Nets’ Cam Thomas Signs Qualifying Offer
12:02 pm: Thomas has officially signed his qualifying offer, the Nets announced (via Twitter).
6:59 am: Nets restricted free agent Cam Thomas has decided to sign his one-year qualifying offer worth just under $6MM to return to the team, reports Shams Charania of ESPN.
Reporting since late July indicated that Brooklyn was willing to give Thomas a multiyear deal but that the team wasn’t going beyond two years at roughly $14-15MM per season, with a second-year team option. According to Charania, the Nets also proposed a one-year, $9.5MM contract that could have been worth up to $11MM in incentives, but it would’ve required Thomas to waive his right to veto a trade.
Rather than accepting either of those team-friendly proposals, Thomas will take his chances on a more modest one-year contract that will give him a de facto no-trade clause for the 2025/26 season and will put him on track to become an unrestricted free agent next July.
As Charania points out, while the Nets were the only team to enter this offseason with significant cap room, there could be 10 or more cap-space teams in 2026, creating more options on the open market for a free agent like Thomas.
The 27th overall pick in the 2021 draft out of LSU, Thomas has increased his scoring average in each of his four NBA seasons and put up career highs of 24.0 points and 3.8 assists per game in 2024/25.
However, he was limited to just 25 games last season due to hamstring issues and has been up and down from an efficiency standpoint, with career averages of 43.9% from the floor and 34.9% on three-pointers. He’s also not considered an above-average defender.
As talented as Thomas is as a scorer, his shortcomings in other areas limited his appeal in restricted free agency, and the Nets’ favorable cap position allowed the team to play hardball in negotiations. Having agreed to re-sign other free agents like Day’Ron Sharpe and Ziaire Williams to contracts that aren’t guaranteed beyond 2025/26, Brooklyn was clearly prioritizing its ability to maintain cap flexibility next offseason and wasn’t interested in making a longer-term commitment to the 23-year-old at this time.
If Thomas plays out the 2025/26 season with the Nets, the team will maintain his Bird rights entering next summer. However, if he approves a trade to another club before February’s deadline, his Bird rights wouldn’t go with him — that’s presumably the reason why he turned down Brooklyn’s one-year, $9.5MM offer, which would’ve required him to essentially “pre-approve” a trade. Even if the Nets decide not to re-sign Thomas next July, his Bird rights could be useful in sign-and-trade scenarios.
If Thomas OKs a trade during the season, his new team would have his Non-Bird rights and wouldn’t be able to offer him a starting salary higher than about $7.2MM (120% of his previous salary) next offseason without using cap room or another cap exception.
The Nets will actually open up some cap room as a result of Thomas signing his qualifying offer, since the team had been carrying a cap hold of approximately $12MM for him — that cap hit will be cut in half once he officially puts pen to paper, creating an extra $6MM in spending flexibility for Brooklyn.
Thomas was one of four notable restricted free agents around the NBA whose situation remained unresolved as of Labor Day. We can probably expect resolution for Josh Giddey (Bulls), Jonathan Kuminga (Warriors), and Quentin Grimes (Sixers) at some point this month, since they face an October 1 deadline for accepting their own qualifying offers.
Hawks Sign, Waive Javan Johnson, Dwight Murray Jr.
September 4: One day after being signed, both Johnson and Murray have been waived by the Hawks, per a team press release.
As we noted below, the procedural move will make each player eligible for a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he spends at least 60 days with the College Park Skyhawks to open 2025/26.
September 3: The Hawks have officially signed forward Javan Johnson and guard Dwight Murray Jr. to their offseason roster, the team announced today in a press release.
Johnson, who went undrafted in 2023 after playing college ball at Troy, Iowa State, and DePaul, has spent most of his first two professional seasons in the G League with the Santa Cruz Warriors. He also had a brief stint in 2024 with the Gladiadores de Anzoátegui in Puerto Rico.
In 49 total appearances last season for Santa Cruz, Johnson averaged 13.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 26.9 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .417/.374/.912. The College Park Skyhawks – Atlanta’s G League affiliate – acquired the 26-year-old’s returning rights last month in a three-team trade that also involved the Salt Lake City Stars.
Murray, who went undrafted in 2023 too, played in Montenegro for KK Mornar in 2023/24, then spent last season with the Skyhawks, starting 29 of 43 games for Atlanta’s NBAGL team. A native of Austell, Georgia, the 6’0″ guard put up averages of 9.0 points, 5.1 assists, and 3.8 rebounds in 23.9 minutes per contest and a shooting line of .391/.315/.762.
While the Hawks didn’t provide any details on the contracts signed by Johnson and Murray, it’s safe to assume both deals include Exhibit 10 language, which will line them up to earn bonuses worth up to $85,300 if they’re waived by Atlanta and then spend at least 60 days with College Park. Both Johnson and Murray would qualify as returning-rights players for the Skyhawks.
The Hawks now officially have 20 players under contract, one shy of the offseason limit.
Nets Sign Liddell To Two-Way Contract, Finalize Sharpe Deal
The Nets have officially announced a pair of signings, adding free agent forward E.J. Liddell on a two-way contract and finalizing their previously reported deal with free agent big man Day’Ron Sharpe (Twitter links).
Liddell, 24, was the 41st overall pick in the 2022 draft but tore his ACL in the Summer League just a few weeks later, wiping out his rookie season. The 24-year-old has since appeared in just 20 total NBA games for the Pelicans and Bulls and has seen extremely limited playing time. In 76 total NBA minutes across the past two seasons, he has scored 25 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.
However, Liddell has been more productive in the NBA G League, including in 27 outings last season for the Windy City Bulls. He averaged 15.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 32.3 minutes per game for Chicago’s NBAGL affiliate, posting a shooting line of .472/.361/.661.
Despite technically having been in the NBA for three seasons, Liddell still has two years of two-way eligibility left, since he missed one of those three seasons in its entirety due to an injury. He and Tyson Etienne are Brooklyn’s current two-way players, leaving one slot still open.
Meanwhile, Sharpe’s two-year, $12MM agreement with the Nets was reported was back on June 30, before the free agent period officially opened. The club has been putting off completing that deal – and Ziaire Williams‘ similar two-year, $12MM pact – in order to keep its options open with its cap room.
Still, all indications were that at least one of those two contracts would have to be signed using cap space, since the Nets renounced both players and wouldn’t be able to fit both Sharpe and Williams into their $8.8MM room exception. With that in mind, officially re-signing Sharpe doesn’t significantly impact Brooklyn’s flexibility — the team should still have roughly $16MM in room available.
Portugal, Sweden Qualify For EuroBasket Knockout Round
The group-play stage of EuroBasket wrapped up for the teams in Group A and Group B on Wednesday. Those clubs concluded their initial five-game schedules as the two round-of-16 spots still up for grabs in Groups A and B were claimed by Portgual and Sweden, respectively.
Portugal eked out a 68-65 victory over Estonia in a win-or-go-home matchup in Group A, eliminating the Estonians. Point guard Rafael Lisboa (17 points, five assists) and Celtics big man Neemias Queta (15 points) led the way for Portugal, though Queta was ejected with 4:34 left in the third quarter after picking up his second technical foul, as Brian Robb of MassLive.com details. The Portuguese team lost its slim lead following Queta’s exit, but managed to pull back in front during a back-and-forth fourth quarter.
In Group B, Montenegro missed its chance to qualify for the round of 16 by falling to Great Britain, resulting in both teams finishing the group stage with an 1-4 record. Sweden, which lost a tight 74-71 contest to Lithuania on Wednesday, also went 1-4, but earned the tiebreaker over Montenegro and Great Britain by virtue of their point differential. Heat forward Pelle Larsson has been the standout for Sweden so far, averaging a team-high 19.8 points per game across four outings.
[RELATED: Nikola Vucevic Retires From Montenegrin National Team]
The final standings for Groups A and B are now set, which means the first four matchups in the single-elimination stage are set too. The top team in Group A will play the fourth-place team in Group B, the second-place Group A team faces the third-place Group B squad, and so on.
As a result of Turkey knocking off Serbia to claim the top spot in Group A, the round-of-16 matchups played on Saturday will be as follows:
- Turkey (A1) vs. Sweden (B4)
- Serbia (A2) vs. Finland (B3)
- Latvia (A3) vs. Lithuania (B2)
- Portugal (A4) vs. Germany (B1)
FIBA has announced Saturday tip-off times for all four matchups.
Groups C and D will wrap up their group-stage schedule on Thursday. Two spots in the round of 16 are still available in Group C, where only Greece (3-1) and Italy (3-1) have qualified so far. Spain (2-2) would advance with a win over Greece, while the winner of the Georgia (2-2) vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina (2-2) will also clinch a spot in the knockout round.
If Greece wins on Thursday, the Spaniards would need a Georgia victory in order to advance — in that scenario, both Spain and Bosnia and Herzeogvina would be 2-3, and Spain would hold the head-to-head tiebreaker. Georgia holds the tiebreaker edge over Spain.
All four teams who will advance out of Group D are already known: Israel (3-1), Poland (3-1), France (3-1), and Slovenia (2-2) have clinched their spots. However, seeding remains in flux, with Thursday’s Israel vs. Slovenia showdown looming as a crucial matchup.
Pelicans Sign Garrison Brooks
September 3: The signing is official, according to a team press release.
September 2: The Pelicans have reached an agreement to sign free agent forward Garrison Brooks, agent Darrell Comer tells NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link).
While Haynes doesn’t specify the terms of the deal, it’s almost certain to be an Exhibit 10 contract. The Birmingham Squadron, New Orleans’ G League affiliate, recently acquired Brooks’ returning rights, so if the Pelicans sign him to an Exhibit 10 deal and then waive him prior to the start of the season, he’ll be in line to earn an Exhibit 10 bonus worth up to $85,300 if he spends at least 60 days with the Squadron (on top of his base NBAGL salary).
Brooks, 26, went undrafted out of Mississippi State in 2022. He spent his rookie season in the G League with the Westchester Knicks, played in Korea for a few months in 2023, and then spent most of the past two seasons with BC Wolves in Lithuania.
In 18 EuroCup outings for the Wolves last season, Brooks averaged 7.1 points and 4.1 rebounds in 20.3 minutes per game. During his previous NBAGL stint, in 2022/23, he put up 13.6 PPG and 11.6 RPG in 37 games (30.5 MPG) for Westchester.
Spencer Davies of RG.org reported in July that Brooks was among the players who took part in a Las Vegas pro day for the agency CSE and was drawing interest at the time as a potential NBA training camp option.
Longest-Tenured NBA Players By Team
Since we last checked in on the NBA’s longest-tenured players by team one year ago, a handful of names who were in the top 10 have changed teams either via trade or free agency.
That group includes Karl-Anthony Towns and Myles Turner, who had been with the Timberwolves and Pacers, respectively, since the 2015 draft. De’Aaron Fox is among the other longtime members of a franchise to change teams since last summer, having been dealt from the Kings to the Spurs in February after having played in Sacramento since 2017.
In addition to Minnesota, Indiana, and Sacramento, teams with a new longest-tenured player include the Bulls, Trail Blazers, Raptors, and Jazz, who have parted ways with Zach LaVine, Anfernee Simons, Chris Boucher, and Jordan Clarkson within the past year.
The top name on our list remains unchanged, as Stephen Curry – a member of the Warriors since 2009 – is still the player who has been with his current club for the longest period. He’s entering his 17th season with Golden State this fall.
Because our list includes just one player per team, Draymond Green doesn’t show up in the space below, but if we were simply listing the players who have been with their current clubs the longest, he’d own the No. 2 spot behind Curry, having been with the Warriors since being drafted in 2012. Jamal Murray (a Nugget since June 2016) is another player who would place highly on that version of the list.
Finally, it’s worth noting that a player like Damian Lillard – who was with Portland from 2012-23, spent two years in Milwaukee, then rejoined the Trail Blazers this summer as a free agent – won’t show up on this list, since he has spent time with another team since first becoming a Blazer since 2012. In our view, his tenure with the Blazers reset during his time with the Bucks and restarted this offseason.
Here’s each team’s longest-tenured player, along with how he was acquired:
(Note: This is a snapshot as of September 2, 2025 and won’t be updated throughout the season. Because this list only features each team’s longest-tenured player, one player per team is listed.)
- Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry (draft), June 2009
- Milwaukee Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo (draft), June 2013
- Philadelphia 76ers: Joel Embiid (draft), June 2014
- Denver Nuggets: Nikola Jokic (draft), June 2014
- Dallas Mavericks: Dwight Powell (trade), December 2014
- Phoenix Suns: Devin Booker (draft), June 2015
- Boston Celtics: Jaylen Brown (draft), June 2016
- Orlando Magic: Jonathan Isaac (draft), June 2017
- Miami Heat: Bam Adebayo (draft), June 2017
- Memphis Grizzlies: Jaren Jackson Jr. (draft), June 2018
- Atlanta Hawks: Trae Young (draft trade), June 2018
- Charlotte Hornets: Miles Bridges (draft trade), June 2018 (*)
- New York Knicks: Mitchell Robinson (draft), June 2018
- Los Angeles Lakers: LeBron James (free agent), July 2018
- Los Angeles Clippers: Ivica Zubac (trade), February 2019
- New Orleans Pelicans: Zion Williamson (draft), June 2019
- Cleveland Cavaliers: Darius Garland (draft), June 2019
- Brooklyn Nets: Nic Claxton (draft), June 2019
- Chicago Bulls: Coby White (draft), June 2019
- San Antonio Spurs: Keldon Johnson (draft), June 2019
- Minnesota Timberwolves: Naz Reid (free agent), July 2019
- Oklahoma City Thunder: Luguentz Dort (free agent), July 2019
- Indiana Pacers: T.J. McConnell (free agent), July 2019
- Detroit Pistons: Isaiah Stewart (draft trade), November 2020
- Houston Rockets: Jae’Sean Tate (free agent), November 2020
- Washington Wizards: Anthony Gill (free agent), November 2020
- Toronto Raptors: Scottie Barnes (draft), July 2021
- Sacramento Kings: Domantas Sabonis (trade), February 2022
- Portland Trail Blazers: Shaedon Sharpe (draft), June 2022
- Utah Jazz: Walker Kessler (trade), July 2022
* Note: Bridges was a free agent for the entire 2022/23 season, but the Hornets retained his RFA rights during that time and brought him back for the following season, extending his tenure with the team. If we don’t count Bridges, Charlotte’s longest-tenured player is LaMelo Ball, who was selected in the 2020 draft.
While it’s a safe bet that many players on this list – especially a few near the top – will remain the same when we check in again during the summer of 2026, it’s a lock we’ll see some changes too. Powell (Mavericks), Young (Hawks), Robinson (Knicks), White (Bulls), and – of course – James (Lakers) are among the players on this list who can reach free agency next summer.
Which players do you expect to change teams and come off this list in the next 12 months?
12 Teams Have Clinched Spots In EuroBasket’s Round Of 16
Twelve of the 16 spots in EuroBasket’s single-elimination phase have now been secured, with Luka Doncic and the Slovenians among the teams that have qualified for the round of 16.
As a result of Slovenia’s 87-79 win over Iceland and Israel’s 92-89 victory over Belgium on Tuesday, Iceland and Belgium have been eliminated from round-of-16 contention, while Slovenia, Israel, and France have clinched their spots, joining Poland as the top four teams in Group D.
Both France and Slovenia have just two wins so far in the group stage and could theoretically finish tied with Belgium at 2-3 after Thursday’s games. However, both teams hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over Belgium, as France defeated the Belgians on Thursday and Slovenia did so on Sunday.
[RELATED: France’s Alex Sarr To Miss Rest Of EuroBasket Due To Calf Injury]
In Group A, Latvia joined the undefeated Turkish and Serbian teams in the top four by beating Portugal on Monday. Portugal will square off against Estonia on Wednesday with the final Group A single-elimination-round slot up for grabs — both teams are 1-3 so far, while Czechia is 0-4 and has no path to the round of 16.
After Germany and Finland became the first two teams in Group B to advance to the round of 16, Lithuania followed suit on Monday with a victory over Finland to improve to 3-1 in group play. However, the Lithuanians lost point guard Rokas Jokubaitis, who suffered a significant knee injury in Monday’s contest.
Montenegro (1-3), led by Nikola Vucevic, would become the last Group B squad to clinch a spot in the round of 16 with a win over Great Britain (0-4) on Wednesday. If Great Britain pulls off the upset in that game, it would open the door for Sweden (1-3) to advance if they knock off Lithuania on Wednesday. If Montenegro, Sweden, and Great Britain all finish 1-4, it would come down to point differential. And at -12, Sweden has the significant edge in that category over Montenegro (-71) and Great Britain (-136).
Finally, Group C remains the most wide open, with Italy joining Greece as the only teams to qualify for the round of 16 so far. Cyprus (0-4) has been eliminated, with Spain (2-1), Georgia (2-2), and Bosnia and Herzegovina (2-2) vying for the two remaining spots in the group’s top four.
Spain is currently in action against Italy and would secure its place in the single-elimination round with a victory. In that scenario, the winner of Georgia vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina on Thursday would claim the final Group C spot. If Spain were to lose today and again on Thursday vs. Greece, the Spaniards would be eliminated in the event of a Bosnia and Herzegovina win over Georgia, since Georgia holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over Spain.
To recap, here are the teams that have qualified for EuroBasket’s round of 16:
- Group A
- Serbia (4-0)
- Turkey (4-0)
- Latvia (2-2)
- Group B
- Germany (4-0)
- Finland (3-1)
- Lithuania (3-1)
- Group C
- Greece (3-1)
- Italy (2-1)
- Group D
- Poland (3-0)
- Israel (3-1)
- France (2-1)
- Slovenia (2-0)
And here are the teams still in the mix for the remaining spots:
- Group A (one spot available)
- Estonia (1-3)
- Portugal (1-3)
- Group B (one spot available)
- Montenegro (1-3)
- Sweden (1-3)
- Great Britain (0-4)
- Group C (two spots available)
- Spain (2-1)
- Bosnia and Herzegovina (2-2)
- Georgia (2-2)
Alex Sarr To Miss Rest Of EuroBasket Due To Calf Injury
1:40 pm: Wizards officials expect Sarr to be ready for the start of the NBA regular season, a team source tells Josh Robbins of The Athletic, who adds (via Twitter) that the injury won’t require surgery.
11:31 am: Wizards center Alex Sarr, who had been competing for France in this year’s EuroBasket tournament, has been ruled out for the rest of the event due to a right calf injury, according to an official announcement from the national team.
Translated from French, the statement indicates that Sarr’s “healing time is incompatible with (his) participation for the rest of the competition.”
Sarr injured his calf during Saturday’s victory over Slovenia and was held out of Sunday’s loss to Israel as a result of the ailment. He’ll also miss Tuesday’s matchup with Poland and Thursday’s contest against Iceland, as well as any games in the round of 16, assuming France advances.
With a 2-1 record so far, France is well-positioned to make the single-elimination portion of the tournament with a win in either of its two remaining group-stage games. However, the team’s frontcourt – which was already without Rudy Gobert, Victor Wembanyama, and Mathias Lessort for EuroBasket – has now taken another hit, putting increased pressure on Guerschon Yabusele and Zaccharie Risacher to lead the way up front.
While it’s unclear if Sarr’s availability for training camp will be compromised by his calf injury, it sounds like the recovery period could be measured in weeks rather than days. The Wizards’ camp will get underway in about four weeks, with the regular season opener still more than seven weeks out, so hopefully that will be enough time for Sarr to get back to 100%.
Last year’s No. 2 overall pick, Sarr earned All-Rookie first team honors after averaging 13.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.5 blocks in 27.1 minutes per game. Shooting efficiency figures to be an area of focus for the 20-year-old in year two after he made just 39.4% of his field goals and 67.9% of his free throws as a rookie.
NBA G League Announces Schedule, Expanded Playoffs For 2025/26
The NBA G League has officially revealed its schedule for the 2025/26 season, per a press release.
As usual, the regular season won’t begin until late December, with the league holding a separate event in the fall leading up to its Winter Showcase during the week before Christmas. In the past, this 14-game fall event has been known as the Showcase Cup. It was rebranded last year as the Tip-Off Tournament, and that moniker has carried over to 2025/26.
The Tip-Off Tournament, which begins on Friday, November 7, will see the league’s teams split into four regions. Each team will play 14 games and the four clubs with the best winning percentage in each region, along with the next four best teams from any region, will advance to the single-elimination championship tournament at the Winter Showcase in Orlando from December 19-22.
The G League’s regular season will consist of 36 games and will begin at the Winter Showcase, running through Saturday, March 28. For the first time, the top eight teams from each conference will make the postseason and compete in the G League playoffs in the spring — previously, only the top six teams in each conference qualified for the playoffs.
For a second consecutive year, all 30 NBA franchises will have their own G League affiliates. With 31 total teams in the NBAGL, the only unaffiliated club left in the league is the Mexico City Capitanes.
Although there are no new expansion teams for 2025/26, the Pacers‘ affiliate – formerly known as the Indiana Mad Ants – has rebranded as the Noblesville Boom as it moves to a new home (The Arena at Innovation Mile).
Here’s the full list of G League teams for the 2025/26 season:
- Atlanta Hawks: College Park Skyhawks
- Boston Celtics: Maine Celtics
- Brooklyn Nets: Long Island Nets
- Charlotte Hornets: Greensboro Swarm
- Chicago Bulls: Windy City Bulls
- Cleveland Cavaliers: Cleveland Charge
- Dallas Mavericks: Texas Legends
- Denver Nuggets: Grand Rapids Gold
- Detroit Pistons: Motor City Cruise
- Golden State Warriors: Santa Cruz Warriors
- Houston Rockets: Rio Grande Valley Vipers
- Indiana Pacers: Noblesville Boom
- Los Angeles Clippers: San Diego Clippers
- Los Angeles Lakers: South Bay Lakers
- Memphis Grizzlies: Memphis Hustle
- Miami Heat: Sioux Falls Skyforce
- Milwaukee Bucks: Wisconsin Herd
- Minnesota Timberwolves: Iowa Wolves
- New Orleans Pelicans: Birmingham Squadron
- New York Knicks: Westchester Knicks
- Oklahoma City Thunder: Oklahoma City Blue
- Orlando Magic: Osceola Magic
- Philadelphia 76ers: Delaware Blue Coats
- Phoenix Suns: Valley Suns
- Portland Trail Blazers: Rip City Remix
- Sacramento Kings: Stockton Kings
- San Antonio Spurs: Austin Spurs
- Toronto Raptors: Raptors 905
- Utah Jazz: Salt Lake City Stars
- Washington Wizards: Capital City Go-Go
- No NBA affiliation: Mexico City Capitanes
12 NBA Teams Sent Evaluators To NBL Blitz
The NBL Blitz, the annual preseason showcase ahead of Australia’s National Basketball League season, took place last week. The event was shorter than usual and was held in Canberra instead of on the sunnier Gold Coast, but 12 NBA teams still had representatives in attendance, according to Olgun Uluc of ESPN, who recaps some of the key storylines from the Blitz.
New Zealand Breakers forward Karim Lopez, a projected 2026 lottery pick, didn’t take part in the tournament due to a back injury, but Uluc notes that NBA scouts had their eye on another potential 2026 first-round pick, Melbourne United’s Dash Daniels, the younger brother of NBA Defensive Player of the Year runner-up Dyson Daniels. Ben Henshall of the Perth Wildcats and Malique Lewis of the South East Melbourne Phoenix were among the other 2026 draft-eligible prospects who drew interest.
Multiple NBA evaluators told Uluc that they were also keeping a close eye on Jaylin Galloway, who had a brief stint as a Bucks two-way player at the end of the 2023/24 season before rejoining the Sydney Kings in Australia. The 22-year-old wing had an impressive showing for Australia at the FIBA Asia Cup and spoke about his desire to make it back to the NBA. Officials from NBA teams were evaluating at the NBL Blitz whether Galloway’s game would translate stateside, per Uluc.
Here are a few more notes from Uluc:
- Former first-round pick Dylan Windler re-signed with the Perth Wildcats this spring, but his eventual goal is to return to the NBA, as Uluc relays. “Ultimately, I wanna play at the highest level and get back in the NBA,” he said. “I think this league is good enough, and has enough talent and competition, and enough scouts and eyes on it at all times that, if you do play well, you’re always in a position to get back there.”
- The Wildcats still have an import spot open and have considered a handful of former NBA players for that slot, according to Uluc, who notes that Perth reached out to free agents like Zavier Simpson, Jahmir Young, and Emmanuel Mudiay earlier in the offseason. After Simpson and Young signed elsewhere and Mudiay chose to continue mulling his options, the Wildcats have more recently looked into Kobi Simmons and Yuri Collins, sources tell ESPN. Uluc hears that longtime NBA guard Patrick Beverley had interest in joining the Wildcats, but Perth didn’t “meaningfully engage” with Beverley.
- Some of the NBA team representatives who attended the NBL Blitz were curious about what the league’s Next Stars program would look like moving forward, Uluc writes. A number of prospects who went through that program – such as LaMelo Ball, Josh Giddey, and Alex Sarr – have become lottery picks and productive NBA players, but the emergence of lucrative NIL opportunities in the NCAA figures to diminish the appeal of the Next Stars program for non-Australian prospects.