International Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Jordan Ford Signs With Italian Club

July 26th, 2024 at 7:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Guard Jordan Ford, who played six games for the Kings last season, has signed with Italy’s Aquila Basket Trento, according to the club (Twitter link).

Ford became a free agent when the Kings didn’t tender a qualifying offer to him by June 30. Ford played on a two-way contract last season after his training camp deal was upgraded in September.

Ford played for New Orleans’ Summer League team this month. He appeared in five games (three starts), averaging 15 points, 3.6 assists and 3.0 rebounds.

He made 24 starts for the G League Stockton Kings last season, averaging 15.5 points, 4.0 assists and 2.8 rebounds.

Serge Ibaka Signs With Real Madrid

July 26th, 2024 at 9:56am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran forward/center and former NBA champion Serge Ibaka has signed a one-year contract with Real Madrid, the Spanish team announced on Friday in a press release. The agreement was initially reported in early June.

Ibaka, who will turn 35 in September, last played in the NBA in 2022/23, when he appeared in 16 games for Milwaukee. He spent the ’23/24 season with Bayern Munich and won a German League championship with the team.

A three-time All-Defensive player who received votes for Defensive Player of the Year for four consecutive seasons from 2011-14, Ibaka averaged 12.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in 27.3 minutes per game across 919 NBA regular season appearances from 2009-23.

Although he was a key rotation player for the Raptors’ 2019 title team and remained productive for a couple more seasons after that, the big man was eventually slowed by back issues that limited his availability and his effectiveness.

However, Ibaka had a nice bounce-back season in Germany in 2023/24, averaging 12.6 PPG, 6.8 RPG, and 1.3 BPG with a shooting line of .598/.480/.667 in 28 EuroLeague games for Bayern Munich.

Ibaka, who had a brief stint with Real Madrid during the 2011 NBA lockout, is one of two veteran NBA bigs who has long been expected to join the Spanish club this offseason. There have also been reports that Usman Garuba will land in Madrid, though nothing is official yet on that front.

Both Ibaka and Garuba have represented Spain in international competition, with Garuba playing for the Spanish team at this year’s Olympics.

Spurs Second-Rounder Juan Nunez Signs With Barcelona

July 26th, 2024 at 7:01am CST by Luke Adams

Point guard Juan Nunez, the No. overall 36 pick in last month’s draft, has signed a three-year contract with Barcelona, the Spanish team announced today in a press release.

Nunez was technically drafted by the Pacers on June 27, but his rights were traded – along with cash – to the Spurs in exchange for No. 35 pick Johnny Furphy. San Antonio will continue to hold Nunez’s NBA rights while he plays in Barcelona.

While the exact terms of Nunez’s new contract in Spain aren’t known, previous reporting indicated the deal with Barcelona would give him the ability to opt out and sign an NBA contract during the 2025 offseason, assuming he’s in the Spurs’ plans at that point.

Nunez, who represented Spain in the 2023 World Cup, spent the past two seasons with Ratiopharm Ulm, winning a German League title with the team in 2023. In 14 EuroCup games in 2023/24, he averaged an impressive 10.4 points, 5.8 assists, and 3.8 rebounds in 25.9 minutes per night, with a shooting line of .505/.361/.537.

As our list of draft pick signings shows, Nunez is the second 2024 pick to become a draft-and-stash player, joining Mavericks second-rounder Melvin Ajinca.

International Notes: Vezenkov, Anderson, Gillespie, Brazdeikis, Jokubaitis, Moneke

July 25th, 2024 at 9:37am CST by Dana Gauruder

Sasha Vezenkov is thrilled to be back in Europe, Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net writes. He signed a five-year contract with Olympiacos after getting waived by the Raptors.

“The goal is to reach the top. With a few words and a lot of work. I am happy to be back with all of you, to rejoin my old teammates and the new players,” Vezenkov said in a press conference.

The Greek team is equally as excited to have Vezenkov back in the fold. “Vezenkov is the best player in Europe. He went to the NBA as the best player in Europe. He has won and will continue winning championships with Olympiacos for the next five years,” team co-owner Panagiotis Angelopoulos said.

Vezenkov was so eager to return that he reportedly gave up his entire $6,658,536 NBA salary for 2024/25 in a buyout agreement with Toronto. According to Aris Barkas of Eurohoops, the forward’s new deal with Olympiacos is worth 18.5 million Euros across five years, post-taxes.

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Former NBA wing Justin Anderson has joined FC Barcelona on a one-year deal, Sportando relays. Anderson played last season for Valencia Basket. Anderson appeared in 242 NBA games after being a 2015 first-round pick, most recently with Cleveland and Indiana during the 2021/22 season.
Freddie Gillespie has signed a one-year deal with the New Zealand Breakers, ESPN’s Olgun Uluc tweets. The American forward last played for KK Crvena Zvesda. He appeared in 29 games for Toronto and Orlando from 2020-22.
Forward Ignas Brazdeikis is returning to Zalgiris Kaunas, according to a press release. The University of Michigan product appeared in 64 NBA games, mostly with Orlando, from 2019-22.
Rokas Jokubaitis has officially signed his three-year contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv, according to a team press release. His former team, Barcelona, announced this week that it has officially parted ways with him. Jokubaitis played for the Knicks during the Summer League and his NBA rights continue to be held by New York.
After a report surfaced this week claiming that he had agreed to sign with Partisan Belgrade, former NBA big man Chima Moneke declared on his social media account (Twitter link) that he is committed to playing for Baskonia next season. “I genuinely don’t know who is making up all these rumors but they’re getting tiring. I’m a Baskonia player and I’m really excited for this season,” he wrote. Moneke appeared in two games with Sacramento in 2022/23.

International Notes: Jokubaitis, Hall, Harper

July 23rd, 2024 at 6:59pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Rokas Jokubaitis has a clear path to sign with Maccabi Tel Aviv now that his former team, Barcelona, has announced that it has officially parted ways with him.

Jokubaitis played for the Knicks during the Summer League and is reportedly in “advanced talks” with the Israeli team. According to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com (Twitter link), Maccabi is very likely Jokubaitis’ destination.

The Lithuanian point guard spent the past three years with Barcelona, where he averaged 5.3 points and 2.8 assists per game last season.

Jokubaitis appeared in five games for New York in Las Vegas, averaging 9.8 points, 1.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.2 steals in 19.1 minutes per contest.

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Former NBA forward Donta Hall has signed a two-year deal with Spain’s Baskonia, according to a press release from the club. The American big man most recently played for Monaco. He averaged 4.9 points and 3.5 rebounds in 13.4 minutes over 38 games in EuroLeague action last season. Hall has made 22 NBA regular season appearances with Detroit, Brooklyn and Orlando.
Former NBA point guard Jared Harper has signed a two-year contract with Hapoel Jerusalem, according to a team press release. Harper, who went undrafted in 2019 and made a total of 16 appearances for the Suns, Knicks and Pelicans, has played for Valencia in the EuroLeague for the past two years. In 53 EuroLeague appearances, he averaged 9.3 points and 3.0 assists in 17 minutes per game.
In case you missed it, Mavericks second-round pick Melvin Ajinca will play for France’s ASVEL Basket next season.

Serbia, Greece Set 12-Man Rosters For Olympics

July 23rd, 2024 at 9:10am CST by Luke Adams

Two more nations have set their 12-man rosters for the upcoming Olympic games in Paris, with Serbia and Greece both officially announcing their squads (Twitter links).

The Serbian roster is headlined by three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and includes a few more NBA players beyond the Nuggets center. Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic, Hornets guard Vasilije Micic, and Heat forward Nikola Jovic will also represent Serbia in Paris.

Jovic’s inclusion is particularly notable, since there was some uncertainty earlier this month about whether he’d be healthy enough to play. He injured his ankle during an offseason workout in Miami in June, but has apparently received medical clearance for the Olympics.

Nikola Milutinov, Ognjen Dobric, Vanja Marinkovic, Marko Guduric, Filip Petrusev, Aleksa Avramovic, Dejan Davidovac, and Uros Plavsic round out Serbia’s roster. Former NBA first-round pick Aleksej Pokusevski, who finished last season with the Hornets, isn’t among the final 12.

Meanwhile, Greece has also confirmed its Olympic roster, which will be led by another former NBA MVP, Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. Giannis is the only Antetokounmpo suiting up for Greece in France at this year’s event, since his brothers Thanasis Antetokounmpo and Kostas Antetokounmpo are both dealing with injuries.

While Giannis is the only active NBA player on the Greek roster, a few others have previously played in the league, including Nick Calathes, Georgios Papagiannis, and Kostas Papanikolaou. Former Stephen F. Austin standout Thomas Walkup also signed an NBA contract back in 2016, though he never appeared in a regular season game.

Dinos Mitoglou, Giannoulis Larentzakis, Vassilis Charalampopoulos, Nikos Chougkaz, Dimitris Moraitis, Panagiotis Kalaitzakis, and Vassilis Toliopoulos make up the rest of Greece’s roster.

Serbia’s first pool-play game of the Olympics will take place on Sunday vs. Team USA, while Greece’s Olympic schedule will tip off a day earlier, with a Saturday showdown vs. Canada.

Mavs Second-Rounder Melvin Ajinca Signs With ASVEL

July 23rd, 2024 at 8:11am CST by Luke Adams

Melvin Ajinca, who was selected with the No. 51 overall pick in last month’s draft, won’t be immediately joining the Mavericks. The 6’8″ forward has signed a one-year contract with ASVEL Basket, according to an announcement from the French team.

A native of France, Ajinca has spent the last several years playing in his home country, including the past two seasons with Saint-Quentin. The club played in LNB Pro B (France’s second-tier league) in 2022/23, then earned a promotion to LNB Elite (the top league in the country) for the ’23/24 season.

In 28 games for Saint-Quentin last season, Ajinca averaged 9.3 points and 3.3 rebounds in 24.6 minutes per contest. The 20-year-old struggled to score efficiently, however, making just 37.5% of his shot attempts from the floor, including 30.9% of his three-pointers. That trend continued this month at the Las Vegas Summer League, where he made just 13-of-44 (29.5%) shot attempts across five games for the Mavs and went 5-of-25 (20.0%) from beyond the arc.

Dallas traded up during the second round of last month’s draft in order to nab Ajinca. The Mavs sent the No. 58 pick and $1MM in cash – along with the draft rights to Petteri Koponen – to the Knicks in exchange for the No. 51 pick, which they used on Ajinca.

There was never likely to be room on the Mavs’ 15-man roster for Ajinca though. Dallas currently has 13 players on guaranteed contracts, with Spencer Dinwiddie set to sign a one-year deal and Markieff Morris widely expected to return to fill out the roster.

Ajinca looked like a possible two-way candidate, but now that he’ll remain overseas for at least one more season, the Mavs will have the flexibility to fill that third two-way slot with another player. Alex Fudge and Brandon Williams are currently on two-way contracts with the club, leaving one opening.

Barcelona Interested In Signing Chimezie Metu

July 22nd, 2024 at 10:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Barcelona has expressed interest in veteran center/power forward Chimezie Metu, according to Alessadro Maggi of Sportando.

Metu became an unrestricted free agent last month when the Pistons declined his $2.65MM option for next season. There are only a handful of open roster spots around the league, so the 27-year-old big man may have to consider playing overseas.

Metu signed with the Suns last summer and appeared in 37 games before being sent to Memphis as part of a three-team deal at the trade deadline. The Grizzlies waived him a day later, and he eventually landed in Detroit, first on a 10-day contract and then on a standard deal.

He put up the best numbers of his career during his brief stay with the Pistons, averaging 10.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.7 steals in 14 games while playing 29.4 minutes per night. He made seven starts and had shooting splits of .500/.302/.952.

Metu was selected by San Antonio with the 49th pick in the 2018 draft and spent two seasons with the Spurs before signing with Sacramento in 2020.

Rokas Jokubaitis In “Advanced Talks” With Maccabi Tel Aviv

July 22nd, 2024 at 9:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Rokas Jokubaitis, who played for the Knicks during Summer League, is in “advanced talks” with Maccabi Tel Aviv, according to Alessandro Maggi of Sportando.

The Lithuanian point guard has spent the past three years with Barcelona, where he averaged 5.3 points and 2.8 assists per game last season. Barcelona recently declined to exercise an option on his contract, making him a free agent.

Jokubaitis appeared in five games for New York in Las Vegas, averaging 9.8 points, 1.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.2 steals in 19.1 minutes per night. He shot 57.1% from the field, 50% from three-point range and 71.4% from the foul line as the Knicks posted a 3-2 Summer League record.

The 23-year-old was selected by Oklahoma City with the 34th pick in 2021 and was traded to New York on draft night. The Knicks will retain his NBA draft rights no matter where he plays this season.

Jokubaitis is also a member of the Lithuanian national team, which lost to Puerto Rico in the finals of a pre-Olympic qualifier earlier this month.

If he signs with Maccabi Tel Aviv, Jokubaitis will join former NBA guard Jordan Loyd, who played 12 games for Toronto during the 2018/19 season. According to Maggi, the team is also hoping to sign Daryl Macon, who had brief NBA stops with Dallas and Miami.

Ricky Rubio Reportedly Signing With Spain’s Joventut Badalona

July 21st, 2024 at 6:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Longtime NBA guard Ricky Rubio is reportedly signing with Spanish club Joventut Badalona, Eurohooops.net relays.

According to Jordi Valle Simo of EFE Deportes, Rubio is returning to the team where he began his professional career in 2005. He spent his first four saysons in Badalona.

After agreeing to a buyout with the Cavaliers and retiring from the NBA in January, Rubio signed with Barcelona in February on a one-year contract. After his Spanish team lost to Real Madrid in the Liga ACB semifinals, he expressed uncertainty about his basketball future.

“These months, I’ve felt strange; I’ve wanted to change some things,” Rubio said. “Coming in the middle of the season is not easy, my way of being, more reserved and not feeling 100%. I don’t think I’ve been everything I expected, but I didn’t have any expectations either, but it’s clear that the balance is not good.”

By rejoining Joventut Badalona, Rubio will continue playing in the ACB League. Last season, he made 13 EuroLeague appearances and averaged 17 minutes on the court, posting 4.7 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per game. He also played 15 Liga Endesa games for Barcelona, averaging 6.0 PPG, 4.1 APG, and 3.1 RPG.