And-Ones: NBA Cup, Rule Changes, Europe, Mitrou-Long
Starting in 2026/27, the semifinals of the NBA Cup (in-season tournament) will be played in teams’ home markets, with the higher seeds hosting those games at their own arenas, the league announced this week in a press release (Twitter link).
In the first two iterations of the NBA Cup, the semifinals and final have both taken place in Las Vegas — that will happen again this winter, but beginning next year, only the championship game will be played at a neutral site.
Within the same release, the NBA also announced a minor tweak to coach’s challenge rules. Going forward, when an out-of-bounds violation is reviewed, it will be up to the replay center – rather than the crew chief of the game’s on-court officiating crew – to determine whether a foul should have been called on the play.
We have more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Beginning this fall, unsuccessful heaves at the end of quarters will be recorded as missed field goal attempts by the team rather than the player, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The NBA tested the change at the Las Vegas Summer League earlier this year in an effort to ensure players are more willing to throw up buzzer-beaters at the end of periods without worrying about misses affecting their shooting percentages.
- Former NBA star Tony Parker, who is a EuroLeague shareholder as the owner of the French team ASVEL Basket, continues to advocate for collaboration between the NBA and the EuroLeague as the NBA looks into starting its own European league, as Aris Barkas of Eurohoops relays (via China Daily). “If the EuroLeague, the NBA, and FIBA can find a way to work together to build a strong league. That will be amazing for European basketball,” Parker said during a promotional visit to Chengdu. “… For me, as an owner of a French club, having an agreement between the three is the key to the success of European basketball.”
- Former NBA guard Naz Mitrou-Long has officially signed with Napoli Basket for the 2025/26 season, the team announced in a press release. Mitrou-Long, who appeared in 20 NBA regular season games for Utah and Indiana from 2017-20 has bounced around Europe in recent years, playing for multiple teams (including Olimpia Milano) in Italy, Zalgiris Kaunas in Lithuania, and Olympiacos in Greece.
Cam Reddish Signs With Lithuanian Team
September 11: Reddish has officially signed with BC Šiauliai, the team announced in a press release (hat tip to Sportando).
September 10: Cam Reddish is expected to sign with Lithuania’s BC Šiauliai, Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com reports.
Reddish became a free agent in March, approximately three weeks before the end of the regular season, when he waived by the Lakers. There’s been no buzz about Reddish finding another NBA opportunity since then, but he’ll leave that door open if he signs with the Lithuanian club.
Reddish’s contract would include an exit clause for the 2025/26 season, allowing him to leave if opportunities in the NBA, EuroLeague, or other top-level competitions emerge, according to Urbonas.
BC Šiauliai has an NBA connection. Longtime Spurs assistant Darius Songaila is the team’s first-year head coach.
Reddish was part of the rescinded Mark Williams deal with Charlotte last winter. After being returned to the Lakers, Reddish appeared in just two games.
He was playing on an expiring contract after exercising a minimum-salary option on his 2024/25 contract. Overall, he appeared in 33 contests with the Lakers in 2024/25, including eight starts. He averaged 3.2 points in 17.8 minutes per game.
The 2019 lottery pick began his career with the Hawks and also had stints with the Knicks and Trail Blazers. In 254 career regular-season games, including 116 starts, Reddish averaged 8.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.0 steals in 23.1 minutes per game. Subpar shooting — 39.8% overall and 32.2% on three-pointers — is a big reason why the former No. 10 overall pick never lived up to his draft status.
Mike James Returning To Monaco Following EuroLeague, NBA Interest
Veteran guard Mike James has committed to honoring his contract with AS Monaco Basket despite drawing offseason interest from rival EuroLeague clubs and the NBA, sources tell Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com.
As Urbonas reported in June, James was frustrated with Monaco after being suspended for an off-court incident prior to the semifinals of the French league playoffs and was exploring ways to leave the team. However, that issue has now been resolved.
According to Urbonas, the 35-year-old drew “strong” EuroLeague interest and was on the radar of some unspecified NBA teams. Instead, James decided to remain on his current contract with Monaco, which runs through 2027.
James only appeared in 49 NBA games over parts of two seasons with the Suns, Pelicans, and Nets, but he has long been considered one of the top players in Europe, winning EuroLeague MVP in 2024 and helping AS Monaco make its first EuroLeague championship game appearance in 2025 — the team lost in the final to Fenerbahce.
A 6’1″ point guard, James averaged 15.8 points, 5.7 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 34 EuroLeague games last season (29.1 minutes per contest). He has been an All-EuroLeague performer each of the past four years with Monaco (twice as a member of the first team and twice on the second team).
EuroBasket Notes: Osman, Wagner, Doncic, Loyd
Former NBA forward Cedi Osman has been a key part of Turkey’s run to the EuroBasket semifinals, ranking second on the team in points per game (14.9) and third in minutes (26.8) and plus/minus (+14.0) while converting 51.2% of his three-pointers (5.9 attempts per contest).
However, Osman sustained an ankle injury in Tuesday’s quarterfinal win over Poland. While he returned to that game, he was seen limping off the team bus on Thursday (Twitter video link) and was unable to practice (story via BasketNews).
Head coach Ergin Ataman told Turkish media the 30-year-old will likely be a game-time decision for Friday’s matchup against Greece, as Semih Tuna of Eurohoops relays.
“Their biggest concern was a stress fracture. That’s what it looked like. Thankfully, he avoided a stress fracture,” explained Ataman, “He has bone swelling in that area, preventing him from putting any weight on his foot. He wanted to return to the court in this condition. He will play under any circumstances, but we do not know how effective he can be.
“... We will make a decision based on possible progress,” Ataman continued. “Cedi definitely wants to play, but his injury is serious. He has some time until Friday night, so I hope he can make progress. If the game were (Wednesday or Thursday), he surely would not be able to play.”
Here are a few more notes related to EuroBasket 2025:
- Germany used a second-half comeback to defeat Slovenia and Lakers superstar Luka Doncic on Wednesday to advance to the semifinals. After the game, German national team and Magic star Franz Wagner said he didn’t notice a difference playing against the slimmed-down Doncic, who set a quarterfinal record by scoring 39 points (he also had 10 rebounds and seven assists). “He’s like that all the time, so I see no difference really,” Wagner said, per Edvinas Jablonskis of BasketNews. “Extremely good player. If he got a little bit better, he might have, but it’s tough to tell with him.”
- Doncic was exasperated with the officiating after the loss, according to Alessandro Maggi of Sportando. “Four fouls at the start of the third quarter—never in my life,” Doncic said. “And a technical two minutes in… that shouldn’t happen in a quarterfinal.” While Doncic said he was “100 percent angry,” he was pleased with Slovenia’s performance at the tournament. “We gave our all. This wasn’t the result we wanted, but our run deserves respect.”
- Veteran guard Jordan Loyd, who won a championship while on a two-way deal with Toronto in 2019, had an excellent EuroBasket showing with Poland, averaging a team-high 22.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 steals on .490/.422/.875 shooting in seven games (32.0 MPG). NBA insider Marc Stein reports (via Twitter) that several EuroLeague teams — most prominently Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid — are pursuing Loyd, who has spent the last three seasons with AS Monaco. Aris Barkas of Eurohoops says Loyd is still under contract with Monaco and the club would have to release him to sign with another team. According to Nacho Duque of Spanish outlet Marca, Loyd has a tentative deal in place with Real Madrid, but there are several complicating factors, including that his Spanish league rights are currently held by Valencia, which could theoretically match any contract he signs.
Adam Silver: Burden Of Proof Is On League In Clippers Investigation
Commissioner Adam Silver said investigators will carry the burden of proof in the NBA’s probe of potential salary cap circumvention by the Clippers, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday at his annual preseason news conference following the conclusion of the Board of Governors meeting, Silver said the league needs to focus on “the totality of the evidence” rather than the “mere appearance” of impropriety.
“The burden is on the league if we’re going to discipline a team, an owner, a player or any constituent members of the league,” Silver told reporters. “I think as with any process that requires a fundamental sense of fairness, the burden should be on the party that is, in essence, bringing those charges.”
The NBA hired a law firm this week to handle the investigation of whether owner Steve Ballmer and the team violated league rules through Kawhi Leonard‘s $28MM “no-show” job with Aspiration. Ballmer was an investor in the green banking company, which has since gone bankrupt.
Sources told Bontemps that Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz plans to conduct a thorough investigation, and no firm deadline has been set to reach a conclusion.
Silver added that he’s “a big believer in due process and fairness,” and said other NBA owners feel the same way about the case.
“At least what’s being said to me is a reservation of judgment,” Silver said. “I think people recognize that that’s what you have a league office for. That’s what you have a commissioner for — someone who is independent of the teams. On one hand, of course, I work collectively for the 30 governors, but I have an independent obligation to be the steward of the brand and the integrity of this league. … To the extent we have had discussions (with the board of governors) — they’ve been limited — we communicated to them that we engaged Wachtell to do this investigation. And maybe I cut off any further conversations and said, ‘Let’s all withhold judgment, let’s do this investigation and then we will come back to you in terms of our findings.'”
Silver addressed a few other topics in today’s news conference:
- He confirmed the new All-Star Game format, which will feature two teams of American-born players and one international team in a round-robin competition. Silver expressed hope that the new approach will help to motivate the players. “I think in the case of the NBA, this is what I’m trying to convey, particularly to younger players, is that All-Star is a big deal,” he said. “There’s been great traditions out there. People have great memories of these All-Star Games. It’s part of the fabric of this league, the excitement that comes from it and the engagement from our players.”
- Discussions are continuing on a potential new NBA-run European league, and Silver said he and deputy commissioner Mark Tatum traveled this summer to Europe, where they met with stakeholders. Silver also denied speculation that the venture in Europe will replace NBA expansion efforts. He called them “completely different entities” and said expansion was discussed at the board meeting, although there’s nothing new to report. “Part of the difficulty in potentially assessing it is a sense of long-term value of the league, and a little bit maybe it’s a high-class problem, but as with some of the recent jumps in franchise valuations, that sort of creates some confusion in the marketplace about how you might even price an expansion franchise,” Silver said. “I’ll only say it’s something that we continue to actively look at.”
- Silver refused to say if there are any limitations on Malik Beasley‘s availability while the league investigates his role in a gambling scandal. “I’ll only say there that the investigation is ongoing,” Silver said. “As I understand it, there’s still a federal investigation that’s ongoing of Malik Beasley as well. We will address whatever is presented to us in his case.”
Germany Tops Slovenia To Round Out EuroBasket’s Final Four
Germany overcame a second-half deficit and another scoring outburst by Luka Doncic to defeat Slovenia for a spot in the EuroBasket semifinals, writes Cesare Milanti of Eurohoops. Wednesday’s 99-91 victory preserves the Germans’ chances to capture another major international title after winning the FIBA World Cup in 2023.
Germany trailed by seven points late in the third quarter, but Tristan Da Silva sank a shot from mid-court at the buzzer to cut Slovenia’s lead to 74-70. That was the beginning of a 10-0 run that saw the German team take control of the game.
Franz Wagner led Germany with 23 points and seven rebounds, while Dennis Schröder contributed 20 points and seven assists. Former NBA center Daniel Theis added 15 points and nine rebounds. Maodo Lo scored 11 points and Andreas Obst had 10, as both players knocked down clutch three-pointers late in the game to preserve Germany’s lead.
Doncic, who has been posting historic performances throughout the tournament, set another record today with 39 points, the most anyone has ever scored in a EuroBasket quarterfinal contest. Despite picking up his fourth foul early in the third quarter, Doncic also finished with 10 rebounds and seven assists to narrowly miss another triple-double.
After the game, Slovenian players voiced complaints about the officiating, with center Alen Omic telling reporters that Doncic doesn’t get the respect he deserves, per Pijus Sapetka of BasketNews. Omic also pointed to the free throw disparity, with Germany getting 37 shots from the foul line compared to Slovenia’s 25.
“Our best player in EuroBasket is not protected the way he needs to be,” Omic said. “He got three fouls in 10–15 minutes of the game. What is this? He’s the best player of the tournament. Everybody comes to watch him.”
Doncic also commented on the officials in a post-game interview with Slovenia’s Sport TV, relays Semih Tuna of Eurohoops.
“First, I got a technical foul, two minutes into a game, for yelling ‘hello’, but OK,” Doncic said. “In a quarterfinal, that shouldn’t happen, no matter what kind of player you are. If you don’t even get a warning first, then I don’t know. But it’s a quarterfinal, fighting for a semifinal, so I really don’t know how they did that.”
The semifinal games will take place Friday at Arena Riga in Latvia, with Germany facing Finland in the opener, followed by a clash between Greece and Turkey. The tournament will conclude Sunday with the gold medal game and the third-place game.
FIBA has ranked the four quarterfinal losers, with Lithuania finishing fifth, followed by Poland, Slovenia and Georgia.
Markkanen, Finland Advance To EuroBasket Semifinals
The Finnish national team will compete in the EuroBasket semifinals for the first time in the history of the competition after defeating Georgia by a score of 93-79 in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
Finland, which unexpectedly knocked off Serbia in the round of 16, is led by Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen, the only current or former NBA player on the roster. Markkanen was a key contributor on Wednesday, registering 17 points, six rebounds, and a pair of assists in 27 minutes of action, though it was Fenerbahce forward Mikael Jantunen who led the team in scoring against Georgia with 19 points.
The Finnish team made the quarterfinals at EuroBasket 2022 and lost to Spain, the eventual champions. However, that was the first time the country had advanced as far as the quarterfinals in a EuroBasket tournament since 1967 — Finland hosted that year’s competition and finished sixth.
Greece will take on Turkey on one side of the bracket on Friday, while Finland will face the winner of today’s Slovenia/Germany game in the other semifinal. No matter what happens on Friday, it will be the best EuroBasket result ever for Finland.
It was also the best EuroBasket finish ever for Georgia, which participated in the quarterfinals for the first time. The team came up short on Wednesday despite strong efforts from Raptors big man Sandro Mamukelashvili (22 points), former NBA forward Tornike Shengelia (18 points, five assists), and Magic center Goga Bitadze (14 points, six rebounds).
Bitadze was ejected from the game due to an unsportsmanlike foul with 6:55 left in the fourth quarter, notes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (via Twitter), while Shengelia was ejected a few minutes later after being charged with unsportsmanlike and technical fouls.
Trey Lyles Signs With Real Madrid
September 10: Lyles has officially signed with Real Madrid, according to a press release from the team.
September 4: Free agent big man Trey Lyles is finalizing a contract with Real Madrid, sources tell Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com. The news of Lyles landing with the EuroLeague powerhouse was first reported by Javier Maestro of Spanish outlet Encestando.
Agent Rich Paul confirms to Marc Stein of The Stein Line that Lyles is signing with Real Madrid (Twitter link). Lyles’ one-year deal will be worth $3MM and will feature an NBA out clause, per Grant Afseth of RG.org.
A 10-year NBA veteran, Lyles has spent the past three-plus seasons in Sacramento. In 69 appearances with the Kings last season, the 6’9″ power forward averaged 6.5 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 34.0% from three-point range in 19.6 minutes per game.
Lyles, who has also been used as a small-ball center in recent years, apparently didn’t attract much NBA interest on the open market this offseason, which is a little surprising given his solid-if-unspectacular track record as a contributing role player.
While Lyles was linked to the Heat last month, Miami re-signed Dru Smith shortly thereafter, seemingly ending any further speculation on that front.
Despite playing 10 years in the league, Lyles is still only 29 years old — he turns 30 in a couple of months. The 6’9″ Canadian played one college season at Kentucky prior to being selected 12th overall back in 2015.
Lyles has largely been a rotation regular reserve throughout his career, holding averages of 7.6 PPG and 4.3 RPG in 650 regular season contests, including 131 starts (18.4 MPG). His career shooting slash line is .441/.347/.741.
Lyles spent two years apiece with Denver, Utah and San Antonio at the start of his career. He also had a six-month stint with Detroit during the 2021/22 campaign. This will be Lyles’ first European stop, Urbonas notes.
Real Madrid won both the regular season and playoffs of Spain’s top domestic league (Liga ACB) last season, but was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the EuroLeague playoffs. The team’s roster features several former NBA players, including Chuma Okeke, Theo Maledon and Mario Hezonja, among others.
Greece Reaches EuroBasket Semis Behind Giannis’ 29 Points
Behind Giannis Antetokounmpo, Greece reached the EuroBasket semifinals for the first time in 16 years, downing Lithuania, 87-76, in Riga, Latvia on Tuesday.
The Bucks superstar poured in 29 points to carry his team into a semifinal matchup with Turkey. Greece stalled in the quarterfinals during four of the last five EuroBasket tourneys, but broke though with a strong second-half effort.
Greece led 44-38 at the halftime break. Lithuania scored the first three points of the second half before Greece increased the cushion back to 51-41. It was 58-43 midway through the third quarter. Lithuania never got closer than eight points the rest of the way.
Giannis converted 9-of-15 shots and 11-of-16 free throws while scoring 29 points. He also added six rebounds, two assists, four steals and a block. Vasileios Toliopoulos hit three 3-pointers while scoring 17 points and Kostas Sloukas added 11 points and four assists.
Greece moved to within just two wins of their third EuroBasket crown. They took gold in 1987 and 2005.
“My players did a great job playing with a big heart in front of so many thousands of people from Lithuania in a very nice atmosphere,” head coach Vasileios Spanoulis said, per FIBA.
Nuggets big man Jonas Valanciunas led Lithuania with 24 points and 15 rebounds.
“Tonight was a battle. Both teams battled until the end. They were stronger,” Valanciunas said. “They were better than us. I was just happy we fought until the end, no matter what. It was a good fight.”
EuroLeague Standout Roman Sorkin Drawing Interest From NBA Teams
Maccabi Tel Aviv big man Roman Sorkin, who excelled in the EuroBasket tournament for Israel’s national team, has garnered interest from the Trail Blazers, Knicks and Heat, Ian Begley of SNY TV tweets.
Sorkin was one of the top bigs in the EuroLeague last season, averaging 12.9 points and 4.1 rebounds, and he opened even more eyes in the tournament. He averaged 16.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists in six games, including a double-double against Slovenia.
Sorkin is no stranger to the U.S., having played four seasons for Oregon from 2014-18. He has played in Israel throughout his professional career.
Whether Sorkin will be able to leave Maccabi is another issue. He reportedly signed a five-year extension with the club last year, which puts him under contract through 2029, according to BasketNews.com. Sorkin would need to have some sort of out clause or buyout agreement to pursue an NBA opportunity.
Portland has 15 players under guaranteed contracts, so it would have to waive or trade one of those players to open up a roster spot.
The Heat only have 12 players with fully guaranteed contracts, but have two players with partial guarantees and can’t sign a 15th man while remaining below the luxury tax line.
The Knicks have 12 players on standard contracts, but only have room for one veteran’s minimum contract and another on a rookie minimum deal due to salary cap restrictions. Sorkin wouldn’t be a candidate for the Knicks’ rookie minimum roster slot. Since they don’t hold his draft rights, his salary would count as the veteran’s minimum for tax/apron purposes even if his cap hit was the rookie minimum, due to tax variance.