Chris Jent Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Knicks Notes: Shamet, Mathews, PGs, Beasley, Jemison

September 12th, 2025 at 7:39am CST by Luke Adams

With 12 players on standard contracts, the Knicks only have enough room below their second-apron hard cap to carry one more player on a veteran’s minimum contract and one on a rookie minimum contract into the regular season. However, the team will have the ability to fill out its 21-man offseason roster because training camp deals that include Exhibit 9 language don’t count against the cap or the apron until the start of the regular season.

The Knicks agreed on Thursday to non-guaranteed deals with guards Landry Shamet and Garrison Mathews, who are expected to compete for that 13th spot on the roster. According to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post, Mathews considered at least one other offer before opting to sign with the Knicks and engage in a training camp battle with Shamet.

While Mathews will receive consideration for a regular season spot, Shamet should have the upper hand in that competition, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv, who notes that the 28-year-old wing earned “significant respect” within the organization last season for the way he recovered from a preseason shoulder injury and became a contributor in the second half and postseason. Shamet is also close with Knicks forward Mikal Bridges, who signed a four-year extension with the team last month, Bondy adds.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

Despite being right up against their hard cap, the Knicks remain on the lookout for a backup point guard, Bondy writes, observing that Malcolm Brogdon is among the notable options still on the market. It’s unclear if the club will bring a point guard or two to camp to compete with Shamet and Mathews, or if the front office is looking for a way to open up enough room below the second apron to carry another veteran into the season.
While Malik Beasley is among the players that have been on the Knicks’ radar, his legal situation made the team hesitant to sign him, Begley reports. Beasley is being investigated by the NBA due to gambling-related concerns and remains a subject in a federal probe into the same issue.
The Knicks are considering players outside the organization for their open two-way contract slots, according to Begley, who identifies free agent big man Trey Jemison as one of the players who has drawn interest from the club.
It appears as if Mike Brown‘s coaching staff for his first season in New York is set. Bondy indicates that Chris Jent, Brendan O’Connor, and Rick Brunson will Brown’s assistants on the front bench, while Darren Erman will move to the back bench.

Knicks To Hire Chris Jent As Associate Head Coach

August 8th, 2025 at 7:03pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Knicks are finalizing a deal to add Chris Jent to their coaching staff, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania (via Twitter). Jent will assume the role of associate head coach and will likely be tasked with helping to spearhead the team’s offensive approach under head coach Mike Brown.

Jent worked as an assistant coach for the Hornets last season and was the head coach of the Charlotte team that won a Summer League championship in Las Vegas last month. He has been an assistant coach since the 2003/04 season, with a brief stint as the interim head coach of the 2004/05 Magic team that featured a rookie Dwight Howard.

Prior to his lone season in Charlotte, Jent spent two years with the Lakers and five years with the Hawks. He was also an assistant under Brown for the ’06/07 Cavaliers team that lost in the Finals to the Spurs.

Jent also played three games for the Knicks in the 1996/97 season, as well as being a reserve on the Rockets’ 1993/94 championship team — he averaged 5.6 minutes in 11 playoff games for Houston that season.

Jent was rumored to be the frontrunner for the position in recent days, along with the Pacers’ Mike Weinar. After Weinar withdrew his name from consideration earlier this week, SiriusXM radio host Frank Isola reported (via Twitter) that Jent and the Knicks were nearing an agreement on a deal to make him the team’s offensive coordinator.

Brendan O’Connor, who was previously hired away from the Clippers by the Knicks, is expected to serve as the team’s defensive coordinator.

Pacers’ Mike Weinar Withdraws From Knicks Search For Top Assistant

August 6th, 2025 at 9:52am CST by Dana Gauruder

Pacers assistant Mike Weinar has removed his name from consideration for the Knicks‘ top assistant position, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post tweets.

Ian Begley of SNY (Twitter link) confirms Weinar has removed withdrawn from consideration to be Mike Brown‘s offensive coordinator and lead assistant, adding that Hornets assistant Chris Jent remains a candidate for the job. New York’s interest in Jent was reported over the weekend.

Jent guided Charlotte to the Summer League title last month. Prior to arriving in Charlotte, he spent five years on the Hawks’ bench (2017-22) and two seasons with the Lakers (2022-24).

Jent served as the interim head coach for the Magic for the final 18 games of the 2004/05 season.

Weinar has spent the bulk of his NBA career working with head coach Rick Carlisle in Dallas and Indiana. Prior to his time with the Pacers, he served as an assistant for the Mavericks, having transitioned from a basketball operations role to join the coaching staff. His tenure in Dallas included the club’s 2011 title run.

According to Bondy, there were family considerations involved in Weinar’s decision.

Latest On Knicks’ Offensive Coordinator Search

August 3rd, 2025 at 7:01pm CST by Eli Cohen

Hornets assistant Chris Jent is considered a leading candidate to become the Knicks‘ offensive coordinator, according to SiriusXM NBA Radio host Frank Isola (Twitter link).

Ian Begley of SNY, meanwhile, reports (via Twitter) that the Knicks have been in contact with Pacers assistant Mike Weinar. Stefan Bondy of the New York Post confirms (via Twitter) Begley’s report while adding that Weinar is also in consideration for the offensive coordinator role and is considered a strong candidate for the lead assistant job on Mike Brown‘s staff.

Jent is a longtime NBA assistant coach who joined the Hornets in 2024 and guided Charlotte’s Summer League title to a title last month. Prior to arriving in Charlotte, he spent five years on the Hawks’ bench (2017-22) and two seasons with the Lakers (2022-24).

Jent served as the interim head coach for the Magic for the final 18 games of the 2004/05 season. He had a brief playing career in the NBA, which included a three-game stint with the Knicks in 1996.

Weinar, prior to his time with the Pacers, served as an assistant for the Mavericks, having transitioned from a basketball operations role to join the coaching staff. His tenure in Dallas included the club’s 2011 title run.

The Knicks have also reportedly shown interest in Greg St. Jean from the Lakers and Patrick Mutombo from the Grizzlies as they continue to search for candidates to fill out the coaching staff under Mike Brown.

Summer League Notes: Bulls, Kawamura, Kings, Brink, Jent

July 3rd, 2025 at 2:10pm CST by Rory Maher

The Bulls officially announced their 2025 summer league roster on Thursday afternoon (via Twitter). The group is headlined by recent lottery picks Matas Buzelis and Noa Essengue, plus two-way players Jahmir Young and Emanuel Miller and No. 55 overall pick Lachlan Olbrich, who is expected to sign a two-way deal with Chicago.

The Bulls’ summer league squad also features a handful of unrestricted free agents who have NBA experience. Japanese point guard Yuki Kawamura, who spent 2024/25 (his rookie campaign) on a two-way deal with the Grizzlies, is part of the team, as is ex-Grizzlies forward Maozinha Pereira. Former lottery pick Joshua Primo and guard Javon Freeman-Liberty are on the 14-man roster as well.

Windy City Bulls head coach Billy Donovan III will lead the summer league team for the second consecutive year, tweets K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network.

Here are few more notes related to summer league:

Both of the Kings‘ draft picks — first-rounder Nique Clifford and second-rounder Maxime Raynaud — will compete in summer league action, GM Scott Perry said today at a press conference (Twitter link via Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee). Kings head coach Doug Christie said assistant Dipesh Mistry will be the summer league team’s top coach, as Anderson relays (via Twitter).
Jordan Brink, an assistant on former head coach Tom Thibodeau‘s staff, will be head coach of the Knicks‘ summer league team, reports James L. Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter link). According to Edwards, Brink was “largely responsible” for New York’s impressive success rate on challenges last season. Given that he’s leading the summer league squad, it seems pretty likely that Brink will be a member of new coach Mike Brown‘s staff, though that’s just informed speculation and hasn’t been confirmed.
Assistant Chris Jent will serve as head coach of the Hornets‘ summer league club, per Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter video link). Jent is a longtime NBA assistant and former player who joined Charles Lee‘s staff last year.

Kemba Walker Returns To Hornets In Coaching Role

July 3rd, 2024 at 1:18pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets have officially announced Charles Lee‘s staff for the new head coach’s first season in Charlotte, and the group includes one particularly notable name. According to a press release, former Hornets star Kemba Walker has been hired as a player enhancement coach.

Walker officially announced his retirement as a player on Tuesday and wasted no time transitioning into the next stage of his career. He hinted in Tuesday’s announcement that a new job in the NBA might be coming, writing, “Basketball will forever be a part of my life so this isn’t goodbye. I’m excited for what’s next.”

The ninth overall pick in the 2011 draft, Walker became the Hornets’ full-time starting point guard in his second NBA season and maintained that role through the 2018/19 campaign. He earned three All-Star berths and averaged 19.8 points, 5.5 assists, and 3.8 rebounds in 34.1 minutes per game across 605 total regular season games during his time in Charlotte before leaving for Boston in a sign-and-trade in 2019.

Lee is a former Celtics assistant, but his time in Boston didn’t overlap with Walker’s.

Most of the rest of Lee’s staff has been previously reported. It includes assistant coaches Lamar Skeeter, Josh Longstaff, Chris Jent, Blaine Mueller, Ryan Frazier, Matt Hill, and Jermaine Bucknor, the Hornets confirmed.

Zach Peterson has been hired as an assistant coach and director of player development, while Zeke Chapman has been named head video coordinator.

Southeast Notes: Hornets, Outlaw, Caporn, Heat, Jovic

June 24th, 2024 at 10:48pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Not only did the Hornets have a head coaching change, the entire staff has been overhauled, Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer reports.

As previously noted here, Lamar Skeeter, Chris Jent and Josh Longstaff have been hired away from other organizations to head up Charles Lee‘s staff with the Hornets. They’ll be joined by Ryan Frazier, Zach Peterson, Matt Hill and Blaine Mueller, according to Boone. The training staff is also undergoing changes, as the Hornets have decided to part ways with longtime director of health care and sports performance Joe Sharpe.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

In more coaching news, J.J. Outlaw, who spent the last three seasons as a Cavaliers assistant coach, and Adam Caporn, who spent the last two seasons as a Nets assistant, are strong candidates to join Brian Keefe‘s Wizards staff, Josh Robbins of The Athletic tweets.
The Heat own the No. 15 pick in the draft and The Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang takes a deep dive into the prospects that might be available at that spot. The list is comprehensive, omitting only those prospects who seems likely to go in the top 10.
If finding another shooter is a priority, Kentucky’s Rob Dillingham, Duke guard Jared McCain, Colorado’s Tristan de Silva and the University of Miami’s Kyshawn George are potential targets with the Heat‘s first-rounder, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
In a separate draft-related piece, Winderman notes that virtually every position on the Heat roster could use a boost, with only shooting guard currently having enough quality depth.
Nikola Jovic suffered a postseason left ankle sprain and he’s still in recovery mode, which makes the Heat forward’s status for Serbia’s pre-Olympic matchups uncertain. “I’m doing great,” he told Mozzartsport, as relayed by BasketNews. “The injury I got is getting better, the swelling is almost gone. But we’ll wait a few more days for the control scan and after that we’ll see how things are. Honestly, I’m not 100% sure that I’ll play, but I really believe in it.

Scotto’s Latest: J. Smith, Toppin, Weaver, Hartenstein, Huerter, O’Neale, More

June 15th, 2024 at 4:24pm CST by Arthur Hill

Early indications suggest that Pacers power forward Jalen Smith will decline his $5.4MM player option for next season and become an unrestricted free agent, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reports in his latest aggregate mock draft. Sources tell Scotto that a final decision hasn’t been made, but Smith appears to be leaning toward testing the free agency waters. He has a June 29 deadline to opt in for 2024/25.

Smith, 24, appeared in 61 games this season and posted a career high in scoring at 9.9 PPG, along with 5.5 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 17.2 minutes per night. He was selected 10th overall by Phoenix in the 2020 draft and was acquired by Indiana at the 2022 trade deadline.

Scotto notes that rival teams are watching to see whether the Pacers will re-sign restricted free agent Obi Toppin. If the fourth-year power forward reaches a new deal, there’s a belief that Indiana might be willing to trade Jarace Walker, who was a lottery pick last June.

Scotto shares more inside information in his aggregate draft:

Washington is believed to be a potential destination for former Pistons general manager Troy Weaver, who recently parted ways with the team, Scotto writes, noting that Weaver was once part of Oklahoma City’s front office along with Wizards executives Michael Winger and Will Dawkins.
Scotto talked with some NBA executives who believe the Magic should be considered a threat to sign Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein. Orlando could have close to $50MM in cap space to work with.
Executives also expect the Kings to explore deals involving Kevin Huerter and Harrison Barnes, Scotto adds.
The Raptors plan to work out an extension with Scottie Barnes this summer, sources tell Scotto. The versatile swingman made his first All-Star appearance this year.
Scotto echoes other reports in stating that Royce O’Neale is likely to reach a new contract with the Suns. The 31-year-old forward, who was acquired from Brooklyn at the trade deadline, is expected to receive about $10MM per year, according to Scotto.
Vice president of basketball operations Brent Barry isn’t expected to return to the Spurs next season, sources tell Scotto. The longtime NBA player has been an executive with San Antonio since 2018.
Assistant coach Jason Love will likely leave the Sixers and join Doc Rivers’ staff with the Bucks, Scotto states. Love previously worked for Rivers in Philadelphia.
The Hornets are assembling a staff of assistants for new head coach Charles Lee. Scotto hears it will include Lamar Skeeter, Josh Longstaff, Chris Jent, Ryan Frazier, Zach Peterson, Matt Hill and Blaine Mueller.

Hornets Hiring Chris Jent As Assistant Coach

May 23rd, 2024 at 4:37pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets have reached an agreement to hire veteran assistant coach Chris Jent, reports Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link).

Jent will serve under Hornets new head coach Charles Lee, who has begun to put together his staff for his first year in Charlotte as he continues his role as a Celtics assistant during Boston’s playoff run. Previous reports indicated that the Hornets are also hiring Lamar Skeeter from the Jazz and Josh Longstaff from the Bulls.

Jent spent the last two seasons with the Lakers on Darvin Ham‘s staff, but Los Angeles parted ways with all of its assistants in addition to firing Ham earlier this spring, making Jent a coaching free agent.

Prior to his stint in L.A., Jent was an assistant for five years with the Hawks and also spent time with the Sixers, Magic, Cavaliers, and Kings in addition to two separate stints as an assistant at his alma mater of Ohio State. He has some head coaching experience too, having spent a year at the helm of the Bakersfield Jam (now the Motor City Cruise) in the G League in 2015/16, as well as briefly serving as an interim head coach in Orlando in 2005 following Johnny Davis‘ dismissal.

A wing at Ohio State from 1988-1992, Jent had a 10-year playing career before transitioning to coaching. He primarily played in international leagues, but was a member of the 1994 Rockets team that won a title and had a short stint with the Knicks during the 1996/97 season.

Pacific Notes: Ayton, Williams, Nunn, Lakers’ Staff, Vezenkov

September 27th, 2022 at 10:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Suns matched the Pacers’ four-year, $133MM offer sheet for Deandre Ayton but there’s still some lingering tensions between the center and coach Monty Williams. Ayton said on Tuesday he still hasn’t spoken with Williams since he was benched during the Game 7 conference semifinals loss to the Mavericks in the spring.

“I haven’t spoken to him at all, ever since the game,” Ayton told ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and other media members. Asked what he plans to say to Williams when they do speak, Ayton replied, “I can show him better than I can tell him. It’s life. Nobody cares about the uncomfortable nature of it, it’s how you perform and what you bring to the table. What’s said is already said.”

Williams believes he’ll be able to mend fences with Ayton.

“I think 1-on-1s are always needed between guys I’ve been around for awhile,” Williams said. “Some guys need it and some guys don’t. I’ll identify that as the season progresses. I’ll talk to everybody as I always do during camp and it won’t be an issue at all.”

If things can’t be worked out, Phoenix will have to wait before finding a new home for Ayton. He’s not eligible to be dealt until January 15.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

After missing all of last season due to a knee injury, Lakers guard Kendrick Nunn was a full participant in the team’s first practice on Tuesday, Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register tweets. “Getting the rhythm back and feeling good on the floor with no injuries, feeling pain-free and able to play is everything for me,” he said. “So today was a good day for me.”
The Lakers officially announced Darvin Ham‘s coaching staff in a press release. Chris Jent, Jordan Ott, J.D. DuBois, Schuyler Rimmer and Zach Peterson are the newcomers, joining Phil Handy, Dru Anthrop and Jon Pastorek.
The Kings expressed some interest in European star Sasha Vezenkov this offseason but he decided to stay at least for one more season with Greece’s Olympiacos. Vezenkov, a 2017 second-round pick, believes he made the right move, according to Achilleas Mavrodontis of Eurohoops.net. “It was the first summer in a long time that there was some solid talk, and the Kings showed interest,” he said. “Based on the information, what I heard, and what I had on the table, I decided that the best option for me was Olynpiacos. I don’t look back. I always stand by my decisions. I’m trying to prove that it was the best choice.”