International Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Matt Costello Signs With Italian Team

August 2nd, 2018 at 9:13am CST by Arthur Hill

Matt Costello, a two-way player with the Spurs last season, has signed with Scandone Avellino in Italy, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.

The former Michigan State center played almost exclusively in the G League after signing with San Antonio last summer. He appeared in just four NBA games, averaging 8.0 minutes per night, but put up 8.0 PPG and 7.0 RPG in 30 games with the Austin Spurs in his second season in the G League.

Costello, 24, was San Antonio’s last unrestricted free agent. Darrun Hilliard, who filled the team’s other two-way slot last year, is restricted and remains unsigned.

Nate Robinson To Play In Lebanon

August 1st, 2018 at 5:14pm CST by clarkcrum

Former NBA player Nate Robinson will continue his playing career overseas, per Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. According to Carchia, Robinson penned a deal with Homenetmen of the Lebanese Basketball League.

Robinson, a late first-round selection in the 2005 NBA Draft, spent his first five seasons with the Knicks before becoming a journeyman during the back half of his NBA career. From 2010 to 2015 he played for seven additional NBA franchises and in 2016, he signed his first contract overseas with Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Premier League.

The 5’9” point guard, perhaps best known for being a three-time NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion from 2006 to 2010, said as recently as December that he is still looking for an opportunity to return to the NBA, but for now, he’ll have to settle for a chance to showcase his ability in Lebanon.

Robinson, 34, holds NBA averages of 11.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game in 618 career contests with a career shooting line of .463/.360/.796.

International Notes: Alexander, Paul, Costello

August 1st, 2018 at 8:56am CST by Luke Adams

Former Trail Blazers forward and Kansas standout Cliff Alexander will continue his playing career in Germany. Alexander has signed a two-year contract to join German team Brose Bamberg, the club announced today in a press release.

While Alexander only appeared in a total of eight regular season NBA games for Portland, he has spent time with a handful of teams. The ex-Jayhawk was in camp with the Magic in 2016 and the Pelicans in 2017, and signed a 10-day contract with the Nets near the end of the 2016/17 season.

Here are a few more notes on one-time NBA players who are playing – or may play – in international leagues this season:

Having been waived by the Spurs on Tuesday, shooting guard Brandon Paul appears to already be drawing interest from teams in Europe. Orazio Cauchi of Sportando relays a report from El Mundo Deportivo suggesting that Barcelona and Baskonia of the Spanish League may have their eye on Paul.
Matt Costello, another former Spurs player who spent last season on a two-way contract with the club, is weighing offers from Italy’s Avellino and Turkey’s Galatasaray, a source tells Orazio Cauchi of Sportando. Costello intends to take some time to make his decision, per Cauchi.
Former second-round pick Tibor Pleiss, who appeared in 12 NBA games for the Jazz back in 2015/16, will continue to play in Europe. The big man signed with Turkish club Anadolu Efes on a one-year deal featuring a second-year option, according to an announcement from the team (Twitter link).

Johnny O’Bryant To Play In Israel

July 31st, 2018 at 8:56am CST by Luke Adams

Former Bucks, Nuggets, and Hornets forward Johnny O’Bryant will continue his playing career overseas. According to an announcement from the team (hat tip to Sportando), O’Bryant has signed a one-year contract to join Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv.

“Johnny is a great addition for our team” Maccabi head coach Neven Spahija said in a statement. “He has experience in the NBA and he will a key role in the roster. I hope that together with him we’ll make another jump this season. He’s a hard worker and a great man.”

O’Bryant, a second-round pick in the 2014 NBA draft, spent two seasons with the Bucks before being waived. After a training-camp stint with the Wizards in 2016, the former LSU standout signed multiple 10-day contracts with the Nuggets and Hornets in 2017, eventually landing a multiyear deal with Charlotte.

The 6’9″ forward averaged 4.8 PPG and 2.6 RPG in 36 games (10.5 MPG) for the Hornets last season before he was included in the deadline deal that sent Knicks big man Willy Hernangomez to Charlotte. Having been acquired by New York in the trade, O’Bryant was subsequently waived.

This will be O’Bryant’s first stint overseas.

Atlantic Rumors: Lessort, Fizdale, Ojeleye, LeVert

July 30th, 2018 at 10:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Sixers’ draft-and-stash prospect Mathias Lessort has signed a two-year deal with Spain’s Unicaja Malaga, according to Eurohoops.net. The 6’9” Lessort, 22, played in Serbia last season for Red Star Belgrade and averaged 8.5 PPG and 5.7 RPG in 30 games. Lessort was the 50th overall pick in 2017.

In other news around the Atlantic Division:

The Knicks’ brass is thrilled over coach David Fizdale’s five-day visit with star player Kristaps Porzingis in Latvia, Marc Berman of the New York Post reports. The front office has been impressed by Fizdale’s ability to connect with the young players, Berman continues. No one in the Knicks’ front office visited Porzingis in Europe last summer and there were lingering concerns about his feelings toward the organization after his fallout with previous team president Phil Jackson, Berman adds.
Celtics swingman Semi Ojeleye is focused on becoming a more consistent offensive threat, Spencer Davies of Basketball Insiders writes. “Definitely knocking down open shots,” Ojeleye said of his offseason focus. “Just gotta do a better job being consistent with that. Then offensively, I think making more plays.” Ojeleye was an afterthought in the Celtics’ attack last season, even though he appeared in 73 games as a rookie. He averaged 2.7 PPG in 15.8 MPG while shooting 34.6% from the field and 32% from long range.
Nets guard Caris LeVert has received little attention this offseason but he could be poised for a breakout season, Brian Lewis of the New York Post opines. LeVert averaged 13.8 PPG on 46.5% shooting, including 44.1% on 3-point tries, heading into the New Year last season before minor injuries piled up. LeVert generated more trade interest before the February deadline and prior to this year’s draft than any other Brooklyn player, Lewis continues, but the organization chose to hold onto him. “For me it’s just staying healthy and continue to maximize my potential. I’m not really worried about anybody else but myself, honestly,” LeVert told Lewis.

And-Ones: Kelly, O’Bryant, Leonard, Booker, Curry

July 30th, 2018 at 10:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Former Lakers and Hawks forward Ryan Kelly has signed a contract to play for SunRockeres Shibuya of Japan next season, according to a Sportando report. Kelly spent last season with Real Betis in Spain and averaged 13.3 PPG and 4.5 RPG.

Kelly, 27, last appeared in the NBA during the 2016/17 season with Atlanta, when he saw action in 16 games. He spent his first three seasons with the Lakers. The 6’11” power forward has averaged 6.0 PPG and 3.1 RPG in 19.2 MPG in his 163-game NBA career.

In other basketball news domestically and overseas:

Maccabi Tel Aviv is close to signing power forward Johnny O’Bryant, according to another Sportando report. O’Bryant, 25, played 36 games last season with the Hornets, averaging 4.6 PPG and 2.8 RPG in 10.5 MPG. O’Bryant, 25, was traded to the Knicks in February and then waived. The 6’9” O’Bryant has also played for the Nuggets and Bucks, who selected him 36th overall in the 2014 draft.
Kawhi Leonard, Devin Booker, Victor Oladipo and Ben Simmons are among the dark-horse candidates to win the Most Valuable Player award, according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. A healthy Leonard would quickly become a prime MVP candidate, O’Connor opines, while Booker could have a breakout campaign after showing steady progress in his first three seasons.
DeMarcus Cousins (Warriors) and Isaiah Thomas (Nuggets) are obvious choices as the best bargains in free agency but as Rob Mahoney of Sports Illustrated notes, there are several other players who could fall into that category. Ed Davis (Nets), Seth Curry (Trail Blazers) and Brook Lopez (Bucks) should all provide production that far outweigh the deals that they signed, in Mahoney’s view.

Eastern Notes: Pistons, Raptors, Nets, Vazquez

July 29th, 2018 at 9:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Ed Stefanski, the new head of basketball operations in Detroit, inherited a squad with most of its veteran players under contract through the 2018 offseason, but has still managed to remake a third of the Pistons‘ roster this summer, writes Keith Langlois of Pistons.com.

While the Pistons added veterans like Glenn Robinson III, Jose Calderon, and Zaza Pachulia to the mix, Stefanski believes that the two new rookies – Bruce Brown and Khyri Thomas – are capable of making an immediate impact at the NBA level.

“I really believe that. They like to play defense,” said Stefanski, who technically holds the role of senior advisor for the Pistons. “They’re from good programs, they’re unbelievable kids and they want to play defense. Everywhere I’ve been, (rookies) never got on the floor because they didn’t play defense. These two want to. I like both of them.”

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

In his latest mailbag for The Toronto Star, Doug Smith answers readers’ questions relating to the end of DeMar DeRozan‘s time in Toronto, Kawhi Leonard‘s arrival, and many more Raptors-related topics.
As NetsDaily relays, Danny Leroux of RealGM and ESPN’s Kevin Pelton suggested on a recent podcast that the Nets have had a solid “volume” offseason, adding depth to their roster with a series of moves rather than targeting one or two impact players. In the view of Leroux and Pelton, Brooklyn could be a fringe playoff contender in the East, and may make a decision by the trade deadline on whether to once again be sellers.
Longtime Magic draft-and-stash player Fran Vazquez has signed yet another contract in Spain, according to Keith Smith of RealGM.com, who tweets that the veteran center is joining Tecnyconta Zaragoza. Vazquez was the 11th overall pick in the 2005 draft, but the 35-year-old has spent his entire professional career overseas.

J.P. Tokoto Reaches Deal With Israeli Team

July 28th, 2018 at 11:59am CST by marksuleymanov

Former second-round draft pick J.P. Tokoto has reached an agreement with Israeli team Hapoel Eilat, per Sportando. Tokoto spent last season with the Perth Wildcats of Australia’s National Basketball League. He averaged 15.4 PPG, 5.9 RPG and 2.8 APG in 30 games for Perth.

Tokoto, 25, was drafted 58th overall by the Sixers in 2015 and has spent his professional career in the United States in the G League. Tokoto has spent time with the affiliate teams for the Sixers, Thunder, and Knicks.

The Warriors signed the North Carolina product to a Summer League deal and he appeared in five games, averaging 7.0 PPG and 4.6 RPG while shooting 45% from the floor.

Former King Jack Cooley To Play In Italy

July 27th, 2018 at 12:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran NBA big man Jack Cooley is headed overseas for the 2018/19 season, with Italian club Dinamo Sassari officially announcing a deal with Cooley. It’s a one-year contract, per Sportando.

The move represents a return to Europe for Cooley, who has previously played for teams in Turkey, Germany, and Spain. The former Notre Dame standout also has NBA stints with Utah and Sacramento, having spent the 2017/18 season on a two-way contract with the Kings. Cooley appeared in just seven games for the Kings, but was a key contributor for the Reno Bighorns, Sacramento’s G League affiliate, averaging 17.7 PPG and 9.7 RPG in 39 games.

The Kings opted not to tender a qualifying offer to Cooley last month, making him an unrestricted free agent. The 27-year-old appeared in five Summer League games in Las Vegas for the Suns, but will continue his playing career overseas rather than in the NBA.

Sacramento currently has both of its two-way contract slots open after filling them with Cooley and JaKarr Sampson last season.

Former Hawk Josh Magette To Play In Croatia

July 27th, 2018 at 8:51am CST by Luke Adams

After spending the 2017/18 season under contract with the Hawks, free agent point guard Josh Magette will head overseas for the 2018/19 campaign. According to agent Chris Patrick (Twitter link), Magette has signed a deal with Croatian team KK Cedevita.

Since going undrafted out of Alabama-Huntsville in 2012, Magette has spent time with teams in the Netherlands and Greece, and is a veteran of the G League, having appeared in 181 total NBAGL games. He caught on with the Hawks during the 2017 offseason, signing a two-way contract and spending the entire season with the club.

Magette played sparingly in 18 games for Atlanta, seeing much more action in 36 contests with the Erie BayHawks. While the 28-year-old struggled with his shot in G League action (.374 FG%, .300 3PT%), he averaged a double-double on the season, racking up 15.1 PPG and 10.1 APG.

The Hawks opted to go in a different direction with their two-way contract slots for 2018/19, declining to tender qualifying offers to Magette or Andrew White. Jaylen Adams currently occupies one of Atlanta’s two-way slots, while Alex Poythress is poised to take the other.