Doncic-Backed Group To Buy Italian Team With Eye On NBA Europe
An investor group that features Lakers star Luka Doncic and is headed by former Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson has a preliminary agreement in place to buy the Italian basketball team Vanoli Basket Cremona, Joe Vardon, Sam Amick, and Mike Vorkunov confirm in a report for The Athletic.
While the club currently plays in Cremona, which is in northern Italy, the long-term plan is to move it to Rome and to have it become one of the license holders in the NBA’s new European league, according to The Athletic.
As Vardon, Amick, and Vorkunov explain, any team that joins NBA Europe must also play in a domestic league, and Vanoli Basket is a license holder in Italy’s top league, Liga Basket Seria A. There’s currently no top-division team based in Rome, but the NBA has its eye on the city as one of the permanent homes for NBA Europe.
Besides Rome, commissioner Adam Silver also views Milan (Italy), London and Manchester (UK), Paris and Lyon (France), Madrid and Barcelona (Spain), Berlin and Munich (Germany), Athens (Greece), and Istanbul (Turkey) as potential homes for the 12 licensed teams in NBA Europe. The goal is to launch the league in the fall of 2027.
It’s unclear what percentage of Vanoli Basket Doncic would hold once the sale is finalized. While the NBA’s most recent Collective Bargaining Agreement set limits for the stake that an NBA player can hold in a WNBA franchise, no such limits are currently in place for teams in NBA Europe, which remains a work in progress.
According to The Athletic, Doncic won’t be the only current NBA player who is an investor in a team likely to join the European league. Rockets star Kevin Durant holds a minority stake in the soccer club Paris Saint-German, which is expected to create a basketball team for NBA Europe. Former NBA guard Tony Parker, meanwhile, owns ASVEL Basket, which is based near Lyon and will likely become part of the NBA’s European venture.
While investing guidelines for NBA players may still need to be established, NBA Europe team owners won’t be permitted to hold a share of an NBA franchise greater than 5%, per Vardon, Amick, and Vorkunov. The reasoning is that NBA team owners will already be stakeholders in the European league, so if they were to control NBA Europe teams as well, there would be potential conflicts of interest and concerns related to “double-dipping.”
La Gazzetta Dello Sport, an Italian news outlet, reported that former Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki was also part of Nelson’s group alongside Doncic, but a spokesperson for Nowitzki told NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link) that’s inaccurate.
Injury Notes: Castle, T. Johnson, Kings, M. Porter
Spurs guard Stephon Castle took a hard fall in the second quarter of Tuesday’s victory over the Lakers and exited the game early, sitting out the second half with what the team referred to as a pelvic contusion. However, Castle is confident that the injury isn’t serious, indicating after the game that he’s hoping to play in the second end of a back-to-back on Wednesday in Golden State, per Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required).
“I’m expecting he’ll be pretty sore — more than pretty sore,” head coach Mitch Johnson said. “It was good that he walked off and didn’t feel like it was anything else.”
While Castle thinks he’ll likely be as a game-time decision for Wednesday, per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Spurs decide to hold him out, given that it’s the team’s last game before the All-Star break. If he sits out on Wednesday, the second-year guard would have another full week off before San Antonio’s schedule resumes next Thursday.
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- After missing six consecutive games due to a left ankle sprain, rookie guard Tre Johnson is off the injury report and appears set to return to action on Wednesday as the Wizards visit Cleveland in their final game before the All-Star break, notes Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link). Johnson had been a starter in each of his last 17 games prior to the injury.
- The Kings, losers of 13 straight games, may be further ramping up their tanking efforts as they prepare to face Utah in their last game before the break. According to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link), in addition to Domantas Sabonis (left knee injury management), Keegan Murray (left ankle sprain), Malik Monk (illness), and De’Andre Hunter (left eye iritis), the team has ruled out Russell Westbrook (left ankle soreness) and Zach LaVine (right fifth finger tendon injury) for Wednesday’s contest.
- Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. will miss a second straight game on Wednesday vs. Indiana due to right knee tendinitis. However, head coach Jordi Fernandez said on Monday that the injury isn’t considered serious and that it’s not related to the sprained MCL Porter had in the same knee earlier this season (Twitter link via Brian Lewis of The New York Post).
Western Notes: Kerr, Braun, Barnes, Hinson
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr admits that tanking is a major concern for the league, but he doesn’t have any simple solutions, Nick Friedell of The Athletic writes.
“Ironically, the last few years, it seems like it has not been at the forefront like it is this year because of the play-in (tournament),” Kerr said. “More teams felt like they were in it. This year, it’s pronounced just because of the circumstances and where a lot of teams are — injuries, starting rebuilds, that sort of thing. I know the league is really concerned about it, as they should be. It’s not good for the fans, for the league itself. They’re considering everything. It’s a really tough issue.”
Kerr also sees the issue from the perspective of teams jockeying for lottery positions, knowing that one of the top picks in the 2026 draft could be a franchise-altering player.
“The bottom line is you kinda have to get lucky in the lottery,” Kerr said. “It’s what makes this issue so tricky, is that great players — Steph (Curry) and Tim Duncan, Wemby (Victor Wembanyama) — they’re not only team-changing, but they’re franchise-changing, for even beyond the scope of those guys’ careers. And so there’s only a handful of players that can do that, that are that valuable. And so teams are all clamoring for them. Sometimes, you don’t know who they are. Steph was the seventh pick. Giannis (Antetokounmpo) was the (15th) pick. So it’s not always the first couple guys, but more often than not, the first pick has an opportunity to be that guy, and that’s what creates this issue.”
Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- Nuggets guard Christian Braun has appeared in four games since returning from a left ankle sprain. Braun missed nearly two months of action previously before an aborted attempt to come back last month from the same ailment. He played in only three January games before the ankle issue grounded him again and realizes now he wasn’t at full strength last month. “I think the biggest (factor) was, ‘Can I jump in the air?’” he told Bennett Durando of the Denver Post. “Obviously, they do all their tests (on an injury) and they do a really good job, but truthfully, I couldn’t jump. And if everybody has seen me play, I jump off my left leg a ton. So I’m just navigating, like, ‘Before I come back this next time, I need to make sure I can jump. I can run full speed and I can jump.’ It sounds really elementary and really basic, but that’s the truth. The explosion just wasn’t there.”
- Commissioner Adam Silver selected Brandon Ingram to replace Stephen Curry in the All-Star Game. Spurs forward Harrison Barnes felt teammates Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox were more worthy candidates. “We’re No. 2 in the West,” Barnes told Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express News. “Teams below us have two All-Stars. I don’t know a case where if you’re talking about having an impact on winning, either of them shouldn’t be selected and/or at least under consideration.”
- Blake Hinson‘s two-way contract with the Jazz is a two-year deal, per Spotrac contributor Keith Smith (Twitter link). The 26-year-old small forward is in the midst of a standout year in the G League, where he’s averaging 21.8 points and 5.8 rebounds with Portland’s affiliate, the Rip City Remix. Hinson signed his new contract on Monday.
Blazers Notes: Roster Decisions, Lillard, Moda Center, Future
It’s unlikely that the Trail Blazers will make any roster decisions until after the All-Star break, Joe Freeman of the Oregonian reports (subscription required).
Two-way players Sidy Cissoko (49 games) and Caleb Love (44) are near their respective 50-game limits and would need to be signed to standard contracts to remain eligible for NBA contests. Portland already has a full 15-man roster.
Rayan Rupert and Matisse Thybulle are the players most likely to go if one or both two-way players get a promotion, Freeman writes. It’s also possible the Blazers may sign a veteran player who clears waivers.
Here’s more on the Blazers:
- Damian Lillard was joking around with Michael Levine, a marketing executive for the NBA, about participating in the three-point contest at All-Star weekend. When one competitor dropped out, the joke became a reality, as Jason Quick of The Athletic details. Lillard has been on the mend all season from the Achilles tear he suffered with Milwaukee during last year’s playoffs. “All-Star Weekend needs stars,” Lillard said. “People want to see stars competing.” Lillard said a challenge like this is just what he needs during the drudgery of injury rehab. “I need some competition,” he added. “I’ve just been working out, not playing, so I need some type of competition. I just need a bump.”
- Renovations could be coming soon to Moda Center, the team’s longtime arena. Efforts to secure public funding for renovations formally ramped up on Monday with the introduction of a bill in the Oregon Senate that drew widespread support from government leaders, including Gov. Tina Kotek, Bill Oram of The Oregonian reports. The bill will be sent to the Senate Committee on Rules and have its first hearing on Wednesday morning.
- Will renovations for the arena or the impending ownership change assure that the Blazers will remain in Portland long-term? Writing for The Oregonian, Oram says he isn’t so sure that the NBA considers Portland a major-league city or that city leaders prioritize sports and are willing to make the necessary investments.
Collin Sexton Fined $35K For Inappropriate Gesture
In one of the most unusual fines in NBA history, Bulls guard Collin Sexton was docked $35K for making an inappropriate gesture on the playing court, the league office tweets.
The incident occurred with 1:31 remaining in the third quarter of the Bulls’ 123-115 loss to Brooklyn on Monday. Sexton missed a free throw, then made the second attempt. As the ball was being inbounded by the Nets, Sexton stared at the rim and made a middle finger gesture toward it.
Sexton was appearing in just his second game with Chicago after being traded by Charlotte last week. He finished the night with 21 points and five rebounds in 32 minutes.
The fine is only a small portion of Sexton’s $18,975,000 salary. He’s a free agent at the end of the season.
Clippers Notes: Deadline Moves, Investigation, Leonard, Zubac
The Clippers remade their team before the trade deadline and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank declared those moves were “difficult” but necessary, Janis Carr of the Orange County Register writes.
James Harden was dealt to Cleveland for a much younger guard, Darius Garland. Starting center Ivica Zubac and Kobe Brown were traded to Indiana for Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, two first-round draft picks and one second-rounder. Chris Paul, who was essentially in exile after being told he would no longer play with the club, was traded to Toronto.
“As hard as these moves are, we are extremely excited about where we’re going,” Frank said. “We want to win now. We believe we are going to win now, and we’re going to do it while getting younger. That doesn’t dismiss the impact specifically that James and Zu had, but in Darius, we’re getting a two-time All-Star.”
Even though the Clippers moved up to a play-in spot this winter after a dismal start, Frank felt the team’s ceiling wasn’t high enough with the previous roster.
“We were the oldest team in the NBA. We were in ninth place despite turning around, which we do not take lightly,” he said. “But we had to make some really, really hard and difficult decisions. As a player and coach, you don’t expect those guys to like it and with every major trade we’ve made here over the last 10 years, I’ve always had to face very disappointed players.”
Here’s more on the Clippers:
- The ongoing NBA investigation into possible salary cap violations regarding Kawhi Leonard had no impact on the decisions to revamp the roster, Frank insisted. “We haven’t learned anything more than we have in September,” he said, per ESPN News Services. “We know it’s out there, we know at some point there’ll be a decision made. We very much feel the same thing that we told you back in September, that we’re on the right side of this. It really doesn’t impact anything we do on a daily basis.” The investigation commenced after a report that the Clippers may have violated the NBA’s salary cap rules through a $28MM endorsement contract between Leonard and a now-bankrupt California-based sustainability services company called Aspiration Fund Adviser LLC.
- As for Leonard’s reaction to the roster moves, Frank said his star player is in step with the organization, Law Murray of The Athletic writes. “Kawhi’s a very bright guy, and understands in order to be sustainable, you have to make some really, really hard and difficult decisions,” Frank said. “We can continue and look forward to building with Kawhi while still acknowledging we’re going to need more. And we’ll go through every step of what that looks like, whether it’s free agency, whether it’s in trade, whether it’s in draft and how we build it. But Kawhi’s been a great partner, and I anticipate him being a great partner moving forward.”
- Trading away a quality center in his prime was the toughest move Frank made. Frank informed Zubac before the trade was finalized that a team was being extremely aggressive about acquiring him, but the veteran executive “was kind of hoping” they wouldn’t meet the Clippers’ threshold for making the deal, Beth Harris of The Associated Press reports. Zubac made a lengthy visit to the team’s practice facility afterward with teammates, coaches, staff and business operations employees saying goodbye. “There were a lot of tears,” Frank said. “It’s hard because we all know what Zu means to us.”
Pacific Notes: D. Green, DeRozan, Bufkin, J. Green
Warriors forward Draymond Green told Mark Medina of EssentiallySports.com that he thinks he still has two to four years left in the tank after this season.
“I feel great. I feel like I can go another two to four years. I think for me, I always want to try to compete at an elite level,” he said. “If I can’t do that, then it’s not as fun. But what I will say is that I have more left than I thought I would at this point. So as the years have gone by, the outlook on when I’ll be done has changed. I thought I’d get to year 12 and that I’d be breaking down. But by the time I got to year 12, I felt like I was still getting better.”
Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. claimed that he wasn’t discussing Green in any trade talks prior to last week’s deadline, contrary to previous reports. Green has a $27.7MM option on the final year of his contract — he’ll need to make a decision by June 29.
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Kings forward DeMar DeRozan slammed a water bottle to the floor during a third-quarter timeout during a 13th consecutive loss on Monday, as Sacramento was blown out at home by New Orleans. Head coach Doug Christie understood DeRozan’s display of frustration, according to Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee. “Totally,” Christie said. “I went down and sat with him for a second just to talk to him. His frustration is more about, first of all, ending a skid, and also after being so close that it could go either way in so many games, this is the first time in a minute where we had this kind of result where we weren’t really in a game. That frustration paired with always trying to play the right way, making sure we’re moving the basketball, getting into something … that was more his frustration than anything, but he’s good. Deebo is a consummate professional.”
- Kobe Bufkin earned a standard contract from the Lakers with his play for their G League team, the South Bay Lakers. The former Hawks guard is excited for the opportunity. “It means a lot,” he said, per Benjamin Royer of the South County Register. “Even dating back to draft night, I had conversations with the Lakers. Ended up going to the Hawks, ultimately, but they’ve always shown interest, always showed love – (GM Rob Pelinka) specifically.” Bufkin was signed to a two-year deal that includes a team option for 2026/27.
- Jalen Green played just his sixth game of the season on Saturday, contributing eight points in 17 minutes in the Suns’ loss to Philadelphia. Green, whose first year with the club has been marred by persistent hamstring issues, is still trying to gain trust in his body, he admitted to Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. “There’s still some trust factor in trusting everything, but that’s going to come with time,” Green said. “Playing and being unconscious and forgetting about injuries.”
Southwest Notes: Murray, Mavs, Middleton, Jones, Pippen
There’s still no timeline for Dejounte Murray‘s return to action following last season’s Achilles tear, but the Pelicans guard has returned to practice in a limited capacity, according to head coach James Borrego (Twitter video link). Borrego told reporters on Monday that Murray’s activity should ramp up in the coming days and the team will have a better idea of a timetable for the veteran guard after the All-Star break.
“It’s just great having him out there. I’m so proud of him,” Borrego said. “I mean, what a devastating injury, but the way he’s handle it, the way he’s attacked it, he deserves a ton of credit. … It’s just great to have him back out there. You can feel his presence, his leadership, his confidence. It’s a massive boost for this organization.”
Murray, who was traded from Atlanta to New Orleans during the 2024 offseason, appeared in just 31 games for his new team before his season came to an early end. When he’s ready to play again, he’ll be a returning to a new-look Pelicans backcourt that has lost CJ McCollum and Jose Alvarado and added Jordan Poole and Jeremiah Fears since the last time he suited up.
Here’s more from across the Southwest:
- While the Mavericks signaled at the trade deadline that they’re pivoting to build around Cooper Flagg, the rookie forward isn’t the only keeper on the current roster. Co-interim general manager Matt Riccardi said after the trade deadline that he thinks wings Naji Marshall and Max Christie fit “perfectly” alongside Flagg, according to Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required). “We really like them as players,” Riccardi said. “We think they fit really well around Cooper, but most importantly, those guys embody what we want in the organization. We love what they bring to the table, both on and off the court, and their personalities. They’re Dallas Maverick players.”
- New Mavericks forward Khris Middleton has been viewed as a potential buyout candidate after being sent from Washington to Dallas for salary-matching purposes in the Anthony Davis trade. However, he told reporters – including Curtis (Twitter video link) – on Tuesday that he hasn’t broached that subject with the team and doesn’t necessarily plan to. “Nah, not yet,” Middleteon said when asked if he’s spoken to management about what he wants for the rest of the season. “We haven’t got to that point. Don’t know that we will. But my focus right now is just playing basketball.”
- League sources tell Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal that the Mavericks made a point to add Tyus Jones at the trade deadline because they feel like his experience organizing an offense and handling the ball will help ease the workload on the rest of the roster. As Afseth explains, the front office is hoping that Jones will stabilize the offense, not transform it.
- Grizzlies guard Scotty Pippen Jr. appeared in 79 games last season, but he was never at 100%. As Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal writes, Pippen was plagued for more than three years by left toe pain that never went away. After various treatment options failed, the guard underwent a sesamoidectomy in October that delayed his season debut until last Friday. Pippen, who has 24 points, 10 assists, five steals, and a .643/.667/1.000 shooting line in his first two games back, is optimistic that the issue is – at long last – behind him. “I feel like I’m finally healthy,” he said. “… I feel way better. I’m able to run up and down the court. I can run around without pain. I can push off my toe and and bend my toe. Before, I wasn’t able to get in a lunge position. I really couldn’t put weight on my foot.”
And-Ones: Bediako, Risacher, Expansion, Hayes-Davis
A Tuscaloosa circuit court judge had denied Charles Bediako‘s motion for a preliminary injunction that would allow him to continue playing college basketball for Alabama, according to reports from Nick Kelly of AL.com and Myron Medcalf of ESPN.
Bediako, who went undrafted in 2023 and has since signed three Exhibit 10 contracts with NBA teams (including one that was converted into a two-way deal), never actually appeared in an NBA game. However, he was attempting to become the first player regain NCAA eligibility after signing NBA contracts.
Daniel F. Pruet, the circuit court judge responsible for the ruling, said that Bediako didn’t have a “reasonable expectation” that he’d be permitted to return to college basketball when no player had ever been granted eligibility in his situation. NCAA president Charlie Baker referred to it as a win for “common sense,” while Bediako’s attorney Darren Heitner said he was “deeply disappointed” by the ruling.
“This ruling ignores that an athlete’s NIL value is directly tied to his ability to play, overlooks that NCAA rules do not distinguish between athletes with prior college experience and those without, and contrasts with eligibility grants to many other former pros,” Heitner wrote on Twitter. “We fight on for fairness.”
Bediako is considering his options for a possible appeal, Heitner added.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher will take part in the Rising Stars event at All-Star weekend, having been named an injury replacement for Ajay Mitchell of the Thunder, according to the NBA (Twitter link). With Mitchell battling an abdominal strain, Risacher will take his spot on Team T-Mac this Friday.
- While there have been no announcements or concrete reports to this point, Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link) has heard rumblings about the NBA’s Board of Governors potentially voting this summer to expand the league by two teams. Seattle and Las Vegas have long been viewed as the favorites in that scenario, Townsend notes.
- With Nigel Hayes-Davis appearing likely to head back to the EuroLeague after being waived by Milwaukee last week, Hapoel Tel Aviv has emerged as the frontrunner to land the forward, reports Donatas Urbanos of BasketNews. Fenerbahce is also still in the running but isn’t offering as much as the Israeli club, according to Urbonas, who says it would be a surprise if Hayes-Davis ends up with a team besides Hapoel Tel Aviv.
Deadline Observations: Trade Flexibility, First-Rounders, Hard Caps
After 28 trades were completed and 73 players were on the move between last Sunday and Thursday - both new NBA records for a trade deadline week - we're still sorting through all those deals to identify trends, cap-related oddities, and other under-the-radar details.
Having taken a deep dive on Saturday into how a pair of minor deadline trades were affected by new details that surfaced hours or days after those deals were first reported, we're focusing today on a handful of several of the major moves that were finalized prior to Thursday's deadline, including the trades involving Anthony Davis, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Ivica Zubac.
Let's dive in...
