Hoops Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript: 9/23/2025
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included the Rockets' title hopes after Fred VanVleet's injury, Malik Beasley's NBA future, the Sixers' possible return to contention, Joe Dumars' discussion with Zion Williamson about "accountability" and more!
Nets Sign Fanbo Zeng
September 22: The Nets have officially finalized their deal with Zeng, who appears on the 21-man training camp roster announced today by the team. He reportedly signed an Exhibit 10 contract.
August 2: Fanbo Zeng, one of the top prospects in China, has agreed to a contract with the Nets, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Zeng, 22, is a 6’10” forward who’s coming off a productive season with the Beijing Ducks in the Chinese Basketball Association. He averaged 14.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game while shooting 53% from the field and 41% from three-point range.
In 2020, Zeng announced his intention to play college basketball at Gonzaga, but he changed his mind the following spring and committed to the G League Ignite. He appeared in 19 total games for the former independent G League team during the 2021/22 season.
He signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Pacers the following summer and played five games for them during Summer League, but he returned to China that fall.
Zeng injured his back in late April during a CBA contest and decided to pull out of the FIBA Asia Games, which start next weekend, according to NetsDaily. The injury, diagnosed as a lumbar transverse process fracture, normally comes with a two- to three-month recovery process, so he should be fine by the start of training camp.
Zeng hired American agents three months ago in an effort to revive his NBA prospects, NetsDaily continues. He should be a featured attraction when Brooklyn travels to Macao in October for two exhibition games against Phoenix.
Scotto doesn’t provide any details about Zeng’s contract, but it may be an Exhibit 10 deal with an invitation to participate in training camp. The Nets already have 10 players with standard contracts, along with three more expected signings and four other players with non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed deals. They have one open two-way slot, so Zeng could be in position to compete for that.
Armando Bacot Explains Why He Chose Europe Over Hornets
Armando Bacot was expecting to sign with the Hornets when the summer began, but he changed his mind when he got an opportunity with Fenerbahce. In an interview with Bugra Uzar of Eurohoops, Bacot explains why he chose to go to Istanbul rather than try to secure an NBA contract.
“Early in the summer, I got offers from a couple of EuroLeague teams, not Fenerbahce though, and I intended to sign with the Charlotte Hornets,” he said, “But Fenerbahce called me. I got a chance to talk with the coach (Sarunas Jasikevicius) and with some people who play here and have been around this atmosphere. I liked what they said, and it was a no-brainer.”
The 25-year-old big man signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Memphis last September after going undrafted out of North Carolina. He was waived before the start of the season and played for the Grizzlies’ G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle, where he averaged 18.2 points and 9.5 rebounds in 34 games. He was selected to participate in the 2025 Up Next event at the NBA’s All-Star weekend.
Bacot said he was influenced by the chance to play for Jasikevicius, who coached Fenerbahce to the EuroLeague title last season. He compares the atmosphere to being with the Tar Heels.
“It’s great because you have huge fan bases and big brands,” Bacot said. “You gotta be built to be able to play in environments like these because obviously the fans are passionate, the coaches, players, the community, everyone’s passionate, so it’s a good type of thing to be a part of. I’ve been blessed to be able to be a part of some great teams in college, but also put up some great performances that’re up there with some of the greats, so I’m just thankful.”
Bacot discussed the demands of playing a EuroLeague schedule along with domestic competition in Turkey, and he credited new teammates Devon Hall and Khem Birch with making his adjustment to European basketball easier.
Bacot also indicated that he would consider remaining in Europe for the rest of his career.
“It’s great basketball,” he said. “You see around here, it’s beautiful. They treat you just like the NBA, so I’m definitely open to staying here if it’s the right situation.”
International Notes: Walker, Nunn, Osman, Graham, FIBA Rankings
Lonnie Walker IV, who signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv in August, credits former NBA teammate Kendrick Nunn with easing the transition to the EuroLeague, writes Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. Walker, who finished last season with the Sixers after starting it with Zalgiris Kaunas, talked about the influence of Nunn, whom he played alongside with the Lakers during the 2022/23 season.
“It all really started because of Kendrick Nunn. He’s one of the pioneers of this all, as far as Americans feeling or seeing more comfortably coming over here. He’s shown that it’s possible,” Walker said.
Walker’s success in the EuroLeague paved his way to return to the NBA with Philadelphia in February. Now that he’s back overseas, he hopes to set an example along with Nunn that will make it easier for more players in the prime of their careers to consider Europe.
“When you have a player like that, it’s kind of just a domino effect,” Walker said. “I came next up in line. Now you have more and more players, as far as Americans coming in now. So, I just try to be my best as far as answering questions the best I can, and making them understand the difference between the NBA and the EuroLeague.”
There’s more international news to pass along:
- Cedi Osman suffered an ankle injury during EuroBasket, but the former NBA forward is expected to be ready when Panathinaikos starts its EuroLeague season, according to BasketNews. Osman got hurt during a quarterfinal matchup with Poland, but he continued to play as Turkey captured the silver medal. “I believe Osman will be ready for the EuroLeague opener,” coach Ergin Ataman said. “He’s currently in Athens for treatment. I hope he can join team practices two to three days before the game.”
- Crvena Zvezda coach Ioannis Sfairopoulos is excited about the offseason addition of ex-NBA guard Devonte’ Graham, according to a separate story from BasketNews. Graham joined the Serbian team in August after spending last season in the G League. “This is his first season in Europe, first practice in European basketball, he will need time,” Sfairopoulos said. “But he already showcased his quality, he will be one of our main players and I think he will play like in his best years in NBA, just like we expect it.”
- The Germans’ victory at EuroBasket has moved them into the second spot in FIBA’s World Rankings. The United States is still No. 1 after capturing the gold medal at the 2024 Olympics, with Serbia, France and Canada rounding out the top five.
Nets Could Have Youngest Roster In NBA History
After making history by becoming the first team ever to select five players in the first round of a draft, the Nets will begin the challenge of integrating all those new faces into the program when training camp opens this week, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscription required). Egor Demin, Nolan Traoré, Drake Powell, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf provide a young infusion of talent that offers hope to a rebuilding franchise.
“This is great. It was a unique opportunity for us, to be quite frank,” general Sean Marks said this summer. “We’ve never had five picks in one draft. To be able to draft all of them in a draft class we just saw, that was unique. That was something we want to take advantage of, especially in our build, where we see these young men fitting into our group and into our roster. So, it was about us capitalizing on the hand we were dealt.”
The top prospect in that group is Demin, a 6’9″ guard out of BYU who was chosen with the No. 8 pick. The 19-year-old Russian native provided a pleasant surprise with his shooting during Summer League, but his play-making was limited because he wasn’t featured exclusively in an on-ball role due to the number of lead guards on Brooklyn’s team in Las Vegas.
Traoré, Powell, Saraf and Wolf may see limited minutes as rookies, and it’s possible that all of them could spend time with the team’s G League affiliate in Long Island.
“The preseason with the team, getting to know everyone and making sure to know (everyone) basketball-wise (is huge),” Traoré said. “As a point guard, I’d say that it’s important to know these guys and know what they like and just start to build the team right way.”
Depending on how the final roster shakes out, Lewis notes that the Nets have a chance to eclipse the 2022/23 Rockets as the youngest team in NBA history. In addition to the five first-rounders, Brooklyn recently traded for 2023 first-round pick Kobe Bufkin, who turns 22 today. Dariq Whitehead and Noah Clowney are both 21, while Fanbo Zeng, who is expected to sign soon, is 22.
It presents another challenge for second-year head coach Jordi Fernandez, who had the third-youngest team in the league last season.
“That’s definitely on me. Player development is going to be important. We’ve been very diligent,” Fernandez said. “The coaching staff has done a great job making our guys work, and those guys have improved. And we believe (the rookies) will do the same thing.”
Jaylen Brown: Celtics Entering ‘New Era’
Following a summer of change that saw several foundational pieces moved to other teams, Celtics star Jaylen Brown talked about the “new era” for the franchise during a recent live stream, per Noa Dalzell of Celtics Blog (Twitter link, hat tip to Real GM).
After several years as title contenders, Boston may fall into the middle of the pack in the East, at least for the upcoming season. The need to escape the second apron made cost-cutting moves inevitable, and the Achilles injury that Jayson Tatum suffered during the playoffs accelerated the process.
The Celtics began the offseason by trading Kristaps Porzingis to Atlanta and Jrue Holiday to Portland. Another member of the 2024 title team was lost when Luke Kornet signed with San Antonio, and free agent center Al Horford appears to be headed to Golden State. Additional changes could be on the way as the team has an opportunity to duck below the tax threshold by trimming roughly $12MM more in salary.
“It’s a new era of the Celtics. It feels like a new era,” Brown said. “… Half the team is gone. I wish them the best. I appreciate them. They were great teammates, so it’s kind of sad to see them go. But it’s a new era. Everything has kind of changed and shifted. We’ll see what we’ve got.”
Brown, who underwent an arthroscopic debridement procedure in June, also said it has been a “great healing summer,” indicating that he’s no longer bothered by the right knee issues that plagued him late last season and into the playoffs. Doctors said he was dealing with a partially torn right meniscus, and it was determined that surgery rather than rest was the best way to ensure that he’s fully healed by training camp.
Brown and Derrick White will be the team’s only holdover starters when the Celtics’ new season tips off October 22.
Kevin Durant Offers His Perspective On Trade Saga In Phoenix
Kevin Durant trade rumors shook up the NBA last winter as the Suns tried to dismantle their underachieving team in midseason. Durant recalled that experience this week during an appearance at the Game Plan Sports Business Summit in Los Angeles, saying he learned he was being shopped “around February,” relays Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.
“Initially, I was a little upset because I felt like we built a solid relationship, me and the Phoenix Suns,” Durant said. “And to hear that from a different party was kind of upsetting, but that’s just the name of the game. So I got over that quickly and was trying to figure out what the next steps were.”
Durant was linked to several teams in trade talks, but the quickly approaching February 6 deadline made it difficult to put a deal together. He confirmed that the Warriors had real interest in bringing him back to the Bay Area, where he won titles in 2017 and 2018, but Durant had business partner Rich Kleiman shut down that possibility.
“I heard Golden State was in the mix around the trade deadline, but that’s when Rich came into play, and those relationships that we built around the league and also playing in Golden State helped,” Durant told the audience. “We were able to tell them kind of hold off on that.”
Durant remained in Phoenix, but a breakup seemed inevitable after the Suns failed to qualify for the play-in tournament. He missed the final seven games of the season after suffering an ankle injury on March 30.
Durant found himself back on the market when the summer began. Houston, San Antonio and Miami were reportedly on his list of preferred locations, and Minnesota was rumored to be involved in the bidding as well. An agreement on a deal sending him to the Rockets was reached in June, with Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and the 10th pick in the draft, which was used to take Khaman Maluach, going to Phoenix in return.
“Since me being on the market in February when there’s also a trade deadline, people were just kind of seeing how their seasons played out and what they needed for their teams,” Durant said. “We knew we would revisit that right around the summertime, and Houston kind of jumped on, and it happened pretty fast from there.”
Lakers Notes: Doncic, Pelinka, LeBron, Thiero
The Lakers provided a huge show of support for Luka Doncic as he represented Slovenia at EuroBasket, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Team governor Jeanie Buss and president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka both made the trip to Poland to watch Doncic in action. They were joined by team stakeholders Kurt Rambis and his wife Linda, along with other staff members, and assistant coach Greg St. Jean worked on Slovenia’s coaching staff.
“Luka has a tremendous amount of heartfelt pride and appreciation for his roots and playing for his country,” Pelinka said. “I just think in the partnerships we have with our players, the Lakers want to be mindful of players’ passions and who they are as men and then lean in and support those things. So, around Luka, it was a very easy partnership decision that we wanted to support.”
Even though his team didn’t bring home a medal, Doncic was outstanding. He averaged 34.7 points per game, the highest by anyone since 1989, and raised that figure to 40.5 PPG in two knockout round contests. Team sources tell McMenamin that the Lakers’ coaching staff was impressed by the way Doncic moved after his offseason conditioning program. He was able to jump noticeably higher, split double teams and be more disruptive on defense.
“Players playing basketball in the offseason is something that, from a leadership standpoint, I support,” Pelinka said. “I think you could say in some sense that some of the offseason and sort of the current basketball lens, especially in the States, is on individual work. And I think that sort of the team environment can get lost.”
There’s more on the Lakers:
- Multiple stories have indicated that L.A. is prioritizing cap room for the summer of 2027, but Pelinka indicated that plans could change if the right opportunity comes along, McMenamin adds in the same piece. The team will face important financial decisions soon with Rui Hachimura ($18.3 million), Gabe Vincent ($11.5 million) and Maxi Kleber ($11 million) all on expiring contracts and Austin Reaves likely heading for free agency after declining a four-year, $89MM extension in June. Sources tell McMenamin that the Lakers would consider trading for a contract that extends beyond 2026.“In terms of team building, we’ve talked about the importance of having optionality and when I use that word, it’s not to say in the future,” Pelinka said. “I think optionality is also in the now.”
- Among his many accomplishments, LeBron James last season became the first player ever to reach 50,000 combined points in the regular season and playoffs. During a visit to China, he talked about what it took to achieve that record in an interview with CBV Game (YouTube link, hat tip to Lakers Nation). “I don’t think it’s about the record, I just think it’s a microcosm of my career, of my hard work and dedication to my craft, and my love for the game,” James said. “I put so many hours into trying to be the greatest of what I can become and the best I can become. That moment is there is an indication of that, of hard work paying off. It’s always pretty cool when you can have those moments that show that the work does pay off.”
- Rookie forward Adou Thiero told NBA on Prime (Twitter link) that he chose No. 1 as his uniform number as a tribute to Derrick Rose. “My first favorite player was Derrick Rose,” Thiero said. “So then I tried to go with the number I was throughout college (3) and everything. I wasn’t able to get that number so, you know, why not go back with what we started with.”
Knicks Emphasized Collaboration During Coaching Search
Collaboration will be a point of emphasis as Mike Brown prepares for his first season as head coach of the Knicks, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscription required).
Sources tell Bondy that the need to work together across the organization was stressed during the interview process after former coach Tom Thibodeau’s style was considered “too unilateral.” Brown will be expected to consult with ownership, the front office, the medical staff and player development experts, along with his assistant coaches and players, and to give serious consideration to their input.
“I had great conversations with (team owner) Mr. (James) Dolan and (president) Leon (Rose),” Brown said during his introductory press conference. “I want to form a partnership with them. It’s impossible to do this alone.”
Bondy notes that Brown has to walk a fine line of taking suggestions from multiple parties while still showing that he’s in charge of the team, rather than a “puppet” of the front office. That challenge will begin when the team opens training camp this week.
Brown will also be tasked with upgrading the offense by replacing Thibodeau’s reliance on isolations with a style that emphasizes ball movement and pace. His players have received some exposure to the new system already, and the reaction has been positive.
“I’ve talked to (Brown) a lot, and I think the big thing is just going to be a lot of player movement,” reserve guard Miles McBride said recently. “He’s giving us the foundation, and we’re just going to work off of it. So I’m really excited to see all our creativity with each other that we’ve been working on these last couple months. Really excited to see where it takes us.”
Brown is also expected to have less reliance on his starters than his predecessor, giving more players a chance to log significant minutes. Bondy theorizes that would have happened anyway after the offseason additions of Guerschon Yabusele, Jordan Clarkson and Malcolm Brogdon, but Brown is naturally more inclined than Thibodeau to use a larger rotation.
Bondy notes that the Knicks’ starting five easily led the NBA in combined minutes last season, but he sees the potential for a 10-man rotation under Brown.
Celtics Waive Hayden Gray
The Celtics have opened a spot on their training camp roster by waiving Hayden Gray, according to NBA.com’s official transaction log.
The 22-year-old guard signed an Exhibit 10 contract in July after going undrafted out of UC San Diego. He was a member of Boston’s Summer League team, getting into one game and putting up seven points, two assists and two steals in 20 minutes.
Gray is expected to join the G League’s Maine Celtics, Smith adds. The Exhibit 10 deal will make him eligible for a bonus worth $50,000 if he spends at least 60 days with the team.
Gray was the Division I leader in steals with 3.1 per game last season. He also averaged 11.2 points, 3.3 assists and 3.1 rebounds in 35 games while shooting 47.9% from the field and 41.8% from three-point range.
Gray’s departure leaves Boston with 20 players, one short of the offseason limit. Three new signings became official earlier today.