber and the No. 44 pick to nab Brooks Barnhizer, who will begin his career on a two-way contract.

The Thunder won a title last season despite getting no meaningful contributions from their first-round picks, Jones and Nikola Topic, who spent the year recovering from a knee injury. With virtually the same group coming back for 2025/26, they clearly don’t have any glaring need for Sorber in the short term, so while he may get a chance to compete for a modest rotation role, I’d expect him to be brought along slowly and to spend some time in the G League as a rookie.

Oklahoma City’s most important pieces of offseason business have all been contract extensions. No NBA team this summer has extended more players – or committed more money to those extensions – than the Thunder, who signed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to a four-year super-max contract, locked up Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren to maximum-salary rookie scale extensions, and finalized a more modest three-year, $24MM deal for center Jaylin Williams.

There’s only so much negotiating a team can do with a maximum-salary contract, but the Thunder did well along the edges in their three mega-deals. Gilgeous-Alexander could have secured an even more lucrative five-year payday if he had waited another year to sign his next contract, but put pen to paper sooner rather than later.

More importantly, instead of simply giving Williams and Holmgren the ability to increase their first-year salaries from 25% of the cap to 30% by making any All-NBA team next season, the Thunder included escalators for Williams (detailed above) and avoided Rose Rule language for Holmgren altogether. That could really pay off in the long run, since – as we saw with Cade Cunningham and Evan Mobley this year – that 5% salary bump can have a significant impact on a team’s long-term cap situation.

As for the Jay-Will extension, it will fly under the radar compared to the other three deals – for good reason – but the $8MM-per-year agreement (which includes a third-year team option) is a savvy investment in a solid role player.

As the Thunder’s roster gets more expensive in the coming years, they’ll need players like Williams and Ajay Mitchell – who signed a three-year, $8.7MM deal as a restricted free agent – to step into the roles currently occupied by higher-salary veterans. Those new contracts line up Williams and Mitchell to be more cap-friendly alternatives to players like Isaiah Hartenstein and Isaiah Joe down the road.

Up next

With a full 15-man roster, the Thunder will likely enter the season with their current group, though it’s worth keeping an eye on former lottery pick Ousmane Dieng.

Unlike fellow 2022 first-rounders J-Dub and Holmgren, Dieng has never developed into a regular contributor in Oklahoma City and won’t be signing a rookie scale extension before his fourth year. If the team needs to open up a roster spot at some point this fall or during the season for any reason, Dieng’s spot is probably the most at risk — he’s on an expiring $6.67MM contract.

The Thunder have a pair of open two-way slots alongside Barnhizer, though one seems to be earmarked for Branden Carlson — since he reportedly agreed to a new two-way deal back on July 8, there has been no indication that it has been finalized or that the agreement has fallen through.

Even if we assume he gets one of OKC’s two-ways, that leaves one spot available. And given that Carlson and Mitchell showed last season that the club is willing to use its two-way players, it’s worth keeping an eye on who will get that last two-way deal.

Meanwhile, if the Thunder have one more extension agreement up their sleeves this offseason, it would probably be with Luguentz Dort, who is entering the fourth season of the five-year contract he signed as a restricted free agent in 2022.

However, the All-Defensive first-teamer likely won’t be able to reach free agency until 2027, since OKC holds a team option for 2026/27. That means the Thunder can afford to postpone serious contract talks until next offseason and decide at that point whether a raise for Dort (who is owed $36.4MM over the next two years) fits into their long-term financial plans.

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Heat To Sign Jahmir Young

August 20th, 2025 at 2:14pm CST by Luke Adams

The Heat and free agent guard Jahmir Young have reached an agreement on a deal, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

According to Scotto, Young will get a chance to compete for one of Miami’s two-way contract slots. That suggests he’ll sign an Exhibit 10 contract, which can be converted to a two-way deal prior to the start of the regular season.

A 6’1″ point guard who went undrafted out of Maryland in 2024, Young opened his first professional season with the Grand Rapids Gold, Denver’s G League affiliate, before signing a two-way contract with Chicago in February and finishing the year with the Bulls. He was waived in July to open up a two-way slot for Yuki Kawamura.

Young logged just 30 total minutes in six games at the NBA level, but starred in the NBAGL, averaging 21.7 points, 7.0 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game in 43 total outings for the Gold and the Windy City Bulls. The 24-year-old struggled with his outside shot for Grand Rapids, but finished the season strong by making 39.7% of his three-point tries in 13 games for Windy City. He was named to the G League’s All-Rookie team and finished third in Rookie of the Year voting.

Young reportedly drew interest from the Perth Wildcats of Australia’s National Basketball League this offseason, but will look to continue his career in the NBA. Vladislav Goldin and Myron Gardner currently occupy two-way slots for Miami, but it appears the team will hold a competition in training camp for its third and final opening.

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Joe Barrer To Coach Pelicans’ G League Team

August 20th, 2025 at 1:42pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pelicans are naming Joe Barrer the head coach of their G League affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Barrer has worked in the G League for nearly a decade, first as a video coordinator and assistant coach for the Iowa Wolves (known as the Iowa Energy at the time). He spent four seasons as an assistant for the Magic’s G League affiliate from 2017-21 and then was promoted to the team’s head coaching role for two seasons from 2021-23.

Barrer has followed a similar trajectory with the Pelicans, having been an assistant coach with the Squadron for two seasons prior to his promotion to head coach this summer.

The Squadron have been coached for the past three seasons by T.J. Saint, but he left the organization this offseason in order to take a job with the Knicks under Mike Brown.

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March 31 Target Date Set For Closing Of Blazers’ Sale

August 20th, 2025 at 12:21pm CST by Luke Adams

When the Trail Blazers first announced their plans to sell the franchise in May, they stated that the process was expected to extend into the 2025/26 season, so it came as a bit of a surprise when word broke last Wednesday that a buyer had been found.

However, the sale of the team to a group headed by Tom Dundon isn’t expected to become official in the short term. According to Jason Quick of The Athletic, a target date of March 31, 2026 has been set for the closing of the deal.

As Quick outlines, Dundon and his group of investors have reached an exclusivity agreement with the late Paul Allen‘s estate, which means that the estate is no longer permitted to negotiate with other potential buyers. The two sides are continue to discuss certain terms of the sale, but all major points have been agreed upon and the buyers hope to sign a purchase agreement next month, a source close to Dundon tells Quick.

While a seven-month timeline to complete the sale of the team would be longer than average, it typically takes a few months from the time a tentative agreement is reached for a new ownership group to completely close its sale. For instance, it was reported on March 20 that William Chisholm had struck a deal to buy the Celtics; that deal was approved by the NBA’s Board of Governors last week, with the team confirming the closing of the sale this Tuesday.

The valuation of the Blazers in the sale is estimated to be $4.25 billion, and the plan is to keep the team in Oregon. The future of Moda Center remains up in the air, however. As Quick writes, the team has a lease agreement in place to continue playing at the arena until at least 2030, but commissioner Adam Silver has said a new building will likely be necessary.

“Nothing about the arena is a deal breaker on its own,” Quick’s source said. “It’s lots of little things that add up.”

Regardless of what happens with the arena, Blazers fans should be enthusiastic about how the change in ownership will impact the franchise, that source close to Dundon tells The Athletic.

“He brings a swagger,” the source said of Dundon. “If Tom was the owner last year, he would have been trying to get Luka (Doncic). He would be like, ‘Why should the Lakers have him?'”

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John Wall To Join Amazon’s NBA Coverage

August 20th, 2025 at 11:04am CST by Luke Adams

When John Wall announced his retirement as a player on Tuesday, he referred to “new opportunities” presenting themselves and said he’s ready for his “next chapter.” According to Michael Lee of The Washington Post, the next phase of Wall’s career will involve joining Amazon Prime Video for its studio show in 2025/26.

Although Wall told Lee in a recent phone interview that he still felt like he has “a lot left in my tank” as a player and was disappointed he didn’t get another opportunity on the court, he’s looking forward to staying involved in the NBA by sharing his insights with fans on Prime Video beginning this fall.

“If you never really had the opportunity to sit down and talk to me, you won’t really understand how much I love basketball, where my basketball mind is at, where my IQ is,” Wall said. “I can basically tell you the best player in the country — from girls to boys, high school, to the players that’s in college, to the people that’s at the NBA and WNBA.”

It will be Amazon’s first season as an NBA broadcaster. The streaming giant will air games exclusively on Friday nights through December before adding Thursday and Saturday broadcasts later in the season. Prime Video will also be the home of the knockout round of the NBA Cup in December.

Amazon previously announced that former NBA stars Blake Griffin and Dirk Nowitzki will be part of its studio show, which will be hosted by Taylor Rooks.

In addition to that studio team, Prime Video’s broadcasting roster will include analysts Dwyane Wade, Steve Nash, Candace Parker, Stan Van Gundy, Dell Curry, Brent Barry, and Udonis Haslem, as well as sideline reporters Cassidy Hubbarth, Allie Clifton, and Kristina Pink, and play-by-play announcers Kevin Harlan, Ian Eagle, Michael Grady, and Eric Collins.

Wall, meanwhile, made a few more interesting remarks in his conversation with Lee, noting that he had wanted to remain with the Wizards for his entire NBA career and that he hopes to have his No. 2 jersey retired by the franchise. The former No. 1 overall pick also discussed the health issues that derailed his playing career and ultimately cut it short.

“People think, ‘Oh, he got the money, he’s set for life, he don’t care.’ No, I would give up all the money to play basketball and never deal with none of those injuries,” Wall said. “I didn’t play the game of basketball for money. I played the game of basketball because I love it. I was itching to get back to play. I wasn’t itching to sit on the sideline and collect the check. The check don’t mean [anything].”

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EuroBasket Notes: Doncic, Player Rankings, Valanciunas, Smailagic

August 20th, 2025 at 10:00am CST by Dana Gauruder

Any concerns about Luka Doncic‘s health were eased on Tuesday when the Lakers superstar guard scored 28 points and dished out 10 assists for Slovenia in a 93-81 exhibition win over Great Britain, Eurohoops.net relays.

Doncic had an injury scare on Saturday when a Slovenian teammate fell on his right leg during an exhibition game against Latvia. It was later diagnosed as a right knee contusion.

Here’s more on the upcoming EuroBasket tournament:

  • Doncic ranks third among the NBA players participating in the tournament, according to Neil Paine of ESPN. Nikola Jokic (Serbia) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece) rank first and second, with Franz Wagner (Germany) and Alperen Sengun (Turkey) rounding out the top five.
  • Jonas Valanciunas is the lone NBA player on the Lithuanian squad but he feels his national team can make some noise, according to Nikola Miloradovic of Eurohoops.net. “I think every team is capable. We have some big names coming. Serbia, Turkey, Germany, we have Slovenia with Luka and, Greece with Giannis,” he said. “… We have a lot of a lot of a lot of big names, but that feel like every team is capable and every team can make some shake.”
  • Former Warriors forward Alen Smailagic won’t play for Serbia in the tourney, according to Sportando. Injuries prevented him from participating in prep games. Euro star Dzanan Musa will also miss the event for Bosnia and Herzegovina due to health issues, Basketnews.com relays.
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