NBA Rumors - HoopsRumors.com

Pelicans Waive Jaden Springer

October 23rd, 2025 at 2:44pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pelicans have made a roster move just one game into the regular season, announcing today in a press release that they’ve waived Jaden Springer.

Springer, a defensive-minded guard who made New Orleans’ opening night roster after coming to camp on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 deal, was active for Wednesday’s game, but didn’t see any action. He appeared in a pair of preseason contests, averaging 3.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 6.3 minutes per game.

Because Springer’s salary was non-guaranteed, the Pelicans will only carry a small dead-money cap hit after waiving him. The 23-year-old will be paid for the three days of the regular season he spent under contract, as well as the two days he spends on waivers.

In total, he’ll earn 5/174ths of his $2,461,463 salary, which works out to $70,732. That’s also the cap hit that will be left on New Orleans’ books, assuming Springer goes unclaimed on waivers.

The Pelicans now have an open spot on their 15-man standard roster and have roughly doubled their breathing room below the luxury tax line, to over $4MM.

Tiago Splitter Takes Over As Blazers’ Head Coach

October 23rd, 2025 at 1:52pm CST by Luke Adams

1:52 pm: The Trail Blazers have confirmed that Splitter will be their interim head coach, issuing the following statement:

“We are aware of the allegations involving head coach Chauncey Billups, and the Trail Blazers are fully cooperating with the investigation. Billups has been placed on immediate leave, and Tiago Splitter will assume head coaching duties in the interim. Any further questions should be directed to the NBA.”

12:06 pm: First-year Trail Blazers assistant Tiago Splitter will assume head coaching duties in Portland on an interim basis following Chauncey Billups‘ arrest on Thursday, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).

Billups is reportedly being charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering after being accused of participating in an illegal, mafia-run operation to rig illegal poker games.

Billups was described by law enforcement officials as one of the celebrity “face cards” that organizers used to attract “fish” (potential victims) to the games. He was placed on immediate leave by the NBA on Thursday.

Assistant coach Nate Bjorkgren, formerly the head coach of the Pacers, looked like the top candidate to take over as Portland’s acting head coach, as he did last season when Billups briefly left the team for family reasons. However, according to Charania, while Bjorkgren received strong consideration for the position, he decided it was best for him to remain in his current role.

Splitter is in his first season working under Billups, but he has several years of experience as an NBA assistant, having worked in Brooklyn from 2019-23 and Houston in 2023/24, Charania notes (Twitter link). Splitter was also the head coach of Paris Basketball last season and led the club to its first championship in France’s top league (LNB Élite).

Before becoming a coach, Splitter played in the NBA for seven seasons, including five with the Spurs. The former forward/center won a title in San Antonio in 2014.

Splitter’s first game as Portland’s head coach will come on Friday when the Blazers host Golden State.

And-Ones: D. Duke, Silver, NBPA, Incentives, Stein

October 23rd, 2025 at 1:36pm CST by Luke Adams

The Perth Wildcats of Australia’s National Basketball League are in advanced talks on a potential deal for free agent combo guard David Duke Jr., according to Olgun Uluc of ESPN, who reports that a contract for Duke would cover the rest of the 2025/26 season.

The Wildcats have been in the market for a replacement for Mason Jones, another former NBA guard whom the team parted ways with last week after he got off to a slow start.

Duke, who was in camp with the Suns until being cut last week, has appeared in NBA games in each of the past four seasons. In 55 total outings for Brooklyn and San Antonio from 2021-25, he has averaged 4.2 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 11.9 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .417/.262/.767.

The 26-year-old has been more productive in the G League, averaging 16.9 PPG, 5.9 RPG, and 4.0 APG in 42 games for the Austin Spurs last season after putting up more than 20 PPG in each of the two previous years.

We have more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Devon Henderson and Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic pass along some of the most interesting comments made by NBA commissioner Adam Silver during his media rounds prior to the start of the 2025/26 season, including his latest remarks on potential expansion and the All-Star format. Most notably, given today’s big news, Silver told Chris Mannix of SI.com this week that the league continues to talk to betting companies about potentially reducing the range of prop bets available to gamblers.
The National Basketball Players Association issued the following statement in the wake of the arrests of Terry Rozier, Chauncey Billups, and Damon Jones on Thursday (Twitter link): “The integrity of the game is paramount to NBA players, but so is the presumption of innocence, and both are hindered when player popularity is misused to gain attention. We will ensure our members are protected and afforded their due process rights through this process.”
The disappearance of incentives and bonuses in NBA contracts has had an impact on rookie scale extensions, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic. As Hollinger explains, including likely and/or unlikely incentives in a deal used to be an effective way to bridge the gap between the contract a player was seeking and the one his team was willing to pay. However, because they count against the aprons, teams have essentially stopped handing them out — not a single veteran contract signed this offseason included incentives. In Hollinger’s view, players like Tari Eason, Bennedict Mathurin, and Mark Williams would have been more likely to work out deals under the previous CBA, when those bonuses were more common.
Veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein has joined Amazon Prime Video’s NBA coverage for the 2025/26 season, reports Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports. According to Glasspiegel, Stein won’t have an on-air role — he’ll be working behind the scenes and will be responsible for making sure that facts and figures are “journalistically sound” before they’re used by the studio team or game announcers. Amazon previously hired Chris Haynes as its league insider and Marcus Thompson of The Athletic to report feature stories.

Terry Rozier, Chauncey Billups Placed On Leave By NBA

October 23rd, 2025 at 11:17am CST by Luke Adams

Heat guard Terry Rozier and Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups have been placed on immediate leave from their respective teams, the NBA announced today in a press release (Twitter link).

“We are in the process of reviewing the federal indictments announced today,” the league said in a statement. “Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups are being placed on immediate leave from their teams, and we will continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities. We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and the integrity of our game remains our top priority.”

As we detailed in a pair of stories earlier today, Rozier and Billups were arrested on Thursday morning as part of a pair of separate but related federal investigations into illegal gambling. Former NBA player and coach Damon Jones was also among those arrested.

Law enforcement officials, including U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York Joseph Nocella Jr., stated during a press conference on Thursday that Rozier and Jones were among six individuals arrested in connection with a scheme to use insider information to make illegal bets on NBA games. Billups and Jones were among 31 individuals arrested in connection with a plot to rig illegal, mafia-run poker games.

A total of 34 arrests were made on Thursday, with three people – including Jones – linked to both investigations. Those arrests are the result of a multi-year, wide-ranging series of probes into illegal gambling. According to Nocella, the NBA has cooperated with the investigations, per Oskar Garcia of The Athletic.

Rozier and Billups are both reportedly being charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering and will appear in federal court on Thursday in Florida and Oregon, respectively.

Here are several more details on the cases, from the Department of Justice’s indictment:

Rozier is accused of telling co-defendant Deniro Laster that he would remove himself during the first quarter of a game on March 23, 2023, when he was a member of the Hornets, per Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. According to the DOJ, Laster was paid $100K for sharing that information with another defendant, Marves Fairley. The tip was then allegedly shared with others, with a total of $259K in prop bets wagered by the group on Rozier going “under” several statistical benchmarks. The indictment states that winnings were delivered to Rozier’s home, according to Ralph D. Russo of The Athletic.
According to the indictment, an unnamed co-conspirator told Eric Earnest, another of the defendants, that the Trail Blazers were going into tank mode ahead of a game on March 24, 2023 and that a certain player would sit out, according to Vorkunov. While that player wasn’t specifically identified, Blazers guard Damian Lillard missed that March 24 game due to a calf issue and was shut down a few days later for the rest of the season. To be clear, if Lillard was the player in question, it just means that information about his status was shared, not that he was in any way involved in sharing it.
Along similar lines, Jones allegedly informed an unnamed co-conspirator prior to the Lakers‘ game vs. Milwaukee on February 9, 2023 that a specific Laker would miss the game and that the co-conspirator should bet on the Bucks. As Mike Prada of The Athletic writes, LeBron James was ruled out for that game (and, eventually, the next two) due to ankle soreness. Jones wasn’t a Lakers employee at the time, but had access to team spaces, including planes and locker rooms, because he worked with James, his former Cavs teammate, says Dan Woike of The Athletic. James wasn’t aware that Jones was sharing information about his playing status, a source tells The Athletic.
There were also bets illegally placed ahead of a Magic game on April 6, 2023, according to the DOJ (Twitter link via Vorkunov), after one of the defendants who had a relationship with a Magic player learned that Orlando wouldn’t be playing its starters that day.
As for the allegations against Billups, Nocella described him as one of the celebrity “face cards” that organizers used to attract “fish” (potential victims) to play in rigged poker games. The indictment states that the so-called “face cards” in those games “received a portion of the criminal proceeds in exchange for their participation.” Various technology – including a rigged shuffling machine, X-ray tables, and special eyeglasses – was allegedly used to rig the games.
According to David Purdum of ESPN, prosecutors claimed that Billups helped organize and played in games in Las Vegas in April 2019 that used a rigged shuffling machine. He was also allegedly wired $50K after participating in a rigged game in October 2020.

Hoops Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript: 10/23/2025

October 23rd, 2025 at 11:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included the prevalence of gambling ads on NBA games, Victor Wembanyama's MVP potential, the Rockets' need for a lead guard, Jonathan Kuminga's future with the Warriors and more!

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Jared Butler Signs With Crvena Zvezda

October 23rd, 2025 at 10:35am CST by Luke Adams

Free agent point guard Jared Butler has signed with Crvena Zvezda, the team announced on Thursday (via Twitter). The club, which is based in Belgrade, Serbia, competes in the EuroLeague as well as the ABA League.

Butler, 25, has been in the NBA for each of the past four seasons, appearing in 148 regular season games during that time. He earned his most prominent role with the Wizards and Sixers in 2024/25, appearing in 60 total games for the two teams and averaging 9.0 points, 3.7 assists, and 1.8 rebounds in 17.4 minutes per night, with a .448/.355/.824 shooting line.

After signing a non-guaranteed training camp contract with the Suns in July, Butler made a strong case for a spot on Phoenix’s regular season roster this fall. He averaged 15.5 points, 4.2 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.8 steals in 20.9 minutes per game over the course of four preseason outings, including an impressive a 35-point, nine-assist performance last Tuesday.

However, the Suns, operating slightly above the luxury tax line, opted not to carry a 15th man into the season and cut Butler last week. He became a free agent after clearing waivers and immediately drew interest from a handful of European teams, including KK Partizan, Olympiacos, and Crvena Zvezda.

According to a report from Konstantinos Melayes of Sport24 (hat tip to BasketNews.com), the Serbian club promised Butler a starting role and significant minutes.

Chauncey Billups Arrested As Result Of Illegal Gambling Investigation

October 23rd, 2025 at 9:38am CST by Luke Adams

9:38 am: According to law enforcement officials, 31 people have been taken into custody in connection to a scheme to rig illegal poker games that were backed by several New York crime families, per NBC News.

Prosecutors allege that recognizable figures like Billups were used to lure in victims who weren’t aware that everyone else involved in the games was in on the scam.

“Once the game was underway, the defendants fleeced the victims out of tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars per game,” said Nocella, who went on to explain that technology like hidden cameras, special contact lenses and eyeglasses, and an X-ray table that could read cards placed face down was used as part of the scheme.

8:10 am: Billups’ arrest is related to an illegal poker operation tied to the mafia, according to Aaron Katersky of ABC News, who reports that the case is separate from – but related to – the illegal gambling case for which Rozier was arrested.

7:34 am: Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups has been arrested in connection with the federal investigation into illegal gambling, report Tom Winter and Jonathan Dienst of NBC News (Twitter link). He’ll appear in federal court in Oregon later today, tweets Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.

While we’ve known for nearly nine months that Terry Rozier – who was also arrested on Thursday morning – was being investigated as part of a probe into illegal gambling, Billups’ connection to the case is new.

It’s unclear at this point what the federal investigation uncovered that led to the arrest of the Hall of Famer, but according to Winter and Dienst, it’s not related to bets made on games that Billups coached.

Joseph Nocella Jr., the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, will be joined by officials from the FBI, Homeland Security, and New York City police for a press conference on Thursday at approximately 10:00 am Eastern time to announce the latest developments in the investigation.

Billups was on the sidelines for the Trail Blazers’ season opener less than 12 hours ago. It’s safe to assume one of his assistants will serve as Portland’s head coach when the team faces Golden State on Friday night, with Nate Bjorkgren likely the favorite. Bjorkgren briefly served as the Blazers’ acting head coach last winter when Billups missed time for family reasons.

Billups has coached the Blazers since being hired by the team in June of 2021. He signed an extension with Portland in the spring and is under contract until 2028.

Besides Rozier and Billups, former Pistons sharpshooter Malik Beasley was also being investigated due to alleged illegal betting. According to investigative reporter and podcaster Pablo Torre (Twitter link), Beasley’s fate hinges on today’s announcement. He was previously investigated by the NBA and cleared after the league learned he made “a bet or two on another sport,” per Torre.

Heat’s Terry Rozier Arrested In Relation To Gambling Probe

October 23rd, 2025 at 9:28am CST by Luke Adams

9:28 am: Rozier’s attorney Jim Trusty has shared the following statement with NBC News:

“A long time ago, we reached out to these prosecutors to tell them we should have an open line of communication. They characterized Terry as a subject, not a target, but at 6 a.m. this morning they called to tell me FBI agents were trying to arrest him in a hotel.

“It is unfortunate that instead of allowing him to self-surrender, they opted for a photo op. They wanted the misplaced glory of embarrassing a professional athlete with a perp walk. That tells you a lot about the motivations in this case.

“They appear to be taking the word of spectacularly in-credible sources rather than relying on actual evidence of wrongdoing. Terry was cleared by the NBA, and these prosecutors revived that non-case. Terry is not a gambler, but he is not afraid of a fight, and he looks forward to winning this fight.”

Former NBA player and coach Damon Jones has also been arrested as a result of the investigation, per NBC News.

Rozier, Jones, and the four other individuals connected to the illegal sports betting case have been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, tweets Chris Mannix of SI.com.

Jones has also been connected to the separate (but related) investigation into illegal poker games with mafia ties, Mannix adds (via Twitter). Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups was arrested in connection with that case, as we detail in a separate story.

8:09 am: Rozier is among six people being charged on Thursday for a scheme to use inside information to place unlawful wagers on basketball games, according to Aaron Katersky of ABC News.

6:52 am: Heat guard Terry Rozier has been arrested by the FBI as a result of a federal investigation into illegal sports betting, according to investigative reporter and podcaster Pablo Torre (Twitter link).

Joseph Nocella Jr., the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, will be joined by officials from the FBI, Homeland Security, and New York City police for a press conference on Thursday at approximately 10:00 am Eastern time to discuss the latest developments in the probe into illegal sports betting and poker games, including numerous arrests.

Word broke back in January that federal prosecutors in New York were investigating Rozier as part of a probe into illegal sports betting. Investigators were specifically looking at a game that took place on March 23, 2023, when the veteran guard was still a member of the Hornets.

Ahead of that game, one bettor reportedly placed 30 wagers in 46 minutes on the “unders” on Rozier-related prop bets at a casino in Biloxi, Mississippi, raising alarms about potential suspicious activity. At the same time, there was a rush on multiple sportsbooks in New Orleans of under bets on Rozier props. Sportsbooks and the NBA were alerted, and some books stopped taking bets related to Rozier’s performance that day.

After recording five points, four rebounds and two assists in 9:34 of action in the first quarter, Rozier exited the game during a timeout and didn’t return, citing a foot issue. All 30 of those “under” prop bets won as a result of the abbreviated outing, and Rozier didn’t play the final eight games of the 2022/23 season due to the injury.

ESPN’s Shams Charania said during a TV appearance in June that Rozier had been “cleared, as of right now.” However, subsequent reporting indicated that wasn’t accurate, and that investigators were still looking at the 31-year-old, even if he wasn’t the specific target of the probe.

Rozier was permitted to continue playing for the Heat last season while the investigation was ongoing, but he had one of the worst years of his career, averaging 10.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 25.9 minutes per game across 64 outings while shooting just 39.1% from the floor and 29.5% from beyond the three-point line. He didn’t see any action in Miami’s season opener on Wednesday.

If Rozier were to be banned by the NBA as a result of this investigation, his contract would be voided and his expiring $26.6MM salary would come off the Heat’s books, notes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.

The federal investigation into illegal gambling is part of the same government probe which saw former Raptors big man Jontay Porter plead guilty to a federal felony charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Following an investigation, Porter was banned from the NBA for violating league rules “by disclosing confidential information to sports bettors, limiting his own participation in one or more games for betting purposes, and betting on NBA games.”

Free agent sharpshooter Malik Beasley was under investigation as part of the same federal probe, but there has been no indication yet that he has either been arrested or cleared. If he were to be cleared by investigators – and by the NBA – Beasley would immediately become the most popular target on the free agent market.

Spencer Dinwiddie Signs With Bayern Munich

October 23rd, 2025 at 8:54am CST by Luke Adams

After having been linked to multiple EuroLeague teams, including Olympiacos, free agent point guard Spencer Dinwiddie has officially signed with Bayern Munich, the German club announced in a press release. The deal doesn’t include an NBA out clause, according to the team.

An 11-year NBA veteran, Dinwiddie signed a one-year, minimum-salary contract with Charlotte in July. Although the deal was fully guaranteed, the 32-year-old became the victim of a preseason roster crunch for the Hornets, who waived him last Thursday in order to set their regular season roster.

Dinwiddie spent last season in Dallas and played a more significant role than expected due to the Luka Doncic trade and a series of injuries affecting guards like Kyrie Irving and Dante Exum. He was one of the only Mavericks players who made it through the season without dealing with any major health issues.

In 79 games (30 starts), Dinwiddie averaged 11.0 points, 4.4 assists, and 2.4 rebounds in 27.0 minutes per night, with a shooting line of .416/.334/.802.

Dinwiddie’s new team competes in both the EuroLeague and Germany’s top league (Basketball Bundesliga). Bayern just missed the EuroLeague playoffs last year after finishing with a 19-15 record, losing to Real Madrid in the play-in tournament for the final spot. However, the club is a powerhouse in the German league, having won each of the past two domestic titles. Dinwiddie will look to help make it three in a row for Bayern in 2025/26.

Sixers Notes: Edgecombe, Maxey, Embiid, Barlow

October 22nd, 2025 at 11:00pm CST by Eli Cohen

VJ Edgecombe had a historic debut for the Sixers on Wednesday, scoring the most points in a rookie debut since Wilt Chamberlain, writes Kurt Helin for NBC Sports.

After starting the game with 14 first-quarter points, Edgecombe finished with 34 for the game, the third-highest mark ever for a rookie in his first NBA outing. He also added seven rebounds, three assists, and five three-pointers.

“We certainly needed the offense, and he certainly just looked pretty comfortable out there,” head coach Nick Nurse said after the game. “Again, I think that’s probably one thing I’ve noticed the most about him, is he seems to really know what’s going on out there for a young player. You just don’t see him making silly mistakes, or many mistakes. He is just playing the right way. He’s got a very good feel for the game.”

It wasn’t all perfect for the third overall pick. Edgecombe went to the line with a one-point lead and 7.3 seconds on the clock and missed both free throws, but the Celtics were unable to take advantage, allowing the Sixers to escape with the win.

We have more Sixers notes:

Prior to Wednesday’s opener, Tyrese Maxey reflected on his path to becoming a leader with this Philadelphia team. “I used to always smile, but I know that I can’t be that guy anymore,” Maxey said told Tony Jones of The Athletic. “I kind of leave it up to Jared (McCain) and VJ. I want them to be extremely happy and have fun and just focus on playing basketball. That’s what they deserve to do.” One thing Maxey is focused on is letting go of a disaster 2024/25 season. On Wednesday, he took a good first step in that direction, leading the team to a win over Boston with 40 points on 24 shots and six assists to just one turnover.
One of the hardest things for a superstar to do is accept their limitations, but that’s exactly what Joel Embiid has been forced to do, writes Keith Pompey for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Embiid knows he’s perceived differently after the injuries that have caused him to lose so much time. “We got a bunch of athletes,” Embiid said. “We’ve got to release them… They’ve got to run. My job is to find them and, in a way, that also kind of saves me, because if we get early baskets and easy baskets, I won’t have to run up and down. I can just let those guys push the pace, attack. And if we don’t have anything, I’ve always trailed anyway in my career. Then I can come in and get into the offense.” In the season opener, Embiid was limited to four points on 1-of-9 shooting while playing just 20 minutes. Nurse confirmed ahead of the game that Embiid would be on a minutes restriction, Pompey reported (via Twitter).
Two-way big man Dominick Barlow got the start for the Sixers and ended the night with 13 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and one block in 34 minutes. After a strong preseason, he continued to impress, causing Jones to predict (via Twitter) that Barlow will have his contract converted to a standard NBA deal at some point this season.

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