Denver Nuggets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Jokic, DiVincenzo, 2027 Draft, Sheehey

July 17th, 2025 at 12:09pm CST by Rory Maher

Superstar Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is expected to confirm that he’ll play for the Serbian national team at this summer’s EuroBasket tournament, according to Dorde Matic of Meridian Sport. In fact, the same group that led Serbia to a bronze medal at the 2024 Olympics in Paris is expected to be available when EuroBasket 2025 tips off in late August, Matic writes.

Jokic also won a silver medal with Serbia at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, notes Kevin Martorano of Sportando.

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

Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo, who spoke in April about his desire to suit up for Italy at EuroBasket 2025, has been granted Italian citizenship, clearing the way for him to play at the tournament, per BasketNews.com. The 28-year-old will formally be sworn in as an Italian citizen in Chicago after Italy’s president, Sergio Mattarella, approved the proposal to make DiVicenzo a citizen on Thursday, reports Alessandro Maggi of Sportando.
While the top of the 2026 NBA draft class is viewed very favorably, executives are not enthusiastic about the prospects who could be selected in 2027, writes Jonathan Givony of ESPN. “This is one of the weakest high school classes I’ve seen in a long time,” one grizzled talent evaluator with extensive experience in the amateur youth space told ESPN. “There might not be a single All-Star in this group, and after the first few prospects, I’m not sure how many NBA starters I see either from the other five-star recruits. New players always emerge, but by now we usually have a pretty good idea of who the most elite prospects are, and it’s looking like slim pickings, even more so than the weak 2024 NBA draft, which at least had several high-end international prospects we could point to.”
Will Sheehey, who has spent the past four years in various coaching-related roles with the Warriors, has officially signed a one-year deal with the Bakken Bears to become an assistant coach and head of the Danish club’s player development program, as Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops relays. Sheehey’s most recent title with Golden State was assistant director of player development and innovation, Askounis adds.

International Notes: Brissett, Valanciunas, Bamba, Micic, Cordinier

July 15th, 2025 at 3:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA forward Oshae Brissett has signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv, the Israeli team announced on Tuesday in a press release.

Brissett, who went undrafted out of Syracuse in 2019, has since appeared in 233 NBA regular season games for Toronto, Indiana, Boston, and Philadelphia. His best years came with the Pacers, with whom he averaged 8.1 points and 4.5 rebounds in 20.7 minutes per game across 153 contests from 2020-23.

The 6’7″ forward was a member of the Celtics team that won a championship in 2024, but turned down a minimum-salary player option with Boston last June and had trouble finding an NBA home after that. He spent part of the 2024/25 season in the G League and appeared in just six NBA games, when he signed a 10-day contract with Philadelphia in March.

“It’s great to bring a former NBA champion to Tel Aviv,” Maccabi Tel Aviv general manager Claudio Coldebella said in a statement. “From the beginning he was our first choice. He’s a player who fits our system and his teammates, who can play in various positions, and who, thanks to his athleticism, energy, and desire to compete, is always very useful in many aspects of the game. We can’t wait to welcome Oshae to the Maccabi family.”

Here are more items of interest from around the international basketball world:

There’s no indication that a buyout is around the corner for Jonas Valanciunas, whose new team in Denver has made it clear it wants to keep him for the 2025/26 season, writes Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com. With Valanciunas appearing increasingly likely to stick with the Nuggets, Panathinaikos is considering alternatives as it looks to upgrade its frontcourt, according to reporting from SDNA (hat tip to Sportando). The Greek team had hoped to sign Valanciunas to a new three-year deal, but that won’t be possible as long as he remains under contract in the NBA.
Another one of Greece’s top basketball teams, Olympiacos, is also scouring the market for frontcourt help and is reportedly eyeing former NBA lottery pick Mohamed Bamba, per a Gazzetta.gr report (hat tip to Sportando). The sixth overall pick in 2018, Bamba spent the first half of last season with the Clippers before being traded and waived in early February. He later signed a 10-day deal with New Orleans in March.
After being formally bought out by Milwaukee earlier this month, Vasilije Micic is now officially a free agent, but his plans for next season still haven’t come into focus. Alessandro Maggi of Sportando hears that Micic is leaning toward an offer from Olympiacos over a lucrative bid from Hapoel Tel Aviv, but Aris Barkas of Eurohoops reports that Real Madrid is still in the mix for the former EuroLeague MVP too.
French wing Isaia Cordinier is parting ways with Virtus Bologna, but the 28-year-old’s next move is unclear, according to Maggi of Sportando. As Maggi explains, the Turkish team Anadolu Efes is a strong contender for Cordinier, but his reps are also waiting to see whether an NBA opportunity materializes. Cordinier was the 44th overall pick in the 2016 draft and his NBA rights were previously held by the Nets before being renounced in 2021, freeing him up to sign with any NBA team.

Ryan Saunders To Become Lead Assistant For Grizzlies

July 14th, 2025 at 5:34pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Grizzlies are hiring Ryan Saunders as their lead assistant under Tuomas Iisalo, Drew Hill of The Daily Memphian tweets.

The former head coach of the Timberwolves, Saunders had been an assistant with the Nuggets under Michael Malone since 2022. Saunders was one of several Denver assistants whose contract was not renewed after the season. He also previously worked for the Wizards.

Saunders became Minnesota’s head coach during the 2018/19 season after Tom Thibodeau was let go. He compiled a 43-94 record before losing his job in February 2021. He took some time off before landing the Denver assistant coaching job.

Iisalo had the interim tag removed as the Grizzlies’ head coach in early May. Iisalo compiled a 4-5 regular season record followed Taylor Jenkins’ surprising dismissal. After finishing as the eighth seed, the Grizzlies lost to Golden State in the first round of the play-in tournament, but advanced to the playoffs with a win over Dallas. They were swept by Oklahoma City in the first round.

Northwest Notes: Beringer, Henderson, Hansen, Bates

July 13th, 2025 at 7:01pm CST by Eli Cohen

The workout that sealed Joan Beringer‘s selection by the Timberwolves with the 17th overall pick last month took place in Chicago less than a week before the draft, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.

The Wolves’ front office had been keeping an eye on the young big man, who only started playing basketball at 14 when he grew too big for soccer cleats throughout his season with Cedevita Olimpija. But that late workout allowed Beringer to show his skill set outside of the game tape, and that proved to be the deciding factor for Minnesota’s top decision-makers.

“I remember just catching an eye with [Wolves’ president Tim Connelly] and both of our eyebrows were kind of cocked, like what’s going on here, man,” said director of scouting Joe Connelly.

Beringer’s agent, Jelani Floyd, considered his client’s floor to be No. 16 with Orlando, but when the Magic traded their pick to the Grizzlies, the Wolves contacted him to schedule a last-minute workout — Floyd made the front office come to him.

“My whole thing is like, hey, come in, bring your staff, and we’ll be able to see how serious they were,” Floyd said.

The Wolves found the combination of Beringer’s size, mobility, and balance — which culminated in him performing a free-throw line dunk on command — impressive enough that they decided the French center had to be their guy.

We have more from around the Northwest division:

Trail Blazers‘ head coach Chauncey Billups is extremely encouraged by the offseason work from Scoot Henderson, who Billups said is having an incredible summer. “He had a tough year last year, only because he didn’t get to play basketball during the summer. He was banged up, he was licking his wounds from the season.” Billups said in a Summer League interview with the ESPN broadcast team (video link). “This year he’s been playing ball all summer, he’s been working on his game, as you said. Scoot is gonna take an incredible leap this year.” Billups also expressed excitement about how Jrue Holiday could help Henderson’s development: “What better guy in the league could you have to raise Scoot and Shaedon [Sharpe]?“
Yang Hansen was maybe the biggest surprise of the 2025 draft when the Trail Blazers picked him 16th overall, but his Summer League debut went a long way to quieting any doubters, writes Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (subscriber link). Hansen put up 10 points, four rebounds, five assists, and three blocks, and while his passing captured a lot of attention, Highkin says that it was his communication with his teammates that was the most impressive part of his debut performance. At least one person within the Blazers organization wasn’t surprised. “You don’t do something that crazy unless you’re sure about it,” said the anonymous staffer.
Tamar Bates is finding a way to impact the Nuggets‘ Summer League team outside of the box score, writes Bennett Durando of the Denver Post. Bates, who is on a two-way contract, has made an effort to be a vocal leader and communicator out on the floor. “I felt like I made a lot of winning plays,” Bates said. “I made a few shots, but I think the thing I’m most proud of is that I didn’t let a missed shot or a turnover affect my communication (and) my intensity.” Nuggets’ Summer League coach Andrew Munson agreed with the self-assessment. “He’s the loudest guy on the team, in all the right ways,” Munson said.

Nuggets, Kings Officially Swap Jonas Valanciunas, Dario Saric

July 13th, 2025 at 4:21pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Nuggets‘ trade sending Dario Saric to the Kings in exchange for Jonas Valanciunas is now official, according to a press release from Denver.

The trade agreement between the two teams was first reported on July 1. At the time, it seemed like a fairly straightforward deal — Denver was adding a reliable backup center behind Nikola Jokic, while Sacramento was reducing its team salary by swapping out Valanciunas’ $10.4MM salary for Saric’s $5.4MM expiring contract, allowing the Kings to stay out of tax territory while completing other moves.

However, it became more complicated within the past 12 days, as word broke that Valanciunas had a three-year contract offer on the table from the Greek team Panathinaikos that he wanted to accept.

While there has been no indication that the mutual interest between Valanciunas and Panathinaikos has waned, the Nuggets have reportedly told the 33-year-old and his camp that they want the big man the honor his contract. According to reports, Denver had maintained interest in Valanciunas in recent years and views him as a critical addition to its roster.

In order to sign with Panathinaikos, Valanciunas would have to negotiate a buyout with the Nuggets and get a FIBA letter of clearance — as long as he’s on an NBA contract, he can’t unilaterally decide to play in another league, without Denver’s cooperation. Now that the trade is official, he and the Nuggets can formally sit down and discuss next steps, but it sounds for now as if the plan is to have him in camp in Denver in the fall.

Valanciunas landed with the Wizards via sign-and-trade last summer, then was traded to the Kings in February. The durable center made 81 total appearances last season in Washington and Sacramento, averaging 10.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 18.8 minutes per contest.

Saric, meanwhile, couldn’t carve out a rotation role in Denver after signing with the team as a free agent in 2024. He made just 16 appearances, averaging 3.5 points and 3.1 rebounds in 13.1 minutes per night. It’s unclear whether the Kings intend to keep him on their roster entering next season — a return to Europe could be in the cards for the 6’10” forward/center if he reaches free agency.

Luke Adams contributed to this story.

Knicks Notes: Yabusele, Brown, Triano, Kolek

July 13th, 2025 at 12:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

In an interview with Arthur Puybertier of BeBasket, a French basketball outlet, Guerschon Yabusele reveals that he strongly considered the Nuggets in free agency before deciding the allure of playing in New York was too strong to pass up. After returning to the NBA with an impressive season in Philadelphia, Yabusele accepted a two-year contract with the Knicks.

“It was super fast! As soon as I received (the offer from New York), I had to give an answer within two hours,” Yabusele said. “On the other side, we also had the one in Denver. You had to be quick not to miss the opportunity that New York represents, in a great living environment!”

Along with the lifestyle that comes with playing in the nation’s largest city, Yabusele is thrilled to be joining a title contender. Coming off a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Knicks have bolstered their roster with the addition of Yabusele and Jordan Clarkson while several other top Eastern teams are dealing with injuries to star players.

“When you look at New York, you can already see that the franchise has risen a lot in recent years,” Yabusele added. “They are conference finalists; the collective project is visible and very interesting for me. They are a very good team that plays very well together and is playing for the title! Having this goal was something important for me, I want to play for something. Apart from that, New York is a historic team. Playing at Madison Square Garden is the dream of every NBA player, including mine! It’s a special place, I’m very happy to be there!”

There’s more on the Knicks:

New head coach Mike Brown is emphasizing quick decisions on offense, according to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. That philosophy was on display in Friday’s Summer League opener as players were instructed to drive, shoot or pass within half a second of getting the ball. “It doesn’t just mean playing up and down, like we have to get out in transition,” Summer League coach Jordan Brink said. “The fast part is all of the stuff in our actions. If we get the ball up the floor quick and don’t have anything, we’re to the next action. Fast is really decision-making, playing with a ‘.5’ mentality.”
The Mavericks denied the Knicks’ request to interview Jay Triano in their search for an associate head coach, sources tell Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. Triano served as Brown’s top assistant and offensive coordinator in Sacramento, but he just joined the coaching staff in Dallas last month and the Mavs didn’t want to lose him so quickly, Bondy adds. Dallas also turned down New York’s request to interview head coach Jason Kidd before Brown was hired.
After appearing in 41 games as a rookie, point guard Tyler Kolek is enjoying a fresh start with a new coaching staff, per Steve Popper of Newsday. “I think every season is a new opportunity,” he said. “Every year is a fresh start, new guys come in. We signed some free agents, so every year there’s fresh opportunity. And it starts right here, proving myself here, proving myself in August workouts, prove myself in camp, and then throughout the season. Just keep on proving myself until you get to where you have to be and then you have to do it all over again. It never really stops.”

Nuggets Notes: Jokic, Valanciunas, Holmes, Jones

July 13th, 2025 at 11:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Nuggets star Nikola Jokic doesn’t plan to agree to an extension this summer, but there are “no signs” he’s considering leaving Denver, Sam Amick of The Athletic stated during a recent appearance on Sactown Sports 1140 (YouTube link). However, Amick warns that things can always change, saying the organization shouldn’t feel too comfortable about Jokic until the new contract is official.

“It guarantees now that Joker has another decision to make next summer,” Amick said. “You can’t tell me, if this next coming season is a train wreck for the Nuggets, that that won’t be an issue. Now yes, he can sign a four-year extension if he waits, more money, it lines up potentially better with his next extension when he’s older so there’s plenty of plausible deniability for why he did it, but they also are coming off a year where they fired their coach and the GM, and yes, they got to the second round, but those guys try to win championships.”

Amick praised Denver’s new front office, saying they’re “off to a really strong start,” but added that Nuggets fans would be more comfortable if Jokic had taken the extension now. The three-time MVP will reportedly hold off extension plans until 2026, when he’ll be eligible for a four-year deal worth a projected $285.4MM instead of the three years at $206.4MM that’s currently on the table.

There’s more on the Nuggets:

Denver can’t afford to let Jonas Valanciunas out of his contract to play in Europe due to a lack of other options on the free agent market, Marc Stein of The Stein Line told Adam Mares of DNVR Sports (Twitter video link). “The other 29 teams are operating under the strong belief that Al Horford will end up going to Golden State,” Stein said. “… (The Nuggets) don’t have someone to pivot to. They don’t have a shot at Horford.”
DaRon Holmes made steady progress after tearing his right Achilles tendon during last year’s Summer League, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. The rookie big man was able to resume running and pregame shooting workouts by December, taking at least 200 three-pointers per day unless trainers advised him to rest. After conducting the operation, Holmes’ surgeon said he might be able to return by March, but the team never moved away from its plan for him to sit out the entire season. “I was met by a sense of determination and optimism on his part,” said his business manager Mitch Brown. “It really struck me that his mentality as a 22-year-old kid was so strong, dealing with something like this.”
Spencer Jones, the only two-way player that Denver kept from last year’s roster, continues to impress at Summer League, Durando adds in a separate story. The 24-year-old small forward had 19 points, six rebounds and two steals in Saturday’s loss to Minnesota.

Northwest Notes: Valanciunas, Nuggets, Thunder, J. Gentry

July 12th, 2025 at 8:21am CST by Rory Maher

The agreed-upon trade between the Nuggets and Kings that will send Jonas Valanciunas to Denver and Dario Saric to Sacramento will likely be completed this weekend, reports Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Twitter links).

According to Stein, the delay was due to the Nuggets needing additional time to finalize “all aspects” of their Michael Porter Jr./Cameron Johnson trade with the Nets. Both of those players have extensive injury histories, so that may have played a factor, though Stein didn’t explicitly say that.

Denver had to formally complete the Porter/Johnson deal before it could acquire Valanciunas due to the way the trades were structured.

Here’s more from around the Northwest Division:

Head coach David Adelman believes Valanciunas can be the offensive hub of the Nuggets‘ second unit, as Bennett Durando of The Denver Post relays. “Point center. You can play combo guards. You don’t need a lead point guard (in lineups with Valanciunas),” Adelman said on ESPN’s Summer League broadcast. “You can play five-out offense, play off the elbow, post him up. He’s such a skilled player. … He shoots the ball better than most people realize. So that’s how I envision him. I think you have multiple combination guards. You can get away with that with a guy like that.”
The Thunder have signed (or are signing) their top three players — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren — to maximum-salary extensions this summer. Sam Quinn of CBS Sports explains why Oklahoma City is uniquely well positioned to manage the punitive aspects of having an expensive payroll in the future, noting that the defending champions may not operate over the second tax apron until the 2027/28 season.
The Timberwolves are hiring Jack Gentry — a former Lakers coaching associate — to be their new head video coordinator, sources tell Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link). Jack is the son of longtime NBA coach Alvin Gentry, who is currently a member of Sacramento’s front office.

Cap Observations: Mutual Options, DFS, Incentives, Nuggets, BAE

July 11th, 2025 at 4:21pm CST by Luke Adams

After NBA teams spent the week officially finalizing many of the trades and free agent signings they'd agreed to during the July moratorium (or earlier), we're starting to get a clearer sense of trends emerging among the contracts signed in 2025/26, as well as a better idea of how teams are managing their cap exceptions and apron-related restrictions.

With that in mind, we're taking a closer look today at some of those contract trends, as well as a unique trade kicker, a cap-related decision facing the Nuggets, and a new use of the bi-annual exception.

Let's dive in...

Unlock Subscriber-Exclusive Articles Like This One With a Trade Rumors Front Office Subscription

BENEFITS

Access weekly subscriber-only articles by Luke Adams
Join exclusive weekly live chats with Arthur Hill
Remove ads and support our writers.

Nuggets Sign Tim Hardaway Jr. To One-Year Contract

July 10th, 2025 at 3:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

July 10: Hardaway is officially a Nugget, the team announced in a press release.

July 1: The Nuggets have agreed to a one-year contract with Pistons free agent wing Tim Hardaway Jr., ESPN’s Shams Charania reports (Twitter link). He’s signing for the veteran’s minimum, Bennett Durando of the Denver Post tweets.

Hardaway made 77 starts for vastly-improved Detroit, averaging 11.0 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 28 minutes per game. He shot 40.6 percent from the field and 36.8 percent on 3-point attempts.

Denver has been extremely active in recent days, agreeing to deal Michael Porter Jr. and a first-rounder to the Nets for Cameron Johnson, reaching a one-year deal with another wing, Bruce Brown, and adding big man Jonas Valanciunas in an agreed-upon deal with the Kings.

Hardaway figures to be a second-unit player with Denver, unless he supplants Christian Braun at shooting guard or Johnson at small forward. The 33-year-old Hardaway will be playing for the fifth team in his NBA career. He’s also had stints with Atlanta, New York and Dallas.

According to cap expert Yossi Gozlan, these moves will push the Nuggets right up against the luxury tax (Twitter link).

Losing Hardaway is a blow to the Pistons, who have been forced to adjust their free agent strategy due to gambling allegations against Malik Beasley. Detroit has also lost backup guard Dennis Schroder, who agreed on a three-year deal with the Kings. The Pistons have secured an agreement with free agent Caris LeVert and are looking at a variety of scenarios to fortify their wing positions.