David Muoka Rumors | Hoops Rumors

New York Notes: Brown, Shamet, Clowney, MPJ, Muoka

September 29th, 2025 at 9:37pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

New Knicks head coach Mike Brown wants to empower his players to let loose from long range, writes Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News.

As Winfield notes, only one expected rotation player — center Mitchell Robinson — won’t be able to connect on at least an NBA-average three-point conversion rate, provided both Malcolm Brogdon and Landry Shamet are on the club’s standard roster come the regular season.

“I mean if we get 40 [threes] I’m cool with it,” Brown said following a team practice on Friday. “We’ve got a couple of guys that we’ll allow to dance with it and let it go, and they know who they are. But if we play like we’re capable of — with pace, especially spacing, and the paint touches — we should generate a lot of catch-and-shoot threes.”

There’s more out of New York:

During his media day session, Brown spoke positively about Landry Shamet‘s two-way upside. Shamet was rostered with the Knicks last year, but for now is signed to a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 training camp deal. “Offensively, his pace in the full court, he does a great job sprinting the floor, and he’ll sprint to the corner every single possession,” Brown said when asked about Shamet by Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter video link via New York Basketball). “And when you do that with the ability he has to shoot the ball from deep, it puts a lot of pressure on the defense, and also flattens the defense, because you gotta go with him. And if the defense gets flattened by a shooter, that means the driving lanes [expand].… And then defensively, he’s not afraid, he’ll stick his nose in it and guard whoever he has to guard.”
Nets big man Noah Clowney took the offseason to bulk up, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. The 6’9″ big man has packed on added muscle to improve his abilities as a driver, but is hoping not to sacrifice any of his explosiveness. “Yeah, [Clowney] looks great,” coach Jordi Fernández said of the change. “Credit to him and the work he’s put in the whole summer. He looks like a grown man at just 21… His ability to shoot, his size and getting better at playing off two feet in the paint, limiting turnovers and fishing better at the rim. So those things are important for him.”
After dealing with major health issues earlier in his career, new Nets wing Michael Porter Jr. admitted he can’t necessarily count on a lengthy stint in the NBA. “Because of the injuries and stuff, I don’t know how much longer I really want to play,” Porter told Justin Laboy on the Respectfully The Justin Laboy Podcast (YouTube video link; hat tip to Lewis for the transcription). “Like, I want to play as long as I can, but people don’t understand the things I’ve got to go through on a daily basis just to get out on the court and play with the best athletes in the world.” Porter had already undergone three back surgeries by the end of his first three pro seasons and has since dealt with lingering nerve damage even as other health issues pop up. He is owed $78MM across the next two seasons. “I decided all I’m going to do is take it a year at a time,” Porter said. “So I’m committed to basketball and putting my all into it for the next year and then after that, I’m gonna reevaluate.”
The Nets‘ NBAGL affiliate, the Long Island Nets, obtained center David Muoka‘s returning player rights from the Windy City Bulls, Lewis tweets. Long Island surrendered a 2025 G League first-round draft pick and a 2026 second to Windy City, Chicago’s G League affiliate. Muoka was signed and waived earlier this month by Brooklyn and is now on track to join Long Island for the NBAGL season.

Nets Sign D’Andre Davis To Partially Guaranteed Deal

September 17th, 2025 at 2:53pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nets have signed undrafted rookie free agent D’Andre Davis, according to the team (Twitter link via Brian Lewis of The New York Post).

Also known as Dre Davis, the 6’6″ guard/forward spent two years at Louisville and two more at Seton Hall before wrapping up his college career with Ole Miss in 2024/25. As a super-senior, he averaged 10.1 points and 4.8 rebounds in 26.0 minutes per game while shooting 45.5% from the floor and 32.5% on three-pointers.

Davis suited up in July for Brooklyn’s Summer League team in Las Vegas, appearing in four games and averaging 4.8 PPG and 1.8 RPG in 13.3 MPG.

Rather than signing Davis to an Exhibit 10 contract, the Nets gave him a standard contract with a partial guarantee of $85,300, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. According to Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link), that’s the same deal the team gave David Muoka, who was signed and waived earlier this week.

For G League purposes, those deals for Davis and Muoka will essentially function like Exhibit 10 contracts would have, and it’s safe to assume both players will end up joining the Long Island Nets. The only real difference is that the $85,300 each player is receiving as a partial guarantee will count against the Nets’ cap.

Clubs generally favor Exhibit 10 deals because they don’t want those cap hits on their books, but those small partial guarantees may help ensure that the Nets’ team salary is above the minimum salary floor by opening night. Brooklyn is the only NBA team still operating below the cap.

Davis was signed as the Nets’ 21st man, taking the roster spot previously held by Keon Johnson until he was waived earlier today. According to Lewis (Twitter link), Johnson is dealing with an injury, which is one reason Brooklyn opted to cut him.

Hawks Trade Kobe Bufkin To Nets

September 16th, 2025 at 12:51pm CST by Luke Adams

September 16: The trade is official, according to announcements from both teams. The Nets waived big man David Muoka in order to open up a spot on the 21-man roster for Bufkin.

September 15: The Hawks and Nets have agreed to a trade that will send former first-round pick Kobe Bufkin from Atlanta to Brooklyn in exchange for cash considerations, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The Hawks will acquire $110K in cash, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

The 15th overall pick in the 2023 draft, Bufkin has battled injuries since entering the NBA. He missed a significant chunk of his rookie year due to a fractured left thumb and a sprained toe, then underwent season-ending shoulder surgery into December 2024, less than two months into his second season.

In total, the 6’4″ guard made just 27 appearances for the Hawks, averaging 5.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 11.9 minutes per night, with a .374/.220/.654 shooting line. Bufkin – who will turn 22 on Sunday – has more upside than he’s been able to show so far, so the Nets will take a chance on him in the hopes that he’ll have better health luck going forward.

Brooklyn has more than enough cap room to take on Bufkin’s $4.5MM salary for this season, which will push the team over the minimum salary floor, at least for now. His rookie scale contract also includes a $6.9MM team option for 2026/27 — the Nets will have to make a decision on that option by October 31.

While the Nets are in a good position to roll the dice on Bufkin from a salary cap perspective, adding him to the mix will exacerbate a looming roster crunch. Once the deal is official, Brooklyn will be carrying 15 players on guaranteed salaries and four on partially guaranteed or non-guaranteed salaries. The team also intends to add Ricky Council IV to the latter group. A number of those players will have to be waived or traded in order for the Nets to set their 15-man regular season roster next month.

Brooklyn still has roughly $11.6MM in cap room for now, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets, though the club could increase that figure by waiving some of those players with non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed contracts. The Nets would be in danger of falling back below the minimum salary floor in that scenario and will want to make sure they’re above that threshold by opening night.

The Hawks, meanwhile, will generate a $4.5MM trade exception as a result of the deal, generating a little extra financial flexibility below the luxury tax line and opening up another roster spot for one of their camp invitees to compete for.

With Bufkin no longer in the mix, Atlanta will have just 10 players on fully guaranteed salaries, plus Vit Krejci and N’Faly Dante on partial guarantees, Mouhamed Gueye on a non-guaranteed contract, and Caleb Houstan, Charles Bassey, and Kobe Johnson on Exhibit 10 deals.

Nets Sign David Muoka

September 15th, 2025 at 2:05pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nets have signed free agent center David Muoka, per NBA.com’s transaction log.

Muoka, who played his college ball for Lamar (2019-21) and UNLV (2021-23), spent a season with the Long Island Nets in 2023/24 before going undrafted in 2024. He signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Trail Blazers last fall and had his G League rights traded from Long Island to the Rip City Remix (Portland’s affiliate) before they were rerouted to the Windy City Bulls a month later.

In 48 outings for Windy City last season, Muoka averaged 10.7 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks in 26.5 minutes per game, making 66.5% of his shots from the field.

While an Exhibit 10 deal would make sense for a player like Muoka who has spent the past two years in the G League, Exhibit 10 contracts typically aren’t listed in the transaction log at NBA.com, so we’ll have to wait for more clarity on the exact details of the agreement.

Brooklyn now has a full 21-man offseason roster, though reported deals with Ricky Council IV and Grant Nelson have yet to be officially finalized, so the Nets will presumably do some additional roster shuffling in the coming weeks.

Blazers Notes: Williams, Rebuild, Banton, G League Moves

November 6th, 2024 at 9:22am CST by Luke Adams

Trail Blazers center Robert Williams was available to suit up on Monday for the first time in nearly a year, having recovered from last season’s knee surgery and a hamstring injury he sustained during training camp. His last appearance in an NBA game occurred on November 5, 2023.

However, Williams didn’t get off the bench in New Orleans as Portland leaned on Deandre Ayton and Donovan Clingan to man the middle — the duo combined for 23 points, 16 rebounds, and three blocks in their 48 minutes of action.

While it’s unclear whether Williams will crack Portland’s rotation going forward, it’s a safe bet he won’t play in both ends of a back-to-back set anytime soon, tweets Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report.

Highkin predicts Williams will be active on Thursday in San Antonio and, if he sees any action in that game, would be held out of Friday’s contest in Minnesota.

Here’s more on the Blazers:

The Thunder’s incredibly successful rebuild in recent years serves as an aspirational model for the Trail Blazers to try to emulate, writes Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian (subscription required). However, Fentress acknowledges that Portland’s apparent lack of a potential franchise player to build around puts them a step behind the 2020-22 Thunder, who won just 46 games across two seasons but were led a budding superstar in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Traded from Boston to Portland in a salary-dump deal in February, swingman Dalano Banton made an impact down the stretch last season, had his team option picked up, and has now had 50% of his 2024/25 salary guaranteed. Banton continued to show on Monday that he deserves his spot on the Blazers’ roster, scoring 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting, all in the fourth quarter, to help the team secure a win over the Pelicans. “I wasn’t expecting that,” Billups told reporters, including Fentress (subscription required). “But he’s one of those types of guys that when he gets a rhythm, he’s a really tough cover with his size and his skill set, his handle, and things like that. So, I was just happy to see him get going. I thought he fueled us.”
The Trail Blazers’ G League affiliate, the Rip City Remix, has reacquired forward Alex Reese after he was waived by the Thunder, per the NBAGL transaction log. Reese suited up for the Remix last season and the team still controlled his returning rights.
The Remix also made a trade with the Windy City Bulls this week, acquiring the returning rights to former NBAers Frank Jackson and Daniel Oturu along with a 2025 international draft pick in exchange for the rights to center David Muoka (Twitter link). Muoka is the only one of those three players who is currently on a G League contract — Jackson and Oturu are playing in France and Turkey, respectively.

And-Ones: G League Trades, Flagg, 2025 Draft, Howard, Parsons, More

October 4th, 2024 at 7:43pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rip City Remix – the Trail Blazers‘ G League affiliate – have completed a series of trades involving players who have signed Exhibit 10 contracts with NBA teams this fall, according to a press release from the team.

The Remix acquired Henri Drell‘s returning rights in a three-team trade with the Texas Legends and Windy City Bulls, sending the returning rights for Jazian Gortman, Anthony Duruji, and Jakub Urbaniak to the Mavericks‘ affiliate in the deal. Rip City also acquired David Muoka‘s returning rights from the Long Island Nets in exchange for George Conditt‘s rights and a 2025 second-round pick.

Both Drell and Muoka signed Exhibit 10 deals with Portland ahead of training camp and were recently waived. Now that the Remix control both players’ G League rights, it’s safe to assume they’ll report to the Blazers’ affiliate and will receive Exhibit 10 bonuses (worth as much as $77.5K) as long as they spend at least 60 days with Rip City.

The Remix also received the returning rights for Aleem Ford – along with the fourth overall pick in the 2024 G League draft and a 2025 international draft pick – from the Wisconsin Herd in exchange for Terence Davis‘ and Isiaih Mosley‘s returning rights. Davis recently signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Bucks, so it looks like he’ll ultimately land with the Herd.

Finally, Portland’s affiliate finalized a fourth trade that sent Antoine Davis‘ rights to the Stockton Kings in exchange for the rights to Stanley Johnson and Jayce Johnson, along with a pair of draft picks (Twitter link). None of those players have signed Exhibit 10 deals this fall, but it appears Sacramento’s affiliate plans to have Davis on its roster this season, given the handful of pieces it traded to get him.

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

Duke freshman Cooper Flagg told Jonathan Givony of ESPN that it’s “absolutely not” a foregone conclusion that he’ll be the No. 1 pick in next June’s draft, a position that was echoed by Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer. “Of course he has to prove it,” Scheyer said. “I’ve seen guys who have been projected (No. 1), that have gone there, and then guys that are projected that don’t go because you assume it’s gonna happen. … I believe in Cooper at the end of the day. But again, we got a long way to go before we start thinking about that.”
In a separate Insider-only story for ESPN, Givony shared some takeaways from his recent visits to Rutgers, Duke, UNC, and UConn, four college programs who figure to be well represented in the first round of next year’s NBA draft. Within his section on Rutgers, Givony notes that multiple NBA scouts have told him they have Dylan Harper ranked atop their draft boards ahead of the NCAA season.
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report provides his 2024/25 win-loss predictions for all 30 NBA teams, while John Hollinger of The Athletic names the Nuggets, Grizzlies, Clippers, Hornets, and Wizards as five clubs he expects to fall short of their preseason over/under projections.
Georgia businessman Calvin Darden Jr. was found guilty on Friday of fraud, bank fraud, money laundering, and two separate conspiracy counts for his role in defrauding former NBA players Dwight Howard and Chandler Parsons out of a combined $8MM in 2021. Brian Windhorst of ESPN has the details on the case.
Long Phi Pham, one of the gamblers who took part in a scheme to have former Raptors big man Jontay Porter exit games early for betting purposes last season, pleaded guilty this week to conspiring to commit wire fraud, reports Jennifer Peltz of The Associated Press. Pham, whose sentencing is scheduled for April 25, could face anything from a no-jail punishment to up to 20 years in prison.

Trail Blazers Sign, Waive David Muoka

October 1st, 2024 at 9:05pm CST by Luke Adams

9:05pm: Muoka’s release is listed on the NBA’s official transaction log, indicating that the Blazers have formally signed and waived him.

2:56pm: The Trail Blazers are signing free agent center David Muoka to an Exhibit 10 contract and will subsequently waive him, reports Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (Twitter link).

Muoka’s agent Josh Goodwin confirmed (via Twitter) that his client is signing with Portland, noting that he’ll become the first player born in Hong Kong to ink an NBA contract.

After going undrafted out of UNLV in 2023, Muoka spent his rookie season with the Long Island Nets, Brooklyn’s G League affiliate. He averaged 4.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in 14.7 minutes per game across 38 outings for Long Island in the Showcase Cup and regular season.

Because Muoka finished last season with the Nets’ affiliate, simply signing and waiving him won’t allow Portland to secure his G League rights. However, it will ensure that he receives an Exhibit 10 bonus worth up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with the Blazers’ affiliate this season. The Rip City Remix will have to acquire his returning rights from Long Island to make that happen.

The Blazers have two open spots on their 21-man training camp roster, so no corresponding move will be required to make room for Muoka.

2023/24 NBA G League Draft Results

October 28th, 2023 at 1:19pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA G League held its draft for the 2023/24 season on Saturday afternoon.

The 29 G League teams affiliated with NBA franchises participated in the event, as did the unaffiliated Mexico City Capitanes. The G League Ignite, which is made up of top prospects and veteran mentors, doesn’t take part in the draft.

The first player selected in today’s G League draft was former Nuggets and Thunder forward Jack White, who recently fell victim to a roster crunch in Oklahoma City.

White spent last season on a two-way contract with Denver, then signed a two-year, minimum-salary contract with the Thunder that included a $600K partial guarantee.

That guarantee made him ineligible to suit up for the Oklahoma City Blue this season, so he entered the G League draft, where the Texas Legends, the Mavericks‘ affiliate, snared him with the No. 1 overall pick.

Outside of White, there was only one other player drafted today who has prior NBA experience. That player is Scottie Lewis, the 56th overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft. He appeared in just two games for the Hornets while on a two-way deal in 2021/22. The Windy City Bulls, Chicago’s affiliate, drafted him today with the No. 32 overall pick.

Former Tulsa wing Brandon Rachal has never appeared in an NBA regular season game, but he was among Saturday’s draftees who has at least signed an NBA contract, having inked a pair of Exhibit 10 deals with Brooklyn in 2021 and 2022. Rachal made G League history today by becoming the first player drafted by the Rip City Remix, the Trail Blazers‘ expansion franchise.

Here are the full 2023/24 G League draft results:

Round One:

Texas Legends (Mavericks): Jack White
South Bay Lakers (Lakers): Teafale Lenard Jr.
Capital City Go-Go (Wizards): David Muoka
College Park Skyhawks (Hawks): Javonte Perkins
Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets): Will Richardson
Birmingham Squadron (Pelicans): Pavel Savkov
Austin Spurs (Spurs): David Shriver
Greensboro Swarm (Hornets): Isiaih Mosley
Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder): Logan Johnson
Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz): Karolis Lukosiunas
Raptors 905 (Raptors): Myles Burns
Mexico City Capitanes (N/A): J.J. Romer Rosario
Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): Bryson Warren (Overtime Elite)
Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets): Olisa Akonobi
Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets): Walter Ellis
Santa Cruz Warriors (Warriors): Marcus Burk
Texas Legends (Mavericks): Nana Opoku
Texas Legends (Mavericks): Maxime Carene
Westchester Knicks (Knicks): Jamal Bey
Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): Manny Camper
Osceola Magic (Magic): Jaycee Hillsman
Rip City Remix (Trail Blazers): Brandon Rachal
Ontario Clippers (Clippers): Elijah Harkless
Delaware Blue Coats (Sixers): Anthony Nelson
Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves): Kok Yat (Overtime Elite)
Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder): Lance Thomas
Santa Cruz Warriors (Warriors): Arinze Chidom
College Park Skyhawks (Hawks): Jared Wilson-Frame
Wisconsin Herd (Bucks): Myron Gardner
Maine Celtics (Celtics): Wendell Green Jr.

Round Two:

Texas Legends (Mavericks): J.D. Tsasa (North Canyon High School)
Windy City Bulls (Bulls): Scottie Lewis
Cleveland Charge (Cavaliers): Eric Williams Jr.
Osceola Magic (Magic): Tray Maddox
Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets): No pick
Stockton Kings (Kings): Kalob Ledoux
Wisconsin Herd (Bucks): No pick
Memphis Hustle (Grizzlies): Sincere Carry
Stockton Kings (Kings): Alex Hunter
College Park Skyhawks (Hawks): Sam Daniel (Florida Tech)
Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves): Nojel Eastern
Ontario Clippers (Clippers): David Bell
Indiana Mad Ants (Pacers): Stephan Hicks
Mexico City Capitanes (N/A): No pick
Osceola Magic (Magic): Darius Mickens (Cal State San Bernadino)
Santa Cruz Warriors (Warriors): No pick
Windy City Bulls (Bulls): Keyshawn Bryant
Rip City Remix (Trail Blazers): Kevin McClain
Memphis Hustle (Grizzlies): Davion Warren
Indiana Mad Ants (Pacers): David Sloan
Indiana Mad Ants (Pacers): No pick
Westchester Knicks (Knicks): No pick
Delaware Blue Coats (Sixers): No pick
Delaware Blue Coats (Sixers): No pick
Osceola Magic (Magic): Isaiah Wade (Central Oklahoma)
Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz): Isaac Johnson
Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves): Denzel Mahoney
Texas Legends (Mavericks): No pick
Texas Legends (Mavericks): No pick
Ontario Clippers (Clippers): No pick

Round Three (supplemental picks):

Motor City Cruise (Pistons): Robert Johnson
Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Rockets): Kyree Walker

Teams will fill out their rosters with affiliate players, returning rights players, tryout players, and players who are assigned to the G League from the NBA roster (including those on two-way contracts).

G League training camps open on Monday, with this year’s NBAGL Showcase Cup tournament tipping off on November 10. The Showcase Cup will be played over about a month-and-a-half and will be followed by the G League regular season, which begins on December 27.