Sasha Vezenkov Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Biyombo, Wiseman, Haliburton, Vezenkov

July 11th, 2022 at 1:56pm CST by Luke Adams

According to Suns center Bismack Biyombo, “winning teams” showed interest in him in free agency and he potentially could’ve made more money elsewhere, but he’s comfortable in Phoenix and believes the team’s system allows him to “excel,” writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.

Biyombo also said that he’s looking forward to being a Sun from day one this season after joining the team midway through the 2021/22 campaign.

“All the structure was set, and you’re kind of catching a rhythm of a team and trying to join the dance,” Biyombo said. “I think it’s always good to start the dance at the beginning, which is training camp. Have a better understanding of the team.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Warriors center James Wiseman looked good in his return to the court on Sunday in Las Vegas, scoring 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting and blocking a couple shots in 19 minutes, writes Kendra Andrews of ESPN. It’s an encouraging first step for the former No. 2 overall pick, who missed the entire 2021/22 season due to a knee injury. “Walking into the locker room after the game and all the players cheering for him I think he can kind of (say), ‘Ah, I can breathe again,'” Warriors Summer League coach Jama Mahlalela told ESPN. “Every conversation I have with him is, ‘I am so proud of you but now the real work begins.'”
Now a member of the Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton says he still has love for Sacramento, despite unexpectedly being traded to Indiana prior to the 2022 deadline. Haliburton told Sean Cunningham of Fox 40 in Sacramento (video link) that his feelings toward the Kings organization and Kings fans are “completely different” from one another.
After having his NBA rights acquired by the Kings in June, Olympiacos forward Sasha Vezenkov had reportedly planned to meet with the team in Las Vegas this month. However, Vezenkov isn’t traveling stateside after all, according to Vangelis Ioannou of Eurohoops.net, and he recently made comments hinting he may remain in Greece for the 2022/23 season, per Antonis Stroggylakis of Eurohoops.net. Vezenkov has an NBA opt-out deadline of July 20 in his deal with Olympiacos, so he’ll have another nine days to see if he and the Kings can work out a deal. Sacramento has a small portion of its mid-level exception available to offer the 26-year-old more than two years, or could dip into its bi-annual exception to offer a two-year deal worth more than the rookie minimum.

Pacific Notes: Murray, Vezenkov, Santos, Leonard

July 3rd, 2022 at 12:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kings first-round pick Keegan Murray put on a show Saturday in the California Classic Summer League, writes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. The No. 4 selection posted 26 points and eight rebounds in 28 minutes and drew a vocal crowd reaction with his array of moves.

“My goal going in was, obviously, get the win first,” Murray said. “I knew that was a big thing for me, and just play my game. Don’t do anything out of the ordinary. Don’t do anything I was uncomfortable doing. Just stick to what I do best, and that’s knock down shots and get rebounds, so I just stuck to it.”

Murray said he wasn’t nervous heading into his first game as a professional and he was encouraged after seeing his first shot fall. He wound up shooting 10 of 14 from the field, including 4 of 5 from three-point range, and impressed his coaches and teammates with his efficiency.

“Every time, it seems like he does the right thing,” Summer League coach Jordi Fernandez said. “He doesn’t force it. He makes it look simple, and, as you guys know, when you watch a professional athlete that, whatever he does looks simple, that is usually a really good professional athlete. Overall, I think the kid is very special. What we saw in college, I’m seeing it right now, and if I have to — well, I cannot bet because this is the NBA, but if I could, I’m going to say that he’s going to be a very, very, very good NBA player.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Sasha Vezenkov, whose draft rights were acquired last month in a trade with Cleveland, will meet with the Kings during the Las Vegas Summer League to discuss his future, according to Stavros Barbarousis of Eurohoops. The 26-year-old forward is under contract with Olympiacos, but he has NBA opt-outs this summer and in 2023.
Gui Santos, a second-round pick by the Warriors, also had an impressive Summer League debut, notes Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. The 21-year-old swingman out of Brazil had 23 points, six rebounds and three steals. “Before the game, I was nervous because it’s a different game here,” Santos said. “I’m playing outside of my country and my family is not here. But when I started to play, I gained confidence. Catching the ball and making the plays, I started to feel better.” Golden State will likely keep Santos overseas for another year or two, but that decision hasn’t been finalized.
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer believes “the sky is the limit” for his team, especially if Kawhi Leonard can make a full comeback from the torn right ACL that prevented him from playing this season, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.

Cavaliers Acquire 49th Pick From Kings

June 23rd, 2022 at 3:13pm CST by Arthur Hill

3:13pm: The Kings have officially announced the trade, reports Sean Cunningham of Fox 40 KTXL (via Twitter).

11:59am: The Cavaliers will pick up a second-round draft choice in a trade with the Kings, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Cleveland will send the draft rights to Sasha Vezenkov to Sacramento in exchange for pick No. 49 in tonight’s draft.

The Cavs will also ship $1.75MM to the Kings in the deal, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link).

Cleveland now has three second-round picks at 39, 49 and 56, along with a first-rounder at No. 14. The Kings are left with picks No. 4 and 37.

Vezenkov, a 26-year-old forward, was a first-team All-EuroLeague selection this season, Wojnarowski notes. He has played for Olympiacos in Greece for the last several seasons and averaged 13.8 PPG and 5.6 RPG on .547/.388/.840 shooting in 31 EuroLeague games (29.6 MPG) in 2022/23.

Vezenkov was drafted by the Nets with the 57th pick in 2017, and his NBA rights were sent to Cleveland in the 2021 James Harden trade.