Newsstand Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Kenneth Lofton Jr. Joins Shanghai Sharks

October 31st, 2024 at 4:35pm CST by Luke Adams

After being waived by the Bulls earlier this month, forward Kenneth Lofton Jr. has officially joined the Shanghai Sharks in the Chinese Basketball Association.

Lofton suited up for the Sharks for the first time on Thursday, per Asia-Basket.com, compiling 18 points and 10 rebounds across 19 minutes in his CBA debut.

Lofton, 22, went undrafted out of Louisiana Tech in 2022. He spent his rookie season with the Grizzlies and remained in Memphis for the start of the 2023/24 season before being waived last December when the team needed to open up a roster spot at the conclusion of Ja Morant‘s suspension. Lofton also played for the Sixers and Jazz last season and was in camp with Chicago this fall.

Although Lofton didn’t see much action at the NBA level in ’23/24, he finished the year strong in Utah, averaging 13.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.8 assists in 22.8 minutes per game across four April outings for the Jazz.

He also had a big year in the G League, earning All-NBAGL First Team honors after putting up 25.1 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 4.4 APG, and 1.6 BPG in 19 regular season games (30.1 MPG) for the Delaware Blue Coats and the Salt Lake City Stars.

Lofton isn’t the only former NBA player on his new team. Former first-round pick D.J. Wilson and ex-Celtics guard Tremont Waters are also playing in Shanghai. According to GTV Hoops (Instagram link), veteran point guard Devonte’ Graham has agreed to join the Sharks too, though Graham has yet to suit up for the club.

Lakers Declining Third-Year Option On Hood-Schifino

October 31st, 2024 at 1:45pm CST by Rory Maher

The Lakers are declining their third-year team option on 2023 first-round pick Jalen Hood-Schifino, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link). The former Indiana guard will now be an unrestricted free agent in 2025.

The option, which was for the 2025/26 season, was valued at $4,064,640. The Lakers — or whichever team Hood-Schifino finishes this season with — will be limited to offering him that figure in free agency, but rival suitors could theoretically exceed that total.

The No. 17 overall pick of last year’s draft, Hood-Schifino battled injuries to open his rookie campaign and had very little NBA run last season, only playing 109 total minutes in 21 games (5.2 MPG). He struggled in the games he did play, going just 10-of-45 from the floor (22.2%) and recording more turnovers (nine) than assists (eight).

Hood-Schifino put up much better numbers in the G League in 15 games with the South Bay Lakers, averaging 22.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG and 5.3 APG on .473/.432/.800 shooting, though turnovers were again an issue (3.3 per game).

Hood-Schifino has not been in the Lakers’ rotation to open the ’24/25 season, having played zero minutes to this point.

With the benefit of hindsight and the caveat that he’s only 21 years old, Los Angeles’ decision to draft Hood-Schifino at No. 17 doesn’t look great right now. The three players selected directly after him — Jaime Jaquez, Brandin Podziemski and Cam Whitmore — are playing rotation minutes for competitive teams, with UCLA’s Jaquez and former Santa Clara guard Podziemski earning spots on the All-Rookie First Team in ’23/24.

Decisions on ’25/26 rookie scale team options are due today. We’re tracking all of those decisions right here.

Bucks Declining 2025/26 Option On MarJon Beauchamp

October 31st, 2024 at 1:23pm CST by Rory Maher

The Bucks are declining their fourth-year team option on wing MarJon Beauchamp, reports Shams Charania of ESPN.

As our tracker shows, October 31 is the deadline for teams to make decisions on 2025/26 rookie scale team options.

The No. 24 overall pick of the 2022 draft, Beauchamp has yet to establish himself as a reliable rotation player over the course of two-plus seasons. Beauchamp, who turned 24 years old earlier this month, will be an unrestricted free agent next summer after Milwaukee declined next season’s option, which was valued at $4,781,276.

In 104 career regular season games, including 12 starts, Beauchamp has averaged 4.7 points and 2.1 rebounds on .431/.353/.716 shooting in 12.7 minutes per contest.

As ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets, the Bucks still have $170MM in salary committed to their roster next season, and three players — Khris Middleton, Bobby Portis and Pat Connaughton — hold player options for 2025/26. Declining Beauchamp’s option will save money against the luxury tax in ’25/26.

Two reports from Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report — one in February and one a few days before the ’24/25 season began — stated the Bucks were willing to trade Beauchamp, so it’s not a total surprise that his option was declined. Still, it’s certainly a noteworthy development, particularly for a team that has needed athletic wings for a few seasons.

Whichever team Beauchamp finishes this season with will be limited to offering him up to the value of the declined option in free agency. Rival teams could exceed that figure if he has a breakout third season, though that seems fairly unlikely at the moment.

Thunder Add Malevy Leons, Cut Reese

October 31st, 2024 at 9:55am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Thunder have signed big man Malevy Leons to a standard contract and waived Alex Reese, according to a team press release.

Leons went undrafted in June out of Bradley and signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Oklahoma City in September. He was waived on Oct. 19.

Leons appeared in four preseason games and averaged 5.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.50 steals in 13.5 minutes per game. In his last college season, he appeared in 35 games (all starts) with the Braves and averaged 13.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, 1.5 steals and 1.3 assists while shooting 49% from the floor.

Reese was signed to a non-guaranteed contract less than two weeks ago. He made a two-minute cameo in one game.

The Thunder are dealing with frontcourt injuries. Isaiah Hartenstein is recovering from a hand fracture, while Jaylin Williams is out at least a month with a strained hamstring. That could open up the door for some playing time for Leons.

Considering Reese’s short stint, it’s uncertain how long Leons will remain on the roster. He’ll fill the 15th spot for the time being, but his contract will likely be non-guaranteed, so the Thunder could continue to look at other options in the coming weeks.

Colin Castleton Signs Two-Way Deal With Grizzlies

October 30th, 2024 at 6:16pm CST by Arthur Hill

Free agent center Colin Castleton has joined the Grizzlies on a two-way contract, the team announced (via Twitter).

The 24-year-old was included on the Long Island Nets’ training camp roster that was released over the weekend. The team acquired his returning player rights in a G League trade earlier this month.

Castleton signed a two-way deal with the Lakers last summer after going undrafted out of Florida. He saw limited time in 16 NBA games, but averaged 16.4 points and 10.5 rebounds in 24 G League Showcase Cup and regular season contests with the team’s South Bay affiliate.

Castleton re-signed with L.A. on another two-way deal in July, but he was waived just before the start of the season when the Lakers gave a two-way contract to preseason standout Quincy Olivari.

The signing leaves the Magic as the only NBA team with a two-way slot open. Cam Spencer and Yuki Kawamura are Memphis’ other two-way players.

Lonnie Walker To Play In EuroLeague

October 30th, 2024 at 5:20pm CST by Arthur Hill

Free agent guard Lonnie Walker will sign with Zalgiris Kaunas in the EuroLeague, agent George S. Langberg of GSL Sports Group tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Walker signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Celtics in late August in hopes of winning a roster spot in training camp. He reportedly impressed team officials, but Boston is operating under second apron restrictions, so it would have cost roughly $8.8MM in luxury tax penalties to keep Walker, on top of his $2.1MM salary. He was waived shortly before the start of the season.

There was speculation that Walker would join the team’s G League affiliate in Maine and try to work his way back to the NBA. The Exhibit 10 deal would make him eligible for a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he had spent at least 60 days with the team. However, Walker wasn’t included on Maine’s training camp roster, which was announced over the weekend.

Walker reportedly drew interest from Real Madrid, but he opted to play for another EuroLeague club in Lithuania.

His new contract includes an NBA buyout clause until February 18, Charania adds. The Zalgiris Kaunas roster features former NBA players Ignas Brazdeikis and Alen Smailagic.

Walker, 25, played last season with Brooklyn, where he averaged 9.7 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 58 games. He also spent four years with the Spurs and one with the Lakers.

Jaylin Williams To Miss At Least 4-6 Weeks With Strained Hamstring

October 30th, 2024 at 4:41pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jaylin Williams irritated his strained right hamstring during a workout on Tuesday, the Thunder announced (via Twitter). The third-year big man will have his condition reevaluated in four-to-six weeks.

Williams hasn’t played yet this season due to the injury, which he originally suffered in training camp. The team stated in early October that he would miss the remainder of camp and the entire preseason while rehabbing the hamstring.

Williams was a valuable backup for Oklahoma City last season, averaging 4.0 points and 3.4 rebounds in 69 games while shooting 36.8% from three-point range. His playing time was likely to decline this season with the addition of center Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency, but Hartenstein’s fractured left hand has left the team shorthanded in the middle for another month or so.

The Thunder have been using Chet Holmgren at center with a smaller lineup around him, and that strategy will probably continue until Williams and Hartenstein can return.

Williams, 22, was selected with the 34th pick in the 2022 draft. He signed a four-year contract that runs through the end of next season.

Hawks Pick Up Options On Daniels, Bufkin; Will Decline Roddy’s

October 30th, 2024 at 3:17pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks have exercised their 2025/26 rookie scale team options on guards Dyson Daniels and Kobe Bufkin, the team announced today in a press release.

Daniels, 21, spent his first two NBA seasons in New Orleans before being sent to Atlanta over the summer in the Dejounte Murray deal. Known as a talented perimeter defender, the 21-year-old has shown signs of taking a step forward offensively during his first few games as a Hawk, averaging 12.8 points per game on 50.0% shooting (35.3% on three-pointers). He’s also averaging 2.8 steals per contest.

The eighth overall pick in the 2022 draft, Daniels is now under contract through 2025/26 and will be a restricted free agent after that season if he doesn’t sign a rookie scale extension during the 2025 offseason. He’s earning about $6.06MM in 2024/25, while his ’25/26 option is worth $7,707,709.

Bufkin’s NBA career has been plagued by injuries since he was selected with the 15th overall pick in the 2023 draft. The 6’5″ guard appeared in just 17 games for the Hawks as a rookie and is on the shelf again this fall due to a right shoulder ailment.

However, Atlanta remains bullish enough on his potential to lock in the 21-year-old’s $4,503,720 salary for the 2025/26 season. The team will have to decide by October 31, 2025 whether or not to exercise Bufkin’s fourth-year option for ’26/27.

Daniels and Bufkin are two of the three Hawks with rookie scale team options for 2025/26. According to Brad Rowland of Locked on Hawks (Twitter link), the club won’t pick up its option on forward David Roddy, which would have been worth $4,831,766.

Passing on that option will put Roddy on track to become an unrestricted free agent during the 2025 offseason. At that time, the Hawks (or whichever team has Roddy on its roster to end the season) won’t be permitted to offer him a starting salary above his declined option salary, though rival suitors would be able to exceed that figure.

A bulky 6’4″ forward, Roddy is playing for his third NBA team. He began his career with the Grizzlies, then was sent to Phoenix at the 2024 trade deadline in the three-time Royce O’Neale trade. The former 23rd overall pick was subsequently flipped to Atlanta this past offseason in a cost-cutting move by the Suns.

Roddy has appeared in 137 total regular season games at the NBA level, averaging 6.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 18.1 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .420/.303/.659.

Raptors’ Barnes Out At Least Three Weeks With Orbital Fracture

October 30th, 2024 at 12:46pm CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors will be without star forward Scottie Barnes for at least the next three weeks, the team announced today in a press release.

According to the release, Barnes has been diagnosed with a right orbital fracture after taking a Nikola Jokic elbow to the face late in Monday’s overtime loss to Denver (Twitter video link).

Barnes will be reevaluated in three weeks, so it’s possible he won’t be ready to return at that point and will remain on the shelf beyond that date.

As Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca tweets, even if Barnes is cleared to return after three weeks, he’ll miss at least Toronto’s next 11 games, including nine against teams who made the postseason last season. It will also be at least late November before he, Immanuel Quickley, and RJ Barrett, three of the Raptors’ core players, get the chance to play together, according to Lewenberg, who notes that the trio hasn’t shared the court since March 1.

Barnes, who signed a five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale extension with Toronto in July, was rounding into form after putting up just nine points on 3-of-14 shooting in last Wednesday’s opener. In his last three games, he had averaged 22.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 2.7 steals in 36.1 minutes per night, with a 53.1% field goal percentage.

Barnes’ injury is the latest in a long line of health issues for the Raptors this fall. The club has also been without Bruce Brown (right knee surgery), Kelly Olynyk (lumbar strain), and first-round pick Ja’Kobe Walter (AC joint sprain) for the entire season so far. Additionally, Quickley has been out since opening night with a right pelvic contusion and Barrett just made his season debut on Monday after being sidelined with a shoulder injury.

With Barnes unavailable, rookies Jamal Shead, Jonathan Mogbo, and Jamison Battle are among the candidates for increased roles, along with forward Chris Boucher.

Hawks’ Bogdanovic, Bufkin, Krejci Will Be Out Multiple Weeks

October 29th, 2024 at 5:26pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Hawks wing Bogdan Bogdanovic will be sidelined for at least a month, the team announced in a press release on Tuesday.

Bogdanovic underwent a non-surgical procedure on Monday. He missed the team’s game on Sunday with what the team labelled right hamstring tendinopathy. He will be reevaluated in approximately four weeks.

The team also provided updates on three other players.

Guard Kobe Bufkin (right shoulder subluxation) has begun treatment and rehabilitation. Like Bogdanovic, he will be reevaluated in approximately four weeks. Bufkin suffered a partially dislocated shoulder in practice last week.

Guard/forward Vit Krejci sustained a right adductor strain during Monday’s game against Washington. He will be reevaluated in two weeks.

Guard Dyson Daniels has a right hip flexor strain, which also occurred on Monday. He’s out for Wednesday’s game at Washington and will continue to receive treatment.

The news regarding Bogdanovic, who is in the second year of a four-year, $68MM contract, is the most significant. He averaged a career-best 16.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.2 steals last season while appearing in 79 games. He’s one of the top three-point shooters in the league, making 38.4% for his career.

The injuries on the backcourt and wing will mean more playing time for Garrison Mathews and Keaton Wallace.