International Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Two NBA Players Among France’s Pre-EuroBasket Cuts

August 8th, 2025 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The French national team announced today (via Twitter) that it has trimmed its preliminary EuroBasket roster to 14 players by making three cuts. Two NBA players – Thunder forward Ousmane Dieng and Hornets big man Moussa Diabate – were among those cut, along with former lottery pick Frank Ntilikina.

Dieng and Diabate both have big seasons on tap in 2025/26. Dieng, the No. 11 overall pick in 2022, is currently eligible for a contract extension as he enters the fourth and final year of his rookie scale deal, which will pay him $6.67MM.

However, unlike fellow ’22 lottery picks Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, who received maximum-salary extensions from the Thunder this summer, Dieng isn’t considered likely to get a new deal at this time and is probably more focused on simply hanging onto his roster spot on a deep OKC squad. He’s the only player on the 15-man roster whose contract is fully expiring (with no option for 2026/27).

Diabate, meanwhile, will be looking to parlay a career year in Charlotte into a guaranteed contract and a more significant role. His $2.27MM salary for ’25/26 is currently non-guaranteed and the Hornets, who are currently carrying 18 players on standard contracts (16 guaranteed), could be facing a roster crunch this fall. However, the team is somewhat thin in the frontcourt and Diabate may well be part of the rotation again after averaging 5.7 points and 6.2 rebounds in 17.5 minutes per contest (71 games) last season.

France still has plenty of current and former NBA players on its roster after parting with three of them. Wizards youngsters Alex Sarr and Bilal Coulibaly, 2024’s No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher, and ex-NBAers like Theo Maledon, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, and Elie Okobo are among those still on the squad, per Eurohoops.

The French team will have to make two more cuts before EuroBasket tips off later this month in order to set its 12-man roster.

Maxwell Lewis To Play In Turkey In 2025/26

August 8th, 2025 at 11:53am CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA second-round pick Maxwell Lewis has signed with Tofaş, the Turkish club announced in a press release.

The deal was actually completed in July, but slipped through the cracks for us at the time. Even though we’re a couple weeks late, we still want to dedicate a full story to the next stop for a player who was selected 40th overall in the 2023 draft and has spent the past two seasons in the NBA.

Drafted out of Pepperdine, Lewis began his professional career with the Lakers, but logged just 103 total minutes in 34 appearances at the NBA level as a rookie, playing primarily in garbage time. He earned a bigger role for the South Bay Lakers, averaging 14.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.2 blocks in 28.8 minutes per game across 28 outings in the G League in 2023/24.

The 6’7″ forward played in seven more games for Los Angeles and 10 more for South Bay to open the 2024/25 season before being sent to Brooklyn in December as part of the D’Angelo Russell/Dorian Finney-Smith trade.

Lewis was limited to 21 appearances for Brooklyn after fracturing his tibia in his first game as a Net. He averaged 5.3 points and 2.5 rebounds in 14.2 minutes per game, with a .422/.380/.700 shooting line, then was waived in June before his salary for 2025/26 could become guaranteed.

Lewis received a small partial guarantee on his ’25/26 minimum salary, with the Nets carrying a $100K cap hit after releasing him.

Former NBA first-round pick Anzejs Pasecniks and Knicks draft-and-stash prospect Hugo Besson are among the other notable names on Tofaş’ roster. The club competes in Turkey’s Basketball Super League.

International Notes: Skapintsev, White, Wiley

August 7th, 2025 at 5:14pm CST by Rory Maher

Free agent center Dmytro Skapintsev has signed a one-year contract with Hapoel Jerusalem, the Israeli team announced in a press release (hat tip to Sportando). Skapintsev’s deal also features an option for year two, though it’s unclear whether it’s a team, player or mutual option.

Skapintsev, who was briefly on a two-way contract with the Knicks in 2023/24 and appeared in two NBA games with New York, has spent most of the past three years in the G League. The 27-year-old spent two seasons with the Westchester Knicks prior to inking an Exhibit 10 deal with Boston last fall for training camp (he was cut before ’24/25 began).

In 44 total games with the Maine Celtics and Rip City Remix (Blazers’ affiliate) in ’24/25, the 7’1″ Ukrainian averaged 8.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.7 blocks in 23.8 minutes per contest.

Here are a couple more items of interest from overseas:

Free agent forward Jack White has signed with Mesin MSK for the upcoming season, the Turkish team announced (via Twitter; hat tip to Olgun Uluc of ESPN). The 28-year-old holds two years of NBA experience, having played for Denver in 2022/23 and Memphis in ’23/24. He suited up for Melbourne United in his native Australia last season and then finished out ’24/25 with Bayern Munich, winning a domestic championship with the German club. White, who played for the Hawks’ Summer League team last month, averaged 13.8 PPG and 9.4 RPG on .513/.326/.659 shooting in 27 games (26.1 MPG) with Melbourne in ’24/25.
Forward Jacob Wiley is finalizing a contract with Lithuanian club Rytas Vilnius, sources tell Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com (Twitter link). The 30-year-old, who spent part of the 2017/18 season on a two-way deal with Brooklyn, has enjoyed a long international career, playing for teams in Germany, Greece, Montenegro, Spain and New Zealand over the past several years. Wiley suited up for Spanish club Granada the past two seasons.
In case you missed it, all of the latest international developments — including Hamidou Diallo‘s two-year deal with Baskonia — can be found right here.

Hamidou Diallo Signs Two-Year Deal With Baskonia

August 7th, 2025 at 2:57pm CST by Rory Maher

Free agent wing Hamidou Diallo has signed a two-year contract with EuroLeague squad Baskonia, the Spanish team announced today in a press release.

Diallo, who turned 27 years old a week ago, was the 45th overall pick of the 2018 draft after spending one college season at Kentucky. He spend his first two-plus seasons with Oklahoma City prior to being traded to Detroit during the 2020/21 campaign.

Diallo spent two-plus years as a regular contributor for the Pistons, but he went unsigned during the 2023 offseason, later inking a training camp deal with the Wizards, who subsequently released him before the ’23/24 season began. He spent that campaign in the G League with the Capital City Go-Go, though he did sign a 10-day contract with the Wizards in January 2024, briefly appearing in two games.

A 6’5″ guard/forward, Diallo is an unusual player for a wing because he isn’t a great passer or shooter, having made just 27.4% of his career three-point tries (he only attempted 1.0 per game) and 62.3% of his free throws in 265 regular season contests. However, he’s an elite athlete, and a strong defender, rebounder and finisher for his size.

The Queens, New York native spent last season in China with the Shanxi Loongs. Diallo put up big numbers in the CBA, averaging 22.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.2 steals and 0.9 blocks in 41 appearances (25.5 minutes per game). His shooting line was .496/.286/.710.

The Loongs had the second-best record (34-12) during the ’24/25 regular season but were swept in the semifinals of the playoffs by the Beijing Ducks, the eventual runners-up.

This will be Diallo’s first stint in Europe. Baskonia had the third-best home record (12-5) during the ’24/25 EuroLeague season but tied for the worst mark (2-15) on the road and missed out on the playoffs after going just 14-20 overall.

Baskonia also competes in Spain’s top league (Liga ACB) and featured multiple former NBA players last season, including Chima Moneke, Trent Forrest and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, among others.

And-Ones: All-In Teams, 2027 Draft, Extensions, Thanasis

August 6th, 2025 at 10:08pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

A trio of ambitious NBA teams have leveraged many of their future assets to go “all-in” on winning now, write Tim Bontemps and Kevin Pelton of ESPN.

Bontemps and Pelton note that the Nuggets, Bucks and Timberwolves are looking to make the most of what they see as their current title windows.

Denver has given up most of its draft equity to restructure its depth around three-time MVP center Nikola Jokic. Its 2025/26 roster does, on paper, represent an improvement over former president Calvin Booth‘s 2024/25 vintage.

Milwaukee, too, has taken some bold swings to build around two-time MVP forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, but questions abound about just how much this team can win without a second All-Star on the team — as well as $22.5MM in dead money being paid out to ex-Bucks guard Damian Lillard for each of the next five years.

Minnesota sacrificed many of its future draft assets to build its roster around 23-year-old All-NBA guard Anthony Edwards.

There’s more from around the basketball world:

With buzz building about what could be a loaded 2026 draft class led by AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson and Cameron Boozer, Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report takes stock of the next summer’s cohort. U19 World Cup gold medalist forward Tyran Stokes leads the way among 2027 prospects, followed closely by Eurocamp MVP guard Caleb Holt.
NBA rookie scale contract extensions, much like restricted free agent deals, have become more difficult to navigate of late. John Hollinger of The Athletic opines that a lack of incentives has thrown a wrench in players and teams reaching a consensus on deals. Contracts heavy on incentives used to be a way to bridge the gap between team and player, but not a single free agent deal or extension this offseason has featured incentives, which teams have avoided because they count toward the tax aprons.
Former Bucks forward Thanasis Antetokounmpo made his first in-game appearance since May 2024 during an exhibition match for Team Greece ahead of this year’s EuroBasket competition, according to Eurohoops. The 6’7″ forward, now a free agent, tore his Achilles tendon last spring. Across 12:34, Antetokounmpo scored six points while helping the Greek team fend off Belgium, 74-60, in Athens. Little brother Giannis Antetokounmpo sat out, but is traveling with the team and will play when the games start to count.

Richaun Holmes Expected To Sign With Panathinaikos

August 5th, 2025 at 2:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Following up on overseas reports indicating that big man Richaun Holmes was nearing a deal with Panathinaikos (hat tip to Eurohoops), Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link) cites sources who say Holmes has agreed to sign a contract with the Greek club that will make him one of the highest-paid players in Europe.

Holmes, 31, was the 37th overall pick in the 2015 draft out of Bowling Green and has spent the past decade in the NBA, suiting up for five different teams during that time. He had his best years in Sacramento, where he was the Kings’ full-time starting center and put up 14.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game across 61 outings in 2020/21.

Holmes has played a lesser role in recent years, including in 2024/25, when he made 31 appearances for the Wizards and averaged 7.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks in 17.2 minutes per night. His contract with Washington included a second season, but his $13.3MM salary for 2025/26 was almost entirely non-guaranteed and he was waived by the club last month.

After becoming an unrestricted free agent, Holmes drew interest from a handful of EuroLeague clubs, including Fenerbahce in Turkey. A report over the weekend stated he was mulling an offer from Panathinaikos while waiting to see if he’d be offered a guaranteed NBA contract. Today’s update suggests he didn’t get an NBA offer to his liking.

Assuming the deal doesn’t fall through before it’s officially finalized, the signing will wrap up a weeks-long saga for Panathinaikos — the Athens-based team targeted Jonas Valanciunas in early July and appeared to be on the verge of signing him to a three-year contract, but ultimately wasn’t able to pry him away from the Nuggets. Having missed out on Valanciunas, Panathinaikos continued to seek frontcourt help with an eye on NBA free agents, including Holmes and Precious Achiuwa.

Holmes will be looking to help lead Panathinaikos to a title or two in 2025/26 after the club fell just short this past season. The Greens went 22-0 during Greece’s regular season before losing to Olympiacos in the final. In the EuroLeague, Panathinaikos finished third with a 22-12 record but was defeated by Fenerbahce – the eventual champions – in the semifinals.

Jack McVeigh Signs With Cairns Taipans

August 5th, 2025 at 7:40am CST by Luke Adams

After spending the 2024/25 season on a two-way contract with the Rockets, Australian forward Jack McVeigh is heading back to his home country, having signed a two-year contract with the Cairns Taipans, according to an announcement from the team. The second year of the deal is a mutual option.

McVeigh, 29, competed for several seasons in Australia’s National Basketball League before making the leap to the NBA last summer. He appeared in just nine games for Houston as a rookie in 2024/25, but was a featured player for the Rockets’ G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, making 34 total appearances for the club.

McVeigh averaged 16.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 30.7 minutes per game for the Vipers, posting a shooting line of .440/.370/.875.

The 6’8″ forward remained stateside in July and suited up for Atlanta’s Summer League squad, posting solid averages of 14.0 PPG and 2.5 RPG on .588/.455/1.000 shooting across four outings (22.8 MPG). Reporting over the weekend indicated that he was hoping to parlay that performance into another NBA opportunity, but it appears no appealing offers materialized.

McVeigh’s new contract is worth $2MM over two seasons, making him the highest-paid player in Taipans history, per Olgun Uluc of ESPN (Twitter links). As Uluc outlines, McVeigh will be one of the four highest earners in the NBL heading into the 2025/26 season, joining Bryce Cotton, Jo Lual-Acuil Jr., and Xavier Cooks as players who are making at least $1MM annually.

Jeff Dowtin Jr. Signs With Maccabi Tel Aviv

August 5th, 2025 at 7:19am CST by Arthur Hill

August 5: Maccabi Tel Aviv has officially confirmed its deal with Dowtin, announcing in a press release that it’s actually a three-year contract. Based on Stein’s reporting (detailed below), it sounds like the contract will feature NBA outs.

August 4: Jeff Dowtin Jr. will sign a two-year contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv, agent Bill Neff tells Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Twitter link).

The 28-year-old point guard received interest from several European clubs, Stein adds (Twitter link). He and the team will have a mutual option on the second season of his new deal.

Dowtin spent last season with the Sixers on a two-way contract after joining the team in March of 2024. He appeared in 41 NBA games, averaging 7.0 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 15.1 minutes per night with .487/.400/.733 shooting numbers.

Dowtin signed with Orlando after going undrafted out of Rhode Island in 2020, but he didn’t make his NBA debut until 2021 when Golden State claimed him off waivers. He played one game with Milwaukee on a 10-day contract the following season before returning to the Magic on a 10-day deal. He also spent time with Toronto before coming to Philadelphia.

Stein points out that Dowtin is the third member of last year’s Sixers team to wind up with Maccabi Tel Aviv (Twitter link). He joins Lonnie Walker IV, whose signing was announced earlier today, and Oshae Brissett, who was added to the Israeli team in July.

Brandon Boston Signs With Fenerbahce

August 4th, 2025 at 11:55am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

August 4: Boston’s deal with Fenerbahce is now official, the team announced in a press release.

August 3: Free agent wing Brandon Boston Jr. is putting the finishing touches on a new deal with Fenerbahce, reports Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews. According to Urbonas, Boston is close to signing a contract with the Turkish club.

Boston had previously been linked to Greek team Panathinaikos, who – like Fenerbahce – have been actively striving to recruit more NBA-caliber talent this summer.

Since being selected with the No. 51 overall pick out of Kentucky in 2021, Boston has split his four seasons in the NBA between the Clippers and, last year, the Pelicans.

The 6’7″ swingman enjoyed his biggest role yet during the 2024/25 season, albeit on a tanking team in New Orleans. Across 42 contests (10 starts), he averaged 10.7 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.2 APG and 1.3 SPG, while slashing .436/.350/.788.

Boston began last season on a two-way contract before being promoted to the standard roster in February. Now that he has four years of NBA experience, the 23-year-old is no longer eligible to sign a two-way deal.

If the 23-year-old finalizes a deal with Fenerbahce, he’ll continue his career with the reigning EuroLeague champions, competing overseas for the first time. Fenerbahce’s 2025/26 roster also includes a handful of other NBA alums, including center Khem Birch and guard Wade Baldwin IV.

Maccabi Tel Aviv Announces Signing Of Lonnie Walker IV

August 4th, 2025 at 11:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Lonnie Walker IV, who finished last season with the Sixers, has officially joined Maccabi Tel Aviv. The Israeli club issued a statement on Monday announcing the three-year deal.

“We are extremely proud to welcome Lonnie Walker IV to our family,” general manager Claudio Coldebella said. “Bringing a talent of this caliber to Tel Aviv, a player that was drafted and tested in the NBA, is a strong and clear signal of our ambition to compete at the highest levels and excite our fans. Lonnie’s arrival is not an isolated move but the perfect fit of another valuable piece in the mosaic we are composing with vision and strategy.

“We are building a team with a clear identity, founded on talent, character, and ambition. The resilience he has demonstrated throughout his career fits perfectly with the work ethic and determination that are the pillars of the yellow-and-blue organization. His work ethic is the guarantee of an athlete who is never satisfied but who strives in every way to achieve his goals. Improve personally and help the entire group grow.”

Walker’s agreement with Maccabi Tel Aviv was first reported nearly two weeks ago. His contract reportedly has a total value of around $10MM and includes NBA exit clauses for 2026 and 2027 until July 15 of each year.

Walker spent part of last season in the EuroLeague with Zalgiris Kaunas after Boston waived him in October. He reportedly received a two-year offer from Hapoel Tel Aviv and drew interest from Real Madrid as well.

The 26-year-old shooting guard had a productive stretch after signing with Philadelphia in February. In 20 games, he averaged a career-high 12.4 points, along with 3.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists, while shooting 42% from the field and 35.4% from three-point range.

He became a free agent when the Sixers declined his $2.9MM option in late June.

“Lonnie is a great player with exceptional talent,” Maccabi Tel Aviv coach Oded Kattash said. “The experience he gained in the NBA and his familiarity with Europe and the EuroLeague will help us a lot. He is a competitive player with a big hunger for success. I am sure he will quickly connect to our DNA and lead us to success.”