And-Ones: Payne, Key, Raman, Breakout Players
EuroLeague team Partizan Belgrade has expressed “serious” interest in free agent point guard Cameron Payne, reports Marc Stein of The Stein Line (via Twitter).
As Stein notes, the Serbian club is looking for a backcourt replacement in the wake of a serious ankle injury to former NBA guard Carlik Jones, who will reportedly miss three months of action.
Payne has spent most of the past 10 seasons in the NBA after being selected 14th overall in 2015. He appeared in 72 regular season games with the Knicks in 2024/25, averaging 6.9 PPG and 2.8 APG in 15.1 MPG.
The 31-year-old went unsigned for nearly the entire offseason prior to catching on with Indiana on October 9. However, Payne didn’t play well during the preseason, and the Pacers decided to waive him before ’25/26 began even though they had (and still have) several backcourt injuries.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Four-year NBA veteran Braxton Key, who spent all of training camp and the preseason with Memphis before being cut last week, has officially signed a rest-of-season deal with Valencia Basket, the Spanish team announced in a press release (hat tip to Eurohoops). The 28-year-old forward was named G League Defensive Player of the Year last season and finished out ’24/25 on a standard contract with Golden State.
- Sonia Raman, who was an assistant coach with the Grizzlies from 2020-24 prior to spending last season as an assistant with the WNBA’s New York Liberty, has agreed to a multiyear contract to become the Seattle Storm’s new head coach, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The Storm also compete in the WNBA.
- John Hollinger of The Athletic lists 12 players he believes are primed for breakout seasons, including younger stars like Spurs center Victor Wembanyama and Lakers guard Luka Doncic, as well as more under-the-radar players such as Raptors big man Sandro Mamukelashvili and Timberwolves guard Terrence Shannon Jr. A pair of young Wizards wings — Cam Whitmore and Kyshawn George — are also breakout candidates, according to Hollinger.
Suns Notes: Ishbia, Ott, Nash, Williams, More
In the months leading up to the 2025/26 campaign, owner Mat Ishbia talked repeatedly about a desire to turn the Suns into a tough, physical team that consistently plays hard and with aggression on both ends of the court. Ishbia was encouraged by the way the team took on that new identity during the preseason, but acknowledges there’s still work to be done, as Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic relays.
“It’s not all the way there yet,” Ishbia said. “Am I surprised? I’m really happy with where we’re at, but at the same time, we have a long way to go. Doing the things we’ve been talking about, an identity we’ve been talking about, we’re going to do it, but doing it for 48 minutes and then doing it for 48 minutes for 82 games, there’s still a process.”
Here’s more on the Suns:
- First-year head coach Jordan Ott has helped foster the team’s emphasis on toughness and defense through competitive practices and a steadfast work ethic, writes Doug Haller of The Athletic. While there will undoubtedly be bumps along the way, Wednesday’s season-opening comeback win against Sacramento was reflective of Ott’s own resiliency, according to Haller.
- Ishbia announced last month that Steve Nash has returned to the Suns as a senior advisor while also being an analyst for Amazon Prime Video. Nash recently explained what his advisory role with the Suns entails, referring to himself as a “sounding board” who can provide a big-picture perspective the team might lack at times during a long season. “I’m there as a resource, to share my experiences,” Nash said, per Rankin. “We have a rookie coach, a rookie GM (Brian Gregory). An organization that’s trying to reset. Someone that got a chance to play in the league for 17 years, got to coach in the league, I think there’s an opportunity just to be able to share my experiences, my thoughts around the game.”
- Offseason acquisition Mark Williams made his Suns debut on Wednesday, recording six points and 11 rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench, with a game-high plus/minus (+15). “It meant a lot,” Williams said (story via Rankin). “It felt good. The energy in the arena was great. Teammates had my back. Good to be out there.” Williams, who will be a restricted free agent next summer, is on a minutes restriction for the time being, Rankin adds.
- In a press release, the Valley Suns — Phoenix’s G League affiliate — officially announced the team’s coaching staff, tweets Rankin.
Silver ‘Deeply Disturbed’ By Federal Gambling Indictments
Speaking to Amazon Prime reporter Cassidy Hubbarth during the first quarter of Friday’s matchup between Boston and New York (Twitter video link), commissioner Adam Silver said he was “deeply disturbed” by the allegations in Thursday’s federal gambling indictments, which resulted in the arrests of Heat guard Terry Rozier, Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, and former NBA guard and coach Damon Jones, among others.
“My initial reaction was I was deeply disturbed,” Silver said. “There is nothing more important to the league and its fans than the integrity of the competition. And so I had a pit in my stomach. It was very upsetting.”
Word broke back in January that federal prosecutors in New York were investigating Rozier as part of a probe into illegal sports betting. Investigators were specifically looking at a game that took place on March 23, 2023, when the veteran guard was still a member of the Hornets.
Ahead of that game, one bettor reportedly placed 30 wagers in 46 minutes on the “unders” on Rozier-related prop bets at a casino in Biloxi, Mississippi, raising alarms about potential suspicious activity. At the same time, there was a rush on multiple sportsbooks in New Orleans of under bets on Rozier props. Sportsbooks and the NBA were alerted, and some books stopped taking bets related to Rozier’s performance that day.
After recording five points, four rebounds and two assists in 9:34 of action in the first quarter, Rozier exited the game during a timeout and didn’t return, citing a foot issue. All 30 of those “under” prop bets won as a result of the abbreviated outing, and Rozier didn’t play the final eight games of the 2022/23 season due to the injury.
Silver was asked about the NBA’s investigation into Rozier, who was — at the time — cleared by the league to continue playing, despite the suspicious circumstances (stories via Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press, Shakeia Taylor of The Athletic, and Tim Bontemps of ESPN).
“So what happened was, because bets were placed through legalized legal betting companies, they picked up aberrational behavior around a particular game in March of 2023,” Silver said. “And so it was brought to our attention by the regulators and the betting companies. We then looked into that situation and were very transparent about it. And while there was that aberrational betting, we, frankly, couldn’t find anything.
“Terry at the time cooperated, he gave the league office his phone, he sat down for an interview, and we ultimately concluded there was insufficient evidence despite that aberrational behavior. We then worked directly with law enforcement — as they said at the press conference, the league has been cooperating. That was obviously almost two years ago.
“The federal government has subpoena power,” Silver continued. “[It] can threaten to put people in jail, can do all kinds of things that the league office can’t do. So we’ve been working with them since then. And, of course, what they announced yesterday was an indictment.
“Two and a half years later, he still hasn’t been convicted of anything, in fairness to Terry. Obviously it doesn’t look good, but he’s been put on administrative leave, and so it is a balance here between protecting people’s rights and investigating. And as I said, we’ve been working with the government, and they have extraordinary powers the league office doesn’t have.”
The illegal gambling investigations have overshadowed the start of the 2025/26 season, which Silver acknowledged.
“I apologize to our fans that we are all dealing with this situation,” Silver said during the in-game interview.
Clippers Notes: Beal, Miller, Paul, Depth, Aspiration
Veteran guard Bradley Beal signed a two-year contract with the Clippers this summer after a disappointing two-year run with the Suns ended in a buyout. The former All-Star said earlier this week that he already feels at home in Los Angeles, as Janis Carr of The Orange County Register writes.
“It’s weird. It feels like I’ve been here for a few years; I feel that comfortable with the group,” Beal said Monday. “They welcomed me in that way too and just made me feel at home and it’s been great, man.”
Beal and the Clippers will face Phoenix in Friday’s home opener after L.A. was shockingly — and thoroughly — dominated in Wednesday’s season-opening loss in Utah. The 32-year-old is on a minutes restriction after undergoing arthroscopic right knee surgery during the offseason, tweets Law Murray of The Athletic.
Here’s more on the Clippers:
- Third-year forward Jordan Miller is dealing with left hamstring soreness and will be reevaluated in about a week, Murray adds. Miller, the 48th overall pick of the 2023 draft, is on a two-way contract with the Clippers.
- Chris Paul will make his Clippers homecoming on Friday after several years away from the organization, but don’t expect him to get swept up in the emotions of the moment, according to Carr. “I’ll definitely be happy and grateful to be here, but I’d be too locked in to really process what’s all happening,” the 40-year-old point guard said this week. Paul, a future Hall of Famer, signed a one-year deal with the Clips in free agency after spending last season in San Antonio.
- As Murray writes for The Athletic, the Clippers are relatively long in the tooth, but they have a talented and deep roster, which may be challenging for head coach Tyronn Lue to navigate, given his preference for using nine-man rotations. “It feels good to have so many options and a lot of different combinations,” Lue said. “And every night could be different; every night is gonna be different. But it’s gonna take us 15, 20 games into the season to really understand our rotations, our chemistry, how we wanna play, who fits well together. So, I’m excited about that.” When the team is at full strength, Murray views Bogdan Bogdanovic and Nicolas Batum as the most likely veterans to be out of the rotation.
- Robert O’Connor and Harriet Ryan of The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) take an in-depth look at Aspiration co-founder Joe Sanberg and the allegations that the Clippers used the now-bankrupt “green bank” company to circumvent the salary cap via a lucrative no-show endorsement deal with Kawhi Leonard. According to the WSJ, Sanberg told a high-ranking Aspiration executive the Clippers initiated the idea of the endorsement contract with Leonard, who was injured at the time. “This is important to the Clippers,” the executive recalled Sanberg saying. While some top Aspiration officials understandably had significant reservations about the deal, they purportedly did not question whether it was a means for owner Steve Ballmer and the Clippers to bypass the cap, per O’Connor and Ryan.
Latest On Lakers’ Sale
Dodgers owner Mark Walter could be approved as the new majority owner of the Lakers by the end of October, reports Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.
As Shelburne details, citing sources, Walter is slated to present his record-setting bid to purchase the team to the NBA’s Advisory Finance Committee on Friday. Walter is already a significant minority shareholder in the Lakers, having purchased a 27% stake in 2021 alongside Todd Boehly.
According to Shelburne, the committee will review the bid and then make a recommendation to the league’s Board of Governors, which could vote on the impending sale at the end of next week.
Walter’s ownership group is purchasing a significant portion of the Buss family’s 66% majority stake in the Lakers at a $10 billion valuation. Current governor Jeanie Buss is expected to stay in that role for the next several years, as the family will retain at least a 15% stake, the minimum required for a minority owner to be a team’s governor.
The Lakers and Walter previously announced that the sale was expected to close during either the third or fourth quarter of 2025.
Knicks Notes: Towns, Robinson, Brown, Depth, McBride
The Knicks fired former head coach Tom Thibodeau over the offseason shortly after they made their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 25 years. However, star big man Karl-Anthony Towns tells DJ Siddiqi of RG.org that he doesn’t view 2025/26 as a championship-or-bust season.
“I feel all 30 teams in NBA are walking in saying the same thing,” Towns said. “It’s unfair just to say that’s for us. I think every team walks in saying the same thing. We’re just focusing on being the best version of ourselves every single day. Every year, you have to earn the respect of the city, continue to earn the respect of the city and the give the fans something to cheer for.
“Just be the best version ourselves when it comes to that point, when the postseason rolls around and play our best basketball. To build as a team so we can play our best basketball when we need to.”
In case you missed it, Towns said after Wednesday’s opening win versus Cleveland that he’s battling a Grade 2 right quad strain.
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Although head coach Mike Brown continues to insist that Mitchell Robinson hasn’t sustained a new injury, it’s concerning that the 27-year-old center will miss his second straight game on Friday against Boston with what the team calls left ankle injury management, writes Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. Robinson has made just 48 regular season appearances over the past two campaigns largely due to issues with his left ankle, which has been surgically repaired two times over that span, Schwartz notes.
- Wednesday’s win was a good example of how different Brown’s vision for the Knicks is compared to Thibodeau’s, as Stefan Bondy of The New York Post details in a subscriber-only story. With the obvious caveat that it was only one game, the players seemed to be bought in to Brown’s fast-paced offense and energized by the fact that the new coach used an extended rotation. “I truly believe this team is a deep team,” Brown said. “Give (president) Leon Rose and his group a lot of credit. It’s my job to keep trying to find combinations out on the floor that work. Just like they’ve got a lot of room to grow, I’ve got a lot of room to grow, too. I’m still learning. The good part about is there are a lot of different ways I can go with it and I can learn on the fly because we have guys that can play. I like to play a lot of guys. I don’t know if I’ll play 11 guys every night but we like to play as many as we can. We want everybody to be ready in case their number’s called anytime.”
- Tyler Kolek and Ariel Hukporti didn’t get much playing time as rookies last season, but earned minutes — and praise — from Brown on Wednesday, per Peter Sblendorio of The New York Daily News. “I thought both guys came in and tried to do what they’re capable of doing,” Brown said of Kolek and Hukporti. “We don’t need anybody to come in and play hero ball or anything like that. Play to your strengths, and both of those guys, they can do some things out on the floor.”
- Miles McBride played a critical role in Wednesday’s opener, scoring 15 points on only seven field goal attempts and recording a team-high plus/minus of +17 in 26 minutes, according to Schwartz, who says the 25-year-old guard looks like an ideal fit in Brown’s pace-and-space offense. McBride will start on Friday, tweets Bondy.
Injury Notes: Sabonis, Porzingis, Nembhard, Moody, M. Wagner
Kings star Domantas Sabonis will make his season debut in Friday’s home opener against Utah, as James Ham of TheKingsBeat.com relays (via Twitter).
Sabonis sustained a right hamstring injury during a preseason contest on October 15. Sacramento subsequently referred to the ailment as a Grade 1 strain and said he’d be reevaluated in a week, with an expectation that he’d be out for the first two games of the season — instead he’ll only miss one.
The 29-year-old center was spotted shooting at Thursday’s practice and was initially listed as questionable for Friday’s matchup with the Jazz before being upgraded to available.
Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:
- Veteran big man Kristaps Porzingis will miss his first regular season game with the Hawks on Friday due to flu-like symptoms, tweets Brad Rowland of Locked On Hawks. A league source tells Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Porzingis participated in the Hawks’ shootaround on Friday morning but started feeling ill in the afternoon (Twitter link). Atlanta plays at Orlando. Porzingis, who was acquired from Boston in an offseason trade, recorded 20 points, seven rebounds and two blocks in Wednesday’s disappointing blowout loss to Toronto.
- After exiting Thursday’s opener against Oklahoma City with left shoulder soreness, Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard will undergo additional testing to determine the severity of the injury, head coach Rick Carlisle said after the thrilling double-overtime loss (Twitter link via Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files). “We’ll find out more (Friday). He’s going to get some tests done. But this is going to potentially present some big challenges.” As we noted last night, Indiana’s point guard depth is very shaky at the moment due to several injuries.
- Warriors wing Moses Moody suffered a left calf injury during a practice a couple weeks ago, causing him to miss Golden State’s final three preseason games as well the first two games of the regular season. But he’ll be back for Friday’s matchup in Portland, which is the second of a back-to-back, according to Anthony Slater of ESPN (Twitter link). Al Horford will be out with left toe injury management, Slater adds, which was expected.
- Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley provided a minor injury update on forward/center Moritz Wagner on Friday, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Wagner is recovering from a torn ACL he sustained last December. “Moe right now is just still doing the non-contact work, continuing to strengthen his body,” Mosley said. “But his spirits are still great. You can see him on the bench throughout our games continuing to coach, using his voice, using his encouragement. But body-wise, it’s just still continuing with the non-contact work.”
Latest On Arrests Of Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier
Although he was not indicted in the illegal sports betting case that resulted in the arrest of Heat guard Terry Rozier, it’s clear that a person matching the description of Chauncey Billups is accused of providing insider information about the Trail Blazers planning to go into tank mode ahead of a game on March 24, 2023, notes Chris Mannix of SI.com.
Billups was arrested on Thursday in a separate but related case involving an illegal poker operation tied to the mafia. He was arraigned on one count of wire-fraud conspiracy and one count of money-laundering conspiracy in federal court in Portland and was released under certain conditions, including having his travel restricted to Oregon, Colorado (his home state), and New York (where his trial will take place) writes Maxine Bernstein of The Oregonian.
The 49-year-old coach, who has been placed on leave by the NBA, will also be required to pay a “substantial” bond, surrender his passport, is prohibited from contacting his co-defendants and is barred from engaging in any form of gambling-related activities, per Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report (Substack link).
Billups’ next court date is November 24 in Brooklyn, New York.
Chris Heywood, the attorney who represented Billups at Thursday’s arraignment, released a statement saying his client disputes the charges. It’s unclear if Billups will have a different lawyer for the actual case, a league source tells Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter link).
“Anyone who knows Chauncey Billups knows he is a man of integrity; men of integrity do not cheat and defraud others,” Heywood said in the statement. “To believe that Chauncey Billups did what the federal government is accusing him of is to believe that he would risk his hall-of-fame legacy, his reputation, and his freedom. He would not jeopardize those things for anything, let alone a card game.
“Furthermore, Chauncey Billups has never and would never gamble on basketball games, provide insider information, or sacrifice the trust of his team and the League, as it would tarnish the game he has devoted his entire life to. Chauncey Billups has never backed down. He does not plan to do so now. He will fight these allegations with the same tenacity that marked his 28-year career. We look forward to our day in court.”
Rozier, who was also placed on leave by the league, faced his own arraignment in Florida today. The 31-year-old had to put up his $6MM mansion as collateral for bond, according to Mike Valente of CBS Central Florida (Twitter link), and was conditionally released under similar stipulations as Billups.
Here are a few more items of interest related to the cases:
- While the arrests of Billups and Rozier have understandably generated the most attention, Damon Jones‘ involvement may be the most problematic for the league, a high-ranking team executive tells Mannix. The former NBA guard and coach was allegedly involved in both cases, including for tipping off a bettor about the injury status of a Lakers player that Dave McMenamin of ESPN confirms was LeBron James. To be clear, James has not been accused of any wrongdoing and was unaware of his colleague’s gambling activities, a source tells McMenamin.
- Several ESPN insiders and three SI.com authors explain more details of the investigations and the alleged involvements of Rozier, Billups and Jones.
- The Magic were mentioned in the illegal betting probe. In a statement to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link), the team said it has “no indication that any current players were involved and we have not been contacted by the authorities.”
- According to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link), the Heat were unaware of Rozier’s involvement in the illegal sports betting case — which allegedly took place when he was a member of the Hornets — when they traded for him several months later. Miami was also not aware of any NBA investigation into the matter, Jackson adds.
Injury Notes: Sabonis, Towns, J. Green, K. Porter
Kings center Domantas Sabonis, who missed Wednesday’s regular season opener in Phoenix, appears to be ahead of schedule in his recovery from a Grade 1 right hamstring strain. The Lithuanian big man has been upgraded to questionable for Friday’s home opener vs. Utah, tweets Sean Cunningham of NBC Sacramento.
The questionable tag certainly doesn’t guarantee Sabonis will suit up tomorrow, but it’s at least an encouraging development after the three-time All-Star was spotted getting shots up during Thursday’s practice. The Kings are banged up in the frontcourt, with forward Keegan Murray (thumb surgery) and his replacement in the starting lineup (Nique Clifford; hamstring strain) both out as well.
Second-year big man Isaac Jones, who missed Wednesday’s loss with an illness, is no longer on the injury report and will be active for Friday’s game, Cunningham adds.
We have more injury updates from around the NBA:
- While Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns managed to record a double-double (19 points and 11 rebounds in 31 minutes) during Wednesday’s opener vs. Cleveland, his injury designation changed multiple times in the hours leading up to the game, writes Vincent Goodwill of ESPN.com. After the victory, Towns said he is battling a Grade 2 right quad strain. “I’ve been banged up, and I really haven’t gotten a chance to practice or play in the last two preseason games,” Towns said. “I didn’t want to disappoint the fans. It’s not something that’s easy to deal with, [but] we made it happen tonight.” Towns admitted he was bothered by the injury during the game, notes Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. “It was hurting,” Towns said. “For sure.“
- Fifth-year guard Jalen Green continues to be sidelined by a right hamstring strain. Suns head coach Jordan Ott confirmed the offseason addition will miss the first two games (Friday at the Clippers and Saturday at the Nuggets) of a three-game road trip, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (Twitter link). However, Green will be traveling with the team, which is a positive sign, and he hasn’t been ruled out of Monday’s game in Utah.
- Bucks guard Kevin Porter Jr. notched 10 points and two assists in nine minutes during Wednesday’s opening win vs. Washington before exiting late in the first quarter. An MRI on Thursday confirmed Porter has a left ankle sprain, according to the Bucks, who announced (via Twitter) that the 25-year-old will miss at least two games (Friday in Toronto and Sunday in Cleveland) as a result of the injury. Ryan Rollins and Cole Anthony are likely to continue to receive more playing time with Porter out.
Andrew Nembhard Exits Pacers’ Opener With Sore Shoulder
The Pacers continue to be ravaged by point guard injuries. The team announced (via Twitter) that Andrew Nembhard has been ruled out for the second half of Thursday’s regular season opener against Oklahoma City due to left shoulder soreness.
Ben Sheppard, who missed most of the preseason with an undisclosed injury, started the second half in Nembhard’s stead, tweets Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files.
Second-round pick Taelon Peter has also been getting minutes with Nembhard and several other players out, notes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (via Twitter).
In addition to star Tyrese Haliburton, who will miss the 2025/26 entire season after suffering a torn Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, veteran backup T.J. McConnell is at least a couple more weeks from returning from a left hamstring strain he sustained earlier this month. Second-rounder Kam Jones (back issue) and fourth-year guard Quenton Jackson (right hamstring soreness) are hurt as well, though the latter’s injury isn’t believed to be serious.
Indiana originally intended to sign Monte Morris to compete for a roster spot as the third-string point guard behind Nembhard and McConnell, but the deal fell through before training camp when Morris suffered a calf strain. Veteran Delon Wright was signed instead, but was released a couple weeks later after he took two brutal blows to the head during the Pacers’ preseason opener, resulting in 10 stitches above his right eye and four on his right elbow.
While it’s unclear if Nembhard will miss additional time as a result of his shoulder issue, it’s obviously not a great sign that he was forced to leave the matchup against the defending champions. The 25-year-old averaged 10.0 points, 5.0 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 65 games last season (28.9 minutes per contest).