International Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southwest Notes: Belinelli, Parker, Doncic, Rockets

August 20th, 2018 at 9:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Marco Belinelli will focus on the upcoming NBA season instead of playing for Italy’s national team, according to a Sportando report. The veteran shooting guard will skip World Cup qualifiers next month against Poland and Hungary in order to prepare for the Spurs’ training camp, the report continues. Belinelli, who had a previous two-year stint with San Antonio, played a combined 80 regular-season games last season for the Hawks and Sixers and averaged 12.1 PPG. He’ll back up DeMar DeRozan and could also see some action at small forward after signing a two-year, $12MM deal.

In other news from around the Southwest Division:

Tony Parker will come back to San Antonio to end his career, he told the Chinese website Hupu.com in an interview that was relayed by AmicoHoops.net. Parker, who signed a two-year deal with the Hornets, intend to sign a one-day contract with the Spurs when he’s ready to call it quits. “Yes, I will retire as a Spur,” Parker said.
Mavericks guard Luka Doncic should be able to handle the physical grind of the NBA but his athleticism and quickness will be tested in his rookie season, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News writes. He also has to prove he can consistently knock down 3-pointers from behind the NBA arc, Sefko adds. Doncic is expected to jump right into the starting backcourt alongside Dennis Smith Jr.
Another trip to the Bahamas is on the docket for Rockets players, Mark Berman of Fox 26 reports. The team will try to build chemistry by holding a bonding experience there in early September, something it also did last season.

Brandon Jennings To Play In Russia

August 20th, 2018 at 12:13pm CST by Luke Adams

12:13pm: Zenit St. Petersburg has formally issued a press release announcing the signing of Jennings.

11:09am: Having been waived by the Bucks earlier this month, longtime NBA guard Brandon Jennings is expected to head overseas for the coming season to play for Russian club Zenit St. Petersburg, according to Nikos Varlas of Eurohoops.

Veteran agent Misko Raznatovic hinted at Jennings’ next move earlier this morning, tweeting, “2008 Rome, Italy…. 2018 Europe again! Welcome to Russia!” Jennings’ professional career began during the 2008/09 season, when he played for Pallacanestro Virtus Roma in Italy.

Jennings, a former 10th overall pick, returned to Milwaukee down the stretch last season after a stint with Shanxi in China. The 28-year-old appeared in 14 regular season contests for the Bucks, averaging 5.5 PPG, 3.1 APG, and 2.2 RPG with a .375/.273/1.000 shooting line. His contract with the club was non-guaranteed for 2018/19, so the Bucks released him on August 1 before his salary could become guaranteed.

Over the course of his NBA career, Jennings has averaged 14.1 PPG and 5.7 APG in 555 regular season contests for the Bucks, Pistons, Knicks, Magic, and Wizards. However, his production has been down since he tore his Achilles in 2015.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Tarik Black Signs Overseas

August 17th, 2018 at 4:02pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Tarik Black has agreed to a one-year contract with Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv, Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated reports (Twitter link). The financial terms of the agreement have not yet been reported.

The big man played for the Rockets last season, scoring 3.5 points in 10.5 minutes per game. Black has played a total of 220 games over four seasons, making a stop in Los Angeles between Houston stints.

Norris Cole To Play In Italy

August 16th, 2018 at 9:58am CST by Luke Adams

Longtime NBA point guard Norris Cole will remain overseas for the coming season, according to Nicola Lupo of Sportando, who confirms that Cole will play for Italian club Scandone Avellino in 2018/19. The deal was first reported by Sportchannel214 (Twitter link).

It will be the second consecutive season in Europe for Cole, who spent the 2017/18 campaign with Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel. In 28 EuroLeague games for Maccabi, Cole posted 12.6 PPG, 3.8 APG, and 2.5 RPG. He also averaged 11.8 PPG, 3.6 APG, and 2.2 RPG in 32 Israeli League contests.

Before he headed overseas last year, Cole had appeared in 360 total NBA regular season games for the Heat, Pelicans, and Thunder. He also played in 68 postseason contests, winning titles with Miami in 2012 and 2013. The 29-year-old’s last NBA action came during the 2016/17 season, when he appeared in 13 games for Oklahoma City.

Clarkson Permitted To Play In Asian Games

August 14th, 2018 at 10:02pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Cavaliers guard Jordan Clarkson and two other NBA players have been granted permission by the league to participate in the Asian Games. The story was first reported by CNN Philippines.

Clarkson was originally barred from playing in the event because it wasn’t sanctioned by the NBA and FIBA. The NBA has an agreement with FIBA to permit players to take part in the Olympics, the FIBA World Cup and Continental Cups, plus qualifying tournaments. The Asian Games do not fall into any of those categories, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN notes.

Clarkson will play for the Phillippines, while the Rockets’ Zhou Qi and Mavericks’ Ding Yanyuhang are expected to suit up for China, Windhorst adds. The Philippines will play their first game on Thursday when they face Kazakhstan.

Jazz Waive Guard David Stockton

August 14th, 2018 at 4:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Jazz have waived guard David Stockton, the son of their Hall of Fame point guard John Stockton, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets.

This comes as no surprise since the younger Stockton had already signed to play in Germany with Medi Bayreuth. Stockton had a non-guaranteed contract with the Jazz for the upcoming season.

Stockton joined Utah on a pair of 10-day contracts, then signed for the rest of the season in early April. He appeared in three games and played nine total minutes. He also made a couple of playoff cameos.

With Stockton off the books, the Jazz now have a roster total of 18, with 14 guaranteed contracts, two non-guaranteed contracts and a pair of two-way deals. Stockton had no path to playing time on the Jazz with Ricky Rubio, Dante Exum and Raul Neto ahead of him on the point guard depth chart.

Stockton has previous overseas experience in Croatia and New Zealand. He also played three games for the Kings in 2015.

And-Ones: O. White, T. Black, Trail Blazers

August 14th, 2018 at 9:58am CST by Luke Adams

Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv appears to be eyeing free agent NBA big men as it looks to fill out its roster for the 2018/19 season. A rumor last week indicated that former Heat and Cavs power forward Okaro White may be nearing a deal with Maccabi, but such an agreement is unlikely to happen, according to Orazio Cauchi of Sportando.

Cauchi reported last week that the Israeli club had interest in former Rockets center Tarik Black, who remains an unrestricted free agent. However, despite rumors that the two sides are closing in on a deal, Black’s agent denies that his client has any sort of agreement in place with Maccabi Tel Aviv.

As we wait to see what’s next for Maccabi, White, and Black, let’s round up a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world….

In the latest installments of their Summer Forecast series, ESPN’s panel projects the Eastern and Western Conference standings and champions for the 2018/19 season. While the teams at the top of those lists aren’t surprising, the playoff predictions in the West are noteworthy — ESPN’s panelists have the Spurs and Trail Blazers outside the top eight.
The Trail Blazers also show up in Matt John’s list of teams that could regress in 2018/19 in his latest piece for Basketball Insiders. John suggests that the Rockets, Timberwolves, and Sixers could also take a step back.
After several years at Yahoo Sports, top NBA reporter Shams Charania is headed to The Athletic. Paul Fichtenbaum of The Athletic conducted a Q&A with Charania about his own free agency decision.
Spencer Davies of Basketball Insiders weighs in on some of the best one-year contracts of 2018’s free agent period.

Aaron Harrison Won’t Play In Turkey After All

August 13th, 2018 at 4:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Former Hornets and Mavericks guard Aaron Harrison has backed out of his agreement to play with Galatasaray in the Turkish league, Orazio Cauchi of Sportando tweets. The reasons behind Harrison’s decision are unknown, though the economic crisis in the country could have played a role, Cauchi adds.

Harrison was not tendered a qualifying offer this summer by Dallas and became a unrestricted free agent. He joined the Wizards’ summer league team but shot poorly in five Las Vegas games, making just 19% of his attempts while averaging 5.8 PPG and 3.0 RPG in 15.4 MPG.

The former Kentucky Wildcat appeared in nine games, including three starts, with Dallas last season after signing a 10-day deal and then a rest-of-the-season contract in early April. The 6’6” Harrison averaged 6.7 PPG in 25.9 MPG but shot just 27.5% from the field. He saw action in a combined 26 games with Charlotte the previous two seasons.

The Turkish team also has an agreement with forward Nigel Hayes, who played for three different NBA franchises last season.

Former Spur Darrun Hilliard To Play In Spain

August 13th, 2018 at 9:58am CST by Luke Adams

Former Spurs two-way player Darrun Hilliard has signed a contract with Spanish club Baskonia, the team announced today (Twitter link). It’s a one-year deal.

Hilliard, a second-round pick in the 2015 draft, spent two seasons with the Pistons before being dealt to the Rockets in June 2017. Houston used him as a salary-matching piece in the Chris Paul trade with the Clippers, who subsequently waived him.

The Spurs signed Hilliard to a two-way contract last September, and kept him under contract for the entire 2017/18 season. The 6’6″ swingman appeared in just 14 games for San Antonio, but played well in 36 contests for the team’s G League affiliate, the Austin Spurs, averaging 20.7 PPG, 4.5 RPG, and 3.8 APG with a shooting line of .475/.400/.845.

Hilliard received a qualifying offer from the Spurs at season’s end, making him a restricted free agent, and it doesn’t appear San Antonio ever withdrew that offer.

This is the first summer that two-way qualifying offers have been an option for teams and players, so we’re still figuring out how they’ll be used going forward. Assuming they function like standard QOs, the Spurs should have the option of keeping that offer on the table next offseason before Hilliard can sign another NBA contract. The Raptors have taken this approach with Nando De Colo for the last several years, tendering him a qualifying offer every year in case he decides to return to the NBA.

Central Notes: Arcidiacono, Dekker, Walton, Clarkson

August 12th, 2018 at 5:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The way that Ryan Arcidiacono‘s contract with the Bulls is structured to keep him eligible for the G League, Basketball Insiders’ Eric Pincus tweets. Arcidiacano has a $50K guarantee, which will allow him to play with the Windy City Bulls. He signed a minimum one-year deal worth $1,349,383. The 6’3” guard out of Villanova appeared in 24 NBA games last season as a two-way player, averaging 2.0 points in nearly 13 minutes of action. He posted a 13.8/4.5/8.6 line in 37 G League games.

In other news around the Central Division:

The Clippers will send $1,247,494 to the Cavaliers as part of the Sam Dekker trade, which was made official on Tuesday, Pincus reveals in another tweet. That amount isn’t random — it’s the exact difference between Dekker’s salary and a veteran’s minimum salary, essentially allowing the Cavs to take a flier on the forward at the minimum.
Derrick Walton Jr. gives the Bulls another alternative, along with Arcidiacono, to Cameron Payne as Kris Dunn‘s backup, Michael Walton of NBC Sports Chicago notes. Walton is expected to sign with Chicago, according to his agent, after the Heat cut ties with the former University of Michigan floor leader last month. Walton is a better perimeter shooter than Payne, who is more comfortable having the ball in his hands and running pick-and-rolls, Michael Walton continues. The Bulls have a number of players who can create for themselves, so Walton might be a better fit behind Dunn, Michael Walton adds.
Cavaliers guard Jordan Clarkson is unlikely to play for Philippines in this month’s Asian Games, according to a Sportando report. Clarkson was a late addition to their national team but won’t be able to join them in Jakarta, Indonesia.