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Two NBA Players Among France’s Pre-EuroBasket Cuts

August 8th, 2025 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The French national team announced today (via Twitter) that it has trimmed its preliminary EuroBasket roster to 14 players by making three cuts. Two NBA players – Thunder forward Ousmane Dieng and Hornets big man Moussa Diabate – were among those cut, along with former lottery pick Frank Ntilikina.

Dieng and Diabate both have big seasons on tap in 2025/26. Dieng, the No. 11 overall pick in 2022, is currently eligible for a contract extension as he enters the fourth and final year of his rookie scale deal, which will pay him $6.67MM.

However, unlike fellow ’22 lottery picks Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, who received maximum-salary extensions from the Thunder this summer, Dieng isn’t considered likely to get a new deal at this time and is probably more focused on simply hanging onto his roster spot on a deep OKC squad. He’s the only player on the 15-man roster whose contract is fully expiring (with no option for 2026/27).

Diabate, meanwhile, will be looking to parlay a career year in Charlotte into a guaranteed contract and a more significant role. His $2.27MM salary for ’25/26 is currently non-guaranteed and the Hornets, who are currently carrying 18 players on standard contracts (16 guaranteed), could be facing a roster crunch this fall. However, the team is somewhat thin in the frontcourt and Diabate may well be part of the rotation again after averaging 5.7 points and 6.2 rebounds in 17.5 minutes per contest (71 games) last season.

France still has plenty of current and former NBA players on its roster after parting with three of them. Wizards youngsters Alex Sarr and Bilal Coulibaly, 2024’s No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher, and ex-NBAers like Theo Maledon, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, and Elie Okobo are among those still on the squad, per Eurohoops.

The French team will have to make two more cuts before EuroBasket tips off later this month in order to set its 12-man roster.

Hornets’ Grant Williams Talks Rehab, Offseason, Rookies, LaMelo, More

August 6th, 2025 at 5:35pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Veteran Hornets forward Grant Williams continues to rehabilitate from the major knee injury he suffered in November 2024, which included tears of his right ACL and meniscus.

In a conversation with Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer, the 6’6″ Tennessee alum detailed his recovery while allowing that he isn’t fully healed just yet. He is not yet taking contact in his workouts.

“I feel great, physically just taking it one day at a time,” Williams told Boone. “Rehab is a pretty slow process. There can be good days and bad days, but fortunately, I’m in a position now where I’m getting back on the court in some capacity. Not necessarily there for contact yet, but in terms of (being) able to perform and work out, that’s something I think brings serenity — shooting the ball well, talk trash. So I’m trying to still find better shooters in the gym to compete against.”

Williams added that the Hornets are exercising plenty of patience as he works his way back to full health.

“They are not rushing me back,” Williams said. “They understand that there might be a little bit of time for me to get back and get my feet wet into the game. So, I’m thankful for not only the opportunity to have that freedom to come back and get comfortable and be myself again, but also for me, it’s a matter of making sure I can play for a long time, the health and longevity of my career to make sure I can help this team compete at a high level for a long couple of years.”

During his 16 healthy games for Charlotte in 2024/25, the 26-year-old averaged 10.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per night, with a shooting line of .439/.365/.838. He’s currently entering the third season of the four-year, fully guaranteed $53.3MM contract he signed in 2023.

While Williams could be a trade candidate by the 2026 deadline, he’ll likely need to prove he’s healthy and can still be a solid two-way contributor at around his former level in order to have real value as a trade chip.

Here are a few highlights from Williams’ conversation with Boone, which is well worth reading in full:

On the Hornets’ veteran offseason acquisitions:

“I feel like we got a lot more athletic, we added a lot more depth in terms of not only just top to bottom but position by position. We’ve got a lot more guards, a lot more scoring potential, a lot more fast play potential, We have bigs like Mason (Plumlee) and Moussa (Diabate) that can really run the floor. We have a guy like Ryan (Kalkbrenner) that can really protect the paint, also space the floor. I’ve seen him shoot it and he shoots it well. So, it’s just super exciting to have that versatility, in terms of the team.”

“And then in terms of the wings and guard play, we have so much more potency. We have Collin Sexton, Tre Mann, Josh Green when he gets healthy, myself when I get healthy. You have Miles (Bridges), Kon (Knueppel). Geez, you could go down the line with a lot of names that we can add, so we are just super excited not only about the scoring potential but the ability to compete at a high level every single night even when guys are out.”

On this year’s crop of Charlotte rookies:

“They honestly are some great individuals. They are very, very welcoming. They are very goofy also, I would say, but also they are young so they are fresh behind the ears. They don’t really know what’s coming, so just being able to communicate to them what to expect and what we want as an organization want to establish, in terms of our crucial pillars and how we want to play, how we want to communicate with one another. And really they’ve just been with open ears and been very, very open. They haven’t really shut anything down and I think they are approaching everything with the right approach going into the season.”

On All-Star guard LaMelo Ball‘s leadership:

“He’s doing a lot of things that bring value. Not only his voice, but just his approach. He’s in there every single day. He’s there and present and I think is somebody we can look to and see like, ‘He’s actually putting the work in every single day, not this person who is away from us and claims to be doing the work.’ No, he’s doing it every single day. He’s doing every single workout, he’s being available.”

On second-year head coach Charles Lee’s approach:

“He understands that it’s got to come down to the team. It’s not one person and understanding the value of having every person — from the top guy to the 17th, 18th guy on the roster. Each person is important, and he treats everybody as that and he treats them (that way) to not only bring out the best out of you, but bring the best out of the group. And I think that’s what comes from that team-first mentality, is understanding that even if it might not be your night that night, that doesn’t mean we lost any confidence in you.”

Pacers’ Mike Weinar Withdraws From Knicks Search For Top Assistant

August 6th, 2025 at 9:52am CST by Dana Gauruder

Pacers assistant Mike Weinar has removed his name from consideration for the Knicks‘ top assistant position, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post tweets.

Ian Begley of SNY (Twitter link) confirms Weinar has removed withdrawn from consideration to be Mike Brown‘s offensive coordinator and lead assistant, adding that Hornets assistant Chris Jent remains a candidate for the job. New York’s interest in Jent was reported over the weekend.

Jent guided Charlotte to the Summer League title last month. Prior to arriving in Charlotte, he spent five years on the Hawks’ bench (2017-22) and two seasons with the Lakers (2022-24).

Jent served as the interim head coach for the Magic for the final 18 games of the 2004/05 season.

Weinar has spent the bulk of his NBA career working with head coach Rick Carlisle in Dallas and Indiana. Prior to his time with the Pacers, he served as an assistant for the Mavericks, having transitioned from a basketball operations role to join the coaching staff. His tenure in Dallas included the club’s 2011 title run.

According to Bondy, there were family considerations involved in Weinar’s decision.

Latest On Knicks’ Offensive Coordinator Search

August 3rd, 2025 at 7:01pm CST by Eli Cohen

Hornets assistant Chris Jent is considered a leading candidate to become the Knicks‘ offensive coordinator, according to SiriusXM NBA Radio host Frank Isola (Twitter link).

Ian Begley of SNY, meanwhile, reports (via Twitter) that the Knicks have been in contact with Pacers assistant Mike Weinar. Stefan Bondy of the New York Post confirms (via Twitter) Begley’s report while adding that Weinar is also in consideration for the offensive coordinator role and is considered a strong candidate for the lead assistant job on Mike Brown‘s staff.

Jent is a longtime NBA assistant coach who joined the Hornets in 2024 and guided Charlotte’s Summer League title to a title last month. Prior to arriving in Charlotte, he spent five years on the Hawks’ bench (2017-22) and two seasons with the Lakers (2022-24).

Jent served as the interim head coach for the Magic for the final 18 games of the 2004/05 season. He had a brief playing career in the NBA, which included a three-game stint with the Knicks in 1996.

Weinar, prior to his time with the Pacers, served as an assistant for the Mavericks, having transitioned from a basketball operations role to join the coaching staff. His tenure in Dallas included the club’s 2011 title run.

The Knicks have also reportedly shown interest in Greg St. Jean from the Lakers and Patrick Mutombo from the Grizzlies as they continue to search for candidates to fill out the coaching staff under Mike Brown.

Southeast Notes: Rozier, Heat, Hornets, Wizards

July 31st, 2025 at 8:15pm CST by Earnest Marshall

When Jake Fischer recently reported that the Heat and Wizards held trade talks about guards Terry Rozier and Marcus Smart, he wrote that the two sides could not come to an agreement as Miami “could not reach an organizational consensus on whether such a trade was a clear upgrade.” Smart was ultimately bought out and ended up with the Lakers.

Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald confirms that the two Southeast teams did indeed engage with one another about a possible deal and notes that it would have made sense on paper given Smart’s expiring salary ($21.6MM) is cheaper than Rozier’s ($26.6MM). However, Chiang clarifies that the primary reason such a trade did not occur was primarily due to the fact that Miami didn’t want to attach the necessary draft capital it would have taken to complete such a deal.

The Heat remain open to trade talks surrounding Rozier, but they have been hesitant to include draft picks or sacrifice future flexibility simply to get off his expiring contract.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

A federal investigation was launched early last year regarding game-worn Heat gear that was stolen from the team’s facilities, Chiang writes in another post. The gear includes that from the likes of Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James.
Look for Mason Plumlee to start at center for the Hornets in a year where his competition looks to be rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner and former two-way big Moussa Diabate, Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer writes. Plumlee started for the Hornets during Mark Williams‘ rookie season before being traded to the Clippers. Boone suggests a similar situation could play out in 2025/26, with Plumlee starting as the man in the middle before Kalkbrenner ultimately takes over.
The Wizards will keep their 2026 first-round pick if it ends up in the top eight of the draft. The Knicks will own the pick if it falls outside of that range, but as Josh Robbins of The Athletic details, the Wizards don’t feel compelled to try to reacquire that selection in its entirety, since doing so would mean potentially giving up the swap rights they own on the Suns’ 2026 first-rounder.

Signed Second-Round Picks Now Count Against Cap

July 31st, 2025 at 10:10am CST by Luke Adams

Between July 1 and July 30 of each NBA league year, a player signed using the second-round pick exception doesn’t count toward his team’s cap, but that changes as of July 31. Beginning on Thursday, each of the second-rounders signed using that exception will begin carrying 2025/26 cap hits.

[RELATED: 2025 NBA Draft Pick Signings]

The effect this will have on teams around the league is negligible. The only club still operating below the cap is Brooklyn, but the Nets didn’t make any second-round picks in this year’s draft and haven’t signed any second-rounders that were stashed from previous drafts, so this change won’t reduce their cap room at all.

The Nets are far from the only NBA team that hasn’t signed a second-round pick to a standard contract this offseason. In fact, only 11 of the league’s 30 clubs have done so.

The Suns, Magic, Hornets (two picks), Sixers, Lakers, Pistons, and Pacers made the top eight selections of the 2025 second round and have signed those players to standard deals, while the Pelicans (No. 40 pick Micah Peavy), Kings (No. 42 pick Maxime Raynaud), Cavaliers (No. 49 pick Tyrese Proctor), and Hawks (2024’s No. 43 pick Nikola Djurisic) have joined them. The rest of this year’s second-rounders are either still unsigned, will play overseas, or agreed to two-way contracts.

None of those 11 teams surpassed an apron threshold as a result of their second-rounders’ new cap hits. For example, the Cavs would be well over the second apron with or without Proctor on their books.

Since none of those teams will see their ability to make other roster moves affected by the new cap charges, this is really more of a housekeeping note than anything.

Hornets Forward Brandon Miller Says Wrist Is Nearly Healed

July 28th, 2025 at 7:17pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Brandon Miller said his surgically-repaired right wrist is “probably around 90-95 percent now” and declared he’ll be ready to play when next season begins, Langston Wertz Jr. of the Charlotte Observer reports.

Miller underwent surgery to repair the torn scapholunate ligament in his right wrist in late January.

The No. 2 overall pick of the 2023 draft, Miller was named to the All-Rookie First Team in 2023/24 after a debut season which saw him finish third in Rookie of the Year balloting.

He was having a solid second season as well, improving his counting stats in several categories, including points (21.1), rebounds (4.9), assists (3.6), steals (1.1) and blocks (0.7) per game. Miller posted a .403/.355/.861 shooting slash line in 27 appearances (34.2 minutes).

“Playing (27) games, that was the hardest thing of my career right there,” he told Wertz. “Just watching basketball the whole season. My goal is always to play every game and play 110% in every game.”

Miller has started contact drills after the lengthy process of waiting for the wrist to heal. He knew he could ramp up when he was able to shoot without any pain.

“I’m just excited to get back out on the court with my guys,” he said, adding “not everything’s going to be a smooth route. You’re going to have ups and downs, a lot of bumps and curves.”

Miller is hopeful that he and oft-injured point guard LaMelo Ball can stay healthy and turn around the franchise’s fortunes.

“It’s always the main thing, you know, just keeping our bodies together. We know it’s a long season. Having us two on the floor can make the big difference (in having) a winning team,” Miller said.

The Hornets won the Summer League title in Las Vegas and Miller is looking forward to playing with first-round picks Kon Knueppel and Liam McNeeley.

“They are going to bring space, a lot of space, with their shooting ability. I feel like that’s going to help us in the long run,” Miller said. “Their confidence is going to be the biggest thing, you know, coming into this league, just building their confidence early.”

Summer League Notes: Rookie Standouts, Maluach, Fears

July 27th, 2025 at 6:02pm CST by Eli Cohen

The 2025 Summer League gave fans and teams first impressions of most of this year’s incoming rookies, as well as serving as a showcase for several sophomores and younger veterans. In the wake of the event, Law Murray of the Athletic breaks down each rookie’s performance with an eye for what it could mean for the coming season.

Cooper Flagg (Mavericks), Dylan Harper (Spurs), and VJ Edgecombe (Sixers) were arguably the biggest names who participated in the Summer Leagues – headlined by the Las Vegas event – and despite some shooting efficiency concerns, all three gave their fans plenty of reason for excitement.

Flagg displayed a well-rounded on-ball skill set, Harper came up clutch in his last game to force overtime, and Edgecombe lived at the free throw line while displaying some advanced ball-screen offensive game, Murray observes.

The next three picks in the draft, Kon Knueppel (Hornets), Ace Bailey (Jazz), and Tre Johnson (Wizards), all showed off their shot-making capabilities, which will likely be what earns them regular playing time as rookies. Knueppel was rewarded for his play with the only All-Summer League Second Team selection among rookies, while Nique Clifford (Kings) was the lone rookie to make the First Team, thanks to his stellar all-around play.

Other rookies, such as Collin Murray-Boyles (Raptors), Carter Bryant (Spurs), Joan Beringer (Timberwolves), and Brooks Barnhizer (Thunder) flashed tantalizing defensive capabilities, though Murray-Boyles and Bryant were inconsistent offensively, Murray notes.

Here are a few more leftover Summer League notes:

John Hollinger of the Athletic takes a look at some of the low points of Summer League, including the worst ejection of the tournament, awarded to the Celtics‘ Jordan Walsh for not only having an excessive foul on the Heat’s Pelle Larsson, but for accidentally throwing him into Walsh’s own front office executives courtside.
In terms of players who struggled, Hollinger mentions Khaman Maluach (Suns), who had difficulty catching lobs and other passes, Jeremiah Fears (Pelicans), who was unable to spearhead an offense and create for others, and the limitations of the four Nets rookies who suited up, among others.
On the non-player side, Hollinger points to an abundance of turnovers caused by stepping out of bounds, as well as the prevalence of split-screen interviews that made following the games an exercise in patience and eagle-eyed vision.

Hornets Sign Antonio Reeves To Two-Way Contract

July 25th, 2025 at 4:07pm CST by Luke Adams

July 25, 4:07 pm: The Hornets have officially signed Reeves and waived Baugh, the team confirmed in a press release.

July 23, 3:11 pm: The Hornets will waive Baugh to make room for Reeves, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

July 23, 3:03 pm: The Hornets have reached an agreement to sign free agent guard Antonio Reeves to a two-way contract, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Reeves, 24, was the 47th overall pick in the 2024 draft and appeared in 44 games as a rookie for the Pelicans, averaging 6.9 points and 1.4 rebounds in 15.0 minutes per game, with a solid shooting line of .456/.395/.800.

The former Kentucky standout also excelled at the G League level, putting up 24.9 PPG and 5.8 RPG on .470/.416/.800 shooting in 11 appearances for the Birmingham Squadron, New Orleans’ affiliate.

It came as a bit of a surprise when the Pelicans opted to waive Reeves earlier this month before his minimum salary for 2025/26 could become guaranteed, but there’s a new group of decision-makers in New Orleans’ front office who weren’t responsible for drafting him last June.

Charlotte doesn’t currently have a two-way slot open, so KJ Simpson, Damion Baugh, or Drew Peterson will need to be waived in order to create an opening for Reeves.

Peterson was just signed last week, which suggests that either Simpson or Baugh – both carryovers from last season – will be the odd man out. For what it’s worth, Simpson earned a spot on the All-Summer League second team, though Baugh played pretty well too for the summer champions in Las Vegas.

NBA Names Kyle Filipowski Summer League MVP, Announces All-SL Teams

July 22nd, 2025 at 3:24pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jazz forward/center Kyle Filipowski has officially been named the Summer League Most Valuable Player for 2025, the NBA announced today (via Twitter). Filipowski is also one of five players who earned a spot on the All-Summer League first team.

Here are the full All-Summer League teams, per the league (Twitter links):

First Team

Kyle Filipowski (Jazz)
Nique Clifford (Kings)
David Jones-Garcia (Spurs)
Jordan Miller (Clippers)
Terrence Shannon Jr. (Timberwolves)

Second Team

Ron Holland (Pistons)
Isaac Jones (Kings)
Kon Knueppel (Hornets)
Ajay Mitchell (Thunder)
KJ Simpson (Hornets)

Filipowski, who is entering his second NBA season after playing 72 games as a rookie, appeared in a total of six Summer League contests (Salt Lake City and Las Vegas). He averaged 23.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.0 blocks in 27.6 minutes per game. He especially excelled in Las Vegas, averaging 29.3 PPG and 7.7 RPG in three outings.

Clifford, a rookie drafted with the No. 24 pick last month, posted averages of 15.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.2 steals in six contests. Jones-Garcia, who is seeking a contract, finished an eight-game summer campaign with averages of 22 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists. He posted averages of 21.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists in a handful of games in Vegas.

Miller (22.0, 7.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists) racked up impressive number in five summer games after being waived earlier this month by the Clippers. Entering his second season with Minnesota, Shannon (22.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists) excelled in three contests.

After competing in the Summer League championship game on Sunday, both the Hornets (Knueppel and Simpson) and Kings (Clifford and Jones) had multiple players recognized for their play in Las Vegas. Knueppel was named the MVP of the championship game.