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Lakers Notes: Hayes, Starting Lineup, Injuries, Lobs

October 19th, 2025 at 8:01pm CST by Eli Cohen

Jaxson Hayes is dealing with a light sprain in his right wrist, but believes that he’ll be ready to go for the Lakers‘ regular season opener on Tuesday, reports Dan Woike of The Athletic (via Twitter).

Hayes left Friday’s preseason game early after injuring his wrist, but he says he’s ready to play through the injury. He is slotted to serve as the primary backup to Deandre Ayton this season after starting a career-high 35 games for the Lakers last season.

Hayes also spoke at greater length about his intention to become eligible for a Slovenian passport and play international basketball alongside Lakers’ teammate Luka Doncic, reports Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter video link).

“We have the same agent, and my parents and his parents are all kind of working on it right now,” Hayes said. “But they came to me with the idea… I wanted to play on that stage, and I’m gonna do whatever it takes to get on that stage.”

Hayes added that Doncic and his family had been discussing the idea with him for the last year and a half. Woike confirmed (via Twitter) that Hayes is serious about the plan.

We have more Lakers news:

  • The Lakers unleashed their LeBron James-less opening night starting five in the preseason finale, writes McMenamin. The unit featured Gabe Vincent and Rui Hachimura alongside Doncic, Austin Reaves, and Ayton. McMenamin reports that Vincent, who averaged 16.2 points on 55.6% shooting from three during his strong preseason, was informed of his promotion on Friday morning. “I do think in that lineup there’s lot of shooting around Luka and [Ayton], and Gabe is another ball-handler, another tough defender, said head coach JJ Redick. “I think he fits in well, but you have to take a look at every matchup we play against and have to make a decision there.” The Lakers went just 1-5 during the preseason.
  • Redick shared some minor injury updates on Sunday afternoon, as relayed via Twitter by SoCal News Group’s Khobi Price. Chris Manon, on a two-way deal, was a full participant after previously suffering a Grade 2 ankle sprain. Bronny James and rookie Adou Thiero were modified participants as they look to return from ankle and knee injuries, respectively.
  • There’s a specific part of the Lakers’ offensive approach that Redick is concerned about heading into the season. “We’ve got to figure out our lobs,” Redick said, as reported by Price (Twitter video link). Redick added that a good lob connection is based on “concentration plus control.” Reaves expanded on that, discussing the difference between running the two-man game with Ayton as opposed to Hayes or Anthony Davis. “Every player is not the same,” he said. “I can throw some lobs to Jaxson that I can’t throw to DA. I can throw pocket passes to DA that I can’t throw to Jaxson. So it’s just reading personnel on the court and getting reps every single day together.”
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And-Ones: Team USA, Role Players, M. Jones, Balcetis

October 17th, 2025 at 12:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to reporters at a Thursday press conference to formally introduce Erik Spoelstra as Team USA’s new men’s basketball head coach, managing director Grant Hill said that winning a World Cup for the first time since 2014 is the “first order of business” for the national team, per Joe Vardon of The Athletic.

The U.S. finished seventh at the 2019 World Cup and fourth in 2023, failing to secure a medal at either event. Typically, the World Cup rosters featured less established stars than the Olympic squads, and that likely won’t change going forward, according to Vardon, who points to Cooper Flagg and Evan Mobley as a couple possibilities for the 2027 team. For his part, Hill is in no rush to lock in on any specific players quite yet.

“We have some time, and one of the great things is to see who emerges,” Hill said. “You have two years before the World Cup, and it seems like every season there are players who take a step in their development and become better players, All-Star players, players whose games translate to international play.

“It’s great to get these players in the pipeline. The great thing is, yes, the world is getting better, but we are too. We still have some great players in this country, great young players. And you know, it’s on me to get out and recruit and you know, sort of share with guys the importance of doing this.”

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

  • Fred Katz of The Athletic identifies five role players around the NBA who could end up being pivotal contributors for their respective teams this season, including Bucks guard Kevin Porter Jr., Cavaliers wing De’Andre Hunter, and Timberwolves guard Terrence Shannon Jr.
  • After signing him last month, the Perth Wildcats have parted ways with former NBA guard Mason Jones, as Olgun Uluc of ESPN writes. Jones, who was named the MVP of the 2025 G League Finals in April, struggled in his first five games in Australia’s National Basketball League, shooting just 34.7% from the floor, including 27.6% on three-pointers. The Wildcats are exploring the market for a new import guard to replace him, per Uluc.
  • Former Nuggets assistant general manager Tommy Balcetis is joining Zalgiris Kaunas as the Lithuanian club’s head of innovations, according to BasketNews. Balcetis was considered a potential candidate to run Denver’s front office after the team fired Calvin Booth in the spring, but the Nuggets opted to promote Ben Tenzer into that position and didn’t renew Balcetis’ contract.
  • NBA rookies and award winners will wear patches on their jerseys this season as part of the league’s partnership with Fanatic/Topps. Dan Hajducky of ESPN has the details on the new program.
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Pacific Notes: Kings, Christie, Westbrook, Hayes, Collins

October 17th, 2025 at 8:39am CST by Luke Adams

Within a story breaking down the Kings‘ decision to sign Russell Westbrook, Sam Amick of The Athletic says that “hordes” of opposing scouts have been attending Sacramento games during the preseason, since teams around the league anticipate that the Kings will be sellers at February’s trade deadline.

Westbrook is among several players on the Kings’ roster who will have something to prove this season, according to Amick, who notes that head coach Doug Christie falls into that category too.

As Amick details, citing league sources, the new contract that Christie signed in the spring when he was named the team’s permanent head coach is only guaranteed for two seasons, with a third-year team option. And his salary is only about $2MM annually in those first two years, followed by a significant increase if his option is exercised. In other words, Christie will have plenty of motivation to show during the next couple years that he deserves to keep his job.

We have more from around the Pacific Division:

  • Malik Monk, who played with Westbrook in Los Angeles, is excited to have his former teammate join the Kings, as Sean Cunningham of KCRA News relays (Twitter video link). Referring to Westbrook as “probably one of the best teammates I had,” Monk added that he thinks Westbrook can hold his own as an undersized power forward and defend opposing fours, which would help the club while Keegan Murray (thumb surgery) is sidelined.
  • After teaming up with Luka Doncic as members of the Lakers, center Jaxson Hayes wants to do so in international basketball competitions too. Hayes told reporters this week that he’s working on getting Slovenian citizenship in the hopes of representing the country in future competitions, per Eurohoops. A spokesperson for the Slovenian Basketball Federation confirmed that discussions are ongoing about adding a naturalized player at the center spot, but declined to offer specifics or confirm that Hayes is the player in question. “We are aiming to secure this player for a longer period to ensure the team’s stability in the coming years,” that spokesperson said.
  • Speaking to Law Murray of The Athletic about the offseason deal that sent him from Utah to Los Angeles and his expectations for the coming season, John Collins said the Clippers were “one of the first teams” he thought of when his name began to pop up in trade rumors. His head coach and teammates also expressed excitement about the fit. “It’s great. We get a big player like John on the floor, alongside Kawhi (Leonard), teams have a nightmare as far as matching up,” Tyronn Lue said. “You want to put a smaller guy on John, or a smaller guy on Kawhi? … (Collins’) versatility on both sides of the basketball is a huge thing for us.”
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Giannis Antetokounmpo Says He Wants To Finish Career In Greece

October 14th, 2025 at 4:13pm CST by Luke Adams

After speaking in more general terms last month about the possibility of suiting up for a team in the EuroLeague before retiring as a player, Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo stated more plainly during an appearance on a Greek late-night talk show called The 2night Show that he’d like to finish his career in his home country.

“I’m 30 years old,” Antetokounmpo said, per BasketNews. “I can play in the NBA until I’m 36, 38. I’d like to end my career in a Greek team, why not? I don’t want to live in the United States. As soon as I leave the NBA, I want to return to Greece. I could end my career here, whether this team is called Filathlitikos, Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, or Aris, I’m talking about all the teams now.”

It’s not uncommon for NBA players – especially ones who were born overseas – to spend the twilight years of their careers in Europe. However, it’s a much rarer occurrence for a player of Antetokounmpo’s caliber.

Still, it’s worth noting that Antetokounmpo played for Filathlitikos from 2011-13 before being drafted and that he has long made it a priority to represent Greece in international competitions. Last month, he referred to winning a EuroBasket bronze medal this summer with the Greek national team as his “greatest accomplishment” as an athlete, despite his NBA championship and two NBA MVP awards.

Whether Antetokounmpo eventually plays in Greece remains to be seen, but his NBA future over the next few years could be determined in large part by how the Bucks’ 2025/26 season plays out.

Although the star forward has repeatedly expressed a desire to win another championship in Milwaukee, his comments have also strongly suggested that competing for another championship is a greater priority than spending his entire career as a Buck. If Milwaukee’s season ends early again next spring following three consecutive first-round exits in 2023, 2024, and 2025, Giannis will likely weigh his options more seriously as he prepares to enter a potential contract year.

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Southwest Notes: Castle, Eisley, Thompson, Rockets Preseason, China

October 13th, 2025 at 2:53pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Last season’s Rookie of the Year, Stephon Castle, will make his preseason debut on Monday, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express News reports.

Castle missed the Spurs‘ first three preseason contests with a right knee contusion. He suffered the injury during the team’s Oct. 4 Silver & Black scrimmage after banging knees with Victor Wembanyama.

With De’Aaron Fox expected to be sidelined at the beginning of the regular season, Castle is projected to be the Spurs’ opening-night starter at point guard.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

  • The Mavericks have hired Howard Eisley as a scout, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. Eisley was an assistant for Michigan under previous head coach Juwan Howard. He has also been an assistant coach with the Knicks, Wizards and Clippers.
  • Klay Thompson was assigned to guard Hornets point man LaMelo Ball during a preseason game, but Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd indicated the team can’t expect the 35-year-old wing to take on those matchups on a regular basis. “Melo’s a little different because he can score and pass,” Kidd said, per Grant Afseth of the Dallas Hoops Journal. “But we thought looking at that (Saturday) was something we needed to see. Making it tough on Melo isn’t easy — he’s gonna have the ball 90% of the time. But I thought Klay did a good job. He can still compete at that level at this stage of his career. We’re not going to ask him to do it every night, but (Saturday) he showed he can compete.”
  • The Rockets wrap up their preseason schedule with games on Tuesday and Thursday this week. Playing time and rotations in the next two games will be more reflective of what they want to implement in the regular season, according to Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle. Starters will have their minutes increased to the mid-20s and 30-range, and the team will utilize more sophisticated schemes.
  • The Mavericks and Rockets will play a preseason game in China next year, Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News tweets. Mavs governor Patrick Dumont confirmed via the South China Morning Post that Dallas will participate in next season’s NBA China Games. “Yes, the Mavericks and the Rockets, here in Macau next year. Are you ready?” Dumont said.
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International Notes: Oladipo, Giles, Wilson, Lauvergne

October 12th, 2025 at 1:25pm CST by Luke Adams

Two-time All-Star Victor Oladipo, who battled a series of injuries that derailed his NBA career, is healthy this fall and is spending the preseason with the Guangzhou Loong Lions, a Chinese team that is playing a series of stateside exhibition games against NBA teams this month. According to Sam Yip of HoopsHype, Oladipo’s plan is to evaluate his options and potential next steps once the preseason is over.

Oladipo held his own against NBA players in Guangzhou’s first two games on Monday and Thursday, registering 20 points and five steals in 29 minutes vs. San Antonio, then putting up 24 points and five assists in 27 minutes against the Clippers. However, the 33-year-old guard tells Yip that nothing came of a July workout in Las Vegas in front of NBA teams.

“People show interest, but again, with the new CBA, with contracts and stuff, people can only do so much,” Oladipo said. “So time will tell when the opportunity presents itself, I’ll be ready for it.”

Representatives from European teams also reportedly attended Oladipo’s workout in Las Vegas, and while he didn’t rule out the possibility of playing overseas, the former No. 2 overall pick suggested he’s not seriously entertaining that idea at the moment.

“You know, if push comes to shove and that’s the last option, we’ll see. I’m definitely one of the best. So that’s where I belong is the three letters: N-B-A,” he told Yip with a laugh.

We have a few more items of interest from around the international basketball world:

  • Harry Giles, a first-round pick in the 2017 NBA draft, has signed with the Jiangsu Dragons in the Chinese Basketball Association, as Dario Skerletic of Sportando relays. A former Duke big man, Giles has appeared in 165 NBA games for four teams, but wasn’t in the league last season after making 23 appearances for the Nets and Lakers in 2023/24. It will be his second year in China, as he played for the Shanxi Loongs in ’24/25.
  • D.J. Wilson, who was drafted three spots ahead of Giles in 2017, is also returning to the Chinese Basketball Association, having joined the Jilin Northeast Tigers, per Skerletic. Like Giles, Wilson was out of the NBA last season after having gotten back into the league in ’23/24. The 6’10” forward played for the Shanghai Sharks in ’24/25.
  • Former Nuggets and Spurs forward Joffrey Lauvergne has signed with Kuwait SC, agent Misko Raznatovic announced on social media (Twitter link). A 6’11” French forward/center, Lauvergne has been playing in Europe since exiting the NBA in 2018, spending time in Turkey, Lithuania, and France over the past seven years. His new club is the defending champion in the 12-team Kuwaiti Division I Basketball League.
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And-Ones: Pierce, Mosley, Daigneault, NBA Europe, Project B

October 11th, 2025 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Former Celtics star Paul Pierce was arrested earlier this week on suspicion of driving under the influence after he was found asleep behind the wheel on U.S. Highway 101 in Los Angeles, per an Associated Press report.

California Highway Patrol officers, who were responding to the scene of an unrelated car crash in the area, saw Pierce’s Range Rover nearby after they reopened the four affected highway lanes, according to a press release. Pierce was asleep and showed “signs of alcohol impairment,” prompting the officers to conduct a DUI investigation and arrest him on a misdemeanor charge.

Pierce, a 10-time All-Star and Hall of Famer who won a title with Boston in 2008, has been out of the NBA since 2017, but has worked in broadcasting roles for ESPN and Fox Sports since then.

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

  • While nothing has been set in stone yet, Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley and Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault are two names to watch as potential candidates for Team USA’s coaching staff when Erik Spoelstra takes over coaching duties, sources tell Joe Vardon of The Athletic.
  • The EuroLeague, the NBA, and FIBA met again this week as the NBA and FIBA continue to explore the potential creation of a European league. In the wake of Wednesday’s meeting, the EuroLeague released a statement that thanked the NBA for “constructive dialogue” but said the proposal for collaboration the EuroLeague presented at the previous meeting has yet to receive “any meaningful response.” According to Alessandro Luigi Maggi of Sportando (Twitter link), the NBA views the model proposed by the EuroLeague as unsustainable.
  • While Maverick Carter is no longer part of the proposed basketball league known as “Project B,” other organizers and investors are moving forward with plans for the global league, according to Sam Amick, Mike Vorkunov, and Vardon of The Athletic, who share the latest details. Project B co-founder Grady Burnett tells The Athletic that the goal is to launch a women’s basketball league next fall, with the goal of setting up a men’s league as well. “We’re going to focus on the women’s side at this point,” he said. “I think it’s natural to assume that we will do other things after that.”
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NBA Free Agents Who Signed With Overseas Teams

October 11th, 2025 at 3:21pm CST by Luke Adams

With dozens of new players entering the NBA every season as part of that year’s rookie class, there aren’t enough roster spots to go around for all of the veterans who become free agents in a given offseason.

Some of those vets left on the outside looking in will retire. But many of the NBA’s job-seeking free agents wind up accepting opportunities in other parts of the world, signing with a team that competes in one of the many professional basketball leagues in Europe, Asia, Australia, or South America.

Listed below are the players who finished last season on an NBA roster and have since signed contracts overseas with non-NBA (and non-G-League) clubs.

Since this list is focused exclusively on players who finished the 2024/25 season under contract with an NBA team, there are some notable names who made the move overseas in recent months but aren’t included. For instance, Cam Reddish spent five-and-a-half seasons in the league before being waived by the Lakers in March. He didn’t find work in the NBA for the remainder of the ’24/25 campaign, then opted to join BC Siauliai in Lithuania this offseason.

Here are the 2025 NBA free agents who signed with overseas clubs this offseason, listed alongside the NBA team with whom they finished last season:

Australia

China

France

Greece

Israel

Italy

Serbia

Spain

Turkey

United Arab Emirates

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Taran Armstrong Signs With Dubai Basketball

October 10th, 2025 at 7:15am CST by Dana Gauruder

October 10: Dubai Basketball has officially announced its deal with Armstrong. According to the team, the contract is for one year, with an option on year two.

October 8: Australian point guard Taran Armstrong, who signed a two-way contract with the Warriors late last season, has agreed to a contract with Dubai Basketball in the EuroLeague, ESPN’s Olgun Uluc reports.

It’s a two-year deal that includes an NBA exit clause for the 2026 offseason, according to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.

Armstrong didn’t appear in a Warriors game after signing a two-way contract in late February. He played 11 games for their G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, and averaged 11.5 points, 8.2 assists, 5.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 28.5 minutes per contest.

Golden State issued Armstrong a two-way qualifying offer in June and it was still on the table as of October 1, the deadline for him to accept it. Since Armstrong signed with a non-NBA team, the Warriors have the ability to continue issuing him qualifying offers in future seasons to retain his restricted free agent rights, as they’ve done with Nico Mannion in recent years.

The Serbian club KK Partizan was also reportedly interested in signing Armstrong. The 23-year-old, who played for the Warriors’ Summer League team, joins a Dubai Basketball team that made its debut in the EuroLeague in late September with an 89-76 win over Partizan.

Armstrong played for the Cairns Taipans in Australia’s National Basketball League before joining the Warriors. He averaged 17.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game for that club.

Dubai Basketball’s roster also includes former NBA players Davis Bertans, Dwayne Bacon and Justin Anderson.

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And-Ones: Westbrook, Durant, WNBA Coaches, Caboclo, Fournier, More

October 9th, 2025 at 10:45am CST by Dana Gauruder

Russell Westbrook remains an unsigned free agent and Rockets forward Kevin Durant wouldn’t mind a reunion with his former teammate, he said on the “Up & Adams” show (video link).

“Russ is a legend. He deserves to be in the NBA right now,” Durant said. “I think he deserves to walk out of the NBA on his terms. That would be dope.”

If Westbrook is signed in the short term, it won’t be with the Rockets. They’re hard-capped and can’t sign a veteran right now, even if it’s a minimum contract.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

  • There are five current openings for WNBA head coaches. Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) hears that several of those teams are considering NBA assistant coaches with G League head coaching experience for those positions. Fischer notes that Nate Tibbets had that type of background and is the head coach of the Phoenix Mercury, who are currently in the WNBA Finals. Former Clippers assistant Natalie Nakase guided Golden State’s WNBA franchise to a winning record in the team’s inaugural season, earning Coach of the Year honors.
  • Hapoel Tel Aviv’s Bruno Caboclo will miss several months of action after undergoing back surgery, Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net reports. The NBA veteran big man joined the Reds ahead of last season and appeared in 23 games, including three starts, averaging 7.4 points and 3.7 rebounds per contest. Caboclo, 30, appeared in 105 NBA games, mostly recently a six-game stint with Houston during the 2020/21 season.
  • Longtime NBA forward Evan Fournier would like to finish his career with Olympiacos, he said in a recent TV interview as relayed by Askounis. “I feel very good here and I want to finish my career here,” he said, “I don’t know if that’s going to happen, but for me that’s the goal.” Fournier signed a three-year extension in July. Fournier appeared in 704 regular season games throughout his NBA career, making 504 starts and averaging 13.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 27.7 minutes per night.
  • ESPN’s Kevin Pelton has unveiled his win total projections for each NBA team, from the Thunder (59.2) at the top to the Wizards (14.2) at the bottom.
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