12 NBA Teams Sent Evaluators To NBL Blitz
The NBL Blitz, the annual preseason showcase ahead of Australia’s National Basketball League season, took place last week. The event was shorter than usual and was held in Canberra instead of on the sunnier Gold Coast, but 12 NBA teams still had representatives in attendance, according to Olgun Uluc of ESPN, who recaps some of the key storylines from the Blitz.
New Zealand Breakers forward Karim Lopez, a projected 2026 lottery pick, didn’t take part in the tournament due to a back injury, but Uluc notes that NBA scouts had their eye on another potential 2026 first-round pick, Melbourne United’s Dash Daniels, the younger brother of NBA Defensive Player of the Year runner-up Dyson Daniels. Ben Henshall of the Perth Wildcats and Malique Lewis of the South East Melbourne Phoenix were among the other 2026 draft-eligible prospects who drew interest.
Multiple NBA evaluators told Uluc that they were also keeping a close eye on Jaylin Galloway, who had a brief stint as a Bucks two-way player at the end of the 2023/24 season before rejoining the Sydney Kings in Australia. The 22-year-old wing had an impressive showing for Australia at the FIBA Asia Cup and spoke about his desire to make it back to the NBA. Officials from NBA teams were evaluating at the NBL Blitz whether Galloway’s game would translate stateside, per Uluc.
Here are a few more notes from Uluc:
- Former first-round pick Dylan Windler re-signed with the Perth Wildcats this spring, but his eventual goal is to return to the NBA, as Uluc relays. “Ultimately, I wanna play at the highest level and get back in the NBA,” he said. “I think this league is good enough, and has enough talent and competition, and enough scouts and eyes on it at all times that, if you do play well, you’re always in a position to get back there.”
- The Wildcats still have an import spot open and have considered a handful of former NBA players for that slot, according to Uluc, who notes that Perth reached out to free agents like Zavier Simpson, Jahmir Young, and Emmanuel Mudiay earlier in the offseason. After Simpson and Young signed elsewhere and Mudiay chose to continue mulling his options, the Wildcats have more recently looked into Kobi Simmons and Yuri Collins, sources tell ESPN. Uluc hears that longtime NBA guard Patrick Beverley had interest in joining the Wildcats, but Perth didn’t “meaningfully engage” with Beverley.
- Some of the NBA team representatives who attended the NBL Blitz were curious about what the league’s Next Stars program would look like moving forward, Uluc writes. A number of prospects who went through that program – such as LaMelo Ball, Josh Giddey, and Alex Sarr – have become lottery picks and productive NBA players, but the emergence of lucrative NIL opportunities in the NCAA figures to diminish the appeal of the Next Stars program for non-Australian prospects.
Knicks Draft-And-Stash Prospect Jokubaitis Suffers Major Knee Injury
Lithuanian point guard Rokas Jokubaitis will miss the rest of the EuroBasket tournament and a significant portion of the 2025/26 season after sustaining a significant left knee injury during Monday’s victory over Finland, according to an announcement from Bayern Munich, his EuroLeague team.
The press release issued by Bayern Munich refers to it as a “severe ligament injury” for Jokubaitis, who will undergo surgery and will be out for at least the next six months. While Bayern’s announcement doesn’t provide specific details on the diagnosis, Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com hears that Jokubaitis’ ACL and meniscus are affected.
“Injuries are unfortunately part of sports, but this one is, of course, devastating for Rokas,” Bayern sports director Dragan Tarlac said in a statement. “We have enjoyed watching Rokas so much at EuroBasket – he has been outstanding and has led his team as a true leader. But we have no doubt that with his spirit and fighting mentality, he will come back stronger from this. We’re waiting for him and will now support him in every possible way so that he can return to the court next year.”
Jokubaitis’ injury occurred during the fourth quarter of Monday’s game. He was driving to the basket when his left leg buckled awkwardly, causing him to fall to the floor (Twitter video link). He immediately checked himself out of the game and limped to the bench, where he was treated by the team’s training staff.
Jokubaitis, the 34th overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft, was sent to the Knicks in a draft-night deal along with Miles McBride, but has yet to sign his first NBA contract. The 24-year-old has remained overseas in recent years, first with FC Barcelona and then last season with Maccabi Tel Aviv. He officially signed a three-year contract with Bayern Munich last month; the Knicks continue to hold his NBA rights.
Although his fourth game was cut short, Jokubaitis put up excellent numbers for Lithuania at EuroBasket, averaging a team-high 17.3 points, 8.5 assists, and 1.5 steals in just 24.2 minutes per contest. He shot from 49.1% from the field, including 55.6% from beyond the three-point line.
Lithuania went 3-1 in those four games and has clinched a spot in the round of 16.
And-Ones: Ntilikina, Anthony, Boeheim, McGee, Payton
Former NBA guard Frank Ntilikina has agreed to a contract extension with Partizan Belgrade, keeping him with the Serbian team until 2027. However, he accepted a significant pay cut to make that happen, according to Sportando. Monaco expressed interest in Ntilikina but he chose to stay put.
“I’m more ready than ever, you will see the best version of me,” he said.
Ntilikina averaged just seven points and two assists in the EuroLeague and 6.7 points per game in the ABA League during an injury-marred season in 2024/25.
We have more from around the international basketball world:
- Carmelo Anthony will be inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame this weekend. His college coach at Syracuse, Jim Boeheim, believes Anthony didn’t get enough credit for playing on mostly winning teams, he told Mark Medina of Sportskeeda.com. “The thing I think about the NBA is that he made every team that he was on better than they were. Whether it was Denver or the Knicks, he made them better,” Boeheim said. “They had to go up against the Lakers and the Spurs in Denver. They couldn’t do it, but he made the team better. That’s all you can do sometimes as players. You can’t make a team a championship team by yourself. You have to have a lot of parts to it. His time in Denver, there were some great teams with the Lakers and the Spurs. He made them better, and that’s all you can do as a player.”
- Longtime NBA big man JaVale McGee signed with the Illawara Hawks of Australia’s National Basketball League a month ago. His new coach, Justin Tatum, has big plans for McGee. “Just a dominant presence,” Tatum told ESPN’s Olgun Uluc. “There’s no illegal defense here, so he’s gonna clog the lane, he’s gonna sit up there and make difficult shots for everybody else. Then, on the offensive end, we can just put the ball up anywhere as we break defenses down, and hopefully he can just catch a lob or be on the back-side. I’m really excited for how he’s gonna be the communicator on the defensive end.”
- Gary Payton II, who is still on the free agent market, is launching a professional skateboard league, according to ESPN’s Alyssa Roenigk. The Skate Board Association, a coed, six-team street skateboard league, plans to hold its inaugural 10-game season next summer in Big Bear Lake, California. Payton appeared in 62 games with Golden State last season.
Eastern Notes: Nets, Celtics, Bulls, Jovic
The Nets still have roughly $16MM in cap space left, according to New York Post’s Brian Lewis, and could still explore ways to add more draft assets from a team looking to dump salary. The Nets have already absorbed the contracts of Michael Porter Jr., Terance Mann and Haywood Highsmith while picking up a 2025 first-round pick (Drake Powell was taken in that spot), the Nuggets’ unprotected 2032 first-round pick and the Heat’s 2032 second-rounder. They are actively looking for more of those opportunities, Lewis reports.
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- Now that the Celtics ownership has changed hands, will there be a change of venue? The Boston Globe’s Shirley Leung explores that possibility, noting that the new owners are keeping their options open. Currently, the Celtics share TD Garden with the NHL Bruins and rent from Garden owner Delaware North, Leung points out. It might more sense for the franchise to play in a new basketball arena flanked by real estate development in the surrounding area.
- The Chicago Sun-Times’ Joe Cowley has offered plenty of criticism regarding the Bulls’ front office in recent years. However, Cowley believes that there are other front offices more dysfunctional that the one led by executive VP Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley, placing the Pelicans, Knicks and Suns in that category.
- Nikola Jovic suffered what appeared to be a minor hand injury in Serbia’s 82-60 EuroBasket victory over the Czech Republic, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel tweets. The Heat forward had 10 points and six rebounds for Serbia, which has already had clinched a spot in the round of 16.
Community Shootaround: Knicks’ Roster Spot
The Knicks have an unusual roster situation with training camps opening late this month.
They have only 12 players on standard contracts, yet they can only sign one more player on a veteran’s minimum contract. How so? They are hard-capped at the second tax apron, since they used the taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Guerschon Yabusele.
They are currently operating roughly $3.72MM below their hard cap, while veteran’s minimum contracts would count as $2,296,274 apiece. Thus, they’ll have to fill their 14th roster spot with a draft-rights-held rookie on a minimum contract ($1,272,870) unless they make a trade for cap relief.
Quite a few free agents have been mentioned as candidates for that veteran contract, mostly guards and wings.
Malik Beasley is no longer the target of a federal gambling investigation but his future in the league remains cloudy. However, Beasley – who had the second-most three-pointers in the league last season – would be an obvious boost to any bench.
The Knicks could instead pivot to a more familiar face. Shooting guard Landry Shamet and point guards Cameron Payne and Delon Wright are still available and each wore a New York uniform last season.
Malcolm Brogdon and Ben Simmons could also be considerations for the 13th spot. And there are plenty of other players looking for a deal — check out the list here.
That brings us to today’s topic: Which free agent should the Knicks sign to a veteran’s minimum contract with their available roster spot?
Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.
Five Under-The-Radar Players To Watch In 2025
We’re still 28 days away from most teams beginning training camp, which typically determines multiple positional battles for teams ahead of the coming season. Still, the majority of teams’ offseason roster moves have been completed and preliminary pecking orders are in place, meaning we can take a stab at identifying true breakout players for 2025/26.
In the space below, we’ll be focusing on players who appear poised to go from the fringes of rosters to rotational mainstays. Think of Guerschon Yabusele last season, who went from being out of the league to being one of the NBA’s most coveted role players.
Last year in this exercise, we included Max Christie, who increased his scoring average from 4.2 points to 9.6 points per game. So while Larry Nance Jr. seems primed for a massive year with the Cavaliers as a role player, he has 546 career games under his belt and doesn’t really fit our criteria.
Luka Garza/Josh Minott, Boston Celtics
The Celtics went out of their way to add both Garza and Minott to standard deals early in free agency after the Timberwolves declined options on both players. However, the Wolves opting to not bring them back isn’t necessarily an indictment — more of a testament to the win-now depth Minnesota built ahead of them.
Garza hasn’t played many minutes over the course of his four-year NBA career, but he has certainly produced when given the opportunity. He holds career averages of 4.9 points and 2.0 rebounds in 7.8 minutes per game, which works out to per-36 averages of 22.7 points and 8.9 rebounds.
It would be easy to write off that kind of production since per-36 is hardly an indicative statistic of one’s talents, but that sample comes across 124 career games. And in 39 career regular season G League games, Garza averaged 26.3 points and 9.8 rebounds per contest.
The Celtics lost Luke Kornet in free agency, traded away Kristaps Porzingis, and are not considered likely to bring back Al Horford. That leaves Neemias Queta, Chris Boucher and Xavier Tillman as the only players in front of Garza in the frontcourt. It isn’t out of the realm of possibility that Garza emerges as a starter down the line.
Minott is also included here after his training camp last season had coaches raving. While he never ended up in the rotation, it’s still noteworthy that the Celtics added him early in free agency. Minott will battle Jordan Walsh, Baylor Scheierman and rookie Hugo Gonzalez for minutes off the bench at the wing position. In 32 career regular season G League games, he has averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.8 blocks.
Nigel Hayes-Davis, Phoenix Suns
If there was an option to select “most likely to be this year’s Yabusele,” Hayes-Davis would have to rank near the top. Hayes-Davis established himself as one of the best international players after not playing in the league since 2017/18. The Suns gave him a standard guaranteed deal after he averaged 15.1 points per game for Fenerbahce. On a new-look Phoenix team, he should get plenty of chances to contribute.
Jaylen Clark, Minnesota Timberwolves
The Timberwolves selected Clark with the No. 53 pick in the 2023 draft, with the Wolves essentially redshirting him while he recovered from injury in 2023/24. Last year, in his first healthy NBA season, Clark emerged as a reliable depth option, averaging 4.1 points across 13.1 minutes in 40 games.
With the loss of Nickeil Alexander-Walker to the Hawks in free agency, the Wolves will look to rely on their younger depth options to establish themselves this season. While all eyes are on Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr. to take steps forward, look for Clark (and perhaps Leonard Miller), to gain more of a foothold in the rotation.
Cam Spencer, Memphis Grizzlies
Every opportunity he received, Spencer impressed for the Grizzlies and their G League affiliate. In just 10.1 minutes per game last year (25 appearances), Spencer averaged 4.2 points. In eight regular season G League games, Spencer averaged 23.5 points and 3.5 assists while shooting 53.8% from the field and 49.3% on three-pointers.
Memphis drafted Spencer last year with the No. 53 overall pick, and he spent all of last year on a two-way deal. After standing out in their developmental system, the second-year guard was rewarded with a standard contract this offseason. Even though the Grizzlies are flush with rotation-caliber players, there could be an opportunity for Spencer to earn some bench minutes following the departure of Desmond Bane.
EuroBasket Notes: Fontecchio, Avdija, Sarr, Vucevic, Sengun
After shooting a rough 23.8% from the field in Italy’s first two EuroBasket games, Heat forward Simone Fontecchio rebounded in a big way on Sunday. As The Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang (Twitter link) relays, Fontecchio poured in 39 points while shooting 65.0% from the field and 70.0% from three in a win against Bosnia and Herzegovina. He also added eight rebounds and three assists across 37 minutes.
The Italian forward broke his country’s all-time single-game scoring record, surpassing Andrea Bargnani‘s 36 points in 2011. The only other modern player in Italy’s all-time top five is Danilo Gallinari‘s 33 points in 2015.
Fontecchio’s breakout EuroBasket game, which included seven three-pointers, is an encouraging sign for the Heat. Fontecchio arrived in Miami in the trade that sent the Heat’s all-time leader in three-pointers, Duncan Robinson, to the Pistons.
We have more from EuroBasket:
- Israel pulled off an upset in Group D with a 80-69 win over France behind a 23-point, eight-rebound, five-steal performance from Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, per Eurohoops.net. According to the official French National Team page (Twitter link), Wizards center Alex Sarr missed the game to rest a minor right calf injury.
- Bulls center Nikola Vucevic helped deliver Montenegro a huge win over Sweden in Group B, recording 23 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks. As BasketNews details, Vucevic’s performance was one of his best in a national team jersey. “It felt great, great team effort, proud of all the guys, really competed, really left it all on the floor,” Vucevic said. “Anybody that came into the game played, had huge impact at different points right throughout the game and that’s what we needed.”
- Alperen Sengun notched 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists against Estonia and has led Turkey to a 4-0 record in Group A. According to Eurohoops.net, the Rockets center became the first player in the last 30 years to record at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists in three straight EuroBasket games.
Thanasis Antetokounmpo Discusses Re-Signing With Bucks
Bucks general manager Jon Horst, head coach Doc Rivers and top assistant coach Darvin Ham all attended Greece’s opening EuroBasket victory over Italy on Thursday.
While much of the media attention was centered on the Bucks supporting his two-time MVP younger brother, Thanasis Antetokounmpo believes his hustle, energy and defense in the win helped convince Milwaukee to re-sign him, as it was first official contest in more than a year after undergoing surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon in May 2024.
“For sure. They were here after the first game against Italy, and they were excited because I was playing defense,” Antetokounmpo said (stories courtesy of Michalis Gioulenoglou of Eurohoops.net and BasketNews.com). “I was doing my job, that’s my role.
“It’s very important for every player who comes back (from a major injury) to prove himself again. Your résumé counts, I’m not saying it doesn’t, but you have to prove yourself every day. That’s professional basketball.
“It’s not that my stress is gone because I found a team. The only thing I’m thinking about now is (Greece’s Tuesday matchup with Bosnia and Herzegovina). I put in a lot of work to be able to return.”
Antetokounmpo, 33, had spent five years with the Bucks prior to suffering the injury, which sidelined him for the entire 2024/25 season. He finished Greece’s win over Italy with six points, three rebounds, one steal and one block in just under 14 minutes of action, including hitting a key three-pointer late in the fourth quarter, per BasketNews.
The Greek national team advanced to the knockout round of EuroBasket 2025 on Sunday, as we relayed in a separate story.
Brazil Wins FIBA AmeriCup 2025
In a Sunday night final in which both teams struggled to score, Brazil beat Argentina by a final score of 55-47 to win the gold medal at AmeriCup 2025 in Nicaragua, according to FIBA.
Brazil’s 55 points marked the lowest ever by a champion, per the press release, while the 102 combined points between the two sides were the fewest in any AmeriCup game.
It was a rematch of the 2022 final, with the Brazilian national team avenging its loss and dethroning Argentina to win its fifth AmeriCup championship (first since 2009). Argentina claimed the silver medal as the runner-up.
Brazilian point guard Yago Santos, who competes professionally in the EuroLeague with Crvena Zvezda, was named MVP of the event after averaging 17.8 points, 6.2 assists (against only 1.8 turnovers) and 3.3 rebounds on .485/.487/.880 shooting in six appearances (27.6 minutes per game).
After recording game highs of 25 points and 12 assists in Brazil’s semifinal comeback against Team USA, Santos finished the final with game highs of 14 points and five assists.
The All-Star Five was comprised of Santos, Bruno Caboclo (Brazil), Juan Fernandez (Argentina), Javonte Smart (United States) and Kyshawn George (Canada). Caboclo and Smart are former NBA players, while George — who was making his senior national team debut — is entering his second season with the Wizards.
Prior to the final, the United States and Canada competed in the third-place game. It was another rematch, with the same result as three years ago: the U.S. defeated Canada to win bronze. Team USA was led by 21 points apiece from Smart and Tyler Cavanaugh.
Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado (Puerto Rico) headlined the All-Star Five second team, with Norchad Omier (Nicaragua), Georginho De Paula (Brazil), José Vildoza (Argentina) and Mfiondu Kabengele (Canada) rounding out the group.
Omier is expected to sign an Exhibit 10 deal with the Cavaliers after going undrafted in June, while Kabengele spent parts of three seasons in the NBA, last suiting up for Boston in 2022/23. Alvarado was injured during Puerto Rico’s quarterfinal loss.
Clifford Omoruyi Signs Two-Year Deal With Maccabi Tel Aviv
Undrafted free agent Clifford Omoruyi has officially signed a two-year contract with Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv, the team announced in a press release.
“Heading into this summer’s free agency, we were looking for a player with impressive physical presence and dynamism at center,” explained general manager Claudio Coldebella (translation via Eurohoops.net). “One who can rebound at the highest level (especially on offense), protect the paint and rim with athletic presence, and be effective in pick-and-roll defense. All while also offering offensive ability to run the floor thanks to his athleticism, and complementing the dynamism of our guards.”
Israeli journalist Moshe Barda reported (via Twitter) a few days ago that Omoruyi was a candidate to join Maccabi Tel Aviv (hat tip to BackdoorPodcast.com).
A 6’11” big man from Nigeria, Omoruyi spent his first four college seasons at Rutgers, earning Big Ten All-Defensive honors in back-to-back years (2023 and 2024) prior to transferring to Alabama. As fifth-year senior in 2024/25, he averaged 7.9 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 19.2 minutes per game across 37 appearances for the Crimson Tide.
While we don’t typically cover international signings of players with no NBA experience, multiple reports indicated that Omoruyi was expected to sign a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deal with the Raptors shortly after he went undrafted in June. However, that contract was never finalized, and now the 23-year-old will begin his post-college career overseas.