Knicks To Hire Chris Jent As Associate Head Coach
The Knicks are finalizing a deal to add Chris Jent to their coaching staff, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania (via Twitter). Jent will assume the role of associate head coach and will likely be tasked with helping to spearhead the team’s offensive approach under head coach Mike Brown.
Jent worked as an assistant coach for the Hornets last season and was the head coach of the Charlotte team that won a Summer League championship in Las Vegas last month. He has been an assistant coach since the 2003/04 season, with a brief stint as the interim head coach of the 2004/05 Magic team that featured a rookie Dwight Howard.
Prior to his lone season in Charlotte, Jent spent two years with the Lakers and five years with the Hawks. He was also an assistant under Brown for the ’06/07 Cavaliers team that lost in the Finals to the Spurs.
Jent also played three games for the Knicks in the 1996/97 season, as well as being a reserve on the Rockets’ 1993/94 championship team — he averaged 5.6 minutes in 11 playoff games for Houston that season.
Jent was rumored to be the frontrunner for the position in recent days, along with the Pacers’ Mike Weinar. After Weinar withdrew his name from consideration earlier this week, SiriusXM radio host Frank Isola reported (via Twitter) that Jent and the Knicks were nearing an agreement on a deal to make him the team’s offensive coordinator.
Brendan O’Connor, who was previously hired away from the Clippers by the Knicks, is expected to serve as the team’s defensive coordinator.
Christmas Day Schedule Includes Thunder-Spurs, Rockets-Lakers
The NBA’s highly anticipated Christmas Day schedule has been revealed, courtesy of ESPN’s Shams Charania (via Twitter). The five-game slate is heavy on Western Conference powerhouses, with just one game coming from the Eastern Conference, in a matchup of what is expected to be the top two teams in the Cavaliers and Knicks.
This will be the first Christmas Day game for the Cavaliers in the post-LeBron James era, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Their last December 25 game came in 2017.
Following the Eastern Conference matchup, the Spurs will travel to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder, as Victor Wembanyama squares off against Chet Holmgren, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Jalen Williams.
Kevin Durant and the Rockets will then duel LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and the Lakers in a clash of teams balancing championship aspirations with their Hall-of-Fame veterans and younger future-facing casts. The Rockets last played a Christmas Day game in 2019, writes Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle.
The final two matchups of the night will see the Mavericks face off against the Warriors, and finally, the Timberwolves going up against the retooled Nuggets in a battle of Northwest Division powerhouses.
As Marc Stein notes (via Twitter), between the Christmas Day schedule and the reported opening night schedule, the league has chosen not to highlight a Mavericks-Lakers matchup on either of these two anticipated dates. Instead, Stein reports (via Twitter), the battle of Doncic’s current and former teams will likely occur at the end of November during the NBA Cup.
As Law Murray of the Athletic notes (via Twitter), only three teams that won at least 49 games last season aren’t featured on the Christmas Day slate. Those teams are the Celtics and Pacers, who are expected to take a step back as their stars (Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton) recover from Achilles tears, and the Clippers, who will not play on Christmas for the fifth year in a row.
Rockets/Thunder, Warriors/Lakers To Play On Opening Night
The 2025/26 NBA season will tip off on October 21 with a pair of Western Conference matchups, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania (via Twitter).
The Rockets will go up against the 2024 title-winning Thunder to open the evening, followed by the Warriors at the Lakers.
This means Kevin Durant, on the new-look Rockets, will be heading to Oklahoma City on the night the Thunder receive their championship rings. Meanwhile, Stephen Curry will go up against LeBron James for the 57th time in their careers.
While the Mavericks were not tapped with an opening night game, Marc Stein of the Stein Line reports (via Twitter) that their season will start on October 22 against the Spurs in what is sure to be a much-anticipated showdown between this year’s No. 1 pick, Cooper Flagg and 2023’s top pick Victor Wembanyama, as well as this year’s No. 2 selection Dylan Harper.
Stein also notes (via Twitter) that the league has announced that group play for the NBA Cup will take place between October 31 and November 28 this season.
Warriors Have Interest In Sign-And-Trade For Josh Giddey
In a recent live stream for Bleacher Report (video link), Jake Fischer discussed the current stalemate surrounding both the Bulls with Josh Giddey and the Warriors with Jonathan Kuminga, neither of which he expects to come to an end anytime soon. During that stream, Fischer reported that there is interest, at least from the Warriors’ end, in a double sign-and-trade that could solve both problems simultaneously.
“I can report that there have been multiple teams that have reached out to Josh Giddey’s representation about having interest in [him],” Fischer said. “Golden State is one of them. Golden State would be interested, depending on how the machinations would go, in some kind of Josh Giddey-Jonathan Kuminga sign-and-trade, to my understanding.”
Of course, a sign-and-trade needs both sides to be interested, and Fischer notes that doesn’t appear to be the case at the moment. “The Bulls have been telling teams… that they don’t want to talk sign-and-trade,” he said.
According to Fischer, Chicago does have a longstanding interest in Kuminga, though it’s unclear to what extent. While the Bulls haven’t made an “aggressive pursuit” of Kuminga to this point, they remain on the periphery of the situation.
“They made outreach to Golden State early in the offseason about Kuminga, they’ve talked about Kuminga in various trade conversations with the Warriors in the past when Golden State was checking in on Zach LaVine and Alex Caruso and other things,” Fischer says.
A double sign-and-trade is a difficult maneuver to pull off, as the rules regarding base year compensation mean that the salaries going out would only count for 50% of their annual average value to the team trading them, but would count fully for the team receiving the player. Since that would apply to both the Bulls and Warriors in such a deal, any double sign-and-trade would almost certainly necessitate at least one more team getting involved.
The Warriors were prepared to draft Giddey in 2021 if Kuminga were selected ahead of their No. 7 pick, per Fischer, and they’ve since maintained their interest in the 6’8″ guard. Fischer also notes that the Warriors have attempted to negotiate with this Bulls regime before, citing the 2023 deadline, when the Warriors reportedly made multiple first-round picks available in a potential deal for Caruso.
He adds that rival teams feel that the Bulls are not generally forthcoming in trade negotiations, at times to the point of inscrutability.
“Other teams don’t want to talk that business with Chicago, and they know Chicago doesn’t really want to make sign-and-trade scenarios come to fruition for Josh Giddey after turning Caruso into Giddey directly with no other draft capital coming back,” Fischer said.
Even if the Warriors and Bulls don’t make any sort of deal this offseason, that may not close the door on the idea of Kuminga eventually ending up in Chicago, Fischer adds: “There still is some hope from Kuminga’s side that the Bulls could factor into his situation right now, and there is also some hope to my understanding from Kuminga’s side that if he were to take the qualifying offer and reach unrestricted free agency next year, the Bulls… are going to be major players with cap space.”
International Notes: Napier, Markkanen, Williams, Birch
After winning a championship and being named 2025 Finals MVP of the German Bundesliga for Bayern Munich, Shabazz Napier is hitting free agency, writes Dario Skerletic of Sportando.
The 34-year-old point guard averaged 10.3 points, 3.2 assists, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 41.1% on three-pointers during EuroLeague play.
Napier was the 24th pick in the 2014 draft and averaged 7.1 points and 2.5 assists during his six-year NBA career. He split time between the G League and EuroLeague throughout the 2022/23 season, playing 10 games for the Mexico City Capitanes and averaging 22.3 points, 4.7 assists, and 1.9 steals while shooting 47.1% from three before joining Olimpia Milano, where he averaged 15.0 points and 3.9 assists and knocked down 45.6% of his threes.
Since then, he has bounced between Olimpia Milano and Crvena Zvezda before heading to Bayern this past season.
We have more from the world of international hoops:
- Lauri Markkanen will lead Team Finland in EuroBasket as the lone NBA player on the roster, as the team at Eurohoops.net notes. He’s not the only NBA personnel, though, as Jazz assistant Sean Sheldon will serve as an assistant coach. The Finnish team will play Sweden, Great Britain, Montenegro, Lithuania, and Germany in the group stage, which starts on August 27.
- Johnathan Williams III has signed a one-year deal with the London Lions, reports Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. Williams spent two seasons in the NBA, from 2018-2020, splitting time between the Lakers and Wizards. He spent the previous three years in the Japanese league, playing last year for the Chiba Jets, for whom he averaged 11.8 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in 17 games.
- In case you missed it, Khem Birch has finalized his contract extension with Fenerbahce. The new deal is for one year as the Turkish powerhouse looks to defend its title. The 32-year-old center was named Finals MVP of the Basketball Super League playoffs last season.
Jack McVeigh Hopes To Continue NBA Journey
Unrestricted free agent Jack McVeigh is actively pursuing options that will keep him in the NBA, reports ESPN’s Olgun Uluc (via Twitter).
McVeigh, who spent last season on a two-way contract with the Rockets, played nine games at the NBA level, as well as 34 games with Houston’s G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. He averaged 16.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per contest in the NBAGL while making 37% of his three-point attempts.
Last year was the first NBA experience for the 29-year-old, 6’8″ forward from Australia, who had played the previous six years with the Adelaide 36ers and Tasmania JackJumpers before coming stateside.
He played four games with the Rockets’ Summer League team this offseason, averaging 14.0 points and 2.5 rebounds while shooting 45.5% from three in 22.8 minutes per game.
Uluc adds that McVeigh is seriously considering offers to play in Europe as well and that he has received offers from multiple high-level EuroLeague teams.
Uluc also notes (via Twitter) that McVeigh has a strong set of options back in the NBL. The JackJumpers recently relinquished their rights of first refusal, which would allow him to sign with another Australian team if he decides to return home. The Cairns Taipans and Illawara Hawks are expected to be the top two suitors should McVeigh head back to the NBL.
Latest On Knicks’ Offensive Coordinator Search
Hornets assistant Chris Jent is considered a leading candidate to become the Knicks‘ offensive coordinator, according to SiriusXM NBA Radio host Frank Isola (Twitter link).
Ian Begley of SNY, meanwhile, reports (via Twitter) that the Knicks have been in contact with Pacers assistant Mike Weinar. Stefan Bondy of the New York Post confirms (via Twitter) Begley’s report while adding that Weinar is also in consideration for the offensive coordinator role and is considered a strong candidate for the lead assistant job on Mike Brown‘s staff.
Jent is a longtime NBA assistant coach who joined the Hornets in 2024 and guided Charlotte’s Summer League title to a title last month. Prior to arriving in Charlotte, he spent five years on the Hawks’ bench (2017-22) and two seasons with the Lakers (2022-24).
Jent served as the interim head coach for the Magic for the final 18 games of the 2004/05 season. He had a brief playing career in the NBA, which included a three-game stint with the Knicks in 1996.
Weinar, prior to his time with the Pacers, served as an assistant for the Mavericks, having transitioned from a basketball operations role to join the coaching staff. His tenure in Dallas included the club’s 2011 title run.
The Knicks have also reportedly shown interest in Greg St. Jean from the Lakers and Patrick Mutombo from the Grizzlies as they continue to search for candidates to fill out the coaching staff under Mike Brown.
Kings To Add D.J. Ham To Coaching Staff
The Kings are adding D.J. Ham to their coaching staff, reports James Ham (no relation) of The Kings Beat (Twitter link). D.J. Ham will serve as the head of player development under head coach Doug Christie.
The Kings had previously announced Paul Jesperson as the head of player development for the 2025/26 season, but he stepped away from the team last month, per James Ham, so the team is making a new hire for that position.
D.J. Ham previously served as a player development coach and video assistant for the Cavaliers after spending two seasons as an assistant with the Cavaliers’ G League team, the Cleveland Charge. He began his coaching career as an assistant at Northwood University, his alma mater.
Ham is the son of former Lakers’ head coach Darvin Ham, who is currently an assistant coach for the Bucks.
Stein’s Latest: Kuminga, Doncic, Vucevic, Fox, Love
Jonathan Kuminga‘s restricted free agent negotiations with the Warriors continue to be one of the top lingering storylines of the NBA offseason. Following up on recent reports indicating that Kuminga has turned down a two-year, $45MM offer with a team option on the second year, Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link) notes that the team’s request for the forward to waive his implicit no-trade clause is part of the holdup.
A player who re-signs with his previous team on a one-year contract or a two-year deal with a second-year option gets the right to veto trades for the rest of the season, but that right can be waived as part of the contract agreement. Jaxson Hayes, Taurean Prince, and Jeff Green are among several players who have waived their veto rights when re-signing with their respective teams this summer.
A player in that position who consents to a trade – either by waiving his veto rights when he signs or by eventually approving an in-season trade – would lose any form of Bird rights as part of the deal and would have Non-Bird rights at the end of the season.
Aside from the contract negotiations, Stein writes that while Kuminga has returned to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he is still not expected to play in FIBA’s AfroBasket tournament this summer. No official decision has been announced yet, but it’s unlikely that Kuminga would suit up for the Congolese team if his contract situation remains unresolved.
Here’s more from Stein:
- Much has been made about Luka Doncic‘s three-year max extension with the Lakers and what it means for him and the team’s future, but Stein points out an important detail regarding the timeline of the deal. The contract would allow Doncic to become an unrestricted free agent in 2028 when he has more than eight years of NBA service and four seasons with his current team, which means he would be eligible for a no-trade clause if he were to wait until ’28 free agency to sign a new contract with the Lakers. Stein writes that while Doncic will have technically played three-and-a-half years with the Lakers, he’d still meet the no-trade criteria because he would have finished four seasons with the Lakers, even if he started the first one in Dallas.
- While the offseason buyout market has been particularly active this offseason, Stein cautions fans not to expect Bulls center Nikola Vucevic to join the likes of Bradley Beal and Damian Lillard this summer. He writes that unless a trade materializes in the next couple of months, Vucevic will very likely begin next season in Chicago. There has been speculation that the veteran big man could be a prime mid-season buyout candidate if no deal occurs by February’s trade deadline.
- Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox became eligible on Sunday for a three- or four-year extension that would look like the one Doncic signed in L.A. However, Stein notes that with the rise of reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle and the addition of Dylan Harper with the No. 2 overall pick, there are questions league-wide about whether such a max deal is an automatic decision for San Antonio.
- Kevin Love is actively exploring landing spots in the case of a potential buyout from the Jazz after landing in Utah as a part of the Heat’s trade for Norman Powell, though Stein doesn’t name any possible suitors.
Khem Birch Signs One-Year Extension With Fenerbahce
August 3: Birch’s one-year extension with Fenerbahce — which covers the 2025/26 season — is now official, according to a team press release.
August 1: Veteran center Khem Birch is nearing a contract extension with EuroLeague champions Fenerbahce Istanbul, reports Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews. Urbonas indicates that the deal would at least lock up Birch for next season, though it’s unclear if it would extend beyond that.
Birch was named the Turkish League Finals MVP this season after averaging 11.2 points and 5,2 rebounds per game during the Finals. He averaged 3.6 points and 3.5 rebounds in 12.9 minutes per night throughout EuroLeague play. BasketNews named him one of the best defenders in the EuroLeague.
After starting his career with Olympiacos in the Greek league, Birch played six seasons in the NBA, splitting his time between the Magic and the Raptors. He then returned overseas and has been playing in Europe since the 2023/24 season.
The Fenerbahce roster is loaded with players who have spent time in the NBA, including Nicolo Melli, Onuralp Bitim, Bonzie Colson, Devon Hall, and Wade Baldwin IV. The Turkish team will look to defend its domestic and EuroLeague titles this coming season.