International Rumors | Hoops Rumors

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.

And-Ones: Payne, Key, Raman, Breakout Players

October 25th, 2025 at 7:51pm CST by Rory Maher

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.

David Duke Jr. Signs With Perth Wildcats

October 23rd, 2025 at 7:34pm CST by Rory Maher

After previously reporting that David Duke Jr. was in advanced negotiations with the Perth Wilcats, ESPN’s Olgun Uluc now hears from multiple sources that the free agent guard has officially signed a contract to join the Australian team for the remainder of the 2025/26 season (Twitter link).

The Wildcats, who compete in Australia’s National Basketball League, have been in the market for a replacement for Mason Jones, another former NBA guard whom the team parted ways with last week after he got off to a slow start.

Duke has spent parts of each of the past four seasons in the NBA, playing a total of 55 regular season games with the Nets and Spurs, mostly on two-way contracts. He holds career averages of 4.2 points and 2.0 rebounds in 11.9 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .417/.262/.767.

The 26-year-old combo guard was on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deal with Phoenix for training camp and the 2025 preseason, but was released last Friday.

While Duke’s NBA role has been pretty modest to this point in his career, he has been more productive at the G League level, including averaging 20-plus points per game during the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons. In 42 contests (31.6 MPG) with the Austin Spurs last season, the Providence, Rhode Island native averaged 16.9 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 4.0 APG and 1.6 SPG on .410/.306/.719 shooting.

Duke is the third veteran NBA guard to head overseas on Thursday, joining Spencer Dinwiddie (Bayern Munich) and Jared Butler (Crvena Zvezda).

And-Ones: D. Duke, Silver, NBPA, Incentives, Stein

October 23rd, 2025 at 1:36pm CST by Luke Adams

The Perth Wildcats of Australia’s National Basketball League are in advanced talks on a potential deal for free agent combo guard David Duke Jr., according to Olgun Uluc of ESPN, who reports that a contract for Duke would cover the rest of the 2025/26 season.

The Wildcats have been in the market for a replacement for Mason Jones, another former NBA guard whom the team parted ways with last week after he got off to a slow start.

Duke, who was in camp with the Suns until being cut last week, has appeared in NBA games in each of the past four seasons. In 55 total outings for Brooklyn and San Antonio from 2021-25, he has averaged 4.2 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 11.9 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .417/.262/.767.

The 26-year-old has been more productive in the G League, averaging 16.9 PPG, 5.9 RPG, and 4.0 APG in 42 games for the Austin Spurs last season after putting up more than 20 PPG in each of the two previous years.

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

Devon Henderson and Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic pass along some of the most interesting comments made by NBA commissioner Adam Silver during his media rounds prior to the start of the 2025/26 season, including his latest remarks on potential expansion and the All-Star format. Most notably, given today’s big news, Silver told Chris Mannix of SI.com this week that the league continues to talk to betting companies about potentially reducing the range of prop bets available to gamblers.
The National Basketball Players Association issued the following statement in the wake of the arrests of Terry Rozier, Chauncey Billups, and Damon Jones on Thursday (Twitter link): “The integrity of the game is paramount to NBA players, but so is the presumption of innocence, and both are hindered when player popularity is misused to gain attention. We will ensure our members are protected and afforded their due process rights through this process.”
The disappearance of incentives and bonuses in NBA contracts has had an impact on rookie scale extensions, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic. As Hollinger explains, including likely and/or unlikely incentives in a deal used to be an effective way to bridge the gap between the contract a player was seeking and the one his team was willing to pay. However, because they count against the aprons, teams have essentially stopped handing them out — not a single veteran contract signed this offseason included incentives. In Hollinger’s view, players like Tari Eason, Bennedict Mathurin, and Mark Williams would have been more likely to work out deals under the previous CBA, when those bonuses were more common.
Veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein has joined Amazon Prime Video’s NBA coverage for the 2025/26 season, reports Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports. According to Glasspiegel, Stein won’t have an on-air role — he’ll be working behind the scenes and will be responsible for making sure that facts and figures are “journalistically sound” before they’re used by the studio team or game announcers. Amazon previously hired Chris Haynes as its league insider and Marcus Thompson of The Athletic to report feature stories.