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EuroBasket Notes: Schröder, Nowitzki, Wagner, Spanoulis, Awards

September 15th, 2025 at 11:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Dennis Schröder credited Dirk Nowitzki with inspiring the current crop of players who have turned Germany into an international basketball power, writes Edvinas Jablonskis of BasketNews. After capturing MVP honors while leading his team to the gold medal at EuroBasket, Schröder paid tribute to the Mavericks legend, who was a German basketball icon in addition to his 21-year NBA career.

“Dirk, what he’s been doing for the German national team and what he’s done in the NBA and in the national team made us come to the national team and represent our country,” Schröder said.

Nowitzki is one of the greatest players in European history and earned a long list of honors in international competitions. Schröder is also building an impressive resume, adding the EuroBasket gold to the championship he won at the 2023 FIBA World Cup and a bronze medal in the 2022 EuroBasket, but he doesn’t want to be compared to Nowitzki.

“At the end of the day, my name is Dennis Schröder, and I’m just Dennis Schröder, and that’s my legacy,” he said. “Whatever I can bring to the table to make sure my teammates are good and we compete at the highest level and win gold medals. That’s what I’m going to do. Everything else doesn’t matter.”

There’s more from EuroBasket:

German teammate Franz Wagner dedicated the championship to his brother, Moritz Wagner, who was unable to play due to an ACL tear in his left knee that he suffered with Orlando last season, per Pijus Sapetka of BasketNews. Franz said his brother is “super happy” about the gold medal, and he wore Moritz’s jersey during the victory celebration as a way to include him. “Obviously, he had a tough injury, and he’s trying to get back as fast as possible,” Franz said. “Couldn’t be here, but I think everybody on the team knows that he’s part of the group. It’s part of what we’re building.”
Greek coach Vassilis Spanoulis was happy to leave with the bronze, which represents the nation’s first international medal in 16 years, according to Michalis Gioulenoglou of Eurohoops. “This medal belongs to all Greeks,” Spanoulis said. “We wanted to bring basketball to the top again. This generation deserved it. Thank you very much, and I hope this medal returns basketball to the golden era.”
We covered Schröder’s MVP and the naming of the First Five on Sunday, but several other awards were also handed out. FIBA’s EuroBasket website lists Poland’s Jordan Loyd, Turkey’s Cedi Osman, Israel’s Deni Avdija, Finland’s Lauri Markkanen and Serbia’s Nikola Jokic as second-team honorees. In addition, Germany’s Isaac Bonga was named Best Defensive Player, Finland’s Miikka Muurinen received the Rising Star award and Turkey’s Ergin Ataman was recognized as Best Coach. Full standings for all 24 tournament teams have also been released.

Isaac Bonga Can’t Return To NBA This Season

September 15th, 2025 at 10:06am CST by Arthur Hill

Isaac Bonga played a huge role in helping Germany capture the gold medal at EuroBasket, and his stellar play at both ends of the court has prompted speculation about a possible return to the NBA. However, that can’t happen during the 2025/26 season, according to BasketNews, which relays a report from Serbian outlet Mozzart Sport.

Bonga recently extended his contract with Partizan Belgrade, keeping him with the team until the summer of 2027. The deal includes an NBA exit clause, but it has already expired for this year.

Bonga was an important contributor for the German squad, which posted a 9-0 record at the tournament. He averaged 9.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.7 blocks per game and was named the Best Defender at the competition.

The 25-year-old swingman began his NBA career with the Lakers after being selected with the 39th pick in the 2018 draft. After seeing limited playing time during his first season, Bonga was traded to Washington the following summer in the three-team deal that brought Anthony Davis to L.A.

He spent two seasons with the Wizards, starting 49 of the 66 games he played in 2019/20, then signed with Toronto as a free agent in 2021 before returning to Europe the following year.

German teammate Franz Wagner suggested over the weekend that Bonga could still have an NBA future, saying that teams would be interested in an “elite defender” who can hit three-pointers and make plays with the ball. According to Meridian Sport, when Wagner approached him about the idea, Bonga laughed and responded, “That’s something so you have something to talk about.”

Warriors Made New Offer To Jonathan Kuminga, But Stalemate Continues

September 15th, 2025 at 9:10am CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors made a new contract offer to restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga last week, hoping to end the standoff that has prevented them from completing other offseason moves, sources tell Anthony Slater and Shams Charania of ESPN.

Golden State’s latest proposal is a three-year, $75.2MM deal with a team option in the third season, according to the authors’ sources. It includes $48.3MM in guaranteed money over the first two years, which Slater and Charania point out is nearly equal to the annual salary that restricted free agent Josh Giddey received last week in his new contract with Chicago. They add that the major difference is that Giddey received four guaranteed years with no options on either side, while Kuminga would most likely be a trade asset under his next contract rather than part of the team’s long-term future.

The offer is an increase from the two-year, $45MM contract that was presented to Kuminga and his representatives earlier this summer. That deal also included a team option on the final season and a demand that Kuminga waive his inherent no-trade clause.

The authors describe the Warriors’ insistence on those provisions, even in the new proposal, as a “major part” of the prolonged standoff. Their sources say Golden State’s only offer without a team option was for $54MM over three years, which brings the annual salary down to $18MM.

Kuminga has been requesting a player option to give him more control over his future, sources tell Slater and Charania. He and agent Aaron Turner have been willing to accept a yearly salary in the $20MM range as a tradeoff, but they believe agreeing to a team option should bring Kuminga’s salary up to about $30MM per year. The Warriors consider a player option to be a “nonstarter,” according to the authors.

The latest proposal from Kuminga and his agent is described as a “souped-up version” of Golden State’s qualifying offer, which is also still on the table. Kuminga would receive more money than the $8MM QO that was tendered in late June, but it would be a one-year deal that makes him an unrestricted free agent next summer and allows the Warriors to shop him as an expiring contract heading into the trade deadline. It also creates the possibility that Kuminga could spend another full season with the team and start negotiations fresh next offseason.

General manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. turned down that idea, the authors state, as owner Joe Lacob is reportedly unwilling to accept any deal that puts the Warriors at risk of losing Kuminga next summer while getting nothing in return.

Lacob has been a strong believer in Kuminga ever since he advocated drafting him ahead of Franz Wagner in 2021, according to the authors. Sources tell them that Lacob refused to part with Kuminga in a proposed trade with Chicago for Alex Caruso two years ago, and he remained a vocal supporter even when the forward was removed from Steve Kerr‘s rotation last season. But sources tell the authors that Lacob has never intervened with Kerr on Kuminga’s behalf and has allowed the coach to make his own decisions about who gets on the court.

Kerr has indicated that Kuminga would see ample playing time this season if he opts to re-sign, according to Slater and Charania’s sources. However, Kuminga’s camp has pointed to comments that Kerr made during the playoffs — stating that Kuminga isn’t a natural fit alongside Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler — and they suggest that staying with Golden State might not be the best move for Kuminga’s career.

Before the Warriors shut down the idea of a sign-and-trade, they received offers from the Suns (who intended to pay Kuminga about $80-88MM over four years) and Kings (three years at $63-66MM), who were both willing to give him a player option and make him their starting power forward.

However, the Warriors weren’t satisfied with the return in the proposed deals, which reportedly would have brought Royce O’Neale and second-round draft compensation from Phoenix or Malik Monk and a protected first-rounder from Sacramento.

With training camp starting in two weeks, the authors state that Kuminga’s best hope is for Lacob to intervene, either to give him the financial compensation that he wants or ease his pathway to another team. The Warriors have several moves on hold that can’t be completed until the Kuminga situation is resolved, so a final decision will have to be made soon.

Isaiah Miller Joins Spurs On Training Camp Deal

September 15th, 2025 at 7:55am CST by Arthur Hill

Isaiah Miller signed a training camp contract with the Spurs on Saturday, Paul Garcia of The Spot Up Shot reports on Substack (subscription required).

While the 26-year-old guard has been with numerous teams since going undrafted out of UNC Greensboro in 2021, he has yet to appear in an NBA game. He was in training camp with San Antonio last fall on an Exhibit 10 contract, but he was waived before the start of the season.

Miller played for the Spurs’ G League affiliate in Austin, averaging 14.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 15 regular season games. He has also spent time with Iowa and Salt Lake City in the G League.

Miller was among 17 G League players selected to participate in the 2025 Up Next event at the NBA’s All-Star weekend. He was also named to the league’s All-Defensive Team.

Since leaving college, Miller has been signed and waived by Minnesota in 2021, Portland and Utah in 2022, Utah again in 2023 and San Antonio last year.

The Spurs had a roster opening after waiving Osayi Osifo over the weekend, but Miller’s signing brings them back to the offseason limit of 21 players.

Kai Jones Signs With Anadolu Efes

September 15th, 2025 at 7:15am CST by Dana Gauruder

SEPTEMBER 15: Jones’ new contract with Anadolu Efes is official, according to Eurohoops.

SEPTEMBER 11: Free agent big man Kai Jones is close to signing with Turkey’s Anadolu Efes, BasketNews’ Donatas Urbonas reports.

Jones worked out for the Heat last month but his chances of getting a contract with Miami waned after the team decided to ink Dru Smith. Prior to his workout, Jones was reportedly close to signing with Italy’s Virtus Bologna.

Jones played 40 games for the Clippers and Mavericks in ’24/25, averaging 5.0 PPG and 3.1 RPG while shooting 79.8% from the field in 11.7 MPG.

Jones began last season on a two-way contract with the Clippers, then was waived on March 1 so the team could bring in a couple of new two-way players. He caught on immediately with the injury-plagued Mavericks, who were desperately seeking frontcourt depth as they pushed for a play-in spot.

The 24-year-old center was the 19th pick of the 2021 draft. He spent his first two seasons in the league with the Hornets.

Jones’ contract with Anadolu Efes in expected to include an exit clause in January, Urbonas adds.

Dennis Smith Jr. Working Out For Knicks

September 14th, 2025 at 9:59pm CST by Eli Cohen

Free agent guard Dennis Smith Jr. is scheduled to work out for the Knicks this week, reports Stefan Bondy of the New York Post (via Twitter). Smith is hoping to make a return to the NBA after being out of the league last season.

The No. 9 pick in the 2017 draft, Smith has spent seven seasons in the NBA, including roughly two calendar years with the Knicks from 2019-21 after being included as part of the return in New York’s trade of Kristaps Porzingis with the Mavericks.

Smith holds career averages of 9.7 points, 4.2 assists, and 1.2 steals per game on .407/.298/.674 shooting splits. The athletic guard turned himself into a high-level perimeter defender, especially in his later seasons with the Hornets and Nets.

Smith most recently appeared in the NBA during the 2023/24 season, when he played in 56 games for Brooklyn. He had a brief stint with Real Madrid last season, averaging 2.8 points in 8.8 minutes per contest across four appearances.

The Knicks currently only have 12 players officially under contract, though they’ve reached agreements on non-guaranteed deals with Landry Shamet, Malcolm Brogdon, and Garrison Mathews, have a two-way qualifying offer on the table for Kevin McCullar Jr., and are tentatively expected to sign second-round pick Mohamed Diawara to a standard contract.

Due to hard-cap restrictions, the Knicks will only be able to keep one non-guaranteed veteran (like Shamet, Brogdon, or Mathews) on the regular season roster unless they make a trade to shed salary, which is a possibility.

Malik Beasley Remains Interested In Pistons Reunion

September 14th, 2025 at 9:03pm CST by Eli Cohen

Malik Beasley‘s status for next season is still very much up in the air, but there’s still interest in a potential reunion with the Pistons, at least from the player’s side, writes Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press.

“It’s definitely a place I want to be,” Beasley said following the Pistons’ playoff elimination at the hands of the Knicks. “To be here, my mom’s hometown, I grew up here a lot in the summertime. To be able to perform in front of this city is huge and I’m glad I got a chance to do that.”

Beasley became just the fifth player in NBA history to hit 300 three-pointers in a season, Sankofa notes, and was the runner-up for Sixth Man of the Year during his lone season in Detroit. He also became a valuable locker room presence for the young up-and-coming team.

Thanks to his and the team’s success, the Pistons entered the summer with the intention of signing the veteran guard to a three-year, $42MM deal, but the reports of Beasley’s status at the center of a federal gambling investigation threw his playing status into doubt and caused the team to pursue other options: notably, signing Caris LeVert and executing a sign-and-trade for Duncan Robinson.

Beasley’s lawyer, Steve Haney, confirmed that despite still being under a league investigation, Beasley is looking forward to next season — and remains interested in a reunion with the Pistons.

“I do know that Malik, if there’s a pathway, would like to look at being considered to play for Detroit again next season,” Haney said. “I’m not his agent, though, so I don’t know if there’s still interest there, I don’t know if there’s still money there, what the mutual level of interest there is in him returning to Detroit. I know that he’s got a lot of love for Detroit and would like to, if possible, look at maybe coming back.”

The Pistons currently have 13 fully guaranteed contracts, plus Javonte Green‘s partially guaranteed minimum deal. The team holds Beasley’s Non-Bird rights, meaning it could offer him a multi-year deal with an initial annual salary worth up to $7.2MM. If Detroit were to sign him to a four-year deal, it would likely come to around $31MM in totality, marking at least an $11MM drop from the contract Beasley entered the summer expecting to land.

The Cavaliers, Knicks, and Timberwolves had previously expressed interest in Beasley, though the Knicks have began filling out their training camp roster with veterans that have a similar skill set in Landry Shamet, Malcolm Brogdon, and Garrison Mathews, and are reportedly interested in keeping at least two of the three.

Bilal Coulibaly Expected To Miss 6-8 Weeks

September 14th, 2025 at 8:01pm CST by Eli Cohen

It was recently announced that Wizards‘ wing Bilal Coulibaly underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb that he suffered during his time with the French national team competing at EuroBasket. Grant Afseth of RG has now provided an update on the timeline of Coulibaly’s recovery process.

According to Afseth, the 21-year-old is expected to miss six-to-eight weeks, which means he’ll likely be sidelined for at least the first week of the season, which tips off on October 21. Afseth notes that even if Coulibaly were to get back to full health on the earlier side of that timeline, he would still have to undergo a full return-to-competition ramp-up.

“Usually, you’re not touching a basketball, unless it’s just to do off-hand work, until that six-week mark,” a source told Afseth. “Then he’d have to do contact work before playing.”

Coulibaly averaged 12.3 points, 3.4 assists, and 1.3 steals per game for the Wizards last season before missing the final 23 games of the season with a hamstring injury. He saw his three-point shooting numbers drop from 34.6% as a rookie to 28.1% as a sophomore while shouldering a larger offensive workload.

Afseth notes that once Coulibaly returns, he’s expected to resume his place as a key member of the Wizards’ rebuild. A strong defender and open-court player, he projects to fit well alongside 2025 first-round pick Tre Johnson on the wing.

Afseth notes that Coulibaly’s teammate on both the French national team and Wizards, Alex Sarr, was also injured in competition, suffering a calf injury that caused him to pull out of the tournament.

EuroBasket Standouts For NBA Teams To Monitor

September 14th, 2025 at 6:04pm CST by Eli Cohen

The 2025 EuroBasket tournament has officially concluded, with Germany taking home the gold medal after defeating Turkey 88-83. Soon, the NBA players involved in the competition will rejoin their teams as they gear up for training camp, while EuroLeague players get ready for the September 30 season tip-off.

While the competition was a great way for teammates like Franz Wagner and Tristan Da Silva of the Magic to further build chemistry and for international stars like Dennis Schröder and Giannis Antetokounmpo to continue to shape their FIBA legacies, it was also a chance for less-heralded players to gain the eye of NBA executives and scouts, write Cyro Asseo and Sam Yip of HoopsHype.

Asseo and Yip break down eight players who proved during competition that they are worth NBA teams’ attention. They start with Isaac Bonga, who was named MVP of the EuroBasket Final after scoring 20 points and making 4-of-4 three-pointers.

Bonga played four seasons in the NBA from 2018-22, and averaged 3.1 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 13.1 minutes per night. Since leaving the league, the 6’8″ forward has become one of Europe’s premier defenders while shooting over 37% from three each of the last three seasons.

Asseo and Yip referred to him as “by far the best defender in this year’s Eurobasket” and “perhaps the best perimeter defender outside the NBA.” Bonga, who signed an extension with Partizan Belgrade that runs through 2026/27, is only 25 years old.

Next, HoopsHype’s duo turned to Bonga’s German teammate Oscar Da Silva, brother of Tristan, whom they describe as a 6’9″ versatile defender capable of doing the dirty work that NBA teams value. However, Da Silva’s contract with Bayern Munich extends through 2027 and doesn’t contain a buyout clause.

Finnish high school phenom Miika Muurinen was one of the breakout stars of the tournament, catapulting to international acclaim with high-flying dunks and an intriguing shooting stroke. Asseo and Yip write that Muurinen plans to choose a college sometime this winter and that he is expected to be a high-level prospect in the 2027 draft class.

Tyler Dorsey, a strong shooter and capable ball-handler who helped Antetokounmpo lead Greece to the bronze medal, has been in and out of the NBA since 2017, most recently playing three games with the Mavericks during the 2022/23 season. HoopsHype’s writers say they wouldn’t be shocked if the Bucks moved to bring him in alongside the star forward he has already shown he can succeed alongside.

Andreas Obst, Sylvain Francisco, Mikael Jantunen, and Ercan Osmani are names fans may be less familiar with, but all gave good reason for NBA teams to be intrigued if they decide to bring a player in from overseas.

Obst is considered perhaps the best shooter outside of the United States, Asseo and Yip write, as evidenced by his 43.8% three-point mark over his eight games. At only 6’3″, he may struggle with NBA defensive assignments, but could carve out a role as a shooting specialist.

Francisco has flirted with the NBA, but has never been able to make the leap. However, the writers note that the French guard, who went to high school in Florida, has the same agent that represents European NBA players such as Nikola Jovic and Nikola Topic, while also holding a buyout clause for 2026.

Jantunen had a strong performance for Finland, displaying a high-level shooting stroke for a 6’8″ 25-year-old. He shot 44.1% from three and 91.7% from the free throw line while scoring 12 points per game. Jantunen played two years for the Utes in college.

Finally, the seven-foot Osmani displayed a real ability to stretch the floor, knocking down 56.7% of his threes and submnitting a 28-point performance against Greece that saw the Turkish big man hit six shots from beyond the arc.

Giannis Antetokounmpo Calls EuroBasket Medal His ‘Greatest Accomplishment’

September 14th, 2025 at 5:03pm CST by Eli Cohen

Giannis Antetokounmpo has achieved almost every NBA accolade possible with the Bucks: an NBA championship, Finals MVP, regular season MVP (twice), Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, and All-Star MVP. However, he believes that leading the Greek national team to its first international medal since 2009 could be his greatest feat as an athlete, as FIBA.com relays.

Greece won the bronze medal by defeating Lauri Markkanen and the Finnish team 92-89. Antetokounmpo amassed 30 points, 17 rebounds, six assists, and two steals while shooting 9-11 from the field and 12-16 from the free throw line. Markannen, for his part, had 19 points and 10 rebounds.

“This is probably the greatest accomplishment I have ever accomplished as an athlete,” Antetokounmpo said after the game.

He went on to clarify the meaning of what might seem to some an unusual claim, and to ensure fans in Wisconsin don’t take his words the wrong way.

“This is not better than the championship I won with the Bucks. Winning a championship for an NBA club is a huge accomplishment and Milwaukee is a great city. But it is 500 or 600 thousand people,” he said. “But when you are able to make 12 million Greeks happy, and you are able to inspire the next generation – like (the 2005 EuroBasket winners) inspired us from the previous generation in 1987 that inspired them. This is the biggest thing ever.”

Antetokounmpo believes there’s something special about international competition, saying that every time he plays with the national team, he falls in love with the game more, a feeling likely aided by the fact that he was able to achieve this success while playing alongside two of his brothers, Kostas Antetokounmpo and Thanasis Antetokounmpo. He’s hoping that by seeing his and the team’s success, more young players will be inspired to chase that feeling.

“There’s a kid right now watching this on TV who is going to be very very happy that maybe one day that he can win a medal with the national team,” Antetokounmpo said.

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