NBA Rumors - HoopsRumors.com

International Notes: Chiozza, Cacok, Faried, McCaw

August 9th, 2025 at 4:17pm CST by Rory Maher

Free agent point guard Chris Chiozza has signed with Karşıyaka Basket for the 2025/26 season, the Turkish team announced (Instagram link; hat tip to Sportando).

After going undrafted out of Florida in 2018, Chiozza spent his first four professional seasons bouncing between the NBA and the G League, mostly on two-way contracts. He appeared in 91 regular season contests with the Rockets, Wizards, Nets and Warriors, last suiting up for Golden State during the ’21/22 campaign.

The 29-year-old has spent the past three seasons overseas in Spain and Turkey. He played for Manisa Basket last season, which — like Karşıyaka — competes in Turkey’s Basketball Super League.

Here are a few more international notes:

Ex-NBA big man Devontae Cacok has officially signed a one-year deal with Spanish club UCAM Murcia, as Emiliano Carchia of Sportando relays. Cacok played parts of three NBA seasons with the Lakers and Spurs from 2019-22. He played in Russia during the ’22/23 season and spent the past two seasons with Virtus Bologna. The Italian team released Cacok in November due to a knee injury, but evidently he is fully recovered now.
Speaking of Virtus Bologna, the EuroLeague club is reportedly interested in Kenneth Faried, according to Carchia, who cites a report from La Prealpina. The 6’8″ power forward averaged 11.4 points and 8.1 rebounds over eight NBA seasons but has been out of the league since ’18/19. Faried, 35, has played in the NBAGL, China, Russia, Italy and Puerto Rico over the past several years.
Pallacanestro Cantù, which was promoted to Italy’s top domestic league (Serie A) in June following a four-year hiatus, has expressed interest in Patrick McCaw, according to Italian outlet La Provincia (hat tip to Carchia). The former second-round pick won three titles with the Warriors and Raptors during his five years in the NBA, last suiting up for Toronto in ’20/21. Known for his defense, McCaw has spent most of the past four years in the G League with the Delaware Blue Coats, Philadelphia’s affiliate.

Partizan Belgrade Reportedly Eyeing Mo Bamba

August 9th, 2025 at 2:57pm CST by Rory Maher

Partizan Belgrade has made a contract offer to Mo Bamba and is considered the frontrunner to sign the former lottery pick if he decides to play in Europe for the first time in his career, according to Vasiliki Karamouza of Sport24.gr (hat tip to Sportando).

The sixth overall pick in 2018, Bamba spent the first half of 2024/25 with the Clippers before being traded to — and waived by — the Jazz in early February. He later signed a 10-day deal with New Orleans in March.

A report last month indicated that Olympiacos (Greece) was interested in Bamba, but he has not been linked to any NBA teams this offseason.

Bamba, 27, holds seven years of NBA experience, mostly with Orlando. He averaged 4.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.0 block in 32 appearances last season with the Clippers and Pelicans (13.2 minutes per game).

KK Partizan, which competes in the EuroLeague and the ABA League, is coming off an ABA League title this spring but went just 16-18 in EuroLeague play. The Serbian club’s roster features no shortage of former NBA players, including Shake Milton, Jabari Parker, Sterling Brown, Isaac Bonga and Aleksej Pokusevski, among others.

Another former lottery pick, Frank Ntilikina, played for Partizan last season but was reportedly nearing a departure this offseason. However, Karamouza’s sources say that the French guard will stay in Belgrade after agreeing to a pay cut.

Free Agent Guard Malik Beasley Evicted From Apartment

August 9th, 2025 at 1:56pm CST by Rory Maher

Free agent shooting guard Malik Beasley was evicted from his apartment in Detroit on Wednesday, writes David Purdum of ESPN.com, citing court records.

As Purdum details, Beasley was sued two times by his landlord earlier this year for a total of $21,505 in unpaid rent. The first lawsuit was dismissed in March, but the 36th District Court in Michigan issued an eviction order in the second case after Beasley failed to respond.

Beasley’s social media accounts indicate that he has been traveling in Europe this summer, according to Purdum.

To put it mildly, it has been a tumultuous offseason for Beasley, who was expected to land a significant payday as a free agent after finishing third in the NBA in three-pointers made (3.9) and fourth in three-point attempts per game (9.3) last season. He knocked down a career-high 41.6% of his long-range looks in 2024/25 while appearing in all 82 regular season contests for the Pistons.

In addition to his eviction, Beasley is under federal investigation for allegedly gambling on NBA games during the 2023/24 season, when he was a member of the Bucks. He’s also being sued by his former marketing agency, Hazan Sports Management Group, which is seeking $2.25MM in damages and legal fees for breach of contract.

On July 1, The Detroit News detailed some of the 28-year-old’s other financial difficulties in recent years.

The Pistons still hold Beasley’s Non-Bird rights, but at this point it’s unclear if or when he’ll play in the NBA again.

Suns To Hire Mike Muscala As Assistant Coach

August 9th, 2025 at 12:11pm CST by Rory Maher

The Suns intend to hire former NBA forward/center Mike Muscala as an assistant coach, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Muscala, 34, retired as a player last summer after 11 years in the NBA.

The No. 44 overall pick of the 2013 draft, Muscala spent the majority of his career with the Hawks and Thunder, but he also had brief stints with the Sixers, Lakers, Celtics, Wizards and Pistons. Across 548 regular season appearances, he averaged 5.9 points and 3.1 rebounds in 15.0 minutes per game, with a shooting slash line of .451/.373/.830.

Muscala, who starred in college at Bucknell, never played for the Suns, but he does have a connection to new head coach Jordan Ott. Scotto points out that the two men worked together in Atlanta, where Ott got his NBA start as a video coordinator.

When Muscala retired, his father indicated that Mike intended to pursue a graduate degree in sports management, with an eye on continuing his basketball career in coaching and/or management. A little over a year later, he has his first NBA coaching job.

Richaun Holmes Signs Two-Year Contract With Panathinaikos

August 9th, 2025 at 11:29am CST by Rory Maher

As expected, free agent center Richaun Holmes has officially signed a two-year contract with Panathinaikos, the 2024 EuroLeague champions announced today (Instagram link).

According to the Greek club, Holmes’ deal features an option in year two, meaning he could become a free agent again in 2026. He will reportedly be one of the highest-paid players in Europe.

Holmes arrived in Athens on Friday night and was thrilled to be greeted by an enthusiastic crowd of Panathinaikos supporters, writes Apostolos Mavrakis of Sportal.gr (hat tip to Sportando).

“I came here to win. I’m where I want to be, ready to play and to fight for victories,” Holmes said. “This is incredible — I can’t put it into words. I’ve never experienced anything like this in my life … the love was instant. I can’t wait to get on the court and give it back.”

When asked what convinced him to sign with Panathinaikos, the 31-year-old big man said it felt good to be wanted.

“I think just how they came, how they pursued me, they wanted me,” Holmes said. “They sold me on the idea of the importance that they needed me here, they wanted me here, and that was everything to me. I just wanted to be pursued, wanted to be wanted.

“I came here to do some great things. This is a powerhouse club and I’m looking to add to that and be a part of it. I’m just glad to be a part of this legacy, honestly.”

Holmes was the 37th overall pick in the 2015 draft out of Bowling Green and has spent the past decade in the NBA, suiting up for five different teams during that time. He had his best years in Sacramento, where he was the Kings’ full-time starting center and put up 14.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game across 61 outings in 2020/21.

After becoming an unrestricted free agent, Holmes drew interest from a handful of EuroLeague clubs, including Fenerbahce in Turkey. A report last weekend stated he was mulling an offer from Panathinaikos while waiting to see if he’d be offered a guaranteed NBA contract — evidently he didn’t find an NBA deal to his liking.

Holmes will be looking to help lead Panathinaikos to a title or two in 2025/26 after the club fell just short this past season. The Greens went 22-0 during Greece’s regular season before losing to Olympiacos in the final. In the EuroLeague, Panathinaikos finished third with a 22-12 record but was defeated by Fenerbahce – the eventual champions – in the semifinals.

Holmes will be Panathinaikos’ final offseason signing, according to owner Dimitris Giannakopoulos (story via Aris Barkas of Eurohoops).

Clippers Sign Baldwin, Washington To Exhibit 10 Deals

August 9th, 2025 at 10:32am CST by Rory Maher

The Clippers have officially signed Patrick Baldwin Jr. and TyTy Washington Jr. to Exhibit 10 contracts, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac.

Washington (29th overall) was selected directly after Baldwin (28th) in the first round of the 2022 draft. Neither player has found much consistency at the NBA level to this point, and they’ll reportedly be competing for a two-way contract in training camp.

Baldwin, 22, was drafted by Golden State and spent his rookie season with the Warriors. He was traded to Washington in the 2023 offseason and spent a year-and-a-half with the Wizards, who sent him to San Antonio in February.

The 6’9″ forward was released by the Spurs but caught on with the Clippers, inking a two-way contract in March. He was waived in late July to make roster space for Jordan Miller, with Law Murray of The Athletic stating at the time that Los Angeles was interested in re-signing Baldwin to an Exhibit 10 deal.

Washington, 23, played a limited role across 31 outings for the Rockets as a rookie and was traded twice during the 2023 offseason – from Houston to Atlanta to Oklahoma City – before being waived by the Thunder. He subsequently spent his second season on a two-way contract with Milwaukee and his third year on a two-way deal with Phoenix.

Both Baldwin and Washington have three years of NBA experience and one year of two-way eligibility remaining. The Clippers’ two-way spots are currently held by Miller, 2025 second-rounder Kobe Sanders, and 20-year-old wing Trentyn Flowers.

If Baldwin and/or Washington are cut before the 2025/26 season begins and decide to play in the G League, they would be eligible for bonus worth up to $85,300 if they spend at least 60 days with the San Diego Clippers.

The Clippers now have 19 players under contract, including 14 on guaranteed standard deals.

Spurs Sign Micah Potter, Adam Flagler

August 9th, 2025 at 9:26am CST by Rory Maher

The Spurs signed free agent big man Micah Potter earlier this week, according to RealGM’s log of official NBA transactions.

While the terms were not disclosed, Potter likely signed a non-guaranteed training camp contract featuring Exhibit 9 language and perhaps Exhibit 10 language as well.

Known for his ability to stretch the floor, Potter has spent the past three seasons on two-way contracts with the Jazz. Because he holds four years of NBA experience, he is no longer eligible for a two-way deal.

The 27-year-old forward/center appeared in a career-high 38 games with Utah last season, averaging 4.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in 18.6 minutes per contest. His shooting line was .422/.316/.850.

San Antonio also recently added free agent guard Adam Flagler to its training camp roster, as first noted by Paul Garcia of The Spot Up Shot. It’s an Exhibit 10 deal, according to RealGM.

Flagler, a former Baylor standout who won an NCAA title with the Bears in 2021, has been a member of the Thunder’s organization for the past two years. The 25-year-old signed a two-way contract with Oklahoma City in February 2024 and was on a two-way deal for all of 2024/25 as well.

A 6’3″ shooting guard, Flagler made 37 appearances for the defending champions last season, averaging just 5.5 minutes per game. That isn’t surprising, given OKC’s impressive backcourt depth. He also missed several weeks of action with a broken bone in his right hand.

If Flagler is waived before the ’25/26 season begins and spends at least 60 days in the G League with the Austin Spurs, he’d be eligible for a bonus worth up to $85,300. Exhibit 10 contracts can also be converted to two-way deals, though the Spurs do not currently have a two-way opening, as our tracker shows.

The Spurs now have 19 players under contract, two shy of the offseason limit.

Look Ahead At Potential 2026 Free Agents

August 8th, 2025 at 9:59pm CST by Eli Cohen

Free agency is not the headline event it once was in the NBA, as a large portion of the top players on the market tend to extend, like Luka Doncic did last weekend with the Lakers, or move in trades rather than signing with new teams. However, there are still likely to be talented players available and ready to contribute to new situations, as Zach Harper details for The Athletic.

Teams like the Lakers, Clippers, and Heat have made an effort to keep their flexibility for next year, write Tim Bontemps and Kevin Pelton for ESPN. However, those teams are also expected to try to maintain cap space for 2027, a summer in which multiple MVPs – Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic – could potentially reach the market, though of course neither is guaranteed to be available.

The Celtics will also likely look to retool their roster next summer after trading away key contributors in Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis for salary cap relief, as they seek to rebuild their roster into a contender around Tatum once he has recovered from his Achilles tear.

Trae Young, with a $48.9MM player option for the 2026/27 season, has the potential to be one of the top names on the board, and while Harper expresses confidence that an extension with the Hawks will get done, there have been rumors that it’s far from a certainty, and that next season could serve as an evaluation period for the Hawks’ core under a new head of basketball operations.

Other high-end veterans with player options for ’26/27 include James Harden (Clippers), Zach LaVine (Kings), Draymond Green (Warriors), Austin Reaves (Lakers), Andrew Wiggins (Heat), Fred VanVleet (Rockets), and Bradley Beal (Clippers). Harper considers Harden, Green, and Reaves very likely to remain with their current teams, and VanVleet also relatively likely to stay, though the Rockets have some level of flexibility in regard to the future of their roster.

Then there are the unrestricted free agents. As of this moment, LeBron James (Lakers) and Kevin Durant (Rockets) represent the cream of the crop, but there are other talented players such as Porzingis (Hawks), Anfernee Simons (Celtics), Coby White (Bulls), and others who are sure to garner suitors.

For what it’s worth, Durant has been widely expected to extend with Houston, but James is ineligible to be extended prior to free agency and White’s salary is so modest relative to his value that he’s considered likely to wait until he can get a bigger payday on the free agent market.

One interesting inflection point will be players on team options, such as Isaiah Hartenstein and Luguentz Dort on the Thunder, and Bogdan Bogdanovic and Brook Lopez on the Clippers. The Thunder, particularly, could have some tough decisions to make on their role players soon as lucrative extensions take effect for stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams.

Chimezie Metu Nearing Deal With Monaco

August 8th, 2025 at 8:00pm CST by Eli Cohen

Free agent forward/center Chimezie Metu is close to agreeing to a deal to join AS Monaco, reports Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.

Because Metu ruptured his Achilles tendon in March and is hoping to return to play sometime around January, the deal is contingent on the 28-year-old passing medical examinations, Urbonas writes, which will likely occur sometime next week.

Metu played six seasons in the NBA, including three with the Kings. He averaged 5.9 points and 3.5 rebounds per game over the course of 260 regular season appearances from 2018-24 before spending last season with Barcelona. He put up 11.0 points and 4.8 rebounds in 20.0 minutes per game while making 36.4% of his three-pointers during 24 EuroLeague outings.

Should the athletic big man sign with Monaco, he would join a roster loaded with former NBA talent, including Daniel Theis, Nikola Mirotic, Donatas Motiejunas, Mike James, Elie Okobo, Jaron Blossomgame, and Nick Calathes. Monaco made it to the EuroLeague Finals last season, losing to Fenerbahce, 81-70.

As Urbonas notes, Metu was in advanced talks with Fenerbahce earlier this summer before a potential agreement fell through. It’s unclear whether or not his Achilles recovery process was the reason that deal didn’t get finalized.

Knicks To Hire Chris Jent As Associate Head Coach

August 8th, 2025 at 7:03pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Knicks are finalizing a deal to add Chris Jent to their coaching staff, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania (via Twitter). Jent will assume the role of associate head coach and will likely be tasked with helping to spearhead the team’s offensive approach under head coach Mike Brown.

Jent worked as an assistant coach for the Hornets last season and was the head coach of the Charlotte team that won a Summer League championship in Las Vegas last month. He has been an assistant coach since the 2003/04 season, with a brief stint as the interim head coach of the 2004/05 Magic team that featured a rookie Dwight Howard.

Prior to his lone season in Charlotte, Jent spent two years with the Lakers and five years with the Hawks. He was also an assistant under Brown for the ’06/07 Cavaliers team that lost in the Finals to the Spurs.

Jent also played three games for the Knicks in the 1996/97 season, as well as being a reserve on the Rockets’ 1993/94 championship team — he averaged 5.6 minutes in 11 playoff games for Houston that season.

Jent was rumored to be the frontrunner for the position in recent days, along with the Pacers’ Mike Weinar. After Weinar withdrew his name from consideration earlier this week, SiriusXM radio host Frank Isola reported (via Twitter) that Jent and the Knicks were nearing an agreement on a deal to make him the team’s offensive coordinator.

Brendan O’Connor, who was previously hired away from the Clippers by the Knicks, is expected to serve as the team’s defensive coordinator.