Potential Lottery Pick Karim Lopez Declares For Draft
Potential lottery pick Karim Lopez has declared for this year’s draft, Jeremy Woo and Shams Charania of ESPN report.
Lopez is ranked No. 11 on ESPN’s big board. The Mexican forward has spent the past two seasons with the New Zealand Breakers in Australia’s National Basketball League. He’s the top-ranked international prospect on ESPN’s draft rankings and could become the first player born in Mexico to be selected in the first round.
“It’s been my dream and my goal my whole life to play in the NBA,” Lopez said. “Honestly, since I can remember. I was probably like 5 years old, making drawings of myself playing in the NBA. … It’s pretty special, you know, to be in this position right now.”
Lopez, who turns 19 next month, averaged 11.9 points and 6.1 rebounds in 25.6 minutes per game while shooting 49% from the field this season. The 6’9” forward set several records for draft-eligible NBL Next Stars, including the single-season points record with 358 in his 30 starts.
Lopez took a step forward in his second NBL season, including a 32-point game in a Jan. 30 win over Melbourne. NBA scouts have been drawn to Lopez’s combination of positional size, 7’1” wingspan, ball skills, play-making flashes and toughness, according to the ESPN duo.
“I want to show NBA teams who I am,” Lopez said. “Playing in a grown man league, it’s not easy. But there’s things I feel like people haven’t seen yet.”
Jae Crowder Signs With Team In Puerto Rico
Free agent forward Jae Crowder has signed with the Vaqueros de Bayamon, the Puerto Rican team announced on social media (Instagram link).
Bayamon is the defending champion of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional, the top basketball league in Puerto Rico. The BSN season is about to get underway, notes Dario Skerletic of Sportando.
Crowder, 35, was the 34th overall pick in the 2012 draft and had spent the past 13 years in the NBA. The veteran wing, who played for Sacramento last season, was unable to find a new team in the offseason and had remained unsigned throughout 2025/26 until now.
Crowder made a career-low nine appearances with the Kings in ’24/25, averaging 2.6 points and 2.2 rebounds in just 11.4 minutes per game. He holds career averages of 9.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 steal on .418/.347/.777 across 812 regular season games with nine different NBA teams (24.8 MPG).
In addition to Crowder, the Vaqueros have also signed former NBA players Xavier Cooks and Jaylin Galloway. Both players are currently competing in Australia with the Sydney Kings, but the National Basketball League season is nearly over. Sydney holds a 1-0 lead on the Adelaide 36ers in the NBL championship series.
Former Hawk Nikola Djurisic Signs With Crvena Zvezda
Former Hawks wing Nikola Djurisic, who was waived by Atlanta last month, has officially signed with Crvena Zvezda, the Serbian team announced today (via Twitter).
According to the announcement, Djurisic agreed to a multiyear contract that will run through the 2027/28 season. He also technically won’t join Crvena Zvezda right away, having been loaned to another Serbian club, KK Mega Basket, whom he played for from 2020-24.
The 43rd overall pick of the 2024 NBA draft, Djurusic was a domestic draft-and-stash prospect in ’24/25, spending his first season stateside with the College Park Skyhawks in the G League. He signed a three-year deal with Atlanta during the 2025 offseason, but only the first season of that contract was fully guaranteed, so he became the odd man out when the team needed room on its 15-man roster to promote two-way player Caleb Houstan in February.
Djurusic, 22, never actually appeared in an NBA regular season game for the Hawks, having remained on assignment with College Park for most of the 2025/26 campaign. In 21 G League appearances this season, he averaged 9.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 20.8 minutes per game, posting a shooting line of .427/.190/.800.
Djurusic’s plan to return to his home country of Serbia to join Crvena Zvezda was first reported by Meridian Sport.
And-Ones: Fournier, Mamukelashvili, Queta, NCAA Tourney
Veteran wing NBA Evan Fournier, who currently plays for Olympiacos in Greece after spending 12 seasons in the NBA from 2012-24, said in an interview with L’Equipe that he expects to retire as a player at the end of his current contract, which expires in 2028 (hat tip to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops).
Fournier, 33, also indicated that he’d be interested in representing France again at the 2027 World Cup and/or 2028 Olympics if the national team wants him on its roster.
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Raptors forward/center Sandro Mamukelashvili remains focused on competing in the NBA for the foreseeable future, but he told Ric Bucher of Full Court Passport (YouTube link) that he likes the idea of eventually finishing his career and spending his retirement years in Europe. Specifically, Mamukelashvili is intrigued by the possibility of competing in the NBA’s European league. “The talent will be there, and I think it’s going to compete with college and even the NBA,” the Georgian big man said of NBA Europe, per Eurohoops. “I’m looking forward to seeing how it develops, and hopefully, down the line, I will have my chance to play over there.”
- Celtics center Neemias Queta, Heat forward Pelle Larsson, and Cavaliers swingman Jaylon Tyson are among the role players highlighted by John Hollinger of The Athletic within a story on the unheralded contributors enjoying breakout seasons.
- Mamukelashvili and Queta are two of several minimum-salary players who should be in line for significant raises on their next contracts, according to Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link). Gozlan, who also examines players like Suns guards Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin, suggests Mamukelashvili could earn a starting salary of $8-10MM on his next deal and speculates that Queta’s floor will be the non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($15MM+).
- Sam Vecenie of The Athletic identifies nine players he’s excited to watch in the NCAA Tournament, including top-five prospects like Duke’s Cameron Boozer and BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, as well as a few projected to be drafted later in the first round, such as UConn’s Braylon Mullins, Houston’s Chris Cenac Jr. and Alabama’s Amari Allen.
And-Ones: G. Davis, Francisco, Lacob, Vegas
Former NBA big man Glen Davis, who was sentenced in 2024 to 40 months in prison for his involvement in a scheme to defraud the league’s health and welfare benefit plan, was released on Thursday after serving 17 months, per Matt Moret of The Athletic.
Davis was one of 18 former NBA players originally charged back in 2021 over the fraud scheme, which involved submitting false claims for millions of dollars in dental and medical expenses that were never incurred. The forward/center, who played for the Celtics, Magic, and Clippers from 2007-15, was found guilty of multiple fraud charges, as well as conspiring to make false statements, and was ordered to pay $80K in restitution.
According to Moret, Davis will now enter a halfway house as he transitions from his imprisonment. As mandated by his sentence, the 40-year-old will take financial management classes and receive drug treatment. His stay at the halfway house is expected to end on July 9, at which point he’ll be subject to three years of supervised release.
“He used his time productively while serving his sentence and took many programs during that time,” Davis’ attorney, Brendan White, told The Athletic. “He’s ready to become a productive member of society again.”
We have more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- French guard Sylvain Francisco, who is in the midst of the best season of his career for Zalgiris Kaunas in the EuroLeague, intends to explore the possibility of securing an NBA contract this summer, reports Aris Barkas of Eurohoops. Francisco, 28, has a “manageable” buyout clause in his deal with the Lithuanian team, Barkas tweets. He has averaged 17.0 points, 6.4 assists, and 3.1 rebounds in 26.8 minutes per game across 31 EuroLeague outings in 2025/26, with a .460/.410/.791 shooting line.
- The groups bidding for control of MLB’s San Diego Padres have been narrowed from five to four, per Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune (subscription required), with the second and final round of bids expected to happen in early- to mid-April, according to Dennis Lin and Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. Warriors owner Joe Lacob was reported to be among the original group of prospective owners in the mix for the Padres, though it’s unclear whether his group is one of the four advancing to the final round of bidding.
- Hall-of-Famer Magic Johnson met with Nevada governor Joe Lombardo and other local leaders last month to explore a possible arena-resort development on the Las Vegas Strip and to discuss the possibility of becoming involved in an NBA expansion franchise, writes Mick Akers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The NBA is expected to seriously consider moving forward with expansion in the near future, and Vegas and Seattle are viewed as the top candidates for teams. “Las Vegas is my favorite home away from home, and I can’t think of a better place to expand my MJE (Magic Johnson Enterprises),” Johnson said in a statement.
International Notes: Satoransky, Fournier, Wainright, Quinn
Veteran guard Tomas Satoransky will be a free agent this summer and his future with Spanish EuroLeague team Barcelona is up in the air, he told Ernest Macia of Catalunya Radio (Twitter link).
“No one from Barça has communicated anything to me,” Satoransky said (hat tip to Sportando). “I will have to evaluate the options that come my way, but for now there is nothing.”
Satorasnky played six NBA seasons from 2016-22. This is his fourth consecutive season with Barcelona and sixth overall. He also played for Sevilla in Spain from 2009-14.
Here are a few more international items of interest:
- In an interview with Julie Yalap of INFOSPORT+ (Twitter video link), longtime NBA wing Evan Fournier revealed that he contemplated retiring from basketball after the 2024 Olympics in Paris, when he won a silver medal with the French national team. “I seriously considered retiring after the Paris Olympics,” Fournier said (hat tip to BasketNews for the transcription). “I had given myself a little bit of time to think about it. I went to the mountains and I thought, ‘Okay, let’s give it a go. I’ll enjoy it.’ I was coming off two difficult seasons with the Knicks and I deeply love basketball, so I thought, ‘Enjoy yourself and end your career on that note.’” He also explained why he was intrigued by the possibility of joining Olympiacos, with whom he has spent the past two seasons, and said he plans to retire within the next two or three years.
- Forward Ish Wainright, who played for Phoenix and Portland from 2021-24, is discussing a two-year contract extension with Hapoel Tel Aviv, according to Noa Poplinger of Israeli outlet Sport5. Wainright has spent the past two seasons with Hapoel, notes Kevin Matorando of Sportando.
- Veteran guard Quinn Cook, who played in China last season, backed out of a contract agreement with an Iranian team in January, he told Marc J. Spears of ESPN’s Andscape. Cook also recently agreed to play in the upcoming Basketball Africa League (BAL) season, but the Rwandan team he agreed to terms with decided not to compete due to a disagreement with the United States. Cook, a two-time champion who played five years in the NBA, is open to other opportunities in the BAL. “I have never been to Africa,” Cook told Spears. “I was excited about checking it out. I also planned on going with my mom and sister. Rwanda was a spot we were supposed to hit, but now I will have to wait and see. Everything happens for a reason, but I hope BAL teams see I’m available and I’m open to play for another team.”
And-Ones: 2026 Mock, Schedule, Contracts, Weaver
Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, BYU forward AJ Dybantsa, Duke big man Cameron Boozer, and UNC forward Caleb Wilson are the top four picks — in that order — in the latest 2026 mock draft from Jeremy Woo of ESPN.
As Woo writes, while Peterson is the most talented offensive player in the 2026 class, injuries and inconsistency have led to a perception that selecting him first overall might carry more risk than adding Dybantsa or Boozer, who are both still in the mix for the top spot. Woo suggests which team wins the draft lottery might ultimately determine which player goes No. 1, with Peterson and Dybantsa viewed as the two frontrunners.
Illinois guard Keaton Wagler (No. 6) and Texas wing Dailyn Swain (No. 29) are among the prospects who have boosted their stocks this season, while Arizona forward Koa Peat (No. 19) and Baylor wing Tounde Yessoufou (No. 30) are trending in the opposite direction, according to Woo.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Dean Oliver of ESPN takes a look at how teams’ remaining strength of schedule could impact which NBA teams secure the third and fourth seeds in the Western Conference, the No. 2 spot in the East, and the fifth and sixth seeds in the East.
- Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report predicts which NBA contracts will be the riskiest ahead of the 2027/2028 season. Although he’s the “most likely” player to live up to his lucrative long-term contract, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander‘s super-max extension will be the riskiest deal in the league in a couple seasons, per Pincus. The reigning MVP will be owed a projected $273.3MM over four years in ’27/28.
- Former NBA assistant Will Weaver has been named head coach and president of basketball operation of the Brisbane Bullets, he told Olgun Uluc of ESPN. The Bullets compete in the National Basketball League, which features nine Australian teams and one based in New Zealand. Weaver, who previously coached the Sydney Kings in 2019/20, is currently a coaching advisor for the Hornets and will continue in that role through the end of ’25/26, Uluc reports.
And-Ones: Extensions, Draft Sleepers, Edwards, Partizan
In a subscriber-only story for The Third Apron, Yossi Gozlan takes a look at 11 players around the NBA who are currently eligible for veteran contract extensions.
According to Gozlan, Spurs wing Julian Champagnie has been a complete bargain on his current deal and should be in line for a considerable raise. San Antonio holds a $3MM team option on Champagnie for 2026/27, which the team would have to decline to extend him.
As Gozlan writes, the maximum the 24-year-old could receive on an extension would be $87MM over four years. Gozlan suggests a four-year deal in the $75-76MM range could be a reasonable compromise for both sides.
Gozlan also projects extensions for Spurs forward Harrison Barnes (two years, $24MM) and Jazz center Jusuf Nurkic (exact same structure), among others.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- John Hollinger of The Athletic lists nine of his favorite sleepers ahead of the 2026 draft. Hollinger acknowledges that some of the players on his list, including Santa Clara forward Allen Graves and Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie, may decide to return for another college season in 2026/27. A couple other sleepers Hollinger mentions (Corey Camper and Emanuel Sharp) will be automatically draft-eligible, as they’re both fifth-year seniors.
- Former NBA big man Jesse Edwards, who spent last season on a two-way deal with the Timberwolves, is in advanced talks with Spanish club Baskonia about a rest-of-season contract, reports Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com. The Dutch center played for Melbourne United in Australia in 2025/26, averaging 13.5 PPG, 8.5 RPG and 1.1 BPG in 35 games (22.4 MPG).
- In an extensive interview with Milun Nesovic of Serbian outlet Meridian Sport, Partizan Belgrade president Ostoja Mijailovic discussed a number of current and former NBA players, as Eurohoops and Sportando relay. The Sixers were limited to offering Partizan $875K as part of a buyout for Cameron Payne, yet the EuroLeague club received $1.75MM in that agreement. According to Mijailovic, the remaining $875K came from Payne himself. Mijailovic confirmed Partizan forward Isaac Bonga received NBA interest last month, but the team had the option to decline the $875K buyout it was offered for Bonga and did so because it values him. However, the former second-round pick could be on the move this summer, as Partizan will no longer have the option to turn down a buyout offer for Bonga once ’25/26 ends.
- Mijailovic also expressed regret for the lucrative deals given to Jabari Parker and Shake Milton, and said the team remains fond of Dante Exum, who was waived by Washington last month after being traded by Dallas. Exum hasn’t played at all this season due to a knee injury. “It is certainly our desire to bring back players who left a mark at Partizan and who can help the team on the court,” Mijailovic said, per Eurohoops. “Exum is one of the players we all adored, and we still adore him.”
Patty Mills Signs With La Laguna Tenerife
Patty Mills has signed a rest-of-season contract with La Laguna Tenerife, the team announced in a press release (hat tip to Sportando).
Mills is a 16-year NBA veteran who holds career averages of 8.7 points, 2.2 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 921 games (19.9 minutes per contest). The 6’2″ guard is known for his energy, off-ball movement and three-point shooting, having converted 38.5% of his outside looks during his career.
Outside of his extensive experience with the Australian national team, this will be the first international stint for Mills. The 37-year-old was unable to find a suitable NBA contract last summer and has been out of the league this season, last suiting up for the Clippers in 2024/25.
It’s been a while since Mills was a rotation regular, as he hasn’t appeared in more than 40 games or averaged more than 14.2 MPG since the 2021/22 campaign with Brooklyn. He made 29 combined appearances with Utah and Los Angeles last season, averaging 3.8 PPG in 11.1 MPG.
Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews reported a month ago that Mills was exploring his options in Europe. La Laguna Tenerife, also known as CB Canarias, competes domestically in the Liga ACB, the top league in Spain, and in Europe in the FIBA Champions League.
Mills was hired by the University of Hawai’i as the general manager of the men’s basketball program last June. He has lived in Hawai’i during the offseason for the past decade.
Darius Bazley Joins Chinese Team
Free agent forward/center Darius Bazley has signed a contract with the Ningbo Rockets of the Chinese Basketball Association, according to Dario Skerletic of Sportando.
Bazley is a five-year NBA veteran. His last stint in the league came with Utah at the end of the 2023/24 campaign.
Bazley spent most of his career with Oklahoma City, which traded him to Phoenix in February 2023, ahead of the deadline. The 25-year-old signed a training camp deal with Brooklyn that offseason, was waived in the fall, and spent most of ’23/24 in the G League prior to signing a 10-day deal with Philadelphia and then a rest-of-season contract with the Jazz.
The 23rd overall pick in the 2019 draft, Bazley opened last season with the Guangdong Southern Tigers. He left the Chinese team in November 2024, finishing out the ’24/25 campaign with the Delaware Blue Coats (Philadelphia’s affiliate) and Leones de Ponce in Puerto Rico.
Bazley was trying to “revamp” his career last offseason by playing for the Lakers’ Summer League team, but he suffered a significant right leg injury in their third game in Las Vegas and had to be taken to the locker room in a wheelchair. As far as we can tell, this is the first contract Bazley has signed since he sustained that injury last July.