Jazz’s Will Hardy Discusses Ace Bailey
Ace Bailey emerged as one of the more polarizing players during the 2025 pre-draft process due to his camp’s decision not to have him work out for interested teams. After a shortened Summer League, Jazz head coach Will Hardy opened up on his impressions of Bailey and what he’ll be looking for this season from one of the highest-upside players in this year’s draft class.
“For Ace, first and foremost, it’s going to be about building a routine. The NBA is a lot,” Hardy said, as reported by Andy Larson of the Salt Lake Tribune. “The number of appearances is far more than he used to. That’s practice, shootaround, games, but it’s going to be about sort of him finding his routine, because I think the routine saves you during the season, you don’t have to think that much.”
Larson notes that the young players who make up a majority of Utah’s roster have been practicing in Salt Lake City for large portions of the summer, and Hardy expects them to continue to do so for the next two weeks. After a brief Labor Day break, they will join more of the team, undergoing four workout sessions per week throughout September.
Hardy didn’t get a chance to see the No. 5 overall pick as much as he’d have liked in July – Bailey was limited to two appearances at the Salt Lake City Summer League and didn’t play in Las Vegas – but the Jazz coach shared some thoughts on the on-court skill set he thinks the rookie can develop.
“I think Ace showed he was really active in Summer League. He’s a good cutter. He can play in off-ball screens,” Hardy said. “And then defensively, while his body is continuing to get stronger, it’s going to be about using his length, because I think that is a real strength of his right now. I think that’s how he can survive on the defensive end right now.”
In addition to his scoring potential, Bailey showcased a good motor as a rebounder during Summer League, which will likely help him carve out a role as he learns the intricacies of NBA defenses.
Dereck Lively II Expected To Be Ready For Camp
Dereck Lively II is expected to be ready for the Mavericks‘ training camp following offseason foot surgery, writes Grant Afseth for Dallas Hoops Journal.
Lively underwent a procedure to clean up bone spurs in his right foot in July and was initially in a walking boot. This followed a diagnosis of a stress fracture in the same foot in January. Previous reports indicate that the handling of Lively’s foot injury had led to a confrontation between the team’s director of health and performance, Johann Bilsborough, and the athletic performance director, Keith Belton (Belton has since been let go).
Lively’s foot issue limited him to 36 games last season, during which time he averaged 8.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.6 blocks in 23.1 minutes per night.
On Saturday, the Mavs posted a video of Lively working out in Philadelphia, where he has been training with head video coordinator Riley Crean (Twitter video link).
In addition to his rehabilitation, Lively has spent a large part of the offseason in communication with new Maverick Cooper Flagg, giving him advice and helping him get acclimated to the NBA world.
Bryn Forbes Signs With Aris BC
Bryn Forbes will join Aris BC in the Greek league, per the team at Eurohoops.net.
Forbes signed a one-year deal with the team. This will be the 32-year-old sharpshooter’s first time playing in Europe.
Forbes played seven seasons in the NBA, primarily with the Spurs. The 6’2″ guard averaged 8.8 points, 1.2 assists, and 41% from three for his career. His last NBA action came during 2022/23 for the Wolves, a season that was cut short for Forbes following an arrest on domestic violence charges.
He played last season for Santeros de Aguada in Puerto Rico, where he averaged 21.0 points and 3.5 assists in 11 games. He will team up in Greece with Alex Antetokounmpo, brother of former teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo, who also recently joined Aris.
NBA, NBPA Support Limitations On Certain Betting
The NBA has seen a rise in gambling-related concerns since sports betting became widely legalized in 2018. The most famous case was when Jontay Porter received a lifetime ban from the NBA and pleaded guilty to a federal felony charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, but recent investigations into Malik Beasley as well as Terry Rozier have once again brought the issue to the forefront of public consciousness.
It’s a matter that both the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association are aware of and are searching for answers to, according to ESPN’s David Purdum, who writes that both the league and the players’ union have come out in support of limitations on specific types of bets that are most likely to be vulnerable to manipulation by players and gamblers.
In the wake of the Porter case, the NBA asked its betting partners not to allow prop bets for players on two-way contracts. There is now an expectation that more restrictions will follow, especially given widespread sentiment among players that the league’s gambling partnerships are problematic.
There are other reasons for the desired changes. Purdum writes that the players’ union is less concerned with Porter’s case representing a nascent trend and more concerned about the abuse bettors direct towards players regarding failed prop bets.
“[Players] are concerned that prop bets have become an increasingly alarming source of player harassment, both online and in person,” an NBPA spokesperson said. “If tighter regulations can help minimize that abuse, then we support taking a closer look at them.”
One area of specific focus is microbets, which are centered around specific in-game outcomes. New Jersey and Ohio have both introduced bills to ban microbets, and Major League Baseball is currently engaged in discussions about them after two Cleveland Guardians pitchers were placed on leave over suspicious microbet activity.
Greek Coach Confirms Giannis Antetokounmpo’s EuroBasket Status
It has been confirmed for several weeks that Giannis Antetokounmpo would represent Team Greece in this summer’s EuroBasket tournament, but to this point, the Greek star has been unable to be present for the team’s exhibition games or activities as he reportedly awaits the Bucks‘ written sign-off on his participation.
However, there was some good news on that front yesterday, as the Eurohoops team reported that Greek national team head coach Vassilis Spanoulis had confirmed that Antetokounmpo’s work with the team will begin this weekend.
“He already had a training session with contact with some guys from our team. On Saturday, he will start training normally,” Spanoulis said.
Antetokounmpo had reportedly been required to obtain Milwaukee’s permission due to the size of his NBA contract exceeding FIBA’s insurance policy.
Because of that delay, he missed each of the team’s first four warm-up games, which caused some disappointment among rival coaches. Greece went 2-2 in those contests, beating Belgium and Montenegro while losing to Israel and Serbia.
The team will host Latvia, Italy, and France at the Acropolis Tournament in Athens, which runs from August 20-24 before the group stage of EuroBasket begins for Greece on August 28.
Tyrese Haliburton Shares Injury Rehab Update
While hosting a youth basketball camp in Wisconsin on Friday, Tyrese Haliburton addressed his recovery from the Achilles tear that forced him to miss the majority of Game 7 of the NBA Finals and will sideline him for the entire 2025/26 season, expressing eagerness to eventually rejoin the Pacers.
“It’s been up and down. I’m finally walking without the use of crutches or a scooter or anything, so that’s exciting for me,” Haliburton said, as recorded by Kyle Malzhan of WFRV (Twitter video link).
While the road back to health is a long and, at times, frustrating one, Haliburton seemed encouraged by the initial milestones he has hit so far.
“I have good days and bad days… I think every couple weeks, it’s kind of like a new achievement, I guess, in terms of my recovery,” he said. “I think over the next couple weeks, we’ll get closer to me being able to wear shoes full-time without a boot and being able to walk and stuff like that.”
Haliburton was candid about the mental challenges of the recovery process and how he has been able to find the positive in the grind of rehabilitation.
“It’s a long process. This injury, to get back to 100% is usually about a year long,” he said. “We’re only at week six, week seven now, so we still got a lot of time to get there, but I think every little progression is exciting for me. To be here, to be able to walk, it means a lot to me… I have a great medical team behind me that’s really helping me get things done. I’m progressing as well as I can right now, meeting with my surgeon, meeting with my medical staff at all times.”
After getting so close to winning the first championship in Pacers’ franchise history, Haliburton said he isn’t letting this setback distract him from his goals:
“When you look back on the year that was and how special it was, it means a lot for me. When I am able to get back to 100% the chase continues, so that’s the exciting part for me.”
Charles Lee Talks Hornets’ Offseason
The Hornets have had a busy offseason.
They traded Jusuf Nurkic to the Jazz for Collin Sexton and a second-round pick and drafted Kon Knueppel, Ryan Kalkbrenner, Sion James, and Liam McNeeley, who was selected with a pick that came over after trading Mark Williams to the Suns. They also added Pat Connaughton, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Mason Plumlee, either via trade or free agency, and retained free agent Tre Mann.
After getting only 74 combined games out of franchise cornerstones LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, the latter of whom is nearly fully recovered from wrist surgery, they will also be hoping for some better health luck this season.
Head coach Charles Lee went on Charlotte sports radio station WFNZ to discuss the team’s moves, preview the rotation outlook, and provide some injury updates.
Lee talked about the addition of Sexton, what was attractive about him from Charlotte’s standpoint, and what he will bring to the team this season.
“[Hornets’ general manager Jeff Peterson] and his group, they’re just so well prepared,” Lee said. “… They understand what we need to do from a roster depth and balance standpoint, too. And I think, as they were approached with the situation, they broke it down, they prepared like they usually do, they chopped it up, and figured out what makes sense for our team going forward.
“I’ve been very excited about Collin Sexton joining our group. From afar, I’ve always witnessed him competing at a really high level. Since he’s been with our group and around our group, he’s elevated the intensity. He’s definitely a sociable and in-your-face type guy, but I love it. I think he’s going to add a lot to our group and our culture.”
When asked about the influx of guards to the roster, which now features Ball, Sexton, Knueppel, Mann, Dinwiddie, James, and Nick Smith Jr., Lee expressed excitement about the possibilities presented by having so many players capable of handling the ball.
“I think we had a pretty good roster last year, but this year we are definitely a little more versatile,” he said. “Having so many guards and so many competitors with high basketball IQ, it’s gonna help us be able to play in a lot of different ways. If we watch the league, everybody’s playing a lot faster, it’s becoming a lot more positionless, and so I think with this versatility that we have of our roster, having a lot more guards, having a lot more ball-handlers that can help us hopefully create some more open shots. I’m really excited to see how it all comes together.”
Charlotte’s center rotation in the wake of the Williams trade remains a question mark, but Lee seemed confident in the various looks the different big men can bring to the team.
“We can play a lot of different ways this year, having Plumlee, having Kalkbrenner, having [Moussa Diabate], it allows you to be in center field sometimes or be able to switch. It’s a good balance,” he said.
Specifically addressing the offseason addition of Plumlee, who is expected by some to begin the season as the starting center, Lee said the Hornets are getting a player with “a ton of experience” who understands what it takes to win.
“He’s been used as a starter, he’s been used as a role player coming off the bench. He’s going to be able to adapt to whatever we need, I think that he’s going to be able to give a lot of corporate knowledge of the NBA,” Lee said. “He’s a professional, he’s in every day, focused on his body, focused on improving in the weight room, and even however many years he’s been in the league now, he understands and has a growth mindset, which is really important, I think, for our group and being open minded.”
Lee went on to praise the two younger big men who will play alongside Plumlee too.
“I think Moussa had a phenomenal opportunity this summer,” Lee said. “He’s continued to grow, he’s one of our great success stories from a player development standpoint, and his all-in and commitment to trying to be better, try to be the most versatile and energetic big that he can possibly be. And we saw what Ryan brings in Summer League. I think he’s gonna be able to play both sides of the court at a really high level. I see a lot of Brook Lopez in him.”
Finally, Lee shared injury updates on Grant Williams, who has been rehabbing after tearing his right ACL and meniscus, and Josh Green, who underwent shoulder surgery this summer:
“I think both guys have been attacking their rehab plans really well. I always have to give credit to our performance staff and to our coaching staff. They work so well together in putting together these roadmaps for our guys to be able to return to play. Both guys are making really good progress.”
However, when it came to their respective returns to action, he stopped short of any definitive proclamations.
“I can’t put a timetable on it as of right now of when they’ll be back, but they are making positive strides, and I’m just really happy with how they show up every day, how they’re attacking their rehab,” Lee said. “You take a couple steps forward and then all of a sudden you might have a step back, but I think that their mindset has been not to let that slow them down, and they’re really focused on trying to be around the team and get back to the team as soon as they can.”
Nuggets To Add Mike Moser, Chase Buford To Coaching Staff
The Nuggets have added Mike Moser to their coaching staff as an assistant coach, reports Michael Scotto for HoopsHype (via Twitter). They are also set to hire Chase Buford as an assistant under new head coach David Adelman, Scotto adds (Twitter link).
Moser played professionally overseas for five years before becoming an NBA coach. He has previously worked in player development for the Mavericks and Celtics, and spent the last two seasons as an assistant for the Rockets. He has a longstanding history with Rockets head coach Ime Udoka.
According to Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle, Moser’s time in Houston consisted primarily of working with the team’s wing players.
Buford is the son of Spurs CEO and longtime general manager R.C. Buford. He was named head coach of the Bucks’ G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd, in 2021 before eventually taking over as head coach of the Sydney Kings in Australia’s National Basketball Laegue. He spent last season as an analyst for the University of Kansas, where he played for three seasons as a walk-on collegiate player.
Celtics Waiving Norris Potentially Clears Path For Amari Williams
The Celtics announced today that they’ve waived 6’10” stretch forward Miles Norris, who was on a two-way deal with the club. Norris played three games for Boston last season after playing the previous season in Turkey.
The move may have been made in order to sign rookie Amari Williams, whom the Celtics selected with the 46th pick in the 2025 draft, writes Souichi Terada of MassLive.
Williams has not yet been signed by the team in any capacity, and two of the team’s three two-way slots are occupied by Max Shulga and the recently-acquired RJ Luis. By waiving Norris, the team can slot Williams into its new two-way opening.
Williams, a 6’11” center out of Kentucky known for his passing ability, played 17.6 minutes per game for the Celtics’ Summer League team and averaged 6.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per contest.
Domantas Sabonis Talks Kings’ Offseason
Domantas Sabonis has experienced highs and lows during his tenure as a member of the Kings, and he says he’s excited about what the coming year could look like in the wake of some of the personnel additions made by general manager Scott Perry.
“I think Scott’s done a great job so far, and he’s trying to turn things around just like everyone else,” Sabonis said during his basketball camp in Roseville, as relayed by ABC 10’s Matt George (Twitter link).
He also hinted that there might be more to come.
“A lot has changed; a lot’s probably still gonna change, so we’re just gonna wait and see ’til training camp,” he said.
One area that Sabonis is encouraged by is the addition of Dennis Schröder. The Kings were missing a point guard after they traded De’Aaron Fox to the Spurs in a deal that sent Zach LaVine and Sidy Cissoko to Sacramento.
“Right now, we have a starting caliber point guard. Dennis is very talented,” Sabonis said.
Sabonis was also encouraged by the play of the young Kings at Summer League, and mentioned that he hosted Isaac Jones and rookie Maxime Raynaud in Napa Valley, working out and preparing for the season.
Sabonis has a strong relationship with Doug Christie, who went from interim head coach to head coach this summer, and is looking forward to their partnership continuing this season.
“He was in there with me those three summers, every day in the gym,” Sabonis said, with a smile on his face. “I’ve seen how hard he works, so for him to have this opportunity, the fans love him, he’s one of us here. So I think it’s going to be very exciting.”
When asked about the trade that sent fellow Lithuanian big man Jonas Valanciunas to Denver, Sabonis said, “We know where all these decisions come from. It’s sad to see a friend leave, but at the same time, you understand. I’m happy for him; he’s with the Nuggets now, the top team in the West, and all he wants to do is win. I know he’s happy.”
The star center believes that having a training camp will allow Christie to create a scheme that maximizes the interchange of skills between Sabonis, LaVine, and DeMar DeRozan.
Sabonis said that after his camp, his plan is to fly down to Los Angeles to work out with some Kings players, hinting that DeRozan would be one of the players present.