NBA, EuroLeague Teams Eyeing Dragan Bender?
The Cavaliers and Raptors are among the teams that have inquired on free agent power forward Dragan Bender, tweets international reporter Orazio Cauchi. According to Cauchi, EuroLeague clubs like CSKA Moscow and Fenerbahce are also keeping an eye on Bender and have “some level of interest.”
Bender, 21, was the fourth overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft and spent the last three seasons with the Suns. However, he has failed to develop into a regular rotation player, averaging 5.3 PPG and 3.8 RPG with a .394/.321/.647 shooting line in 171 games in Phoenix.
A source tells Cauchi (Twitter link) that there some NBA teams still believe Bender’s potential could be worth a roll of the dice. At this point though, the young big man seems unlikely to receive more than minimum-salary offers, and even then, it’s not clear he’d get any sort of guarantees.
If Bender had played out his rookie contract, he would have been on track to earn a $5.9MM salary in 2019/20. The Suns turned down their fourth-year team option though, allowing the Croatian to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Jimmer Fredette Signs With Panathinaikos
JULY 15: Fredette has officially signed with Panathinaikos, the Greek team announced today in a press release. Fredette published an Instagram post confirming his move to Greece and thanking fans for their support.
JULY 10: According to Nikos Varlas of Eurohoops, sharpshooting guard Jimmer Fredette has reached a two-year deal with Panathinaikos of the Greek Basket League and EuroLeague.
As Varlas notes, this will be the first European team Fredette plays for in his professional career. He also played in China from 2016 to 2019, becoming somewhat of a Chinese sensation before signing a two-year contract with the Suns back in March. The second year had a team option, which Phoenix declined back in June.
After his option was declined, Fredette briefly played with the Warriors’ summer league team, but left the team early so as not to get injured while he contemplated his overseas options in response to several foreign teams contacting his representatives about his availability.
A six-year NBA veteran, Fredette holds career averages of 6.0 points, 1.0 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 13.3 minutes per game after being drafted No. 10 overall in the 2011 NBA Draft. His best season was probably as a rookie, when he averaged a career-high 7.6 PPG and 18.6 MPG.
Turkey Next Stop For Derrick Williams
Derrick Williams, the No. 2 pick in the 2011 draft, will join defending Turkish Cup champion Fenerbahce, relays Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Williams has reached agreement on a one-year contract.
It will be the third overseas team for Williams, who was never able to find a long-term NBA home. He signed with China’s Tianjin Gold Lions in 2017 and spent this season in Germany with Bayern Munich.
The 28-year-old forward was ticketed for stardom after two stellar years at Arizona, but lasted a little more than two seasons in Minnesota before being traded. He played for six teams in seven seasons, and his last NBA experience came in a 10-day contract with the Lakers in March of 2018.
Omri Casspi To Play In Israel
Veteran forward Omri Casspi has reached an agreement with Maccabi Tel Aviv, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. In addition to a three-year, $3.4MM contract, Casspi will be given a managing role in the organization when he retires.
Casspi, 31, likely saw his NBA career end when the Grizzlies released him in February to make room on the roster for a series of trades. He appeared in 36 games for Memphis, averaging 6.3 PPG in about 14 minutes per night.
Casspi was a first-round pick in the 2009 draft, going to the Kings with the 23rd selection. He spent time with seven teams during a 10-year NBA career.
Tyler Cavanaugh Headed To Germany
Tyler Cavanaugh, a two-way player for the Jazz last season, has reached an agreement to play in Germany, tweets Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. The 25-year-old power forward will join Alba Berlin, which advanced to this year’s EuroCup finals.
Cavanaugh saw brief action in 11 games for Utah, scoring 9 points in 39 total minutes. He averaged 17.7 points and 7.8 rebounds in 41 G League games.
After going undrafted out of George Washington, Cavanaugh signed a two-way contract with the Hawks in 2017 that was later converted to a standard NBA deal. He got into 39 games for Atlanta as a rookie, but was waived when the season ended.
New Zealand Team Recruiting Joakim Noah
Joakim Noah has an opportunity to play for the New Zealand Breakers next season, tweets Marc Stein of The New York Times. The team is owned by Matt Walsh, Noah’s former teammate at Florida, who has been in charge of the recruiting effort.
The Breakers are pitching Noah on an arrangement similar to what Andrew Bogut had in Australia that enabled him to return to the NBA after his overseas commitment was complete (Twitter link). Bogut earned MVP honors with the Sydney Kings, then joined the Warriors for 11 regular season games and the playoffs.
However, Stein notes that Noah has received interest from a few NBA teams after a surprisingly strong performance once he joined the Grizzlies in December (Twitter link).
Noah averaged 7.1 points and 5.7 rebounds in 41 games for Memphis, helping to erase memories of two nightmarish seasons with the Knicks. At age 34, he is being very “selective” about where he winds up next, Stein adds.
Milos Teodosic To Play In Italy
Former Clippers guard Milos Teodosic has signed with the Italian club Virtus Bologna, relays Nicola Lupo of Sportando. The team announced the new contract, which will cover three years.
Teodosic, 32, was a disappointment during his time in L.A. after being a huge star in Europe. He played just 60 games in two seasons, including 15 this year, before being waived in February. He averaged just 10 minutes per night this season and was lamenting his lack of of playing time all the way back in November.
Teodosic is a six-time All-EuroLeague selection and was the league’s MVP in 2010. He helped the Serbian team capture the silver medal at the 2016 Olympics, as well as silvers at the 2009 EuroBasket tournament and the 2014 FIBA World Cup.
Alex Abrines To Play In Spain
After spending two and a half seasons with the Thunder, shooting guard Alex Abrines is returning home to Spain, having reached an agreement on a two-year deal with Barcelona that features a third-year option, according to an announcement from the team.
Abrines, who turns 26 next month, played from Barcelona from 2012-16 before arriving stateside for the 2016/17 season. The 32nd overall pick in the 2013 draft, Abrines appeared in 174 total regular season games for the Thunder after being stashed overseas for three years. He recorded 5.3 PPG and 1.4 RPG with a .368 3PT% in 16.0 minutes per contest.
While he provided Oklahoma City with much-needed floor spacing during his time with the club, Abrines’ stint in the NBA came to an abrupt end in February, when he and the Thunder “amicably” parted ways due to unspecified personal matters. Abrines addressed his departure and announced his return to basketball earlier this month.
In returning home to Spain, Abrines will be joining a Barcelona club that added another NBA veteran already this offseason, having signed Nikola Mirotic to a three-year contract with a fourth-year option.
International Notes: Bertans, Mozgov, Mirotic, Motiejunas
Having being waived by the Pelicans on Sunday, Dairis Bertans didn’t waste much time in lining up a new home, with a report indicating that he had reached an agreement to sign with Russian club Khimki.
The Moscow Region-based team made it official earlier today, announcing (via Twitter) that Bertans is joining Khimki on a two-year deal. The veteran shooting guard technically hasn’t even cleared NBA waivers yet – that won’t happen until Tuesday – but presumably agent Arturs Kalnitis and Khimki management are both confident that no team will place a claim on Davis Bertans‘ older brother.
Here are a few more international notes related to NBA veterans:
- Bertans isn’t the only player on NBA waivers receiving interest from Khimki. A source tells Emiliano Carchia of Sportando that the Russian club is also trying to bring center Timofey Mozgov back to his home country, and hopes to reach a deal in the near future. Artem Komarov (Twitter link) first reported the talks between Khimki and Mozgov, who was released by the Magic on Saturday.
- Nikola Mirotic officially signed with Barcelona on Saturday, with the club issuing a press release to announce the deal. According to the team, Mirotic’s contract will span three years, with a fourth-year option for the 2022/23 season. The veteran power forward was expected to receive a three-year offer in the $45MM range from Utah, but opted to return to Spain instead.
- After appearing briefly in three games for the Spurs down the stretch in 2018/19, power forward Donatas Motiejunas appears likely to head back overseas. According to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando, Motiejunas is receiving significant interest from the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association. Motiejunas’ former CBA team in Shandong must decide by July 15 whether to make him a restricted free agent, as Carchia explains.
Ekpe Udoh To Play In China
Free agent Ekpe Udoh has agreed to a one-year deal with the Beijing Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association, per a report from Nikos Varlas of Eurohoops.
Per Varlas, the 32-year-old big man who last played for the Jazz during the 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons after being drafted No. 6 overall by the Warriors back in 2010, will become the highest-paid non-Chinese player in the CBA.
Confirming Eurohoops’ report, Eric Woodyard of the Deseret News adds that Udoh was strongly considering a return to the EuroLeague (where he played from 2015 to 2017), with reportedly up to five multi-million dollar offers from strong franchises in Spain, Italy and Turkey on the table.
A seven-year NBA veteran, Udoh holds career averages of 3.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 14.8 minutes per game. In addition to the potential financial incentive of heading overseas, Udoh also figures to play a more prominent role in China than he did in the NBA. After all, he was successful enough to earn Final Four MVP during his previous stint overseas.