And-Ones: Korkmaz, Aprons, Mexico City, Gambling Cases
Former NBA wing Furkan Korkmaz has a new team in Europe, having signed with Tofas in his home country of Turkey, according to an announcement from the team. Korkmaz’s deal with Tofas is for the rest of the 2025/26 season and reportedly includes a EuroLeague buyout clause, per Bugra Uzar of Eurohoops (Twitter link).
Korkmaz, the 26th overall pick in the 2016 draft, arrived stateside a year later and spend seven seasons in the NBA from 2017-24, all with the Sixers. He averaged 6.8 points and 2.0 rebounds in 16.6 minutes per game across 328 NBA regular season outings, making 35.6% of his three-point tries.
Korkmaz was dealt from Philadelphia to Indiana at the 2024 trade deadline and was waived shortly thereafter by the Pacers. The 28-year-old has been out of the NBA since then, having spent last season with AS Monaco and Bahcesehir Koleji overseas.
We have more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- How do players around the NBA feel about the tax-apron rules in the league’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement? Joe Vardon of The Athletic spoke to a number of them to get a sense of that, noting that several had concerns about the apron rules are impacting non-stars. “A few years ago, the days of calling the ‘middle class’ or middle guys in the league are getting quote-unquote overpaid, that was nice for a long time for a lot of these guys trying to make way for themselves,” Bucks center Myles Turner said. “But now you’re starting to see it’s either you’re getting max, big-ass contracts or you’re getting minimum. And it really is affecting a lot of guys within the league.”
- Mexican-American forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. would love to see the NBA expand to Mexico City, he tells Grant Afseth of RG.org. Jaquez called it a “great experience” to get to play in the city with the Heat last season. “I definitely think it’d be a great location if the league wants to expand,” he said. “It’s a beautiful city with a lot to do down there. I think it only makes sense — there’s already a team in Canada, so to have one down in Mexico would be great.”
- Multiple Congressional committees have sought briefings from NBA commissioner Adam Silver in the wake of Heat guard Terry Rozier, Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, and former player and coach Damon Jones being arrested in a pair of illegal gambling cases. The House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation both sent letters to Silver and the league requesting information. In another story for The Athletic, Vardon provides details on what those committees want to know and why Silver probably won’t be called to testify in person at Capitol Hill — at least not anytime soon.
- Discussions are ongoing between the NBA and its partner sportsbooks about which bets might be most susceptible to manipulation, reports David Purdum of ESPN. As Purdum outlines, FanDuel and DraftKings agreed before the season not to offer bettors the ability to wager on missed free throws, fouls, and turnovers.
Central Notes: Rollins, Green, Turner, Jones, LaVine, Buzelis
After waiving Chris Livingston and Tyler Smith prior to the start of the 2025/26 season, the Bucks have now gone 11 consecutive draft classes without signing one of their picks to a second contract, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. As Windhorst acknowledges, Milwaukee has traded away several picks during that time – either before or after using them – but the last player the team drafted and signed to a second contract was Giannis Antetokounmpo, 2013’s 15th overall pick.
While the Bucks haven’t had any real draft success stories in the past decade, they’ve done well with certain undrafted free agents and reclamation projects, Windhorst’s colleague Tim Bontemps points out within the same story. Two of the latest examples are Ryan Rollins and A.J. Green, the current backcourt starters, who have helped the team get out to a 4-1 start this season.
As we detailed last night, Rollins had the best game of his NBA career in a win over Golden State on Thursday, racking up 32 points and eight assists in 36 minutes of action. Green contributed just 10 points in Thursday’s victory, but he made at least three three-point shots for a fifth consecutive game to open the season and is knocking them down at a 55.2% rate.
Rollins signed a three-year, $12MM contract over the summer that includes a third-year player option, while Green finalized a four-year, $45MM extension just before the season tipped off. Those could become two of the most team-friendly deals in the NBA if the Bucks’ guards keep playing like this, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
Here’s more from around the Central:
- Bucks center Myles Turner said during an appearance on teammate Thanasis Antetokounmpo‘s podcast that he felt like Tyrese Haliburton‘s Achilles injury in Game 7 of the NBA Finals changed how his free agency played out, making Indiana less willing to do what it took to re-sign him. “All everybody told me was, ‘Myles, just keep your head down. Keep your head down and work. You’re going to get taken care of,'” Turner explained (hat tip to RealGM). “Then the unfortunate situation happens in the Finals with Tyrese, and I guess the front office and ownership just changed their mind. It was like, ‘Yeah… we told you all those things. And yeah… you helped us get to the Eastern Conference Finals and the Finals… but… we had to pivot.’ That was basically the sentiment. And we were just very far apart on what we thought the future should be.”
- A prosecutor in Indiana opted not to file formal charges against Kam Jones after the Pacers rookie was arrested by Indiana State Police for driving erratically, according to Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files, who says the incident will serve as a “learning moment” for the first-year guard.
- After playing at the United Center on Wednesday for the first time since being traded from the Bulls to the Kings in February, Zach LaVine said it “felt like I came home” and spoke about his love for Chicago, writes Jamal Collier of ESPN. LaVine got a standing ovation from Bulls fans when the team played a tribute video during the first quarter. “I know I did a lot of good in Chicago,” LaVine said. “I just wish I could have won more here.”
- While LaVine’s return to Chicago was one of the major subplots of Wednesday’s game, the ongoing development of second-year forward Matas Buzelis was the most important one for the Bulls‘ future. As Jon Greenberg of The Athletic details, Buzelis led Chicago to its fourth straight win by scoring a season-high 27 points on 11-of-18 shooting — the Bulls, who won the game by 13 points, were +18 when he was on the court. “He can do it all,” LaVine said of his former teammate after the game.
Injury Notes: Robinson, Joe, Garland, Collier, Barlow
Knicks center Mitchell Robinson went through a full practice on Thursday and head coach Mike Brown says he’ll be a game-time decision for Friday’s contest in Chicago, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (Twitter links).
Robinson has been held out of the first four games of the regular season with what New York has deemed left ankle injury management. There has been no indication from the Knicks that the 27-year-old big man has suffered a new injury or setback.
Robinson didn’t make his 2024/25 debut until February 28 while recovering from offseason ankle surgery and only played in 17 regular season contests down the stretch. He also appeared in 18 playoff games for New York last spring.
We have more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Thunder wing Isaiah Joe will be available to make his season debut on Thursday vs. Washington, tweets Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman. After averaging a career-high 21.7 minutes per game in 74 outings for Oklahoma City last season, Joe has been inactive to open the 2025/26 campaign due to a left knee contusion.
- Coming off toe surgery, Cavaliers guard Darius Garland isn’t facing any restrictions in practices and has been “scrimmaging and everything,” a source tells Spencer Davies of ClutchPoints. The team is being cautious with his return and won’t bring him back too early, but Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints recently reported that a return during the first half of November is very much in play for the two-time All-Star.
- Second-year Jazz point guard Isaiah Collier has been cleared for full on-court work, the team announced today (via Twitter), adding that he’ll be assigned to the G League on Friday as he ramps up his conditioning ahead of his season debut. Collier has been sidelined while recovering from a right hamstring strain.
- After starting the first two games of the season, Sixers forward Dominick Barlow has missed the past two and will remain out for at least two more due to his right elbow laceration, per the club (Twitter link via Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports). That means Barlow, who will be reevaluated early next week, won’t play against Boston on Friday or Brooklyn on Sunday.
Rory Maher contributed to this post.
Warriors Exercise 2026/27 Option On Brandin Podziemski
The Warriors have picked up their rookie scale team option on guard Brandin Podziemski for the 2026/27 season, the team announced today in a press release (Twitter link).
The move, which was considered a sure thing to happen prior to Friday’s deadline, locks in Podziemski’s $5,679,458 salary for the fourth and final year of his rookie contract. He’ll now be eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2026 offseason and would reach restricted free agency in 2027 if he and the Warriors don’t work out a new deal before then.
[RELATED: Decisions On 2026/27 Rookie Scale Team Options]
Podziemski, 22, has been a regular part of Golden State’s rotation since being drafted 19th overall in 2023. The former Santa Clara star averaged 11.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 26.8 minutes per game in 64 outings last season, posting a shooting line of .445/.372/.758. He’s off to a solid start this year too, scoring 12.2 PPG and knocking down 42.3% of his three-point attempts through five games, including three starts.
Podziemski is one of six Warriors players whose contract includes an option for 2026/27, but he’s the only one of those six on a rookie scale contract. While rookie scale options must be exercised by October 31, decisions on player options for Draymond Green, Al Horford, and De’Anthony Melton, along with team options for Jonathan Kuminga and Trayce Jackson-Davis, won’t be due until next June.
Pelicans’ Willie Green Reportedly On Hot Seat
The Pelicans are having “serious” internal discussions about head coach Willie Green, league sources tell Brett Siegel and Chris Dodson of ClutchPoints.
After winning just 21 games last season, the Pelicans revamped their front office and retooled their roster during the offseason. Amid those changes, however, Green held onto his head coaching job under new executive VP of basketball operations Joe Dumars.
New Orleans entered this fall hoping for a bounce-back season, but the team hasn’t gotten off to a good start. After tight losses to Memphis and San Antonio, the Pelicans have been blown out in each of their last two games, losing by 32 points at home to Boston on Monday and by 34 in Denver on Wednesday.
Sources tell ClutchPoints that multiple Pelicans players have appeared frustrated by Green’s lineup decisions and that there’s a growing sense around the league that the fifth-year coach has lost the locker room.
The Pelicans will play on Friday against the Clippers in L.A. and on Sunday against the Thunder in Oklahoma City before returning home. It’s possible a decision on Green’s future will be made at the conclusion of that road trip, according to Siegel and Dodson, who say assistant James Borrego would be the favorite to take over in the event of a coaching change.
Green has a record of 148-184 (.446) since being hired by New Orleans in 2021. The team has made the playoffs twice during Green’s tenure and won 49 regular season games in 2023/24, but hasn’t advanced beyond the first round, losing to the Suns in six games in 2022 and to the Thunder in four games in 2024.
Following Wednesday’s one-sided loss in Denver, which dropped the Pelicans to 0-4, Green said that the club needs to “dig down and find our identity,” per Rod Walker of NOLA.com.
“We have to believe in each other. That’s first,” he said. “The first order of business is you’ve got to compete harder, play harder, play more together and the belief has to be there.”
Celtics Picking Up 2026/27 Option On Baylor Scheierman
The Celtics will exercise their team option on Baylor Scheierman‘s rookie scale contract for the 2026/27 season ahead of Friday’s deadline, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Scheierman, 25, was the 30th overall pick in the 2024 draft and played a limited role as a rookie, averaging 3.6 points and 2.1 rebounds in 12.4 minutes per game across 31 regular season appearances.
In the wake of the Celtics’ offseason roster shake-up, there was a sense that Scheierman could be in line for a bigger role this season, but that hasn’t materialized yet. Although he has seen the floor in four of five games so far, the 6’6″ shooting guard is averaging just 8.5 minutes per contest.
Still, it likely wasn’t too difficult a decision for Boston to guarantee Scheierman’s $2,744,040 salary for the ’26/27 season. Since the former Creighton standout was the last pick in the first round of the 2024 draft, his third-year option won’t be worth all that much more than a veteran’s minimum deal.
The full list of rookie scale option decisions for 2026/27 can be found right here.
Sixers Exercise Jared McCain’s 2026/27 Option
The Sixers have exercised the third-year option on Jared McCain‘s rookie scale contract, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
The move guarantees McCain’s $4,422,600 salary for the 2026/27 season. The team’s next decision on the guard’s contract will occur next fall, at which point his ’27/28 option worth roughly $6.84MM would need to be either picked up or turned down.
The No. 16 pick in the 2024 draft, McCain looked like one of the standouts of last year’s rookie class during the first two months of the 2024/25 season. He averaged 15.3 points, 2.6 assists, and 2.4 rebounds in 25.7 minutes per game on .460/.383/.875 shooting in 23 contests prior to suffering a season-ending injury — a torn lateral meniscus in his left knee, which required surgery — in December.
Although he has since recovered from that knee injury, McCain has yet to make his ’25/26 debut after undergoing thumb surgery a month ago. Once he’s ready to return, the 21-year-old will join an increasingly loaded Philadelphia backcourt that has been headed up by Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe on the team’s four-game winning streak to open the season.
The deadline for teams to exercise rookie scale team options is Friday. As our tracker shows, McCain’s was the only option the 76ers had to make a decision on.
LaMelo Ball Fined $35K By NBA
Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball has been fined $35K by the NBA for making an obscene gesture during the team’s loss to the Heat in Miami on Tuesday, the league announced today in a press release (Twitter link).
The incident occurred with about four minutes left in the fourth quarter of the Heat’s blowout victory. Ball attempted to drive into the lane while being defended by Heat guard Davion Mitchell and was called for a charging foul as he went up for a shot.
After the whistle, the Hornets guard quickly shot a middle finger toward the official who made the foul call (Twitter video link). Ball was hit with a technical foul on top of the charging violation.
The fine is a drop in the bucket for Ball, who is earning a salary of $37,958,760 this season on his maximum-salary contract. Through four games, he’s averaging 26.3 points, 9.5 assists, and 8.3 rebounds per night, along with a 39.5% mark on three-point attempts. All of those figures would be career highs.
Thunder’s Nikola Topic Undergoing Treatment For Testicular Cancer
Nikola Topic, the Thunder‘s lottery pick in the 2024 draft, is being treated for testicular cancer, general manager Sam Presti announced on Thursday, per Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman.
According to Presti, Topic has begun chemotherapy and there’s no timeline for his return to the court. However, Presti added that doctors are “extremely positive” about the 20-year-old’s prognosis, noting that testicular cancer is the “most cured” among males.
“Our only expectation of him is to focus on this,” Presti told reporters on Thursday (Twitter video link via Rylan Stiles of SI.com). “This is his most important priority. He’ll be back playing basketball when he’s able to, but we’re not putting any type of expectations on that, obviously. He has our total support, encouragement and love.”
The 12th overall pick in the 2024 draft, Topic missed the Thunder’s championship season due to a torn ACL. He played 31 minutes in Oklahoma City’s preseason opener earlier this month, then was ruled out for at least four-to-six weeks after undergoing a testicular procedure. Presti said today that procedure was necessary to determine whether or not Topic had cancer.
As Jeff Stotts of In Street Clothes points out (via Twitter), veteran NBA center Nene was diagnosed with testicular cancer and missed 76 days during the 2007/08 season after undergoing chemotherapy. Nene spent another decade in the league after that, so ideally Topic will follow a similar trajectory.
Despite Topic’s diagnosis and the fact that he has yet to play an NBA game, all indications are that the Thunder continue to view the young point guard as a part of their future — Oklahoma City exercised its 2026/27 option on Topic prior to the start of the season, locking in his $5.43MM salary for next season.
NBA’s Board Of Governors Unanimously Approves Lakers Sale
11:42 am: The Lakers have put out a press release confirming that Walter has finalized his acquisition of a majority stake in the team. The sale is now closed, confirms ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne (Twitter link).
“The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most iconic franchises in all of sports, defined by a history of excellence and the relentless pursuit of greatness,” Walter said in a statement. “Few teams carry the legacy and global influence of the Lakers, and it’s a privilege to work alongside Jeanie Buss as we maintain that excellence and set the standard for success in this new era, both on and off the court.”
11:11 am: The NBA’s Board of Governors has unanimously approved the sale of a majority share of the Lakers to Mark Walter, the league announced today in a press release, adding that the transaction is expected to close soon (Twitter link).
Walter, 65, is the CEO of Guggenheim Partners, a global investment firm, and co-CEO and chairman of TWG Global, a diversified holding company.
Walter, who also owns the Los Angeles Dodgers (MLB) and Los Angeles Sparks (WNBA), among other sports investments, had been a minority shareholder in the Lakers, having purchased a 27% stake in 2021 alongside Todd Boehly. Boehly will remain a limited partner in the franchise, per Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico.
Walter reached an agreement in June to buy a controlling interest from the Buss family at a record-setting valuation of $10 billion. It will be the first time since 1979 that the franchise has a new majority owner.
“Mark Walter has a long association with our leagues, having served as a minority owner of the Lakers and as a principal owner of the WNBA’s Sparks for more than a decade,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “As Mark assumes his role as majority owner of the Lakers, I have no doubt that he will be a committed steward of the team and a great addition to our league given his many successful ventures in business and sports.”
Although Walter is assuming majority control of the Lakers, Jeanie Buss will remain in her role of governor for at least five years after the transaction closes, the league confirmed within its announcement. That means the Buss family will retain at least a 15% stake in the team, which is the minimum required for the governor role.
“I also want to thank and congratulate Jeanie Buss and the Buss family for 46 years of transformational leadership and service,” Silver continued. “While this historic transaction transfers the Buss family’s majority interest in the Lakers, I am thrilled that Jeanie will remain the team’s governor and an active and engaged member of our league.”