Boston Celtics Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Partizan Belgrade May Be Frontrunner To Sign Charles Bassey

July 27th, 2025 at 11:02am CST by Arthur Hill

Former Spurs center Charles Bassey is negotiating with several European teams, but he appears to be leaning toward KK Partizan, according to Eurohoops. Agent Mark McNeil confirmed negotiations with the Belgrade club in an interview with Meridian Sport.

“Charles is honored by the interest shown by Basketball Club Partizan,” McNeil said. “He is definitely considering the offer and will continue discussions with the club and his representative. Other European clubs have also contacted him, but Partizan has been his priority.”

Bassey was a standout with the Celtics during Summer League play, leading to speculation that he might get at least a training camp offer. However, it appears he’s leaning toward taking the safer route of guaranteed money in Europe rather than waiting for an opportunity with Boston. He averaged 15.3 points and 11.0 rebounds in Las Vegas while shooting 70.4% from the field, but he had to leave after three games due to a prior commitment.

Bassey was selected by Philadelphia with the 53rd pick in the 2021 draft. He was waived after one season and signed with San Antonio, where he played for the past three years. He appeared in 36 games last season, averaging 4.4 points and 4.2 rebounds in 10.4 minutes per night.

The 24-year-old big man was born in Lagos, Nigeria, but he has never played overseas as a professional before. He spent three seasons at Western Kentucky before being drafted into the NBA.

Partizan, which signed Shake Milton earlier this week, continues to build up an impressive collection of former NBA talent. Its roster also includes Jabari Parker, Sterling Brown, Isaac Bonga, Aleksej Pokusevski, Frank Ntilikina, Duane Washington, and Carlik Jones.

Celtics Notes: Lillard, Starting Lineup, Davison, Gonzalez

July 26th, 2025 at 6:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics were reported as a potential landing spot for Damian Lillard after he was waived and stretched by Milwaukee, but Lillard never gave serious thought to joining anyone but the Trail Blazers, writes Brian Robb of MassLive. At an introductory press conference this week in Portland, Lillard expressed his excitement over returning to his former team and mentioned a recruiting effort by Jrue Holiday.

“As soon as I was waived and obviously [Jrue] knows that I live here and built my home here and stuff,” Lillard said. “He sent me the eyeball emoji. I kind of knew already like — I already knew where I was pivoting to when he sent it but I didn’t want to say nothing too soon, so here we are.”

Although Lillard isn’t expected to play this season while recovering from a torn Achilles, he could have been an intriguing long-term investment for Boston once Jayson Tatum returns from his own Achilles injury. However, Robb points out that the Celtics couldn’t have come close to matching the three-year, $42MM deal Lillard got from the Blazers. They are currently limited to the $5.685MM taxpayer mid-level exception, and using that exception would have required other moves to get far enough below the second apron.

There’s more from Boston:

In a mailbag column, Robb projects Neemias Queta to be the Celtics’ starting center on opening night if the current roster remains in place. Jaylen Brown and Derrick White are the only certain members of the starting five, and Robb expects the other two positions to come down to decisions between Payton Pritchard and Anfernee Simons, and between Sam Hauser and Georges Niang with Josh Minott as a possible wild card.
This week’s release of JD Davison was a result of him not showing sufficient NBA potential during his three years with the organization, Robb adds in the same piece. He puts the chances of Ben Simmons being signed to fill the open roster spot at “10-20%,” stating that the former No. 1 overall pick will likely get better financial offers elsewhere.
Spanish basketball legend Rudy Fernandez offers a ringing endorsement of Celtics’ first-round pick Hugo Gonzalez, per Zack Cox of The Boston Herald. Fernandez watched the 19-year-old shooting guard develop from a young prospect into a regular contributor with Real Madrid. “I always tried to instill in him the idea of committing to improving the team whenever he’s on the floor, and he’s done that perfectly,” Fernandez said. “He’s got the physical tools, good hands, a strong understanding of the game on both ends, and he’s a solid standstill shooter. Maybe he could improve his movement shooting, especially coming off screens, but he’s the type of player who gets better every day.”

Ben Simmons To Decide On New Team By Next Week?

July 24th, 2025 at 8:32pm CST by Rory Maher

Ben Simmons, an unrestricted free agent, is “probably” going to sign with a new team by next week, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported on Threads (hat tip to Brian Robb of MassLive).

Windhorst mentioned the Kings, Suns, Knicks and Celtics as teams that have been linked to Simmons, confirming previous reporting from Jake Fischer and Marc Stein.

Simmons is a three-time All-Star who has made a pair of All-Defensive first teams and was the Defensive Player of the Year runner-up in 2021, but he has battled back issues in recent years and has been a tricky fit in lineups that feature any other non-shooters. In 51 total appearances for the Nets and Clippers last season, he averaged 5.0 points, 5.6 assists, and 4.7 rebounds in 22.0 minutes per game.

In a subscriber-0nly story for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Keith Pompey takes a look at how Simmons’ career has been derailed, with back injuries the primary culprit. While he’s no longer the player he once was, the 29-year-old remains a talented and versatile defender, according to Pompey, who writes that Simmons is still worthy of an NBA roster spot.

Simmons seems likely to receive a minimum-salary contract from whichever team he picks, considering the former No. 1 overall pick has become a “situational role player,” as Pompey puts it.

Celtics Release JD Davison

July 24th, 2025 at 4:24pm CST by Rory Maher

The Celtics have waived guard JD Davison, the team announced (via Twitter).

Boston exercised its 2025/26 team option on Davison at the end of June. However, as we noted at the time, Davison’s $2.27MM salary for next season is fully non-guaranteed, so the Celtics won’t incur a cap hit by releasing him.

According to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe (Twitter link), cutting Davison has moved the Celtics under the punitive second tax apron, giving the team more maneuverability on the trade market.

The Celtics selected Davison 53rd overall in the 2022 draft after he played one college season at Alabama. The 22-year-old had spent virtually all of the past three campaigns on a two-way deal with Boston, but was converted to a multiyear standard contract just before the ’24/25 regular season ended.

While Davison’s NBA contributions have been very modest to this point – 36 total regular season appearances for a total of 198 minutes over his three seasons – he has been a standout performer in the G League, including winning the MVP award with the Maine Celtics in ’24/25.

Davison appeared in 45 combined games with Maine last season, averaging 25.6 points, 7.7 assists, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.4 steals in 34.6 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .482/.332/.762.

The Celtics now have 15 players on their standard roster.

And-Ones: Biggest Mistakes, Summer League Standouts, More

July 24th, 2025 at 10:03am CST by Luke Adams

As effectively managed as some NBA teams have been in recent years, all 30 clubs have made at least a few moves they regret, according to Zach Kram of ESPN.com, who runs through some of the biggest missteps of the 2020s and names the most glaring mistake each team has made this decade.

Kram’s list begins with “small-scale problems,” like the Cavaliers not giving Isaiah Hartenstein a qualifying offer in 2021 and the Knicks signing Evan Fournier to a $73MM contract in 2021, before advancing to “draft disasters” – such as the Celtics trading the draft rights to No. 30 pick Desmond Bane – and miscellaneous midtier mistakes,” including the Pistons giving Monty Williams the largest head coaching contract in league history.

Kram’s final two categories are “too high a cost for too little reward” and “franchise-altering terrible trades.” The top two mistakes on his list are the Mavericks moving Luka Doncic and the Suns giving up the assets they did to land Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

John Hollinger of The Athletic shares his biggest takeaways from this month’s Summer League games, including identifying Tolu Smith of the Pistons, Nae’Qwan Tomlin of the Cavaliers, and Drew Timme of the Nets as players to watch going forward. Hollinger also mentions Jazz big man Kyle Filipowski, Timberwolves guard Terrence Shannon Jr., Pistons forward Ron Holland, Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell, and Cavaliers wing Jaylon Tyson as the players who showed they were “too good for summer league.”
While Summer League success doesn’t always carry over to the subsequent regular season, scouts around the NBA find July’s games “extremely valuable” for evaluating players, as Tobias Bass of The Athletic writes. “Before the draft, no matter what your opinion is about a player or how analytics project him to be, it’s always interesting to see how competitive they are once they get to summer league,” one Western Conference scout told Bass. “How quickly they pick up terminology, are they culture fits and can they keep the main thing the main thing? Can they be attentive, on time and professional, especially with all the distractions in Vegas?”
Keith Smith of Spotrac empties out his notebook after traveling to Las Vegas for Summer League, sharing quotes from coaches, scouts, and executives about each of the NBA’s Eastern Conference and Western Conference teams.

Celtics Notes: Niang, Simmons, Bassey, Nicholas

July 23rd, 2025 at 8:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics got back another floor spacer in the trade that sent Kristaps Porzingis to Atlanta, but Georges Niang hasn’t been feeling welcomed by Boston fans, relays Daniel Donabedian of ClutchPoints. In a recent appearance on the OGs podcast (YouTube link), the Massachusetts native discussed his reception since the deal was announced.

“I then get traded for Kristaps Porzingis — which, you know how tough Boston fans are. They don’t give a (expletive) if I’m from Boston or not,” Niang said. “‘You just took our Unicorn and replaced it with a Minivan. Get the (expletive) outta here.’ I’m like public enemy No. 1. They’re like, ‘What is this? This ain’t shiny. It’s got scratches on it, man.”

The reaction may be the result of lingering bitterness over an incident where Niang grabbed Jaylen Brown‘s knee from the bench during the 2023 playoffs (Twitter video link). It may also be related to uncertainty over whether the team intends to keep Niang’s $8.2MM expiring contract as it continues to look for ways to reduce payroll.

“You don’t want to be in Boston losing, that’s for sure,” Niang added. “What can I do this summer? Can I come in, in the best shape that I’m in, and also mentor, and kind of teach, and also learn — because they’ve won championships. And kind of dial all that into one, and focus every day on how can I win the day, and then win games.”

There’s more from Boston:

The Celtics have been mentioned as a possible destination for Ben Simmons, but Matt Vautour of MassLive advises them to look elsewhere for free agent help. Vautour states that although Simmons still has positive aspects to his game, the team wouldn’t be able to count on him staying healthy and signing him would most likely lead to disappointment as it did in Philadelphia and Brooklyn.
Charles Bassey, who made a strong impression with Boston during three Summer League games, is attracting attention from Virtus Bologna, according to Italian media outlet Pianeta Basket. Bassey could receive a training camp invitation, but that’s far from certain as the Celtics sort through their center options.
Drew Nicholas will join the Celtics as executive director of player personnel, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Nicholas was a scout for Brooklyn last season and previously served as director of scouting in Denver.

Hayden Gray Signs Exhibit 10 Contract With Celtics

July 21st, 2025 at 7:29pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Rookie Hayden Gray has signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Celtics, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith tweets.

Gray led Division I in steals last season, averaging 11.2 points, 3.3 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 3.1 steals per game in 35 starts for UC San Diego. Gray, a 6’4” guard, shot 47.9 percent overall and 41.8 percent on 3-point attempts. He was a two-year starter for the Tritons.

Gray was a member of the Celtics’ Summer League team and appeared in one game, posting seven points, two assists and two steals in 20 minutes.

“I’ve got pretty good anticipation, reading the ball-handler’s eyes, knowing where they want to go with it,” Gray told Noa Dalzell of CelticsBlog. “I take pride in defense. A lot of teams are really focusing on creating more possessions, and I think I can do that by causing turnovers and also just being a floor general, handling the ball, and setting the table for everyone.”

If Gray is waived, he would be in line for a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he joins the G League’s Maine Celtics and spends at least 60 days with Boston’s affiliate.

Stein’s Latest: Simmons, CP3, Clippers, Nuggets, Simons, Mavs

July 21st, 2025 at 10:01am CST by Luke Adams

After his Stein Line teammate Jake Fischer reported that the Kings and Knicks look like the top candidates to land Ben Simmons, NBA insider Marc Stein suggests within his latest Substack article that at least a couple more clubs are in the mix for the former No. 1 overall pick.

According to Stein, Simmons has drawn interest from the Celtics since free agency began and has also had some recent conversations with the Suns.

While a couple of those teams could offer Simmons a portion of their mid-level exception, most of them have tax- or apron-related concerns that would make a minimum-salary offer more likely for the former 76er, who celebrated his 29th birthday on Sunday. Phoenix would cross the tax line with even a veteran-minimum signing, New York has used its full taxpayer mid-level exception, and Boston is currently operating slightly above the second tax apron.

Simmons is a three-time All-Star who has made a pair of All-Defensive first teams and was the Defensive Player of the Year runner-up in 2021, but he has battled back issues in recent years and has been a tricky fit in lineups that feature any other non-shooters. In 51 total appearances for the Nets and Clippers last season, he averaged 5.0 points, 5.6 assists, and 4.7 rebounds in 22.0 minutes per game.

Here’s more from Stein:

Following up on Lawrence Frank‘s comments on Saturday about the Clippers “strongly, strongly considering” Chris Paul, Stein suggests that most rival front offices view the veteran point guard as “the Clippers’ signee to lose.”
With Jared Dudley and J.J. Barea set to occupy the top two spots on David Adelman‘s bench in Denver, the Nuggets don’t intend to hire an assistant specifically for their third front-of-bench position. Instead, the plan is to rotate assistants in and out of that role depending on game-to-game scouting responsibilities, Stein explains. Ognjen Stojakovic, a holdover from Michael Malone‘s staff who is close with Nikola Jokic, is one coach expected to be in the rotation for that third assistant slot, Stein adds.
League sources confirm to Stein that the Celtics are continuing to explore the trade market for recently acquired guard Anfernee Simons.
The Mavericks will congregate in Canada this fall, according to Stein, who says the team’s training camp will be held in Vancouver, B.C.

Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Smart, Thomas, Bassey

July 20th, 2025 at 5:00pm CST by Eli Cohen

Despite the Sixers‘ lottery luck that landed them prized rookie VJ Edgecombe, the team’s outlook hasn’t changed, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Everything still revolves around the health of Tyrese Maxey and especially Paul George and Joel Embiid.

That plan has already hit a snag with the announcement that George underwent knee surgery following an injury sustained during workouts, an injury that Pompey says has the potential to keep him sidelined through the start of the season, depending on how the rehab process goes.

Pompey adds that the offseason drama, which the Sixers are no stranger to in recent years, also includes a recent ESPN article about Embiid that cast an unnamed member of the roster into suspicion when Embiid claimed to know which teammate had leaked information about a players-only meeting last season.

Team president Daryl Morey is still expressing optimism about the coming season, including George’s ability to not only recover from the injury but also bounce back after a disappointing first season in Philadelphia.

“I know he really wants to show the Philadelphia fans what he can do,” Morey said. “He didn’t feel like he was able to do that last year. So I know he’s very optimistic and excited to get out there and show what he can do.”

We have more from around the Atlantic division:

The Knicks checked in on Marcus Smart‘s availability and desire to join the team after it became clear that he would be bought out by the Wizards, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Post (via Twitter). Bondy notes that the conversations didn’t move forward, since Smart wanted a clearer pathway to major minutes than the Knicks could offer. Smart ultimately signed with the Lakers on a two-year, $11MM deal with a player option on the second year.
Cam Thomas, who is currently a restricted free agent and attempting to secure a new deal with the Nets or another team, took umbrage at recent comments from The Ringer’s Zach Lowe, writes Net Income for NetsDaily.com. After an aggregator Twitter account relayed Lowe saying that there’s a consensus about Thomas being an “empty calories ball hog,” the guard responded. “F–k you and the consensus,” Thomas wrote to Lowe. “This is most likely the same consensus teams who can’t guard me and send double teams from jump ball.” Net Income notes that this comes after multiple less-than-positive summaries of Thomas’ value had emerged online in recent days, and that Thomas is likely to be particularly sensitive, as it has been speculated that there is little movement toward him receiving the kind of offer he’s looking for.
Charles Bassey had a strong Summer League for the Celtics, who are very thin at center, but according to Brian Robb of MassLive, that doesn’t necessarily mean there will be a spot for him on Boston’s roster. In a mailbag article, Robb writes that Bassey’s skill set overlaps with Neemias Queta‘s, and that Bassey’s play as a fifth-year player in Summer League might not be as convincing to the team as to fans. However, it has been widely reported that the Celtics are still pursuing a variety of trades before the season begins, so a deal that sends multiple players out could make room for Bassey to join the team on a guaranteed deal. Barring such a move, it’s more likely that Bassey lands a non-guaranteed training camp invitation, Robb writes.

Fischer’s Latest: Simmons, Brogdon, Kuminga, Celtics

July 20th, 2025 at 10:32am CST by Arthur Hill

The Kings and Knicks appear to be the most likely destinations for Ben Simmons in free agency, Jake Fischer said in a recent Bleacher Report stream (hat tip to BasketNews). Simmons, who played 51 combined games with the Nets and Clippers last season, is one of several prominent veterans who remain unsigned.

“We are still anticipating the Kings to be bringing in another veteran guard, and Ben Simmons is on that list of potential targets, in addition to Russell Westbrook, to Malcolm Brogdon, and I think he’d make an interesting addition there,” Fischer said. “I personally think Ben Simmons would be interesting in Minnesota, but I haven’t heard that they have interest in him.”

Sacramento currently has 12 players on fully guaranteed contracts, along with non-guaranteed deals for Keon Ellis ($2.3MM) and Terence Davis ($2.5MM), so there’s flexibility to add an established guard. The Kings are nearly $9.9MM below the first apron.

Simmons, 29, was a rotation player with Brooklyn before being waived in early February, averaging 6.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists in 33 games. His role was reduced once he joined the Clippers, but he still offers versatility and defensive upside.

Fischer shared a few more rumors in his stream:

The Bucks likely won’t pursue Brogdon after landing Cole Anthony, but Fischer said there’s still plenty of interest around the league in the veteran guard. Along with the Kings, he names the Pelicans, Timberwolves and Warriors as potential landings spots for Brogdon, who appeared in 24 games with Washington last season.
Fischer doesn’t believe the Warriors have enough interest in Bulls center Nikola Vucevic to make him the main piece in a potential Jonathan Kuminga sign-and-trade. Vucevic has an expiring contract, and Golden State is expected to fill its need for a stretch five by signing Al Horford. Chicago is among several teams that have expressed interest in Kuminga, but Fischer says the most likely scenario has him remaining with the Warriors on “a short-term agreement.”
The Celtics remain active on the trade market as they try to get their roster younger and cheaper, Fischer adds. He states that Boston had discussions with the Grizzlies recently, but doesn’t provide any other details. He states that rival teams believe the Celtics are trying to unload both Anfernee Simons and Georges Niang.