International Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Matt Ryan Signs With Dubai Basketball

November 13th, 2025 at 10:55am CST by Luke Adams

Free agent wing Matt Ryan has officially signed with Dubai Basketball, the team announced today (Twitter link). Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com previously reported that Ryan was in the process of finalizing a deal with Dubai.

Although he has never played a major rotation role for an NBA team, Ryan has been in the league for each of the past four seasons. The 28-year-old appeared in 82 total games for the Celtics, Lakers, Timberwolves, Pelicans, and Knicks from 2022-25, averaging 3.7 points and 0.9 rebounds in 9.4 minutes per night.

Known primarily as a three-point marksman, Ryan has converted 40.2% of his career three-point attempts (80-of-199) at the NBA level. He has also knocked down 39.8% of his tries from beyond the arc at a higher volume (8.4 attempts per game) in 53 G League outings.

Ryan was in camp with New York on an Exhibit 10 contract this fall, but didn’t make the regular season roster and has opted to head overseas to continue his career rather than remaining in the G League with the Westchester Knicks.

Ryan is joining a Dubai Basketball club that is in its first season in the EuroLeague and features several ex-NBA players, including Dwayne Bacon, Filip Petrusev, Mfiondu Kabengele, McKinley Wright IV, and Dzanan Musa.

JT Thor Signs With Reggio Emilia

November 11th, 2025 at 4:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent forward JT Thor has signed with Reggio Emilia (aka Pallacanestro Reggiana), the Italian club announced in a press release (hat tip to Eurohoops).

The 37th overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Auburn, Thor spent three seasons in Charlotte, then played on a two-way contract for the Cavs and Wizards last season. He has appeared in a total of 185 regular season games, averaging 3.2 points and 2.1 rebounds in 12.2 minutes per contest.

Thor, 23, became an unrestricted free agent this summer when his two-way contract with Washington expired and remained on the market for the entire offseason. The fact that he’s no longer eligible for a two-way deal presumably contributed to his lack of viable NBA options.

In addition to spending four years in the NBA, Thor has some international experience, representing South Sudan in the 2024 Olympics in Paris. However, this will be his first time playing professionally overseas.

“JT Thor is an athletic, vertical player with great footwork and quickness,” Reggio Emilia head coach Dimitris Priftis said in a statement. “He’s a good defender, capable of rebounding and protecting the rim. On offense, he brings versatility and an ability to shoot from beyond the arc, adding elements we’ve been missing. JT arrives after several seasons in the NBA. It will be his first experience overseas, and naturally, he’ll need some time to adapt to the European style of basketball.”

International Notes: Ryan, Dinwiddie, Parker, Faried

November 8th, 2025 at 3:11pm CST by Rory Maher

Free agent sharpshooter Matt Ryan is finalizing a contract with Dubai Basketball, sources tell Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com (Twitter link).

A 6’6″ wing, Ryan has suited up for five different NBA teams over the past four seasons, having spent most of 2024/25 with the Knicks. He rarely played for New York last season, only making 19 garbage-time appearances (3.6 minutes per game).

The 28-year-old signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Knicks in September and spent all of training camp and the preseason with the team, but was waived last month before the ’25/26 campaign began. As a four-year veteran, Ryan is no longer eligible for a two-way contract.

Dubai BC is in its first season in the EuroLeague and features several ex-NBA players, including Davis Bertans, Mfiondu Kabengele, and Dwayne Bacon.

Here are a few more notes from overseas:

Veteran NBA guard Spencer Dinwiddie was cut by the Hornets this fall and decided to continue his career in Europe, having signed with Bayern Munich. In an interview with Nicolas Bulach of BasketEurope, Dinwiddie discussed the decision to play in Germany as well as the broader trend of former NBA players joining the EuroLeague. “Everybody is realizing that there is another very high-level basketball league in the world,” Dinwiddie said (hat tip to Nikola Miloradovic of Eurohoops). “The EuroLeague is very competitive. We have the chance to keep chasing our dreams and to enjoy playing the game, no matter where you are in your career. I think that’s why a lot of players move from the NBA to the EuroLeague.”
Four-time NBA champion Tony Parker has agreed to become the head coach of France’s under-17 men’s national team, according to Marc J. Spears of Andscape. Parker explained he was motivated to make the move because he recently came across a list his late father made for his three sons. “When I went through his notes after he passed away, one of his notes was top 10 goals for his kids,” the Hall of Famer told Andscape in a phone interview. “And when it came to me, it was coaching in the NBA and coaching the national team. That’s what he put on goals for me. So, it gives me a great inspiration and great motivation to follow this dream. …I want to give back because I miss the court. I miss the adrenaline, the challenge, the drive to win something. The front office is fun, but it’s not the same as being on the court.”
Amid frontcourt injuries to Mathias Lessort, Richaun Holmes and Omer Yurtseven, Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos has reached a rest-of-season agreement with veteran big man Kenneth Faried, reports Aris Barkas of Eurohoops. The 35-year-old had been playing in Taiwan, but Panathinaikos bought out his contract, Barkas explains. Faried’s deal with Panathinaikos will be finalized soon, pending a physical, head coach Ergin Ataman confirmed today (Twitter video link via Eurohoops).

Malik Beasley Drawing Interest From Teams In Europe, China

November 5th, 2025 at 7:47am CST by Luke Adams

Teams in Europe and China are exhibiting “strong” interest in free agent sharpshooter Malik Beasley, according to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews, who hears from sources that those clubs have reached out to determine whether that interest might be mutual.

Word broke in June, just ahead of Beasley’s NBA free agency, that he was being investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York for possible illegal betting activity. He was reportedly in discussions with the Pistons at the time about a potential three-year, $42MM deal, but that fell apart as a result of the federal investigation.

Beasley wasn’t named in last month’s indictments that resulted in the arrests of Heat guard Terry Rozier and Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups due to separate but related gambling cases. However, Beasley reportedly hasn’t been cleared by federal investigators or by the NBA, which is conducting its own probe into the matter, so he remains in limbo for now.

While Beasley’s preference would be to sign a new NBA contract, teams in the Chinese Basketball Association have made compelling pitches, according to Urbonas, who says those clubs are willing to make offers that are both lucrative and flexible, with NBA outs included. As Urbonas explains, that structure could appeal to Beasley since it would allow him to compete in the CBA and remain in game shape while waiting to be cleared by the NBA.

The CBA season won’t tip off until December 12, Urbonas notes, so Beasley doesn’t necessarily need to make a decision right away. If he were to be cleared to return to the NBA, the Pistons and Cavaliers are believed to be among the teams that would have interest.

Beasley, who will turn 29 later this month, is coming off a strong season in Detroit in which he averaged 16.3 points per game and finished second in the NBA in three-pointers made (319). He was the runner-up in Sixth Man of the Year voting behind Celtics guard Payton Pritchard.

Serge Ibaka Teases NBA Comeback

November 2nd, 2025 at 9:03pm CST by Eli Cohen

Serge Ibaka recently teased a potential return to the NBA, tweeting a black and white picture of himself practicing in an open University of Miami gym with the caption “@nba Comeback.”

The 14-year veteran’s most recent NBA action came in the 2022/23 season, when he appeared in 16 regular season games for the Bucks and averaged 4.1 points and 2.8 rebounds in 11.6 minutes per contest.

Ibaka played the following season overseas with Bayern Munich, with whom he averaged 12.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks while shooting 48.0% from three. He spent last season with Real Madrid, averaging 6.5 PPG and 3.3 RPG during EuroLeague play.

The 36-year-old Ibaka led the league in blocks three times during his NBA career and won the 2019 NBA championship as a key contributor for the Raptors. He rose to prominence as an important member of the Thunder team that, along with Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook, lost the 2012 NBA Finals to the LeBron James-led Heat.

Southwest Notes: Mavericks, Gafford, Irving, Rockets, Morant

November 1st, 2025 at 9:45pm CST by Arthur Hill

Tonight’s game in Mexico City is an important part of the NBA’s international outreach and a chance for the Mavericks to build their fan base in the neighboring nation, writes Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required). The Mavs’ contest against Detroit marks their eighth appearance in Mexico and the NBA’s 33rd overall since 1992.

“For fans outside of the U.S., the opportunity for them to enjoy a live experience of an NBA game is very limited,” said Raul Zarraga, vice president and managing director of NBA Mexico. “This is part of our commitment to provide this live experience to fans all around the world.”

Dwight Powell, the only player left on the roster from the Mavericks’ last trip to Mexico during the 2019/20 season, recalls the crowd being “extremely energetic.” Zarraga said Mexican fans as a group don’t have a strong rooting interest in any franchise, but they tend to like the three Texas teams as well as those with successful histories such as the Bulls, Lakers and Heat.

One of tonight’s top attractions will be No. 1 draft pick Cooper Flagg, who’s looking forward to playing in front of an international crowd.

“I’ve been to Cancun one time for a vacation, but other than that, I’ve never been to Mexico,” Flagg said. “I’m excited. I’ve heard it’s really beautiful. Detroit’s a really good team, so it should be a competitive, high-level game.”

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

Daniel Gafford is in the Mavericks‘ starting lineup as he makes his season debut, but coach Jason Kidd said he’ll be restricted to about 15-18 minutes, per Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal (Twitter link). D’Angelo Russell is also active after being listed as questionable with a left knee contusion.
Asked about Kyrie Irving at tonight’s pregame press conference, Kidd hinted that his star guard could be back in action before the end of the year, Curtis tweets. “We just can’t wait to get Kai back, at some point,” Kidd said. “Hopefully it’s in the year of ’25, not ’26. We’ll see what happens, but I think those two (Irving/Flagg) will be a perfect match in the backcourt.”
Rockets coach Ime Udoka is still working out his rotation and is trying to create more playing time for backup center Clint Capela, according to Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Udoka added that there’s still no timetable for Dorian Finney-Smith, who is recovering from offseason ankle surgery, but he and Jae’Sean Tate will get a chance to earn rotation roles when they’re fully healthy. Tate is currently restricted to 15 minutes per game.
The Grizzlies have already reached a turning point in their season after today’s one-game suspension of Ja Morant, contends Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Cole states that Morant seemed “disengaged” during Friday’s loss to the Lakers, and he was upset after a post-game interaction with coach Tuomas Iisalo, who is known for being direct with players. Cole adds that the season could unravel quickly if Morant, Iisalo and Jaren Jackson Jr. don’t work together as leaders.

Jared Rhoden Signs With Paris Basketball

November 1st, 2025 at 4:00pm CST by Rory Maher

Free agent guard Jared Rhoden has signed a contract with Paris Basketball, the French team announced in a press release. No details were provided on the duration of the deal.

Rhoden, who went undrafted in 2022 out of Seton Hall, has spent parts of each of the past three seasons in the NBA, appearing in 45 regular season games for Detroit, Charlotte and Toronto over that span. The 26-year-old finished last season on a two-way contract with the Raptors.

A 6’6″ shooting guard, Rhoden underwent surgery in late April to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder and was subsequently waived on July 1. The Raptors re-signed Rhoden to an Exhibit 10 deal for training camp, but he was released again a few days before the 2025/26 season began.

Rhoden appeared in 10 games with the Raptors last season, averaging 11.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 21.5 minutes per night, with a shooting line of .506/.324/.880. He bumped those averages to 19.0 PPG, 6.9 RPG, and 3.4 APG in 31.4 MPG on .507/.393/.648 shooting in 26 regular season outings for the G League’s Raptors 905.

Paris Basketball competes in the EuroLeague and France’s top domestic league, the LNB Élite.

And-Ones: Korkmaz, Aprons, Mexico City, Gambling Cases

October 31st, 2025 at 9:18am CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA wing Furkan Korkmaz has a new team in Europe, having signed with Tofas in his home country of Turkey, according to an announcement from the team. Korkmaz’s deal with Tofas is for the rest of the 2025/26 season and reportedly includes a EuroLeague buyout clause, per Bugra Uzar of Eurohoops (Twitter link).

Korkmaz, the 26th overall pick in the 2016 draft, arrived stateside a year later and spend seven seasons in the NBA from 2017-24, all with the Sixers. He averaged 6.8 points and 2.0 rebounds in 16.6 minutes per game across 328 NBA regular season outings, making 35.6% of his three-point tries.

Korkmaz was dealt from Philadelphia to Indiana at the 2024 trade deadline and was waived shortly thereafter by the Pacers. The 28-year-old has been out of the NBA since then, having spent last season with AS Monaco and Bahcesehir Koleji overseas.

We have more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

How do players around the NBA feel about the tax-apron rules in the league’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement? Joe Vardon of The Athletic spoke to a number of them to get a sense of that, noting that several had concerns about the apron rules are impacting non-stars. “A few years ago, the days of calling the ‘middle class’ or middle guys in the league are getting quote-unquote overpaid, that was nice for a long time for a lot of these guys trying to make way for themselves,” Bucks center Myles Turner said. “But now you’re starting to see it’s either you’re getting max, big-ass contracts or you’re getting minimum. And it really is affecting a lot of guys within the league.”
Mexican-American forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. would love to see the NBA expand to Mexico City, he tells Grant Afseth of RG.org. Jaquez called it a “great experience” to get to play in the city with the Heat last season. “I definitely think it’d be a great location if the league wants to expand,” he said. “It’s a beautiful city with a lot to do down there. I think it only makes sense — there’s already a team in Canada, so to have one down in Mexico would be great.”
Multiple Congressional committees have sought briefings from NBA commissioner Adam Silver in the wake of Heat guard Terry Rozier, Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, and former player and coach Damon Jones being arrested in a pair of illegal gambling cases. The House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation both sent letters to Silver and the league requesting information. In another story for The Athletic, Vardon provides details on what those committees want to know and why Silver probably won’t be called to testify in person at Capitol Hill — at least not anytime soon.
Discussions are ongoing between the NBA and its partner sportsbooks about which bets might be most susceptible to manipulation, reports David Purdum of ESPN. As Purdum outlines, FanDuel and DraftKings agreed before the season not to offer bettors the ability to wager on missed free throws, fouls, and turnovers.

Alex Len Signs With Real Madrid

October 30th, 2025 at 4:10pm CST by Dana Gauruder

October 30: Real Madrid has officially announced the signing of Len.

October 28: Longtime NBA big man Alex Len has agreed to a multiyear deal with Real Madrid, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. Len has an NBA opt-out clause for next season as part of his new agreement with the Spanish club, Scotto adds (Twitter link).

Len was waived 10 days ago by the Knicks after he signed a non-guaranteed training camp contract.

Last season, Len appeared in 36 games with the Kings and 10 more with the Lakers. The veteran center signed with the Lakers as a free agent after Sacramento traded him in February to the Wizards, who quickly waived him. He averaged a modest 1.6 points and 2.1 rebounds in 8.3 minutes per game during those 46 appearances in 2024/25 and became a free agent after the season.

Len, the fifth pick of the 2013 draft, has averaged 6.7 PPG and 5.3 RPG over the course of his 12-year career with the Suns, Hawks, Kings, Raptors, Wizards, and Lakers.

And-Ones: Payne, Fernando, Free Agents, Breakout Candidates

October 28th, 2025 at 2:29pm CST by Luke Adams

After being waived by the Pacers earlier this month, veteran point guard Cameron Payne reportedly received strong interest from KK Partizan, a EuroLeague-team based in Belgrade, Serbia. However, according to veteran NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link), Payne has opted to forgo overseas opportunities for now and will remain stateside in order to seek out his next NBA opportunity.

A 10-year NBA veteran who has earned regular playing time in Phoenix, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and New York in recent years, Payne appeared in 72 games for the Knicks last season, averaging 6.9 points and 2.8 assists in 15.1 minutes per night while shooting 40.1% from the floor, including 36.3% from beyond the three-point line.

Payne received a training camp invitation from Indiana this fall but didn’t make a strong case in the preseason for a regular season roster spot, shooting just 28.6% from the field and registering nearly as many turnovers (six) as assists (seven).

We have more from around the basketball world:

While Payne apparently won’t be headed to Belgrade, another NBA veteran is set to join KK Partizan. As Javier Molero of Eurohoops relays, big man Bruno Fernando is signing with the Serbian club to fortify its frontcourt. Fernando, whose last stop was Real Madrid, made 220 regular season appearances in the NBA for four teams from 2019-25. He played in 17 games last season for the Raptors, but has been out of the league since being waived by Toronto in January.
Even though the 2025/26 season is now underway, there are still several notable players who finished last season on NBA rosters and remain unsigned. Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report ranks the top 10 players who fit that bill, with Malik Beasley, Ben Simmons, and Precious Achiuwa topping his list.
Jeremy Woo of ESPN identifies his top five breakout candidates for the 2025/26 season, including Celtics wing Payton Pritchard, Pistons center Jalen Duren, and Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard.