Bulls To Retire Derrick Rose’s No. 1 Jersey On Jan. 24
The Bulls will retire Derrick Rose‘s No. 1 jersey on January 24, 2026, according to a team press release (Twitter link).
Chicago announced this past January — ahead of “Derrick Rose Night” — that it would be adding Rose’s jersey to the rafters of the United Center at some point during the 2025/26 season. Now we know the ceremony will occur on a Saturday when Chicago hosts Boston, as shown by the Bulls’ official schedule.
Rose, who retired as a player this past September, spent eight seasons with Chicago, his hometown team. As Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune noted last October, no Bull has worn No. 1 since Rose was traded to New York in 2016.
“Derrick is both a hometown hero and a symbol of an entire era of Bulls basketball,” chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said in January. “Retiring a jersey recognizes a player’s impact beyond on-court achievements. It honors individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the organization and forged deep, lasting connections with fans. It recognizes that emotional bond and the great influence a player has had on the team and organization’s identity.”
The Bulls selected Rose with the first overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft. He earned Rookie of the Year honors in 2009 and was named an All-Star in each of his next three seasons, winning the MVP award in 2011. Over the course of that season, his third in the NBA at age 22, Rose averaged 25.0 points, 7.7 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game across 81 starts, leading the Bulls to a league-best 62-20 record and a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals.
However, Rose’s career hit a snag following his first four seasons in Chicago, as he missed the entire 2012/13 season due to an ACL tear and only played in 10 games in ’13/14 as he continued to recover from that injury. Overall, he averaged 19.7 PPG, 6.2 APG and 3.7 RPG in 406 regular season games with the Bulls, posting a shooting slash line of .448/.302/.813.
Rose, who turns 37 in early October, will be the fifth former Bull to have his jersey retired, joining Jerry Sloan (No. 4), Bob Love (No. 10), Michael Jordan (No. 23) and Scottie Pippen (No. 33). Chicago also has banners honoring former head coach Phil Jackson and former general manager Jerry Krause.
The fact that Rose won the MVP award while still on his rookie scale contract resulted in an NBA rule being unofficially named after him. As we’ve outlined in a Hoops Rumors Glossary entry, the “Derrick Rose rule” allows players coming off their rookie deals to sign maximum-salary contracts worth up to 30% of the salary cap instead of the typical 25% if they’ve earned a major award such as MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, or All-NBA.
Luka Doncic Cleared To Return Following Injury Scare
August 18: Doncic has been cleared to play for Slovenia on Tuesday vs. Great Britain, tweets Marc Stein of The Stein Line.
August 17: After a teammate fell into his leg during the third quarter of an exhibition game against Latvia on Saturday (Twitter video link via Dan Woike of The Athletic), Slovenian captain and Lakers star Luka Doncic reportedly suffered a right knee contusion that was not believed to be serious and would not impact his status for EuroBasket 2025, which tips off later this month.
This morning, Slovenia’s basketball federation announced (via Twitter) that Doncic would practice on Monday, officially putting to rest any lingering concerns about the injury. Slovenia will face Great Britain in another exhibition contest on Tuesday.
Doncic signed a three-year, maximum-salary extension with the Lakers earlier this month on the first day he was eligible to do so. The deal features a player option for the 2028/29 season.
The NBA’s Rookie of the Year in 2019 and a five-time All-NBA first-teamer from 2020-24, Doncic battled a calf issue last season that limited him to a career-low 50 games (22 for Dallas and 28 for L.A.). The 26-year-old put up his usual superlative numbers when he was available, averaging 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 7.7 assists, and 1.8 steals per game with a .450/.368/.782 shooting line.
Community Shootaround: 2025 Rookie Class
The 2025 draft lottery produced some unexpected results, with the Mavericks (No. 1), Spurs (No. 2) and Sixers (No. 3) leapfrogging multiple teams to select Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper and VJ Edgecombe, respectively.
Flagg is, unsurprisingly, the odds-on favorite (-190 at ESPN BET) to win Rookie of the Year for the 2025/26 season, according to Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com.
But the last two American prospects who were as hyped as Flagg — Zion Williamson and Anthony Davis — didn’t end up winning the award, so it’s not a given that the 18-year-old will claim it next spring, even if it currently seems as though it will “probably be Flagg’s award to lose,” as Pelton puts it.
Which players from the 2025 rookie class are best positioned to challenge Flagg for the award? Pelton groups them into categories, with the “contenders” being Kon Knueppel (No. 4; Hornets), Tre Johnson (No. 6; Wizards) and Ace Bailey (No. 5; Jazz).
As Pelton explains, Johnson, Knueppel and Bailey were selected by three of the NBA’s worst teams from last season should be given plenty of opportunities to earn both shots and minutes. While Knueppel is a distant sixth in betting odds (+2800), Pelton thinks the former Duke guard/forward might be in the best position to have a strong start to his career, followed by Johnson (+750) and Bailey (+1600).
Harper (+1000) and Edgecombe (+1200) are in their own “wild cards” tier. Although they’re undeniably talented, Pelton writes that both guards are joining crowded backcourts on teams that are striving to be competitive, so their playing time might be limited, barring injuries.
Pelton’s final group of rookies — Walter Clayton Jr. (No. 18; Jazz), Nique Clifford (No. 24; Kings), Egor Demin (No. 8; Nets), Jeremiah Fears (No. 7; Pelicans), Ryan Kalkbrenner (No. 34; Hornets) and Derik Queen (No. 13; Pelicans) — are the “long shots” to win the award. Kalkbrenner is the only second-rounder of the bunch and isn’t among the top 28 betting favorites, but Pelton is “intrigued” by his potential as a rookie, noting that the former Creighton center could be a day-one starter in Charlotte.
We want to know what you think. Do you agree with Pelton’s categories of the players best positioned to challenge Flagg for Rookie of the Year? Is there anyone who wasn’t mentioned that you believe could be a dark-horse contender? Head to the comment section to weigh in.
Moussa Diabate Declines To Rejoin French National Team
Hornets big man Moussa Diabate was cut from the French national team on August 8 ahead of EuroBasket 2025. After a knee issue forced Vincent Poirier to withdraw from the tournament, France’s head coach, Frederic Fauthoux, reached out to Diabate about the possibility of rejoining Les Bleus, according to Arthur Puybertier of BeBasket.
However, after consulting with his camp, Diabate declined the offer in order to “focus on his upcoming NBA season” (hat tip to Eurohoops).
2025/26 is a big season for the 6’11” center, whose minimum-salary contract with Charlotte is non-guaranteed. Diabate emerged as a rotation regular in ’24/25, averaging 5.7 points and 6.3 rebounds while shooting 59.6% from the field in 71 appearances (17.5 minutes per game).
While the Hornets could be facing a roster crunch this fall, head coach Charles Lee recently praised Diabate, so it would be somewhat surprising if the 23-year-old ends up being released.
The French national team announced on Sunday (via Twitter) that it has finalized its 12-man group for EuroBasket, with Poirier and Paris Basketball guard Nadir Hifi the final two players cut. According to Eurohoops, France’s roster will likely consist of Theo Maledon, Sylvain Francisco, Elie Okobo, Isaia Cordinier, Matthew Strazel, Zaccharie Risacher, Bilal Coulibaly, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Guerschon Yabusele, Jaylen Hoard, Alex Sarr and Mouhammadou Jaiteh.
Risacher (Hawks), Coulibaly (Wizards), Yabusele (Knicks) and Sarr (Wizards) are current NBA players, while Maledon, Okobo, Luwawu-Cabarrot and Hoard previously spent time in the league. Cordinier is a former second-round pick (44th overall in 2016), but the 28-year-old has only played in Europe to this point in his career.
Hawks Signing N’Faly Dante To Two-Year Offer Sheet
The Hawks are signing restricted free agent center N’Faly Dante to a two-year, $4.5MM offer sheet, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
The Rockets — Dante’s incumbent team — will have two days to match the offer sheet. However, Houston doesn’t currently have enough room under its first-apron hard cap to match the contract Dante agreed to with Atlanta, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link).
As Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle notes (via Twitter), the Rockets already have three players signed to two-way contracts, so evidently they were prepared for Dante’s departure.
A native of Mali who went undrafted in 2024 after a standout college career at Oregon, Dante signed a two-way deal with Houston last summer. The 23-year-old only made four NBA appearances for the second-seeded Rockets as a rookie, with three occurring during the final three contests of the regular season. The 6’11” big man averaged 6.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 12.8 minutes per game.
While his NBA contributions were limited, Dante had an excellent season for Houston’s G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, averaging 15.1 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 1.0 SPG and 2.2 BPG while shooting 74.3% from the field in 42 games (26.8 MPG).
As our Luke Adams recently outlined, two-way restricted free agents rarely sign offer sheets with other teams. But clearly the Hawks like Dante, who will provide frontcourt depth behind Onyeka Okongwu and Kristaps Porzingis — assuming the Rockets don’t make additional moves to position themselves to match.
Dante’s deal will likely be for the veteran’s minimum, which would be worth $4,459,584 across two years.
Celtics To Sign Ron Harper Jr.
The Celtics are signing free agent wing Ron Harper Jr., reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (via Twitter).
Scotto doesn’t provide any details on Harper’s agreement with Boston, but it seems likely to be a non-guaranteed training camp contract featuring Exhibit 10 language.
Harper, 25, went undrafted out of Rutgers in 2022. Although he has only appeared in 11 NBA games, he technically holds three years of experience, having spent parts of each of the past three seasons on two-way contracts with Toronto and Detroit. Harper was waived by the Pistons in July.
This is the second straight offseason in which Harper will sign with the Celtics. He didn’t make Boston’s standard roster for the 2024/25 campaign, having been waived last October.
A 6’6″ forward, Harper spent the majority of last season in the NBA G League, averaging 16.2 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 2.2 APG and 0.9 SPG in 37 total appearances with the Motor City Cruise and Maine Celtics (29.6 MPG). He shot 38.6% from three-point range on high volume (8.2 attempts per game).
Assuming he’s released before ’25/26 begins, Harper would be in line to receive a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he spends at least 60 days with the Maine Celtics. Exhibit 10 contract can also be converted into two-way deals, though Boston does not currently have a two-way opening.
Once Harper’s deal is official, the Celtics will have 19 players under contract, two shy of the offseason limit.
Heat Reportedly Eyeing Big Men, Including Trey Lyles
After sending Kyle Anderson and Kevin Love to Utah in a three-team deal last month, the Heat traded Haywood Highsmith to Brooklyn on Friday in a salary-dump move. Those transactions have left Miami thin in the frontcourt, with Bam Adebayo, Kel’el Ware and Nikola Jovic figuring to receive the bulk of the minutes at the four and five.
According to Grant Afseth of FastbreakJournal.com, Miami is exploring ways to add at least one more big man ahead of the 2025/26 season, with free agents Trey Lyles and Kai Jones among the players the team has expressed interest in. Jones impressed the Heat with his “energy and activity” during his workouts this week, sources tell Afseth.
A ten-year NBA veteran who was a lottery pick (12th overall) back in 2015, Lyles has spent the past three-plus seasons in Sacramento. In 69 appearances with the Kings last season, the 6’9″ power forward averaged 6.5 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 34.0% from three-point range in 19.6 minutes per game.
Jones, meanwhile, played 40 games for the Clippers and Mavericks in ’24/25, averaging 5.0 PPG and 3.1 RPG while shooting 79.8% from the field in 11.7 MPG. The 24-year-old center was the 19th pick of the 2021 draft.
As Afseth observes, Lyles and Jones provide different skill sets, with the former being a more proven depth piece and the latter offering more athleticism and upside. But either player could theoretically help the Heat as they prepare for the upcoming season.
In addition to moving below the luxury tax line, trading Highsmith also created an opening on the standard roster. Lyles or Jones could fill that 14th spot (Miami is unlikely to add a 15th man to open the season due to its proximity to the tax), but Afseth states multiple times that the Heat are considering other options as well.
Juan Toscano-Anderson Signs With Italian Team
Veteran NBA forward Juan Toscano-Anderson has officially signed with Pallacanestro Trieste, according to a press release from the Italian team (hat tip to Sportando). Although it isn’t explicitly stated, the announcement suggests the 32-year-old signed a one-year deal.
“Bringing a player of the caliber of Juan Toscano-Anderson to Trieste is much more than a market operation; it is a milestone in the history of our club,” president and owner Paul Matiasic said as part of a larger statement. “His personal and professional path testifies to an extraordinary resilience, the ability to overcome immense obstacles, to bet on himself and to win at the highest level. These are not just details of a biography; they are the founding values — hard work, perseverance, and an unwavering work ethic — that we want to instill in the DNA of our team.”
Italian outlet Il Piccolo reported a coupled days ago that Toscano-Anderson would be signing with Trieste, which competes in Italy’s top domestic league, Lega Basket Serie A.
After going undrafted out of Marquette in 2015, Toscano-Anderson spent multiple seasons playing in Mexico before landing a training camp deal with Golden State in 2019. The Oakland native impressed the Warriors with his energy, defense and versatility, and wound up spending parts of three seasons with the club, winning a championship as a role player in 2022.
The 6’6″ wing split the 2022/23 season with the Lakers and Jazz and spent about a month of ’23/24 with the Kings. Overall, he has appeared in 202 regular season games over parts of five NBA seasons, averaging 4.1 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists on .502/.329/.646 shooting in 15.5 minutes per contest.
Toscano-Anderson suited up for the Mexico City Capitanes — the NBA G League’s only independent team — during the ’24/25 campaign, averaging 16.1 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 3.7 APG, 1.7 SPG and 0.9 BPG in 42 appearances (34.8 MPG). His shooting line was .422/.316/.845.
Pallacanestro Trieste, which also signed former NBA guard Jahmi’us Ramsey this offseason, entered the Serie A playoffs as the No. 6 seed in ’24/25 after finishing with a 18-12 record during the regular season. The team lost its first-round matchup with No. 3 Brescia, the league’s eventual runner-up.
Celtics’ Payton Pritchard To Start In 2025/26?
Celtics guard Payton Pritchard won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award in 2024/25 after averaging 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists on .472/.407/.845 shooting in 80 games last season (28.4 MPG). Last week, he discussed his confidence in the team’s ability to remain competitive and his excitement for a larger role in 2025/26.
After trading Jrue Holiday to Portland, Boston intends to promote Pritchard to the starting lineup for the upcoming season, Grant Afseth reports for FastbreakJournal.com.
That means Anfernee Simons — whom the Celtics acquired for Holiday and have reportedly been trying to trade — will essentially slide into Pritchard’s old role as a spark-plug scorer off the bench, assuming he’s still on the roster when the season tips off in October.
As Afseth notes, Pritchard only started three games last season, but he put up big numbers in those contests, averaging 21.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG and 7.3 APG in 35.1 MPG.
According to Afseth, Boston believes the former 26th overall pick has “earned the starting job through years of steady development.” Pritchard is entering his sixth season with the Celtics.
While Simons is a more proven offensive player than Pritchard, he’s also a lesser defender. And given Simons’ tenuous spot on the roster — he’s on an expiring $27.7MM contract, whereas Pritchard is in the second season of a four-year, $30MM rookie scale extension — it makes sense from both a team-building and continuity perspective to give Pritchard the starting nod.
International Notes: Harrison, Lauvergne, Silva, Toscano-Anderson
Seven-year NBA veteran Shaquille Harrison has signed a one-year contract extension with ASVEL Basket, the French team announced in a press release.
Known for his defense, Harrison appeared in 183 regular season contests with seven different NBA teams, last suiting up for Memphis on a 10-day deal during the 2023/24 campaign. The 31-year-old guard played in 63 total games with ASVEL last season, averaging 5.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.1 steals in 17.0 minutes per contest.
ASVEL competes in France’s top domestic league — the LNB Élite — as well as the EuroLeague. The club went 23-7 during the LNB Élite regular season, losing in the semifinals of the playoffs, but just 13-21 in EuroLeague action.
Here are a few more international notes:
- Harrison was one of several former NBA players on ASVEL Basket’s roster in ’24/25. Another was center Joffrey Lauvergne, who has spent the past three seasons with the team in his native France. Although he’s coming off a productive season, ASVEL recently announced that Lauvergne will not return in ’25/26 (link to press release). The 33-year-old was a second-round pick back in 2013 and spent four seasons in the NBA, last playing for San Antonio in ’17/18.
- Chris Silva has signed a one-year deal with Greece’s AEK BC, per the team. The African big man is a four-year NBA veteran who spent last season in Israel with Bnei Herzliya. Former Nets second-rounder RaiQuan Gray will also return to AEK in ’25/26, Eurohoops notes.
- Italian team Pallacanestro Trieste has reportedly reached an agreement with free agent wing Juan Toscano-Anderson, according to Kevin Martorano of Sportando, who cites a report from Il Piccolo. Toscano-Anderson, 32, won a title with Golden State in 2022 and last played in the NBA for Sacramento in ’23/24. He spent all of last season in the NBA G League with the Mexico City Capitanes.