Ramon Sessions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Henderson, Sessions, Point Guards, EuroLeague

June 13th, 2022 at 11:19am CST by Luke Adams

G League Ignite guard Scoot Henderson has agreed to a multiyear endorsement deal with Puma that will be worth at least seven figures annually, league sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic. It’s believed to be the most lucrative endorsement contract ever for a basketball player who is not yet eligible for the draft, Charania adds.

Henderson will play for the Ignite again next season before becoming draft-eligible in 2023 — he was the No. 2 pick in ESPN’s most recent ’23 mock draft, behind only French big man Victor Wembanyama.

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

Former NBA guard Ramon Sessions, who became an NBPA-certified player agent earlier this year, tells Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic that his experience working with the players’ union during his 11-year player career helped push him toward his new path. “It just made too much sense. I always was intrigued my whole career — being a union guy — wanting to know how a contract worked,” Sessions said. “Just wanted another challenge. Me doing this is no different than me being picked 56 (in the 2007 draft).”
Kyrie Irving and Jalen Brunson are the headliners of this year’s free agent point guards, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic, who believes point guard may be the strongest position in free agency this summer. Ricky Rubio, Delon Wright, Tyus Jones, Anfernee Simons, and Patty Mills are some of the other names near the top of Hollinger’s list.
Alex Madrid of Eurohoops.net names 10 current NBA players he believes are candidates to join EuroLeague teams for the 2022/23 season. Madrid’s list includes players originally from Europe, such as Ignas Brazdeikis and Vlatko Cancar, as well as U.S.-born players who have previous EuroLeague experience, like Matt Thomas and Anthony Gill.

And-Ones: NBPA, Tremaglio, Sessions, Russia, EuroLeague

February 28th, 2022 at 7:48am CST by Luke Adams

More than 120 candidates were considered and 40 were interviewed to become Michele Roberts‘ successor as executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, according to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic, who takes an in-depth look at what the new union leader, Tamika Tremaglio, brings to the role.

As Vorkunov details, the NBA’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement will expire after the 2023/24 season, and the league and the union both have the ability to opt out in December of 2022. However, Tremaglio doesn’t anticipate a contentious negotiation with the NBA when the time comes to put a new CBA in place.

“There is no benefit for any of us to opt out,” she said, per Vorkunov. “There is always the opportunity for us to work together. I do think Michele has been able to build a really great relationship with the league and I cannot see that not continuing. I think [NBA commissioner] Adam [Silver] has been incredibly welcoming. Michele helped to set up a really great transition for me.

“I think I’m coming in at a time that is needed, for certain, but I also feel I am coming in at a time that we can continue the path that we have already been on. Which is the path certainly of least resistance and much more partnership in terms of what we can accomplish. We’re not back in the ’60s where we’re looking for ways to be adversarial to each other. We recognize that we can get more done together.”

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

Former NBA point guard Ramon Sessions has become a certified player agent, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who tweets that Sessions is launching On Time Agency, an independent firm. Sessions is currently advising Jordan Walsh, a five-star recruit who has committed to Arkansas, Charania notes.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has thrown the EuroLeague into disarray. As EuroHoops relays in a pair of stories, a decision was made last week to move all games scheduled to be played in Russia to neutral venues, but the leaders of Lithuanian team Zalgiris Kaunas didn’t think stance went far enough. “We don’t want to play with clubs from a country that is using military aggression and we this is a position that we suggested to the EuroLeague and its clubs,” Zalgiris director Paulius Motiejunas said.
Meanwhile, a flurry of players are departing from the EuroLeague clubs based in Russia. Former NBAers Joel Bolomboy and Tornike Shengelia are among those leaving CSKA Moscow, per the team, while UNICS Kazan forward Jarrell Brantley is also expected to leave the country, according to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com. An SDNA report relayed by Sportando suggests that Zenit St. Petersburg is allowing all its non-Russian players, coaches, and staffers to return to their respective home countries, while another SDNA report (via Sportando) says CSKA, UNICS Kazan, and Zenit have jointly asked the EuroLeague to postpone their games for a month.

Sessions, Jennings, Crawford Become Free Agents

November 21st, 2018 at 10:07am CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA guards Ramon Sessions, Brandon Jennings, and Jordan Crawford are all back on the free agent market, according to a series of reports from Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.

Sessions had been playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel, while Jennings had been a member of Zenit St. Petersburg in Russia, but both veterans parted ways with their respective teams this week, according to Charania.

Maccabi Tel Aviv issued a statement (via Twitter) announcing that Sessions asked to be released from his contract to return home to America for personal reasons, and the club consented. Zenit St. Petersburg confirmed the end of its relationship with Jennings in a statement of its own, indicating that the two sides reached an agreement to terminate the point guard’s contract early. Jennings had griped on social media last week about playing for a team that featured a father (Vasily Karasev) coaching his son (Sergey Karasev).

As for Crawford, we heard earlier this week that the former Pelican had signed a one-month contract with German team Alba Berlin, but the club announced this morning (via Twitter) that Crawford didn’t pass his physical, voiding the agreement (hat tip to Sportando).

Sessions, Jennings, and Crawford all have plenty of NBA experience under their belts and could receive interest from clubs down the stretch, especially if some teams are hit hard by backcourt injuries. For now, all three will be free agents.

International Notes: Buycks, Sessions, Eddie, Sloan

November 4th, 2018 at 11:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Dwight Buycks, who has NBA experience with the Raptors, Lakers and Pistons, has joined the Shenzhen Leopards in the Chinese Basketball Association, according to Sportando. Spanish reporter Chema de Lucas was the first to break the news of the deal.

Buycks has 49 games of NBA experience, including 29 last season with Detroit, where he averaged 7.4 points in about 15 minutes per night. He signed a two-way contract with the Pistons in September of 2017, then had the deal converted into a standard NBA agreement in January. However, the team opted to waive him in July rather than guarantee his contract for another season.

There’s more international news to pass along:

Veteran guard Ramon Sessions has finalized a deal with Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel, the team announced on Twitter. He split last season between the Knicks and Wizards, playing a combined 28 games.
Jarell Eddie, who had brief stays with the Celtics and Bulls last year, has signed to play in France, relays Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Eddie bounced around the NBA after going undrafted out of Virginia Tech in 2014. He signed a 10-day contract with Boston in January and another with Chicago in March, but couldn’t stick with either team.
Donald Sloan, who has played for five NBA teams, has signed with the Jiangsu Dragons in the Chinese Basketball Association, Sportando reports. He was last in the NBA with the Nets in 2015/16.
Former Pistons forward Tony Mitchell has signed a short-term deal to play in Argentina, Carchia tweets.

And-Ones: Team USA, G League, Sessions, D. Gordon

October 27th, 2018 at 9:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Steve Kerr and Brad Stevens are considered the most likely candidates to succeed Gregg Popovich as head coach of Team USA, but there could be other names in the mix, relays Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype. During a recent podcast, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski mentioned Erik Spoelstra as a possibility, along with Nate McMillan and Villanova’s Jay Wright, although he added that the job will probably go to a current NBA coach.

ESPN colleague Brian Windhorst, who joined Wojnarowski for the show, questioned whether McMillan is really in the running, but called Spoelstra a “very strong” candidate, noting that he is highly respected around the league and is the second-longest-tenured head coach with the same team. Spoelstra’s main obstacle is that he’s not already on the Team USA staff.

There’s more NBA-related news to pass along:

The G League’s new alternative to college basketball is getting mixed reviews from some of the nation’s top high school players, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN. The league plans to offer $125K “select contracts” to top prospects who are at least 18 years old but aren’t yet eligible for the NBA draft. Givony talked to a few five-star recruits who haven’t chosen a college — along with their families — and found both interest and skepticism about the new arrangement. “My first reaction was I’d like to hear more,” said Richard Hurt, the father of top-10 recruit Matthew Hurt. “… There are some things that are intriguing about it. It’s not the money. It’s the opportunity to focus solely on what your craft will be. Similar to what a trade school would be.”
Ramon Sessions may be headed to Israel, notes Orazio Cauchi of Sportando. Maccabi Tel Aviv is reportedly considering an offer for the 11-year NBA veteran, who played a combined 28 games last season for the Knicks and Wizards. Sessions may replace another former NBA player, Jeremy Pargo, who will miss several weeks with an injury.
Drew Gordon tells NetsDaily.com that he sees the G League as his chance to return to the NBA after three years of being overseas. Gordon, who is playing for Long Island, has just nine games of NBA experience, all coming with the Sixers during the 2014/15 season. “I’ve basically been living my life out of four suitcases for the last five, six years,” he said. “It’s always interesting to immerse yourself into different cultures and having to live there for an extended period of time. You just have to learn to go with the flow with certain types of things and be able to adapt quickly and make changes with your game and everyday lifestyle.”

Wizards Sign Ramon Sessions For Rest Of Season

March 16th, 2018 at 2:37pm CST by Luke Adams

2:37pm: The Wizards have officially re-signed Sessions, according to the NBA’s transactions log.

11:11am: After his second 10-day contract with the Wizards expired this week, Ramon Sessions is set to sign a rest-of-season deal with the club, according to Candace Buckner of The Washington Post (Twitter link). The club will have one open roster spot even after re-signing Sessions, no corresponding move will be required.

Sessions, who will turn 32 next month, didn’t play during his first 10 days with the Wizards, but has worked his way into the team’s rotation since then. In five games for Washington, the veteran point guard has averaged 7.2 PPG and 3.4 APG with a .333/.400/.737 shooting line.

With John Wall still recovering from knee surgery, Tomas Satoransky has handled the brunt of the Wizards’ point guard minutes, with Tim Frazier and now Sessions acting as backups. It’s not clear if Sessions will continue to see regular minutes once Wall is healthy and ready to return to the lineup, or if he’ll simply provide some veteran insurance down the stretch and in the playoffs.

If the Wizards officially re-sign Sessions today, his new deal would count for $224,517 against the club’s 2017/18 cap. However, because Washington is over the tax line, the signing will cost the team an extra $337K or so in projected tax penalties.

Southeast Notes: MCW, Sessions, Heat, Hawks

March 6th, 2018 at 11:11am CST by Luke Adams

After signing with the Hornets during the 2017 offseason, Michael Carter-Williams has served as the team’s primary point guard behind Kemba Walker. However, Carter-Williams’ season appears to be in jeopardy.

As Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes (via Twitter), the former Rookie of the Year suffered a left shoulder injury on Sunday and is currently weighing whether to elect for surgery or rehab. According to Bonnell, it could be a few days before Carter-Williams makes a decision, but if he opts for surgery, it figures to end the 2017/18 season for the Hornets guard.

For now, the Hornets figure to turn to Malik Monk for the backup minutes behind Walker, and the team’s lone All-Star is also ready to play a few extra minutes if needed, as Bonnell notes (Twitter links).

Let’s round up a few more notes from around the Southeast…

Although he didn’t play a single minute for the Wizards during his first 10-day contract, Ramon Sessions inked a second 10-day deal with the club on Monday. As he tells Candace Buckner of The Washington Post (Twitter link), Sessions he’s prepared to see the court this time around. “If I sit for another 10 days, it’s nothing that I’ve got grudge on my shoulder or anything,” Sessions said. “But if they call me, I’ll be ready to go.”
Despite slipping to a tie for seventh in the Eastern Conference standings, the Heat like their roster and are confident they’ll finish the season strong, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. “We have everything we need,” said team president Pat Riley. “We have shot blocking. We’ve got pick-and-roll bigs who can catch lobs. We’ve got pick-and-roll bigs who can catch layups. We’ve got shooters, defenders. We’ve got a lot of versatility. … I think Coach (Erik Spoelstra) has done a great job in developing a system that’s for everybody. And so let’s get on with it.”
Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution provides an update on the Hawks‘ two-way players, tweeting that – as of Monday – Josh Magette had 25 days of NBA service left, while Andrew White had 13 days left. Given Atlanta’s place in the standings, the team won’t have to worry about making either player postseason-eligible via an NBA contract.

Wizards Re-Sign Ramon Sessions

March 5th, 2018 at 11:47am CST by Luke Adams

Despite having his initial 10-day contract with the Wizards expire on Sunday night, point guard Ramon Sessions won’t be hitting the free agent market. According to an announcement from the team (Twitter link), Sessions has officially signed a second 10-day deal with Washington that will keep him under contract through next Wednesday.

Sessions, who will turn 32 next month, signed a 10-day contract with the Wizards after the All-Star break, giving the club some depth at point guard with John Wall still recovering from knee surgery. However, with Tomas Satoransky handling starting duties in Wall’s absence and Tim Frazier getting the backup minutes, Sessions didn’t see any action during his first 10 days with Washington.

While it’s not clear if Sessions will receive any playing time during his next 10 days with the Wizards, there’s little downside to the arrangement from the team’s perspective. Without Sessions, the club would only have 13 players on its 15-man NBA roster, one below the NBA-mandated minimum of 14 — so another signing would’ve been required if Sessions wasn’t retained.

A team is permitted to sign a player to two 10-day contracts before making a decision on that player for the rest of the season. After Sessions’ second deal expires next Wednesday night, Washington will either have to lock up the veteran for the season or sign another player to fill that 14th roster slot.

Southeast Notes: Sessions, Hezonja, Hornets, Schroder

March 4th, 2018 at 9:08am CST by Arthur Hill

Veteran guard Ramon Sessions will find out today if he’ll be getting a second 10-day contract from the Wizards, relays Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. Sessions’ first 10-day deal expires at midnight, and even though he hasn’t appeared in any games yet, that doesn’t mean the team doesn’t have plans for him.

“He’s a worker. He hasn’t gotten any opportunities. That might change [Sunday] night,” coach Scott Brooks said of tonight’s contest with the Pacers.

Washington signed Sessions to provide depth at point guard while John Wall recovers from knee surgery. Waived by the Knicks in January, Sessions had prior experience in Washington and was a logical choice for the role. Wall is expected to miss another two to four weeks and the Wizards already have a roster opening, so that may work in favor of Sessions getting another contract.

There’s more this morning from the Southeast Division:

The Magic may be regretting their decision to decline a team option on Mario Hezonja for next season, writes Frank Urbina of HoopsHype. The 23-year-old forward was coming off two uninspiring seasons when the new management team opted in October not to lock him up for another year. He has since developed into a versatile weapon off the bench, averaging 13.0 points and 4.3 rebounds over his last 31 games. The Magic could have had him under contract for approximately $5.2MM next season if they’d picked up that option.
It doesn’t matter that the Hornets haven’t named a successor to GM Rich Cho yet, but they need to find one quickly once the season ends, states Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. In addition to evaluating the coaching staff and preparing for the draft, the new GM will need to get control of the team’s salary cap situation by trading one or more rotation players and will have to manage the cap to stay under the luxury tax threshold. Bonnell adds that several viable GM candidates will probably emerge as their teams are eliminated from the playoffs.
Hawks guard Dennis Schroder has become the majority owner of Basketball Lowen Braunschweig, a team in his native Germany, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.

Wizards Sign Ramon Sessions To 10-Day Deal

February 23rd, 2018 at 3:27pm CST by Luke Adams

FEBRUARY 23: The Wizards have officially signed Sessions to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release.

“We’re very familiar with Ramon,” Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld said in a statement. “He’s a veteran who can play both guard positions and will add depth to our backcourt.”

FEBRUARY 22: The Wizards plan to sign veteran point guard Ramon Sessions to a 10-day contract, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). The club has two open spots on its 15-man roster, so no corresponding move will be required.

An 11-year NBA veteran, Sessions has some previous experience with the Wizards, having spent time with the team in 2015 and 2016. He left Washington as a free agent in 2016 to join the Hornets, then spent the first part of this season with the Knicks.

New York’s starting point guard to open the 2017/18 campaign, Sessions was quickly supplanted in the lineup by Jarrett Jack and ultimately didn’t see much action with the Knicks. In total, he averaged 3.7 PPG and 2.1 APG in 13 games (12.8 MPG) for the club, struggling with his shot during his limited minutes (.321 FG%, .182 3PT%). He was waived in January.

The Wizards have been on the lookout for a veteran point guard to help man the position with John Wall on the shelf. Prior to the All-Star break, Washington was linked to Ty Lawson and Derrick Rose, along with Sessions. The timing of the move comes as no surprise, since the Wizards were required by league rules to add a 14th player to their roster this week — I’d expect the deal to be finalized by the end of the day.

As our chart from earlier today shows, Sessions will make $131,562 on his 10-day deal, while the Wizards will take on a cap hit of $83,129. The team will also incur approximately $147K in projected luxury tax penalties, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks.