International Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Devon Hall Will Play In Australia

August 12th, 2018 at 8:50am CST by Arthur Hill

Devon Hall, a second-round pick by the Thunder in this year’s draft, will spend the upcoming season in Australia, writes Erik Horne of The Oklahoman. Cairns Taipans of the Australian National Basketball League has officially announced Hall’s signing.

The 53rd player selected, Hall is a 6’5″ shooting guard out of Virginia who spent four seasons in college. He played five games for the Thunder’s Summer League team, averaging 5.4 points in 15.2 minutes per contest.

There was no room for Hall on the Thunder, who currently have 15 players with guaranteed contracts. The team recently acquired Abdel Nader and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot in trades and signed second-rounder Hamidou Diallo, eliminating any chance Hall may have had to earn a roster spot this season. His choices were to play overseas or for Oklahoma City Blue in the G League.

Hall plans to spend one year in Australia before coming to the NBA, tweets Sam Blum of the Daily Progress in Charlottesville, Va. “We expect him to be with the Thunder next season,” Hall’s agent, Daniel Curtin, told Blum.

Former NBA Forward Jason Thompson Headed To China

August 11th, 2018 at 3:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Former NBA forward Jason Thompson will play next season in China, according to a Sportando report.

Thompson has signed a deal with Sichuan Blue Whales of the Chinese Basketball Association. He spent last season with Fenerbahce D Istanbul, winning the Turkish League (BSL) and reaching the EuroLeague final. In 36 games with Fenerbahce, Thompson averaged 5.0 PPG and 3.9 RPG in 16.0 MPG.

Thompson, 32, also played in China during the 2016/17 season. He spent seven seasons with the Kings and made 405 starts. He played a combined 47 games, including seven starts, with the Warriors and Raptors in 2015/16.

Thompson averaged 8.9 PPG and 6.6 RPG in 588 career NBA games.

Scola, Nicholson Expected To Continue Playing In China

August 10th, 2018 at 11:59am CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA power forwards Luis Scola and Andrew Nicholson are expected to continue their playing careers in China, according to a pair of reports relayed by Sportando.

Scola, who initially signed with the Shanxi Brave Dragons last July, is signing with the Shanghai Sharks for the 2018/19 Chinese Basketball Association season, per Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. The news comes on the heels of Trevor Booker‘s announcement that he’d be joining Shanxi, presumably taking over Scola’s old role.

In his first CBA season, Scola averaged 27.8 PPG, 13.7 RPG, and 3.4 APG in 37 games for the Brave Dragons, though the team only managed a 16-22 record. Scola, a longtime NBA big man who played for the Rockets, Suns, Pacers, Raptors, and Nets from 2007 to 2017, will be joining a Sharks team that was led by Jimmer Fredette (36.9 PPG) last season.

As for Nicholson, he’s expected to sign with the Fujian Sturgeons after playing for the Guangdong Southern Tigers in 2017/18, according to a Chinese report passed along by Sportando.

Nicholson, who teamed with fellow NBA vets Yi Jianlian and Donald Sloan last season for Guangdong, recorded 22.2 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 1.6 APG in 46 CBA contests. The Tigers advanced to the CBA semifinals before being eliminated by the Liaoning Flying Leopards.

A former Magic first-round pick, Nicholson appeared in 285 total NBA regular season games from 2012 to 2017 with Orlando, Washington, and Brooklyn before making the leap to China last September.

Former Hawk Andrew White To Play In Turkey

August 9th, 2018 at 8:55am CST by Luke Adams

After playing for the Hawks on a two-way contract in 2017/18, small forward Andrew White is headed to Turkey for the upcoming season. Turkish club Afyon Belediye published a tweet that included a White highlight package and welcomed him to the team.

White, 25, went undrafted in Syracuse in 2017 but caught on with the Celtics for training camp. He opened the regular season with the Maine Red Claws in the G League after being released by Boston, and a strong showing for Maine (16.0 PPG on .435/.400/.855 shooting in 24 games) led to a two-way deal with the Hawks.

White appeared in 15 NBA games for Atlanta and 15 more games for the Erie BayHawks – the Hawks’ G League affiliate – after joining his new club. However, the Hawks decided to go in another direction with their two-way contract slots this offseason and didn’t tender White a qualifying offer in June, making him an unrestricted free agent.

White is one of several former NBA players set to play in Turkey in 2018/19. Joffrey Lauvergne, Nigel Hayes, Shane Larkin, Markel Brown, and Jeff Withey are among the others who have reached deals with Turkish clubs this summer.

International Notes: White, Eriksson, Pasecniks, Radicevic

August 8th, 2018 at 9:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

After being waived by the Cavaliers earlier this week, Okaro White is nearing a deal with Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel, according to Stavros Barbarousis of EuroHoops. White has prior overseas experience, playing in Italy and Greece before signing with the Heat in 2016.

He played in 41 games in a season and a half with Miami before being traded to the Hawks at this year’s deadline and then waived on the same day. He signed with the Cavaliers in March, but never made it on the court and was released before a partial guarantee on his 2018/19 salary kicked in. White played seven Summer League games for the Cavs, averaging 6.0 PPG and 7.4 RPG.

There’s more international news to pass along:

Marcus Eriksson, a draft-and-stash player whose rights are owned by the Hawks, re-signed with Herbalife Gran Canaria in Spain, tweets Keith Smith of Real GM. A 24-year-old Swedish forward, Eriksson was the 50th player taken in 2015.
Anzejs Pasecniks, a 2017 first-rounder whose draft rights are owned by the Sixers, also re-signed with Herbalife Gran Canaria, according to Smith (Twitter link). Orlando took the 7’2″ center with the 25th pick and traded him to Philadelphia.
Nikola Radicevic, a second-round selection in 2015, signed with Dolomiti Energia Trento in Italy, Smith adds (Twitter link). The Nuggets own the draft rights to the 24-year-old point guard.
Jonathan Holmes, who spent part of last season with Maine in the G League, has signed with Hapoel Tel Aviv, relays Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. He averaged 7.3 PPG and 7.4 PG in 11 games with the Red Claws.

Joel Bolomboy To Play In Russia

August 8th, 2018 at 3:54pm CST by Luke Adams

Former Jazz and Bucks power forward Joel Bolomboy is headed to Russia for the upcoming season, having signed a three-year contract with EuroLeague powerhouse CSKA Moscow, per a press release. It will be the first time that the Ukranian-born big man has played professionally overseas.

“I’m very excited to join CSKA,” Bolomboy said in a statement. “Growing up as a kid it was always a dream to play for the NBA or also the great CSKA Moscow because of my family history. Now I will finally have a chance to do so. It means a lot to me because my mother is from Russia and we have roots here. I look forward to this experience, learning a lot and growing as a young player on and off the court and to this new journey in my career.”

A former second-round pick out of Weber State, Bolomboy spent the 2016/17 season with the Jazz, appearing in 12 games for Utah and 24 contests for the team’s G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars. After being waived by the Jazz last October, Bolomboy signed a two-way contract with the Bucks. He was cut by Milwaukee in January.

While Bolomboy’s NBA experience has been limited, he has played very well in the G League. In 54 games for Salt Lake City and Wisconsin, the 24-year-old has averaged a double-double (16.5 PPG, 11.2 RPG) with a .553/.389/.744 shooting line.

CSKA Moscow’s interest in Bolomboy was first reported by Sportando back in April. The Russian squad, which has earned a spot in the EuroLeague Final Four for seven straight years, also signed 2017 second-round pick Alec Peters earlier this offseason.

Trevor Booker To Play In China

August 8th, 2018 at 2:14pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran NBA power forward Trevor Booker has announced that he’ll play in China during the 2018/19 season.

“Although I know I belong in the NBA, I’m excited to announce that I’ll be heading to China this upcoming season,” Booker wrote in a tweet. “The summer didn’t pan out as I hoped, but I assure you that I’ll be back on a NBA floor terrorizing people again soon enough.”

While Booker doesn’t name his new team in his announcement, a report over the weekend indicated that he was nearing a deal with the Shanxi Brave Dragons of the Chinese Basketball Association. Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype confirms (via Twitter) that Booker has finalized a one-year contract with Shanxi. It’ll be worth $2MM, plus incentives, per Kennedy.

Because the CBA season ends before the NBA season does, Booker should have the opportunity to return stateside and catch on with an NBA team before the playoffs begin next April. Ty Lawson did something similar this past year, signing with the Wizards at the end of the season after spending the rest of the year with the Shandong Golden Stars in China.

Booker, 30, began the 2017/18 campaign with the Nets but was traded to Philadelphia in the deal that send Jahlil Okafor and Nik Stauskas to Brooklyn. When the Sixers signed Ersan Ilyasova later in the season, Booker became expendable and was released. After clearing waivers, he signed with Indiana and finished the season with the Pacers. For the year, he averaged 6.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 1.2 APG in 68 total games (17.0 MPG) for three teams.

Nigel Hayes To Play In Turkey

August 8th, 2018 at 9:40am CST by Luke Adams

Former Wisconsin forward Nigel Hayes is headed overseas for the coming season, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, who reports (via Twitter) that Hayes has reached a contract agreement with Turkish club Galatasaray.

Hayes, 23, went undrafted last summer, but joined the Knicks for training camp. A strong showing (16.1 PPG, 6.7 RPG, .454 3PT%) for New York’s G League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks, resulted in a handful of NBA opportunities for the young forward later in the year.

Hayes signed 10-day contracts with the Lakers and Raptors before inking a rest-of-season deal with the Kings. He appeared in nine total games for the three clubs, but was waived by Sacramento last month, making him an unrestricted free agent.

According to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando, who reported earlier today that Hayes was closing in on a deal with Galatasaray, the Turkish team is also moving toward signing former Hornets and Mavericks guard Aaron Harrison. Harrison finished the 2017/18 season with Dallas but is now an unrestricted free agent.

Sasha Vujacic Hopeful For NBA Return

August 7th, 2018 at 7:31pm CST by clarkcrum

According to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando, veteran guard Sasha Vujacic is hoping for a return to the NBA for the 2018/19 season.

Vujacic spent the 2017/18 season with Fiat Torino of the Lega Basket Serie A in Italy, helping the team win its first even Italian Cup by scoring the deciding layup in the final seconds.

“I don’t know where I will be playing next season,” Vujacic said. “But honestly, I am first waiting for the NBA. But I also know that my agent is talking to some European teams, Torino included.”

A 10-year NBA veteran, the 34-year-old last played in the NBA during the 2016/17 season, appearing in 42 games for the Knicks and averaging 3.0 points and 1.2 assists in 9.7 minutes per game.

A two-time NBA champion with the Lakers, Vujacic holds career averages of 5.3 PPG, 1.9 RPG, and 1.3 APG in 15.3 minutes per contest with a relatively humdrum shooting line of .390/.367/.858.

Brian Bowen To Play In Australia

August 7th, 2018 at 5:06pm CST by clarkcrum

Former McDonald’s All-American and Louisville recruit Brian Bowen has signed a professional contract with the Sydney Kings of the National Basketball League, reports Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

Bowen, a five-star recruit in the class of 2017, is the first player signed to the NBL’s Next Stars program, launched in March to provide alternative pathways for NBA prospects who are uninterested in or unable to play college basketball.

“I am honored to be the first player under the NBL’s Next Stars program and feel it will be the perfect next step as I continue the path toward fulfilling my dream of playing in the NBA,” Bowen said. “In joining the Sydney Kings, I couldn’t ask for a better opportunity to start my professional career and look forward to learning from all the team’s veteran pros, like Andrew Bogut, Jerome Randle and Brad Newley. I can’t wait to get out to Sydney and join the team.”

Widely known as one of the central figures identified in the FBI’s investigation into corruption in college basketball, Bowen, 19, hopes to put all of that behind him and focus on making it to the NBA like Thunder swingman Terrance Ferguson did before him.

Ferguson, a top-100 recruit in the class of 2016, played with the Adelaide 36ers during the 2016/17 NBL season before becoming a first-round draft pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. Bowen, who will make his debut in the NBL this season, will now become automatically eligible for the 2019 NBA Draft after signing a professional contract with the Kings.