Nikola Jokic Headlines Serbia’s Preliminary EuroBasket Roster
As expected, Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is among the 17 players listed on Serbia’s preliminary roster for this year’s EuroBasket tournament, the Basketball Federation of Serbia announced in a press release (hat tip to BasketNews.com).
Jokic is one of a handful of NBA players on the Serbian roster, along with Clippers guard Bogdan Bogdanovic, Thunder guard Nikola Topic, Heat forward Nikola Jovic, and Wizards center Tristan Vukcevic.
There are also several other players in the group who have previous NBA experience, such as Vasilije Micic, Marko Guduric, Filip Petrusev, and Alen Smailagic.
The Serbian national team is convening on Monday to begin training for EuroBasket and will play a series of exhibition games in August leading up to the event, which tips off on August 27.
The Serbians will face Estonia, Portugal, Latvia, the Czech Republic, and Turkey in the EuroBasket’s group phase. The field is made up of four groups of six teams apiece, with 16 of the 24 total clubs advancing to the knockout round of the tournament.
It will be the second straight summer in which Jokic has represented Serbia in an international competition — he led the team to a bronze medal finish at the Olympics in Paris in 2024. However, the Serbians were eliminated in the round of 16 by Italy in the most recent EuroBasket tournament in 2022, despite 32 point and 13 rebounds from Jokic in that game.
Latest On Josh Giddey
Four weeks into the NBA’s 2025 free agent period, the Bulls and restricted free agent guard Josh Giddey are locked into a stalemate in their contract negotiations, but the two sides have remained engaged in discussions throughout the offseason and there’s mutual interest in working out a multiyear agreement, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.
According to Cowley, the two sides are still apart by about $8-10MM per year. That lines up with previous reporting that indicated Giddey’s camp is seeking an average annual value of $30MM while the Bulls prefer a deal in the range of $20MM per year.
For what it’s worth, rival executives polled by Fred Katz and Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic leaned more toward the Bulls’ valuation than Giddey’s. The Athletic’s duo asked 16 sources who work in NBA front offices what they’d consider a “fair” contract for Giddey and 14 of them suggested an average annual value ranging from $20-25MM per year.
However, as Katz and Lorenzi note, 10 of those 16 respondents also said they’d give Giddey four or five guaranteed years, which speaks to a level of optimism about his long-term floor. Only four free agents – Naz Reid, Myles Turner, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Sam Merrill – have received at least four guaranteed years since free agency began.
“If you’re offering a four-year contract, you have to be correct,” one executive told The Athletic. “But Giddey, you could offer a four-year deal.
“Giddey is the anomaly because he might be good enough to be a four-year player. Nobody wants to go with long-term contracts because everybody wants this idea of flexibility. You wanna have the ability to (say), ‘You know what? My team’s not very good. Let’s pivot.'”
According to Katz and Lorenzi, four executives suggested a four-year, $100MM deal for Giddey, while the most bullish respondent said he’d be comfortable with a five-year, $125MM commitment.
Of course, it’s worth noting – as was the case when Katz conducted a similar poll on Jonathan Kuminga‘s value – that rival team executives, who will have their own contract negotiations to deal with and don’t want the market to be set too high, are more likely to take a conservative view when asked to project a player’s contract. In other words, the responses in a poll of 16 agents might look more like what Giddey and his representatives are seeking.
As Cowley writes, there’s no rush for the Bulls and Giddey to bridge the gap in the short term — the 22-year-old’s qualifying offer won’t expire until at least October 1, which is right around the time training camps will be getting underway.
Giddey got off to a slow start in his first season as a Bull after being acquired from Oklahoma City in exchange for Alex Caruso, but finished strong, particularly after the team traded Zach LaVine to Sacramento. Between the start of February and the end of the regular season, Giddey averaged 20.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game with a shooting line of .491/.451/.801 across 25 outings.
Lakers Sign Four Players To Exhibit 10 Contracts
The Lakers have added four players to their offseason roster, announcing today (via Twitter) that guards RJ Davis and Augustas Marciulionis and forwards Eric Dixon and Arthur Kaluma have officially signed with the club. All four players received Exhibit 10 contracts, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link).
All four of these players are undrafted rookies who reached agreements to join the Lakers shortly after the draft wrapped up in June, so none of the signings come as a surprise. However, it’s worth noting that reporting last month suggested that Dixon would get a two-way contract — instead, he has joined the team on an Exhibit 10 deal.
Dixon was the top prospect on ESPN’s big board who went undrafted having been ranked 44th overall prior to the draft. The 6’8″ lefty led all Division I players in scoring in 2024/25, putting up 23.3 points per game on .451/.407/.813 shooting splits in 35 appearances for Villanova (34.8 MPG). He also chipped in 5.1 rebounds per contest en route to third-team All-American honors.
According to Dan Woike of The Athletic (Twitter link), Dixon didn’t play for the Lakers’ Summer League team due to a foot injury — that may also be the reason why he ultimately signed an Exhibit 10 contract instead of a two-way deal. Since Exhibit 10s can be converted to two-way contracts before the start of the regular season, it remains possible that Dixon will get a promotion at some point.
Davis, a six-foot guard who earned ACC Player of the Year honors for the 2023/24 season, averaged 17.2 points and 3.6 assists per game for North Carolina as a super-senior in ’24/25.
A two-time WCC Player of the Year, Marciulionis averaged 14.2 PPG, 5.9 APG, and 4.1 APG in 35 outings last season for Saint Mary’s. The 6’4″ Lithuanian guard posted shooting splits of .446/.347/.793.
Kaluma, a 6’7″ wing, registered averages of 12.3 PPG, 7.5 RPG, and 1.8 APG during his final NCAA season for Texas, with a shooting line of .462/.359/.784. Prior to his Longhorns stint, Kaluma also suited up for Creighton and Texas State.
Exhibit 10 contracts are non-guaranteed but include bonuses worth up to $85,300 if the player is waived and then spends at least 60 days with his team’s G League affiliate.
Kings’ Isaiah Crawford Becomes Unrestricted Free Agent
The Kings have withdrawn their two-way qualifying offer to forward Isaiah Crawford, making him an unrestricted free agent, according to RealGM’s official NBA transaction log.
Crawford signed a two-way deal with Sacramento last July after going undrafted out of Louisiana Tech. The 23-year-old logged just 46 total minutes in 15 games at the NBA level as a rookie, but was a key part of the rotation for the Stockton Kings in the G League, posting averages of 13.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 1.2 steals in 31.5 minutes per game across 37 outings, with a shooting line of .471/.401/.789.
Crawford received a two-way qualifying offer from the Kings last month, making him a restricted free agent, and the deadline for teams to unilaterally withdraw those QOs passed on July 13. However, qualifying offers can still be rescinded with the player’s consent, so Crawford signed off on the move him to make him unrestricted.
[RELATED: 2025/26 NBA Two-Way Contract Tracker]
The Kings have signed a pair of players – Dylan Cardwell and Isaiah Stevens – to two-year, two-way contracts since the new league year began on July 1. While Sacramento could technically still re-sign Crawford as an unrestricted free agent, rescinding his qualifying offer suggests the team has other plans for its third two-way slot.
Clippers To Sign TyTy Washington Jr.
The Clippers and free agent guard TyTy Washington Jr. have reached an agreement on a one-year deal, agent Kevin Bradbury tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
While Charania doesn’t mention any financial details, the Clippers are right up against a first-apron hard cap and can’t currently sign a free agent to a standard contract. That suggests Washington will be getting a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deal, which wouldn’t count against the cap.
Washington, 23, was the 29th overall pick in the 2022 draft, but played a limited role across 31 outings for the Rockets as a rookie and was traded twice during the 2023 offseason – from Houston to Atlanta to Oklahoma City – before being waived by the Thunder. He subsequently spent his second season on a two-way contract with Milwaukee and his third year on a two-way deal with Phoenix.
Washington has made a total of 58 regular season appearances since entering the league, averaging 3.3 points, 1.2 assists, and 1.1 rebounds in 10.5 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .347/.234/.542. He has performed much better in the G League, putting up 21.7 points and 7.4 assists per game with a .414 3PT% in 32 games last season for the Valley Suns.
As a three-year veteran entering his fourth NBA season, Washington remains eligible for a two-way contract, so it’s possible he could claim one of the Clippers’ two-way spots (which are occupied for now) with a strong showing in training camp. Otherwise, he may end up as an affiliate player for the San Diego Clippers, L.A.’s G League team.
Heat, Gabe Madsen Agree To Exhibit 10 Deal
Undrafted rookie shooting guard Gabe Madsen has agreed to sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the Heat, reports Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress (Twitter link).
Madsen spent the past four years playing for the University of Utah. In his final college season in 2024/25, he averaged 15.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 29.7 minutes per game across 33 outings (all starts), with a .371/.322/.854 shooting line.
Those subpar shooting numbers were uncharacteristic for Madsen, who had made 38.2% of his career three-point tries prior to last season. He showed off his long-range ability this month while playing for the Warriors at the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer Leagues, averaging 9.2 PPG with a .519 3PT% in just 14.0 MPG across six appearances.
As Chekpevich notes, Madsen’s best performance came in Vegas vs. Utah, when he racked up 22 points and made six three-pointers in less than 17 minutes of action.
An Exhibit 10 contract is a one-year, minimum-salary deal that is fully non-guaranteed and doesn’t count against the salary cap unless the player makes his team’s regular season roster. They can be converted into two-way deals prior to the start of the regular season. They also make a player eligible to earn a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he’s waived and then spends at least 60 days with his team’s G League affiliate.
Pablo Prigioni To Remain With Timberwolves
Veteran assistant coach Pablo Prigioni has decided to remain with the Timberwolves amid interest from the Knicks, reports Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link).
According to Begley, Prigioni – who has been on the Wolves’ staff since 2019 – cited family reasons for his decision to stay in Minnesota. Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link) noted earlier this week that Prigioni is “highly thought of” within the Wolves’ organization and has been working closely with 2024 lottery pick Rob Dillingham.
A former NBA point guard who spent two-and-a-half seasons in New York as a player from 2012-15, Prigioni transitioned to coaching following his retirement in 2017. He spent one season on Brooklyn’s bench in 2018/19 before landing with the Wolves.
Prigioni, 48, was originally hired under Ryan Saunders, but carried over to Chris Finch‘s staff in 2021 and has now been with the Timberwolves for six seasons in total. The Knicks were recently granted permission to speak to Prigioni as they look to fill out their coaching staff under new head coach Mike Brown.
As the Knicks continue to consider their options on the coaching market, one candidate who is “squarely on their radar” is Clippers assistant Brendan O’Connor, according to Begley, who says O’Connor is known for his defensive acumen.
Even if the Knicks were to hire O’Connor away from L.A., they’d likely remain on the lookout for another assistant who could help with their offense, Begley adds.
Hornets Sign Antonio Reeves To Two-Way Contract
July 25, 4:07 pm: The Hornets have officially signed Reeves and waived Baugh, the team confirmed in a press release.
July 23, 3:11 pm: The Hornets will waive Baugh to make room for Reeves, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
July 23, 3:03 pm: The Hornets have reached an agreement to sign free agent guard Antonio Reeves to a two-way contract, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Reeves, 24, was the 47th overall pick in the 2024 draft and appeared in 44 games as a rookie for the Pelicans, averaging 6.9 points and 1.4 rebounds in 15.0 minutes per game, with a solid shooting line of .456/.395/.800.
The former Kentucky standout also excelled at the G League level, putting up 24.9 PPG and 5.8 RPG on .470/.416/.800 shooting in 11 appearances for the Birmingham Squadron, New Orleans’ affiliate.
It came as a bit of a surprise when the Pelicans opted to waive Reeves earlier this month before his minimum salary for 2025/26 could become guaranteed, but there’s a new group of decision-makers in New Orleans’ front office who weren’t responsible for drafting him last June.
Charlotte doesn’t currently have a two-way slot open, so KJ Simpson, Damion Baugh, or Drew Peterson will need to be waived in order to create an opening for Reeves.
Peterson was just signed last week, which suggests that either Simpson or Baugh – both carryovers from last season – will be the odd man out. For what it’s worth, Simpson earned a spot on the All-Summer League second team, though Baugh played pretty well too for the summer champions in Las Vegas.
International Notes: Sanogo, Procida, Mirotic, Beverley
Former UConn star Adama Sanogo spent most of his first two professional seasons on two-way contracts with the Bulls after going undrafted in 2023. Now, the 6’9″ forward is set to continue his career overseas.
Sanogo has reached an agreement to sign with Trapani Shark, the Italian team announced in a press release on Friday. Club president Valerio Antonini first announced the deal on social media (Twitter link).
Sanogo was the leading scorer and rebounder for the national champion Huskies in 2022/23 before going pro. The 23-year-old only appeared in 13 NBA games across two seasons for Chicago, but played a significant role for the Windy City Bulls, averaging a double-double (19.2 PPG, 11.6 RPG) across 67 games and earning a spot on both the NBAGL All-Rookie Team and the All-NBAGL Third Team in 2024.
Sanogo was waived by the Bulls in February.
We have a few more updates from around the international basketball world:
- Italian wing Gabriele Procida, the No. 36 overall pick in the 2022 draft whose NBA rights are held by the Jazz, has officially signed a three-year contract with Real Madrid, the Spanish club announced in a press release. Procida is still just 23 years old and remains a candidate to come stateside at some point, so it’s worth noting that his new deal includes NBA outs in both 2026 and 2027, as Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com reports.
- After spending the past two seasons with Olimpia Milano, former NBA forward Nikola Mirotic has left the Italian club to sign with AS Monaco Basket, according to a press release from the team. Mirotic, who averaged 12.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game in 319 NBA outings from 2014-19, unexpectedly turned down a lucrative NBA contract offer in 2019 to return to Europe and has been playing overseas since then.
- Former NBA guard Patrick Beverley is weighing the possibility of investing in Hapoel Tel Aviv after playing for the Israeli club last season, team owner Ofer Yannay said during an appearance on The Baseline Podcast (YouTube link). “Patrick is now considering becoming a shareholder of Hapoel, to invest money in Hapoel,” Yannay said, per BasketNews.com. “This is something that we are negotiating on.” Beverley started last season with Hapoel Tel Aviv before leaving the team in February following a suspension.
Execs Weigh In On Jonathan Kuminga’s Value
When forward Jonathan Kuminga and the Warriors failed to come to terms on a rookie scale extension last fall, Anthony Slater – working for The Athletic at the time – wrote that “it’s possible Kuminga would’ve accepted a contract below max value, but the Warriors never upped their offer (somewhere near the $30ish million per year range) into an appealing enough ballpark.”
A maximum-salary contract for Kuminga would’ve been worth roughly $43MM per season on a four-year deal or nearly $45MM on a five-year deal. While it’s clear that the Warriors weren’t willing to pay that price, agent Aaron Turner tweeted this week that Kuminga also never received or turned down an offer worth even $30MM annually.
Appearing on The Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link) on Friday with new colleague Brian Windhorst, Slater – now employed by ESPN – essentially confirmed as much.
According to Slater, while the two sides had plenty of conversations about a new deal, the Warriors were hesitant to put a concrete offer on the table for Kuminga last fall because he would have been subject to the poison pill provision in 2024/25 if he had signed an extension and they wanted to keep their trade options open.
“I think Jalen Johnson getting five years, $150MM gave a target,” Slater said. “… I’m of the belief – and I’ve been told – that (Kuminga’s camp) would’ve taken five for $150MM if it was ever on the table. It wasn’t on the table.”
Nine months later, after an up-and-down season in which Kuminga was limited to 47 appearances and saw his numbers drop in several statistical categories, the consensus around the NBA is that the now-restricted-free-agent’s current value is well below $30MM per year.
Fred Katz of The Athletic polled 16 sources who work in rival front offices to ask them what they believe a “fair” contract for Kuminga would look like. Their answers, according to Katz, ranged from $17-25MM in average annual value, with Kuminga’s biggest fan in the group advocating for a five-year, $125MM deal.
The majority of the respondents, Katz writes, expressed that a three-year deal would make the most sense, with many of those rival staffers suggesting a third-year player option and a few of them likening Kuminga’s situation to that of Jalen Green in Houston. The former Rockets guard signed a three-year, $105MM rookie scale extension with a third-year player option last fall and was traded to Phoenix earlier this month just as that deal took effect.
“It feels like a Jalen Green-type deal that keeps him tradable,” one team official who suggested a three-year, $70MM contract told Katz. “Definitely less than he probably wants, but the player option gives him some options.”
“If I’m the agent, I’m trying to get a short-term deal so I can get out of there and get somewhere else but still make some money in the meantime,” another respondent said.
As Katz writes, it’s not out of the question that Kuminga would accept his $8MM qualifying offer, which would line him up to reach unrestricted free agency in 2026. But that would represent a risky path for both the 22-year-old and the Warriors, who could badly use a player earning a salary in the $15-25MM range for trade purposes. Currently, Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green – who aren’t considered trade candidates – are the only Golden State players with cap hits exceeding $11.6MM in 2025/26.
“If he takes the qualifying offer, the Warriors are f—ed from a team-building standpoint, because they need to get him on a deal where they can trade him,” one executive said. “That’s the key for them.”
In case you missed it, we relayed several of the latest rumors on Kuminga’s restricted free agency in a pair of stories on Thursday.