Veteran Nuggets Executive Martynas Pocius Joining Real Madrid
Veteran Nuggets executive Martynas Pocius is leaving the NBA to become a deputy general manager for Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid, reports Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com.
Pocius has spent the past eight years working in Denver’s front office, most recently holding the title of assistant director of pro personnel, Urbonas writes. The 39-year-old has also served as a Nuggets scout both in the NBA and around the globe.
Pocius played college basketball for — and graduated from — Duke and competed in the EuroLeague for several years prior to retiring in 2017, as Kendra Andrews wrote for The Athletic in 2020. Pocius, who was a guard, played for Zalgiris Kaunas in his native Lithuania as well as Real Madrid and Galatasaray (Turkey).
“Since I played at Duke, I had seven surgeries,” Pocius told Andrews. “It took a toll on my body and I was in this cycle of getting injured, having surgery, trying rehab, all to come back and then have it happen all over again … I was reaching a point where I wasn’t enjoying basketball as much as I used to. I was a gym rat and I loved the gym, and it wasn’t fun being there anymore.”
Pocius also won a pair of medals — a bronze at the 2010 World Cup and a silver at EuroBasket 2013 — with the Lithuanian national team, Urbonas notes.
Pocius will be working alongside former Real Madrid backcourt mate Sergio Rodriguez in running the team’s front office. Rodriguez, a former NBA first-round pick, retired as a player last year.
It’s worth noting that Pocius got his start with the Nuggets due to his connection to childhood friend Tommy Balcetis. According to Andrews, while they were both attending Balcetis’ wedding, former head of basketball operations Tim Connelly offered Pocius a job if he decided to retire, something he wound up doing a year later.
The Nuggets decided not to retain Balcetis in June after the team’s former assistant GM had spent 12 years with the organization.
Thunder Make Changes To Coaching Staff
Thunder assistant coach Daniel Dixon has been named head coach of the Oklahoma City Blue, the G League team announced today (Twitter link via Clemente Almanza of Thunder Wire).
As Almanza writes in a full story, Dixon has been with the Thunder organization for the past three years and was previously a video coordinator in Charlotte.
Dixon was initially hired as a Blue assistant before being promoted to a Thunder assistant in 2024/25. He has spent time as head coach of the Summer League squads in both Salt Lake City and Las Vegas.
In a related move, the Thunder are promoting former Blue head coach Kameron Woods to be an assistant on Mark Daigneault‘s staff.
Woods has been the Blue’s head coach for the past three seasons, including winning an NBAGL title in 2024. He has been with the Thunder for seven years. Woods has also served as the lead coach during Summer League action, Almanza notes.
Fischer’s Latest: Beasley, Warriors, Brogdon, Highsmith, More
The status of free agent wing Malik Beasley is somewhat murky at the moment, writes Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).
While Beasley’s lawyers told ESPN their client is no longer the “target” of a federal gambling probe, a subsequent report said he was still a “subject” and could still face legal challenges. Beasley is also expected to be investigated by the NBA, Fischer reports.
According to Fischer, the Cavaliers, Knicks, Timberwolves and Pistons are the main teams to touch base with Beasley’s camp in the hope that he’ll eventually be able to play in 2025/26. However, Fischer hears none of those teams have actually discussed signing Beasley with his future seemingly still up in the air.
If Beasley is ultimately cleared of any legal wrongdoing and by the NBA, the 28-year-old will be seeking more than the veteran’s minimum on his next contract, sources tell Fischer. It’s worth noting that of the four suitors, Detroit — his incumbent team — can offer Beasley the highest starting salary ($7.2MM). Cleveland and New York would be limited to minimum-salary deals, while Minnesota could offer a little above the minimum.
Here are a few more rumors from Fischer’s latest story:
- Jonathan Kuminga‘s uncertain contract status has had a ripple effect on several free agents still on the market, Fischer notes, including Malcolm Brogdon. Fischer says the Warriors are expected to sign Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton, Gary Payton II and No. 56 overall pick Will Richard once Kuminga’s situation is resolved and have expressed a level of interest in Brogdon as well. The Knicks and Timberwolves have also been keeping an eye on Brogdon, Fischer adds.
- While Fischer’s breakdown of prospective Warriors signees includes Richard, he doesn’t mention No. 52 overall pick Alex Toohey at all. That could point to the Australian wing ending up on a two-way contract or as a draft-and-stash prospect rather than being a candidate for the 15-man roster.
- Fischer hears that the Timberwolves are “actively trying to work through the financial details” in a new contract for Bones Hyland. That suggests Hyland, who is no longer eligible for a two-way deal, may receive a non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed contract.
- The Heat are still trying to trade Terry Rozier but there’s “scant” interest in the veteran guard, who is also being investigated as part of a federal gambling probe. Miami is also believed to be interested in a buyout, Fischer reports, though nothing is imminent on that front.
- Fischer expects new Nets forward Haywood Highsmith to be back on the trade block at some point. Brooklyn has “no plans” to be competitive in 2025/26 and will continue to look to stockpile assets in trades, Fischer adds. The Nets recently acquired Highsmith, who is recovering from knee surgery, from Miami along with a second-round pick. Assuming he’s back to full health, Highsmith should have a chance to rebuild his trade value, and his expiring $5.6MM contract would fit into a team’s mid-level exception.
Kings Rumors: Kuminga, Westbrook, Carter
In an offseason discussion with his colleagues Fred Katz and Marcus Thompson II, Sam Amick of The Athletic states that the Kings have been the “most serious” sign-and-trade suitor for Warriors restricted free agent forward Jonathan Kuminga this summer.
According to Amick, Sacramento has been “resisting the urge” to make “smaller” trades this offseason because the front office has placed a higher priority on trying to acquire Kuminga. Elaborating further, Amick hears the Kings are more likely to sign Russell Westbrook if they know they can’t land Kuminga.
The Kings aren’t expected to sign Westbrook, with whom they’ve been linked throughout the summer, unless they can create a roster opening in the backcourt, Amick notes. Several other reporters have said similarly for several weeks, including Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link), whose latest story was released after The Athletic’s.
Sources tell Fischer the Kings “continue to covet” Westbrook, who played for Denver last season. While Sacramento is reportedly no longer actively shopping Malik Monk, people around the league think second-year guard Devin Carter may still be moved, according to Fischer, who observes that the former Providence star was drafted by former GM Monte McNair.
Carter has reportedly been offered to Golden State in sign-and-trade talks for Kuminga, though the Warriors aren’t believed to have interest in that proposal.
Carter, the 13th overall pick of last year’s draft, was limited to 36 games as a rookie due to a shoulder injury. He was dominant in five G League games with the Stockton Kings (26.6 points, 9.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 2.0 steals, 1.2 blocks on .517/.380/.733 shooting) but didn’t make a major impact in his limited NBA run in 2024/25 (3.8 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 1.1 APG on .370/.295/.591 shooting in 11.0 MPG).
Kuminga’s latest Instagram post has the young restricted free agent projecting confidence despite the lengthy contract standoff with Golden State, a situation Amick calls “borderline contentious.” Amick says he wouldn’t be surprised if Kuminga ultimately signs his $8MM qualifying offer instead of accepting the Warriors’ two-year, $45MM deal, which is guaranteed for $21.75MM (2026/27 is a team option).
However, as Amick writes, neither side will really start to feel pressure until mid-September, with training camp and the Oct. 1 deadline to sign a qualifying offer just a couple weeks away at that point.
Mavs’ Jaden Hardy On Trade Block?
Following up on his report yesterday with colleague Marc Stein, Jake Fischer reiterates in his latest story for The Stein Line (Substack link) that the Mavericks are actively exploring ways to bring back Dante Exum. Dallas’ primary focus on that front, Fischer writes, has been trying to trade former first-round pick Olivier-Maxence Prosper.
However, Prosper isn’t the only player Dallas is open to moving. According to Fischer, Jaden Hardy is another candidate to be sent out in a deal, and resolution on the trade front is expected by tomorrow evening.
The reason for that specific timeline is because of the Friday 4:00pm CT deadline for waiving and stretching players — multiple sources have told Fischer the Mavs might be forced to go that route, as they’re reluctant to part with either of their two remaining second-round picks to shed salary and create a roster spot.
Fischer doesn’t state it outright, but Prosper figures be the main candidate to be stretched, as his $3MM contract for 2025/26 could be treated as expiring if his $5.3 team option for ’26/27 is declined. That would spread his $3MM cap hit across three seasons at approximately $1MM per year, opening up an extra $2MM in room below the 2025/26 second tax apron.
Dallas reached an agreement to re-sign Exum to a one-year deal way back in July 2, but the transaction still hasn’t been officially finalized. That’s because the Mavericks’ team salary for apron purposes currently sits at approximately $206.2MM, which is about $1.6MM below the second apron ($207,824,000).
The Mavericks hard-capped themselves at the second apron by using the taxpayer mid-level exception to sign D’Angelo Russell last month. That means their team salary can’t surpass $207,824,000 at any point for the rest of the 2025/26 league year. A minimum-salary deal for Exum would carry a $2,296,274 cap hit.
Hardy, 23, was the 37th pick of the 2022 draft after spending one season with the now-defunct G League Ignite. He inked a three-year, $18MM extension with Dallas last October — that deal begins in ’25/26 and includes a flat $6MM per year structure, with a team option in ’27/28.
The 6’4″ shooting guard made 57 appearances for the Mavs last season, averaging 8.7 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.4 turnovers in 15.7 minutes per game. His shooting line was .435/.386/.698.
The Mavs are currently carrying 15 players on guaranteed or partially guaranteed contracts for ’25/26, so moving off Prosper, Hardy or another player is also necessary to open up a spot for Exum on their projected 15-man regular season roster.
Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton Discusses Injury Recovery
Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton offered a brief update on his injury recovery in a session with reporters on Saturday, according to Field Level Media (story via Reuters). The two-time All-Star is recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, which he suffered in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
“I’m walking now in my boot,” Haliburton said. “Getting closer to walking full time in my shoe. So, that’s exciting for me. It’s kind of like a new benchmark, a new achievement for me. … Just being able to walk, it’s like the small wins right now. Just taking it a day at a time. I have good days, bad days.”
The 25-year-old said he’s trying not to be impatient with the recovery process since he knows he’ll miss the entire 2025/26 season.
“I obviously want to be good tomorrow but I know it takes time,” Haliburton said. “The team has already ruled me out for the year, so I’m in no rush. It’s just about getting 100 percent, not necessarily as fast as I can, but getting 100 percent is important. I don’t want to come back and be 85, 90 percent. I want to be able to come back at 100, so I’m just taking my time through that.”
Haliburton also said he and Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark have been supporting each other as they both battle injuries, writes Joshua Heron of The Indianapolis Star (subscriber link). The No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 WNBA draft has missed the Fever’s past 14 games with a groin injury and has battled soft-tissue issues throughout the season.
“It sucks that she’s been hurt for as long as she has. But just for us to be able to communicate even in our recovery, we lift at the same time, so it’s just us two in the weight room,” Haliburton told reporters. “We spend a lot of time together. It’s good to have each other to lean on in a time like right now.”
Cavaliers Among Teams Interested In Malik Beasley
The Cavaliers are among the teams that have checked in on free agent wing Malik Beasley, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
The Knicks are another team interested in Beasley, Scotto adds. Multiple reporters have stated that New York has been monitoring Beasley’s situation.
Beasley is no longer a target of the federal gambling investigation being conducted by the Eastern District of New York, his lawyers recently told Shams Charania of ESPN.
However, as Michael McCann of Sportico details, just because Beasley is no longer considered a “target” of the federal investigation doesn’t necessarily mean he’s fully in the clear. It’s possible he still may still be a “subject” of the investigation, which has a different legal meaning with the Department of Justice.
And even if the 28-year-old is cleared of any type of criminal wrongdoing, that doesn’t necessarily mean he has not broken any NBA rules, McCann writes. The league will have to determine independently whether or not Beasley broke any “contractual, labor and employment obligations.”
The 6’4″ shooting guard is coming off a strong season in Detroit in which he was the Sixth Man of the Year runner-up after averaging 16.3 points per game while shooting a career-high 41.6% from long distance and ranking second in the NBA in three-pointers made (319).
Scotto points out that Knicks senior vice president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas signed Beasley to a lucrative contract while he was running Minnesota’s front office in 2020. Both the Cavaliers and the Knicks have open standard roster spots, but they can only offer Beasley a minimum-salary deal, Scotto notes.
Warriors To Sign Taevion Kinsey
The Warriors intend to sign free agent guard Taevion Kinsey, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
While Scotto doesn’t clarify what type of contract the two sides agreed to, it will likely be a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deal for training camp.
If that comes to fruition, Kinsey would be eligible for a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he’s waived before the season starts and spends at least 60 days with the Warriors’ G League affiliate in Santa Cruz. Exhibit 10 contracts can also be converted to two-way deals, and the Warriors do have a pair of two-way openings, though those spots may already be spoken for, as we discussed yesterday.
Kinsey went undrafted in 2023 after starring in college at Marshall. He was named Sun Belt Player of the Year as a “super senior” in 2022/23 and is the Thunder Herd’s all-time leading scorer.
The 25-year-old shooting guard has signed Exhibit 10 deals with the Jazz each of the past two offseasons prior to being waived in the fall and then joining the Salt Lake City Stars. He briefly spent time with Utah on a 10-day deal in March 2024 and was also on a two-way contract for about a month last summer, but has yet to make his NBA regular season debut.
In 50 appearances for the Stars in ’24/25, Kinsey averaged 12.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steal on .525/.327/.662 shooting in 33.8 minutes per game. In 50 games (29.6 MPG) during the ’23/24 campaign, he averaged 10.8 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.1 APG and 0.8 SPG on .555/.427/.780 shooting.
According to Scotto, Kinsey was recently named to the G League United’s roster. The team will participate in the FIBA Intercontinental Cup in September.
Magic Sign Colin Castleton To Exhibit 10 Deal
August 24: Castleton has signed his Exhibit 10 contract with Orlando, according to RealGM’s log of official NBA transactions.
August 22: The Magic are signing free agent center Colin Castleton, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (via Twitter).
Castleton’s contract with the Magic will be a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deal, according to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link).
A Florida native who spent the final three years of his college career at UF, Castleton went undrafted in 2023 and spent 2023/24 — his rookie season — on a two-way contract with the Lakers.
Castleton was waived by L.A. shortly before the ’24/25 campaign began, but quickly caught on with Memphis on another two-way deal. He was released by the Grizzlies in January.
After spending a few months in the G League, Castleton inked a pair of 10-day deals with Toronto in March before joining the 76ers on a 10-day pact in early April. The Raptors re-signed him to a two-year standard contract on the final day of the regular season, but the second year was non-guaranteed, and he was cut in late July.
In 26 total appearances for Memphis, Philadelphia and Toronto last season, Castleton averaged 4.7 points and 4.7 rebounds in 16.6 minutes per game. The 25-year-old big man’s NBA G League rights are currently controlled by the Magic.
If Castleton is waived before the ’25/26 season begins and spends at least 60 days in the G League with the Osceola Magic, he’d be eligible for a bonus worth up to $85,300. Exhibit 10 contracts can also be converted to two-way deals, and Orlando does have a two-way opening, as our tracker shows.
Several Countries Finalize Rosters For EuroBasket 2025
Several countries have made their final roster cuts ahead of EuroBasket 2025, according to FIBA, which has compiled a tracker of each finalized 12-man squad.
The tournament begins on Wednesday and is made up of four groups of six teams apiece, with 16 of the 24 total clubs advancing to the knockout round. All knockout round games — including the final and third-place matchup on September 14 — will take place in Riga, Lativa.
We’ll have another story in the coming days on all the NBA players participating in the tournament, including stars such as Luka Doncic and Lauri Markkanen, who headline the rosters of Slovenia and Finland, respectively.
Here are the 16 countries that have finalized their rosters (all links courtesy of FIBA):
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Czechia (Our story here)
- Finland
- France (Our story here)
- Germany (Our story here)
- Iceland
- Israel
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Montenegro
- Poland
- Portugal
- Serbia (Our story here)
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
Here are the eight countries that have not yet finalized their rosters (links go to preliminary rosters):