International Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Durant, Curry, LeBron, Other U.S. Stars Express Olympic Interest

October 2nd, 2023 at 4:08pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2024 Olympics in Paris were a popular topic of discussion on media days around the NBA in Monday, with many of the league’s biggest American stars expressing interest in representing Team USA next summer.

Suns forward Kevin Durant, who won Olympic gold medals in 2012, 2016, and 2020, was adamant in addressing his 2024 plans, telling reporters, “I will play in the Olympics next year,” according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.

Durant’s Suns teammate Devin Booker also indicated that he would accept an invite from USA Basketball, as Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic writes, while KD’s former Warriors teammate Stephen Curry told reporters, “(I) definitely want to be on the team,” per Reynolds.

Lakers forward LeBron James, who was rumored last month to be recruiting his fellow U.S. stars to play at next year’s Olympics, confirmed his interest, tweets Jovan Buha of The Athletic. His teammate Anthony Davis wasn’t prepared to commit yet, telling reporters that it’s too early to say whether he’ll play (Twitter link via Buha).

Of course, one of the biggest question marks for Team USA is Joel Embiid, who has yet to take part in an international competition and has citizenship in France and the U.S. in addition to his native Cameroon.

As Tim Bontemps of ESPN relays (via Twitter), Embiid said today that he’d like to play in the Olympics but is still weighing his options. While the U.S. and France have already qualified, Cameroon will compete in a qualifying tournament next summer in the hopes of earning a spot in the 12-team Olympic field. Embiid, who was reportedly given an October 10 deadline by the French team, said he hopes to make his decision “in the next few days.”

“I love all three options,” Embiid said, per ESPN. “Cameroon, I’m born there, I’m from there and I always want to represent my country. But the goal is also to play in the Olympics. If we had a chance, or if we would qualify for the Olympics, that will be an easy decision. But that’s still up in the air. And I really do want to play in the Olympics.”

Here’s more on the potential Team USA roster, which can only accommodate 12 players:

Celtics forward Jayson Tatum intends to play for the U.S. in Paris, tweets Jeff Goodman of The Messenger. His teammate Jaylen Brown also expressed interest, telling reporters that there’s “no greater honor” than representing his country and adding that it would be “great” to play in next year’s Olympics (Twitter link via Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe).
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard said he would consider playing for Team USA in the Paris Olympics, per Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).
Bucks forward Khris Middleton and center Brook Lopez (Twitter link via Eric Nehm of The Athletic), Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (Twitter link via Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files), Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (Twitter link via Chris Mannix of SI.com), Bulls guard Zach LaVine (Twitter link via K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago), and Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (Twitter link via Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports) are among the players who indicated they’d accept invites from Team USA if they received them. Heat big man Bam Adebayo, Suns guard Bradley Beal, Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, and Knicks forward Julius Randle also fall into that group, per a report from ESPN.
Clippers forward Paul George, Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, and Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma expressed some interest in playing for Team USA, while Heat wing Jimmy Butler didn’t rule out the possibility, according to ESPN.

And-Ones: M. Johnson, Dellavedova, Bronny, International

September 26th, 2023 at 10:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Magic Johnson has turned down chances to join NBA ownership groups and says that due to his loyalty to the Lakers, he’d only consider a chance to be part of an ownership group with the Knicks, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press reports.

“I think because of the way fans love basketball you might have to think about that one, because I love coming to New York and going to the Garden and watching the Knicks play,” he said. “I love being with fans who are so passionate about their team and the Knick fans are, and they’re smart. They’re smart basketball fans and so that one I would have to think about. I think that other than that, I would probably never think about ever being a part of another franchise.”

Johnson hasn’t spoken with Madison Square Garden executive chairman James Dolan about his dream of owning a piece of the franchise. Johnson, who is a minority owner of the Washington Commanders, said he has declined opportunities to join the Warriors, Pistons, and Hawks ownership groups, but wouldn’t mind meeting with Dolan.

“That one you would really have to think about, in terms of being a minority owner of that team,” he said. “But other than that, I would just stay with the Lakers and even with my role now, just being a fan, I’m happy just doing that with the Lakers because, again, I bleed purple and gold.”

We have more from the around the basketball world:

Former NBA guard Matthew Dellavedova was disappointed he wasn’t part of Australia’s World Cup team this summer and is motivated to prove he belongs on its Olympic team, Olgun Uluc of ESPN reports. He’s playing for Melbourne United this season. “For me, the Boomers is the ultimate,” Dellavedova said. “I’ve never taken it for granted. I know how fortunate I’ve been to represent Australia. I still feel like my best basketball is ahead of me, so I definitely want to be part of the Boomers for as long as possible. The goal is to try to help United win a championship, and do whatever I can to make the team for Paris.”
LeBron James‘ son, Bronny James, didn’t participate in USC’s first practice though his coach says he’s doing well health-wise, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. Bronny suffered cardiac arrest during a workout on July 24. “We anticipate him being a very valuable part of our basketball team,” coach Andy Enfield said. “But that’ll be all sorted out. He’s the ultimate teammate because he cares about winning, and he has such a personal relationship with all his teammates.”
Turkish team Anadolu Efes is considering making another roster addition and may be eyeing NBA free agents, Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net relays. “Of course, when it comes to players of such quality, they are waiting for the NBA before making a final decision,” GM Alper Yilmaz said. “I will not name players, but we are considering three players. Maybe two different names come to my attention every single day. We don’t want to sign a player without the head coach’s approval.”

And-Ones: Embiid, Reynolds, O’Quinn

September 24th, 2023 at 8:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Olympic rosters don’t have to be submitted until next summer but Team France is hoping that the reigning Most Valuable Player will make a decision as early as next month.

Joel Embiid can choose to play for the USA, France or Cameroon. French federation president Jean-Pierre Siutat told a radio station in his home country (hat tip to Eurohoops.net) that they’d like to get an answer from Embiid by Oct. 10.

“It will happen very quickly in all cases,” Siutat said. “We hope so and I think he knows it. We may have an answer by October 10. We have set this deadline.”

The Sixers center didn’t participate in the recent FIBA World Cup and has yet to represent any country in international play, which is why he still has the option of representing any three of the nations where he has citizenship. France and the U.S. have already qualified for the Olympics, while Cameroon will compete in a qualifying tournament next summer to try to earn a spot.

We have more international basketball news:

Former NBA forward Cameron Reynolds is close to signing with Greece’s Promitheas Patras, Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews reports. Reynolds appeared in a combined 24 NBA games with Minnesota, San Antonio and Houston, most recently during the 2020/21 season. He has also played in Italy and Montenegro.
Former NBA center Kyle O’Quinn is signing with the Sichuan Blue Whales in China, according to Sportando. O’Quinn played in Japan last season. O’Quinn has played for Orlando, New York, Indiana and Philadelphia. His 2019/20 stint with the Sixers, in which he played 29 regular season games, was his last appearance in the NBA. He averaged 5.4 points and 4.6 rebounds in 472 career regular season contests.
We took a deep dive into projected minimum salaries for the 2024/25 season. Get the info here.

And-Ones: Whitsitt, Seattle, Brazdeikis, Australia

September 23rd, 2023 at 6:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

Former SuperSonics and Trail Blazers executive Bob Whitsitt is among the many NBA figures who support having a team in Seattle again, writes Sam Yip of HoopsHype. In an upcoming book, Whitsitt looks back on his experiences in the city and contends that everything is already in place for a successful NBA franchise.

That includes Climate Pledge Arena, where the new team would be based. Whitsitt, who served as a consultant during remodeling work on the facility, said his job was to make sure it has everything the NBA would look for in a home arena. He says NBA executives have already made several trips to Climate Pledge, with another one coming at an October 10 preseason game, and the arena owners are willing make any modifications the league might request.

He also notes that the Sonics had strong support from their fans until the move to Oklahoma City, adding that Seattle residents are eager to get their team back.

“So all we need is the NBA to say they’re willing and wanting to expand, and I believe the Seattle market will be at the top of the list,” Whitsitt said. “It will be a phenomenal market. I believe the team will be super well-supported. Bringing the Sonics back is something that fans have wanted since 2008. I live in Seattle, I hear it every day, I’m asked the question every day. And all I can tell them is yes, I’m 100 percent all in and I’m gonna do everything I can, in a big way or even in a small way, whatever is required to help make that happen.”

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

Ignas Brazdeikis has confirmed that he plans to join Greek powerhouse Olympiacos, according to a report from Eurohoops. He’s expected to sign a two-year deal, and Kaunas, where he played last season, will get a buyout worth 500K Euros. Brazdeikis, 24, had brief stops with the Knicks, Sixers and Magic during his time in the NBA.
Former Kentucky guard Isaiah Briscoe has signed with Maroussi BC in Greece after playing in Italy last season, tweets Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog. The 27-year-old appeared in 39 games with the Magic during the 2018/19 season.
Lachlan Olbrich of the Illawarra Hawks looked like the best NBA prospect during this week’s NBL Blitz in Australia, observes Olgun Uluc of ESPN. The 6’10” forward averaged 14.7 PPG and made 19 of his 22 shots from the field during the event. Uluc shares several highlights from the Blitz, including Matthew Dellavedova‘s return to Melbourne United, whom he played for in 2021/22.

International Notes: McKinnie, Caboclo, Stanley, Sarr

September 22nd, 2023 at 4:30pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran NBA forward Alfonzo McKinnie, who appeared in 182 games for five teams from 2017-22, has officially signed a one-year deal with Dinamo Sassari, the Italian team announced in a press release.

McKinnie, who turned 31 on Sunday, last appeared in the NBA during the 2021/22 season, when he saw the court in 17 games for the Bulls. He previously spent time with the Raptors, Warriors, Cavaliers, and Lakers, then played for the Mexico City Capitanes in the G League last season. This will be his first professional stint in Europe.

Here are a few more notes from around the international basketball world:

Despite being under contract with Reyer Venezia, former NBA forward Bruno Caboclo has recently been linked to European teams like KK Partizan and Maccabi Ra’anana, with rumors suggesting the forward may be seeking a return to the NBA, per Eurohoops. Those reports prompted Reyer Venezia to put out a statement confirming that the Italian team was told by Caboclo’s agents that the forward doesn’t intend to play the club for personal reasons (hat tip to Sportando for the translation). The team referred to it as “a severe violation of the agreements between the parties” and said it still expects Caboclo to play in Venice in 2023/24.
Former NBA second-round pick Cassius Stanley, who last played in the NBA with Detroit in 2021/22, is joining Israeli team Hapoel Afula for the upcoming season, sources tell Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com (Twitter link). The deal, first reported by the Moses Barda (Twitter link), will include a buyout clause, says Urbonas.
Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer takes a closer look at French prospect Alexandre Sarr, noting that one NBA general manager told him after the Perth Wildcats played the G League Ignite in a pair of exhibition games earlier this month that Sarr “might go first” in the 2024 draft.

And-Ones: Scariolo, Player Participation Policy, Silver

September 19th, 2023 at 12:44pm CST by Luke Adams

At the introductory press conference for new head coach Luca Banchi on Monday, Virtus Bologna’s Massimo Zanetti – the owner of the Italian team – spoke about the decision to dismiss veteran coach Sergio Scariolo just before the 2023/24 season began.

As Orazio Cauchi of BasketNews.com relays, Zanetti’s comments suggest he felt slighted by Scariolo’s decision to interview with the Raptors and Real Madrid this offseason while under contract with Virtus Bologna. Zanetti suggested that Scariolo treated the Italian club like a “second-division” team.

It’s unclear what the next step is for Scariolo, who was a Raptors assistant from 2018-21 before returning to the EuroLeague and coaching Virtus for the last two seasons. He has compiled a long, impressive résumé overseas, having also coached Baskonia, Real Madrid, Khimki Moscow, and Olimpia Milano before making the move to the NBA five years ago.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic takes a look at the NBA’s new player participation policy, exploring whether or not it’s the right solution to address the league’s load management issue. As Krawczynski notes, the league is implementing the new rules before completing a new media deal, a signal that it wants to ensure its best product is on the court as often as possible during those negotiations.
Sarah Todd of The Deseret News and Zach Harper of The Athletic contend that the player participation policy doesn’t get to the root of the issue, which is that the regular season is too long. Harper suggests a 70-game schedule would be an improvement over the current 82-game slate, but acknowledges it’s extremely unlikely to happen, since it would require teams to sacrifice revenue.
Because the new player participation policy was the focus of Adam Silver‘s press conference last week, the commissioner wasn’t asked to address some other key issues, says Marc Stein in his latest Substack article. Specifically, Stein would’ve liked Silver to explain the specific reasoning behind James Harden‘s $100K fine and to discuss the sudden retirement of veteran referee Eric Lewis, whose connection to a burner Twitter account was being investigated by the league. The timing makes it hard not to assume Lewis agreed to resign in exchange for the NBA suppressing the details of the investigation, Stein writes.

And-Ones: Zagars, Sophomores, Super-Max, Best Offseason Deals

September 18th, 2023 at 9:19am CST by Luke Adams

World Cup standout Arturs Zagars has officially signed with Turkish club Fenerbahce and has been loaned to Lithuanian team BC Wolves, as Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net relays. A recent report suggested that was the likely outcome for Zagars, who attracted NBA interest based in part on his strong play for Latvia at this year’s World Cup.

Zagars averaged 12.4 points, 7.4 assists, and 2.6 rebounds in 25.2 minutes per game across his eight World Cup appearances, making 48.6% of his shots from the floor and 41.7% of his three-pointers. The 23-year-old, who spent last season playing in Lithuania, was named to the All-World Cup Second Team.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

A panel of ESPN’s NBA reporters weighed in on which sophomore players are the best candidates to break out in 2023/24, with Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe, Rockets forward Tari Eason, and Hornets big man Mark Williams among those to earn votes. Mavericks guard Jaden Hardy, Nuggets wing Peyton Watson, and Spurs swingman Malaki Branham were some of the players picked to be effective under-the-radar contributors in their second NBA season.
In an Insider-only story for ESPN.com, Bobby Marks takes an in-depth look at the players who could become eligible for a super-max contract by meeting certain performance criteria in 2023/24, and projects what those max deals would look like. We published our own preview of this season’s super-max candidates last week.
Which free agent contracts and extensions were the most favorable deals completed by teams this offseason? Keith Smith of Spotrac identifies 10 he believes fit that bill, including multiple signings by the Mavericks (Kyrie Irving, Seth Curry), Bucks (Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez), and Lakers (Austin Reaves, Gabe Vincent).

Damyean Dotson Signs With Chinese Team

September 17th, 2023 at 3:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Former Knicks and Cavaliers guard Damyean Dotson has signed with Ningbo Rockets of the Chinese Basketball Association, according to Sportando.

Dotson spent last season with Gaziantep in Turkey, where he averaged 14.8 points and 3.0 assists.

Dotson has appeared in 213 NBA regular season games, most recently a two-game stint on a 10-day hardship contract with the Knicks in 2021/22. He played 46 games for Cleveland, including seven starts, the previous season. He also had a stint with San Antonio’s G League club that season.

He played for the Knicks in his first three NBA seasons after being drafted in the second round in 2017,

Overall, the 29-year-old shooting guard averaged 7.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 19.9 minutes per game.

International Notes: Ibaka, Satoransky, Parker, Sarr

September 16th, 2023 at 7:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

Serge Ibaka hopes to prove he can still play at a high level as he joins FC Bayern Munich in Germany. In an interview posted on the team’s website, Ibaka expressed excitement about resuming his career overseas.

“For me, it is a privilege to be able to join this historic, globally renowned sports club so that the basketball team can rise to the top of Europe,” he said. “I had a long NBA career, but I approach this new chapter with a lot of enthusiasm – I still have a lot of fire in me and love the game.”

Ibaka played professionally in France and Spain before coming to the Thunder in 2009, so he’s familiar with European basketball. He was part of the foundation in Oklahoma City for several seasons and won a ring with Toronto in 2019, but his playing time has been declining for the past few seasons. Ibaka averaged just 11.6 minutes in 16 games with the Bucks last season before a trade at the February deadline sent him to the Pacers, who waived him two days later.

“I always give my all to the game, and I definitely plan to do the same here in Munich and hopefully help the younger players,” Ibaka said. “On the court, I want to assist the team with everything that is needed, starting from defense to my shooting range. I want to be a part of a team that collaborates and has a winning mentality.”

There’s more international news to pass along:

Former NBA guard Tomas Satoransky hopes to help Jabari Parker make the transition to Europe with FC Barcelona, according to Cesare Milanti of Eurohoops. Parker’s first major test will come against Real Madrid in the semifinals of Supercopa Endesa. “Jabari’s situation is a little more complicated because it is his first year in Europe and this is always difficult, especially if you come in a league as competitive as the ACB,” Satoransky said. “But I see him very well and he really wants to improve.”
Perth center Alexandre Sarr talks to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer (video link) about his performance in the G League Fall Invitational and his potential to be the top pick in next year’s draft.
Kevin Durant, Ja Morant and Devin Booker are serving as coaches for Saturday’s finals of the Nike World Basketball Festival in New York, per Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.

Serge Ibaka Signs With Bayern Munich

September 16th, 2023 at 9:46am CST by Earnest Marshall

Free agent forward/center Serge Ibaka has signed with German club FC Bayern Munich for the upcoming season, according to a press release from the team.

“We are incredibly proud and happy that such a highly decorated athlete like Serge Ibaka believes in our journey,” club president Herbert Heiner said, per the release. “We are convinced that he will not only be a tremendous asset in terms of sports but also a enrichment for German basketball. I am certain that our young players will greatly benefit from his vast experience.”

Ibaka, who won an NBA championship with the Raptors in 2019, holds career averages of 12.0 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.9 blocks across 919 NBA appearances (697 starts).

The 6’10” big man was originally drafted by the Thunder (then SuperSonics) with the No. 24 overall pick in the 2008 draft. Oklahoma City brought Ibaka over in the 2009/10 season and he played there through 2016, helping the team reach the 2012 NBA Finals.

During his time with the Thunder, Ibaka became one of the league’s premier shot blockers, averaging 2.5 blocks across 524 appearances with Oklahoma City. In arguably his best defensive season, the year the Thunder fell in the 2012 Finals, Ibaka averaged 3.7 blocks.

In the 2016 offseason, Ibaka was traded to the Magic in the deal that landed Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis in Oklahoma City. The Congolese big appeared in 56 games with Orlando before being traded to the Raptors at the 2017 trade deadline in exchange for Terrence Ross. Ibaka was a key rotation piece for Toronto’s championship team, putting up 15.0 points per night in the regular season and 9.4 PPG and 6.0 RPG in 24 playoff games.

After leaving the Raptors following the 2019/20 season, Ibaka had brief stints with the Clippers and Bucks before being traded at the 2023 deadline to the Pacers, who waived him.

In signing Ibaka, Bayern Munich is getting a two-time NBA block champ and three-time All-Defensive Team member. The release mentions the team’s roster is complete with the signing, putting the finishing touches on an impressive offseason that saw the club ink former NBAers Carsen Edwards and Leandro Bolmaro.

Ibaka is Oklahoma City’s all-time franchise leader in total blocks, with 1,300, and in blocks per game, with 2.5.

“[Ibaka]’s career speaks for itself,” Bayern Munich sport director Daniele Baiesi said, per the release. “With him, we get size, the ability to open up the court, and a huge presence on and off the field. Without a doubt, this is a very prestigious transfer and demonstrates the credibility of our program.“