Stein’s Latest: Monk, Hawks, Niang, Carlisle
Although the Kings have explored multiple trade scenarios involving guard Malik Monk this offseason, league sources tell Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link) that Sacramento isn’t actively engaged in any discussions about a Monk deal for the time being.
That doesn’t necessarily mean that Monk is a lock to be a King for the entire 2025/26 season – or even by opening night – but he has made a positive impression in Sacramento beyond his on-court production due to the way he has embraced his role and the franchise, Stein writes.
While the Kings have maintained interest in Russell Westbrook and have considered the idea of moving Monk to open up a spot in the backcourt for the former MVP, Stein hears that the front office has also looked into ways to create that opening for Westbrook by means other than a Monk trade.
Here are a few more items of interest from Stein:
- Following up on a report from his Stein Line colleague Jake Fischer about the Hawks‘ apparent plan not to extend Trae Young before the start of the season, Stein says Atlanta wants to see more of Young playing alongside forward Jalen Johnson, whose 2024/25 campaign ended prematurely due to a shoulder injury. The Hawks are hopeful that getting a more extensive look at that duo in the wake of offseason roster changes will help clarify their “big-picture” plans.
- Stein hears from league sources that veteran NBA forward Georges Niang has obtained a Senegalese passport and nearly suited up for Senegal during the 2025 AfroBasket tournament. However, an eventful offseason in which Niang was traded twice – from Atlanta to Boston to the Jazz – ultimately derailed his plans to play international ball this summer.
- Noting that one-fifth of the NBA’s 30 head coaches have signed contract extensions this offseason (Chauncey Billups, Will Hardy, Ime Udoka, Billy Donovan, Joe Mazzulla, and Rick Carlisle), Stein provides some additional context on Carlisle’s new deal with the Pacers. As Stein explains, besides being a reward for leading Indiana to five playoff series wins over the past two years, Carlisle’s extension is intended to “promote stability” after the team saw star guard Tyrese Haliburton go down with an Achilles tear and lost longtime center Myles Turner in free agency.
- In case you missed it, Stein also reported that Mavericks forward P.J. Washington is a prime candidate to sign an extension before the season begins.
Angola Wins 2025 AfroBasket Championship
Angola has won its record-setting 12th AfroBasket championship, defeating Mali on Sunday by a score of 70-43 in the tournament’s championship game.
Angola, the host of AfroBasket 2025, was led by Childe Dundao, who scored a game-high 16 points vs. Mali to go along with five assists, four rebounds, and three steals. The 27-year-old point guard was named the Most Valuable Player of the event in addition to earning a spot on the AfroBasket All-Tournament team.
Former NBA big man Bruno Fernando didn’t make a massive impact in the final, registering five points, five rebounds, and a pair of blocks in less than 17 minutes of action, but he was also named to the All-Tournament team after averaging 7.8 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 1.7 BPG across six outings.
Angola was a dominant force in African basketball between 1989 and 2013, when the African Championships were being held every two years — during that time, the Angolan national team won 11 of 13 titles, taking third place in 1997 and finishing as the runner-up in 2011. However, Angola lost the championship game in 2015 and didn’t advance to the final four in either the 2017 or 2021 events, which were both won by Tunisia. This year’s title was Angola’s first since 2013.
Despite a disappointing offensive showing on Sunday, it was a historic performance for Mali, which had never before competed in an AfroBasket championship game. Point guard Siriman Kanoute, who plays professionally in France, was the team’s leading scorer on Sunday with 14 points, while center Aliou Diarra and forward Mahamane Coulibaly earned spots on the All-Tournament team.
Prior to Sunday’s title game, Senegal defeated Cameroon in the third-place matchup, with reigning Basketball Africa League MVP Jean Jacques Boissy racking up 40 points and seven assists in a dominant performance. Guard Brancou Badio chipped in 18 points to secure the fifth and final spot on the All-Tournament team.
It was Senegal’s third consecutive third-place AfroBasket finish and the fifth time in a row the country has competed in the third-place game.
Pelicans center Yves Missi, one of two current NBA players competing in the event, recorded nine points and seven rebounds on Sunday for Cameroon, but his team was outscored by 26 points during his 24 minutes on the floor.
Team Greece Finalizes EuroBasket Roster
Greece officially announced its finalized national team roster on Sunday. The EuroBasket tournament is tipping off this week, with the Hellas tipping off Group Play in a bracket with Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Spain, Georgia, and Cyprus as part of Group C. Their first game will be against Italy on August 28.
Giannis Antetokounmpo will headline the team as the lone NBA player on the roster. The two-time MVP is coming off an All-NBA First Team season in which he averaged 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game.
While Antetokounmpo is the only player on the roster who is still in the league, the Greek team boasts a handful of former NBAers who now play in Europe, including two of Antetokounmpo’s brothers. Here is the complete list of players who will represent Greece in EuroBasket:
- Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Kostas Antetokounmpo
- Thanasis Antetokounmpo
- Tyler Dorsey
- Panagiotis Kalaitzakis
- Dimitrios Katsivelis
- Giannoulis Larentzakis
- Dinos Mitoglou
- Kostas Papanikolaou
- Alexandros Samodurov
- Kostas Sloukas
- Vasileios Toliopoulos
Outside of the trio of brothers, Dorsey and Papanikolaou are likely the two names most familiar to NBA fans. Dorsey played 107 games over three seasons, starting 16 of them, and averaged 6.6 points on 35.1% three-point shooting. Papanikolaou played two seasons, one with the Rockets and one with the Nuggets, averaging 2.6 points and 2.3 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per night.
The 20-year-old Samodurov is another interesting name to watch after being named to the All-Star Five in FIBA’s Under-20 tournament this season. A 6’10” center, Samadurov averaged 17.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.4 blocks in the seven games Greece played.
Antetokounmpo recently began official work with the team, following a delay related to the size of his contract relative to FIBA’s insurance policy for players.
He played in the team’s exhibition game against France, which Greece lost 92-77 as Antetokounmpo scored 18 points on seven shots in just under 22 minutes. Team Greece ended the exhibition games with a record of 4-3.
Heat EuroBasket Notes: Jovic, Spoelstra, Larsson, Fontecchio
The Heat should have several prominent roles available for the taking this fall. While Tyler Herro, Andrew Wiggins, and Bam Adebayo all seem to have their starting spots locked up and Davion Mitchell and Kel’el Ware made strong cases for themselves last season, there are still plenty of regular minutes in the rotation to be won.
Nikola Jovic could get a head start on staking his claim during this summer’s EuroBasket competition, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Winderman writes that head coach Erik Spoelstra wants to see Jovic step into a leadership role as one of the Serbian team’s leading men.
Last season, Jovic saw his responsibilities dip as Ware came on strong. The Serbian forward started just 10 games after making 38 starts the season before, though he was still productive, averaging 10.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists while shooting 37.1% from three. A strong EuroBasket could help Jovic hit the ground running next season and carve out a key role with the Heat.
In a recent exhibition win against Slovenia, Jovic scored 18 points on 7-8 shooting with Spoelstra in attendance.
We have more from the Heat’s EuroBasket players:
- Speaking of Spoelstra, the Heat head coach has been on a European tour, checking in on his international players, Winderman writes in a separate article. Prior to watching Jovic help lead Serbia to a 34-point victory over Luka Doncic‘s Slovenian squad, Spoelstra dropped in on Pelle Larsson as Larsson and the Swedish squad battled Estonia.
- EuroBasket offers Larsson a chance to spread his wings and show his complete skill set to the Heat, who already like the approach he takes to the game. “What he does are the things that we value,” Spoelstra said of Larsson, per Winderman. “He’s so tough. He makes winning plays. He’s a great role player. He fits around guys, the best players. And he will continue to get better, because he has a great work ethic.” Spoelstra has been interested in watching how the second-year guard fares as a ball-handler, but declined to put Larsson in a box as far as his role, citing the variety of ways in which the 6’5″ wing can impact the game. Winderman adds that Spoelstra’s comments seemed to indicate that Larsson had already won himself a role in the rotation for this coming season.
- EuroBasket is also a chance for new addition Simone Fontecchio to bounce back and show what he can bring to the Heat after he followed up a strong 2023/24 performance with a disappointing ’24/25 in Detroit. With the long-tenured Duncan Robinson heading to the Pistons this offseason, Winderman notes that there’s hope Fontecchio can get back to the 40% three-point shooter he was two years ago in an effort to replace some of what Miami lost.
Danilo Gallinari Hasn’t Ruled Out NBA Return
Danilo Gallinari hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2024 playoffs, but he hasn’t necessarily given up on the idea of making it back to the league. Gallinari, reflective and self-aware at 37 years old, spoke recently about his desire to stay in the NBA for another year (Twitter link via Iacopo De Santis of Pianeta Basket).
“I always hope so. If I were to return, it would be as a veteran, kind of like insurance for a franchise,” he said. “I wouldn’t play much and would serve as a helpful presence.”
De Santis also writes that Gallinari expressed doubt that his long-held desire to return to Olimpia Milano – the team with which he got his start and played for three years before being selected sixth in the 2008 draft by the Knicks – would come to fruition.
“I’m not saying it’s impossible, but I consider it very, very unlikely. The more time passes, the more complicated it seems,” he said. “In order to return to Milan, you have to be wanted. Even during my last years in the NBA, I thought about coming back to Milan. But again, to return, you have to be wanted. It’s not like I wake up one morning, make a call and say, ‘Hey guys, I’m ready to come back, do you want me?’ That’s not how it works.”
He adds that he received calls from European teams throughout his NBA career, as well as more recently, but never from Milan.
Gallinari spent time in 2023/24 with the Wizards, Pistons, and Bucks, averaging 5.7 points and 2.2 rebounds in 12.9 minutes per game. He appeared in three playoff contests for the Bucks, averaging 3.7 PPG in 12.3 MPG.
Gallinari played this season in the Puerto Rican league, where he helped lead the Vaqueros de Bayamon to a championship and was named Finals MVP after he scored 24 points with six rebounds and four assists in the title-clinching game. He has recently joined the Italian national team for what he says will be his final international competition.
Turkey Announces EuroBasket Roster Headlined By Sengun
Turkey has become the latest team to finalize its roster for EuroBasket 2025, announcing its 12-man squad on Sunday ahead of the start of the tournament this week.
The roster features two current NBA players, including one – Rockets center Alperen Sengun – who is coming off a season in which he earned his first All-Star nod and averaged a double-double (19.1 PPG, 10.3 RPG). Second-year Sixers forward Adem Bona, the 41st overall pick in last year’s draft, will also suit up for Turkey.
Beyond Sengun and Bona, the Turkish national team includes a handful of former NBAers whose names will be familiar to fans. Here are the 12 players who will represent Turkey at EuroBasket:
- Onuralp Bitim
- Adem Bona
- Sehmus Hazer
- Furkan Korkmaz
- Shane Larkin
- Cedi Osman
- Ercan Osmani
- Sertac Sanli
- Alperen Sengun
- Kenan Sipahi
- Erkan Yilmaz
- Omer Yurtseven
Bitim, Korkmaz, Larkin, Osman, and Yurtseven all have NBA experience, with Osman (476 regular season games) and Korkmaz (328) each having spent seven seasons in the league, though neither played in the NBA in 2024/25.
Turkey will carry some momentum into EuroBasket, having won each of its past three exhibition games ahead of the tournament, beating Czechia, Lithuania, and Montenegro. The Turkish club will be part of Group A, which also features Portugal, Estonia, Latvia, Serbia, and Czechia. Their tournament tips off on Wednesday against the Latvians.
Several Countries Finalize Rosters For EuroBasket 2025
Several countries have made their final roster cuts ahead of EuroBasket 2025, according to FIBA, which has compiled a tracker of each finalized 12-man squad.
The tournament begins on Wednesday and is made up of four groups of six teams apiece, with 16 of the 24 total clubs advancing to the knockout round. All knockout round games — including the final and third-place matchup on September 14 — will take place in Riga, Lativa.
We’ll have another story in the coming days on all the NBA players participating in the tournament, including stars such as Luka Doncic and Lauri Markkanen, who headline the rosters of Slovenia and Finland, respectively.
Here are the 16 countries that have finalized their rosters (all links courtesy of FIBA):
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Czechia (Our story here)
- Finland
- France (Our story here)
- Germany (Our story here)
- Iceland
- Israel
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Montenegro
- Poland
- Portugal
- Serbia (Our story here)
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
Here are the eight countries that have not yet finalized their rosters (links go to preliminary rosters):
Franz Wagner, Dennis Schröder Lead Germany’s EuroBasket Roster
Germany has finalized its 12-man roster for EuroBasket, highlighted by Magic star Franz Wagner and new Kings guard Dennis Schröder, writes Pijus Sapetka of BasketNews.
The Germans also feature Wagner’s Orlando teammate, Tristan Da Silva, and a couple of former NBA big men in Daniel Theis and Isaac Bonga. Making up the rest of the roster are Oscar Da Silva, Justus Hollatz, Leon Kratzer, Maodo Lo, Andreas Obst, Johannes Thiemann and Johannes Voigtmann.
Germany has several significant absences due to injuries. Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein will miss the tournament because of an Achilles tendon issue, while Magic big man Moritz Wagner continues to recover from a torn ACL in his left knee that he suffered in December.
In addition, Real Madrid refused to sign a release for guard David Kramer to participate after he suffered a muscle injury, according to Eurohoops. Kramer averaged 15.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game during the EuroBasket Qualifiers.
“This is a bitter blow for us,” German coach Alex Mumbru said. “David was planned to be an important part of our team. We now have to compensate for his absence as best we can. Of course, I’m also very sorry for him personally; David would have deserved to be there.”
The Germans have become one of international basketball’s top teams in recent years, winning a gold medal in the 2023 World Cup. Four years ago, they finished third in EuroBasket, which they hosted, and they came in fourth at the 2024 Olympics.
Schröder has been a member of the senior national team since 2014 and was named to the All-Star Five Team at last year’s Olympics. Wagner was a second-team all-tournament choice at both the 2023 World Cup and the 2024 Olympics.
Germany has been placed in Group B for EuroBasket, along with Lithuania, Great Britain, Sweden, Montenegro and Finland. Group play will start Wednesday, and all games will be held in Tampere, Finland.
Damion Lee Signing With Israeli Team
Free agent Damion Lee is signing with Israel’s Ironi Ness Ziona, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic tweets. The team announced the deal in a social media post (Instagram link).
Lee has been in the NBA since 2017. He made 25 appearances with the Suns last season after seeing action in 74 games for Phoenix two seasons earlier. Lee also had a four-season stint with Golden State from 2018-22.
Lee missed all of the 2023/24 campaign due to a knee injury. He re-signed with the Suns on a one-year, veteran’s minimum contract last July, but had a very limited role in his return, playing double-digit minutes in just three games last season.
Overall, he has appeared in 315 regular season NBA contests, averaging 7.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 19.6 minutes per contest.
Nikola Jokic Headlines Serbia’s Roster For EuroBasket
The Serbian national team has officially announced its roster for the upcoming EuroBasket tournament, according to FIBA. The 12-man group is headlined by Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic, the three-time NBA MVP who won Finals MVP en route to Denver’s first title in 2023.
While Jokic is the most noteworthy name on Serbia’s roster, the team has three other active NBA players in captain Bogdan Bogdanovic (Clippers), Nikola Jovic (Heat) and Tristan Vukcevic (Wizards). The roster also features a handful of European stars, some of whom have NBA experience.
Here’s the full 12-man roster:
- Aleksa Avramovic
- Bogdan Bogdanovic
- Ognjen Dobric
- Marko Guduric
- Nikola Jokic
- Nikola Jovic
- Stefan Jovic
- Vanja Marinkovic
- Vasilije Micic
- Nikola Milutinov
- Filip Petrusev
- Tristan Vukcevic
Thunder guard Nikola Topic and former Warriors big man Alen Smailagic were on Serbia’s preliminary roster but did not make the final cut.
Serbia is considered the favorite for the tournament, which begins on August 27 and ends on September 14. The team went 7-0 in exhibition games leading up to EuroBasket, per FIBA, defeating Bosnia and Herzegovina, Poland, Greece, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany and Slovenia.
The Serbian national team won a bronze medal at the 2024 Olympics in Paris and a silver at the 2023 World Cup (Jokic didn’t play after the Nuggets’ playoff run), but was surprisingly eliminated by Italy in the round of 16 during the last European championships in 2022. Spain won that edition of the tournament.