Newsstand Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Celtics Announce New Ownership Structure, Titles

August 19th, 2025 at 9:09am CST by Luke Adams

Following last week’s announcement that the NBA’s Board of Governors had approved the sale of the Celtics to a group led by William Chisholm, the team put out a press release on Tuesday confirming the ownership change and the closing of the sale while sharing more details on the new hierarchy at the top of the organization.

As expected, Chisholm has taken over as the Celtics’ governor, with Aditya Mittal and former majority owner Wyc Grousbeck named alternate governors.

Although the plan to have Grousbeck retain his governor position until 2028 fell through, he’ll still hold the CEO and co-owner titles, and will run day-to-day operations alongside Chisholm, per today’s press release. Grousbeck retained a stake in the franchise, but no longer controls at least a 15% share, making him ineligible to remain on as the team’s primary governor.

As for Mittal, reporting in May indicated that he was expected to be the second-largest stakeholder in Chisholm’s ownership group. In addition to Chisholm, Mittal, and Grousbeck, shareholders in the franchise include Bruce Beal, Andrew Bialecki, Dom Ferrante, Robert Hale, Mario Ho, Ian Loring, and the investment firm Sixth Street.

“This truly is a dream come true for me and my family,” Chisholm, a lifelong Celtics fan, said in a statement. “I feel so fortunate to be here as part of this new investor group, who are accomplished, driven people who care deeply about the Celtics and the Boston community. On behalf of our group I am thrilled to partner with Wyc, (president of basketball operations) Brad Stevens and (president of business operations) Rich Gotham to move this outstanding organization forward. We are committed to building on the legacy of the Celtics and raising banners, and I can’t wait for the team to get back out there this fall.”

The Celtics’ announcement also includes a brief statement from Grousbeck:

“The Celtics have been my life’s work for the past 23 years. This incredible ride is now continuing. I am fired up to be shoulder to shoulder with Bill as we pull every lever to go after another banner. There is nothing better than winning.”

Marco Belinelli Announces Retirement

August 18th, 2025 at 3:54pm CST by Luke Adams

Longtime NBA wing Marco Belinelli has announced his retirement as a player, as Eurohoops relays. Belinelli confirmed the decision in a social media post on Monday (Instagram link).

“I gave it my heart,” Belinelli wrote. “Every piece of me. Every single day. Basketball gave me everything… and I gave it everything I had. Saying goodbye isn’t easy. But it’s time. I carry with me every emotion, every sacrifice, every cheer. Thank you to those who always believed. To the next generation—I leave a dream. Make it count.”

Belinelli, who turned 39 in March, was selected with the 18th overall pick in the 2007 draft and spent the next 13 seasons in the NBA, appearing in 860 total regular season games for nine teams.

The 6’5″ Italian swingman held career NBA averages of 9.7 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 22.7 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .424/.376/.846. Known for his outside shooting, he made 1,216 career three-pointers.

Belinelli’s best season came in 2013/14 in San Antonio, when he averaged 11.4 PPG and made a career-high 43.0% of his three-point tries. He won the NBA’s three-point contest that season and was part of the Spurs‘ championship team, appearing in all 23 playoff games the team played that spring.

Belinelli also suited up for Golden State, Toronto, New Orleans, Chicago, Charlotte, Atlanta, and Philadelphia.

Since leaving the NBA in 2020, Belinelli has played for Virtus Bologna, the Italian club with whom he began his career as a teenager. He has bolstered his career résumé in recent years, winning a pair of Lega Serie A titles in 2021 and 2025, earning Sixth Man of the Year honors in 2022 and 2023, and claiming an MVP award in 2024.

Rockets Decline To Match Hawks’ Offer Sheet For N’Faly Dante

August 18th, 2025 at 3:09pm CST by Luke Adams

3:09 pm: The Hawks have officially announced in a press release that they’ve signed Dante.

2:08 pm: Big man N’Faly Dante will join the Hawks, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who reports (via Twitter) that the Rockets aren’t matching the two-year, $4.5MM offer sheet Dante signed with Atlanta.

Dante appeared in just four NBA regular season games last season after going undrafted out of Oregon. However, he was a mainstay for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the G League while on a two-way contract with Houston, averaging 15.1 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks in 26.8 minutes per game across 42 outings at the G League level.

Dante, who will turn 24 in October, earned a two-way qualifying offer from Houston in June, but the Rockets have since filled all of their two-way slots by signing Kevon Harris, Isaiah Crawford, and JD Davison, which was perhaps an indication that they weren’t counting on having Dante back.

The Hawks’ two-year offer sheet to Dante appears to just be worth the minimum salary, but even that modest price was too steep for the Rockets, who are operating just $1.26MM below a first-apron hard cap and can’t add a 15th man on a veteran’s minimum deal without shedding salary. Given the team’s cap situation, Scotto’s report that Houston isn’t matching the Hawks’ offer doesn’t come as a real surprise.

Once they officially add Dante to their roster, the Hawks will have 14 players on standard contracts, with Caleb Houstan reportedly expected to join the team as well. Dante will provide depth in a frontcourt that also includes incumbent center Onyeka Okongwu, offseason addition Kristaps Porzingis, rookie Asa Newell, and third-year big man Mouhamed Gueye.

Dante is the first two-way restricted free agent to sign a qualifying offer since Tyrone Wallace did so in 2018. Wallace was a Clippers RFA who signed an offer sheet with the Pelicans and had it matched by L.A.

The Hawks, meanwhile, will become the first team to sign a restricted free agent to an offer sheet that goes unmatched since they did it themselves with Kings RFA Bogdan Bogdanovic in 2020.

Bobby Webster To Be Raptors’ New Head Of Basketball Operations

August 18th, 2025 at 11:05am CST by Arthur Hill

Raptors general manager Bobby Webster will be promoted to head of basketball operations, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

In a full story on the move, Charania states that Webster will remain the team’s GM, retaining the title he has held since 2017. The Raptors opted not to formally name a president at this time, the team said in a press release announcing Webster’s new full-time responsibilities.

Webster has been running the organization since it parted ways with Masai Ujiri in late June. His promotion follows an extensive search that included several external candidates, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports (Twitter link).

A report last month indicated that Bulls general manager Marc Eversley and Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan were among the candidates receiving consideration for the job. In addition, former Toronto coach Dwane Casey and ex-Sacramento GM Monte McNair were believed to have interviewed with Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment president Keith Pelley.

According to Charania, Pelley and Webster worked together closely during Summer League in Las Vegas. That allowed Pelley to get a sense of Webster’s management style, while Webster was able to communicate his vision for the future.

Webster began his career with the NBA’s front office in 2006 before joining the Raptors in 2013 as Ujiri’s first hire. He started as vice president of basketball management and strategy, then worked his way up to assistant general manager before becoming GM.

“Going through this comprehensive process this summer and meeting with external candidates played a critical role in arriving at this decision as it made clear that we already have the right person leading the Raptors in-house,” Pelley said in a statement from the team. “When we weighed the many considerations, including roster construction, team culture and competitive landscape, it made perfect sense to officially hand the team to Bobby and give him the time and support to allow his plan to develop.

“After spending time together this summer in Las Vegas, I was very impressed by Bobby’s leadership style, his rapport with the players and staff, his reputation with his peers across the league and – especially and importantly – his vision for the Raptors. This team is his, now, to lead and I know we all look forward to what comes next.”

At the time of Ujiri’s exit, it was reported that Webster was one of multiple Raptors executives who had received a contract extension. Today’s announcement from the club indicates that Webster had his contract “further” extended, suggesting he signed a new deal for the second time this summer.

Webster will have leeway to run basketball operations as he sees fit for the foreseeable future and could eventually earn the president title, tweets Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca

Heat Sign Dru Smith To Three-Year Contract

August 16th, 2025 at 10:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

10:00pm: Smith has officially re-signed with Miami, per a team press release.

5:49pm: Restricted free agent guard Dru Smith will remain with the Heat on a three-year contract, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

The deal has a total value of $7.9MM, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link), which suggests it’ll be worth the veteran’s minimum ($7,898,151). A source tells Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald that the first year of the deal is fully guaranteed, while the final two seasons carry conditional guarantees (Twitter link).

Miami opened a roster spot to sign Smith by trading Haywood Highsmith to Brooklyn on Friday. Unloading Highsmith’s $5.6MM salary enabled the Heat to add Smith and stay under the cap, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link).

The 27-year-old guard appeared to be on his way to a standard contract with a strong start to last season, but he suffered an Achilles tear in December. Even though he remained inactive, the team kept him on a two-way contract for the rest of the season.

Heat officials are optimistic that Smith will be fully recovered from the injury in time for the October 22 season opener or shortly afterward, Jackson adds in a full story on the signing.

Appearing in 14 games last season, Smith averaged 6.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.5 steals in 19.1 minutes per night with .508/.533/.750 shooting numbers. His improvement as a three-point shooter led to his expanded role, and Jackson points out that he logged double-digit minutes in eight straight games before the injury and played the entire fourth quarter in five of his last seven games.

Smith began his career with Miami in 2022 on a two-way contract, then went to Brooklyn later that season on a two-way deal after being waived. He returned to the Heat in the summer of 2023 and was converted to a standard contract before the start of the season. However, that campaign was cut short by his first untimely injury, as he suffered a third-degree ACL sprain in November.

Miami extended a qualifying offer to Smith in June, but league rules prevented him from signing another two-way contract with the team.

A report earlier today suggested that the Heat had interest in adding size to their roster, with an eye on free agents Trey Lyles and Kai Jones. Jones reportedly made a good impression during workouts in Miami this week.

Jackson believes Smith’s signing will put an end to any pursuit of Lyles or Jones. The Heat don’t have much depth in the frontcourt, but Jackson states that the need might be addressed with a trade rather than another free agent signing.

The Heat are back to 14 players with standard contracts and won’t be able to add a 15th player until later in the season without moving back into tax territory.

Jackson notes that Smith, newly re-signed Davion Mitchell and first-round pick Kasparas Jakucionis are all natural point guards. However, they could all come off the bench if coach Erik Spoelstra decides to use Tyler Herro and Norman Powell as his starting backcourt.

Rui Hachimura Unlikely To Receive Extension Before Camp

August 16th, 2025 at 5:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Rui Hachimura is eligible for a contract extension, but the Lakers aren’t expected to pursue a new deal before training camp opens next month, reporter Jovan Buha stated on his latest Buha’s Block podcast (YouTube link).

“With the current intel I have, I do not expect Rui to be extended by the Lakers in the next six weeks,” Buha said. “It’s certainly possible that something happens, but I would say most of what’s been out there is them wanting to keep the books clean and wanting to see whether he starts or whether he’s their sixth man and how the pieces fit this year.”

The 27-year-old power forward became eligible for an extension when the NBA’s new calendar year began on July 6. He currently has an $18,259,259 expiring contract and will be an unrestricted free agent next summer if he doesn’t work out a new deal with L.A.

Hachimura has been a valuable contributor for the Lakers since he was acquired from Washington in January of 2023. He became a full-time starter last season and averaged 13.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 59 games with .509/.413/.770 shooting numbers.

Hachimura’s future will be affected by the Lakers’ well-known desire to preserve cap space for the summer of 2027. Luka Doncic currently holds the team’s only significant contract that extends past the 2026/27 season, although Jarred Vanderbilt will have a $13.3MM player option that summer.

Whether it’s through an extension or a new contract in free agency, L.A.’s front office will eventually have to decide whether locking up a valuable asset like Hachimura is worth sacrificing some cap room in a summer that could feature a historically great free agent class.

Doncic Gets Injury Scare During Slovenian Exhibition Game

August 16th, 2025 at 1:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

2:23pm: Doncic has a right knee contusion, Marc Stein tweets. He’ll remain with the Slovenian national team and compete in EuroBasket, Woike tweets.

1:30pm: Lakers superstar Luka Doncic apparently avoided a serious injury after a Slovenian teammate landed on his right leg during an exhibition game on Saturday, Dan Woike of The Athletic tweets.

Early in the second half, Gregor Hrovat fell on Doncic’s knee during a defensive play, according to Eurohoops.net. Doncic was able to head to the locker room on his own power but did not return to the game. Doncic, who scored 26 points against Latvia during the first half, did return to the bench to watch his Slovenian teammates collect a 100-88 victory.

It remains to be seen how this will impact Doncic’s status for the EuroBasket tournament. Slovenia is scheduled to play its tourney opener against Poland on Aug. 28. They’ll also face France, Belgium, Iceland and Israel.

Doncic signed a three-year max extension with the Lakers earlier this month.

Hawks Signing N’Faly Dante To Two-Year Offer Sheet

August 16th, 2025 at 11:40am CST by Rory Maher

The Hawks are signing restricted free agent center N’Faly Dante to a two-year, $4.5MM offer sheet, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

The Rockets — Dante’s incumbent team — will have two days to match the offer sheet. However, Houston doesn’t currently have enough room under its first-apron hard cap to match the contract Dante agreed to with Atlanta, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link).

As Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle notes (via Twitter), the Rockets already have three players signed to two-way contracts, so evidently they were prepared for Dante’s departure.

A native of Mali who went undrafted in 2024 after a standout college career at Oregon, Dante signed a two-way deal with Houston last summer. The 23-year-old only made four NBA appearances for the second-seeded Rockets as a rookie, with three occurring during the final three contests of the regular season. The 6’11” big man averaged 6.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 12.8 minutes per game.

While his NBA contributions were limited, Dante had an excellent season for Houston’s G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, averaging 15.1 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 1.0 SPG and 2.2 BPG while shooting 74.3% from the field in 42 games (26.8 MPG).

As our Luke Adams recently outlined, two-way restricted free agents rarely sign offer sheets with other teams. But clearly the Hawks like Dante, who will provide frontcourt depth behind Onyeka Okongwu and Kristaps Porzingis — assuming the Rockets don’t make additional moves to position themselves to match.

Dante’s deal will likely be for the veteran’s minimum, which would be worth $4,459,584 across two years.

Heat Reportedly Eyeing Big Men, Including Trey Lyles

August 16th, 2025 at 10:50am CST by Rory Maher

After sending Kyle Anderson and Kevin Love to Utah in a three-team deal last month, the Heat traded Haywood Highsmith to Brooklyn on Friday in a salary-dump move. Those transactions have left Miami thin in the frontcourt, with Bam Adebayo, Kel’el Ware and Nikola Jovic figuring to receive the bulk of the minutes at the four and five.

According to Grant Afseth of FastbreakJournal.com, Miami is exploring ways to add at least one more big man ahead of the 2025/26 season, with free agents Trey Lyles and Kai Jones among the players the team has expressed interest in. Jones impressed the Heat with his “energy and activity” during his workouts this week, sources tell Afseth.

A ten-year NBA veteran who was a lottery pick (12th overall) back in 2015, Lyles has spent the past three-plus seasons in Sacramento. In 69 appearances with the Kings last season, the 6’9″ power forward averaged 6.5 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 34.0% from three-point range in 19.6 minutes per game.

Jones, meanwhile, played 40 games for the Clippers and Mavericks in ’24/25, averaging 5.0 PPG and 3.1 RPG while shooting 79.8% from the field in 11.7 MPG. The 24-year-old center was the 19th pick of the 2021 draft.

As Afseth observes, Lyles and Jones provide different skill sets, with the former being a more proven depth piece and the latter offering more athleticism and upside. But either player could theoretically help the Heat as they prepare for the upcoming season.

In addition to moving below the luxury tax line, trading Highsmith also created an opening on the standard roster. Lyles or Jones could fill that 14th spot (Miami is unlikely to add a 15th man to open the season due to its proximity to the tax), but Afseth states multiple times that the Heat are considering other options as well.

Latest On Jonathan Kuminga

August 15th, 2025 at 4:06pm CST by Luke Adams

There has been “renewed” dialogue between the Warriors and Jonathan Kuminga‘s camp during the last week as the two sides continue to propose contract concepts, ESPN’s Anthony Slater said during a Friday appearance on NBA Today (YouTube link).

As he has reported previously, Slater says that Kuminga and his representatives are seeking a contract that positions him to be more of a building block than simply a trade chip.

“The word I’ve heard used from the Kuminga side is ‘pawn,'” Slater said. “He doesn’t want to sign this two-year, $45MM deal with a team option where he is clearly just being used to be traded mid-season. That’s not something he wants to sign up for.

“Now if you’re talking about a three-year deal, if you’re talking about something with a player option that shows him a little bit more commitment, that’s something he’d be interested in. But as of now, the Warriors have been hesitant to do that, and because of that, Kuminga is signaling to those around him that he’s very willing – and prefers – (to sign) the qualifying offer over the two-year, $45MM deal. That’s dangerous for the Warriors. They can try to call his bluff, but right now, it seems to be trending toward the qualifying offer.”

A handful of Warriors free agent targets – including big man Al Horford – are awaiting resolution on the Kuminga situation before they can potentially finalize deals with Golden State. However, with training camps not scheduled to start until the end of September and no crucial dates coming up for restricted free agents until the October 1 deadline to accept a qualifying offer, Slater wouldn’t be surprised if the standoff extends into September.

“August is a lot easier for people to just be like, ‘OK, we’ll get to you when we get to you,'” Slater said. “September’s where it starts to get a little bit more uncomfortable. I don’t know if there will be movement or a little bit more angst on the Warriors’ or Kuminga’s side, but September is where this could get a little bit dicier.”

As Slater acknowledges, it would be somewhat surprising if Kuminga gives up $14MM in 2025/26 salary and signs his $8MM qualifying offer instead of taking a two-year, $45MM offer from Golden State. But accepting the QO would put him in a better position to dictate his future, since it comes with a no-trade clause for ’25/26 and the ability to reach unrestricted free agency next summer.

“You talk to people around him and he’s pretty dug in,” Slater said. “If two for $45MM with the team option is going to be the best offer, he will see them in training camp on an ($8MM) expiring qualifying offer which includes a no-trade clause. Because he wants either to be viewed as more of a building block or he wants his freedom, his control of his future. And the qualifying offer, while less money, gives him control of his future.”