International Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Kai Jones Close To Signing With Virtus Bologna

August 10th, 2025 at 10:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Kai Jones is nearing a deal with Virtus Bologna, sources tell Alessandro Maggi of Sportando (Twitter link).

The 24-year-old center signed with the Clippers at the end of the 2023/24 season, then landed a two-way contract in last year’s training camp. After being waived at the start of March, he finished the season on a two-way deal with the Mavericks.

Jones saw limited action in 28 games with L.A., but he had a much larger role once he joined the shorthanded Dallas team. He appeared in 12 games, making six starts and averaging 11.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 21.7 minutes per night while shooting 83.6% from the field.

The Mavericks showed interest in bringing Jones back, but they’ll have a full roster with the expected re-signing of Dante Exum. It appears Jones – who is no longer eligible for a two-way contract – is opting for guaranteed money overseas instead of waiting for another NBA opportunity.

Selected with the 19th pick in the 2021 draft, Jones was a highly touted prospect after two years at Texas. He was waived after two disappointing seasons with Charlotte and had to work his way back through the G League.

Virtus Bologna’s roster already includes former NBA players Carsen Edwards, Luca Vildoza and Alen Smailagic. A report on Saturday indicated that the Italian team also had interest in Kenneth Faried.

Calf Injury Will Prevent Jeremy Sochan From Playing In EuroBasket

August 10th, 2025 at 8:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan will miss the EuroBasket tournament due to a calf injury, the Polish Basketball Federation announced.

Sochan felt pain in his calf following a workout earlier this week and alerted the Polish team’s medical staff. A meeting was held Saturday that included representatives of the Spurs, along with Sochan’s agent and family, and it was determined that the best course of action would be for him to return to San Antonio for treatment and rehabilitation.

The injury isn’t expected to affect Sochan’s availability when NBA training camps open late next month.

“We did the necessary tests for Jeremy. The injury is not serious, but there are less than three weeks left until EuroBasket,” said Lukasz Koszarek, director of the Polish national team. “This is very little time. Jeremy is a very important part of our team, he has great contact with all the players and staff and we are very sorry that his adventure with the national team ends so quickly this summer.”

Sochan, whose mother is Polish, has represented the country in international competitions since the junior level. He made his debut for the Polish senior team at EuroBasket in 2022.

Selected with the ninth pick in the 2022 NBA draft, Sochan has been a versatile player for the Spurs during his three years in the NBA. He averaged 11.4 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 54 games last season and is eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer.

Spurs general manager Brian Wright commended Polish officials for their handling of the injury, and Sochan expressed regret at having to miss the tournament.

“I am very disappointed, but due to a calf muscle injury, unfortunately, I will not be able to play for Polish at this year’s EuroBasket,” he said. “I’ve been working hard for this over the last few months, and the time I trained and played with the national team was amazing. It’s a special group and I really enjoyed being a part of this team. Fortunately, the doctors predict that I will be fully healthy by the time the start of the preparation camp before the upcoming NBA season. I want to thank my teammates, coaches and the whole staff, especially the fans in Poland, for their support. I appreciate it very much and know that although I will not be able to be with you, I will support Poland with all my heart.”

International Notes: Chiozza, Cacok, Faried, McCaw

August 9th, 2025 at 4:17pm CST by Rory Maher

Free agent point guard Chris Chiozza has signed with Karşıyaka Basket for the 2025/26 season, the Turkish team announced (Instagram link; hat tip to Sportando).

After going undrafted out of Florida in 2018, Chiozza spent his first four professional seasons bouncing between the NBA and the G League, mostly on two-way contracts. He appeared in 91 regular season contests with the Rockets, Wizards, Nets and Warriors, last suiting up for Golden State during the ’21/22 campaign.

The 29-year-old has spent the past three seasons overseas in Spain and Turkey. He played for Manisa Basket last season, which — like Karşıyaka — competes in Turkey’s Basketball Super League.

Here are a few more international notes:

Ex-NBA big man Devontae Cacok has officially signed a one-year deal with Spanish club UCAM Murcia, as Emiliano Carchia of Sportando relays. Cacok played parts of three NBA seasons with the Lakers and Spurs from 2019-22. He played in Russia during the ’22/23 season and spent the past two seasons with Virtus Bologna. The Italian team released Cacok in November due to a knee injury, but evidently he is fully recovered now.
Speaking of Virtus Bologna, the EuroLeague club is reportedly interested in Kenneth Faried, according to Carchia, who cites a report from La Prealpina. The 6’8″ power forward averaged 11.4 points and 8.1 rebounds over eight NBA seasons but has been out of the league since ’18/19. Faried, 35, has played in the NBAGL, China, Russia, Italy and Puerto Rico over the past several years.
Pallacanestro Cantù, which was promoted to Italy’s top domestic league (Serie A) in June following a four-year hiatus, has expressed interest in Patrick McCaw, according to Italian outlet La Provincia (hat tip to Carchia). The former second-round pick won three titles with the Warriors and Raptors during his five years in the NBA, last suiting up for Toronto in ’20/21. Known for his defense, McCaw has spent most of the past four years in the G League with the Delaware Blue Coats, Philadelphia’s affiliate.

Partizan Belgrade Reportedly Eyeing Mo Bamba

August 9th, 2025 at 2:57pm CST by Rory Maher

Partizan Belgrade has made a contract offer to Mo Bamba and is considered the frontrunner to sign the former lottery pick if he decides to play in Europe for the first time in his career, according to Vasiliki Karamouza of Sport24.gr (hat tip to Sportando).

The sixth overall pick in 2018, Bamba spent the first half of 2024/25 with the Clippers before being traded to — and waived by — the Jazz in early February. He later signed a 10-day deal with New Orleans in March.

A report last month indicated that Olympiacos (Greece) was interested in Bamba, but he has not been linked to any NBA teams this offseason.

Bamba, 27, holds seven years of NBA experience, mostly with Orlando. He averaged 4.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.0 block in 32 appearances last season with the Clippers and Pelicans (13.2 minutes per game).

KK Partizan, which competes in the EuroLeague and the ABA League, is coming off an ABA League title this spring but went just 16-18 in EuroLeague play. The Serbian club’s roster features no shortage of former NBA players, including Shake Milton, Jabari Parker, Sterling Brown, Isaac Bonga and Aleksej Pokusevski, among others.

Another former lottery pick, Frank Ntilikina, played for Partizan last season but was reportedly nearing a departure this offseason. However, Karamouza’s sources say that the French guard will stay in Belgrade after agreeing to a pay cut.

Richaun Holmes Signs Two-Year Contract With Panathinaikos

August 9th, 2025 at 11:29am CST by Rory Maher

As expected, free agent center Richaun Holmes has officially signed a two-year contract with Panathinaikos, the 2024 EuroLeague champions announced today (Instagram link).

According to the Greek club, Holmes’ deal features an option in year two, meaning he could become a free agent again in 2026. He will reportedly be one of the highest-paid players in Europe.

Holmes arrived in Athens on Friday night and was thrilled to be greeted by an enthusiastic crowd of Panathinaikos supporters, writes Apostolos Mavrakis of Sportal.gr (hat tip to Sportando).

“I came here to win. I’m where I want to be, ready to play and to fight for victories,” Holmes said. “This is incredible — I can’t put it into words. I’ve never experienced anything like this in my life … the love was instant. I can’t wait to get on the court and give it back.”

When asked what convinced him to sign with Panathinaikos, the 31-year-old big man said it felt good to be wanted.

“I think just how they came, how they pursued me, they wanted me,” Holmes said. “They sold me on the idea of the importance that they needed me here, they wanted me here, and that was everything to me. I just wanted to be pursued, wanted to be wanted.

“I came here to do some great things. This is a powerhouse club and I’m looking to add to that and be a part of it. I’m just glad to be a part of this legacy, honestly.”

Holmes 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.

After becoming an unrestricted free agent, Holmes drew interest from a handful of EuroLeague clubs, including Fenerbahce in Turkey. A report last weekend stated he was mulling an offer from Panathinaikos while waiting to see if he’d be offered a guaranteed NBA contract — evidently he didn’t find an NBA deal to his liking.

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.

Holmes will be Panathinaikos’ final offseason signing, according to owner Dimitris Giannakopoulos (story via Aris Barkas of Eurohoops).

Chimezie Metu Nearing Deal With Monaco

August 8th, 2025 at 8:00pm CST by Eli Cohen

Free agent forward/center Chimezie Metu is close to agreeing to a deal to join AS Monaco, reports Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.

Because Metu ruptured his Achilles tendon in March and is hoping to return to play sometime around January, the deal is contingent on the 28-year-old passing medical examinations, Urbonas writes, which will likely occur sometime next week.

Metu played six seasons in the NBA, including three with the Kings. He averaged 5.9 points and 3.5 rebounds per game over the course of 260 regular season appearances from 2018-24 before spending last season with Barcelona. He put up 11.0 points and 4.8 rebounds in 20.0 minutes per game while making 36.4% of his three-pointers during 24 EuroLeague outings.

Should the athletic big man sign with Monaco, he would join a roster loaded with former NBA talent, including Daniel Theis, Nikola Mirotic, Donatas Motiejunas, Mike James, Elie Okobo, Jaron Blossomgame, and Nick Calathes. Monaco made it to the EuroLeague Finals last season, losing to Fenerbahce, 81-70.

As Urbonas notes, Metu was in advanced talks with Fenerbahce earlier this summer before a potential agreement fell through. It’s unclear whether or not his Achilles recovery process was the reason that deal didn’t get finalized.

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.